Chris Mueller (#19) and Anthony DeAngelo (#24) on military appriciation night
Record 6-1-1, 1st Pacific
• Loss 5-3 at San Diego Gulls
• Win 2-1 (OT) at Stockton Heat
• Win 2-1 at Bakersfield Condors
• Win 6-5 vs. Stockton Heat
• Win 4-3 vs. Stockton Heat
• Loss 4-3 (OT) vs. Texas Stars
• Win 3-2 vs. Ontario Reign
• Win 5-4 (OT) vs. Ontario Reign
In their first season since being bought by the Coyotes and moved from Springfield Massachusetts, the Tucson Roadrunners have had a hot start. Great goaltending and excellent special teams is what has largely led to a 6-1-1 start.
What’s working
#33 Adin Hill makes a save on the Texas Stars
• Adin Hill. If the season ended today Adin Hill would be at the very least be nominated for the Les Cunningham Award as AHL league MVP. He has had to consistently face and stop an obscene number of shots; on several occasions he has had to put the team on his back and carry Tucson to victory. Without him, the Roadrunners would have maybe two wins on the season, not six.
Brendan Perlini celebrates assisting on a powerplay goal against San Diego
• Special Teams The Roadrunners have been great all season long at making the most of their scoring chances, many of which have come on the power play. Their powerplay is second only to Ontario in the AHL with a 34.2% conversion rate (Ontario’s is 34.3%). The Roadrunner’s PK is also second in the league at 91.7% (Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s is 92.7%).
• Kyle Wood. Twenty-year-old rookie Kyle Wood leads the Roadrunners’ in scoring with 2 goals, 7 assists and 9 points in 8 games. In recognition for his efforts, Kyle Wood was named CCM’s AHL rookie of the month for October.
What isn’t
• Too many shots against. The Roadrunners have consistently lost the possession battle all season long. They spend way too much time in their zone, not enough in the oppositions’, and let their opponents control the play. As a result, the Roadrunners have out shot their opponent in only 1 out of their 8 games this season (the 4-3 win against Stockton). In the other 7 games where they have been outshot; the Roadrunners have allowed 40 or more shots in 5 of them. Tucson is relying on a hot goaltender right now, but goalies can cool off just as quickly as they heat up. As a result, to ensure long-term success, they need to work on limiting their opponent’s scoring chances.
• Questionable line combinations.The main issue here is the fact that Kyle Wood concisely plays on the third defensive pair. The Roadrunners’ have also struggled to get shots against opponents this year and giving a bright young offensive defenseman like Wood top pairing minutes would definitely help with getting more shots. Given that he is one of the best defensemen in the Coyotes’ system right now and that the AHL is a developmental league where talented young players are supposed to get ice time, I cannot think of any logical reason why Wood plays on the third pair.
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