Top 5 AHL Teams Benefiting from the NHL Lockout

It is hard to suggest that anyone is benefiting from a lockout that has caused the lost of revenue and jobs for many different communities throughout North America, but the lockout has allowed the AHL to get extra attention that will help the league in the long term.

The AHL has certainly gained some notable players as a result of the lockout, which has increased the amount of competition, and some teams have revamped their rosters for the interim.

Here are the top five teams that have benefited the most from the NHL lockout, mostly because of star-studded rosters.

Oklahoma City Barons

Three of the top five scorers in the AHL are members of the Oklahoma City Barons. Justin Schultz has certainly lived up to all the hype and hoopla that accompanied him during the summer, and he leads the league in points with 11 goals and 18 assists for 29 points through 19 games.

These numbers are not common, especially for a rookie defender, and Schultz has illustrated that he will be NHL ready very soon.

The other two members of the Barons in the top five are Jordan Eberle and 2012 Calder Trophy finalist Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.

The two Edmonton Oiler pros currently have 19 goals and 27 assists between them for 46 points, and they are two pros that are killing it against minor leaguers.

Taylor Hall has also joined in on the fun, and he has 14 points through 11 games to this point.

With all the talent on the Barons, they stand to be a Calder Cup favorite if the entire NHL season is lost.

Grand Rapids Griffins

The Grand Rapids Griffins and Detroit Red Wings have benefited mutually during this lockout.

The Griffins currently have young prospects like Gustav Nyquist, Tomas Tatar and Brendan Smith currently tearing it up in the AHL, making the Griffins one of the better teams in the league.

With all this "free" ice time, these top prospects are honing their craft, and they will have the potential to make an impact for the Red Wings very soon.

Nyquist and Tatar currently are in the AHL's top 10 in scoring, and that is something that makes the Griffins and Red Wings very happy.

Adirondack Phantoms

The Adirondack Phantoms are benefiting from the lockout because they currently have Brayden Schenn and Sean Couturier on their roster for the interim. These two youngsters are the future of the Philadelphia Flyers, and this lockout gives them time to develop their skills.

With all the talent on the Flyers' roster already, this lockout should give the two youngsters a leg up when the NHL comes back. In the interim, Adirondack gains a ton of skill and a massive draw to help sell tickets in Adirondack.

Syracuse Crunch

During the lockout, the Tampa Bay Lightning's affiliate has had players like Cory Conacher, Brett Connolly and Tyler Johnson tearing it up in the minors.

During a normal NHL season, these players would likely be battling for spots on the NHL team, but they are staying put during the lockout.

Additionally, future Lightning goaltender Dustin Tokarski has been on fire with an 8-2-1 record and 1.89 GAA through 11 games.

The Syracuse Crunch are drawing a lot of interest this year because of the affiliation swap from Anaheim to Tampa Bay, and these star players are also helping draw a lot of interest.

Houston Aeros

The Houston Aeros are a team that added a ton of talent to their roster as a result of the NHL lockout. Charlie Coyle, Mikael Granlund, Johan Larsson and Matt Hackett are all skating for the Aeros during the lockout, and all of these players are future stars for the Minnesota Wild.

Granlund and Coyle in particular are the standouts for the Wild, and this lockout allows the two players to gain chemistry and dominate offensively. 

Johan Larsson is a prospect defender who has really helped the Aeros' blue line, and he will get the experience of playing against NHL talent during the lockout.

All in all, the Aeros are a team that will be a better team in 2012-13, and the Wild will benefit moving forward.