Henderson Silver Knights’ Danny O’Regan (21), Peyton Krebs (18), Reid Duke (37) and Ryan Murphy (24) celebrate after O’Regan’s goal in the third period of the Silver Knights’ season opener against the Ontario Reign at the Orleans Arena Saturday, Feb. 6, 2021.
Thursday, Feb. 11, 2021 | 2 a.m.
The Henderson Silver Knights got their American Hockey League history off on the right foot, er, skate, winning the first game in franchise history on Saturday, February 6. The team appears poised to compete in its inaugural season, as the Golden Knights did a few years back.
Like the Golden Knights in their first year, the Silver Knights begin play largely unknown to casual hockey fans in the Valley. And it might be tough to embrace them right away, since fans can’t attend AHL games this season due to the pandemic.
Upcoming ames
• Friday, February 12 at Bakersfield, 5 p.m.
• Saturday, February 13 at Bakersfield, 5 p.m.
• Saturday, February 20 at Bakersfield, 8 p.m.
• Sunday, February 21 at Ontario, 8 p.m.
• Wednesday, February 24 vs. San Diego, 7 p.m.*
All games air on 1230-AM. *Airs on My LV TV.
For more information, visit hendersonsilverknights.com
There are plenty of reasons to care about the new franchise, however, five of which we dive into here.
1. It’s a rare chance to see top young players.
In a normal year, Peyton Krebs and Kaedan Korczak wouldn’t be allowed to play for the Silver Knights. Both were 19 years old at the start of the season, which typically means their rights would still be owned by their junior teams in the Western Hockey League.
But right now, due to the coronavirus, there is no Western Hockey League. And since teams don’t want top prospects to sit out the season, the league created a one-time waiver for underage players to compete in the AHL.
It’s unclear what will happen if the WHL resumes play, but in the meantime, this AHL season presents fans with a rare chance to catch two of Vegas’ best prospects right here. Keeping tabs on their seasons—especially that of Krebs, already regarded as close to NHL-ready—is a must for any die-hard Golden Knights fan.
2. And that’s not it for VGK prospect watching.
There are quite a few potential future Golden Knights on the Silver Knights roster aside from Krebs and Korczak. Keep an eye on Jack Dugan and Lucas Elvenes, both of whom could even make an impact at the NHL level this season.
Dugan, 22, was a star at Providence College last year and is making his professional debut this season. Elvenes, 21, was one of the best players in the AHL at the start of his first season in North America last year before fizzling out somewhat toward the end.
Both have evolved from fifth-round draft picks to legitimate NHL prospects; both have the potential to be top scorers in the AHL this season; and if the Golden Knights lose a forward or two to injury, either could be in line for a call-up to the NHL squad.
3. You can catch the taxi squad at work.
For pandemic purposes, this season the NHL created a squad of up to six players per team who can practice and travel with the main team, in case reserves need to be called up quickly. It will be interesting to see how often the Golden Knights juggle players between the Silver Knights and that taxi squad.
For instance, goalie Oscar Dansk is on the taxi squad right now, but the Golden Knights could swap him with Silver Knights goalie Logan Thompson to get both game action with Henderson.
Patrick Brown, Jake Bischoff, Carl Dahlstrom and Jimmy Schuldt are all with the Silver Knights but have appeared in the NHL and could merit a call-up to the taxi squad (or even the main NHL roster) at almost any time.
4. A Russian prospect awaits.
A curious thing happened right before the season began, when the Golden Knights signed 2019 third-rounder Pavel Dorofeyev to an entry-level contract. He had been in his native Russia, and it was expected that he would continue to play in the KHL, that country’s top league.
Dorofeyev had struggled in KHL action after feasting on Russia’s lower leagues, however, and he and the Golden Knights decided the AHL would be a better next step in his development. That puts another promising 20-year-old on what already looked like a strong Silver Knights roster.
Dorofeyev’s path differs from that of other Russian players who have come through the Vegas system, such as Vadim Shipachyov, Nikita Gusev and Valentin Zykov—all of whom are elsewhere now. It’s rare that an NHL team gets a player like Dorofeyev in the country and away from a contract in a competing league. Vegas should get a better idea of his potential as he plays his first season in North America.
5. The Silver Knights should contend.
It’s obvious but bears repeating considering the way minor leagues in every sport are often discussed: Winning does matter. Sure, a Calder Cup—the AHL championship trophy—is not the Stanley Cup, but there are benefits to establishing a winning culture at the lower level.
Many inside the organization point to 2019—when the Chicago Wolves, then Vegas’ AHL affiliate, reached the Calder Cup Final—as a launching point for the team’s prospects. Current Golden Knights Zach Whitecloud, Cody Glass, Nicolas Hague, Dylan Coghlan and Keegan Kolesar, were all on that 2019 Wolves team. (And, as it happens, Nicolas Roy and current Silver Knights captain Patrick Brown were on the Charlotte team that beat the Wolves.)
All of them have stressed how important a deep playoff run was to their development. Whitecloud, in particular, says he was more prepared to help Vegas reach the Western Conference Final in 2020 after a long postseason run in the AHL one year earlier.
The Silver Knights play a similar style and run similar systems to the Golden Knights—by design. If players can succeed in Henderson, they know what will be expected if they get called up by Vegas. And getting a taste of winning in the AHL should only make them better equipped to help Vegas drive toward hockey’s ultimate prize.
This story appeared in Las Vegas Weekly.
