The Syracuse Crunch probably would have liked the services of Charle-Edouard D’Astous for an entire season. The same goes for Dominic James. Alas, the lot in life of an AHL affiliate is that, sometimes, the needs of their NHL parent outweigh what is best for them. Despite the roster churn caused by the injuries that plagues the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Crunch had a really strong season.
After a back-and-forth start to the season a run of twelve wins in thirteen games in February propelled them to the top of the standings in the North Division. Much like the Lightning, they could never shake their pursuers and ended the season in second place, a point shy of Laval. They drew Cleveland in the divisional round of the playoffs and split the first two games in Cleveland before bowing out of the best-of-five series with two overtime losses on home ice, including a heartbreaking, triple-overtime loss in Game 5.
Their success was in their system as 47 different players suited up for the Crunch last season, including 11 rookies. They still managed to finish tied for 8th in scoring with 3.29 goals-per-game and sixth in defense, allowing just 2.63 goals-per-game. Not bad considering that three of their top defensemen in Steven Santini, D’Astous, and Declan Carlile all played less than half of the season due to their call-ups to Tampa.
Jakob Pelletier had a sensational season, leading the team (and league) with 77 points (28 goals, 49 assists) on his way to the player of the year honors. Dylan Duke was a menace on the power play with 18 goals (32 overall) while Conor Geekie showed the potential he possesses with 59 points (17 goals, 42 assists) in 57 games. New additions Nick Abruzzese (51 points), Matteo Pietroniro (31 points from the blue line), and Simon Lundmark all proved useful. Old friend Matthew Peca was brought in at the deadline and put up 13 points (4 goals, 9 assists) in 14 games.
In net, Brandon Halverson posted a 24-11-6 record with 6 shutouts, a 2.42 GAA, and .905 SV%. Ryan Fanti posted very similar numbers with a 2.41 GAA and .905 SV%, but didn’t get quite the same offensive support, which led to a 13-12-1 record. They also had solid fill-in performances from Jon Gillies (1.33 GAA in 180 minutes) and Kevin Mandolese (1.50 GAA in 120 minutes). Harrison Meneghin, a 21-year-old rookie, also made his AHL debut at the end of the season, playing almost 13 minutes against Belleville.
So, where do they go from there? AHL rosters in general are in constant flux based on the fact that most non-NHL deals are usually only one or two years long and players are constantly on the move looking for opportunities in other organizations. Despite that, the Crunch seem set on running back a large portion of their roster (just like the Lightning). Just a week after being eliminated by the Monsters, they re-signed forward Brendan Furry (14 goals, 14 assists) to a two-year AHL contract. A couple of days later they re-signed defenseman Tommy Miller to a one-year AHL deal.
The re-signings kept coming as Pietroniro inked a two-year AHL contract. Some big contributors in Max Groshev, Scott Sabourin and Abruzzese signed two-way NHL contracts before the month of May was up. Abruzzese was a bit of a surprise as his strong season could have prompted some interest from other teams. The fact that his AHL salary remained at $250,000 shows that he wanted to stay with the Crunch.
The roster signings restarted on July 1. Jarred Tinordi, who joined the Crunch on a PTO last season, signed a one-year deal. New blood started arriving in Clark Bishop, who had served as captain for the Calgary Wranglers. The Lightning helped out the situation in net by signing Mads Sogaard and Olivier Rodrigue to one-year, two-way contracts. Defenseman Michael Callahan joined them on a two-way deal as well.
Help was needed in the crease as Halverson (Dallas) and Fanti (Edmonton) both found new homes this month. Halverson departs with 53 career wins in Syracuse, the fourth-most in franchise history. His 12 career shutouts puts him atop the list while his 2.30 GAA is also fourth (just behind Andrei Vasilevskiy’s 2.28).
The Crunch kept adding players on AHL deals as defenseman Zach Uens, forward Elliot Desnoyers, and old friend Shawn Element joined the organization. The Lightning also added center Jansen Harkins on a two-way deal.
Some youngsters who could be making their AHL debut this season include Sam O’Reilly and Tomas Kralovic. Noah Steen made it into a handful of games last season, but should be fighting for a roster spot this fall. Things could get interesting, especially at the forward spot, if the Lightning stay healthy. There aren’t many spots for Crunch players to move up and secure, so the competition for playing time will be especially tight in Syracuse.
Peca (Rochester) and Mitchell Chaffee (the Islanders on a two-way deal) did find homes in other organizations, but the majority of the Crunch’s top forwards will still be in the line-up. And a lot of the returning players are nearing the end of their current contracts, so they will be looking to impress the organization. Tristan Allard, Connor Kurth, Dylan Duke, Lucas Mercuri, and Gabriel Szturc are forwards that will be RFAs next summer.
When the season starts on October 10 against Belleville, there will be a lot of familiar faces on the ice. Can they capture the same magic they had in the regular season last year? It will be tough in a North Division that is always a rough-and-tumble ride. Having a lot of familiarity with their linemates should help Joel Bouchard’s team get off to a strong start. Maintaining it through a long season is another story.
