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28 days
Firebirds season ends in 4 games in AHL Pacific Division Final
Just not to be. The Coachella Valley Firebirds faced Colorado in Game 4 last night, and unfortunately, with their season on the line, couldn’t stymie the advance of the Eagles in the AHL Postseason, losing a heartbreaker 3-2 hot off the heels of a 4-1 beatdown. Colorado can be a scary place to play hockey. Let’s Give a Hand To… Oscar Fisker Mølgaard: Even in defeat, for these brief few weeks while Colorado’s Ivan Ivan can’t accrue any more points, he leads the AHL playoffs in points with 11 in 12 games played, and is tied for the playoff lead in goals with 7. This young man found another gear in the playoffs, and went from a solid two-way center to a cornerstone of the Firebirds success. This young man already proved, at least in limited engagements in the NHL that he’s already good enough to hang, but this series proved that he may not need the AHL anymore. A properly motivated Mølgaard seems to be a game changer. J.R. Avon: While an otherwise decent but ultimately pedestrian regular season in the AHL may have allowed Avon to skate by unnoticed by the larger hockey world, this second ever playoff appearance in pro hockey may have turned some heads. JR Avon loves postseason hockey; to the point he became the Firebirds leading scorer and the AHL’s leading playoff scorer alongside Mølgaard. Jagger Firkus: While 3rd on the team in points through these playoffs, Firkus’ postseason was an extension of the kind of player he became throughout the regular season; while very adept at goalscoring, he showed a lot of adept playmaking ability that made up for taking a backseat to the Mølgaard/Avon tour (though at 3rd in goals, his performance was more like a solid opening act). He wasn’t the uber-playmaker however, as that honor went to… Jani Nyman: A player whose howitzer shot only found twine thrice this postseason found that his hands could also be useful in getting assists, as he walks away with the most on the team this postseason with 6. One can hope he manages to start utilizing that skillset a little more, as he was a major part of Coachella’s scoring attack this year, and adding a developing playmaking sense to that already strong resume of goals would be a major value add. What’s next for Coachella Valley? Defensive Adjustment Required The Firebirds scored twice, and then Colorado won this game by scoring the next three unanswered. One was the same kind of bizarre bounce that side of the ice was creating all night, but the other two were just the same kind of breakdown they’d been dealing with all regular season. For Coach Laxdal, that has to change next season. A Full Season of Jake O’Brien? While the Kraken are skittish at trusting their young talent, their AHL team is under no such aspersions; allowing young talent to flourish as much as possible. With center wunderkind Jake O’Brien finishing off a 93 point-in-53 game regular season/23 point in 15 game playoffs with the Brantford Bulldogs where he finished top 3 in the entire league, there’s plenty to like about his game that, if it still needs a little seasoning, he could be a dynamite player for the desert. Wanna fly your flag? A number of players could be asked to join their national teams for the IIHF World Championships, of which Philipp Grubauer and Ryan Lindgren are already competing. There’s a non-zero chance these baby Squids could find themselves making auditions for future roles on Team USA or Canada. While it’s obviously not what we’d want to see, we’re just glad the Firebirds remain so strong, and applaud them on another successful AHL season! We’ll see them next year! LET’S GO FIREBIRDS!
On Montlake
29 days
How Washington's 2025 class will impact the 2026 season
Jedd Fisch's first full recruiting class will be heavily involved in their second college season.