Patrick Williams, TheAHL.com Features Writer
U.S. Thanksgiving is always a key marker on the AHL schedule.
With people returning home and families taking a break from holiday eating, the weekend is traditionally a strong attendance draw for U.S.-based teams. Getting a home date or two this week is always a nice coup for teams as they enter the holiday season, a time when attendance really starts to take off around the AHL.
Thanksgiving is also a time for, well, giving thanks. Here is a team-by-team look at what each team can be thankful for this holiday.
ABBOTSFORD CANUCKS
With Vancouver just a short drive to the west, Abbotsford is Canucks country, be it of the NHL or AHL variety. So proper development in Abbotsford can mean future success in Vancouver. Fans have been able to watch Danila Klimovich find his way to the top of the team’s scoring list, as well as first-rounder Jonathan Lekkerimäki begin his North American career. There’s also a seventh-round find in rookie defenseman Kirill Kudryavtsev, who has been outstanding.
BAKERSFIELD CONDORS
Going from one franchise fixture to another as captain speaks to consistency for the Condors. They named Seth Griffith their new captain Tuesday to replace the now-retired Brad Malone. Griffith is the Condors’ longest-tenured player, and his 244 points (79 goals, 165 assists) in 258 games are franchise records. The two-time AHL All-Star forward has been one of the league’s steadiest performers for more than a decade now.
BELLEVILLE SENATORS
After an injury to Mads Sogaard, the B-Sens jumped to find a replacement goaltender and added veteran Malcolm Subban on an AHL deal. For Subban, who in 2023 took the Rochester Americans to the Eastern Conference Finals, there looks to be still plenty of game left. It’s also a homecoming of sorts, as Subban played his junior hockey for the Ontario Hockey League’s Belleville Bulls.
BRIDGEPORT ISLANDERS
Dealing with a 2-9-1-1 start caused in part by six one-goal losses, the Islanders went into Hershey on Nov. 15 and handed the Bears a 6-1 thumping. A night later they paid a visit to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and turned in a 5-2 win. Two top opponents, two decisive wins. Those can be building blocks for the Islanders, who now have at least a point in four of their past five contests.
CALGARY WRANGLERS
Seeing a top prospect graduate to the NHL and stick is always an achievement for an AHL club. It can also be a complication, of course. Who would replace someone like Dustin Wolf, who moved on to the Calgary Flames full-time after three exceptional AHL seasons? Devin Cooley, that’s who. The offseason signing has been putting up numbers (10-3-0, 1.89, .940) that have helped put the Wranglers atop of the Pacific Division.
CHARLOTTE CHECKERS
Home dates during Thanksgiving week are a staple for the Checkers, who will have the Iowa Wild visiting town for the holidays. After a challenging five-game road trip, the Checkers are back in front of their fans at Bojangles Coliseum this week and for much of the next month. Charlotte can also be thankful for second-year pro Aidan McDonough, whose 10 goals are already one shy of his total from all of last season.
CHICAGO WOLVES
That Dustin Tokarski signing is looking very wise now, especially after injuries have hit the Carolina Hurricanes in net. The two-time Calder Cup champion inked a tryout deal with the Wolves on Nov. 2 and has quickly lent a calming presence in the Chicago crease. While a talented but young collection of prospects find their way, they have Tokarski there to steady them each night.
CLEVELAND MONSTERS
A nine-game winning streak is quite a nice treat for Monsters fans to take into the holiday. So is a chance to have the likes of first-round picks David Jiricek, Denton Mateychuk and Corson Ceulemans all taking their spot on the Cleveland blue line. After going to the Eastern Conference Finals last season, the Monsters again look dangerous.
COACHELLA VALLEY FIREBIRDS
New head coach, a drastically remade roster, and coming off back-to-back heartbreaks in the Calder Cup Finals. How would the Firebirds handle so much change? Quite well, apparently. Derek Laxdal stepped behind the bench and has his team on a 7-0-1-1 run that has them ascending the Pacific Division standings rapidly. Firebirds fans will also have a chance to take in some of the league’s top talent when Coachella Valley hosts the 2025 AHL All-Star Classic presented by Spotlight 29 Casino on Feb. 2-3, 2025.
