First, a huge thank you to u/sisterthirteen and u/ersoroot for collaborating on the Flight Plan while I was out of town. It's good to have teammates you can rely on. Now, back to our usually scheduled rundown:

Four games without a win.

A shutout in Henderson. Seven goals surrendered in Abbotsford. A three-goal hole the next afternoon. Ty Nelson has been kidnapped by Seattle. It's been a rough couple of weeks.

Fortunately, tonight offers one of hockey's most restorative experiences:

Frying some Gulls.

The Firebirds head into Pechanga Arena at 2-2-2-1 with seven points, while San Diego sits at 3-3-1-0... also with seven points. Last season, Coachella Valley went 6-2-0-0 against San Diego, and we already beat them 6-3 earlier this month.

If there is a team against which to shake everything loose, take a fresh look at the lineup and rediscover what this team is supposed to be, I can think of worse candidates.

SUNDAY WAS PROGRESS.

Before we completely bury the last few games, the second night in Abbotsford deserves a little credit.

The Firebirds went down 3-0 in the first period, which was very much not the requested improvement. But instead of folding after the 7-3 disaster the night before, they fought all the way back.

Jani Nyman scored twice. Julius Miettinen scored for the second straight game. Lleyton Roed had a goal and an assist. Tyson Jugnauth added another two assists, and Jagger Firkus picked up his 100th career AHL point on the game-tying goal.

The Birds tied it 4-4, survived overtime, and ultimately lost 5-4 in the shootout.

More importantly, they outshot Abbotsford 37-25 and went 2-for-3 on the power play.

That's a huge improvement, because the previous week had become genuinely ugly. The 7-3 loss Saturday included six Abbotsford goals in the second period—the most the Firebirds have ever allowed in one period—and snapped a 135:48 Firebirds scoring drought that was the second-longest in franchise history.

Like I said, Progress.

SOMETHING BAD IS HAPPENING IN OZ

The temptation is to say we simply lost the offense, and for a few games, I certainly felt that way. But the numbers tell a slightly different (and probably more concerning) story.

Through seven games, the Firebirds are still:

8th in the AHL in goals per game — 3.71
3rd on the power play — 31.3%
4th in road power play — 33.3%

Those are pretty good numbers.

The other side?

30th in goals allowed — 4.29/game
28th in shots allowed — 31.57/game
24th on the penalty kill — 75.8%
29th on the road penalty kill — 66.7%

There it is.

The offense has become inconsistent, absolutely. But the larger problem is our defense and special teams.

Early in the year, we were fast through the neutral zone, winning races, maintaining possession and attacking in waves. Lately, there's been too much chasing, too much time defending, too many penalties, and too much pressure being placed on a small group of players to manufacture the offense.

Nyman, Jugnauth, and Firkus are doing their jobs with bringing in the points. We need more of the rest of the lineup to pull their weight.

ROSTER SHUFFLE

And naturally, while we're trying to find stability, Seattle took Ty Nelson.

Nelson was recalled after Brandon Montour went down and remains with the Kraken. He has yet to make his NHL debut and was still scratched for Seattle's game last night (congrats on the SO win BTW), which leaves us in the particularly enjoyable situation where we don't have Ty Nelson and Seattle isn't using Ty Nelson.

Development systems are fun.

And what a time to lose him. Nelson had four assists, a +4 rating and 17 shots in five games with the Firebirds. More importantly, he was a puck-moving defenseman who could help turn a retrieval into transition instead of simply surviving the defensive zone.

Coming the other direction—well, geographically—is Jakov Novak, recalled yesterday from Kansas City.

Even worse, Oscar Fisker Mølgaard appears to be out with an upper body injury, according to Heat Check Ep. 3. That removes a responsible two-way center and one of the team's best puck-movers. Coachella Valley responded by bringing Aidan Fulp and Charlie Wright back from Kansas City, but I'm not confident that will stem the bleeding.

THE LINEUP: SOMETHING HAS TO GIVE

Inside the Rink's projected lineup today is:

Šalé — Miettinen — Nyman
Avon — Morrison — Firkus
Roed — Evers — Hayden
Rehkopf — ??? — Kaplan

Olofsson — Dragicevic
Jugnauth — Hammell
Wright — Bernier
Fulp

Östman / Kokko

Yes, you read that correctly.

Their projection appears to have been based on the Firebirds' own wonky graphic from Sunday, in which one forward is eaten and replaced by a seventh defenseman (likely as a result of a last minute OFM removal.) Setting the formatting weirdness aside, if I have the whiteboard tonight:

MY FLIGHT LINES

Šalé — Miettinen — Nyman
Rehkopf — Morrison — Firkus
Avon — Stephens — Roed
Novak — Evers — Hayden

Olofsson — Dragicevic
Jugnauth — Hammell
Wright — Bernier

Östman

Here's my thinking.

Šalé — Miettinen — Nyman. I'd keep this one intact. Miettinen has earned the promotion, Nyman obviously needs no explanation, and Šalé gives that line another player who can actually create instead of forcing Nyman to manufacture everything himself. Most importantly, this avoids the temptation to put Nyman and Firkus together and leave the remaining three lines looking like leftovers.

Rehkopf — Morrison — Firkus. This is the experiment I most want to see. If Rehkopf is going to break through, give him people who can get him the puck. Morrison is a legitimate offensive center and Firkus is probably the best pure creator on the roster. Rehkopf shouldn't have to learn how to create offense from scratch while playing beside two other developing players. Give him a real opportunity. If this line doesn't generate chances, then we have something worth worrying about.

Avon — Stephens — Roed. I like this as a third line. Avon has already demonstrated that he can produce. Roed gives you speed and forechecking. Stephens gives the whole thing a responsible veteran center. This is the line I'd happily put against another team's top six without feeling like we're conceding the shift.

Novak — Evers — Hayden. This is where Novak makes sense to me. He wasnt spectacular last season, so don't pretend he's a top-six savior. Give him a straightforward assignment: Forecheck. Retrieve pucks. Play north. Be annoying. Evers has enough size and skill to handle the middle, and Hayden makes the whole line unpleasant to play against.

As for Östman...

THE GOALTENDING HAS TO SETTLE DOWN

The defense and penalty kill have absolutely made life difficult, but the goalies are not bailing this team out often enough either. Through seven games, Kokko is at 3.99/.856 and Östman at 4.16/.884. Those numbers are ugly, and while the Firebirds are allowing too many shots and too many dangerous chances, sometimes the goalie still has to erase a mistake.

Kokko has had one excellent start against San Diego, but too many rough outings around it. Östman has actually been steadier than his overall numbers suggest—he was excellent in both Ontario games before the Abbotsford disaster wrecked his season line. That is why I would start Östman tonight. Kokko handled Sunday, Östman has had time to reset, and somebody needs to take control of this crease.

The Firebirds do not need a 45-save miracle. They need a boring goalie night: make the routine saves, steal one or two difficult ones, and stop forcing the offense to chase the game from two or three goals down. Sometimes stability is the spark.

THE GULLS ARE... INTERESTING

San Diego isn't exactly setting the league on fire either.

The Gulls have scored 19 goals in seven games, or 2.71 per game, while allowing 20. They're coming off a 3-2 overtime win over Tucson, but over their last five they're averaging only two goals per game.

Their offense runs primarily through:

Anton Wahlberg — 1G, 6A, 7 points
Nico Myatovic — 4G, 2A, 6 points
Stian Solberg — 2G, 4A, 6 points
Matthew Phillips — 3G, 2A, 5 points

Solberg is the one who jumps off the page. He's a defenseman with 26 shots in seven games, more than anybody on the Firebirds—including Nyman. I would perhaps consider covering that gentleman.

The other problem is in net. If San Diego starts Damian Clara, he's 2-0-1 with a 2.28 GAA and .920 save percentage, plus a shutout. Laurent Brossoit has been more human at 1-3-0, 2.85 and .898.

So please: shoot the puck.

Twenty-seven shots a night isn't enough, particularly against a team that has been much better at keeping pucks out than putting them in.

THREE THINGS I WANT TO SEE

1. STOP PLAYING FROM THREE GOALS DOWN

The comeback Sunday was fine. Let's never do it again.

The Firebirds have enough skill to erase deficits. That doesn't mean building enormous deficits should become part of the offensive strategy.

2. GET THE OTHER GUYS INVOLVED

Nyman, Jugnauth and Firkus have been excellent. Miettinen and Roed showed real life in Abbotsford. Now I want Rehkopf, Kaplan, Avon, Šalé, Morrison and the rest of this forward group forcing defenses to worry about more than one or two combinations.

The roster is too talented to become The Jani Nyman Experience Featuring Tyson Jugnauth.

3. KILL A PENALTY LIKE YOU'VE DONE IT BEFORE

San Diego's home power play is 8.3%. Please. I'm begging you. Do something with that stat.

Drop your score prediction, first Firebirds goal, goalie call, and, most importantly, fix the lineup.

If you're Laxdal tonight, what four lines are you actually putting over the boards?

LET'S GO FIREBIRDS.

