Patrick Williams, TheAHL.com Options Author
Impressions made now can repay rapidly for NHL prospects. Or that impression can imply being an NHL entrance workplace’s first recall possibility.
A summer season’s price of labor, coaching, and preparation is finished, and the NHL preseason schedule is right here as acquainted AHL names battle for jobs. After weeks of skating adopted by the open of coaching camp, prospects have dotted NHL line-ups by means of the primary two days of the NHL preseason schedule. They’re combating for full-time NHL jobs come October in addition to organizational positioning ought to they begin this season within the AHL. An NHL recall, in any case, all the time takes only one telephone name.
Different gamers are at coaching camp with a brand new group following an offseason commerce or signing. Nonetheless others are going to camp on an expert tryout in hope of securing extra work.
Let’s break down some prime performances that began the preseason slate.
COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS (CLEVELAND MONSTERS)
Luca Del Bel Belluz is taking a well-established path that has despatched many AHL prospects on to the NHL.
Step into the AHL as a rookie ahead and get a pro-level two-way recreation established. Then use the second season on the AHL stage to show extra of an offensive recreation. Del Bel Belluz, a ahead taken within the second spherical of the 2022 NHL Draft by Columbus, has carried out simply that in his two seasons with Cleveland. He went to Sport 7 of the Jap Convention Finals in 2024 after which broke out with 27 objectives final season for the Monsters.
When Del Bel Belluz could crack the Columbus roster full-time remains to be to be seen. If the Blue Jackets determine {that a} bit extra time in Cleveland is finest for him, he can be counted on for offense. However mixing a aim and an help with the two-way play that may be a should on the NHL stage in a 4-1 win in opposition to the St. Louis Blues on Sunday won’t harm his trigger.
NEW YORK RANGERS (HARTFORD WOLF PACK)
The Rangers went with a line-up that includes prospects in a 5-3 street win over the New Jersey Devils on Sunday afternoon.
Prime goaltending prospect Dylan Garand performed 31:44 in aid of starter Jonathan Fast. Final season Garand represented the Wolf Pack on the AHL All-Star Basic.
Defenseman Casey Fitzgerald, Hartford’s captain final season, dressed for the Rangers. So did Connor Mackey, who performed 66 video games with the Wolf Pack final season. Scott Morrow, acquired from the Carolina Hurricanes in a significant offseason deal, produced 39 factors for the Chicago Wolves final season whereas incomes a spot on the AHL Prime Prospects Group. Veteran Derrick Pouliot, a free agent signing by the Rangers, led all AHL defenseman final season with 46 assists for the Syracuse Crunch and was chosen to the AHL First All-Star Group.
The Rangers additionally had ahead prospect Brennan Othmann of their lineup after he break up final season between the NHL and AHL.
SEATTLE KRAKEN (COACHELLA VALLEY FIREBIRDS)
Jani Nyman logged 12 video games with Seattle final season to assist make his case for extra NHL work come October. Posting 28 objectives in his first AHL marketing campaign serves as one other piece of assist for that ambition, significantly with an opportunity to play for a well-respected head coach like Derek Laxdal with the Firebirds.
Simply 21 years outdated, the 2022 second-rounder, added a bit extra weight to his trigger on Sunday in Seattle’s preseason opener. He grabbed a pair of objectives to assist Seattle previous the Vancouver Canucks, 5-3.
TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS (TORONTO MARLIES)
After enjoying 26 video games for the Marlies season, goaltender Artur Akhtyamov obtained the beginning for the Leafs of their preseason opener at Ottawa, a 4-3 victory on Sunday afternoon.
Akhtyamov, 23, completed 11-8-4 with three shutouts to go together with a 2.81 GAA and .901 save proportion for the Marlies. Matched in opposition to the Senators, he stopped 16 of 17 pictures and took first-star honors. He break up the sport with fellow prospect Vyacheslav Peksa, who performed a pair of video games with the Marlies final season whereas spending most of his time on the ECHL stage.
WINNIPEG JETS (MANITOBA MOOSE)
Everybody within the AHL is aware of that Samuel Fagemo can rating. The ahead performed 5 seasons with the Ontario Reign as a Los Angeles Kings prospect and churned out 132 objectives in 268 AHL regular-season video games. In that run got here 43 objectives in simply 50 video games for the Reign in 2023-24.
Signed by Winnipeg as a free agent this summer season, the Jets had Fagemo on a line with Kevin He and Danny Zhilkin for a 4-3 additional time loss to the Minnesota Wild on Sunday afternoon. Minnesota held Fagemo out of the aim column, however he nonetheless contributed a pair of assists.
The Jets dressed a ahead group that featured newcomer Phil Di Giuseppe, who gained the Calder Cup with the Abbotsford Canucks this previous June, fellow new signee Walker Duehr in addition to Moose mainstays Brad Lambert and Nikita Chibrikov.
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.