COLORADO EAGLES
Thanksgiving is a time to see old familiar faces, but Eagles fans have been doing that since October. Colorado Avalanche management brought back a parade of Eagles alumni in two-time AHL MVP T.J. Tynan, Jacob MacDonald, Jayson Megna and Calle Rosen. They all still can play at high level, too, and the Eagles should be dangerous once again this season. Colorado fans have also seen five Eagles – Ivan Ivan, Matthew Stienburg, Nikita Prishchepov, Trent Miner and Chase Bradley – make their NHL debuts with the Avalanche already this season.
GRAND RAPIDS GRIFFINS
Seeing Sebastian Cossa’s elevation from unproven goaltender to becoming one of the AHL’s elite has been a treat for Griffins fans. So has shooting to the top of the Central Division. The offense needed time to find itself, but it has, and the Griffins have collected 30 goals in their past seven games. They’re rolling.
HARTFORD WOLF PACK
Forward Brett Berard has shown that his 25-goal rookie season was not a one-off. Leading the Wolf Pack with 13 points (seven goals, six assists) in 16 games earned him a recall to the New York Rangers. The 2020 fifth-round selection has picked up a goal and an assist in his first two NHL games and plays an energetic style that is sure to resonate with Rangers fans.
HENDERSON SILVER KNIGHTS
Hard-nosed Mason Geertsen announced last week that he is in remission after being diagnosed with B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma in November 2023. That is something to be thankful for far beyond anything on the ice. Geertsen has been a hard-nosed player for more than 400 games in the AHL with Henderson, Utica, Hartford, Colorado, San Antonio and Lake Erie.
HERSHEY BEARS
Two years, two Calder Cup titles, and the Bears are back in contention for the AHL lead again this season. They are bidding to become the first club to three-peat as a Calder Cup champion since Springfield did so between 1960-62. Any such title is still seven months away, but the past few seasons have been special even by the high standards of the league’s senior-most franchise.
IOWA WILD
Holding a two-year, $4.4 million contract that begins next season with the Minnesota Wild, Jesper Wallstedt has a chance to put the finishing touches on his AHL development this season. The 2021 first-round pick has had a special two-plus seasons with Iowa and is a two-time AHL All-Star. Any night that Iowa fans have a chance to see Wallstedt work in net is special.
LAVAL ROCKET
Where does one start with this season’s Rocket club? There is new head coach Pascal Vincent, who quickly has made his team into a defensive force. Or there is the Jakub Dobeš–Connor Hughes goaltending tandem that has been exceptional. Or there’s a deep base of prospects featuring Owen Beck, Jared Davidson, Adam Engström, Logan Mailloux, Filip Mešár, Luke Tuch, and leading scorer Joshua Roy, who was recently recalled by the Montreal Canadiens. Place Bell already had one of the AHL’s best atmospheres; this season’s Rocket could make those fans even louder.
LEHIGH VALLEY PHANTOMS
Anthony Richard’s return to the Lehigh Valley roster from the Philadelphia Flyers is a jolt for the Phantoms offense; Richard has 11 points in eight AHL games this year. Samu Tuomaala continues to build on his solid rookie season with a team-best 18 points, including the winning goal in Wednesday’s overtime victory at Hartford.
MANITOBA MOOSE
Following a 3-7-0-0 start, the Moose have taken three of their past five contests. Now they have eight of their next 12 games at Canada Life Centre as they try to make up ground. Just 20 years old, defenseman Elias Salomonsson has made a quick adjustment to the AHL after spending parts of the past four seasons in the Swedish Hockey League.
MILWAUKEE ADMIRALS
Despite seeing their goaltending picture change over the summer, along with promotions for first-rounders Zach L’Heureux and Fedor Svechkov to the Nashville Predators, the always-reliable Admirals continue to chug along. Karl Taylor, the AHL’s longest-tenured head coach, has needed little time to put out another contender, and Vinnie Hinostroza continues to build a case for a return to the NHL by leading the AHL in scoring (23 points) entering the holiday weekend.
ONTARIO REIGN
Watch out when forward Samuel Fagemo begins to get hot. Last season he gathered 43 goals in only 50 games with the Reign. After opening the first six games of this campaign without a goal, he has buried seven goals in his past nine games. That could be bad news for the rest of the Pacific Division. Glenn Gawdin has also been on a tear, with 12 points in his last five games.
PROVIDENCE BRUINS
Michael DiPietro found new life in New England after parts of four seasons in the Vancouver organization. After re-solidifying himself last season as a full-time AHL netminder, he has taken charge in the Providence net and gone 6-2-2 with a 2.08 goals-against average and .924 save percentage.