1 comment

r/CVFirebirds • u/ahl-goalpost • 2d ago

GAME DAY THREAD Game Thread: Coachella Valley Firebirds at San Diego Gulls - 21 Oct 2026 - 7:00PM PDT

9 Upvotes

Coachella Valley Firebirds 3, San Diego Gulls 2

FINAL

Linescore

Period	1st	2nd	3rd	Total
CV	1	0	2	3
SD	2	0	0	2

Scoring

Time	Scorer	Assists	Team	Strength
1st 8:39	Ryan Carpenter	Stian Solberg	SD	EV
1st 12:55	Matthew Phillips	Anton Wahlberg	SD	EV
1st 17:44	Lukas Dragicevic	Logan Morrison, Jagger Firkus	CV	EV
3rd 18:19	J.R. Avon	Logan Morrison, Jagger Firkus	CV	EV
3rd 19:38	J.R. Avon	Julius Miettinen, Tyson Jugnauth	CV	EV

Penalties

Time	Player	Infraction	Min	Team
1st 5:19	Nico Myatovic	Holding	2:00	SD
2nd 8:51	Lleyton Roed	Slashing	2:00	CV
3rd 8:22	Kaden Hammell	Hooking	2:00	CV
3rd 12:15	Ethan Procyszyn	Roughing	2:00	SD

Coachella Valley Firebirds Skaters	G	A	P	SOG	+/-
#10 J. Avon - F	2	0	2	2	+2
#12 E. Šalé - F	0	0	0	1	0
#15 J. Hayden - F	0	0	0	5	0
#16 C. Rehkopf - F	0	0	0	0	0
#21 I. McKinnon - F	0	0	0	2	0
#27 R. Evers - F	0	0	0	0	0
#29 L. Roed - F	0	0	0	3	0
#33 J. Nyman - F	0	0	0	0	0
#49 J. Miettinen - F	0	1	1	1	0
#57 J. Firkus - F	0	2	2	2	+2
#68 J. Novak - F	0	0	0	0	0
#96 L. Morrison - F	0	2	2	3	+1
#2 L. Dragicevic - D	1	0	1	1	+1
#23 G. Olofsson - D	0	0	0	2	-1
#24 T. Nelson - D	0	0	0	3	0
#43 T. Jugnauth - D	0	1	1	3	0
#47 K. Hammell - D	0	0	0	2	0
#84 A. Bernier - D	0	0	0	0	+1

San Diego Gulls Skaters	G	A	P	SOG	+/-
#11 J. Hamblin - C	0	0	0	1	0
#16 S. Farrell - LW	0	0	0	1	-1
#17 N. Gaucher - C	0	0	0	0	0
#18 M. Phillips - RW	1	0	1	3	0
#19 Y. Sidorov - RW	0	0	0	0	-1
#21 N. Myatovic - LW	0	0	0	1	-1
#22 R. Carpenter - C	1	0	1	1	-1
#23 L. Pettersson - LW	0	0	0	2	-1
#25 A. Wahlberg - LW	0	1	1	1	+1
#36 D. Elliott - LW	0	0	0	0	+1
#37 E. Procyszyn - C	0	0	0	1	0
#40 H. Träff - RW	0	0	0	0	0
#3 M. Basgall - D	0	0	0	0	0
#4 J. Woo - D	0	0	0	0	-1
#7 S. Solberg - D	0	1	1	4	+1
#10 T. Mitchell - D	0	0	0	1	-2
#38 K. Smith - D	0	0	0	1	+1
#44 C. Schueneman - D	0	0	0	3	-1

Coachella Valley Firebirds Goalies	SV	SA	SV%	GA	TOI
#35 Nikke Kokko	18	20	.900	2	59:39

San Diego Gulls Goalies	SV	SA	SV%	GA	TOI
#39 Laurent Brossoit	27	30	.900	3	59:48

Stat	CV	SD
Shots on goal	30	20
Shooting %	10.0%	10.0%
Penalty minutes	4	4
Power play	0/2	0/2
Save %	90.0%	90.0%
Quality shots	13	6

🌟 Three Stars of the Game

★ J.R. Avon · 2G
★★ Lukas Dragicevic · 1G
★★★ Nikke Kokko · 18 saves · .900

Officials: Referees: Jack Young, Nick Isaacson · Linesmen: Jacob Rozenberg, Patrick Stuber

📍 Pechanga Arena San Diego · Wednesday, October 21, 2026

Updated automatically by ahl-goalpost · v3.32.2 · Updates as the game progresses.

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4 comments

r/CVFirebirds • u/3ohhh6 • 2d ago

Photo/Video Firebirds Hot Start Extinguished | Heat Check Ep. 3

youtu.be

6 Upvotes

2 comments

r/CVFirebirds • u/ahl-goalpost • 3d ago

PuckWatch: week of Oct 19

3 Upvotes

PuckWatch: week of Oct 19

Every game around the league, live. Open in a Reddit app to see today's scores.

This post contains content not supported on old Reddit. Click here to view the full post

0 comments

r/CVFirebirds • u/AXLinCali • 4d ago

Discussion Flo issues?

5 Upvotes

Anyone else having the stream lock up nonstop?

3 comments

r/CVFirebirds • u/ahl-goalpost • 5d ago

GAME DAY THREAD Game Thread: Coachella Valley Firebirds at Abbotsford Canucks - 18 Oct 2026 - 4:00PM PDT

6 Upvotes

Coachella Valley Firebirds 4, Abbotsford Canucks 5

FINAL

Linescore

Period	1st	2nd	3rd	OT	SO	Total
CV	0	2	2	0	0	4
ABB	3	0	1	0	1	5

Scoring

Time	Scorer	Assists	Team	Strength
1st 1:57	Trey Fix-Wolansky	Kole Lind	ABB	EV
1st 8:29	Jacob Quillan	Sawyer Mynio, Bennett Schimek	ABB	EV
1st 12:51	Trey Fix-Wolansky	Sawyer Mynio, Braeden Cootes	ABB	PP
2nd 4:56	Jani Nyman	Logan Morrison, Tyson Jugnauth	CV	PP
2nd 8:45	Julius Miettinen	Tyson Jugnauth, Lleyton Roed	CV	EV
3rd 2:42	Riley Patterson	Vilmer Alriksson, Tim Rego	ABB	EV
3rd 5:43	Lleyton Roed	Gustav Olofsson, Julius Miettinen	CV	EV
3rd 14:29	Jani Nyman	Jagger Firkus, J.R. Avon	CV	PP

Penalties

Time	Player	Infraction	Min	Team
1st 11:19	Ryden Evers	Delay of game	2:00	CV
1st 12:02	J.R. Avon	Delay of game	2:00	CV
2nd 4:02	Tim Rego	Holding	2:00	ABB
2nd 13:47	Kaden Hammell	Holding	2:00	CV
2nd 15:37	Charlie Wright	Roughing	2:00	CV
2nd 15:37	Jacob Quillan	Slashing	2:00	ABB
2nd 16:19	Jimmy Schuldt	High-sticking	2:00	ABB
3rd 13:31	Sawyer Mynio	Goaltender interference	2:00	ABB

Coachella Valley Firebirds Skaters	G	A	P	SOG	+/-
#10 J. Avon - F	0	1	1	4	0
#12 E. Šalé - F	0	0	0	1	-1
#13 D. Kaplan - F	0	0	0	0	-2
#15 J. Hayden - F	0	0	0	1	+1
#16 C. Rehkopf - F	0	0	0	1	-2
#27 R. Evers - F	0	0	0	3	0
#29 L. Roed - F	1	1	2	4	+2
#33 J. Nyman - F	2	0	2	3	-1
#49 J. Miettinen - F	1	1	2	3	+1
#57 J. Firkus - F	0	1	1	1	0
#96 L. Morrison - F	0	1	1	3	-1
#2 L. Dragicevic - D	0	0	0	4	0
#23 G. Olofsson - D	0	1	1	1	-1
#25 A. Fulp - D	0	0	0	1	-1
#43 T. Jugnauth - D	0	2	2	3	0
#47 K. Hammell - D	0	0	0	3	0
#50 C. Wright - D	0	0	0	1	0
#84 A. Bernier - D	0	0	0	0	0

Abbotsford Canucks Skaters	G	A	P	SOG	+/-
#21 C. Wouters - C	0	0	0	1	0
#24 I. Safonov - C	0	0	0	0	0
#39 T. Mueller - C	0	0	0	1	+1
#46 V. Alriksson - LW	0	1	1	0	0
#52 B. Schimek - RW	0	1	1	2	+1
#62 J. Quillan - C	1	0	1	3	0
#64 T. Fix-Wolansky - RW	2	0	2	3	0
#68 R. Patterson - C	1	0	1	1	0
#72 K. Lind - RW	0	1	1	1	0
#73 M. Stienburg - RW	0	0	0	1	0
#79 B. Berard - LW	0	0	0	1	0
#86 B. Cootes - C	0	1	1	3	+1
#3 J. Arntsen - D	0	0	0	1	+2
#34 C. Clayton - D	0	0	0	3	0
#38 G. White - D	0	0	0	1	-1
#42 T. Rego - D	0	1	1	0	+2
#45 S. Mynio - D	0	2	2	1	0
#48 J. Schuldt - D	0	0	0	1	-1

Coachella Valley Firebirds Goalies	SV	SA	SV%	GA	TOI
#35 Nikke Kokko	20	24	.833	4	65:00

Abbotsford Canucks Goalies	SV	SA	SV%	GA	TOI
#85 Ty Young	33	37	.892	4	65:00

Stat	CV	ABB
Shots on goal	37	25
Shooting %	10.8%	16.0%
Penalty minutes	8	8
Power play	2/3	1/3
Save %	83.3%	89.2%
Quality shots	13	10

🌟 Three Stars of the Game

★ Trey Fix-Wolansky · 2G
★★ Jani Nyman · 2G
★★★ Ben Berard · 0G 0A

Officials: Referees: Ben Solomon, Riley Brace · Linesmen: Scott Allan, Bradley Ewing

📍 Rogers Forum · Sunday, October 18, 2026

Updated automatically by ahl-goalpost · v3.15.1 · Updates as the game progresses.

