This time on the hockey calendar means it’s NHL training camp for players who live – and in some cases have lived for years – on the NHL-AHL bubble. Before roster cuts begin to come down, it is a chance to don an NHL jersey, skate in an NHL building, and share ice with some of the sport’s top stars.
At the very least it is a chance to leave an impression for NHL management and to create some potential early chemistry with prospective AHL teammates. Or maybe it is a chance to win an NHL roster spot, get into the opening-night line-up, and build a path toward full-time NHL employment. Leave something for the NHL parent club’s front office and coaching staff to remember and keep front-of-mind when an injury or a line-up change necessitates a recall from the AHL affiliate.
Let’s break down some familiar AHL names who are trying to show something as NHL training camps continue. First up is the Eastern Conference. A look at the Western Conference will follow next week.
Patrick Giles – Florida Panthers (Charlotte Checkers)
Coming out of Boston College toward the end of the 2021-22 season, the undrafted Giles caught on with Charlotte. After earning a two-year deal with Florida in September 2022, the forward quickly made himself a mainstay in the Charlotte line-up, earning the trust of Checkers head coach Geordie Kinnear. His work was rewarded with a touch of scoring production last season as he put up 13-10-23 in 66 games last for the Checkers. The defending Stanley Cup champion Panthers rewarded him with a two-year extension this past June. Giles, 24, came to Florida to make an impression and has 1-3-4 through two NHL preseason games.
Jaydon Dureau – Tampa Bay Lightning (Syracuse Crunch)
The first two years of this 23-year-old forward’s pro career have largely been a battle simply to stay in the AHL with the Crunch. Three assists in one’s first game of this NHL preseason is one way to make a mark, however. Dureau’s three-assist night in a wild 8-7 win against Florida came in the same building where he has spent much of his first two pro seasons with the ECHL’s Orlando Solar Bears. Taken as a fifth-round pick in 2020 by Tampa Bay, Dureau is looking to stick with Syracuse after playing just two AHL games last season.
Rocco Grimaldi – Carolina Hurricanes (Chicago Wolves)
Putting up 36 goals last season with the Wolves, second-most in the AHL, apparently did not help out Grimaldi much in this summer’s free-agent market. At the NHL level, the forward has played 203 games. At the AHL level, where the 31-year-old has spent most of the past three seasons, he is a proven offensive force. As they rekindle their affiliation with Chicago this fall, the Hurricanes largely stayed away from bringing in AHL veterans. But if Grimaldi eventually lands with the Wolves, they would have perhaps the AHL’s most deadly scorer in hand.
Keith Kinkaid – New York Islanders (Bridgeport Islanders)
Kinkaid has a history with Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello from their days with the New Jersey Devils. Back then Kinkaid was a prospect who eventually became an NHL regular in net with the Devils. Now Kinkaid is a 35-year-old coming off a tough season with the Chicago Wolves and looking for a chance on a professional tryout on Long Island. The organization already has Magnus Hogberg, Jakub Skarek, and Henrik Tikkanen as options for Bridgeport, but the health status of Ilya Sorokin could upend the NHL club’s plans in net, making Kinkaid a potentially useful insurance option.
Eetu Makiniemi – Philadelphia Flyers (Lehigh Valley Phantoms)
Now 25 years old, Makiniemi at one point stood out as a strong goaltending prospect for the Carolina Hurricanes. But an injury disrupted the 2021-22 campaign with the Chicago Wolves, his first in North America, before a trade to the San Jose Sharks organization followed. After two seasons with the struggling San Jose Barracuda, Makiniemi managed to snag a training-camp invitation with Philadelphia. The Alexei Kolosov situation dragging on prompted the Flyers to give him a one-year two-way contract that should see him with Lehigh Valley.
Victor Mancini – New York Rangers (Hartford Wolf Pack)
Selected as a fifth-rounder by the Rangers in the 2022 NHL Draft, the 6-foot-4, 220-pound defenseman joined the Wolf Pack late last season out of the University of Nebraska-Omaha. He adjusted quickly, playing seven regular-season games and 10 more in the Calder Cup Playoffs. He may be a candidate to stay deep into training camp with the Rangers or perhaps even win a roster spot. If not, he can position himself as a top recall option from Hartford. He collected a goal and an assist in his NHL preseason debut this week as well.
Denton Mateychuk – Columbus Blue Jackets (Cleveland Monsters)
It is when, not if, Mateychuk will become a regular on the Columbus blue line. As a 19-year-old this past June, he stepped right from the Memorial Cup into the Cleveland defensive rotation for the Eastern Conference Finals against Hershey and immediately fit in and contributed. The Blue Jackets made him the 12th overall pick in 2022, and he was the Western Hockey League’s top defenseman as well as its postseason most valuable player last spring with Moose Jaw.
Riley Tufte – Boston Bruins (Providence Bruins)
Boston has a long history of stashing top-end AHL talent in Providence for a convenient array of call-up options. Forward Patrick Brown fulfilled some of that role last season and is back for another campaign. There may not be forward space in Boston right away for Tufte, 26, but he could easily make himself a go-to choice for Boston management when roster help is needed. After being on the bubble with Dallas and Colorado, he has another chance to make further inroads with Boston.
