Patrick Williams, TheAHL.com Options Author
The Ontario Reign had been shut out in back-to-back video games final weekend, with Colorado Eagles goaltender Trent Miner delivering a pair of masterpieces.
However nights like these are uncommon for the Reign, who boast one of many strongest ahead teams within the AHL. And they’ll want that scoring, too, as they attempt to elbow apart a number of opponents for the Pacific Division lead.
Three factors separate Coachella Valley from Ontario, with Colorado and Calgary sandwiched between them. The Reign, Firebirds, Wranglers and Eagles have all woken up in first place within the division in some unspecified time in the future in simply the final week.
And locking down the division title brings a beneficial reward: the Pacific Division’s first-place finisher will get a bye within the best-of-three first spherical, avoiding probably operating right into a scorching goaltender in a brief collection.
The Reign are again in motion tonight internet hosting Tucson earlier than beginning a home-and-home set with San Diego. One of many keys for Ontario down the stretch can be their All-Star ahead Samuel Fagemo, who returned to the lineup final week after lacking the earlier 5 contests. When Fagemo will get scorching, few groups if any possess as harmful an offensive weapon because the Swedish-born ahead who scored 43 objectives in simply 50 video games final season.
Fagemo, who turns 25 subsequent week, was taken by the Los Angeles Kings within the second spherical of the 2019 NHL Draft. He has scored at a exceptional tempo within the AHL – in 247 video games with the Reign, he has scored 124 objectives – but it surely hasn’t translated to NHL success but. Nashville claimed him off waivers at first of the 2023-24 season, however he acquired into simply 4 video games with the Predators earlier than being positioned again on waivers and reclaimed by the Kings. In all, Fagemo has three objectives and one help in 21 NHL appearances.
He owns an elite shot, and it’s one which he makes use of persistently. His 155 photographs on purpose place him sixth within the AHL this season. It’s an correct one, too, scoring on a sturdy 17.4 % of his photographs over his AHL profession.
Fagemo is on a one-year contract with Los Angeles for 2024-25. The Kings – and the NHL’s 31 different organizations, for that matter – know that he can churn out one purpose after one other on the AHL degree. However can he do this within the NHL? And extra importantly, can he be the efficient, dependable two-way presence that each NHL crew seeks?
Fagemo thinks he can.
“The most important factor is to remain constant within the 200-foot recreation,” Fagemo mentioned. “That’s the factor I’ve been actually working this 12 months. I’m simply attempting to work arduous on daily basis and to hope to lastly get another shot at it.”
Reign head coach Marco Sturm performed 938 NHL video games with six NHL groups, together with the Kings. A scorer all through his profession, he needed to repurpose himself late in his taking part in profession as somebody who may contribute in methods past the scoresheet. That’s a blueprint that Fagemo can observe.
“He matches me properly,” Fagemo mentioned of his coach. “He’s [a] growth coach. He talks quite a bit to the gamers. Very positive-minded, however expects quite a bit, too.
“I’m actually grateful that he believes in me a lot and performs me quite a bit, in order that helps me to develop, too. I’ve a extremely good relationship with him.”
It’s day-by-day work – a element right here, a element there – that may take Fagemo again to the NHL. There’s follow and growth time, after which it’s a matter of making use of it game-in, game-out, on the ice.
The factor is, Fagemo doesn’t have to hold the Ontario offense, both. Not one of the Reign forwards do. The Reign are averaging 3.24 objectives per recreation, with seven forwards in double digits. Charles Hudon is tied for seventh within the AHL with 48 factors, and Jeff Malott (17 objectives, 25 assists) and Glenn Gawdin (15 objectives, 28 assists) are shut behind.
Final season, the Reign completed with 91 factors within the common season and swept their first two playoff collection earlier than falling to Coachella Valley within the division finals. Navigating the division once more this spring figures to be tough, however there may be loads of cause to assume that Ontario can take that subsequent step.
Stout defensive play is what takes groups deep into Might and June. It’s additionally what can push Fagemo within the NHL to remain.
“The most important factor for me proper now,” Fagemo mentioned, “is simply to be affected person and hopefully get an opportunity.”
On the American Hockey League beat for 20 years, TheAHL.com options author Patrick Williams additionally presently covers the league for NHL.com and FloSports and is an everyday contributor on SiriusXM NHL Community Radio. He was the recipient of the AHL’s James H. Ellery Memorial Award for his excellent protection of the league in 2016.
