After back – to – back championships by the Hershey Bears, theyre no sure thing this season.
IN DEFERENCE TO the two – time defending champions, let us indulge in a respectful yawn as we say the Hershey Bears again have a target on their backs.
Hershey won last seasons East Division by 29 points, earning 17 more wins than second – place Albany. That is no small amount in an 80 – game season.
At 60 wins and 123 points, the Bears were the best team in the Eastern Conference by 19 points and eight points better than Western Conference – champion Hamilton for first overall.
In the post – season, it was a relatively easy walk en route to the first back – to – back championships in nearly 20 years, the six – game final over Texas won with punctuation after dropping the first two games at home.

But let the yawning stop there, since a Chocolatetown Cakewalk in 2010-11 appears to be anything but assured, given how some league rivals are, well, freshly loaded for bear.“In a lot of ways, I think our league is moving like the NHI., where everybodys getting closer,” said Texas GM Scott White, whose team finished sixth overall last season. “Just look at us last year. It only takes a few breaks. I think everybody thinks everybodys closer.”

Of course, this seasons half – dozen or so apparent contenders will have some Bears to hunt, since Hershey is the farthest thing from what anyone would describe as rebuilding.
GM Doug Yingst faced the regular fate of most AHL clubs who graduate a few prospects to NHL teams and lose productive free agents.

In Yingsts case, goalie Michal Neuvirth, defensemen Karl Alzner and John Carlson, and possibly forward Andrew Gordon are in line for promotions to the Washington Capitals, while sniper Alexandre Giroux has signed with Edmonton, Kyle Wilson with Columbus and Chris Bourque in the Kontinental League. Veteran defenseman Bryan Helmer also wont be back.
But Yingst has been remarkable in replacing them, landing veteran defensemen Brian Fahey from Lake Erie and former all – star Lawrence Nycholat from Manitoba, goalie Dany Sabourin from Providence and forwards Kyle Greenlree from Rockford and Brian Willsie from Lake Erie.

Sabourins signing is particularly key, since Braden Holtby, an understudy to Neuvirth last season, will be expected to do more. Hollbys just a second – year pro at 21.
Yingst also figures to have the benefit of some promising youngsters from the Caps system, including 20 – year – old center Anton Gustafsson and 6 – foot – 7 blueliner Joe Finley.
Road kill at the Giant Center, however, may be less frequent in 2010-11, especially in divisional games.

The Wilkes – Barre/Scranton Penguins, in particular, have made some impact signings as they try to bounce out of what most believe was an anomaly year, a whopping 36 points behind Hershey.
The Pens appear to be more on Hershey s level – and back into the great cross – state rivalry – by bringing in free agent sniper Brett Sterling from Chicago and defensemen Corey Potter from Hartford and Andrew Hutchinson from Texas. Center Ryan Craig also joins Wilkes – Barres expected deep core of prospect forwards Dustin Jeffrey, Mark Letestu, Nick Johnson and Tim Wallace.
Others from the East Division that have garnered some attention are Charlotte and Norfolk.

Its expected the Checkers will get leadership from right winger Jerome Samson and defenseman Bobby Sanguinetti.
The Admirals, under the new Steve Yzer – man regime in Tampa, ought to benefit from more stability all around and figure to have one of the conferences top goaltending duos in Cedrick Desjardins and Dustin Tokarski.

Still from the Eastern Conference, the Atlantic Division defending champion Worcester Sharks are touted as young but good again. All – star goalie Alex Stalock will anchor a superb San Jose development system thats readying defense prospects Derek Joslin and Nick Petrecki, and left winger Steve Zalewski.
In the Western Conference, there are at least a couple of pre – season cases for overall challengers.

The Texas Stars, who lost last Junes Cup final, have undergone upheaval similar to that of Hershey, but Whites defense – first crew wont be underestimated again.
Center Aaron Gagnon returns to the Stars organization after leading Texas in scoring with just 58 points and a deeper Dallas team will help White fill holes left by the departures of Hutchinson, right winger Mathieu Beau – doin and goalie Matt Climie to San Antonio.

Veteran defenseman Brad I.ukowich, for instance, returns after a spell with Vancouver to tutor prospects such as Philip Larsen.
The real danger from the West, however, comes from the Chicago Wolves.

Calder Cup winners in 2002 and 08, the Wolves were hardly palsies last season with 105 points to win the West Division. But GM Wendell Young aims for more Chicago – like noise entering his second season in charge.

For starters, the Wolves have brought back right winger and 2007 league MVP Darren Haydar, reuniting him with standout center Jason Krog. The pair was dynamite together in Chicago between 2006-08.
“Im putting the band back together,” Young joked.

Young has also added defensemen Jaime Sifers from the Minnesota Wild organization and Mark Matheson from Milwaukee, center Jared Ross from Philadelphia and rugged right winger Andre Deveaux from Toronto.

He sees, like many other clubs, his NHL parents prospects as key to the whole contending equation.
“Some young guys have to have break – out years,” Young said. ” Machacek has had two good years. Can he step it up? Guys like Holzapfel have to have a break – out year. Maybe one of their draft picks like Andrew Kozek, who can shoot the puck a bomb, hopefully he steps out.

“Guys in their third year, those are the kind of guys who can put you over the top. You know what youll get from your Krogs and Haydars, but if you get a couple of those other guys, suddenly your third line becomes like a second line and youre away.”

Young, like so many of his peers gunning for Hersheys perch, knows rosters in the AHL are always a work in progress.
“Change, thats the nature of our business,” he said. “Contracts expire. The vet rule gets you. Its always changing.”
The question is: Will there be a change at the top this season?

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