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Another round of cuts, and it’s now an eight-team field left in the Calder Cup Playoffs.
It has been a spring of upsets. Top-five finishers in the Providence Bruins (first), Ontario Reign (fourth), and Charlotte Checkers (fifth) are all out. Meanwhile, the Springfield Thunderbirds (22nd) knocked out two of those top-five teams and have a chance to do the same to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (third).
It has been anything but a predictable postseason. Let’s examine who is rising, holding, and falling among those Calder Cup Playoff teams – past and present.
Colorado Eagles
The Eagles look like a problem.
Trent Miner has three shutouts in six games. These mobile Eagles jam up every bit of ice and mostly stymied the Henderson Silver Knights, the AHL’s highest-scoring club in the regular season. For a team that has been a playoff disappointment in past years, this is a group with returnees who have appeared to learn lessons from those previous setbacks.
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Springfield Thunderbirds
It’s simple. The Thunderbirds are fresh off the biggest upset in Calder Cup Playoff history. This is a trophy that teams have fought for in 89 previous postseasons. But this year, Springfield knocked out the regular-season champion Providence Bruins, a team that had finished 38 points ahead of the Thunderbirds. That gap is the largest in league history.
Goaltender Georgi Romanov has starred for Springfield, taking over in Game 2 of the team’s opening-round matchup with the Charlotte Checkers, winning that series, and then dispatching Providence in four games. Facing the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins will be a considerable challenge. But so was facing Charlotte and Providence, and those teams are home now.
Toronto Marlies
The parent Toronto Maple Leafs have taken criticism for their prospect depth, but the Marlies’ ongoing playoff run is giving the organization a chance to audition some of that talent further.
Forward Easton Cowan (2-4-6 in eight games) will get another round of playoff experience as the Marlies face the Cleveland Monsters. It’s another line on his resume after a solid rookie season spent in the NHL with the Leafs. Now, rather than going home, he is playing well into May.
Ben Danford could be the Leafs’ next prospect to sample the Calder Cup Playoffs. The Brantford Bulldogs defenseman’s OHL season ended last week, and he joined the Marlies on Monday. Like Cowan, Danford has packed a lot of learning into the past eight months. He had 3-17-20 in 45 regular-season games split between the Oshawa Generals and Brantford while also winning a bronze medal for Canada at the IIHF World Junior Championship this past January.
Grand Rapids Griffins
Unlike other top regular-season teams, the Griffins handled business in their first playoff matchup.
That said, the Manitoba Moose were not expected to be a serious threat to the Griffins, and they were not. The Moose grabbed a Game 1 win, but the Griffins took control of the series from there. After winning Game 2 on the road, well, the Griffins were not going to fall back on home ice. They did not.
The Chicago Wolves should be a better barometer for the Griffins.
Providence Bruins
Maybe it was a sign that the P-Bruins sputtered in the final weekend of the regular season. With a chance to secure the best regular season in AHL history, Providence instead was swept in a home-and-home series with the Utica Comets. It was a decidedly sluggish performance against a hungry Comets team bidding for a playoff berth. Providence then had a 13-day break before facing Springfield, had a poor Game 1, and sputtered further from there.
It’s the seventh consecutive early exit for Providence, a team that has failed to reach the final eight group of playoff teams since a 2017 run to the Eastern Conference Finals. Providence’s abundant scoring vanished at the worst possible time of the year.
Laval Rocket
The second regular-season division winner to fall, penalty trouble and a faulty penalty kill doomed Laval.
By the time the Rocket corrected those issues, they had already gotten themselves into deep trouble. They managed a 4-0 win in Game 4 at Toronto to set up Game 5 last Saturday at home. They even took a 2-1 lead into the final period, but two Toronto goals ended what had been a promising Laval season.
The AHL is streaming globally on FloHockey. Watch every single game from the regular season through the Calder Cup Playoffs, as well as key events like the AHL All-Star Classic and the AHL Outdoor Classic. Subscribe to FloHockey today so you never miss a moment. All games will be available on FloHockey.tv or via the FloSports mobile and connected TV apps.
The best, and most complete, coverage of the NHL, minor-league hockey and NHL Draft is found on FloHockey. Don't miss the latest new prospect guides, rankings and more from Chris Peters and the FloHockey staff.
FloHockey is the streaming home to some of the best hockey leagues in North America, including the ECHL and more. Check out the broadcast schedule to watch more hockey.
