Hey, Cuda Country! It’s the off-season, so that means I’ve got a little more time on my hands to dust off the old blog.
Before we begin, I want to say thank you to each and every one of you for your support this season. It was year 10 for me, and I had as much fun as ever. As Drew Remenda says, “it beats working for a living.” We had an incredible staff, a great group of players, and one of the best teams the Barracuda have ever had. Unfortunately, as it goes sometimes, injuries proved to be too much to overcome.

While the Barracuda season might be over, the Calder Cup Playoffs are not even halfway done. What’s the adage? You don’t know until you know?

It certainly rings true in the AHL’s Pacific Division this year, which was as competitive as ever. Now, if we were to strictly make our playoff predictions based on where each team finished in the regular-season standings, you might have seen this coming. The Colorado Eagles (Colorado Avalanche) finished second in the Pacific Division with 93 points. The Ontario Reign (LA Kings) had a first-round bye after finishing atop the Pacific Division in the regular season, but the Coachella Valley Firebirds (Seattle Kraken) threw a wrench into predictability with a decisive Game 5 double-overtime victory in Round 2 against the Reign. But are we surprised? The Firebirds have a knack for getting it done in the playoffs, despite this iteration of Seattle’s affiliate being a lot more prospect-laden than the teams that reached the Calder Cup Finals in back-to-back years in 2023 and 2024. Coachella has now won 10 playoff series in its four-year history.

The Eagles and Firebirds opened their best-of-five series in Palm Desert on Wednesday. Trent Miner made 20 saves to earn his fourth shutout of the playoffs as the Eagles took Game 1, 3-0. Miner is now 6-1 in the playoffs with a .95 GAA and .958 SV%. Colorado is going to be hard to beat if Miner is in this type of zone, and as we know, this time of year a hot goalie can go a long way.

Game 2 is set for Friday in Coachella Valley before the series shifts to Loveland on Sunday.

The way Colorado dismantled the Henderson Silver Knights (Vegas Golden Knights) in the Divisional Semi-Final tells you all you need to know about the state of their game. Because if you had asked me who I thought was getting out of the divisional rounds and could win the whole thing from the Pacific Division, I would have said Henderson. And it’s not because it was the last team the Barracuda saw. They kind of had all the ingredients, in my mind, to make a serious run: high-octane offense, a great power play, outstanding goaltending, and a veteran-laden d-core that mixed savvy experience with big-time production. Plus, they were the hottest team in the league post-All-Star break.

But the Colorado Eagles, to me, are the Carolina Hurricanes of the Pacific Division: always good, and maybe even taken for granted because of their perennial regular-season success, but with no championship to prove it. This might just be the year it all comes together. I know the Hurricanes have a Stanley Cup, but that was back in 2006, and the modern-era Canes have come up short a lot in the playoffs but it's their regular-season success that reminds me of the Eagles.

The Eagles won a pair of Kelly Cups in the ECHL before they were purchased by the Avalanche and promoted to the AHL in 2018. They’ve made the postseason every year since joining the league, with the exception of 2020 when there were no playoffs due to the pandemic. Before the ECHL, they won a pair of championships in the Central Hockey League, so they have a rich history of winning. This just might be the year. Of course, the Avs, the Eagles’ top affiliate, are heavy favorites in the NHL. If the two were to go all the way, it would be the first time an NHL team and its AHL club both won championships in the same season since 1995, when the Devils and Albany River Rats captured their respective titles.

If you’re looking for a rooting interest with Barracuda ties, Colorado has three Barracuda alumni on its roster (Keaton Middleton, Danil Gushchin, and Jacob MacDonald). Former Sharks/Barracuda goaltender Zach Sawchenko is 3-0 in the Calder Cup Playoffs with the Cleveland Monsters (Columbus Blue Jackets). Henry Thrun (Toronto Marlies/Maple Leafs), Zach Gallant (Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins/Pittsburg), and John Leonard (Grand Rapids Griffins/Detroit Red Wings) are also still in contention.

