Springfield, Massachusetts … this vegas golden knights and carolina hurricane Preparing to compete for the Stanley Cup, the roster of finalists is filled with American Hockey League graduates.
Vegas, parent club of the AHL Henderson Silver KnightsThe Western Conference has been won with contributions from AHL alumni — 21 of the 24 players so far in the postseason for the Golden Knights have played in the American Hockey League.
Pavel Dorofeev and Brett Howden In the playoffs, both teams scored 10 goals each, tied with Vegas for the lead. Dorofeev has appeared in 119 AHL games with Henderson, including a 27-goal campaign in 2021-22. In 2017, the 19-year-old Howden made his professional debut with the Syracuse Crunch of the AHL, helping the team reach the Calder Cup finals.
captain vegas Mark Stone Played 91 games for the Binghamton Senators of the AHL in two seasons, scoring a total of 30 goals and 49 assists. William Carlson Skated in AHL with Norfolk and Springfield and played forward Colton Sissons with defenders Rasmus Anderson, Braden McNabb and Dylan Coghlan All are AHL All-Stars. Ivan Barbashev, Keegan Kolesar, Kayden Kolchak, Jeremy Lauzon and Shay Theodore They both played more than 100 AHL games.
head coach John Tortorella He served as head coach of the AHL’s Rochester Americans for two seasons and won the Calder Cup 30 years ago in 1995-96. Tortorella is already one of nine coaches to have won both the Calder and Stanley Cups. Golden Knights Assistant Coach John Stevens Is a member of the AHL Hall of Fame and won three Calder Cups as a player and one Calder Cup as a head coach and assistant coach Joel Ward He served in that role in Henderson before being promoted to Vegas.
Carolina, the parent club of the AHL, is in its first Stanley Cup Final appearance in 20 years chicago wolves. Hurricanes lead in playoff scoring Taylor HallDuring the 2012-13 season, he scored 34 points in 26 skates with the Oklahoma City Barons of the AHL.
Logan StankovinThe Dudley (Red) Garrett Memorial Award winner as the AHL’s outstanding rookie in 2023-24 leads the Hurricanes with nine postseason goals in 13 games. Stankoven played 47 games for the Texas Stars that year, scoring 24 goals and 33 assists, scoring 57 points.
defensive player Jalen Chatfield and goalkeeper Peter Kochetkov is a member chicago wolves2022 Calder Cup Champion Team. Chicago is currently competing in the AHL Western Conference Finals, with the Hurricanes and Wolves looking to become the first NHL/AHL affiliates to win the championship in the same season since New Jersey and Albany in 1995.
Other AHL alumni on Carolina’s roster include goaltender frederick andersonwith a record of 12 wins and 1 loss in the playoffs this season and an average of 1.41 goals per game. Jordan Martinuk, Eric RobinsonFormer AHL All-Star Mark Jankoski, Sean Walker and Brandon Buseyand Seth JarvisHe made his debut for Wolves in 2021.
Prior to joining the Hurricanes in 2021, the Wolves were Vegas’ AHL affiliate and reached the Calder Cup finals in 2019.
The 2026 Stanley Cup Finals kick off tonight in Raleigh, North Carolina
The AHL, which has been in operation since 1936 and celebrates its 90th anniversary this year, is the top developmental league for all 32 National Hockey League teams. Today, nearly 90 percent of NHL players are American Hockey League graduates, and more than 100 honorary members of the Hockey Hall of Fame spent their careers in the AHL.
