Stockton captain Byron Froese has been down this path before in search of a Calder Cup.
With the Heat halfway through their Calder Cup chase after series wins over Bakersfield and Colorado, the 31-year-old Froese wants Stockton’s young Calgary Flames prospects to savor the opportunity to face the Chicago Wolves in the Western Conference Finals ― and then perhaps more.
“It’s huge,” Froese said of the opportunity. “You never know when [it will] come around again. This experience in these tight games, and how much every play is amplified through these games, is huge. It’s going to be big for these guys in their careers, and it’s also something that we realize doesn’t come around often.”
An 11th-year pro, Froese is playing postseason games for just the fifth time in his career, and the first since he and the Syracuse Crunch fell short in the 2017 Calder Cup Finals against Grand Rapids. He is coming off another one of his typically productive American Hockey League seasons, churning out 37 points (20 goals, 17 assists) in 55 games for Stockton.
Froese has a concise message for Stockton’s young talent.
“We’ve been telling them that every day to make sure they realize how important and how special it is.”
With Calgary having been eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs, reinforcements have arrived for Stockton to give head coach Mitch Love some added roster flexibility.
Calgary sent defensemen Connor Mackey and Juuso Valimaki to the Heat in time for last night’s game, along with forward Adam Ruzicka and goaltender Adam Werner. All four players dressed for Game 4, and forward Glenn Gawdin also returned to action after missing three games attending to a family matter.
The Springfield Thunderbirds also have a couple of pieces back in place as they gear up for the Eastern Conference Finals against the Laval Rocket.
After the St. Louis Blues were eliminated by the Colorado Avalanche on Friday, defenseman Calle Rosen cleared waivers and was assigned to Springfield. Rosen played 40 games for the Thunderbirds in 2021-22 and had 28 points (four goals, 24 assists). He also played 18 regular-season games and nine Stanley Cup Playoff contests with the Blues.
Rosen won a Calder Cup with the Toronto Marlies in 2018, collecting 11 points in 16 playoff games ― including four goals in the Finals vs. Texas.
Goaltender Charlie Lindgren has also returned to the Thunderbirds; he had been recalled on May 23 following an injury to Jordan Binnington in St. Louis. Lindgren was 2-0 during Springfield’s division semifinal series victory over Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
― Patrick Williams