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It has been a spring of upsets. Top-five finishers in the Providence Bruins (first), Ontario Reign (fourth), and Charlotte Checkers (fifth) are all out. Meanwhile, the Springfield Thunderbirds (22nd) knocked out two of those top-five teams and have a chance to do the same to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (third).
It has been anything but a predictable postseason. Let’s examine who is rising, holding, and falling among those Calder Cup Playoff teams – past and present.
Rising
Colorado Eagles
The Eagles look like a problem.
Trent Miner has three shutouts in six games. These mobile Eagles jam up every bit of ice and mostly stymied the Henderson Silver Knights, the AHL’s highest-scoring club in the regular season. For a team that has been a playoff disappointment in past years, this is a group with returnees who have appeared to learn lessons from those previous setbacks.
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2026 Colorado Eagles vs Coachella Valley Firebirds
Springfield Thunderbirds
It’s simple. The Thunderbirds are fresh off the biggest upset in Calder Cup Playoff history. This is a trophy that teams have fought for in 89 previous postseasons. But this year, Springfield knocked out the regular-season champion Providence Bruins, a team that had finished 38 points ahead of the Thunderbirds. That gap is the largest in league history.
Goaltender Georgi Romanov has starred for Springfield, taking over in Game 2 of the team’s opening-round matchup with the Charlotte Checkers, winning that series, and then dispatching Providence in four games. Facing the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins will be a considerable challenge. But so was facing Charlotte and Providence, and those teams are home now.
Toronto Marlies
The parent Toronto Maple Leafs have taken criticism for their prospect depth, but the Marlies’ ongoing playoff run is giving the organization a chance to audition some of that talent further.
Forward Easton Cowan (2-4-6 in eight games) will get another round of playoff experience as the Marlies face the Cleveland Monsters. It’s another line on his resume after a solid rookie season spent in the NHL with the Leafs. Now, rather than going home, he is playing well into May.
Ben Danford could be the Leafs’ next prospect to sample the Calder Cup Playoffs. The Brantford Bulldogs defenseman’s OHL season ended last week, and he joined the Marlies on Monday. Like Cowan, Danford has packed a lot of learning into the past eight months. He had 3-17-20 in 45 regular-season games split between the Oshawa Generals and Brantford while also winning a bronze medal for Canada at the IIHF World Junior Championship this past January.
Holding
Grand Rapids Griffins
Unlike other top regular-season teams, the Griffins handled business in their first playoff matchup.
That said, the Manitoba Moose were not expected to be a serious threat to the Griffins, and they were not. The Moose grabbed a Game 1 win, but the Griffins took control of the series from there. After winning Game 2 on the road, well, the Griffins were not going to fall back on home ice. They did not.
The Chicago Wolves should be a better barometer for the Griffins.
Falling
Providence Bruins
Maybe it was a sign that the P-Bruins sputtered in the final weekend of the regular season. With a chance to secure the best regular season in AHL history, Providence instead was swept in a home-and-home series with the Utica Comets. It was a decidedly sluggish performance against a hungry Comets team bidding for a playoff berth. Providence then had a 13-day break before facing Springfield, had a poor Game 1, and sputtered further from there.
It’s the seventh consecutive early exit for Providence, a team that has failed to reach the final eight group of playoff teams since a 2017 run to the Eastern Conference Finals. Providence’s abundant scoring vanished at the worst possible time of the year.
Laval Rocket
The second regular-season division winner to fall, penalty trouble and a faulty penalty kill doomed Laval.
By the time the Rocket corrected those issues, they had already gotten themselves into deep trouble. They managed a 4-0 win in Game 4 at Toronto to set up Game 5 last Saturday at home. They even took a 2-1 lead into the final period, but two Toronto goals ended what had been a promising Laval season.
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How To Watch The AHL
The AHL is streaming globally on FloHockey. Watch every single game from the regular season through the Calder Cup Playoffs, as well as key events like the AHL All-Star Classic and the AHL Outdoor Classic. Subscribe to FloHockey today so you never miss a moment. All games will be available on FloHockey.tv or via the FloSports mobile and connected TV apps.
NHL Prospect Coverage On FloHockey
The best, and most complete, coverage of the NHL, minor-league hockey and NHL Draft is found on FloHockey. Don't miss the latest new prospect guides, rankings and more from Chris Peters and the FloHockey staff.
Watch the AHL, ECHL, QMJHL, OHL, And More On FloHockey
FloHockey is the streaming home to some of the best hockey leagues in North America, including the ECHL and more. Check out the broadcast schedule to watch more hockey.
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