Patrick WilliamsTheAHL.com Features Writer
NHL teams hope their rookies can play meaningful games in March, April and beyond.
A key part of the process involves preparation and roster adjustments ahead of the NHL trade deadline. Management needs to make short-term and long-term decisions that will impact operations at the NHL and AHL levels.
It's worth noting that when the NHL trade deadline arrives on Friday, a player must already be on an AHL roster to be eligible to be sent to the AHL for the remainder of the regular season or the Calder Cup playoffs.
The Coachella Valley Firebirds have undergone tremendous change since reaching back-to-back Calder Cup finals in 2023 and 2024, and they know that reality. The Firebirds have absorbed the youth as parent club the Seattle Kraken have cycled multiple draft classes into the professional ranks.
Players like second-year forward Jagger Filkus Take control of the Firebirds as they try to reach the Calder Cup playoffs again. The AHL All-Star got a playoff sample last year, but even for a dynamic teenage scorer, making the jump to the AHL proved to be a big one. Although the Firebirds lost in the conference semifinals, Filkus had three assists in six postseason games.
Firkus scored 126 points in the 2023-24 Western Hockey League regular season for Moose Jaw, then added 32 more points in 20 postseason games.
But for him, the rookie guard Tyson Jagannath As well as the rest of Seattle's growing rookie class, it's important for the Firebirds, a team in the thick of battle, to extend their playoff streak to four seasons.
“Every day you seem to be in a different spot in the standings,” Filkus said.
Here's what's happening in Seattle as the Coachella Valley works toward a playoff spot every day. There's been all kinds of activity happening around the Kraken organization this week – both real and in the form of endless rumors. As Seattle seeks to return to the Stanley Cup playoffs, anything the front office does or doesn't do could have a major impact on the Firebirds head coach Derek Laxdale and his players.
Indeed, Seattle's organizational depth chart has experienced some volatility recently at the AHL level. firebirds defender Gustav OlofssonOriginally signed to an AHL contract, signed an NHL contract for the remainder of the season. Goalkeeper has a bright future Riko Koko Has recovered from injury. First-year Firebirds forward Oscar Fisk Molgaard Returned from representing Denmark in the Olympics. and Tai KataiWaived by the Kraken last week, he was claimed by the New York Rangers before being assigned to Coachella Valley.
By Philx and Logan Morrison The Firebirds enter the weekend in fifth place in the Pacific Division with 49 points each; the top seven teams will qualify for the playoffs. But the team has lost five of its last seven games, including a 5-1 victory in Henderson on Wednesday night, and is just five points ahead of eighth-place Tucson.
So it's tight. Really tight.
The Firebirds are back in action this weekend, hosting Calgary on Saturday and Sunday. Next week is a home showdown with first-place Ontario.
There's also a lot of close hockey play ahead, one-goal plays, protecting leads and playing from behind. The work put in so far this season has prepared the Firebirds for the sprint to the end of the regular season they now face. Most importantly, players must be responsible enough on defense to get crucial playing time.
“You want to take a big step with your coach believing in you,” Filkus said. “This year is a huge leap for me.”
Firkus first joined the organization as a second-round draft pick in 2022. This is only the Kraken's second draft since joining the NHL as an expansion team. It's been a long road for Firkus, but he and his young teammates have shown considerable growth. There are opportunities to do more of this in the coming weeks. Extending the playoffs wouldn't hurt either.
“This is a young team and we want to grow together,” Filkus said. “We want to learn together and I think that’s the best part about our team, we’re all willing to learn.”
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.
