When last the Coachella Valley Firebirds had taken the ice in Hershey back on June 24, they possessed a roster brimming with pro experience, playoff-tested, and with a core that had been through the Calder Cup Finals twice.
Even before the Firebirds had reached the Calder Cup Finals for their rematch with the Bears, they had known that change would hit. Head coach Dan Bylsma had already been promoted to that same role with the Seattle Kraken, and he was finishing off his Coachella Valley tenure. And it was a reasonable assumption that assistant coach Jessica Campbell could be off to Seattle as well after an impressive two years with the Firebirds.
On that night in Hershey, the Firebirds’ bid to undo some of the pain created by a Game 7 overtime loss to the Bears in the 2023 Finals again fell short. It was Game 6 in overtime when Hershey’s Matt Strome broke loose before cranking a shot past goaltender Chris Driedger and again scuttled the Firebirds’ hopes.
Throughout the 2023-24 season, the Firebirds had worked through the residue left by that Game 7 overtime loss in their first battle with Hershey. By the time a Finals rematch had materialized, they were ready. Getting a second shot doesn’t happen often, especially in a sprawling 32-team league like the AHL.
So when Strome’s shot went in, the Firebirds’ pain was palpable. They gathered near their bench in silence for a few minutes as the Bears celebrated, shook hands with Hershey, and then left for their dressing room.
Within a week, that roster had come apart. Cameron Hughes and Kole Lind went to the Dallas Stars. Andrew Poturalski and Jimmy Schuldt left for the San Jose Sharks. Driedger headed east to the Florida Panthers. Connor Carrick headed north to the Edmonton Oilers. Campbell did land that assistant’s job in Seattle.
So much of what the Firebirds have built in their new desert home since beginning play in 2022 has been a success. In a market where hockey had little, if any, presence, they quickly built an energetic fan base. Playing out of the brand-new Acrisure Arena, they filled that building. They won a lot, too, finishing second overall in each of their first two regular seasons. A fourth-overall NHL pick in Shane Wright came through. Joey Daccord became a fan favorite for Firebirds fans before going to Seattle and solidifying himself as an NHL number-one goaltender.
But so much about the AHL is about starting over. Just as the 2022-23 Firebirds built so much of a foundation, and the 2023-24 group solidified that work, this 2024-25 team has a different task. Seattle now has four draft classes, and this influx of prospects needs a place to play. Jagger Firkus rolled up 61 goals last season in the WHL. Nikke Kokko and Jani Nyman have been tested in Liiga play.
This year’s Firebirds look much more like a standard AHL roster – heavy on prospects surrounded by some quality veterans. But largely a group that will need a lot of patience rather than the time-tested collection that the Firebirds iced in their first two seasons.
2024 Coachella Valley Firebirds vs San Diego Gulls
Eduard Sale is 19. Firkus and David Goyette are 20. Jani Nyman possesses that Liiga experience; but again, he is 20. Nikke Kokko has impressed in net during his limited Liiga action, but he, too, is a 20-year-old. Ty Nelson is a 20-year-old, and that is generally a difficult challenge for any rookie defenseman.
So nights like the first two of this regular season are going to happen for the Firebirds. Opening night brought a 2-1 loss at home to Bakersfield. On Wednesday night, the Calgary Wranglers came into Acrisure Arena and took a 3-1 win. There have been moments of promise, times where someone can see the potential that Seattle sees. There are also those momentary breakdowns that are just enough to cost a team a game. Even most of the veterans with the Firebirds are new – Brandon Biro (Rochester), Nikolas Brouillard (Hartford), Max Lajoie (Toronto), and Mitchell Stephens (Laval) are part of the incoming contingent – but it takes time even for experienced players to adjust to a new team. A flubbed clear, a missed coverage, a bad bounce, and it adds up to a pair of losses.
Left to put it all together is new head coach Derek Laxdal. It’s something that he has done before, including as recently as his most recent stop with the OHL’s Oshawa Generals. There, he took a young roster and got it to the OHL Final last year, probably ahead of schedule.
The end of October starts a stretch of eight of nine games on the road for the Firebirds. There is plenty of practice time at Laxdal’s disposal, however. Coachella Valley only plays five games this month and is off for the first three Saturday nights of the season. They make a short trip to San Diego this Friday night before another week-long break on the schedule that will afford that valuable practice ice.
So Laxdal wasn’t fazed after Wednesday’s home loss to the Wranglers. They outshot Calgary, 40-22, to start. They had grabbed the opening lead.
“I love the way we played,” Laxdal told local reporters via the team’s YouTube site.
But a defensive-zone turnover allowed Calgary to even the game. Then bouncing puck gave Calgary a 2-1 lead.
“These kids are going to make mistakes, and it ends up in our net,” Laxdal said of a Calgary goal. “I can’t fault our effort. We could have easily had both of those wins. I know the guys are frustrated. There are high expectations.”
Laxdal made a concerted effort to diffuse any concerns.
“Once they just settle in and just kind of take a deep breath…and just find a little bit of confidence. In sports, when you’re mentally tight, things are hard. You’ve just got to play freely and let it flow. We’re not there yet. I think we’re a little bit tight still.
“We’ll find our way.”
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