Opening night on the horizon as camps open around AHL | TheAHL.com

Patrick Williams, TheAHL.com Features Writer

AHL buildings that had been quiet all summer long have come to life.

Training camp has arrived across the American Hockey League. Multiple rounds of assignments from NHL training camps have already been made, with still more to come before opening-night rosters are due in the NHL on Oct. 7. Free agents and other tryouts also have an opportunity to win a spot on an AHL roster – or at least make a strong impression for later in the season.

Here is a look at some of the familiar names in AHL training camps this week:

BAKERSFIELD
Forward Bryce Kindopp, whose first three pro seasons were divided between San Diego and Rockford, is in training camp with Bakersfield. The Condors also have forward Jasper Weatherby in camp after he spent last season with Milwaukee, where he had 25 points (12 goals, 13 assists) in 66 games.

CHARLOTTE
The Checkers have versatile forward Matt Luff following his training-camp run with the Florida Panthers. Luff fought injuries last season, but he still had 18 points (10 goals, eight assists) in 26 games with Grand Rapids while also appearing in five NHL games with Detroit.

MILWAUKEE
Experienced defenseman Lucas Johansen is in Milwaukee trying to win a job with the Admirals this fall. Johansen is coming off back-to-back Calder Cup titles in Hershey and was a key part of the Bears blue line this past spring until an injury in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals put an end to his season. In all, he contributed 12 points (two goals, 10 assists) in 22 regular-season games for the Bears along with five assists in nine postseason contests. He also appeared in six games with the Washington Capitals, the team that took him in the first round of the 2016 NHL Draft.

PROVIDENCE
The Bruins have a long tradition of establishing a strong veteran forward group, and Tyler Pitlick is the latest addition. Pitlick, who divided last season between the New York Rangers and Hartford, is in Providence for training camp. Last season in his first return to the AHL since 2015-16, he had seven points (three goals, four assists) in 22 games for the Wolf Pack while also playing 34 games in New York. In all, he has 420 NHL games to his name along with another 218 in the AHL.

SAN DIEGO
The San Diego Gulls have fortified their lineup with an intriguing signing by bringing in undrafted forward Ruslan Gazizov on a one-year AHL deal. The 20-year-old Gazizov went to rookie camp with the Anaheim Ducks and showed enough to earn that contract after a standout performance last season with London of the Ontario Hockey League. There, he had 81 points (36 goals, 45 assists) in 63 games and then helped London eventually advance to the Memorial Cup with a combined 17 points (10 goals, seven assists) in 19 postseason contests.

SAN JOSE
Defenseman Joey Keane is back in North America to win a job following two seasons in the Kontinental Hockey League. Keane was named to the AHL All-Rookie Team in 2019-20 after putting together a 37-point effort (nine goals, 28 assists) in 58 games between Hartford and Charlotte. He then won the Calder Cup in 2022 with Chicago, leading all AHL defenseman with 12 points (one goal, 11 assists) in 18 playoff games.

On the American Hockey League beat for two decades, TheAHL.com features writer Patrick Williams also currently covers the league for NHL.com and FloSports and is a regular contributor on SiriusXM NHL Network Radio. He was the recipient of the AHL’s James H. Ellery Memorial Award for his outstanding coverage of the league in 2016.