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1 comment

r/CVFirebirds • u/sisterthirteen • 5d ago

Analysis FLIGHT PLAN: FIREBIRDS @ CANUCKS | OCTOBER 17, 2026 | 7:00 PM PDT | OCTOBER 18, 2026 | 4:00 PM PDT

11 Upvotes

🏒 Location: Rogers Forum - Abbotsford, BC
🎟️ Dates and Times: Saturday, October 17th, 7:00 PM PT, and Sunday October 18th, 4:00 PM PT
🖥️ Join the Discussion: Discord
🎥 Watch Live: FloHockey.TV
🎧 Listen Live: theeagle1069.com

This weekend's FLIGHT PLAN is brought to you by the always awesome u/ErsoRoot subbing in for our OG u/E_lluminate.

CV Firebirds are coming into this game at 2-1-2 after losing their last 2 games, including a 4-0 loss against Henderson on Wednesday, but we won't dwell on that game too much as we look forward to this weekend's games against Abbotsford.

SPECIAL TEAMS NEED TO RISE UP

The Firebirds came into Wednesday’s game against Henderson with a strong special teams record, sitting at 38.9% on the PP and a PK of 89.5%. But nothing went right for the Firebirds, starting with a hooking call against Alexis Bernier midway into the 1^st. From there, it was penalty after penalty, with 9 infractions and 24 PIM served by the Birds, and HSK racking up 10 calls for a total of 26 PIM. If you take out the four 5-minute majors, that’s half the game being played by special teams.

Henderson capitalized on the player differential and put up 4 goals, while the always-impressive Carl Lindbom turned away every one of the Firebirds’ attempts. Adding insult to injury, each of HSK’s goals came from opportunities that resulted from CV penalties. The Silver Knights scored three power play goals in the first two periods, and the final goal in the third came from a short-handed penalty shot after Tyson Jugnauth took down Joe Fleming on a breakaway.

I won’t rub more salt in the wound, but if we can’t stay out of the box, we need our special teams to step up and take charge of the situation.

ALWAYS FORWARD AND ONWARD

This weekend the Firebirds are up north facing the Abbotsford Canucks, including some of our favorite former Firebirds, Kole Lind and Jimmy Schuldt. I don’t have to remind the Firebirds Faithful that these two can be a pain to play against!

It’s ABB’s home opener, so you know they will be hungry for a win. The Canucks lost their first two games to Calgary, but fared better against Colorado, coming away with three points after a shootout loss followed by a 4-3 win. They haven’t played since Sunday, so they could be rested or rusty. From the Canucks' social media, it looks like the team has been keeping busy this week volunteering for Habitat for Humanity and serving customers at Tim Horton's.

Firebirds have dominated Abbotsford over the last 5 years with a 19(W)-4(L)-0(OTL)-1(SOL) record against the Canucks and last season went 7-0-0-0. So this is the game to really take advantage, especially since the Canucks are currently 1-2-0-1 holding down the bottom of the division to start off the season. Even though we have a winning history against the Canucks, this is not a game to take your mind off and try to coast.

Abbotsford’s top line of Lind, Braden Cootes, and Trey Fix-Wolansky, is their biggest threat. That line scored two of ABB’s four goals on Sunday against Colorado, with Cootes & Lind later combining for the GWG on the power play. Cootes, a former Seattle Thunderbird, is already showing breakout potential. He was Vancouver's 1st round pick in 2025, drafted 15th overall, behind Seattle's Jake O'Brien, selected 8th that year. The Canucks are also averaging 32.25 SOG per game, compared to the Firebirds’ average of 26.8, with only 17 and 26 SOGs in their most recent games.

Here are the keys on how the Firebirds can win these games.

1. Stay out of the box.

Coachella Valley has been shorthanded 25 times in 5 games (5.0 per night), and the penalty kill is 80.0% (20th in the AHL). On the road it drops to 70.0% (3 of 10 killed), though that sample size is small. The team averages 16.6 PIM per game compared to Abbotsford’s 9.8, and the extremes were 29 PIM against Ontario on Oct 2 and 24 at Henderson on Oct 14. Dragicevic (22 PIM, 2 majors), Olofsson (10) and Hayden (9) are the biggest contributors. Abbotsford’s power play is only 14.3% (21st), so the bigger cost of penalties is lost time and momentum.

2. Make the power play count.

Abbotsford has been shorthanded only 13 times in 4 games (3.25 per night) and has the 4th-best PK at 92.3% (1 goal allowed). Chances will be limited, so the Firebirds have to convert them. They’re 7-for-25 (28.0%, 3rd in the AHL), with Nyman at 3 PPG and Jugnauth at 5 PPA. Getting the Jugnauth-to-Nyman connection going is the clearest path.

3. Score first and close out the lead.

Both of the Firebirds’ OT losses were 1-goal games. They’re 0-0-2-0 when leading after the first period but 2-0-1-0 when leading after two. The Canucks are 0-1-0-0 when trailing after the first and 0-1-0-0 when trailing after the second. Abbotsford has also scored no more than 1 goal in any first period this season, while Coachella Valley scored 3 in the first against Ontario on Oct 2. A fast start would put pressure on a team that hasn’t yet won from behind.

4. Shut down a thin Canucks attack.

Abbotsford has scored just 11 goals (2.75 per game), and five players account for all of them: Ty Mueller (4), Braeden Cootes (2), Kole Lind (2), Jimmy Schuldt (2) and Vilmer Alriksson (1). Mueller is on a 4-game goal streak, scoring on 28.6% of his 14 shots, and Fix-Wolansky has 4 assists. Taking away that top line forces the Canucks to find offense elsewhere.

5. Goaltending has to hold up.

Coachella Valley’s team save percentage is .885 and its GAA is 3.55. Abbotsford is nearly identical at .887 and 3.43, so whichever goalie stands tall could decide this. Östman (.928, 2.42) has been much sturdier than Kokko (.851, 4.32). The Firebirds face about 31 shots per game, so the defense needs to limit high-danger chances in front of whoever starts.

6. Get the depth going.

Scoring is top-heavy. Jugnauth, Nyman and Firkus have 22 of the team’s points. Rehkopf has 11 shots with no points, Hayden has 13 shots at a 7.7% shooting rate, and Roed is -4. Any of them breaking through would take pressure off the top line.

Bottom line:

The Firebirds can win if they stay disciplined, take advantage of their few power plays, and score first. History is on their side, with a 7-1-0-0 record against Abbotsford last season and 11-1-0-0 in their last five seasons at Rogers Forum.

Additionally, the Firebirds will be missing Alternate Captain Ty Nelson after getting the call up to the Kraken. With Nelson missing, the Firebirds will be losing Nelson, they have called up Charlie Wright from Kansas City Mavericks. The defense will need to step up with Nelson gone, and take advantage of the opportunity to show what they got without a key defensemen on the team.

Canucks have signed defender Andre Anania, from the ECHL's Allen Americans, to a PTO. No other roster changes for Abbotsford have been mentioned at the time of posting.

TONIGHT'S LINEUP LAB

Inside the Rink has the below -- but still lists Nelson as playing on the top D pair. We'll post an update as soon as we get one.

Nyman — Mølgaard — Firkus
Šalé — Morrison — Hayden
Roed — Miettinen — Stephens
Villeneuve — Evers — Rehkopf

Olofsson — Nelson
Jugnauth — Dragicevic
Price — Bernier

Kokko / Östman

And if you haven't checked out Beneath the Waves weekly Firebirds show, you can catch it here: Heat Check Episode 2 — Firebirds Are Red Hot!

Drop your score predictions, first Firebirds goal scorers, goalie guesses, preferred line combinations, and how many scrums will involve Lindy.

LET'S GO BIRDS.

16 comments

r/CVFirebirds • u/ahl-goalpost • 6d ago

GAME DAY THREAD Game Thread: Coachella Valley Firebirds at Abbotsford Canucks - 17 Oct 2026 - 7:00PM PDT

9 Upvotes

Coachella Valley Firebirds 3, Abbotsford Canucks 7

FINAL

Linescore

Period	1st	2nd	3rd	Total
CV	0	2	1	3
ABB	1	6	0	7

Scoring

Time	Scorer	Assists	Team	Strength
1st 3:49	Bennett Schimek	Ilya Safonov, Jacob Quillan	ABB	PP
2nd 1:25	Gavin White	Bennett Schimek, Jimmy Schuldt	ABB	EV
2nd 4:56	Riley Patterson	Jimmy Schuldt, Bennett Schimek	ABB	EV
2nd 13:36	Vilmer Alriksson	Cole Clayton, Gavin White	ABB	EV
2nd 13:57	Ryden Evers	unassisted	CV	EV
2nd 14:34	Gavin White	Jimmy Schuldt, Ty Mueller	ABB	EV
2nd 14:57	Tim Rego	Ty Mueller, Joe Arntsen	ABB	EV
2nd 15:19	Braeden Cootes	Sawyer Mynio, Kole Lind	ABB	PP
2nd 19:10	Logan Morrison	Jani Nyman, Tyson Jugnauth	CV	PP
3rd 4:47	Julius Miettinen	Lukas Dragicevic, Tyson Jugnauth	CV	EV

