NHL Power Rankings: 25 Greatest AHL Mascots

Jim McIsaac/Getty Images

I have got to give it to them.  Some teams are creative.

The AHL, the NHL's minor league affiliate, consists of 30 teams with each having their own unique team name and, of course, mascot.

Some teams did a great job, but others, like the Toronto Marlies' Duke the Dog, just don't get me psyched to go watch AHL hockey.

Duke didn't make the cut.

But here are the 25 mascots that are on the list.

25. Chubby the Bear

Chubby is the mascot for the Charlotte Checkers.

Although he may look appealing in cartoon form, this is the team's old logo.

The only thing is that the newer logo is much more ferocious than Chubby.  Yet Chubby continues to be the team's mascot. 

For that, he is at No. 25.

24. Chilly the Fox?

I'm not sure what animal he is (fox or coyote?), but the Houston Aeros' mascot is not that bad to look at.  The fact is I can't tell what he is, or that he has anything to do with the Aeros. 

23. Max the Lion Cub

The Binghamton Senators' mascot is a lion cub? 

There just seems to be better options than a baby lion.

Isn't he just adorable, though?

22. Derrick the Mountain Lion

Now we're talking.

This newer mascot of the Edmonton Oilers' minor league team, the Oklahoma City Barons, is not too bad if you ask me.

The story is he was roaming around the Baron's front office engaging fans when he was discovered.

Works for me.

21. Tux the Penguin

It's kind of a dopey design, but the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins' mascot fits the role by just being plain quirky around fans.

20. Roscoe

Nobody really knows what Roscoe is, but the Milwaukee Admirals' mascot kind of has a Philly Fanatic thing going on, so I like it.

19. Samboni the Bear

Not to be confused with the Boston Bruins' killer mascot Blades, Samboni is a more lovable character than its NHL affiliate.

18. Storm the Tiger

Mike Stobe/Getty Images

The Bridgeport Sound Tigers defied logic when they made Storm the blue tiger their mascot.

It definitely rivals their NHL affiliate, the New York Islanders.

17. Griff the Griffin

The Griffins are just a cool name in general.

Plus, his trading card says he's seven feet tall.

Good enough for me.

16. Hammy the Hog

Name aside, this a good looking hog.

The name could use some work, but having an overweight slob of a pig as your mascot could be kind of cool.

15. Screech the Falcon

Now it's getting good.

Screech could make a good case for being better than its NHL affiliate, the Columbus Blue Jackets.

14. Mick E. Moose

Finally, a clever name.

If you can fit a moose into your team name, then it better be a savage looking moose.

I think they've accomplished that.

13. Max the Lion

No to be confused with Max the Lion Cub of the Senators, Max the Lion of the Manchester Monarchs is a little more masculine.

12. Salty the Dog

It's kind of a plain name, but Salty pulls it off by just being a nice guy, or so his mascot profile says.

The Norfolk Admirals are glad to have him.

11. Dax the Beaver

Another Philly Fanatic-looking mascot, Dax is the mascot for the Adirondack Phantoms.

Not sure how beavers and phantoms mix, but since when has any of these team name/mascot relations mixed?

10. Hawkey

He's a weird-looking hawk, but if we're going on names alone, this is one of the best mascots in the AHL.

9. Devil Dawg

Anytime "dawg" is apart of a mascot's name, it will be towards the top.

8. T-Bone the Bull

It's rather scary looking, so I'm not sure how it does around kids, but it is one of the more cooler-looking mascots in hockey. Period.

7. Crackers the Bird and Salty Pete

A good choice by the Portland Pirates to go with a mascot duo.

More teams around sports should think of something like this.

6. Sully the Seagull

Arguably one of the better mascots in the AHL, I slid Sully in at No. 6 because of the fact he is a seagull who is a mascot for the Lake Erie Monsters.

Doesn't seem to fit.

5. Finz the Shark

Possibly a bit top-heavy, Finz pulls it off by being almost identical to the San Jose Sharks mascot.

4. Coco the Bear

The mascot for the Hershey Bears, Coco is ready for hockey with the old school hockey helmet.

3. Pucky the Whale

The first guess off the top of my head was definitely not a whale.

But if you can take getting beaten up by a couple of drunken fans as he did awhile back, you are in my top three.

2. Skates the Wolf

There's not much to dislike about Skates.

He's ferocious and gentle at the same time.  The best of both worlds.

1. Al the Ice Gorilla

This was a no-brainer.

The Syracuse Crunch had one choice when choosing a mascot.

An ice gorilla.

Possibly one of the greatest made-up animals of all time.