Silver Knights hope for quick start is sign of things to come | TheAHL.com
Patrick WilliamsTheAHL.com Features Writer
Maybe it’s time to start believing in the Henderson Silver Knights.
When a team wins five straight in October, it's easy to dismiss it as early-season success lacking any long-term significance. Other opponents trying to incorporate youngsters and other new faces may still be trying to get organized, and this could be a good time to collect points.
Maybe that's true, but it's getting harder and harder to ignore what the Silver Knights are doing. They own a 5-1-1-0 record, which puts them in second place in the Pacific Division. On Wednesday night, they faced the visiting Ontario Reign, scoring three goals in the first 4:09 of the second period to turn a 2-0 deficit into a 6-2 victory. This will be a good test for Henderson, who already has two wins against Ontario this season after losing six of eight games with the Reign in 2024-25.
third year head coach Ryan Craig Featuring a well-balanced squad, 13 players scored at least one point in Wednesday's win. Braden BowmanAfter scoring 14 goals as a rookie a year ago, he has scored five goals in his first seven games. Former AHL All-Star Raphael LavoieHe scored 28 goals two seasons ago at Bakersfield and is improving. The same is true Tanner Raczynskitheir leading scorer in the 2024-25 season. Jonas LumbjergHe has been his usual reliable self as he has been a regular with the team since the start of the 2020-21 season. young prospects like Matthias Sapovaliv (2022 second-round pick), Mathieu Cataford, Jackson Hallam, Kay Uchaz and Thomas Uronen Have solid support around them.
defensive player Dylan Coghlan Returning to an NHL organization to start his career, the Golden Knights did a lot of work this offseason to bolster their defensive depth chart. Jeremy Davis Coming here after an All-Star season with the Belleville Senators. Jason Megna Henderson signed a two-year contract and became captain. Lucas JohansenThe two-time Calder Cup champion with the Hershey Bears returns after playing 38 games with the Silver Knights last season. This is an organization ready to help blue-line prospects develop, such as Lucas Cormier, William Kemek and Christopher Sedov.
The early fundamental data are quite solid. Henderson is allowing just 2.14 goals per game and has missed 22 of 25 short-handed opportunities (88.0%). They did this with some early roster changes; Karl LindbomHis absence since being recalled from the National Hockey League last week has limited the goaltender's ability to Jesper Wakeman and first-year professionals Cameron Whitehead. The three have a combined .931 save percentage in seven games. Henderson has also been absent Cole Reinharthe got a chance to play in Vegas and the forward was injured Trevor Connellya first-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft.
Last year's Silver Knights didn't win their fifth game until Dec. 3 and finished last in the Pacific Division. So while the start of the year gives them a little breathing room, it's also a positive in the bigger picture. Victory or growth: which is more important? Talk to enough AHL head coaches and the answers will touch on a few different points, but the general consensus tends to revolve around the idea that winning breeds development.
Henderson missed opportunities for growth. They have failed to qualify for the Calder Cup playoffs in each of the past three seasons. In the 2021-22 season, they finished sixth in the conference and were swept in the first round with four wins from three games. Their only real success came in their inaugural season, the COVID-referred to as the 2020-21 season, when they finished first and then reached the finals of the Pacific Division playoffs.
The Silver Knights next head to Abbotsford for a pair of games this weekend against the defending champions. It's a chance to further measure himself and the start of five games in eight nights as the schedule begins to tighten, something Henderson will have to contend with.
November is just around the corner and the preparations are in full swing for a team that looks ready to build on October's success.
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.
