The San Antonio Rampage will drop the puck on their 16th season in the Alamo City this evening, bringing depth and optimism to the new campaign.
Last year, the Silver and Black finished the 2016-17 season with a record of 27-42-5-2 and 61 total points. That was the third worst in the entire American Hockey League behind Binghamton and Hartford.
Fast forward a year and the Rampage look to improve on last season and make the playoffs. San Antonio will be the top affiliate of the Colorado Avalanche for a third straight season.
But there’s another team sending help.
The St. Louis Blues do not have an AHL affiliate for the 2017-18 season and will be sending their prospects to the Chicago Wolves as well as the Rampage. This means two different organizations will be sending their players to the Alamo City and more depth for the Silver and Black.
The most noticeable change to the Rampage will be on the power play. The man advantage should be vastly improved in 2017-18 with Rocco Grimaldi, Andrew Agozzino, and Brendan Ranford controlling things.
San Antonio will have two of the top goaltenders in the Pacific Division in Spencer Martin and Ville Husso. These two should stop plenty of pucks with an improved defense in front of them, led by Anton Lindholm.
Overall, the Rampage’s depth leaves many San Antonio hockey fans hopeful as we get ready to drop the puck on another season.