The reality of trying to predict the Calder Cup Playoffs is that it’s almost impossible. It’s like trying to prognosticate who’s going to be good from year to year in a league filled with players on one-year contracts and entry-level deals. It’s a coin flip and nearly impossible to predict. With that said, the Eagles have changed coaches and personnel, but annually remain a contender. Last year, Colorado looked destined for a deep playoff run after eliminating the Barracuda in Round 2, but was ultimately bounced in the Divisional Final by the eventual Calder Cup champion Abbotsford Canucks (Vancouver). The Eagles have never gotten out of the second round in their eight-year AHL history.

That’s why we watch, because you really never know.

In the NHL, Jeff Viel has been one of the best stories going. A Cuda alumnus of 212 games, Viel was a momentum-shifter in Round 1 for the Ducks against Edmonton and has been impactful in Round 2 against Vegas. His game fits perfectly this time of year, and with all of Anaheim’s young skill in its top six, he has fit perfectly on the team’s fourth line since the Ducks traded for him from Boston in January. As we saw in his five years with the Sharks, he’ll give you everything he has, and this playoff run he’s put together is going to earn him a nice little payday this summer. With the Sharks organization or not, you’re always rooting for these guys to have long and fruitful careers. Viel, who was originally an undrafted signing by the Barracuda, is an awesome guy who has had to earn everything in his career.

Speaking of heart-and-soul guys, the Sharks re-signed Patrick Giles on May 5 to a two-year deal. An underrated trade acquisition last spring from Florida, Giles was a perfect fit with the Barracuda. He was utilized in all situations and, as head coach John McCarthy coined, “he’s a recallable asset.” Beyond just prospects, guys who can be called up and be effective when the opportunity is there are extremely valuable for a successful NHL team.

One moment stuck out to me about Giles early in the year. With a new system and new personnel, the Barracuda penalty kill was really struggling early in the season. Giles was having a casual, yet detailed, conversation with assistant coach Louis Mass in the player lounge while the two were grabbing a bite to eat. At one point, Mass, looking for answers, suggested they change up the system, but despite the results — or lack thereof — Giles emphatically expressed that it just needed time and things would turn around. He was bang on. After sitting at the bottom of the league during the first month on the PK, the Barracuda became one of the league’s best units the rest of the year, hovering around 90%. I was merely a fly on the wall, but I thought it was such a great indication of the type of player Giles is and his passion for the game. He was highly respected in the room, wore a letter for the Cuda, and was named the club’s Most Inspirational Award winner.

The Sharks announced another signing since the end of the season as well, as forward Carson Wetsch inked his ELC. In all likelihood, he’ll be with the Barracuda next season. A third-rounder in 2024, the 20-year-old captained the WHL’s Kelowna Rockets this year, notching 72 points in 65 games. Although the Rockets were eliminated from the playoffs, they are this year’s Memorial Cup host city, which equals an auto-bid. The Memorial Cup is scheduled to start May 22 and will run through May 31.

The field for the 2026 Memorial Cup is beginning to take shape. The OHL representative will be the Kitchener Rangers after capturing the league championship. The WHL representative is still to be determined, though the Everett Silvertips currently hold a 3-1 series lead over the Prince Albert Raiders in the championship series. Meanwhile, the QMJHL title remains up for grabs, with the Chicoutimi Saguenéens and the Moncton Wildcats battling for the league crown and a spot in the tournament.

Former Raider Nolan Allan was spotted taking in the WHL Championship. Thanks to Sharks Hall of Fame broadcaster Dan Rusanowsky for shooting over the interview. Allan’s Raiders have some work to do down 3-1. Only three teams have ever forced a Game 7 in the WHL Final after trailing 3-1, and all three lost in the final. Sharks prospect Max Heise has a goal in the series for Prince Albert and nine shots on net through four games. Teddy Mutryn, whom the Sharks selected in the third round last year, is also still playing for Moncton. Sharks goalie prospect Christian Kirsch went 16-2 in the OHL playoffs with a 2.32 GAA and .900 SV%.

The hockey world never rests, so we’ll have lots to talk about next time, but for now, I’ll say so long and thanks for reading.