The Vegas Golden Knights opened Season X with a convincing 5-2 home-ice victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday. The Gold Carpet walk that has become a season-commencing ritual went off without a hitch – despite rainy and threatening weather all day. You could say the clouds parted and it was clear sailing from there, with stalwarts Jack Eichel and Mark Stone scoring, along with rookie Trevor Connolly netting his first NHL goal in his first NHL game.
Everyone followed the script and went home happy, including Head Coach Ryan Craig, who secured his first victory as an NHL bench boss. But there is more opening night excitement: This Saturday, the Henderson Silver Knights host the Bakersfield Condors in their AHL home opener. The players will meet and greet fans in the Tiltyard beginning at 3:30 PM and the first 3,000 fans will receive a foam Knights shield as part of the festivities.
There is a difference, though, when it comes to an NHL opener and an AHL kickoff. At the NHL level, everyone exudes excitement, while at the AHL level there are recently reassigned players having just cleared waivers. They must deal with that reality and get their mental game where it needs to be for the beginning of the AHL campaign. I went through this myself a couple of times and found it tough. A friend of mine snapped me out of my funk, saying, “You’re a hockey player and you’re playing hockey. Stop with the hurt feelings and get after it and play.” I went on to have one of my most enjoyable seasons playing predominantly that year in the AHL for the Adirondack Red Wings.
For the VGK, there weren’t many roster spots available, but there is still that sense as an athlete that maybe you’ll get an immediate opportunity. And as much as the HSK is where young players develop and move up – see Trevor Connolly with his first NHL goal in his first NHL game and Braeden Bowman being in the Opening Knight lineup after a strong 54-game showing last season – it is a team stocked with depth players with NHL experience that can step into the VGK lineup at a moment’s notice. Performance still decides call-up potential and becomes the mental motivator for AHL vets and young players alike.
“I’m happy for Trevor, happy for his family, happy for our organization,” Craig said after Tuesday’s VGK win when asked about Connelly’s impressive debut. “There’s a lot of people that have put in good work with all our prospects – from the scouts, to the player development, to everybody. Trevor has shown there’s a path here for our players, as has Bowman and different guys like that. It’s great to see those guys get rewarded.”
