SPRINGFIELD, Mass. … I Edmonton Oilers again The Florida Panthers they are ready to face the Stanley Cup, and their rosters are full of American Hockey League graduates.
Edmonton, the AHL’s parent club Bakersfield Condors accommodationsreached the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 2006 with contributions from AHL alumni up and down the roster – 22 of the 23 players to appear in the Oilers’ playoff games so far have spent time in the American Hockey League, including 10. the former Condors.
Guiding the Oilers is the head coach Chris Knoblauch, who was in his fifth season as the head coach of the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack when he was hired by Edmonton in Nov. 12. Knoblauch led Hartford to a 119-90-32 record and two series wins during the 2023 Calder Cup Playoffs; looking to join Dan Bylsma (2009) and Mike Sullivan (2016) as the most recent coaches to win a Stanley Cup after a mid-season promotion to the AHL.
Evan Bouchard continues his breakout season in the playoffs, with six goals and 21 assists for 27 points in 18 games through three rounds. An AHL All-Star as a rookie in 2019-20, where his patented shot registered 103.0 miles per hour in the annual Makhono contest, Bouchard ranks fourth among NHL defensemen with 82 points in the 2023 regular season. -24. Derek Ryan, Connor Brown again Warren Foegele and were AHL All-Stars earlier in their careers.
Stuart Skinner he led the Oilers back to the Stanley Cup Final in his second full NHL season. The Edmonton native played 113 games in the AHL with Bakersfield between 2018 and 2022, going 62-35-12 with a 2.68 goals-against average, .906 save percentage and eight shutouts.
Zach Hymanwho scored 54 goals for the Oilers in the regular season before scoring 14 more in the playoffs so far, had 37 points in 59 games as a rookie with the Toronto Marlies in 2015-16 before helping them reach the conference finals.
Philip Broberg, Dylan Holloway again Calvin Pickard all spent time with Bakersfield earlier this season, with Broberg leading all Condors defensemen with 38 points in 49 games. Holloway skated in 63 games with Bakersfield over parts of three seasons, while Pickard appeared in 321 AHL contests, winning a Calder Cup championship with Toronto in 2018.
Some notable AHL alumni on Edmonton’s roster include Vincent Desharnais, Darnell Nurse, Ryan McLeod, Corey Perry, Cody Ceci, Matthias Janmark, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins again Leon Draisaitlwho began the 2015-16 season with Bakersfield before becoming the NHL MVP and three-time 50-point scorer.
Florida’s second straight trip to the Stanley Cup Finals was fueled by AHL alumni including Carter Verhaeghe, who was the AHL’s leading scorer in 2018-19. Verhaeghe, who played 211 games in the AHL with Syracuse, Bridgeport and Toronto before making his NHL debut in 2019, leads the Panthers with nine playoff goals after scoring 34 times in 76 games during the regular season.
Brandon Montour played 118 games in the AHL in the Anaheim program, representing the San Diego Gulls in the AHL All-Star Classic in 2016 and 2017. The former second-round draft pick has played 520 games in the NHL.
Gustav Forslingwith four goals and 11 points this past season, he skated in 110 games over parts of four AHL seasons with Rockford and Charlotte.
Other AHL alumni with the Panthers include Eetu Luostarinen, Kyle Okposo, Evan Rodrigues, Niko Mikkola, Kevin Stenlund, Oliver Ekman-Larsson and former AHL All-Stars Nick Cousins again Anthony Stolarz. Forward Steven Lorentz won the Calder Cup championship with the Charlotte Checkers in 2019.
Paul Maurice coached the Toronto Marlies in 2005-06, and general manager Bill Zito won the Calder Cup as GM of the Lake Erie Monsters in 2016.
The 2024 Stanley Cup Final begins Saturday at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Fla.
Operating since 1936, the AHL serves as the top developmental league for all 32 teams in the National Hockey League. About 90 percent of today’s NHL players graduated from the American Hockey League, and more than 100 members of the Hockey Hall of Fame spent time in the AHL during their careers.
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