Best Hockey League After The NHL

[Beacon]

I'd like to do a poll on what league the people here consider to be the best outside of the NHL.

1. KHL: the most high-end talent, but the least depth.
2. AHL: the most depth, but not a huge amount of high-end talent.
3. SEL: somewhere between the two European leagues.

I assume that nobody considers the other leagues (Finnish, Czech, Swiss) competitive with these three.


HOW TO RANK: What would happen if every team in the 3 leagues played against each other? Which league's teams would rack up the most points.

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[Fitzy]

Top to bottom, in the order that you put them.

 

[Beacon]

If there's one league that suffered from the development of the RSL/KHL in Russia, it is the AHL. There was a time not so long ago when North America had two great leagues: AHL and IHL. These were the two best leagues outside of the NHL.

The rise of the Russian hockey leagues (RSL, which was re-named and expanded into the KHL) and the sudden respectability of Czech and Swiss hockey leagues made all the European talent leave our minor leagues. The Russians and other East Europeans used to make more money in the AHL or the IHL than their home leagues. Not anymore.

North American minor league hockey is a shell of what it was just a dozen years ago.

 

[nyr2k2]

1. KHL
2. Elitserien
3. AHL

SM-liiga is up there with the SEL, too.

 

[Fitzy]

You're going to have guys going where the wages are, a lot of the time. A lot of players want to play in the best league in the world, but if you're European (And North American, in some cases) and haven't cut it in the NHL, getting decent wages in a career in the KHL is far superior to making 150k in the AHL.

There are some people who would be averse to living in Russia, and if you're North American its a long way from home, but that number is less than for the people who realize they can have a hockey life earnings of 1 million or 15 million.

 

[Kokoschka]

KHL is the next best, the issue there however is, that after teams like Dynamo Moscow, CSKA, Ska, Traktor, Ak Bars, Avangard and Magnitka, which I think could be competitive playing NHL teams, there's a HUGE gap. The bottom teams like Yugra or Ekatrinburg would not be good enough for the AHL. No parity at all.

 

[CharlestownChiefsESC]

r

I assume that nobody considers the other leagues (Finnish, Czech, Swiss) competitive with these three.


.

I wouldnt discount the finnish league, it is also pretty good, the only reason its looked over is that finland isnt churning out superstars like they used too

 

[Giacomin]

The Eastern League was the best when the Long Island Ducks played.

 

[Fantast100]

SM-liiga is up there with the SEL, too.

What the hell the SEL are?

My league rankings after the NHL are:

1. AHL
2. KHL
3. SHL
4. SM-Liiga
5. Extraliga

 

[nyr2k2]

What the hell the SEL are?

My league rankings after the NHL are:

1. AHL
2. KHL
3. SHL
4. SM-Liiga
5. Extraliga

The post of mine that you quoted was from 2013.

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

The post of mine that you quoted was from 2013.

Just to add context.

The SEL>SHL name-change occured 5 months after you posted that.

You're off the hook

 

[leetch99]

All the excitement these days is the NFLD SHL where they are banning guys and fans ...stick swinging -fighting outside the dressing rms and in the alley ways ...in the mayor's boardrooms....al making the TV news on a daily basis .

 

[Fantast100]

The post of mine that you quoted was from 2013.

I very significantly know about this.

 

[Gordon Bombay]

Beacon. Blast from the past

 

[TheGortonConspiracy]

11 year bump is hilarious.
AHL > KHL though

 

[nyr2k2]

11 year bump is hilarious.
AHL > KHL though

Yeah I used to go back and forth about that, my thinking being that the top of the KHL was definitely better than the AHL but that top to bottom the AHL was probably better overall. I think in the past few years the AHL has probably taken a step up, though.

The CHL/NCAA thing we're discussing in the prospect thread could also impact the AHL in a roundabout way, as well.

 

[Fantast100]

11 year bump is hilarious.
AHL > KHL though

So right about the league ranking. But which league is number 3, number 4 and number 5 if we discussed?

 

[Synergy27]

All the excitement these days is the NFLD SHL where they are banning guys and fans ...stick swinging -fighting outside the dressing rms and in the alley ways ...in the mayor's boardrooms....al making the TV news on a daily basis .

Let’s sign this Pender guy up to be Midka’s passion coach.

 

[eco's bones]

Beacon use to give us these in depth reports on Wolf Pack hockey games. Those could be interesting reading.

He had a somewhat volatile nature and particular/peculiar reasoning when it came to prospects and whatever leagues they were playing in and he could get pissed very easily when someone didn't agree with him. Those league rankings were really f***ing important to him. If a prospect was in what he considered a shit league he was condemned for all time. I shudder almost to think what his thoughts would be on Rempe, Edstrom and Mancini for not ever really being huge point producers. If he's still around somewhere he's probably shocked that any of them ever saw an NHL game.

All that said I didn't really mind him all that much. Those Wolf Pack games synopses kept me coming back for more.

 

[nyr2k2]

I called him Bacon to passively troll the shit out of him, he hated it

 

[EdJovanovski]

I think the KHL is closer to the NHL, than the AHL is to the KHL

 

[eco's bones]

I called him Bacon to passively troll the shit out of him, he hated it

It really didn't take a hell of a lot to get under his skin.

 

[Fantast100]

I'm not the most AHL expert because I've never seen a game.

Tonight I saw a NHL game I missed circa two minutes of the game I saw fifty eight minutes plus five minutes overtime and penalty shootout vital right team won by penalty shootout.

I have confidence in NHL and SHL this year cardinal but last season crazy.

I heard the AHL has good skaters and good goal scorer and not too far after the NHL?

I think four AHL teams to the best league or matter in the NHL of 32 teams wrong or right?

I watch Friday or Saturday or Sunday games only one game per weekend on the Swedish channel, but Viaplay sends NHL games every night to hockey people TV10 sends one game per weekend. I have TV10 for almost free games.

AHL best. KHL second. The SHL's defensive specialist teams SHL sometimes plays as national teams. SHL third. And SM-liiga. And Extraliga.

Yes, I rank the AHL before the KHL, only the NHL goes faster, hard defensively, and offense and shots and passes from the blue line cause the goal scorer.

 

[ReddestRum]

Don't kill me, but...

I really enjoyed the PWHL last year. The league incorporating hitting for women, their get out of the penalty box if you score shorthanded rule, and all the games being on YOUTUBE... was a win.

 

[Fantast100]

I'm pretty sure that the NHL scored more goals around the games than the SHL did.

But I'm not well-read on the statistics but I know. I seem to know the NHL produce more goals than the SHL both advancing and rewind.