AHL Morning Skate: May 15, 2025

A1-Hershey Bears vs. A2-Charlotte Checkers
Game 1 – Friday, 7:00 ET,

Game 1 – Fri., May 16 – Hershey at Charlotte, 7:00
Game 2 – Sat., May 17 – Hershey at Charlotte, 7:00
Game 3 – Wed., May 21 – Charlotte at Hershey, 7:00
*Game 4 – Thu., May 22 – Charlotte at Hershey, 7:00
*Game 5 – Sat., May 24 – Charlotte at Hershey, 7:00
*if necessary... All times Eastern

N1-Laval Rocket vs. N2-Rochester Americans
Game 2 – Friday, 7:05 ET,
(Laval leads series, 1-0)

Game 1 – Wed., May 14 – Laval 5, ROCHESTER 4 | Recap
Game 2 – Fri., May 16 – Laval at Rochester, 7:05
Game 3 – Wed., May 21 – Rochester at Laval, 7:00
*Game 4 – Fri., May 23 – Rochester at Laval, 7:00
*Game 5 – Sun., May 25 – Rochester at Laval, 4:30
*if necessary… All times Eastern

GAME NOTES
The Central Division Finals get going tonight in Cedar Park as the Texas Stars host the Milwaukee Admirals... This is the third consecutive spring in which these teams have met; Milwaukee prevailed in the division finals last year and in the division semis in 2023, winning both series in a decisive Game 5... Both teams enter tonight’s contest on three-game winning streaks... The Stars swept Grand Rapids in the last round, while the Admirals rallied from an 0-2 deficit to knock out Rockford... Cameron Hughes (2-4-6) and Justin Hryckowian (1-5-6) led Texas’ scorers in the division semis, and were among 10 skaters who scored at least one goal... Remi Poirier (2-0, 2.25, .914) started all three games against Grand Rapids, and former Admiral Magnus Hellberg earned the win in relief in Game 3, stopping all 18 shots he faced... Fedor Svechkov (3-2-5) scored the series-winning goal for Milwaukee in overtime of the decisive Game 5 against Rockford on Sunday, the Admirals’ sixth consecutive victory in a winner-take-all game over the last four postseasons... Milwaukee won the Central Division title in the regular season by two points over Texas, and won three of their four visits to H-E-B Center at Cedar Park... Former Stars goaltender Matt Murray (3-2, 2.99, .884) was 4-1-1 with a 1.82 GAA and a .944 save percentage against his old team this season.

P1-Colorado Eagles vs. P2-Abbotsford Canucks
Game 1 – Friday, 10:00 ET,

Game 1 – Fri., May 16 – Colorado at Abbotsford, 10:00
Game 2 – Sun., May 18 – Colorado at Abbotsford, 9:00
Game 3 – Wed., May 21 – Abbotsford at Colorado, 9:05
*Game 4 – Fri., May 23 – Abbotsford at Colorado, 9:05
*Game 5 – Mon., May 26 – Abbotsford at Colorado, 5:05
*if necessary... All times Eastern

Admirals head coach Karl Taylor could nearly dress two full lineups with the ever-growing roster that he has at hand.

Between players reassigned by the Nashville Predators at the end of the NHL regular season and additions from elsewhere, the Milwaukee roster is a crowded one. The Admirals have four goaltenders, 10 defensemen and 18 forwards on hand going into the best-of-five Central Division Finals against Texas.

It has been – and will continue to be – Taylor’s mandate to manage those 32 players, keep them fresh, and make changes if and when needed.

“We have a lot of good players here, and we’re going to move players in and out as we feel what is the best lineup on any given day to win a game,” Taylor said Tuesday after practice. “That’s a difficult thing. We recognize that. They have to stay as ready as possible so that if they do get an opportunity, they can grab it.”

Fedor Svechkov spent most of this season with Nashville, only playing 13 regular-season games for the Admirals. But the 22-year-old forward came back to Milwaukee ready to compete for the Calder Cup. The 2021 first-round draft pick delivered the overtime winner to eliminate Rockford in Game 5 on Sunday.

Svechkov, Marc Del Gaizo, Spencer Stastney and Kieffer Bellows all returned from Nashville at the end of the regular season to bolster the Admirals.

“The guys are invested,” Taylor continued. “Your play cannot be perfect all the time. We’re okay with that. It’s the investment and the mindset... Everyone who’s returned from Nashville, all the new players we’ve brought in during the season, you can see the celebration [after Game 5].”

Those players welcomed a chance for another Calder Cup pursuit. The Admirals have gone to the Western Conference Finals in each of the past two years.

Said Svechkov, “It’s so much fun to be a part of this team. We have character.”

Going deep into the Calder Cup Playoffs means summer-like weather in many stops on the AHL circuit.

Based in Cedar Park, Tex., just outside of Austin, the Stars are accustomed to the heat and humidity that develops as spring moves onward. So are the crowds that fill H-E-B Center as they did last Friday when the Stars closed out Grand Rapids with a sweep in their best-of-five Central Division Semifinal series. Temperatures are expected to approach 100 degrees Fahrenheit in Texas this week.

Cameron Hughes, who scored the series-winning goal in double overtime to eliminate the Griffins, is used to the sunshine having played into mid-June with Coachella Valley the last two years. He is also used to loud, rambunctious home crowds cheering him and his teammates on.

Hughes and his teammates hope for more of the same against Milwaukee.

“You really feel that energy, for sure,” forward Jack Becker said. “It’s amplified quite a bit, and it’s awesome. We’re thankful for the support, and hopefully we keep providing the energy together.”

AHL rookie of the year Justin Hryckowian, who turned in three assists in Game 3 against Grand Rapids, predicted more of that Texas-style support this series.

“I think they’re going to be loud,” he said. “They’re going to be excited. We can’t wait to play in front of them. They were unreal the other night, and I just think it’s going to keep growing as we keep going here.”

― with files from Patrick Williams

In the Stanley Cup Playoffs yesterday, Kasperi Kapanen – whose cousin Oliver netted the game-winning goal for the Laval Rocket last night – scored 7:19 into overtime to give Edmonton a series-clinching 1-0 win over Vegas... Stuart Skinner made 24 saves for his second consecutive shutout... Jesper Boqvist and 2017 AHL All-Star A.J. Greer scored their first career Stanley Cup Playoff goals in Florida’s 6-1 win over Toronto.

In yesterday’s action at the 2025 IIHF World Championship, Ontario Reign forward Martin Chromiak scored and Iowa Wild goaltender Samuel Hlavaj made 19 saves as Slovakia defeated France, 2-1... Tage Thompson recorded a hat trick, including the winning goal in overtime, to give the United States a 6-5 win over Norway... San Diego Gulls defenseman Stian Solberg scored three goals for Norway... Samuel Ersson made 20 saves as Sweden shut out Latvia, 6-0... Alexander True scored twice in Denmark’s 5-1 victory over Kazakhstan.