AHL Playoff Picture Taking Shape
Calgary heads into Sunday’s rematch with Manitoba looking to keep momentum after Friday’s 7–2 win at the Saddledome. With seven teams qualifying from the Pacific Division and several clubs clustered in the middle of the standings, the Wranglers still have room to climb as the AHL schedule moves deeper into its final stretch.
CALGARY — The American Hockey League standings are beginning to take shape as the season moves into its final stretch, with a few clubs already securing their place in the postseason.
At the top of the league, the Grand Rapids Griffins (90 points) and the Providence Bruins (89 points) have already clinched playoff spots in their respective divisions, setting the pace across the AHL.
In the Pacific Division, the Ontario Reign currently lead with 80 points, followed by the Colorado Eagles (78) and San Jose Barracuda (74). Several teams remain tightly grouped behind them as the race for positioning continues.
From a Calgary perspective, the Calgary Wranglers picked up an important result Friday night at the Saddledome, earning a 7-2 win over the Manitoba Moose. The victory leaves Calgary eight points outside a playoff position in the Pacific Division.
The format in the division allows seven teams to qualify for the playoffs, meaning the path is still there for the Wranglers if they can continue collecting points down the stretch.
Calgary is back in action Sunday at noon, again facing the Manitoba Moose, in what could become another opportunity to chip away at the gap in the standings as the final weeks of the AHL regular season approach.
Wranglers edge Reign 3–2 behind Suniev’s winner and Prosvetov’s strong night at the Dome
Calgary edged Ontario 3–2 at the Saddledome, powered by Adar Suniev’s third-period winner, a shorthanded finish from Clark Bishop, and a steady 22-save performance from Ivan Prosvetov. The Wranglers now head into a three-week, 10-game road trip before returning home December 9.
CALGARY — The Calgary Wranglers closed their homestand with a hard-fought 3–2 win over the Ontario Reign on Wednesday night at the Scotiabank Saddledome, powered by a shorthanded strike from captain Clark Bishop and a third-period game winner from rookie forward Adar Suniev.
Calgary opened the scoring late in the first when Martin Frk finished a quick passing sequence at 17:19. Matvei Gridin carried the puck on the entry, slipped it wide, and the puck eventually moved through Dryden Hunt to Frk at the edge of the crease for his fourth goal of the season. The Wranglers carried a 1–0 lead into the intermission with a 10–8 advantage in shots.
The second period delivered most of the night’s emotion. After Gridin was called for tripping as part of a sequence that included offsetting roughing minors, Calgary found itself shorthanded. Bishop turned the situation into an opportunity, jumping on a loose puck and scoring one-handed on the breakaway at 6:41 for his third of the year. David Silye recorded the lone assist.
Ontario responded with a strong push of its own. Akil Thomas cut the lead to 2–1 at 13:45, walking down the right side and snapping a high shot past Ivan Prosvetov. Martin Chromiak picked up the assist, and the Reign carried that momentum into the intermission despite trailing on the scoreboard. Calgary held a 22–12 shot advantage through forty minutes.
Ontario tied the game during a lengthy two-man advantage in the third. Jakub Dvorak pounced on a rebound at 17:17 to make it 2–2, with assists from Francesco Pinelli and Kenny Connors.
The Wranglers answered quickly. On the power play at 9:03, Suniev hammered home a cross-slot feed for his fourth of the season, restoring Calgary’s lead. The assists went to William Strömgren and Hunter Brzustewicz, who moved the puck sharply across the top before the decisive finish.
Prosvetov preserved the win with a sprawling right-pad save minutes later as Ontario threatened to tie the game again. The Reign pulled their goalie with 90 seconds left and generated pressure, but Calgary’s defensive group closed the final shift without surrendering another clean look. Shots finished 32–23 for the Wranglers.
The win sends the Wranglers into a three-week road swing that spans 10 games before their next appearance at the Saddledome. Calgary opens the trip on Nov. 15 and 16 in Henderson, followed by stops in Bakersfield (Nov. 18), San Diego (Nov. 22), Coachella Valley (Nov. 23), San Jose (Nov. 26), Abbotsford (Dec. 2 and 3), and a back-to-back in Ontario (Dec. 6 and 7). The Wranglers return home on Dec. 9 to face the Coachella Valley Firebirds.
Three Stars
Clark Bishop, CGY
Adar Suniev, CGY
Ivan Prosvetov, CGY
Ontario Reign defeat Calgary Wranglers 5–1 on Remembrance Day at the Saddledome
The Ontario Reign defeated the Calgary Wranglers 5–1 on Remembrance Day at the Scotiabank Saddledome. Calgary outshot Ontario 29–27, but the Reign capitalized on their chances with goals from Kenny Connors, Cole Guttman, Jared Wright, Taylor Ward, and Koehn Ziemmer. Dryden Hunt scored the lone goal for Calgary.
CALGARY — The Ontario Reign defeated the Calgary Wranglers 5–1 on Remembrance Day at the Scotiabank Saddledome, powered by balanced scoring and strong goaltending from Pheonix Copley.
Ontario opened the scoring early in the second period when Kenny Connors of Glen Mills, Pennsylvania, beat Owen Say upstairs from a sharp angle for his third of the season. Just over two minutes later, Cole Guttman of Northridge, California, finished a feed from Glenn Gawdin and Andre Lee to make it 2–0.
Calgary answered midway through the frame when Dryden Hunt of Cranbrook, British Columbia, converted a well-executed passing play from Rory Kerins (Caledon, Ontario) and Hunter Brzustewicz (Michigan) at 6:41, cutting the deficit to 2–1.
Ontario regained control in the third. Jared Wright scored shorthanded on a clean finish through Say’s five-hole — the game-winner — before Taylor Ward added his seventh goal of the season off a rebound from Akil Thomas. Koehn Ziemmer closed out the scoring with his first AHL goal, assisted by Aatu Jämsen and Jack Hughes, to make it 5–1.
Calgary outshot Ontario 29–27, but the Reign capitalized on their chances to improve to 8–4–1, while the Wranglers fell to 6–5–2 as they head out on a three-week road trip.
Three Stars:
Jared Wright (78), Ontario – Shorthanded game-winner
Pheonix Copley (29), Ontario – Steady 28-save performance
Koehn Ziemmer (13), Ontario – First AHL goal