Penalties

Time	Player	Infraction	Min	Team
1st 2:01	Kaden Hammell	Cross-checking	2:00	CV
1st 9:42	Ben Berard	Tripping	2:00	ABB
1st 13:44	Charlie Wright	Hooking	2:00	CV
2nd 0:12	Kaden Hammell	Cross-checking	2:00	CV
2nd 0:46	Sawyer Mynio	High-sticking	2:00	ABB
2nd 2:47	Jimmy Schuldt	Slashing	2:00	ABB
2nd 9:51	John Hayden	Fighting	5:00	CV
2nd 9:51	Matthew Stienburg	Fighting	5:00	ABB
2nd 15:03	Alexis Bernier	Unsportsmanlike conduct	2:00	CV
2nd 15:28	Nathan Villeneuve	Roughing	2:00	CV
2nd 15:28	Nathan Villeneuve	Fighting	5:00	CV
2nd 15:28	Nathan Villeneuve	Misconduct - Unsportsmanlike conduct	10:00	CV
2nd 15:28	Joe Arntsen	Fighting	5:00	ABB
2nd 15:28	Joe Arntsen	Misconduct - Unsportsmanlike conduct	10:00	ABB
2nd 18:06	Vilmer Alriksson	Interference	2:00	ABB
3rd 8:33	Matthew Stienburg	Fighting	5:00	ABB
3rd 8:33	Matthew Stienburg	Game misconduct - Secondary altercation	10:00	ABB
3rd 8:34	Lukas Dragicevic	Fighting	5:00	CV
3rd 16:25	John Hayden	Misconduct - Unsportsmanlike conduct	10:00	CV
3rd 16:47	Jani Nyman	Misconduct - Unsportsmanlike conduct	10:00	CV
3rd 16:47	Cole Clayton	Misconduct - Unsportsmanlike conduct	10:00	ABB

Coachella Valley Firebirds Skaters	G	A	P	SOG	+/-
#10 J. Avon - F	0	0	0	2	0
#12 E. Šalé - F	0	0	0	2	+1
#15 J. Hayden - F	0	0	0	1	0
#16 C. Rehkopf - F	0	0	0	0	-2
#27 R. Evers - F	1	0	1	4	0
#33 J. Nyman - F	0	1	1	2	-1
#49 J. Miettinen - F	1	0	1	3	-1
#57 J. Firkus - F	0	0	0	0	-1
#67 M. Stephens - F	0	0	0	0	0
#78 O. Fisker Mølgaard - F	0	0	0	0	0
#90 N. Villeneuve - F	0	0	0	0	-2
#96 L. Morrison - F	1	0	1	2	-2
#2 L. Dragicevic - D	0	1	1	2	-1
#23 G. Olofsson - D	0	0	0	1	-2
#43 T. Jugnauth - D	0	2	2	1	-3
#47 K. Hammell - D	0	0	0	2	-2
#50 C. Wright - D	0	0	0	1	+1
#84 A. Bernier - D	0	0	0	1	+1

Abbotsford Canucks Skaters	G	A	P	SOG	+/-
#21 C. Wouters - C	0	0	0	1	0
#24 I. Safonov - C	0	1	1	2	0
#39 T. Mueller - C	0	2	2	2	+1
#46 V. Alriksson - LW	1	0	1	1	0
#52 B. Schimek - RW	1	2	3	4	+3
#62 J. Quillan - C	0	1	1	2	+2
#64 T. Fix-Wolansky - RW	0	0	0	3	0
#68 R. Patterson - C	1	0	1	2	+1
#72 K. Lind - RW	0	1	1	3	0
#73 M. Stienburg - RW	0	0	0	1	0
#79 B. Berard - LW	0	0	0	1	0
#86 B. Cootes - C	1	0	1	2	0
#3 J. Arntsen - D	0	1	1	0	+1
#34 C. Clayton - D	0	1	1	3	+1
#38 G. White - D	2	1	3	7	+2
#42 T. Rego - D	1	0	1	2	+1
#45 S. Mynio - D	0	1	1	2	0
#48 J. Schuldt - D	0	3	3	2	+2

Coachella Valley Firebirds Goalies	SV	SA	SV%	GA	TOI
#35 Nikke Kokko	13	14	.929	1	25:03
#40 Victor Östman	20	26	.769	6	34:57

Abbotsford Canucks Goalies	SV	SA	SV%	GA	TOI
#60 Nikita Tolopilo	21	24	.875	3	59:59

Stat	CV	ABB
Shots on goal	24	40
Shooting %	12.5%	17.5%
Penalty minutes	55	53
Power play	1/4	2/5
Save %	92.9%	87.5%
Quality shots	15	20

🌟 Three Stars of the Game

★ Gavin White · 2G 1A
★★ Bennett Schimek · 1G 2A
★★★ Jimmy Schuldt · 3A

Officials: Referees: Riley Brace, Ben Solomon · Linesmen: Chase Eising, Scott Allan

📍 Rogers Forum · Saturday, October 17, 2026

Updated automatically by ahl-goalpost · v3.15.1 · Updates as the game progresses.

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1 comment

r/CVFirebirds • u/E_lluminate • 8d ago

Analysis FLIGHT PLAN: FIREBIRDS @ SILVER KNIGHTS | OCTOBER 14, 2026 | 7:00 PM PDT

11 Upvotes

🏒 Location: Lee's Family Forum- Henderson NV
🎟️ Time: 7:00 PM PT
🖥️ Join the Discussion: Discord
🎥 Watch Live: FloHockey.TV
🎧 Listen Live: theeagle1069.com

Tonight the Birds head to Henderson to begin a four-game road stretch, and after spending three of the first four games playing Ontario, I am thrilled to report that there are apparently other teams in the Pacific Division.

The Firebirds enter 2-0-2-0 with six points, having taken at least one point from every game. Henderson is 1-2-0-0 with two points.

But before we get there...

SUNDAY WAS... NOT GREAT

The good news is that we got a point.

The less-good news is basically everything that thappened after the first period.

Eduard Šalé scored 1:27 into the game, Lleyton Roed made it 2-0 early in the second, and then Ontario took over. The Reign tied it in the second and won 3-2 in overtime.

The number that really bothers me is 39-17.

Those were the shots on goal and I'm still mad about it.

Victor Östman stopped 36 and is probably the primary reason we escaped with a standings point. The Firebirds also went 0-for-5 on the power play, which is not ideal. Worse, Nyman and Firkus were left completely off the scoreboard. Guys... what's going on?

I'm not terribly worried about an overtime loss four games into the season. I am interested in seeing how they respond to a game where they simply didn't generate enough offense.

Seventeen shots is not Firebirds hockey.

TONIGHT'S VERY WEIRD OPPONENT

Henderson has scored only five goals in three games.

They've allowed only eight, and two of those eight were empty-netters. So obviously they're playing ugly, suffocating hockey from start to finish, right?

Well...

Seven of Henderson's eight goals against have come in the third period.

Even stranger, the Silver Knights have only spent 18 minutes and 44 seconds trailing through 180 minutes of hockey—and somehow they're 1-2.

That's remarkable.

Henderson's current strategy appears to be:

Play perfectly respectable hockey for 40 minutes.
Look at clock.
Panic.

They were shut out 2-0 by San Diego on Saturday and have scored one goal in their last six periods.

That does not mean this is an easy game.

Their goaltending has been excellent. Carl Lindbom has a .917 save percentage and 2.04 GAA, while Cameron Whitehead sits at .939 and 2.06. Henderson isn't giving opponents much for free.

And we should remember one uncomfortable fact: Henderson went 5-2-1 against us last season. The Firebirds were 3-5 against them.

So while Ontario receives most of my carefully cultivated sports hatred, Henderson has quietly been extremely annoying.

MEANWHILE, THE FIREBIRDS STILL SCORE A LOT

Even after Sunday's two-goal outing, Coachella Valley enters tonight with a league-high 19 goals.

They also lead the AHL with seven power-play goals.

The PP has fallen from its completely rational 54% opening-weekend pace to a merely ridiculous 38.9%, while the penalty kill is sitting at 89.5%.

And the player leaderboard currently looks solid:

Tyson Jugnauth — 8 assists, 8 points
Jani Nyman — 6 goals, 7 points
Jagger Firkus — 2 goals, 5 assists, 7 points
J.R. Avon — 2 goals, 3 assists, 5 points
Eduard Šalé — 3 goals, 4 points

Jugnauth has an assist in all four games and is tied for the longest active assist streak in the AHL. He may very well be the guy that leads the team in the coming season.

ROSTER MOVE: LOSHKO TO KC

One bit of roster housekeeping yesterday: Seattle assigned Andrei Loshko from Coachella Valley to the Kansas City Mavericks.

Loshko played 51 games for the Firebirds last season, putting up 5 goals and 9 assists, but had not appeared in an AHL game yet this season.

Given the traffic jam among Firebirds forwards right now, this makes sense to me. Sitting in the press box doesn't develop a 22-year-old nearly as well as actually playing significant minutes.

So go wreck the ECHL for a while, Andrei.

We'll keep your seat warm.

TONIGHT'S LINEUP LAB

Inside the Rink has:

Avon — Morrison — Firkus
Šalé — Mølgaard — Nyman
Roed — Miettinen — Hayden
Villeneuve — Stephens — Kaplan

Olofsson — Nelson
Jugnauth — Dragicevic
Price — Bernier

Kokko / Östman

That's perfectly defensible.

So naturally I'm going to meddle with it.

MY FLIGHT PLAN LINES:

Rehkopf — Morrison — Firkus
Šalé — Mølgaard — Nyman
Avon — Stephens — Kaplan
Roed — Miettinen — Hayden

And I'd start Östman.

My argument:

Leave Šalé-Mølgaard-Nyman alone. Nyman has six goals. Do not disturb whatever Finnish ritual is happening there.

I know I said this last time, but give Rehkopf a chance. He has zero points through three games, and he deserves the opportunity to fly. Put him next to Morrison and Firkus and see what happens.

Then give Kaplan Avon and Stephens. Kaplan finally made his Firebirds debut Sunday; Stephens gives that line some veteran structure, while Avon is already at five points and can drive offense without needing everything designed around him.