ROCHESTER AMERICANS
Devon Levi came to the Amerks last January and was a workhouse down the stretch. He’s back in Rochester after starting the season with the Buffalo Sabres, and the objective is to get him plenty of action in net – which is very good news for the Amerks. The continuing development of Isak Rosén sees him atop the Amerks’ scoring table.
ROCKFORD ICEHOGS
As the Chicago Blackhawks’ rebuild continues, IceHogs are getting to see plenty of that hoped-for Chicago future. Rockford features first-round picks Kevin Korchinski, Artyom Levshunov and Frank Nazar. Those three and goaltender Drew Commesso are part of the core that the Hawks hope will grow together in Rockford before advancing to Chicago.
SAN DIEGO GULLS
Forward Sam Colangelo joined the Gulls coming off a 24-goal performance last season at Western Michigan University. He hardly needed any acclimation time in San Diego as he collected nine goals in his first 14 games. That work has earned him a recall to the Anaheim Ducks.
SAN JOSE BARRACUDA
After trying times in the recent past, the Barracuda boast a fun collection of young talent. There is Yaroslav Askarov in net, forward Collin Graf leading the AHL in rookie scoring, and rookie Luca Cagnoni one of the top-scoring defensemen in the league. The parent Sharks’ overhaul is fully underway and will be counting on these prospects to come through at some point. For now, though, Barracuda fans have a nightly chance to see some strong prospects develop in front of them.
SPRINGFIELD THUNDERBIRDS
Goaltender Colten Ellis has been a stalwart as the Thunderbirds have worked to solidify themselves. Dalibor Dvorsky, Aleksanteri Kaskimaki and Dylan Peterson are some of the key pieces of the St. Louis Blues’ future who are progressing well as AHL rookies.
SYRACUSE CRUNCH
Brandon Halverson could barely find a job in hockey a couple of years ago after injuries and on-ice struggles imperiled his career. Now he leads the AHL in GAA (1.59) and save percentage (.941) while playing on an AHL deal with the Crunch after the Tampa Bay Lightning organization took a chance on him, writing one of the AHL’s best stories this season.
TEXAS STARS
All the Stars continue to do is develop talent and then deliver it on their NHL parent in Dallas. That’s why Dallas is a top contender and why Texas annually puts together a strong group. This season is no different with Lian Bichsel, Justin Hryckowian and Arttu Hyry all part of that next talent wave. Combined with an exceptional offseason that retooled the Texas roster, this group is positioned to make noise in the Central Division once again.
TORONTO MARLIES
Artur Akhtyamov’s emergence as one of the AHL top goaltenders early in the season? Nikita Grebenkin’s play leading to his recall to the Toronto Maple Leafs? Alex Nylander working an AHL contract into an NHL opportunity? Rookie forward Fraser Minten recovering from injury, impressing quickly, and advancing to the Leafs? Among the AHL’s top teams so far, the Marlies have had no shortage of good news.
TUCSON ROADRUNNERS
Egor Sokolov came over to the Utah Hockey Club in an offseason trade feeling that he needed a new start following four seasons with the Belleville Senators. He currently leads the Roadrunners with eight goals and 16 points in 16 games. Jaxson Stauber has also been a solid addition, with a .930 save percentage over his first seven starts for Tucson.
UTICA COMETS
A week ago, the Comets didn’t have much to be thankful for. But they snapped a season-opening 13-game winless slide with impressive road wins in Syracuse and Rochester, then made it three straight victories by treating the home fans to a 5-3 triumph over Providence on Wednesday. Offseason addition Mike Hardman is the reigning Howies Hockey Tape/AHL Player of the Week, and rookie defenseman Seamus Casey leads the Comets in scoring after beginning the season in New Jersey.
WILKES-BARRE/SCRANTON PENGUINS
Through injuries and a changing cast in net (the Penguins have used five starting goaltenders through 14 games), this team has found a way to get the job done for new head coach Kirk MacDonald. When they do return to full health and perhaps have a roster that settles down, they will be that much better for having faced these early-season challenges.
On the American Hockey League beat for two decades, TheAHL.com features writer Patrick Williams also currently covers the league for NHL.com and FloSports and is a regular contributor on SiriusXM NHL Network Radio. He was the recipient of the AHL’s James H. Ellery Memorial Award for his outstanding coverage of the league in 2016.
