American Hockey League

Linus Ullmark won the Vezina Trophy as the National Hockey League’s outstanding goaltender in 2022-23, one of several AHL alumni honored at the NHL Awards ceremony in Nashville on Monday night. Ullmark, who led the NHL in goals-against average (1.89) and save percentage (.938) while posting a 40-6-1 record for the Boston Bruins, played 127

The Vegas Golden Knights have named Ryan Craig head coach of the team’s American Hockey League affiliate, the Henderson Silver Knights. Craig, 41, joined the Golden Knights’ staff as an assistant coach in 2017 prior to their inaugural season and spent six seasons with Vegas, including a trip to the Stanley Cup Final in 2018

The Tampa Bay Lightning have named Joel Bouchard as head coach of the Syracuse Crunch. In addition, Daniel Jacob has been named assistant coach. Bouchard, 49, joins the Crunch with 242 games of experience as an AHL head coach with Laval (2018-21) and San Diego (2021-22), posting a record of 111-100-18-13. He led the Rocket

📝 by Patrick Williams PALM DESERT, Calif. … So many of hockey’s cliches surround the game’s highs and lows. But cliches can also contain truths. Hershey Bears forward Mike Vecchione is one such example. Vecchione went to the AHL All-Star Classic in Laval in February, his first invitation to that event. Certainly a high. A

Rochester Americans assistant coach Michael Peca has been named an assistant coach of the New York Rangers, where he will work with new head coach Peter Laviolette and his staff. Peca spent the last two seasons with the Amerks, overseeing the team’s offense. Rochester made back-to-back postseason appearances, including a trip to the Eastern Conference

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. … The American Hockey League is holding the 2023 AHL Team Business Meetings presented by Ticket Evolution this week, with more than 250 representatives from the league and its member clubs gathering at the JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort in Tucson, Ariz. Front-office personnel from throughout the American Hockey League are gathering today

The Washington Capitals have named two-time reigning AHL coach of the year Mitch Love as an assistant coach, joining assistant Scott Allen and goaltending coach Scott Murray on new head coach Spencer Carbery’s staff. Love, 39, joins Washington after spending the previous two seasons as the head coach of the Calgary Flames’ AHL affiliates in

📝 by Patrick Williams PALM DESERT, Calif. … Game 7 of the Calder Cup Finals, and the Hershey Bears trailed 2-0 late in the second period. Coachella Valley Firebirds goaltender Joey Daccord again looked like his usual stout self. Fans packing Acrisure Arena made it difficult, if not impossible, to hear at times. Then came

PALM DESERT, Calif. (theahl.com) … For the 12th time in their storied history, the Hershey Bears are Calder Cup champions. The Bears extended their league record and captured their first championship since 2010 with a 3-2 overtime victory over the Coachella Valley Firebirds tonight at Acrisure Arena, winning the Calder Cup Finals series four games

📝 by Patrick Williams PALM DESERT, Calif. … Only one team will lift the Calder Cup tonight. But both the Coachella Valley Firebirds and Hershey Bears will take away memories and relationships made from an eight-month journey that will culminate with Game 7 of the Calder Cup Finals. Since October and the first day of

📝 by Patrick Williams PALM DESERT, Calif. … The Firebirds needed a lot more following three consecutive losses in Hershey last week. They got it, and now they will play one last game for the Calder Cup. “I don’t think the hockey in Hershey was our best hockey,” head coach Dan Bylsma acknowledged following his

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. … The final game of the 2022-23 hockey season will be played in Palm Desert, Calif., on Wednesday night, when the Coachella Valley Firebirds take on the Hershey Bears in Game 7 of the 2023 Calder Cup Finals. It will be just the 12th Game 7 in Calder Cup Finals history, and the

PALM DESERT, Calif. (theahl.com) … The 2022-23 American Hockey League season is down to one game. Coachella Valley got two goals from Kole Lind and 20 saves plus an assist from Joey Daccord to defeat Hershey, 5-2, in Game 6 of the Calder Cup Finals at a sold-out Acrisure Arena on Monday night. The AHL

📝 by Patrick Williams PALM DESERT, Calif. … Bob Hope and Bing Crosby. Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin. George Burns and Gracie Allen. Dinah Shore and Marilyn Monroe. The Coachella Valley has long been an escape for celebrities attracted to its natural beauty, warm-weather climate and year-round recreation. Now the area’s first high-level professional sports

The Colorado Avalanche have acquired Fredrik Olofsson from the Dallas Stars in exchange for future considerations, and have agreed to terms with the forward on a one-year contract for the 2023-24 season. Olofsson split the 2022-23 season between Dallas and the AHL’s Texas Stars. In 37 games with Texas, he totaled five goals and nine

📝 by Patrick Williams HERSHEY, Pa. … The Hershey Bears are one win away from their 12th Calder Cup championship following a 1-0 overtime Game 5 victory at Giant Center last night. Two wins separate the Coachella Valley Firebirds from hoisting the Calder Cup in their inaugural season. But after dropping three straight one-goal decisions

HERSHEY, Pa. (theahl.com) … Garrett Pilon broke a scoreless tie 10:01 into overtime to give the Hershey Bears their third consecutive one-goal victory and a 3-2 series lead over Coachella Valley in the 2023 Calder Cup Finals. The best-of-seven series resumes Monday in Palm Desert with the Bears one win away from their 12th Calder

📝 by Patrick Williams HERSHEY, Pa. … As the Calder Cup Finals shifted east earlier this week, something for the Hershey Bears had to change — and quickly — if this was going to be a series at all. Two games later, the Bears have rediscovered their scoring touch. Ethen Frank is back on the scoresheet.