Quote:
Originally Posted by Enoch Root
I never understood why the AHL played so many games. Hardly any of the games are sold out, so it's not like they are taking advantage of demand.
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Probably largely a carryover from olden days of yore when "development" meant "play play play play play". It is also part of the reason why Major Junior leagues play 66-72 games and Junior A usually int he 55-60 range.
At the same time though, having the development league reasonably in step with the NHL could be considered good too. You want guys to be conditioned so that they can handle an 82-game season. But for the AHL, I think the same 66-72 range of the WHL would be a decent balance.