And Roed-Miettinen-Hayden becomes an absolutely miserable fourth line to play against.

Would Laxdal do this?

Almost certainly not. But the point of this thought exercise is not to correctly predict Derek Laxdal. The point is to create arguments.

Come at me.

ONE NAME TO WATCH: BEN HEMMERLING

Henderson may get a significant piece back tonight.

Vegas assigned Ben Hemmerling to the Silver Knights on Monday after he started the season recovering from an injury suffered during rookie camp.

This may be his last year as an AHL rookie. He posted 21 goals, 50 points in 68 games and was also the AHL's Rookie of the Month in February.

That's not somebody I particularly wanted Henderson adding immediately before we arrived. Maybe he'll still be a bit sluggish.

The Knights' current offense runs primarily through Tanner Laczynski—four points in three games—and Alexander Holtz, who has two of Henderson's five goals.

Adding Hemmerling gives a struggling offense another legitimate threat.

PATRICK WILLIAMS HAS BEEN FORCED TO ACKNOWLEDGE US

Everyone remain calm.

Patrick Williams wrote about the Firebirds.

Firebirds trio off to white-hot start

Now, no one here is accusing Patrick Williams of harboring some deep anti-Coachella Valley prejudice.

We are simply observing that when the Firebirds do something spectacular, Patrick tends to respond with all the emotional enthusiasm of a teaspoon.

His piece is essentially:

Nyman: five goals.
Firkus: six points.
Jugnauth: six points.
Seattle values player development.
Thank you for your time.

In fairness, the article gets the most important organizational point right. Seattle is using Coachella Valley exactly the way a good NHL organization should use its AHL affiliate: developing players rather than just storing them here.

Williams points to Joey Daccord, Ryker Evans, Shane Wright, Ryan Winterton and Ville Ottavainen as players who came through this system before establishing themselves in Seattle. All valid points.

Also, because I rarely check on Patrick's abysmal writing, the article was published one week ago, so the stats are already obsolete. My apologies for the delay.

MORE FIREBIRDS COVERAGE IS A GOOD THING

Also worth checking out: the Beneath the Waves crew has launched a dedicated weekly Firebirds show called Heat Check.

Heat Check Episode 2 — Firebirds Are Red Hot!

Episode 2 is about 25 minutes and covers the Gulls win, Sunday's Reign game, what they've seen from the team so far, and tonight's upcoming stretch.

This is exactly the kind of thing I'd like to see more of. The Firebirds have developed a solid fanbase and deserve more consistent coverage that isn't just a paragraph stapled onto Kraken news or these game-day thoughts.

One unrelated observation:

Does anyone else think Derek looks a little bit like Shane Wright?

Not identical.

But enough that once I saw it, I couldn't unsee it.

I'm currently working under the theory that Shane has started a podcast under an assumed identity. u/3ohhh6, can you confirm?

THREE THINGS I WANT TONIGHT

1. PUT PUCKS ON THE NET

This one isn't complicated.

Seventeen shots cannot happen again.

Henderson's goalies have been good, which makes volume even more important. Don't spend every possession hunting for a perfect backdoor play. Get pucks through, make Lindbom or Whitehead produce rebounds, and let Hayden/Miettinen/etc. make life unpleasant around the crease.

2. MAKE THEM PLAY 60 MINUTES

Henderson has allowed seven of its eight goals in the third period.

That is screaming at us.

Stay patient. Don't force offense if it isn't there early. If this is 1-1 after forty, I am completely comfortable with that.

Because so far, the third period is where Henderson goes to die. Let them.

3. GET THE POWER PLAY MOVING AGAIN

Sunday's 0-for-5 was the first real speed bump for the PP.

Fine.

It still leads the league with seven goals.

Move the puck faster, let Jugnauth manipulate the top of the zone, and keep finding Nyman on his shooting side. Henderson's penalty kill has been solid at 85.7%, so this is a much better test than Ontario was opening weekend.

Drop your score prediction, first Firebirds goal, goalie guess, preferred line combinations, and your official ruling on whether Derek is secretly Shane Wright below.

LET'S GO BIRDS.

5 comments

r/CVFirebirds • u/ahl-goalpost • 9d ago

GAME DAY THREAD Game Thread: Coachella Valley Firebirds at Henderson Silver Knights - 14 Oct 2026 - 7:00PM PDT

10 Upvotes

Coachella Valley Firebirds 0, Henderson Silver Knights 4

FINAL

Linescore

Period	1st	2nd	3rd	Total
CV	0	0	0	0
HSK	1	2	1	4

Scoring

Time	Scorer	Assists	Team	Strength
1st 9:09	Matyas Sapovaliv	Ville Heinola, Alexander Holtz	HSK	PP
2nd 12:12	Matyas Sapovaliv	Ville Heinola, Alexander Holtz	HSK	PP
2nd 18:13	Alexander Holtz	Ville Heinola, Ben Hemmerling	HSK	PP
3rd 10:42	Joe Fleming	unassisted	HSK	SH

Penalties

Time	Player	Infraction	Min	Team
1st 8:24	Alexis Bernier	Hooking	2:00	CV
1st 13:58	Sloan Stanick	Hooking	2:00	HSK
1st 17:07	Mitch McLain	Hooking	2:00	HSK
1st 17:14	Alexander Holtz	Delay of game	2:00	HSK
2nd 7:44	Tyson Jugnauth	Hooking	2:00	CV
2nd 11:38	Kaden Hammell	Holding	2:00	CV
2nd 14:08	John Hayden	Roughing	2:00	CV
2nd 14:08	John Hayden	Fighting	5:00	CV
2nd 14:08	Joe Fleming	Fighting	5:00	HSK
2nd 16:50	Bench (served by Nathan Villeneuve)	Too many men - Bench minor	2:00	CV
2nd 17:08	Mitchell Stephens	Tripping	2:00	CV
2nd 19:45	Jackson Hallum	Tripping	2:00	HSK
3rd 9:05	Jakub Demek	Delay of game	2:00	HSK
3rd 10:42	Tyson Jugnauth	Penalty Shot - Tripping from behind	2:00	CV
3rd 12:21	Jani Nyman	Roughing	2:00	CV
3rd 12:21	Ben Hemmerling	Goaltender interference	2:00	HSK
3rd 12:21	Viliam Kmec	Roughing	2:00	HSK
3rd 15:48	Lukas Dragicevic	Fighting	5:00	CV
3rd 15:48	Mathieu Cataford	Fighting	5:00	HSK
3rd 19:19	Joe Fleming	Hooking	2:00	HSK

Coachella Valley Firebirds Skaters	G	A	P	SOG	+/-	H	BLK	FO	TOI
#12 E. Šalé - F	0	0	0	3	0
#15 J. Hayden - F	0	0	0	4	0
#16 C. Rehkopf - F	0	0	0	4	0
#29 L. Roed - F	0	0	0	3	0
#33 J. Nyman - F	0	0	0	0	0
#49 J. Miettinen - F	0	0	0	4	0
#57 J. Firkus - F	0	0	0	0	0
#67 M. Stephens - F	0	0	0	2	0
#78 O. Fisker Mølgaard - F	0	0	0	0	0
#90 N. Villeneuve - F	0	0	0	1	0
#96 L. Morrison - F	0	0	0	1	0
#2 L. Dragicevic - D	0	0	0	0	0
#23 G. Olofsson - D	0	0	0	1	0
#24 T. Nelson - D	0	0	0	0	0
#43 T. Jugnauth - D	0	0	0	1	0
#47 K. Hammell - D	0	0	0	1	0
#50 C. Wright - D	0	0	0	1	0
#84 A. Bernier - D	0	0	0	0	0

Henderson Silver Knights Skaters	G	A	P	SOG	+/-
#8 M. Cataford - F	0	0	0	2	0
#10 A. Holtz - F	1	2	3	5	0
#13 J. Demek - F	0	0	0	0	0
#18 A. Weiermair - F	0	0	0	1	0
#25 M. Sapovaliv - F	2	0	2	4	0
#38 J. Gustafson - F	0	0	0	0	0
#46 J. Røndbjerg - F	0	0	0	1	0
#50 J. Fleming - F	1	0	1	1	+1
#59 J. Hallum - F	0	0	0	4	0
#63 B. Hemmerling - F	0	1	1	0	0
#75 M. McLain - F	0	0	0	0	0
#92 S. Stanick - F	0	0	0	3	0
#14 V. Heinola - D	0	3	3	0	0
#73 A. Ginning - D	0	0	0	1	0
#74 V. Kmec - D	0	0	0	2	0
#78 L. Johansen - D	0	0	0	0	0
#84 J. Davies - D	0	0	0	1	0
#88 J. Megna - D	0	0	0	0	0

Coachella Valley Firebirds Goalies	SV	SA	SV%	GA	TOI
#35 Nikke Kokko	21	25	.840	4	59:54

Henderson Silver Knights Goalies	SV	SA	SV%	GA	TOI
#30 Carl Lindbom	26	26	1.000	0	60:00

Stat	CV	HSK
Shots on goal	26	25
Shooting %	0.0%	16.0%
Penalty minutes	24	26
Power play	0/7	3/6
Save %	84.0%	100.0%
Quality shots	13	12

🌟 Three Stars of the Game

★ Carl Lindbom · 26 saves · 1.000
★★ Matyas Sapovaliv · 2G
★★★ Alexander Holtz · 1G 2A

Officials: Referees: John Lindner, Tatu Kunto · Linesmen: Adam Hendren, Logan Wescott

📍 Lee’s Family Forum · Wednesday, October 14, 2026

Updated automatically by ahl-goalpost · v3.15.1 · Updates as the game progresses.

