The Calgary Wranglers are set to begin their first round playoff series against the Tucson Roadrunners tonight in Arizona. The team took the final playoff spot—finishing seventh in the Pacific Division—and will faceoff against the Arizona Coyotes’ AHL affiliate.
The AHL playoffs are different in each division, but for the Pacific Division, the Wranglers will face the second-seed Roadrunners in a best-of-three matchup, all of which take place in the desert. If they do advance, they will be the bottom seed through the playoffs, although they will have games at home in the Scotiabank Saddledome in the next round and beyond.
The top-seeded Coachella Valley Firebirds—the Seattle Kraken’s affiliate—earned a bye this round like the Wranglers did last season. Elsewhere, the Ontario Reign—the Los Angeles Kings’ farm team—take on the Edmonton Oilers’ affiliate—the Bakersfield Condors—and the Abbotsford Canucks—part of the Vancouver Canucks’ organization—play against the Colorado Eagles—the affiliate of the Colorado Avalanche.
Tucson is not going to be an easy test for the Wranglers
The baby Flames have a big test in the Roadrunners. The Coyotes’ affiliate finished the season with a 0.639 winning percentage and are on a 7–2–0–1 run in their last ten games. They are also a very physical team, picking up a league-leading 1280 penalty minutes over the course of the season.
The Arizona Coyotes also sent down some reinforcements to the team to help them get set for the playoffs, including AHL All-Stars Dylan Guenther and Josh Doan, as well as Michael Kesselring, Aku Raty, and defenceman Vladislav Kolyachonok. Kesselring spent nearly the entire season in the NHL, and Guenther had 35 points in 45 games in the NHL this season.
Tucson is going to be a tough test for the Wranglers, who have a lot of bodies on the team but do not really have the same level of elite talent currently. The one thing that they do have is elite goaltending in Dustin Wolf, who has been the best goalie in the league for the last three years. It’s hard for a goalie to steal a series, but the team will need him to be at his best if they want to beat the Roadrunners.
The Wranglers also have a few sneaky additions that could be difference-makers in the series. One is Sam Morton, who the team signed from the NCAA’s Minnesota State Mankato at the end of his senior year. In 13 games with the team, Morton has seven points, including five goals. He has been on a tear of late.
The Wranglers will also have Matthew Coronato, Ilya Solovyov, and Adam Klapka back for the playoffs. While Coronato was an AHL All-Star this season, he did not make the impact expected of him at the NHL level. Hopefully, he can put this team on his back and be a difference-maker in the series.
The Wranglers have a ton of additional bodies on the team, including (deep breath) Hunter Brzustewicz, Joni Jurmo, Parker Bell, Jaden Lipinski, Samuel Honzek, David Silye, and Etienne Morin. Honzek is the one player who likely earns a good look in the playoffs—assuming he remains healthy—with Brzustewicz likely also earning a look. The rest of these players are likely extra bodies in case of injuries, but they will be doing their level best to earn a look.
Series schedule
- Game 1: Wednesday, April 24 in Tucson at 8:00 pm MDT
- Game 2: Friday, April 26 in Tucson at 8:00 pm MDT
- Game 3*: Sunday, April 28 in Tucson at 8:00 pm MDT
*if necessary.
The regular season series
The Wranglers and Roadrunners split the season series this season:
| Date | Location | Score |
|---|---|---|
| November 21, 2023 | TUC @ CGY | TUC 3–2 CGY |
| November 22, 2023 | TUC @ CGY | TUC 0–4 CGY |
| March 5, 2024 | CGY @ TUC | CGY 5–4 TUC (OT) |
| March 6, 2024 | CGY @ TUC | CGY 2–3 TUC |
Aside from the one blowout, each game was very close.
Wranglers’ keys to victory
This one is going to be tough for the Wranglers, but if they can get the best from their top guys, they have a good chance of winning. The one player to watch in this series for the Wranglers is the big man, Adam Klapka. He absolutely feasted on the Roadrunners this season, putting up four goals and four assists in four meetings for the team. If he can continue to be as physically imposing and create scoring chances as he has all season, the Wranglers can take this series.
The other player that the Wranglers will need to be outstanding is Matt Coronato. The team is without elite offensive talents, and Coronato is the one elite talent that the Wranglers do have right now. He was an AHL All-Star this season, and they will need him to be at his best when the series kicks off tonight.
Finally, as we have said all season long, this team lives and dies on the back of Dustin Wolf. The man from Gilroy, California, will need to be completely dialed in all series long if the Wranglers are to have a chance to beat the Roadrunners this series.
This is not going to be a walk in the park for the Wranglers. Tuscon is a very dangerous team, and with the additions of Guenther, Raty, Doan, and more to add to an already strong core, the Wranglers will need to be firing on all cylinders if they are to take down the Roadrunners.
Puck drop tonight is at 8:00 pm MST — Let’s go Wranglers!
Photo from CalgaryWranglers.com.
