^ Posted by Patrick Williams
Hershey, Pennsylvania. … It was indeed a dream rookie season Ty Karti.
Is the Calder Cup ring asking for too much?
Maybe not. Kartye and the Coachella Valley Firebirds are two wins away from the Calder Cup championship as they prepare for Game 3 against the Hershey Bears on Tuesday night (7 ET, AHLTV). Hershey managed to get Kartye off the score sheet in Game 2 after he scored the series opener in Game 1, but he still remains a huge threat every night.
However, this great season started slowly for Carty, a 22-year-old who only managed one goal and one assist in his first 12 games.
But as Kartye began figuring out the AHL—picking up more efficient ways to gain the time and space needed to put up one of the best shots in the AHL—the goals quickly piled up. He went on to score 28 goals and 29 assists while playing in all 72 games, winning the AHL Rookie of the Year Award.
“I think it was kind of gradual with my confidence and getting used to the style of play because it was so much different from [Ontario Hockey League]said Carty, who played hockey with the Soo Greyhounds. “I feel like I just kept working on it, and then gradually saw results. It just kept getting better and better.”
I sure did. Then came the post-season, which began with Carty scoring two runs in the Firebird Series first round win over Tucson. Next came a call from parent Seattle Kraken, who called him up for Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Series against the defending champion Colorado Avalanche.
As it happened, the Firebirds were preparing to take on the Colorado Eagles, so Carty made his way an hour south to Denver and made his NHL debut, scoring to help Seattle win 3-2. He became a productive player in the Kraken lineup, totaling three goals and two assists in 10 games before Dallas was knocked out by Seattle in the second round.
With the Kraken season over, Kartye returned to the Firebirds’ lineup for Game 4 of the Division Finals against Calgary. He featured two goals in a Game 6 win over Milwaukee in the Conference Finals, and now has six goals and eight points in 13 Calder Cup playoff games.
Kartye brought back a lot of knowledge from his time in the NHL, just another set of lessons in a season already full of them.
“She learned a lot about how to be in the right places, a lot about not getting too high, not falling back in the playoffs. She always tries to keep her balance and not try to do too much. Just do your job and what your role is on the team.”
Carty scored 45 goals in the Premier League last season, which caught the attention of Kraken and won him a three-year entry-level deal. With only two turns on the NHL draft table so far, the Kraken have yet to rotate most of their picks into their AHL operation in the Coachella Valley. Carty has an early foot in the door. He’s made his figure skating a major goal for improvement, and it’s shown: He’s able to play at a faster pace, stay mobile, and be a better presence.
Get guidance from an assistant coach Jessica Campbell With her extensive background in skiing it didn’t hurt. Nor did he start his career playing with a veteran coach like Dan Bielsma.
“He’s been there and done that,” Carty said of Bielsma. “Just hearing some of the great players he’s coached before, and trying to practice with them and incorporate them into your game, I think is great.”
Patrick Williams has been in the American Hockey League for nearly two decades for outlets including NHL.com, Sportsnet, TSN, The Hockey News, SiriusXM NHL Network Radio, and SLAM! Sports, and she is currently the co-host of Hockey news on the “A” podcast. He was awarded the James H. Ellery Memorial Award from the AHL for his excellent coverage of the league in 2016.