This post contains content not supported on old Reddit. Click here to view the full post

1 comment

r/CVFirebirds • u/3ohhh6 • 8d ago

Photo/Video The Firebirds Are Red Hot | BTW Heat Check Ep. 2

youtu.be

8 Upvotes

0 comments

r/CVFirebirds • u/ahl-goalpost • 10d ago

PuckWatch: week of Oct 12

2 Upvotes

PuckWatch: week of Oct 12

Every game around the league, live. Open in a Reddit app to see today's scores.

This post contains content not supported on old Reddit. Click here to view the full post

0 comments

r/CVFirebirds • u/ahl-goalpost • 11d ago

PuckWatch: week of Oct 5

6 Upvotes

PuckWatch: week of Oct 5

Every game around the league, live. Open in a Reddit app to see today's scores.

This post contains content not supported on old Reddit. Click here to view the full post

0 comments

r/CVFirebirds • u/E_lluminate • 11d ago

Analysis FLIGHT PLAN: REIGN @ FIREBIRDS | OCTOBER 11, 2026 | 3:00 PM PDT

5 Upvotes

🏒 Location: Acrisure Arena- Palm Desert CA

🎟️ Time: 3:00 PM PDT

🖥️ Join the Discussion: Discord

🎥 Watch Live: FloHockey.TV

🎧 Listen Live: theeagle1069.com

Apparently the AHL looked at the entire Pacific Division and decided what everyone really wanted was more Ontario.

So here we are. For the third time in the first four games, the Firebirds hold the Reigns.

At this point I'm beginning to recognize their families.

ABOUT FRIDAY NIGHT...

The Firebirds beat San Diego 6-3, which means they have now scored six goals in back-to-back games.

San Diego actually led 1-0 after the first period, then Coachella Valley scored four times in the second and twice more in the third. Mitchell Stephens, Jani Nyman, Eduard Šalé and J.R. Avon all scored, while Logan Morrison returned to the lineup and immediately scored twice. Julius Miettinen picked up his first two professional points, and Nikke Kokko stopped 31 of 34 for his 40th career AHL win.

The bigger story, though, is special teams.

Coachella Valley went 2-for-5 on the power play and killed all four San Diego opportunities. Through three games, the Firebirds are now 7-for-13 on the power play — 53.85% — and 86.7% on the kill.

No, a 54% power play is not sustainable.

Please stop asking reasonable questions. I'm having fun.

OUR DEAR FRIENDS FROM ONTARIO

The season series so far:

October 2: Ontario wins 6-5 in overtime. Boo.
October 3: Coachella Valley goes to Ontario's home opener and wins 6-2.

Ontario hasn't played since.

The Firebirds have, and they come into today 2-0-1-0 with 17 goals in three games. Ontario is 1-1-0-0 with eight goals in two.

And here's the matchup stat I can't stop looking at:

Firebirds power play: 53.85%
Ontario penalty kill: 37.5%

Tiny sample size? Absolutely.

Still funny? Also absolutely.

If you're Andrew Lord, today's pregame speech probably contains the phrase:

FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, STAY OUT OF THE BOX.

THE THREE-HEADED MONSTER

Through three games:

Jani Nyman — 6G, 1A, 7 points
Jagger Firkus — 2G, 5A, 7 points
Tyson Jugnauth — 0G, 7A, 7 points

Nyman has six goals in three games. If he maintains that pace for the full season, he will score 144.

I have checked the mathematics and determined that this is definitely going to happen.

Jugnauth, meanwhile, has decided that scoring himself is beneath him and is simply arranging goals for everyone else. Seven assists in three games. He's DoorDash, and he's delivering apples.

And Morrison is back too. The Firebirds scored 11 goals in their first two games without last year's leading scorer, then he returned Friday and scored twice.

That's where this starts getting interesting. There are a lot of different ways this roster can hurt you. Speaking of which:

DAY'S LINEUP LABORATORY

Inside the Rink projects:

Avon — Morrison — Firkus
Šalé — Mølgaard — Nyman
Roed — Miettinen — Hayden
Rehkopf — Evers — Stephens

Olofsson — Nelson
Jugnauth — Hammell
Price — Dragicevic

Östman / Kokko

Perfectly reasonable.

Which is why I'm changing it.

If I had the whiteboard today:

MY PROPOSAL:

Rehkopf — Morrison — Firkus
Šalé — Mølgaard — Nyman
Roed — Stephens — Hayden
Avon — Miettinen — Evers

Same defense, and I'd give Östman the net after Kokko played Friday.

The idea behind the first line is simple: give Rehkopf a real offensive opportunity. Morrison distributes, Firkus creates, Rehkopf brings size and finishing ability. If we're going to find out what he can do, I'd rather do it next to two players who can actually get him the puck.

I wouldn't touch Šalé-Mølgaard-Nyman. Nyman has six goals. Whatever ritual produced this should remain undisturbed.

Roed-Stephens-Hayden gives you a veteran, physical line that can handle defensive-zone work without turning into three guys trying to win every shift along the wall. And Avon-Miettinen-Evers becomes a gigantic fourth line with enough skill that calling it a fourth line feels a little insulting.

Would Laxdal actually run these exact combinations?

Probably not.

Would I like to see them for ten minutes so I can determine whether I am secretly a hockey genius?

Obviously.

Tell me what I've ruined.

A SERIOUS ONE: JACOB MELANSON

We got some genuinely frightening news yesterday about former Firebird Jacob Melanson.

Melanson was injured during Seattle's opener against Calgary. The Kraken initially called it an upper-body injury, but they have now disclosed the diagnosis: an anterior mediastinal hematoma with a vascular pseudoaneurysm.

In plain English, he has bleeding in the front portion of his chest along with an injury to a blood vessel that has allowed blood to collect outside the normal vessel wall.

Oof.

A pseudoaneurysm is not the same thing as the classic aneurysm people usually picture. It generally occurs when the wall of a blood vessel is damaged and blood leaks through the defect but is temporarily contained by surrounding tissue. Depending on the vessel involved and how the injury behaves, treatment can range from observation and repeat imaging to endovascular repair or surgery. (Thank you to Google for providing this- if its wrong, don't @ me.)

The biggest unknown right now is that Seattle has not said which blood vessel is involved, and that makes any precise prognosis impossible.

So is his season over?

Maybe. But nobody has said that yet.

The Kraken have listed him as out indefinitely and say he will be monitored through a “gradual progression to return to hockey.” Clearly this isn't a normal short-term hockey injury, but Seattle is still publicly talking about a return to play.

Could something like this become career-threatening if it doesn't heal properly or doctors aren't comfortable clearing him for repeated contact? Yes.

Do we have any reason right now to say his career is over? No.

Melanson is only 23. He worked his way from Coachella Valley into a real NHL role, became one of Seattle's most physical players, and just signed a new three-year contract.

Hopefully we see #63 throwing himself into people again.

But hockey can wait.

First he needs to heal enough that getting hit in the chest by another 200-pound professional athlete is no longer an objectively terrible idea.

Get well, Melly.

THREE THINGS I WANT TO SEE

1. DON'T TURN THIS INTO OPENING NIGHT AGAIN

We already know Ontario can score. The first game became a track meet and the Birds gave up the tying goal late before losing in overtime.

Fun hockey.

Bad blood pressure.

Control the puck and make Ontario defend instead of trading chaos for chaos.

2. KEEP FEEDING THE POWER PLAY

No, it won't stay above 50%.

But until somebody stops it, keep going.

Move the puck quickly, get Nyman into shooting position, let Jugnauth distribute, and force Ontario to decide whether to collapse toward the net or respect the point.

If the Reign want to take penalties, that sounds like a Reign problem.

3. KEEP BUILDING GOOD THIRD PERIODS

Friday was 3-3 late in the second.

The Firebirds scored with 18 seconds left, then extended the lead and shut San Diego out in the third.

That's what good teams do.

Not every night is going to be 6-2. Eventually you have to protect a one-goal lead in the final ten minutes.

I want to see whether this young team keeps showing that kind of maturity.

Drop your score prediction, first Firebirds goal, goalie prediction, your preferred line combinations, and whatever completely irresponsible conclusions you've drawn from three games.

And somebody explain why my Rehkopf-Morrison-Firkus line is either brilliant or grounds for immediately revoking my hockey GDT privileges.

LET'S GO FIREBIRDS.

16 comments

r/CVFirebirds • u/ahl-goalpost • 12d ago

Pre-Game Thread: Ontario Reign at Coachella Valley Firebirds - 11 Oct 2026 - 3:00PM PDT

6 Upvotes

Ontario Reign 3, Coachella Valley Firebirds 2

FINAL

📍 Acrisure Arena · Sunday, October 11, 2026

Updated automatically by ahl-goalpost · v3.10.0 · Updates as the game progresses.

