Thursday night in the NHL saw Los Angeles and Edmonton faceoff in a possible preview of a first-round playoff matchup. Friday night in the AHL will also have that post-season feel to it, as first place Stockton is set to host second place Ontario in Game 1 of a home-and-home weekend series.
For the Reign, they’ll continue to integrate a few Kings prospects into their lineup…
Brief update on Ontario Reign goaltending situation:
Top LAK prospects Lukas Parik & Jacob Ingham have been returned to ECHL. Newly signed prospect David Hrenak expected to backup Villalta over next 3 games (Fri/Sun v STK, Wed @ SD).
More on each goalie:https://t.co/TcZ5rNc0K5
— The Mayor | John Hoven (@mayorNHL) April 8, 2022
Look for LA Kings prospect Kim Nousiainen to make his AHL debut tonight for the Ontario Reign.
LA drafted nine players in 2019. Nousiainen becomes the 8th of those players to get AHL games.
As a scout once told me, "You don't have to tell Kim to join the rush. It's in his DNA." pic.twitter.com/At3qN7yZ27
— The Mayor | John Hoven (@mayorNHL) April 8, 2022
More on LA Kings prospect Kim Nousiainen here…https://t.co/U358sOZoI1
— The Mayor | John Hoven (@mayorNHL) April 8, 2022
On top of those changes, forward Jaret Anderson-Dolan returns to the lineup after being up with the Kings as an emergency recall during their recent road trip. On the season, JAD has 41 points in 45 AHL games. His 22 goals on the season are third-most on the Reign, behind Sammy Fagemo (26) and Martin Frk (33). In addition, only two players on the Heat have scored more goals than JAD this season, wingers Matthew Phillips (27) and Jakob Pelletier (26),
Stockton comes into the weekend with a bit more momentum, holding victories in six of their last seven games, while Ontario has seven of their last 10. The Heat also possess the AHL’s best home record at 22-5-4-0, for a league-leading .774 points percentage. Specifically against the Reign, they’ve taken two of the three games played in Stockton this season.
Offensively, the Stockton-Ontario matchup features the top two scoring teams in the AHL against each other, with the Reign leading the league at 3.86 goals per game and the Heat in second at 3.71. Defensively, the Heat are second-stingiest at 2.62 goals against per game. Ontario hasn’t been as stellar in that department, currently sitting 23rd with a 3.22 marker. In total, the two teams have played to an even 22-22 score over the season series.
ONTARIO REIGN PROJECTED LINEUP vs. STOCKTON HEAT
Ward – Tynan – Frk
Sutter – JAD – Fagemo
Wagner – Thomas – Dudas
Lee – Helenius – Doty
Other options include: Tkachev
Injured: Madden
Unavailable: Turcotte (explained here)
Gaunce – Grans
Nousiainen – Hickey
Wolanin – Allard
Other options include: N/A
Villalta (starter)
Hrenak
Puck drop is scheduled for 7pm tonight and the game can be viewed on AHL TV.
RELATED CONTENT:
Kings Of The Podcast: Ep. Q26 with Andre Lee and David Hrenak
Lead photo of Andre Lee via Mike Zitek for MayorsManor
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