by Ryan Smith | AHL On The Beat Springfield Thunderbirds defenseman Tommy Cross is something of an anomaly in professional sports. Where most players are thrilled to be given a chance with any team, the Simsbury, Conn., native has longed to prevent from straying far from his roots. The beginnings of that dream came to fruition before
American Hockey League
As we approach the 2020 Stadium Series, let’s take a look back at the most recent outdoor game in the organization, featuring the LA Kings’ AHL affiliate the Ontario Reign…..or perhaps more accurately the rain. “It was moist,” Reign Head Coach Mike Stothers said, with his usual wit. “We got soaked.” The 2017 Outdoor Classic
Former Columbus Blue Jackets general manager Scott Howson will be the American Hockey League’s next president and CEO. The AHL’s board of governors Friday unanimously elected Howson as Dave Andrews’ successor. Andrews served in that role for the past 26 years. “It’s a completely different challenge for me,” Howson said by phone. “I’ve seen the
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. … The American Hockey League Board of Governors today voted to order the rescheduling of AHL Game #566 between the Toronto Marlies and the Texas Stars, previously considered a forfeit by Toronto. A date for the rescheduled game has not yet been determined. The AHL standings have been adjusted accordingly.
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. … The American Hockey League’s Board of Governors has unanimously elected Scott Howson as President and Chief Executive Officer, effective July 1, 2020. Howson will become the tenth President since the league’s formation in 1936 and will succeed the retiring David Andrews, who will continue as Chairman of the Board of Governors after
The luckiest man in Winnipeg said goodbye to his wife early on the morning of Dec. 10 and packed himself into a cab for the airport. He wanted to be there early, getting into line at 4:15 a.m. for customs that would open half an hour later. It was a business trip, all very standard,
Feb 13, 2020 On Wednesday night when the Vancouver Canucks forever immortalized Henrik and Daniel Sedin by retiring their numbers, many former linemates were in attendance. One of them, however, was at the Adirondack Bank Center helping his team defeat Laval. Utica Comets assistant coach Jason King played on a line with the Sedin’s
by Mike Ianniello | AHL On The Beat When the Lehigh Valley Phantoms host their annual You Can Play Night this Friday against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, the Phantoms players will take the ice with rainbow tape on their sticks. For forward Kurtis Gabriel, this gesture will be no different than the one he has
Coming back from injury mid-season is a challenge, but a necessary hurdle that many athletes will face, including Devils’ forward Marian Studenic. Sustaining an injury in late December, the 6-foot-1, 178-pound right-winger has missed a number of games, but he has not let his time out from playing get to him. In his first
TORONTO — The Montreal Canadiens want Jesperi Kotkaniemi to be the guy, not just any guy. That’s why on Feb. 1, with 115 NHL games under his belt, the club sent him to their AHL affiliate, the Laval Rocket. Prior to the demotion, the baby-faced, 19-year-old had been pointless in six games, with his goal
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. … The American Hockey League announced today that Hershey Bears defenseman Christian Djoos has been selected as the CCM/AHL Player of the Week for the period ending February 9, 2020. Djoos registered seven points in three games for Hershey last week, including a game-winning goal to go along with six assists, as the
ROCHESTER – Casey Mittelstadt leaned against a wall in a hallway adjacent to the Blue Cross Arena ice, tilted his head toward the Rochester Americans’ dressing room and smiled while explaining how he’s adjusting to an assignment that came as a surprise. “I’ve loved it down here,” Mittelstadt, a 21-year-old center, said following the morning
Feb 3, 2020 By Tom Witosky Follow @toskyAHLWild A hockey player’s value is usually measured by what he does on the ice, but sometimes it’s revealed more when he’s not on the ice. Iowa Wild Head Coach Tim Army paid Louie Belpedio a high compliment after Friday night’s 4-1 win over Grand Rapids by talking
by Nick Nollenberger | AHL On The Beat Maxim Letunov’s route to the highest level of the sport of hockey hasn’t been a traditional one. In his teens, Letunov left his native Russia to play Tier-1 hockey in Dallas, with the Dallas Stars U16 travel team. Then, he opted to play a pair of seasons in
His parents and brother were able to book last-minute flights from three different cities in order to watch him play first game with Habs. When Jake Evans woke up Thursday morning, he had no idea he would be playing in his first NHL game with the Canadiens that night. Evans had scored two goals and
Kieffer Bellows said he was planning to give the puck from his first NHL goal to his parents, who were both in attendance at Barclays Center for Thursday’s Islanders-Kings game. It’s an easy decision when you’ve got a second puck to spare. Bellows scored the first two goals of his NHL career on Thursday night
Jonas Johansson could not have envisioned that he would realize his dream under such difficult circumstances. After two-plus seasons in the minors, the 24-year-old goalie replaced Carter Hutton with the Buffalo Sabres facing a four-goal deficit in the second period Tuesday night. Two minutes later, Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen, two top forwards in the
by Bob Crawford | AHL On The Beat The best thing in hockey is scoring goals, right? Wrong, according to Hartford Wolf Pack scoring leader Vinni Lettieri. Make no mistake, Lettieri loves to put the puck in the net. For him, though, the hard work that goes into putting oneself in a position to score