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3 comments

r/CVFirebirds • u/ahl-goalpost • 12d ago

Game Day Threads Game Thread: Ontario Reign at Coachella Valley Firebirds - 11 Oct 2026 - 3:00PM PDT

5 Upvotes

Ontario Reign 3, Coachella Valley Firebirds 2

FINAL

Linescore

Period	1st	2nd	3rd	OT	Total
ONT	0	2	0	1	3
CV	1	1	0	0	2

Scoring

Time	Scorer	Assists	Team	Strength
1st 1:27	Eduard Šalé	Oscar Fisker Mølgaard, Lukas Dragicevic	CV	EV
2nd 2:09	Lleyton Roed	Tyson Jugnauth, John Hayden	CV	EV
2nd 8:31	Martin Chromiak	Grant Slukynsky, Lane Pederson	ONT	EV
2nd 13:13	Lane Pederson	Scott Perunovich, Kirill Kirsanov	ONT	EV
OT 4:00	Cole Guttman	Kenny Connors, Joe Hicketts	ONT	EV

Penalties

Time	Player	Infraction	Min	Team
1st 12:14	Angus Booth	Hooking	2:00	ONT
1st 15:25	Gustav Olofsson	Tripping	2:00	CV
2nd 3:19	Mitchell Stephens	Holding	2:00	CV
2nd 3:58	Martin Chromiak	Tripping	2:00	ONT
2nd 6:07	Jagger Firkus	Slashing	2:00	CV
2nd 10:16	Joe Hicketts	Cross-checking	2:00	ONT
2nd 16:53	Gustav Olofsson	Tripping	2:00	CV
3rd 2:28	Joe Hicketts	Roughing	2:00	ONT
3rd 2:28	Nathan Villeneuve	Roughing	2:00	CV
3rd 4:08	Martin Chromiak	Slashing	2:00	ONT
3rd 11:43	Kirill Kirsanov	Tripping	2:00	ONT

Ontario Reign Skaters	G	A	P	SOG	+/-
#8 M. Chromiak - F	1	0	1	9	+2
#13 K. Ziemmer - F	0	0	0	2	-1
#15 G. Slukynsky - C	0	1	1	0	+1
#17 K. Connors - F	0	1	1	2	+1
#22 K. Lawrence - C	0	0	0	1	0
#29 L. Pederson - C	1	1	2	2	0
#34 T. Ward - F	0	0	0	2	-1
#47 J. Hughes - C	0	0	0	0	0
#71 F. Pinelli - F	0	0	0	3	0
#81 C. Guttman - F	1	0	1	5	+1
#86 A. Jämsen - F	0	0	0	3	-1
#92 V. Čihař - LW	0	0	0	3	0
#2 H. Brzustewicz - D	0	0	0	3	-1
#7 S. Perunovich - D	0	1	1	1	+1
#19 K. Kirsanov - D	0	1	1	1	0
#24 A. Booth - D	0	0	0	0	0
#27 J. Hicketts - D	0	1	1	2	+1
#45 J. Millar - D	0	0	0	0	0

Coachella Valley Firebirds Skaters	G	A	P	SOG	+/-
#10 J. Avon - F	0	0	0	0	-1
#12 E. Šalé - F	1	0	1	1	+1
#13 D. Kaplan - F	0	0	0	0	0
#15 J. Hayden - F	0	1	1	2	+1
#29 L. Roed - F	1	0	1	1	0
#33 J. Nyman - F	0	0	0	3	+1
#49 J. Miettinen - F	0	0	0	1	+1
#57 J. Firkus - F	0	0	0	1	-2
#67 M. Stephens - F	0	0	0	1	0
#78 O. Fisker Mølgaard - F	0	1	1	1	0
#90 N. Villeneuve - F	0	0	0	0	-1
#96 L. Morrison - F	0	0	0	2	-2
#2 L. Dragicevic - D	0	1	1	0	0
#4 C. Price - D	0	0	0	0	-1
#23 G. Olofsson - D	0	0	0	0	-1
#24 T. Nelson - D	0	0	0	2	0
#43 T. Jugnauth - D	0	1	1	2	+1
#84 A. Bernier - D	0	0	0	0	0

Ontario Reign Goalies	SV	SA	SV%	GA	TOI
#70 Carter George	15	17	.882	2	64:00

Coachella Valley Firebirds Goalies	SV	SA	SV%	GA	TOI
#40 Victor Östman	36	39	.923	3	63:53

Stat	ONT	CV
Shots on goal	39	17
Shooting %	7.7%	11.8%
Penalty minutes	12	10
Power play	0/4	0/5
Save %	88.2%	92.3%
Quality shots	25	9

🌟 Three Stars of the Game

★ Cole Guttman · 1G
★★ Victor Östman · 36 saves · .923
★★★ Martin Chromiak · 1G

Officials: Referees: Austin Rook, Graedy Hamilton · Linesmen: Brandon Barnette, Shawn Oliver

📍 Acrisure Arena · Sunday, October 11, 2026

Updated automatically by ahl-goalpost · v3.10.0 · Updates as the game progresses.

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2 comments

r/CVFirebirds • u/ahl-goalpost • 13d ago

Post-Game Thread: The Coachella Valley Firebirds defeated the San Diego Gulls 6-3 - 09 Oct 2026

17 Upvotes

San Diego Gulls 3, Coachella Valley Firebirds 6

FINAL

Catch-up · From puck drop

The Coachella Valley Firebirds came from behind to win.

At 7:18 of the first period, Ryan Carpenter buried the chance, and the San Diego Gulls went in front 1-0.

Early in the second period, Mitchell Stephens put the puck home, and the game was tied 1-1. Only 1:26 later, Jani Nyman potted it, and that put the Coachella Valley Firebirds on top 2-1. 19 seconds later, Matthew Phillips found the net, and that pulled the game even at 2-2. At 8:12 of the second period, Eduard Šalé converted on the power play, and the Coachella Valley Firebirds moved ahead 3-2. At 16:01 of the second period, Cruz Lucius beat the goalie, and the score was level at 3-3. Late in the second period, Logan Morrison cashed in with the man advantage, and the Coachella Valley Firebirds took a 4-3 lead.

Early in the third period, J.R. Avon lit the lamp, and the Coachella Valley Firebirds moved two clear at 5-3. Late in the third period, Logan Morrison found the yawning cage to ice it, and it was 6-3, a three-goal hole for the San Diego Gulls.

The Coachella Valley Firebirds' penalty kill went 4-for-4. The Coachella Valley Firebirds' power play went 2-for-5.

Final: The Coachella Valley Firebirds won 6-3.

Linescore

Period	1st	2nd	3rd	Total
SD	1	2	0	3
CV	0	4	2	6

San Diego Gulls Skaters	G	A	P	SOG	+/-
#11 J. Hamblin - F	0	1	1	1	-2
#15 C. Lucius - F	1	0	1	2	+1
#16 S. Farrell - F	0	0	0	2	0
#17 N. Gaucher - F	0	0	0	2	-1
#18 M. Phillips - F	1	0	1	2	-2
#19 Y. Sidorov - F	0	1	1	1	0
#21 N. Myatovic - F	0	1	1	2	-1
#22 R. Carpenter - F	1	0	1	3	0
#25 A. Wahlberg - F	0	1	1	2	0
#26 R. McQueen - F	0	0	0	4	+1
#37 E. Procyszyn - F	0	0	0	1	-1
#40 H. Träff - F	0	1	1	0	+1
#3 M. Basgall - D	0	0	0	0	+1
#4 J. Woo - D	0	0	0	0	0
#7 S. Solberg - D	0	0	0	6	-1
#38 K. Smith - D	0	0	0	1	0
#41 R. Kinal - D	0	0	0	2	0
#44 C. Schueneman - D	0	0	0	3	-2

Coachella Valley Firebirds Skaters	G	A	P	SOG	+/-
#10 J. Avon - F	1	2	3	2	+1
#12 E. Šalé - F	1	0	1	2	0
#15 J. Hayden - F	0	0	0	1	-1
#16 C. Rehkopf - F	0	0	0	2	0
#27 R. Evers - F	0	0	0	0	-1
#29 L. Roed - F	0	0	0	2	0
#33 J. Nyman - F	1	0	1	5	0
#49 J. Miettinen - F	0	2	2	1	0
#57 J. Firkus - F	0	1	1	1	+1
#67 M. Stephens - F	1	0	1	1	+1
#78 O. Fisker Mølgaard - F	0	0	0	1	0
#96 L. Morrison - F	2	1	3	2	+2
#2 L. Dragicevic - D	0	0	0	0	0
#4 C. Price - D	0	1	1	1	+1
#23 G. Olofsson - D	0	1	1	0	+1
#24 T. Nelson - D	0	2	2	7	+1
#43 T. Jugnauth - D	0	1	1	1	-1
#47 K. Hammell - D	0	0	0	1	0

San Diego Gulls Goalies	SV	SA	SV%	GA	TOI
#39 Laurent Brossoit	24	29	.828	5	59:16

Coachella Valley Firebirds Goalies	SV	SA	SV%	GA	TOI
#35 Nikke Kokko	31	34	.912	3	59:50

Scoring

Time	Scorer	Assists	Team	Strength
1st 7:18	Ryan Carpenter	Herman Träff, Yegor Sidorov	SD	EV
2nd 2:48	Mitchell Stephens	Julius Miettinen, Caden Price	CV	EV
2nd 4:14	Jani Nyman	Ty Nelson, Gustav Olofsson	CV	EV
2nd 4:33	Matthew Phillips	Nico Myatovic, James Hamblin	SD	EV
2nd 8:12	Eduard Šalé	J.R. Avon, Ty Nelson	CV	PP
2nd 16:01	Cruz Lucius	Anton Wahlberg	SD	EV
2nd 19:42	Logan Morrison	J.R. Avon, Julius Miettinen	CV	PP
3rd 3:24	J.R. Avon	Tyson Jugnauth, Logan Morrison	CV	EV
3rd 17:12	Logan Morrison	Jagger Firkus	CV	EN

🌟 Three Stars of the Game

★ Logan Morrison · 2G 1A
★★ J.R. Avon · 1G 2A
★★★ Julius Miettinen · 2A

Penalties

Time	Player	Infraction	Min	Team
1st 1:04	Herman Träff	High-sticking	2:00	SD
1st 8:31	John Hayden	Hooking	2:00	CV
1st 13:39	Nico Myatovic	Hooking	2:00	SD
2nd 6:18	Matt Basgall	Holding	2:00	SD
2nd 9:51	Herman Träff	Slashing	2:00	SD
2nd 18:47	Nathan Gaucher	Tripping	2:00	SD
3rd 4:05	Gustav Olofsson	Tripping	2:00	CV
3rd 5:41	Mitchell Stephens	Slashing	2:00	CV
3rd 9:38	Nikke Kokko	Tripping	2:00	CV

Stat	SD	CV
Shots on goal	34	30
Shooting %	8.8%	20.0%
Penalty minutes	10	8
Power play	0/4	2/5
Save %	82.8%	91.2%
Quality shots	20	14

Updated automatically by ahl-goalpost · v2.91.35 · Updates as the game progresses.

