Each week, FloHockey’s prospect analyst, Chris Peters breaks down notable performances in the AHL that NHL fans should be paying attention to. Here’s a look at some of the big performances from the weekend and the early goings of the season including a player that just got his first recall to the NHL.
Admirals’ Zach L’Heureux Gets The Call To Nashville
Zach L’Heureux is a player you always notice in a game. Sometimes it’s because of an excellent play, sometimes it’s because he’s absolutely in the other team’s grill and even sometimes it’s because he steps over the line. The fire that burns in L’Heureux every shift is definitely evident as he’s going to let the opposition know he’s there. Now he’s going to find out how NHL players will respond to him as the Nashville Predators just called him up and expect him to make his NHL debut. L’Heureux had five points through the first four games of the season for the Milwaukee Admirals, including three goals, all of which came last weekend against the Rockford IceHogs. There is so much going on here, but it ended in a Zach L’Heureux and that’s really all you need to know… right?
Goalie Artur Akhtyamov Stopping (Almost) Everything In Toronto
The proliferation of Russian goalies in North American pro hockey has been one of the more obvious trends of the last few years. At the NHL level, you have the likes of Igor Shesterkin, Andrei Vasilevskiy, and Ilya Sorokin, just to name a few. There are plenty more in the AHL right now and one of the most recent additions is off to an incredibly hot start for the Toronto Marlies. Artur Akhtyamov is in his first North American professional season with the Toronto Maple Leafs’ AHL affiliate. The 22-year-old has made three starts, has won all three and is posting an astonishing .964 save percentage, stopping 80 of 83 shots so far. On Sunday, he recorded his first AHL shutout with a 17-save effort against Utica on home ice. That follows a debut last week where he stopped 38 of 39 against the San Diego Gulls.
Wild’s Hunter Haight Scores Hat Trick For Iowa
The Iowa Wild are struggling to start their season. Winless through four games, Iowa had a pretty rough weekend on the road in San Jose where the Barracuda scored at will, seemingly, on star goalie prospect Jesper Wallstedt. If you’re looking for a silver lining, though, there’s one in the form of rookie Hunter Haight.
Islanders Pick Alex Jefferies Off To Hot Start As A Pro
I’ve always thought Alex Jefferies was underappreciated in prospect circles. Part of that was because he was playing at Merrimack and not one of the big college programs that has a lot of NHL prospects, but he was an outstanding player in the NCAA. He also helped Merrimack become more competitive and challenge those top teams over the last three seasons in particular. Now in his first full professional season with the Bridgeport Islanders, the 2020 fourth-round pick is showing no signs of difficulty with the transition. He appeared in 12 games with Bridgeport at the end of last season and scored seven points. Through his first four games of the 2024-25 campaign, Jefferies has five points including three goals.
Calgary’s Rory Kerins Is The AHL Player Of The Week
When you look atop the AHL scoring leaderboard, you’re going to find Kerins looking back at you. Through five games, the 2020 sixth-rounder has a league-best seven goals and eight points for the Calgary Wranglers. The third-year pro has been unstoppable early, scoring in a variety of ways and getting involved in one of the AHL’s most potent offensive attacks early on in the season.
Capitals’ Ivan Miroshnichenko Can’t Stop Scoring For Hershey
We’re starting to get to the point where I wonder if AHL fans should make sure they get a glimpse of Miroshnichenko while they still can because I don’t think he’s long for the league. The 2022 first-rounder has been outstanding in the early goings for the Hershey Bears and is starting to look like one of the most dangerous goal scorers in the AHL. Through five games, the 20-year-old has five goals and seven points. He had his second three-point effort in a 5-0 win over the Chicago Wolves.
