The East Division was one of the strangest in the American Hockey League during the 2008-09 season. The Phantoms led the way for most of the season, but the Penguins were able to overtake them down the stretch. Here's a recap of the East Division.

Albany River Rats
Record: 43-30-3-3, 93 points

Summary: For most of the season, the Albany River Rats were one of the toughest teams in the East Division. The Rats battled through injuries and call-ups for most of the season, but in spite of that they were able to finish with the division’s third best record. They were in contention for the division title, but faded down the stretch.

With Keith Aucoin and Ryan Bayda spending the majority of the season in the NHL with the Carolina Hurricanes, the River Rats need someone to fill their shoes and that’s what they got from Jamie Johnson. Johnson appeared in all but one game for Albany and posted 21 goals, 37 assists, and 58 points. Johnson was the only player to record 50 or more points. They did get help from Brandon Nolan with 48 points and Jakub Petruzalek with 45 points.

Albany didn’t have a roster that will fear anyone, but with Michael Leighton as their goaltender, the Albany River Rats were a team to fear. Leighton spent most of the season in Albany, but did see time up with Carolina. In 58 games, Leighton posted a 28-25-4 record, 2.10 goals against average, and a .931 save %; his 2.10 GAA ranked second best in the AHL.

The River Rats advanced to the postseason for only the second time since 2000. Unfortunately the Rats drew the Philadelphia Phantoms in round one. Their first round series was a battle that included a record setting five overtime game, but the Philadelphia Phantoms were able to prevail in seven games to oust the River Rats.

Binghamton Senators
Record: 34-32-9-5, 82 points

Summary: The Binghamton Senators were a long shot to make the playoffs, but that didn’t mean they wouldn’t battle for the chance. Even though Binghamton didn’t make the playoffs, they have a lot of upside to look forward to heading into next season. Binghamton finished with their best regular season record since 2005, but in a close division, it wasn’t good enough.

The Senators didn’t have a single player with more than 55 points, but Denis Hamel was once again an offensive force for the Baby Sens. Hamel appeared in 67 games for Binghamton and posted 32 goals, 23 assists, and 55 points. Josh Hennessy contributed with 51 points and Alexander Nikulin had 50 points. Lawrence Nycholat anchored Binghamton’s defense with 12 goals, 37 assists, and 49 points.

Binghamton alternated between Brian Elliott and Jeff Glass all season. Glass drew more starts than Elliott, but only by one. Glass finished with a 15-20-4 record while Elliott finished the season at 18-19-1. Elliott led the team with a 2.18 goals against average and a .915 save %.

They didn’t stop battling until the season was over and should be happy with the way the season went; even though that meant not making the playoffs. Binghamton has a lot of youth that could be contenders as early as next season.

Bridgeport Sound Tigers
Record: 40-36-1-3, 84 points

Summary: The Bridgeport Sound Tigers were always on the outside looking in down the stretch. The Sound Tigers could never seem to get over the hump, even when the New York Islanders sent reinforcements for the finals two weeks of the season. Not even NHL caliber players could help the Sound Tigers.

Jeff Tambellini spent a big chunk of the season in the NHL, but still led the Sound Tigers in scoring after only playing in 57 games. Tambellini posted 38 goals, 38 assists, and 76 points. Had he played the entire season with Bridgeport, Tambellini would have scored 105 points. He did have some help that came from Ben Walter with 66 points and Steve Regier with 44 points.

Mike Morrison and Joey MacDonald split most of the season starting in net for Bridgeport. Morrison appeared in 43 games and was the only goalie to post a winning record at 23-17-1. One thing that hurt Bridgeport was their inability to play defense at times as it showed with Morrison’s 2.80 goals against average.

Bridgeport is expected to be completely different next season as a lot of players on this year’s roster are expected to spend 2008-09 with the New York Islanders. Several players are also set for free agency and might bolt to a different team if the opportunity arises to have the chance to play in the NHL.

Hershey Bears
Record: 42-30-2-6, 92 points

Summary: The Hershey Bears started off the season slow and never seemed to bounce back, but they were able to make the playoffs with a two week stretch to close out the season gaining points in all six games. The Bears have a lot of unknowns heading into the offseason and it all starts with veteran Frederic Cassivi and head coach Bob Woods. It’s unknown if both will be back next season.

Chris Bourque was Hershey’s leading scorer this season with 28 goals, 35 assists, and 63 points in 73 games. The return of Alexandre Giroux was a spark for the Bears down the stretch. In 24 games with Hershey, Giroux had 14 goals, 13 assists, and 27 points. Kyle Wilson was the only player to appear in all 80 games as he collected 61 points. Rookie Andrew Gordon was a surprise for Hershey after being sent down to South Carolina early in the season. Gordon finished with 51 points in 58 games.

