^ Posted by Patrick Williams
The Calder Cup championship is four wins away. And full-time NHL jobs may not be far behind.
As is often the case in the AHL, especially as the Calder Cup Playoffs progress, National Hockey League teams are looking for winners.
The Hershey Bears take on the Coachella Valley Firebirds in Game 1 of the Calder Cup Finals tonight, and they head west feeling good about their collegiate game.
“I think it’s really exciting,” he said. Conor McMichael, a 2019 first-round pick by the Washington Capitals who is one of those players looking for a permanent place in the NHL. “You kind of feel that nervous energy in a good way. We took a few days to soak [reaching the Finals] In and enjoy it, but that’s not our main goal, and I think we’re ready to attack the finals. We’re excited to go.”
But we’re looking forward to this fall, too. For one, install capitals Spencer Carberry as their new head coach last week. Carberry’s time directing Hershey included McMichael’s rookie 2020-21 season, in which the Bears finished with the best record in the league during the COVID-shortened season. Play on line with veteran captain Matt MolsonMcMichael – by then just 20 – ended up leading the team in scoring with 27 points (14 goals, 13 assists) in 33 games while making his NHL debut.
Carberry left the organization after that season for Toronto, where he spent the next two seasons as an assistant coach for the Maple Leafs, solidifying that club, and finalizing a resume that would eventually land him a position in Washington. Meanwhile, McMichael appears to have broken through the D.C. team playing 68 games for nine goals and 18 points last season.
But with Washington’s roster of veterans stacked and pressure to win now, the luxury of bringing in a young prospect at the NHL level was one the Capitals didn’t feel like this season. McMichael played just six games for the Capitals, without a single point. His average ice time of 8:52 was the lowest of any Capitals forward who dressed for a single game. Conversations between fans and the media grew heated, and the question was what to do with McMichael. Are you living with the growing pains of an NHL player with an eye on gains sooner rather than later? Or let him go to Hershey and play his best minutes and build his game there?
McMichael was assigned to Hershey on November 20 and joined a Bears team that started 9-3-2-0 and already established himself as a contender many expected. But their offense ranks 26th in the AHL with 2.86 goals per game, and any offensive assist McMichael can provide would be welcome.
It may have seemed like a step backwards for McMichael, but he needed to take it, as it eventually became clear. He’s settled on the Hershey’s lineup. He was substitute captain for a time later in the season. The offense returned as he finished fifth in team scoring, with 39 points (16 goals and 23 assists) in 57 games.
The history between Carberry and McMichael will not hurt the young striker’s chances in Washington in September. Nor can a strong performer after the post-season. Bears coach Todd Nelson I used McMichael centering Joe Snellywith Jarrett Bailon And Ethan Frank See the time on the right side. McMichael’s work in Game 4 at Rochester helped the Bears put together a third-round comeback to clinch a 3-1 series lead; Its beautiful central bottom line is found Logan day for the tying goal before the Bears went on to win, 4-2. In all, McMichael has four goals and seven points through 13 playoff appearances.
When news of Carberry broke, MacMichael sure heard it. It’s a new coach he knows, and the Capitals team will be looking to bring in some young faces next season.
“It couldn’t have happened to a better man,” said McMichael. “He’s a really hard working guy, and I’m excited to hope to get the chance to work with him again.”
But come first Firebirds.
“It’s been a stormy year,” said McMichael. “So many ups and downs, but this is where the journey has taken me, and I’m really excited to get the chance to win the Calder Cup.”
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.