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April 20, 2023

ALUMNI REPORT: 2023 Playoff Edition!

alumni report Connor Dewar Dustin Wolf peter mueller
by
Casey Bryant

NHL

  • Connor Dewar (2015-19) and the Minnesota Wild are headed back to the State of Hockey with a 1-1 first round series tie in hand against the Dallas Stars. Dewar has been averaging just over 15 minutes of ice time for the Wild, skating on the fourth line in a checking and penalty killing role. He finished the regular season with six goals and 12 assists in 81 games.
  • Radko Gudas (2009-10) and the Florida Panthers pushed back in a big way against the Boston Bruins in Game 2. The Cats head back home to Sunrise with an even series, with Gudas averaging 16 minutes of ice time. His trademark physicality is proving valuable against a gritty favored Bruins team.

  • Carter Hart (2013-18) finished the 2022-23 season with a 22-23-10 record in Philadelphia. Though the Flyers missed the playoffs, Hart was a bright spot with a .907 save percentage (his best since 2019-20) and two shutouts.
  • Jujhar Khaira (2013-14) finished the campaign with six goals and eight assists through 51 games with the Chicago Blackhawks, who failed to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

AHL

  • Mitch Love (2003-05) has won AHL Coach of the Year for the second consecutive season. The bench boss of the Calgary Wranglers has helmed the team to a league-best 51-17-4 record, earning a first-round bye in the Calder Cup Playoffs.
  • Dustin Wolf (2017-21) picked up his first NHL victory for the Calgary Flames on Apr. 12, stopping 23 of 24 against his childhood favorite team, the San Jose Sharks. With the Flames out of playoff contention, he returns to the AHL Wranglers, where he has been named the league’s Top Goaltender for a second consecutive year.

  • Also earning a first-round bye in the Calder Cup Playoffs are Garrett Pilon (2017-18) and Riley Sutter (2015-19) of the Atlantic Division-winning Hershey Bears. Pilon ended the year with 11 goals and 18 assists in 53 AHL games for the Capitals’ affiliate, while Sutter posted five goals and seven assists through 69 games.
  • Wyatte Wylie (2016-20) led the Lehigh Valley Phantoms with 5 SOG in Game One of their first-round matchup against the Charlotte Checkers. The Philadelphia Flyers prospect finished with three goals and seven assists in 45 games played this season.
  • Gage Goncalves (2018-21) helped lead the Syracuse Crunch back to the postseason with a tremendous sophomore pro season. The former second-round NHL pick registered 13 goals and 41 assists in 71 games played, ranking third on the team in scoring. The Crunch (Lightning affiliate) match up with the Rochester Americans in the Atlantic Division Semi-Finals.

  • Noah Juulsen (2013-17) is back with the playoff-bound Abbotsford Canucks after a 12-game stint in the NHL with Vancouver this season. Juulsen carries with him three goals and 17 assists in 49 AHL games. He logged an assist in a 3-0 Game One victory over the Bakersfield Condors in the Pacific Division’s First Round.
  • Both the Columbus Blue Jackets and Cleveland Monsters failed to qualify for their respective playoffs, meaning that both Jake Christiansen (2015-20) and Cole Fonstad (2019-21) are done for the season. Christiansen saw 24 NHL games with four assists, plus 11 goals and 23 assists in 50 AHL contests. Fonstad, meanwhile, finished with career highs in all offensive categories including goals (15), assists (15) and powerplay goals (6).
  • Ronan Seeley (2018-22) finished his rookie campaign with the Chicago Wolves strong, logging points in seven of his final 13 games. The Carolina Hurricanes prospect concluded with four goals and 21 assists in 70 appearances as a 20-year-old. The Wolves did not qualify for the Calder Cup Playoffs.
  • Byron Froese (2008-10) tied a career-high in assists with 24 this season for the Henderson Silver Knights. Froese, a 32-year-old veteran, finished with 34 points in 60 games for the Vegas Golden Knights’ AHL affiliate. The team did not qualify for the postseason.
  • Bryce Kindopp (2016-20) and the San Diego Gulls did not make the Calder Cup Playoffs. The 23-year-old Anaheim Ducks prospect ended the year with six goals and three assists in 65 games played.
  • Montana Onyebuchi (2016-18) saw injuries cut his season short with the San Jose Barracuda. He appeared in 35 games, registering three goals, seven assists and 73 PIM.

ECHL

  • The first round of the Kelly Cup Playoffs features a showdown of two former Silvertips. Shane Harper (2005-10) scored for the Adirondack Thunder, while Orrin Centazzo (2016-18) potted a goal for the Newfoundland Growlers as the Thunder edged out a Game One victory. Harper, captain of the Devils’ ECHL affiliate, collected 22 goals and 53 assists in 65 games played. Centazzo posted 21 goals and 26 assists in 39 appearances with the Growlers, while also earning a 15-game call-up to the AHL Toronto Marlies.

  • Zack Andrusiak (2018-19) led the Cincinnati Cyclones in scoring with 73 points in 63 games played, helping the Sabres affiliate to the top seed in the Central Division bracket. The Cyclones will face-off with the Fort Wayne Komets in the first round of the ECHL postseason.
  • Alex Swetlikoff (2021-22) and the Savannah Ghost Pirates may not have qualified for the Kelly Cup Playoffs, but the 21-year-old finished with strong rookie numbers. He placed second on his team in points with 49 in 68 games played, leading the team in shots on goal with 202.

EUROPE

  • Peter Mueller (2005-07) finished as a near point-per-game player with HC Vítkovice in Czechia. Serving as an alternate captain, he recorded 18 goals and 17 assists in 36 games played, helping lead his club to the playoffs. There, he posted eight points in 13 games as HC Vítkovice fell in Game 7 of the league’s Semi-Final.
  • Dominik Bittner (2011-12) scored five goals with 11 assists for the DEL’s Grizzlys Wolfsburg in Germany. He helped lead his team to the DEL Semi-Final, ultimately losing in seven games.
  • Former NHLer Mirco Müller (2012-14) ended his regular season in the Swiss professional league with 14 assists in 52 games as alternate captain for HC Lugano. He appeared in eight playoff games as well, registering one assist and a +4 defensive rating.
  • Michal Gut (2019-22) scored four goals and three assists in 41 games with HC Litvínov, helping them to the Extraliga Playoffs. He skated in three postseason games as HC Litvínov was dispatched in the first round.
  • Patrick Bajkov (2013-18) ended his season with nine goals and 16 assists in 51 games played between Kristianstads IK and HC Vita Hästen in the Swedish HockeyAllsvenskan. HC Vita Hästen did not qualify for the playoffs.
  • Niko Huuhtanen (2021-22) and Finnish pro team Jukurit did not qualify for the Liiga Playoffs. But the 19-year-old finished the season leading his team in goal-scoring with 17 in 48 games, 14th-best in the league.
  • Josh Winquist (2009-14) spent 33 games in the ECHL with the Fort Wayne Komets before finishing the campaign with Sweden’s Västerviks IK. He played in 10 games in the HockeyAllsvenskan, posting two goals and three assists.
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