He will face Hershey Bears Coachella Valley Firebirds in the 2023 Calder Cup Finals. The Firebirds clinched their tickets to the Finals Monday night with a 4-3 win over the Milwaukee Admirals, taking the Western Conference’s best-of-seven Finals series, four games to two. They became the first California team in AHL history to reach the Calder Cup Finals.
The Firebirds, the Seattle Kraken’s AHL affiliate, are in their inaugural season. As a result, the AHL’s newest franchise now faces the league’s oldest franchise in the Finals.
The Firebirds are coached by the former Pittsburgh Penguins coach Dan Bielsma. Jessica Campbellthe The first full-time female coach in the AHLis Bielsma’s assistant.
The Firebirds finished the 2022-23 regular season with the second-best record in the AHL at 48-17-5-2 and 12-7 in 19 post-season games.
Game 1 of the series will be Thursday at Acrisure Arena in Thousand Palms, California. The series will be in a 2-3-2 format with the Firebirds home ice advantage.