Calgary Wranglers draw Coachella Valley Firebirds in first round of AHL playoffs
The Calgary Wranglers will face the Coachella Valley Firebirds in the opening round of the AHL's Calder Cup playoffs.
The Flames' farm-clubbers wrapped their regular-season work with a victory Sunday at the Saddledome, setting a date with the top affiliate of the Seattle Kraken.
The Wranglers finished in fifth place in the Pacific Division with a 37-28-7 record.
As fourth seed, the Firebirds (37-25-10) will have home-ice advantage for every contest in this best-of-three showdown. The fun starts Tuesday.
While the Wranglers will be in tough against the Firebirds, who were 6-2 in their season series, it's a major positive for the Flames that their up-and-comers will be playing high-pressure games this spring in the minors.
The Wranglers' roster includes several guys who could challenge for NHL jobs in the fall — Hunter Brzustewicz, Yan Kuznetsov and Ilya Solovyov on the blue-line, plus forwards Sam Honzek, Rory Kerins, Sam Morton, William Stromgren and the just-signed Carter King. (The 23-year-old King, inked earlier this week as a college free agent, scored his first pro goal and also added an assist in Sunday's shutout victory over the San Jose Barracuda.)
The Wranglers should be boosted by the return of right-winger Adam Klapka, although he was waiting for medical clearance after an injury in the Flames' season finale.
Rasmus Andersson was playing on a broken ankle ... and five more revelations from Flames' exit interviews
10 Takeaways from Craig Conroy's end-of-season media availability
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hamilton Spectator
16 hours ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Abbotsford Canucks move within a win of Calder Cup title
ABBOTSFORD - Jonathan Lekkerimaki scored two goals as the Abbotsford Canucks held off the Charlotte Checkers 3-2 to move within one win from a Calder Cup title on Thursday. Arshdeep Bains also scored for Abbotsford, which went up 3-1 in the best-of-seven American Hockey League championship series. The Canucks are in search of their first-ever AHL title win. Arturs Silovs made 32 saves in the victory. Kyle Criscuolo and Jack Devine replied for Charlotte, which has been outscored 9-3 since Games 1 and 2 of the series went to overtime with the two sides splitting those contests. Kaapo Kahkonen stopped 20 shots in the loss. Lekkerimaki's second goal of the game 3:47 into the third period made it a 3-0 game. Criscuolo put the Checkers on the board on the power play 8:34 before Devine made it a one-goal game with 26 seconds left in the contest. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 19, 2025.
New York Post
17 hours ago
- New York Post
‘Slap Shot' actor, hockey player Guido Tenesi dead at 71: ‘You're forever a Chief'
Former professional hockey player Guido Tenesi, who starred in the 1977 sports classic 'Slap Shot,' died at 71 years old. 'We're saddened to learn of the passing of Guido Tenesi, a member of our roster during the 1974 Calder Cup championship, and was known to many more for his role as Billy Charlebois in the classic hockey film 'Slapshot,' the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League posted Thursday. 'Our hearts are with his family, friends, and teammates.' A cause of death was not announced. Advertisement 3 Guido Tenesi played Billy Charlebois in the 1977 sports movie 'Slap Shot.' Guido Tenesi/IMDB Tenesi, a defenseman, was drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the fifth round of the NHL Draft in 1973 and played for minor-league affiliate Hershey for two years. He played across several pro hockey leagues over the next seven seasons. Advertisement It was his time on the Johnstown Jets, where he helped lead the team to the North American Hockey League championship in 1974-75, that landed him a role in the Paul Newman comedy. 'I played on the same team as Ned Dowd, Dave Hanson, and the Carlsons. Ned would walk around with a tape recorder, and taking notes on everything that happened on one of our road trips,' Tenesi told the Utica Observer-Dispatch in 2016. 'If someone tripped on the ice, or if a player broke their stick and threw it over the glass, Ned recorded it.' 3 Actors from Slapshot Guido Tenesi and Jean Tetreault attend the Sports Card Expo at the International Centre on November 12, 2022 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Getty Images Dowd's sister Nancy was writing a hockey movie and Ned would play Chiefs' opponent Ogie Ogilthorpe. Advertisement 'It was neat, being in a movie,' Tenesi said. 