Will Lockwood scored a shorthanded goal with 3:14 to go in regulation, breaking a tie and lifting the Charlotte Checkers to a 3-1 win over the Hartford Wolf Pack in Game 1 of their Atlantic Division first-round series on Thursday night. The best-of-three series continues Saturday afternoon in Charlotte. On the winning goal, Skyler Brind’Amour forced a turnover in the neutral zone and found Lockwood, who lifted a backhand over former teammate Dylan Garand for his first career Calder Cup Playoff goal. Lockwood played 17 regular-season games and nine postseason contests for Hartford last season ..read more

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. … The American Hockey League announced today that forward Mavrik Bourque of the Texas Stars has been voted the winner of the Les Cunningham Award as the AHL’s most valuable player for the 2023-24 season. The award was voted on by coaches, players and members of the media in each of the league’s 32 cities. A second-year pro from Plessisville, Que., Bourque led the AHL with 77 points on 26 goals and 51 assists in 2023-24 – becoming, at 22, the league’s youngest scoring champion in 12 years. He also registered a league-high 256 shots on goal, and helped Texas rank first in powe ..read more

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. … The American Hockey League announced today that Texas Stars forward Logan Stankoven has been voted the winner of the Dudley (Red) Garrett Memorial Award as the AHL’s outstanding rookie for the 2023-24 season. The award was voted on by coaches, players and members of the media in each of the league’s 32 cities. A second-round selection in the 2021 NHL Draft, Stankoven was leading the entire American Hockey League in scoring with 57 points (24 goals, 33 assists) in 47 games at the time of his recall to Dallas in February. Despite spending the final two months of the season i ..read more

A3-W-B/Scranton Penguins vs. A6-Lehigh Valley Phantoms Game 2 – Friday, 7:05 ET, (Lehigh Valley leads series, 1-0) Game 1 – Wed., Apr. 24 – Lehigh Valley 2, W-B/SCRANTON 1 | Recap Game 2 – Fri., Apr. 26 – W-B/Scranton at Lehigh Valley, 7:05 *Game 3 – Sun., Apr. 28 – Lehigh Valley at W-B/Scranton, 5:05 *if necessary… All times Eastern A1-Hershey Bears vs. TBD   A2-Providence Bruins vs. TBD A4-Charlotte Checkers vs. A5-Hartford Wolf Pack Game 1 – Tonight, 7:00 ET, Game 1 – Thu., Apr. 25 – Hartford at Charlotte, 7:00 Game 2 – Sat., Apr. 27 – Hartford at Charlotte ..read more

Dustin Wolf made 46 saves for his fifth career Calder Cup Playoff shutout, preserving the Calgary Wranglers’ 2-0 win over the Tucson Roadrunners in Game 1 of their Pacific Division first-round series. Game 2 of the best-of-three match-up is Friday evening in Tucson. Wolf, who spent much of the second half of the regular season in the NHL, stopped 15 shots in the first period, 15 more in the second and 16 in the third as Calgary spoiled the first home postseason game for the Roadrunners since 2018. Cole Schwindt scored 6:14 into the second period to break a scoreless tie, and Matt Coronato capp ..read more

Tyler Madden scored twice, Erik Portillo made 30 saves and the Ontario Reign took a decisive 5-1 victory over the Bakersfield Condors in Game 1 of their best-of-three series at Toyota Arena on Wednesday evening. The Condors host Game 2 on Saturday looking to keep their season alive. The Reign scored four times in the second period to break the game open, with Madden and Akil Thomas converting on the power play. Ontario ranked second in the AHL on the man advantage during the regular season at 21.8 percent. Joe Hicketts added a shorthanded goal for the Reign, who continued their hot play after ..read more

Sheldon Dries had a goal and an assist to pace the Abbotsford Canucks to a 4-2 win over the Colorado Eagles in the opener of their best-of-three Pacific Division first-round series at Blue Arena on Wednesday night. The Canucks can wrap up the series with another win on Friday. Dries, who spent three seasons with the Eagles from 2018-21, had scored a team-best 29 goals for Abbotsford during the regular season. He now has 13 goals and 14 points in 29 career Calder Cup Playoff games. Arshdeep Bains and Linus Karlsson also scored for the Canucks and Zach Sawchenko made 27 saves to earn the win in ..read more

Adam Brooks and Rhett Gardner scored and Cal Petersen stopped 21 shots as Lehigh Valley went on the road and defeated Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, 2-1 in the opener of their Atlantic Division first-round series on Wednesday night. The Phantoms head home with a chance to finish off the best-of-three on Friday. Brooks, a Calder Cup champion as a rookie with Toronto in 2018, got Lehigh Valley on the board 14:37 into the first period. Then Gardner, who recorded a team-high eight points in eight playoff games for Texas last year, doubled the lead 58 seconds into the middle frame. Ville Koivunen, in his P ..read more

The Belleville Senators earned the first playoff win in franchise history on Wednesday night, a 3-1 victory over Toronto in the opener of their best-of-three first-round series. Game 2 is set for Friday night in Toronto. Marshall Rifai got the Marlies on the board first just 3:36 into the game, but the Senators controlled things the rest of the way, getting goals from Zack Ostapchuk, Tyler Kleven and Josh Currie and outshooting Toronto 38-17 for the contest. Mads Sogaard recorded 16 saves to earn the win in net. Dennis Hildeby stopped 35 of 38 shots for the Marlies. Belleville has won nine of ..read more

Patrick Williams, TheAHL.com Features Writer Playoff hockey is back in Tucson, and so are some of the AHL’s top prospects. The Calder Cup Playoffs return to the Old Pueblo tonight when the Tucson Roadrunners host Calgary in Game 1 of their Pacific Division First Round best-of-three series. It will be the Roadrunners’ first playoff game at Tucson Arena in nearly six years, since a Game 2 loss to Texas in the division finals on May 4, 2018. For these young Roadrunners, their hoped-for NHL futures now are in Utah after the Arizona Coyotes announced last week that they are relocating to Salt Lake ..read more