AHL WEEKEND: NCAA and European talent heads to the AHL
Friday nights in the AHL mean the start of a busy weekend. EP Rinkside has this look around the 31-team league to set you up for this weekend’s slate.
SPRING MIGRATION
The first crop of incoming NCAA and European talent is starting its annual late-season move into the AHL.
Five teams elbowing their way through the March schedule for a ticket into the Calder Cup Playoffs will gladly welcome that influx.
Two players have joined the Toronto Marlies, who sit third in the North Division. Jokerit defenseman Eemeli Räsänen signed a professional tryout deal with the Marlies after his KHL season ended. Räsänen, who just turned 20 last week, went to the parent Toronto Maple Leafs as a second-round pick in the 2017 NHL Draft. A right-handed shot, he also brings size to the Marlies at 6-7 and 209 pounds.
Räsänen’s season split between Jokerit and the Mestis circuit, but he played 12 KHL games and picked up a goal along with an assist. He also dressed for one first-round playoff game before Jokerit fell to Dynamo Moscow in six games. Before going back home to Finland this season, he played the past two seasons in the OHL for the Kingston Frontenacs.
Räsänen will join another new face on the AHL blue line in Toronto. The Leafs won a race to sign 21-year-old Mercyhurst defenseman Joseph Duszak, a Hobey Baker Award nominee this season with the Lakers. He signed a two-year entry-level deal with Leafs. He led NCAA blueliners with 47 points (16-31-47) in 37 games; that point total also placed third in overall NCAA scoring. He is joining the Marlies on a PTO deal as well.
Another Hobey Baker Award nominee is on his way into the AHL as well.
Canisius forward Dylan McLaughlin signed a two-year AHL deal with the Rockford IceHogs that will begin next season. He is joining the IceHogs on a special player contract for this season. McLaughlin, 23, also was a Hobey Baker nominee last season after he was 17-31-48. He finished his four-year career at Canisius by going 19-21-40 in 37 games. Rockford has also had another Hobey Baker nominee from last season, forward Dylan Sikura, for 24 games this season. Sikura is on recall to the Chicago Blackhawks.
In a rather uncommon occurrence, an NCAA freshman has landed a deal in the AHL. Joining the Providence Bruins from Ferris State is defenseman Cooper Zech. The 5-9, 170-pound Zech entered the season with high expectations as the WCHA Preseason Rookie of the Year and more than matched them. The 20-year-old was 8-20-28 in 36 games for the Bulldogs before deciding to turn pro. That point total led all WCHA rookies and earned him a spot on the All-WCHA First All-Star Team. He comes onto a very deep Providence blue line as the P-Bruins try to secure a seventh consecutive playoff spot.
Nineteen-year-old Columbus Blue Jackets forward prospect Alexandre Texier is on his way to the Cleveland Monsters after his Liiga season concluded. Columbus took Texier in the second round of the 2017 NHL Draft, and he delivered a team-leading 14-27-41 in 55 regular-season games for KalPa Kuopio. The native of Grenoble, France should be able to help the Monsters, who have been ravaged by second-half injuries. Forwards Sonny Milano and Nathan Gerbe highlight the still-injured, and Zac Dalpe missed 14 games before returning to the line-up. Cleveland is four points out of playoff spot.
Jokerit forward Kristian Vesalainen is back on his way to the Manitoba Moose for a second turn. After playing five games with the Winnipeg Jets and eight more with the Moose (3-5-8), he returned to Jokerit this past November 23rd. He turned in a strong KHL performance with 6-11-17 in 31 games. Winnipeg took him 24th overall in 2017.
CHARLOTTE SHOWDOWN
First place in the AHL could be on the line when the Rochester Americans visit the Charlotte Checkers for a two-game series that starts Friday night.
Charlotte holds first overall in the AHL at 85 points, but Rochester could take over that spot by the end of play on Saturday night. The Amerks have gone on a tear lately and are 8-2-0-0 in their past 10 contests. After a light schedule for the past three weeks, the Checkers will take on a busier slate in the second part of March.
Charlotte’s schedule does not become any easier after the Amerks depart, either. The Checkers welcome the Syracuse Crunch, who are third overall, to town on Tuesday for a pair of games. The Crunch trail Rochester by one point.
AROUND THE A
AHL leading scorer Daniel Carr has missed the past three games. He took a heavy open-ice hit from San Antonio Rampage forward Jordan Nolan in a March 5th game. Nolan received a two-game suspension. Carr is 30-41-71 for the Wolves, who have two home games this weekend, including a visit from the Rampage on Saturday night.
Belleville Senators defenseman Erik Brännström made his NHL debut on Thursday night with the Ottawa Senators. The 19-year-old key piece of the Ottawa-Vegas Golden Knights deal that sent Mark Stone westward last month played 17:20 for Ottawa in a 2-0 home win against the St. Louis Blues. Ottawa returned Brännström and veteran Cody Goloubef to Belleville afterward. Brannstrom has an assist in five games for Belleville and is 7-22-29 in 42 AHL games overall with the AHL Sens and Wolves. He originally went to the Golden Knights as the 15th overall pick in the 2017 NHL Draft.
