Patrick WilliamsTheAHL.com Features Writer
The AHL earned its reputation by sending talent to the NHL. This is a consistent process. The players are primed and ready to go. It's also reliable, which is why NHL organizations invest heavily in AHL operations.
But the AHL can also be a home for players who have already achieved NHL goals. Some of them even went on to lengthy NHL careers. These players were once young players themselves and now want another chance to return to the NHL. Some took a detour to Europe and then returned to North America to shoot again. Some players on AHL contracts are transitioning into leadership roles. Others are working hard to prepare for a future in the NHL. Even with career setbacks, those hopes remain strong.
Let's take a look at some familiar AHL faces from the past who are back in the league again this season.
Yegor Afanasyev – San Jose Barracuda
After one season with CSKA Moscow in the Kontinental Hockey League, Afanasyev returned to the AHL to continue pursuing his NHL dream.
The affable 24-year-old forward now plays for the San Jose Barracudas, his second NHL team after three seasons with the Milwaukee Admirals. He joined the Nashville Predators as a 2019 second-round draft pick and scored 27 goals for the Admirals in the 2023-24 season. He also helped the Admirals reach the Western Conference finals twice. In June 2024, Nashville sent him to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for forwards Oz Weisblatt.
The Sharks retained his NHL rights last season and signed him to a one-year contract in May. After attending training camp with the Sharks, he cleared waivers and headed to the Barracudas. He has appeared in three games with the Barracuda and had two assists against Milwaukee last Saturday night.
Daniel Carr – Milwaukee Admirals
Carr is well known to Central Division fans for his offensive production in Milwaukee and the rival Chicago Wolves more than five years ago.
He scored 71 points with Chicago in 2018-19, earning him the Les Cunningham Award as the AHL's Most Valuable Player and helping the Wolves reach the Calder Cup finals that spring. In the 2019-20 season, he played 47 games and scored 50 points for the Milwaukee Bucks before playing four seasons in Lugano, Switzerland.
The Milwaukee Bucks made an aggressive move last July to bring Carr back to North America on a two-year AHL contract. Carr has adapted quickly to the AHL so far, scoring two goals in his first four games.
Ryan Graves – Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
As the Pittsburgh Penguins front office sorts out its long-term roster decisions, some veterans are caught up in the turmoil.
One of those players is Graves, an 11-year pro defenseman who enjoyed lengthy development periods as a rookie with the New York Rangers and Colorado Avalanche before breaking through to the NHL in 2018-19 and playing 433 games over the past seven years.
Under Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Graves became a mainstay on the head coach's blue line Kirk McDonald Scored one goal and had four assists in seven games for the Penguins' undefeated team.
Denton Hennig – Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
Like Graves, Henin returned to the American Hockey League after finding himself kicked off the Pittsburgh roster. Henin, who has reached double figures in goals five times in the NHL, has played in 566 games with Boston, Anaheim, Pittsburgh and Vancouver, totaling 29 points in 79 games a year ago.
The forward's scoring touch is back and he leads the AHL with 12 points (four goals, eight assists) in seven games.
Justin Hall – Grand Rapids Griffins
A handful of prospects earned spots in the Detroit Red Wings' training camp, and an influx of young talent eventually pushed Hall to Grand Rapids. For the veteran defenseman, the AHL will provide him with another opportunity, much like he did a decade ago when he joined the Toronto Maple Leafs on an AHL contract.
Hall won the 2018 Calder Cup championship with the Marlies and has played 396 games in the NHL with the Leafs and Wings.
Kyle Keizer – Colorado Eagles
The Hawks brought Keizer back to North America on an AHL contract last summer, which seemed like a prescient move.
Mackenzie BlackwoodEarly injuries put pressure on the Avalanche's goaltending depth chart, and Kizer's introduction helped ease some of the load Trent Miner Regarding NHL recalls. After five seasons with the Boston Bruins, Keizer spent the 2024-25 season with the Kunlun Red Stars of the KHL. He made 25 saves against Rockford last Friday night.
Brendan Smith – Cleveland Monsters
Smith viewed the AHL as one of its top prospects — he was named to the AHL's All-Rookie Team in 2010-11 — and now he's experiencing the league as a seasoned veteran.
In his 16th professional season, Smith attended training camp with the Columbus Blue Jackets before joining Cleveland. He played 152 games in Grand Rapids before becoming a full-time player with the Red Wings, where he was a first-round draft pick. He went on to play for the Rangers, Carolina Hurricanes, New Jersey Devils and Dallas Stars, playing in a total of 726 NHL games.
About two decades in the American Hockey League, TheAHL.com feature writer Patrick Williams also currently covers the league for NHL.com and FloSports and is a regular contributor to SiriusXM NHL Network Radio. In 2016, he received the AHL's James H. Ellery Memorial Award for outstanding coverage of the league.