'How they made it, is what was so interesting to me.' Slap Shot tells the tale of a failing minor league hockey team, the Charlestown Chiefs, who are led by player and coach Reggie Dunlop, played by Newman. In 2020, Tenesi recalled his time filming the movie as the 'good old days' and 'a time to remember,' sharing a photo alongside Newman, who died in 2008. Steve Carlson, who played Steve Hanson — the youngest sibling of the beloved fighting trio in the film — mourned Tenesi as a 'good guy gone too soon.' Advertisement 'RIP Guido Tenesi 'Pretty boy' Good guy gone too soon,' Carlson posted. 'On behalf of myself and Vicki We send our heartfelt condolences. He always had HONOR and Class. Prayers for comfort to the entire family and my fellow teammates and co actors who experience yet another loss of the teammate.' Tenesi won the 1975 Lockhart Cup as a champion with the Jets and in 1979 was the IHL's Governor Trophy winner, awarded to the league's top defenseman. 3 Michael Ontkean, Paul Newman and Guido Tenesi in 'Slap Shot.' Guido Tenesi / Facebook The cult classic hockey film served as Tenesi's lone acting credit. After he retired from hockey in 1987, he worked as a swimming pool technician in Toronto. 'He never chased fame. He never needed to. For those who knew, Guido Tenesi was the real deal — an unfiltered, unforgettable part of hockey lore,' Carlson said, adding, 'Whether you remember him for his on-ice grit, his international pride, or his silver-screen cool in Slap Shot, Guido Tenesi stood for something rare: authenticity. He brought truth to the game, truth to the screen, and truth to what it meant to live as a player, not a character. 'Rest easy, #5 — you're forever a Chief.' Advertisement Jeff Carlson, who played Jeff Hanson, also paid tribute on Facebook. 'Very sad to say that we have lost another brother, castmate, friend and great family man as Guido Tenesi has passed away. We send prayers out to his loving wife Leslie and there whole family. Guido was a great hockey player but a even better person. I along with so many others will miss our great friend. R.I.P Guido we will never forget you.'
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Canucks: Big AHL performances from Bains and Karlsson may carry into NHL success
There is little doubt that this spring's epic run by the Abbotsford Canucks to the Calder Cup Final bodes well for the future of the entire Vancouver Canucks organization. Winning, after all, brings good vibes, and good vibes bring you goodwill. And winning at the AHL level usually means some good things for your NHL team a couple seasons down the line. The Vancouver Canucks are hopeful that this spring's solid run will yield positive things for the NHL club as soon as next season. Yes, we're talking about you, Arshdeep Bains and Linus Karlsson. The two wingers were massive performers Tuesday, helping the Canucks take a 2-1 series lead over the Charlotte Checkers. Bains' all-around good game sense has been on display ever since he made the jump to pro hockey in 2022. But his emergence as a big-game player is notable. He was one of Abbotsford's best performers all season long. In the playoffs, it took him a while to score an actual goal — he only has five — but those five have all come in crunch time. The first three were in the final two games of the Western Conference final against Texas, and the latest two came on Tuesday, along with two assists, leading the way in a 6-1 romp over Charlotte. Karlsson, meanwhile, has 11 goals and 11 assists in this playoff run, including goals in both games two and three of this series against Charlotte. He hs been a player on a mission all season. After a rather underwhelming NHL callup last fall, he clearly put the bit between his teeth, and doubled down on what he needs to be, because when he came back to the NHL later in the season, he was a solid, hard-working presence. He is not the fleetest of foot, but he's strong and has hockey smarts that have carried him this far. Both players aren't going to be stars in the NHL, but they have guts and brains and dedication to the craft, exactly what you want in homegrown depth wingers. And both would help the NHL team if they can turn themselves into such players. pjohnston@ Abbotsford Canucks Recap: Big grit, big guns in 6-1 rout of Checkers to take series lead Calder Cup Finals: Who were those gritty, grinding 2015 Utica Comets? And where are they now?
