Patrick WilliamsTheAHL.com Features Writer
Success in the Calder Cup Playoffs often presents a challenging paradox for AHL teams.
When an AHL team does its job and does it well – developing prospects, winning games and maybe even winning the Calder Cup – they often have to deal with the aftereffects of that success. Players move on to the NHL parent team. Or other NHL organizations are taking notice.
Just ask the semifinalists of last year’s competition: Abbotsford, Charlotte, Laval and Texas all went on long postseason journeys – piling up wins, gaining valuable experience and creating countless memories for their respective fan bases. But that success in the spring could mean challenges come next fall. New season, new faces, new team. It’s time for a new group of players to fill spots on the AHL roster and develop the kind of chemistry on and off the ice that can ultimately make them winners as well.
Let’s see how the remaining quartet of teams from last June’s Calder Cup Playoffs adjust to their first month of play in the 2025-2026 season. First up is the Eastern Conference, where Charlotte and Laval look to duplicate and build on last season’s considerable success.
In 2024-25, Charlotte pressed the two-time defending Calder Cup champions Hershey hard all season long, ultimately finishing just two points behind the Bears in the Atlantic Division. But the Checkers delivered their message in the postseason, beating the Bears in the division final and then eliminating regular-season champion Laval in a four-game sweep in the Eastern Conference Finals – all while their parent club, the Florida Panthers, was on their way to a second straight Stanley Cup.
Head coach Geordie Kinnear and his coaching staff are back. This also applies to the steadfast defender Trevor Carricktheir newly appointed captain. But otherwise, this is a decidedly new group, which saw five of the six top regular-season scorers leave in the offseason, along with veteran goaltenders. Kaapo Kähkönen And Ken Appleby.
So management has had to scramble to replace all that talent and find new faces to help supplement a core of returning players. Nolan Foot, Tyler Motte, Jack Studnicka and 2025 AHL All-Star Brian Pinho are among the new reinforcements ready to continue the winning tradition in Charlotte. Brett Chorske, Jack Devine, Ben Steeves and goalkeeper Kuiper Black are all ready to take on bigger roles.
At Laval, the Rocket finished first overall in the AHL last season, with a mark of 48-19-3-2. It marked the first time an all-affiliate of the Montreal Canadiens won the Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy as the AHL regular season champions since 1991-92. They tied for the fewest goals allowed in the league, and Pascal Vincent claimed the league’s Coach of the Year honors.
That decisive loss to Charlotte in the conference finals ended their championship hopes prematurely, but even disappointment can bring opportunities for growth. Jacob Fowler got playoff experience to carry into his rookie season. Oliver Kapanenwho saw playoff time with the Rocket, is now a Canadiens regular, and Owen Beck And Joshua Roy have already earned recalls this season.
There still remains a good young core, led by Beck, Roy, Jared Davidson, Sean Farrell, Adam Engstrom, Filip Mešár, David Reinbacher, Lucas Doek And Florian Xhekaj. They are supported by veterans like Laurent Dauphin, Alex Belzile, Lucas Condotta, For you Bisson And Josia Didierand Montreal even added goaltender Kähkönen as an offseason acquisition.
Next week will be a look at Abbotsford and Texas.
At TheAHL.com, writer Patrick Williams has been covering the American Hockey League for two decades. Writer Patrick Williams also currently covers the league for NHL.com and FloSports and is a regular contributor on SiriusXM NHL Network Radio. He received the AHL’s James H. Ellery Memorial Award for his outstanding coverage of the league in 2016.
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