With the American Hockey League reaching the midpoint of its 90th anniversary season, NHL.com has a bi-weekly notebook breaking down the happenings around the league. The NHL's top prospects will appear at the AHL All-Star Classic next week, Grand Rapids (Detroit Red Wings) is feeling heat in the standings from Providence (Boston Bruins), and two NHL first-round picks have earned monthly honors from the AHL.
All-Stars ready to shine
Some of the top young prospects in the NHL will gather next week for the 2026 AHL All-Star Classic.
The annual event takes place Tuesday and Wednesday and will be hosted by Rockford (Chicago Blackhawks). NHL Network (United States) and TSN (Canada) will broadcast the AHL All-Star Skills Competition on Tuesday and the AHL All-Star Challenge on Wednesday. The AHL All-Star Challenge is a round-robin 3-on-3 tournament between the four divisions.
Of the 48 players selected, 12 are NHL first-round picks, and seven are second-round selections.
Those participating include Laval (Montreal Canadiens) forward Laurent Dauphin, the league's leader in points with 49 (13 goals, 36 assists) in 40 games. Forward Arthur Kaliyev leads the AHL with 28 goals in 44 games and will represent Belleville (Ottawa Senators).
Forward Quinn Hutson leads AHL rookies with 42 points (24 goals, 18 assists) and will represent Bakersfield (Edmonton Oilers). Top goalie prospects Jacob Fowler of Laval and Sergei Murashov of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (Pittsburgh Penguins) were also selected.
Title race tightens
While Grand Rapids has received most of the attention around the AHL for a record-setting first half, Providence is in close pursuit. The Griffins were a league-best 30-3-2-1 through the 36-game first half of the regular season, four points ahead of Providence.
The Bruins won seven in a row through Wednesday, including a sweep of Charlotte (Florida Panthers) in a two-game road series Jan. 31-Feb. 1.
Michael DiPietro was named the AHL Goaltender of the Month for January. The 26-year-old went 8-1-0 with a 1.33 goals-against average and .947 save percentage. He is 18-5-0 through 25 games and first in the AHL with a 1.67 GAA and .940 save percentage. He won the Aldege "Baz" Bastien Memorial Award as the AHL's top goalie last season and will be part of a Providence contingent at the AHL All-Star Classic.
Grand Rapids is 33-6-2-1 (.821) and Providence is 32-8-1-0 (.793) with two games in hand. The league record for points percentage is .775, set by Binghamton (New York Rangers) in the 80-game 1992-93 season. Grand Rapids last won the Calder Cup in 2017, and Providence in 1999.
Nadeau continuing to impress
Carolina Hurricanes forward prospect Bradly Nadeau's standout second season continues. His 18 points (eight goals, 10 assists) in 13 games for Chicago earned him AHL Player of the Month honors for January. The 20-year-old had a seven-game point streak and has 40 points (18 goals, 22 assists) through 40 games. He has two goals in eight NHL games.
Nadeau was chosen in the first round (No. 30) of the 2023 NHL Draft. He had 58 points (32 goals, 26 assists) in 64 games last season and was named to the AHL All-Rookie Team and the AHL Top Prospects Team. He was one of five players in AHL history with a 30-goal season before turning 20 and will be among the top prospects at the AHL All-Star Classic.
Simashev showing dominance
Another first-round pick making a strong case for more NHL work is Tucson (Utah Mammoth) defenseman Dmitri Simashev, a 21-year-old named AHL Rookie of the Month for January after he had 11 points (one goal, 10 assists) in 10 games.
Simashev had 20 points (five goals, 15 points) entering Wednesday after joining the Roadrunners in December and had one assist in 24 games for the Mammoth. The Arizona Coyotes selected him in the first round (No. 6) of the 2023 draft, and he was transferred to the Utah organization June 13, 2024.
Before coming to North America this season, he played three seasons for Lokomotiv in the Kontinental Hockey League. He won the Gagarin Cup last season after getting one assist in 21 playoff games. Utah signed him to an entry-level contract May 28, 2025, and he'll play at the AHL All-Star Classic.
