American Hockey League

The Coachella Valley Firebirds clinched a berth in the 2023 Calder Cup Playoffs on Wednesday night with a 4-1 victory over the Iowa Wild. In their first season of play in the AHL, the Firebirds own the best record in the league at 39-11-4-2 (.750). They are three points behind first-place Calgary in the Pacific

📝 by Patrick Williams Rustled from a nap on the team bus somewhere on the interstate in the middle of the Sonoran Desert, Rocco Grimaldi got the news. The veteran sniper was getting a chance to chase the Calder Cup. Rockford IceHogs general manager Mark Bernard did not go halfway leading up to the trade

📝 by Patrick Williams Jack Drury’s recall to the Carolina Hurricanes had been building. On Monday, the Hurricanes put in a call for the 23-year-old Chicago Wolves forward, who had played 21 games with the National Hockey League club earlier this season. As a rookie last season, Drury played a starring role on the Wolves’

📝 by Patrick Williams Speak with Syracuse Crunch defenseman Trevor Carrick even once, and it is quite apparent why the Tampa Bay Lightning wanted him last summer. With 539 AHL games to his name along with a Calder Cup title, Carrick was brought in by the Lightning as a strong recall option who could also

📝 by Patrick Williams When the weather warms up, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins keep playing. That’s how it’s been for the better part of the past two decades — the Pens have failed to qualify for the Calder Cup postseason just once since 2002. Will that continue this season? A key week of practice leading up to

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. … The American Hockey League announced today that Lehigh Valley Phantoms forward Cooper Marody has been selected as the Howies Hockey Tape/AHL Player of the Week for the period ending March 12, 2023. Marody scored six goals and totaled nine points to lead the Phantoms to a sweep of their three-in-three weekend. On Friday

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. … The American Hockey League’s Player Safety Committee today announced that Laval Rocket forward Riley McKay has been suspended for one (1) game as a consequence of his actions in a game vs. Belleville on Mar. 8. McKay received an automatic one-game suspension under the provisions of AHL Rule 23.3 for accumulating his

📝 by Dalton Rice | AHL On The Beat Arnaud Durandeau was in the middle of a scorching stretch in Bridgeport when the New York Islanders came calling. The 24-year-old forward had six goals in six games following an early tally against Springfield on Feb. 18, and within a matter of 48 hours, he became

📝 by Patrick Williams The Rochester Americans could feel this one building. On a three-game losing streak and with six days to prepare for the Hartford Wolf Pack, Rochester unloaded with six straight goals in a little more than 17 minutes on the way to an 8-4 victory on Friday night. The Amerks, who beat

The Calgary Wranglers became the first team to clinch a berth in the 2023 Calder Cup Playoffs on Friday night with a 2-0 victory over the Ontario Reign. Dustin Wolf made 34 saves in Friday’s win for Calgary. The second-year pro leads the AHL in wins (34), shutouts (five) and save percentage (.929). This marks

📝 by Patrick Williams Another day, another deadline. The last of them arrives today at 3 p.m. ET with the AHL’s trade/loan deadline. One week after the National Hockey League trade deadline passed, the AHL’s own roster deadline is set for this afternoon. It will be one last opportunity for an NHL organization to tinker

📝 by Patrick Williams Help is on the way for the Tucson Roadrunners. Locked in a Pacific Division playoff chase, the Roadrunners got an assist Thursday when the parent Arizona Coyotes acquired veteran defenseman Steven Kampfer from the Detroit Red Wings for future considerations. Kampfer, who recorded 22 points in 44 games for the Grand

📝 by Jason Karnosky | AHL On The Beat Talented Russian prospect Yaroslav Askarov and the California cool Devin Cooley have provided the Milwaukee Admirals with the perfect odd couple in goal this season. The unlikely pair have quickly become fast friends — especially off the ice — but are always challenging each other to

📝 by Patrick Williams Keith Gretzky checked off a major item on his to-do list last month. With the Bakersfield Condors’ lease at Mechanics Bank Arena set to expire at the end of this season, the Edmonton Oilers had decisions to make. When the Oilers first relocated their AHL affiliate from Oklahoma City to Bakersfield

The Nashville Predators have acquired forward Anthony Angello from the St. Louis Blues in exchange for future considerations. Angello has tallied six goals and five assists in 45 games with the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds this season, his fifth pro campaign. He signed as a free agent with the Blues on July 14, 2022. In 216

📝 by Laura Kirk | AHL On The Beat It’s no surprise that the transition from European hockey to North American hockey is a hard one. Trying to adjust to the smaller rink and faster game play is challenging enough without trying to navigate an entirely different landscape at the same time. Abbotsford Canucks forward

As Luke Evangelista stepped out of the tunnel and under the lights of Bridgestone Arena last Tuesday, an outburst of cheers erupted from section 118. The source of the commotion: Luke’s mother Margaret, father Andrew, sisters Maria and Sophia and a surplus of family and friends. “We’re pretty intense,” Andrew Evangelista said with a laugh.

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. … The American Hockey League announced today that Springfield Thunderbirds goaltender Joel Hofer has been selected as the Howies Hockey Tape/AHL Player of the Week for the period ending March 5, 2023. Hofer stopped 57 of 58 shots over two starts last week, good for a 0.49 goals-against average and a .983 save percentage.