Comments for Locked Out, Part 3: The NHL Equivalency Pool (Midseason Update) at http://hockey.dobbersports.com , comment 1 to 1 out of 1 comments http://hockey.dobbersports.com Fri, 24 May 2013 13:48:49 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.3 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/columnistsarticles-mainmenu-77/hoos/5135-locked-out-part-3-the-nhl-equivalency-pool-midseason-update#comment-23593 good write up, the one issue that you really do not discuss is the NHL lockout effect on these leagues. There are a good handful of players in the KHL as a result of the lockout. It is clearly a stronger league than in years past (add AO, Malkin, and 3 NHL players to every roster AND the players who would have come stateside that stayed), but the AHL has clearly seen a bigger jump in competition, the oilers alone have added 4 or 5 NHL players to their AHL roster, and likley another 2 or 3 that would/should have made the NHL this year. They are an extreem example, but most teams have 1-3 young established players that had the option of the AHL, and another 2 or 3 that would have made the team. So every team added a lot of NHL talent in the AHL. The major juniors see a bump too, Strome and Rattie really belong in the AHL this year. The overall impact is lower here since they gain no NHL talent, and really only forced a small handful of guys to play down that should be at the AHL level (i cannot blame the team since the AHL is a bigger challenge this year). With all of that, the issue i see is that the ratings were not altered to take into account NHL player movement. It would actually make the gap you see even bigger (since i would be bumping the KHL slightly up, and the AHL up a fiar bit), but would better demonstrate where the league are this year. Oh, and Merry Christmas, taking a break from the family to read this, thanks. - notoriousjim Tue, 25 Dec 2012 04:41:47 +0100