Connor Ingram’s exodus to the ECHL continues. Last week the Tampa Bay Lightning demoted the Syracuse goaltender to the Orlando Solar Bears, the organization’s ECHL affiliate. Ingram, a 2016 third-round pick for the Lightning, had a strong season in Syracuse, and details on the reasoning for the move were not released by the Lightning. Ingram immediately got busy with Orlando last weekend in a road series with the Newfoundland Growlers. So far Ingram is 2-1-0 | 3.96 | .894 in four games. He started four games in six days after the assignment and was pulled in his most recent start, a 5-4 home shootout loss to the Florida Everblades this past Wednesday night.
Amid a four-team race for fourth place in the Central Division, two of those clubs had their goaltending picture altered going into the weekend. The fourth-place Texas Stars lost Landon Bow on emergency recall to the Dallas Stars. The 23-year-old Bow has taken a heavy workload for Texas in playing 42 games, which ties him for first among AHL goaltenders. He is 22-13-5 | 2.90 | .893. Trailing Texas by three points, Rockford will welcome back Collin Delia from the Blackhawks. Delia, 24, is 8-6-4 | 2.36 | .929 in 19 games for the IceHogs while also spending time in Chicago.
Only two teams have 3-in-3 weekends – Toronto and Rockford. Providence’s run of five consecutive 3-in-3 weekends will end.
Belleville will host the Laval Rocket in the AHL Game of the Week on Friday night. Fans can see it free at Facebook Watch (https://www.facebook.com/
PLAYOFF PICTURE
In the Atlantic Division, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms have been unable to find any traction. They have lost their past two outings, and they are on a 3-7-0-0 slide that has left them stuck five points out of playoff spot. In fact, the Hartford Wolf Pack and Springfield Thunderbirds both have moved to within striking distance of the Phantoms as a once-promising season threatens to unravel altogether.
The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins are trying to move their playoff streak to 17 seasons and are four points out. After hosting the P-Bruins on Saturday night, they take on the Marlies in a Sunday matinee.
A difficult four-game road trip starts for the Marlies against the Hershey Bears on Friday night. After this 3-in-3 weekend, they will move on to face the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. They do have a five-point lead for third place in the North Division on Belleville, however. Belleville holds fourth place by two points going into a two-game home series with the Rocket.
Cleveland and the Utica Comets also are trying to track down playoff spots. On Friday night the Monsters visit the Western Conference-leading Wolves, who have won eight consecutive home games.
Only one playoff spot is realistically left in the Central Division, and four teams are fighting over it. Texas holds fourth place at 67 points. The Stars finish their two-game road series with Manitoba on Friday night. The Moose are two points behind Texas, with the Milwaukee Admirals in between at 66 points. Sitting right behind that threesome is Rockford at 64 points. Rockford hosts the Stars on Sunday. Left behind are the Rampage, who have faded to seven points out.
Out west, the San Diego Gulls, San Jose Barracuda, and Colorado Eagles are fighting over playoff order. Thanks in part to seven consecutive losses, the Tucson Roadrunners have sunk to 11 points out.
IN THE LEAD
POINTS – 71
DANIEL CARR – CHICAGO
GOALS – 30
DANIEL CARR – CHICAGO
ASSISTS – 45
JEREMY BRACCO – TORONTO
PENALTY MINUTES – 147
KURTIS MACDERMID – ONTARIO
GAMES (GOALTENDERS) – 42
LANDON BOW – TEXAS
ERIC COMRIE – MANITOBA
ALEX NEDELJKOVIC – CHARLOTTE
MINUTES – 2,475
ERIC COMRIE – MANITOBA
WINS – 28
ALEX NEDELJKOVIC – CHARLOTTE
GAA – 2.26
CONNOR INGRAM – SYRACUSE
PATRIK RYBAR – GRAND RAPIDS
SAVE PERCENTAGE – .922
PAVEL FRANCOUZ – COLORADO
CONNOR INGRAM – SYRACUSE
ALEX LYON – LEHIGH VALLEY
SHUTOUTS – 6
CONNOR INGRAM – SYRACUSE
QUOTEBOOK
“I don’t know. That’s a good question.”
–Barracuda head coach Roy Sommer joking about the secret to his longevity in a business full of turnover. In his AHL-record 21st season behind the bench, Sommer is first all-time in coaching wins (756) and games (1,603).
THIS WEEKEND
Friday – Rochester at Charlotte: First overall versus second overall. A potential Eastern Conference final preview? It does not get better than this match-up.
Saturday – Rochester at Charlotte: Once more for good measure.
Sunday – San Diego at Manitoba: A critical but difficult slate of need-to-have games continues for the Moose in their homestand.
ON THE MOVE
Bridgeport Sound Tigers goaltender Christopher Gibson is back from the New York Islanders….The Detroit Red Wings re-assigned rookie forward Filip Zadina to the Grand Rapids Griffins….Forwards Dylan Gambrell and Lukas Radil have been sent to the Barracuda….Through Thursday, 96 AHL players have made their NHL debuts this season.
