In this episode of Syracuse Speaks, host Alex Ackerman welcomes regular guest Patrick Williams back to the podcast. Patrick covers the league for TheAHL.com and has a regular column over at NHL.com. With Syracuse passing the halfway point of their season this month, the two start off by discussing the Crunch’s recent rough patch. The Crunch has gone 3-6-1-0 in their most recent 10 games and is currently on a three-game skid thanks to an unproductive trip to Laval. Alex and Patrick break down what’s going on with the team and discuss what needs to be done to get back into playoff contention. They also discuss the season Syracuse captain Gabriel Dumont is having, who needs to start stepping it up (with a specific look at Alex Barre-Boulet) and analyze the recent trade of former Tampa Bay Lightning prospect Jimmy Huntington for forward Anthony Richard. They address the challenges of developing young professionals in this league, using Patrick Maroon’s career path as a bit of a case study.
To end the episode, Alex asks Patrick about the slow but inevitable shift back to normalcy in team admittance policies. Alex and Patrick talk about his most recent interview with AHL President Scott Howson and ponder the league’s most immediate future.
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Paul is a producer responsible for production of podcasts and streamed content on our network. This includes Finger Lakes Today, FingerLakes1.com’s flagship daily live program. He hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast, too. Have a question? Send it to [email protected].