Howson talks AHL-NHL synergy, Stanley Cup Playoffs in Q&A with NHL.com

In NHL.com's Q&A feature called "Sitting Down with …" we talk to key figures in the game, gaining insight into their lives on and off the ice. Today, we feature American Hockey League president and CEO Scott Howson.

Scott Howson was elected president and CEO of the American Hockey League by the Board of Governors on Feb. 14, 2020, on the brink of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"I had dual things to deal with being new to the job and new to a pandemic," Howson said. "At that time, we didn't know what was going to happen two weeks from now, let alone a month or two from when we were trying to play hockey."

Howson and the AHL have come through the hard times. He received a multiyear contract May 9, a reward for overseeing a league whose ticket revenue increased by more than 20 percent since 2018-19, the last full season before the pandemic. It also grew to 32 teams this season with the addition of Coachella Valley, the Seattle Kraken's affiliate. The Firebirds lead Calgary (Calgary Flames) 2-1 in the best-of-5 Pacific Division Finals of the Calder Cup Playoffs.

"That's a really strong comeback out of the pandemic and we have to continue that," Howson said.

Howson brought a wealth of experience to the president's office. The 63-year-old Toronto native joined the Edmonton Oilers organization in 1994 as general manager of their AHL affiliates in Cape Breton and Hamilton and was Oilers assistant GM from 2001-07. He was GM of the Columbus Blue Jackets from 2007-13, returned to the Oilers in 2013 and was their director of player development when he was hired by the AHL.

Howson, an undrafted forward, played 110 AHL games for Springfield and had eight points (five goals, three assists) in 18 games for the New York Islanders.

NHL.com caught up with Howson, who discussed the league's relationship with the NHL, his vision and the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

How would you describe the synergy between the AHL and NHL? The AHL seems to be a testing ground for initiatives that eventually make their way to the NHL.

"We are very much tied to the NHL. One of our foremost priorities is the development of players, coaches, executives and equipment managers and athletic therapists. We have discussions every year on what we can do to help. One of the things we're going to look at this year is implementing mandatory cut-resistant sleeves on our players. The NHL has asked us to look at that. We're going to consider it this summer. It makes a lot of sense for young players."

Players seem to be entering the NHL at a younger age each season, sometimes bypassing the AHL. How does that impact your league?

Generally, yes, the NHL is getting younger and that means they're not playing in our league for as long, but then they have more young players coming. We put out our development rule in 1994, which means you have to have a certain number of players on the ice that fall under an experience line (at least 12 players, other than goalies, with 260 games or fewer of pro experience), and that works for our league. Our league keeps making sure we are satisfying that development model by making sure we have a place to play for all the young players.

You've been a player and an executive in the AHL and the NHL. How does that shape the way you run the league?

"As a player, I know what it's like to be playing and hope for a call up and wonder why you're not getting called up. As for being an executive, that's where I cut my teeth as a manager, and as an executive in hockey, running the Cape Breton Oilers for the Edmonton Oilers. I just rely on all those experiences to help me navigate the challenges that come up and they come up every day."

Speaking of the Edmonton Oilers, how do you view their success, and do you have a better appreciation than most of what that success means to the fan base?

"I know what it means to the community of Edmonton. I compare it a little bit to the magnitude that Ohio State football has in Columbus. The Oilers have that same impact in the city of Edmonton. And to think that franchise has been so blessed with all the great players who came through there in the '80s and then to get two players like Connor (McDavid) and Leon (Draisaitl). For one franchise, it's a little bit like Pittsburgh getting those players (Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin) and Chicago with Patrick (Kane) and Jonathan (Toews), and now they will have (Connor) Bedard."

What's your fondest memory from your tenure with the Blue Jackets?

"Probably getting us to the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. It was my second year there, 2008-09, and I remember the night we clinched a playoff spot and in Chicago. What a great feeling that was to give our fans a taste of the playoffs. We had to play the Detroit Red Wings. We obviously didn't win the series (they were swept in four games), but it was great to just see the excitement."

What has it been like for you to watch Sergei Bobrovsky help the Florida Panthers to the Eastern Conference Final? (The Blue Jackets) acquired him from the Philadelphia Flyers in 2012 when you were GM.

"It's probably the best trade I made. We went into the draft that year thinking we just needed to improve our goaltending and there were three or four available, and then we zeroed in on Sergei. He came and solidified the netminding. He won a Vezina (Trophy in 2012-13) in my time in Columbus. He's had some up and down years, and I'm so glad he's rebounded right now. If he's not the hardest-working guy I've seen in the NHL or my hockey career, he's one of the hardest, in the top 10."

Coachella Valley is in the Pacific Division Finals in its inaugural season. What does the Firebirds' success say about the AHL?

"Coachella has raised the level for all our teams, off the ice and on the ice to a certain extent. Where they are in the development cycle, they don't yet have their premier draft picks playing in the AHL. They just don't have the volume yet because they've only been drafting for two years. We're going to see in Coachella over the next two-three years, more and more young players come in. This year, they have more of a veteran group, and I think that's been a little bit to their advantage. But they're had some great young player stories like Ryker Evans and Tye Kartye, who is up with the Kraken now."

\Kartye scored in his NHL debut, a 3-2 Seattle victory against the Colorado Avalanche in Game 5 of the Western Conference First Round on April 26. Evans scored at 11:22 of the third overtime to give Coachella Valley a 3-2 win in Game 3 against Calgary.*

What is your vision of where the AHL will be in the next three years?

"I just want to make sure we're in lockstep with the NHL, make sure that we're serving our purpose of developing players and then making sure we're really growing our game. It's an obligation on all of us in the game to make sure we're growing the game, making it accessible to people, whether it's through the fan experience or trying to get people to experience the game, even if it's through street hockey or whatever. We're in the process of working with the NHL to implement some of those programs in our cities.

What do you remember most about your 18 games with the Islanders?

"It was a legendary team, and it was right at the end of the run. All those players were still there, and it was just a thrill to be in that dressing room. I mean, my first game, my wingers were Duane Sutter and Bob Nystrom."