Monarchs Prospects Leading AHL

The Manchester Monarchs might be moving, but in the 2014-2015 season, their prospects have been the best in the American Hockey League. Three of their players rank second through fourth for the top scoring in the league.

Brian O’Neill, who has played in the AHL for four seasons, is on pace to shatter his 47 point mark from last season. He already has 44 in 39 games for second in the league.

Nick Shore, who is more of a prospect than the older O’Neill, is third in the league with 42 points, already surpassing his 38 from last season. A former third round pick by the Los Angeles Kings, Shore played in the all star game this season in Utica and is currently a +23 on the season. Shore has now been called up by the Kings and could stay with the defending champions for a while.

Fourth in the league in scoring is center Jordan Weal. The former third round pick of the Kings is in his fifth AHL season and he could score more than his career high of 76 last season. With 41 points right now, Weal is third in scoring on his own team but is still having potentially a breakout season.

Jean-Francois Berube is fourth in the league with a 2.01 goals against average, tied with Micheal Leighton who has seen NHL time in the past. Berube is in his fourth season and this one has been by far his best. He did play to a 2.37 goals against last year, but he is on pace for a far better year. He made a name with the Monarchs last season by starting in 24 consecutive games.

The success of Monarchs players have already brought the Kings several prospects, and Shore might be the next one. However, the play of these players are also bringing Manchester some success as well. The Monarchs lead their division with 60 points, seven ahead of second place Portland. They trail Syracuse by just one point for the most overall in their conference, and are four behind Oklahoma City for best in the league.