Goaltending was always a hot topic in Hershey. Veteran Frederic Cassivi drew the majority of the starts even though he struggled most of the season. Cassivi finished the season, possibly his last in Hershey, with a 20-20-4 record, 3.19 goals against average, and a .901 save %. Daren Machesney served as the back-up and filled that role nicely. Machesney finished with 22 wins in 38 games.

Penalty killing was always a hurting point for the Bears. Hershey finished the season ranked 22nd in the league at 80.6 %. The Bears have a lot of young talent coming in next season which will mean that the Bears will have a completely different looking team next season.

Norfolk Admirals
Record: 29-44-2-5, 65 points

Summary: There is only one word that can describe the Norfolk Admirals season: awful. Norfolk got off to a very slow start and was never able to recover. That’s what happens though when your NHL affiliate takes your talent and moves them to a different city, and you’re stuck with an NHL team that doesn’t have much young talent. Norfolk finished last in the East Division a season after making the playoffs.

Norfolk had one player with 20 or more goals and 50 or more points and that honor goes to Kyle Wanvig. Wanvig was quite possibly the only bright spot for the Admirals, as he produced 23 goals, 33 assists, and 56 points in 62 games. Norm Milley finished second on the team in scoring with 46 points and Blair Jones finished not fair behind with 42 points.

Goaltending was an issue all season for Norfolk. Norfolk used six different goalies on the season before sticking with Jonathan Boutin and Marc Denis. Boutin started off the season as the man in net, but gave way to Denis when he was assigned to Norfolk on December 29. Denis finished off the season with an 11-17-2 record, 2.19 goals against average, and a .910 save % in 32 games. Its unlikely Denis will be in Norfolk next season as he would make $2.8 million to play in the minors.

The future doesn’t look too bright for the Norfolk Admirals. It’s going to be a few years before this team will be able to compete again unless the Tampa Bay Lightning can do some amazing work in the upcoming draft. It has already been announced that head coach Steve Sterling has been reassigned to another position within the organization and assistant coach Darren Rumble won’t be brought back.

Philadelphia Phantoms
Record: 46-27-4-3, 99 points

Summary: The Philadelphia Phantoms were the beast of the east for most of the season, but it all started to fall apart when Brian Boucher left for San Jose on February 26. Philadelphia finished up the season going 9-9-1-2 which cost them a chance at the division title. Philadelphia did stay in contention until the last weekend, but back-to-back losses to Hershey sealed their fate from winning the division.

The Phantoms finished the season with five players scoring 20 or more goals and six players had 40 or more points. Jared Ross led the offensive attack for the Phantoms with 23 goals, 39 assists, and 62 points in 67 games. Stefan Ruzicka ranked second on the team in scoring with 50 points in 59 games. A lot Philadelphia’s offensive power spent time in the NHL which means a lot more players got the opportunity to play, and that showed with 11 players recording 20 or more points; Twelve if you count Alexandre Picard who was traded in February to Tampa Bay.

At the start of the season, goaltending looked to be one of Philadelphia’s strongest attribute. That was until Boucher left the team. After Boucher left, the reigns were handed over to Scott Munroe. Munroe played well in his 36 games with an 18-8-2 record and finished with a 2.29 goals against average and a .918 save %.

After not making the playoff last season, the Phantoms reversed their fortune and returned to the postseason and advanced to the East Division finals after beating the Albany River Rats in seven games in the Eastern Conference semifinals. The Phantoms met their match in the East Division finals against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. The Penguins quickly disposed of the Phantoms in five games as the Phantoms season came to an end.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
Record: 47-26-3-4, 101 points

Summary: The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins enjoyed what some would call a miracle season. After a slow start to the season had some wondering if the Penguins would be a playoff team, the Penguins turned it around to win the East Division. The Penguins weren’t done as they advanced to the Calder Cup finals, but were unable to get past the Chicago Wolves.

The Penguins don’t have a roster full of number one goal scorers, but they did find the right mixture of talent to be able to get the job done. Tim Brent (61), Kurtis McLean (54), Nathan Smith (50), Dave Gove (45), and Chris Minard (42) all finished with 40 or more points.

When Ty Conklin was recalled to Pittsburgh in December, it could have spelled trouble for the Penguins as they had to turn to a rookie goalie. John Curry wasn’t fazed by the fact that he was a rookie and that he was in a different league on a new team. Curry finished the season with a 24-12-3 record and a 2.23 goals against average. Curry backstopped the Penguins to the Eastern Conference championship.

The Penguins didn’t have the best power play team during the regular season as they finished 20th in the league, but their penalty killing was a backbone for them the entire season. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton finished the season ranked fifth on the penalty kill at 84.7%.