The Henderson Silver Knights are currently in a tight race for the American Hockey League (AHL) playoffs, trailing the Tucson Roadrunners by six points as they enter the critical final segment of the regular season. Competing in the Pacific Division, where only the top seven teams qualify for the Calder Cup Playoffs, Henderson remains within striking distance of securing a postseason berth, but their path forward depends heavily on performances against divisional rivals during the closing stretch.
Head coach Ryan Craig shared his insights about the team’s journey, evaluating the early-season momentum, recent challenges, and the tactical adjustments needed as the playoff hunt intensifies.
Ryan Craig Discusses Team’s Standings and Season Assessment
Coach Craig outlined the team’s mindset following the All-Star break, emphasizing the urgency to translate solid efforts into crucial points.
“We knew coming out of the All-Star break we had 29 games. I believe we have 63 days left. Starting that would have started on Saturday. We know the position we’re in. We have some games that hand on teams we play, the teams we’re trying to catch. We feel like we played good hockey and not the best hockey we can or our game needs to get better in certain areas. Obviously you need to collect points and moral victories this time of year aren’t going to get you in the playoffs. We we have to take that next step of turning good, solid games into points and continue to climb in the standings,”
Craig explained.
Reflecting on the progression of the season, Craig acknowledged the team’s strong start contrasted with difficulties resulting from roster disruptions.
“The first 10 games were very good — a good start. After that, we’ve had to call a spade a spade. We had call-ups and injuries to some really good players. Bowman went up, Carl Lindbom went up — two very deserving guys, and that’s what we want to see in the American Hockey League: guys getting opportunities. Ralph (Raphaël) Lavoie was off to a really good start and we missed him, but other guys got more opportunity. We’ve had some good things happen and some growing pains. We’re hoping as we get Carl (Lindbom) back and return to health a little bit that our group benefits from those opportunities earlier in the year. We have to find more consistency — shift to shift, period to period and game to game. Like this weekend, we played very well Saturday in San Jose, then Sunday we had a chance at 4-4, the game got away from us and we lose 8-4. With the call-ups and injuries it’s unpredictable,”
he shared.
Current Performance Relative to Expectations and Challenges Ahead
Looking at where the team stands compared to preseason goals, Craig admitted the season has had its share of ups and downs, noting,
“Yeah you’re going to have ups and downs over a season. We’re one game over .500 and there’s a lot of hockey left in a short amount of time. We’d obviously like to be in a better position right now, but you go through ebbs and flows. You can look at Abbotsford last year — they were around where we are at this point and got going and ended up Calder Cup champions. We’re not looking that far ahead; we’re focused on playing our best game Friday against Abbotsford. We’re probably about where we are. We’ve had chances to grab more points, but going through adversity and moments where we haven’t managed games well should make us better as individuals and as a team as we push through the final 27 (games).”
Handling Goaltending Duties Amidst Young Talent Development
Craig described how managing three young goaltenders has impacted team dynamics, saying,
“Carl came up and played — he’s played 15 games for us and eight for Vegas and has been up for more than a six-week stretch. He’s a very deserving guy who’s now gotten a taste of the NHL at a couple different times, and that’s really solidified him as the No. 3 goalie, the next call-up in our organization’s pecking order. It gave Jesper Vikman a chance to play 18 games and Cameron Whitehead had to come up from Tahoe to get experience with our group. Like everyone else in the lineup, that only benefits us in the long run as a team and organization with our depth. Our goaltenders are the backbone of our team — we pride ourselves on defending and checking. We did that Saturday and didn’t do a good enough job Sunday in San Jose, so they’re a big part of it, and anyone who has played for us this year has helped us. Offensively, the scoring balance has helped the group because when you defend well it leads to chances, and getting contributions throughout the lineup has supported how we want to play.”
Impact of Defensive Unit on Team Strategy and Scoring
The defense has played a vital role this season, with Craig highlighting the importance of puck transition and veteran leadership.
“We knew as an organization we were going to be young up front, so it was important to find ways to move the puck from below the tops of our circles and goal line into our forwards’ hands in good positions to get out of our end. We brought in Jaycob Megna, who became our captain, Dylan Coghlan, who’s back for a second year, Jérémy Davies and a healthy Lukas Cormier. Those four have really solidified our back end at different times with guys in and out of the lineup. Davies has probably been the most consistent without missing time, while Coghlan and Megna have both been called up and dealt with injuries, but they’ve allowed us to rely on them back there. We like our decor a lot — we think it’s a backbone of our team along with our goaltending when we’re playing our best,”
Craig remarked.
Young Forward Talent Adding Depth and Versatility
Craig praised the forward group’s growth and adaptability despite their youth.
“If you go through our lineup, a young guy like Ben Hemmerling is essentially in his rookie season after missing four or five months last year with a shoulder injury, and he’s found a home on the right side with Tanner Laczynski, an AHL All-Star and arguably one of the top players in the league. Ben’s done a really good job establishing his game. Jackson Hallum came in as an older first-year player out of the University of Michigan, and his maturity, speed and understanding of the game show up in all situations. Other young first-year guys are taking steps, and then you have players in their second year like Uronen and Cataford. Then guys like Kai Uchacz, Sapovaliv in his second year, Brabenec when he’s healthy. We talk about being young up front, and those guys have done a really good job giving us depth and moving into different roles as opportunities have come up,”
he said.
Focus on Upcoming Games and Playoff Prospects
Coach Craig emphasized a careful, game-by-game approach for the remaining 27 contests, with playoffs the ultimate goal.
“I don’t think we can look too far ahead. We play a lot of weekend sets and back-to-backs, mostly in our division. We only have four games left outside the division — two in Milwaukee and Texas coming here for two — and then we see Tucson six times, Abbotsford, Calgary and Ontario again. The schedule sets up with big divisional games against teams we know and understand what it takes to beat, but we don’t need to look past this weekend against Abbotsford. We’re home and play five of our next six here, but the focus is being ready at puck drop Friday night and stacking shifts, periods and games together, starting with one,”
Craig concluded.
Playoff Push Set to Define Season Outlook for Henderson
With the Pacific Division standings growing ever tighter, the Henderson Silver Knights face a critical few weeks where every game and every point will influence their chances of qualifying for the Calder Cup Playoffs. Their reliance on careful defense, balanced scoring, and overcoming adversity throughout a full slate of divisional matchups will determine if this young team can capture a postseason spot. As Coach Ryan Craig underscores, maintaining focus on individual shifts and team consistency will be essential as Henderson aims to turn promise into playoff participation.