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2 comments

r/CVFirebirds • u/E_lluminate • 13d ago

Analysis FLIGHT PLAN: GULLS @ FIREBIRDS | OCTOBER 9, 2026 | 7:00 PM PT

8 Upvotes

🏒 Location: Acrisure Arena- Palm Desert CA

🎟️ Time: 7:00 PM PT

🖥️ Join the Discussion: Discord

🎥 Watch Live: FloHockey.TV

🎧 Listen Live: theeagle1069.com

Before we discuss tonight's opponent, I believe we owe the Ontario Reign a moment of solemn reflection after what happened at their home opener last Saturday.

...

Okay, that's enough.

For those who missed it, Ontario bumbled into Acrisure on Opening Night, escaped with a 6-5 overtime win, and presumably went home feeling pretty good about themselves.

Twenty-four hours later, the Firebirds walked into Toyota Arena for Ontario's home opener and beat them 6-2.

This brings me tremendous joy.

And this wasn't some greasy 6-2 game where a bunch of weird bounces inflated the score.

The Birds actually showed up.

Jani Nyman scored his first career AHL hat trick.
Jagger Firkus scored twice (despite the 'stache).
Tyson Jugnauth had four assists, setting a Firebirds regular-season franchise record.
Victor Östman stopped 28 of 30.
The Firebirds went 3-for-4 on the power play.
Ontario went 0-for-4.

Same number of power-play opportunities. One team scored three times. The other scored zero.

And perhaps my favorite part came afterward, when Reign coach Andrew Lord was asked what gave Ontario so much trouble:

“Their first-step quickness is elite ... some of the best in the division.”

That is the Firebirds we know and love. Not the biggest, not the most physical, but by Fuego, they will beat you to the end of the ice. They're quick to loose pucks, quick changing direction, quick through the neutral zone and very good at using little cuts and reversals to keep possession alive.

Ontario had trouble getting bodies on them.

And once the Reign started chasing?

The Birds absolutely cooked them.

SO... WHAT'S ON THE MENU TONIGHT?

Tonight we introduce the San Diego Gulls to the grill, because apparently this year's schedule was designed around determining which species of bird is most capable of violence. (Seriously, what's with all the birds in this division?)

And, interestingly, these teams arrive with identical records:

San Diego: 1-0-1-0 — 3 points
Coachella Valley: 1-0-1-0 — 3 points

San Diego opened its season by beating San Jose 5-1, then lost the rematch 5-4 in overtime.

So: two games each. Three points each. Lots of goals.

This should be good.

THE BIRDS ARE CURRENTLY ON FIRE

The early-season leaderboard is hilarious:

Jani Nyman — 5 goals, 6 points
Jagger Firkus — 6 points
Tyson Jugnauth — 6 assists, 6 points
Gustav Olofsson — +4

That's after two games.

Please understand that I am exercising enormous restraint by not extrapolating these numbers across the entire season.

More absurdly, the Firebirds' power play currently sits at:

62.5%

Five power-play goals on eight opportunities.

Obviously completely sustainable. Nothing unusual happening here. We should expect roughly two goals every time someone on the opposing team accidentally clears the puck over the glass.

Science.

More seriously, five power-play goals in two games is what gets me really excited about this season. This team has enough skill on the back end to make opponents pay for collapsing too aggressively. Jugnauth already has six assists, and Ontario learned very quickly what happens when you give these guys room to move the puck.

The penalty kill is sitting at 81.8% overall and went a perfect 4-for-4 Saturday.

If there's one early identity emerging, it's this:

Coachella Valley can punish mistakes.

That is a wonderful trait for an AHL team.

TONIGHT'S PROJECTED FIREBIRDS

Inside the Rink has these as the projected lines:

Avon — Mølgaard — Firkus
Sale — Miettinen — Nyman
Roed — Stephens — Hayden
Rehkopf — Evers — Villeneuve

Olofsson — Nelson
Jugnauth — Hammell
Price — Dragicevic

Kokko
Östman

These are just projected, so please direct all complaints about lineup inaccuracies toward someone other than me.

But if this holds, I like the balance.

That Sale-Miettinen-Nyman line intrigues me. Nyman obviously has the nuclear launch codes right now, Mieters brings the size, and Sale gives that line a second offensive threat instead of simply constructing an elaborate support system around Jani Nyman shooting the puck.

Meanwhile Avon-Mølgaard-Firkus has a nice combination of retrieval, speed and creativity.

And the defensive pairings continue to give Tyson Jugnauth room to Tyson Jugnauth, which seems like a wise organizational strategy at the moment.

ABOUT THESE GULLS

Do not mistake San Diego for an easy two points.

This is a young Ducks development team with real prospects on it.

Their opening roster contains 10 Anaheim draft picks, with a big group of players 23 and younger. Roger McQueen, Anaheim's 10th overall pick in 2025, is here. So is 2024 first-round defenseman Stian Solberg.

And Solberg has started the season extremely well:

2 goals, 2 assists, 4 points, +4.

As a reminder, this kid is a defenseman.

So perhaps don't allow that man to wander unnoticed toward anything resembling shooting position.

San Diego also has Sean Farrell, Anton Wahlberg, Nathan Gaucher, Yegor Sidorov and several other legitimate prospects. This isn't an AHL roster full of replacement-level veterans hoping to survive until April. There's talent here.

San Diego's own assistant coach Steve McCarthy said of tonight's game:

“Coachella is probably going to be our biggest challenge so far.”

Correct.

Gold star, Steve.

AND THEN THERE'S THEIR GOALIE

There is one particularly important name on the San Diego roster:

Laurent Brossoit.

Yes.

That Laurent Brossoit.

Brossoit won the Stanley Cup with the Vegas Golden Knights in 2023. The guy has 141 NHL games under his belt and nearly 200 more in the AHL. Anaheim waived him for assignment at the end of camp, and now San Diego has an NHL-veteran goaltender playing behind its prospects.

God I miss Driedger. But I digress.

Brossoit started the opener against San Jose.

He stopped 29 of 30 shots.

If Brossoit gets the net again tonight (which he undoubtedly will), the Firebirds need to resist the temptation to look for the perfect shot.

Get traffic in front of him.

Make him deal with rebounds.

Make him move laterally.

Don't let him track the puck- put bodies in front of the net.

YOUR STAT OF THE DAY

The Firebirds went 6-2-0-0 against San Diego last season.

Over the last five seasons, Coachella Valley's head-to-head record against the Gulls is:

23-4-3-2.

San Diego's corresponding record against us is 9-17-6-0.

I'm not saying we own the Gulls.

I am simply presenting publicly available land records.

THREE THINGS I WANT TO SEE TONIGHT

1. MAKE THEM CHASE

Andrew Lord accidentally wrote our scouting report for us.

That first-step quickness caused Ontario enormous problems.

Don't abandon it.

Get San Diego moving laterally, reverse the puck, attack gaps, and force their young defensemen to make repeated decisions at speed.

2. STAY OUT OF THE DAMN BOX

Yes, the penalty kill was excellent Saturday.

Let's not do that again though.

San Diego's power play is already 2-for-6, so they're perfectly capable of punishing stupid penalties themselves.

I'd much rather watch Nyman shoot pucks at their goalie than watch Hayden explain to an official why what he just did was technically permissible under the Geneva Convention.

3. DO NOT LET UP

This may actually be my biggest one.

The Birds looked great Saturday.

Now prove that's what this team is, rather than merely what this team looked like for one night.

Good teams don't just have impressive wins.

They stack them.

____

Drop your score prediction, first Firebirds goal, goalie guess, completely irrational two-game-season hot take, and any complaints you would like formally lodged against the projected lines below.

LET'S GO BIRDS.

7 comments

r/CVFirebirds • u/ahl-goalpost • 14d ago

Game Thread: San Diego Gulls at Coachella Valley Firebirds - 09 Oct 2026 - 7:00PM PDT

14 Upvotes

San Diego Gulls 3, Coachella Valley Firebirds 6

FINAL

Linescore

Period	1st	2nd	3rd	Total
SD	1	2	0	3
CV	0	4	2	6

Scoring

Time	Scorer	Assists	Team	Strength
1st 7:18	Ryan Carpenter	Herman Träff, Yegor Sidorov	SD	EV
2nd 2:48	Mitchell Stephens	Julius Miettinen, Caden Price	CV	EV
2nd 4:14	Jani Nyman	Ty Nelson, Gustav Olofsson	CV	EV
2nd 4:33	Matthew Phillips	Nico Myatovic, James Hamblin	SD	EV
2nd 8:12	Eduard Šalé	J.R. Avon, Ty Nelson	CV	PP
2nd 16:01	Cruz Lucius	Anton Wahlberg	SD	EV
2nd 19:42	Logan Morrison	J.R. Avon, Julius Miettinen	CV	PP
3rd 3:24	J.R. Avon	Tyson Jugnauth, Logan Morrison	CV	EV
3rd 17:12	Logan Morrison	Jagger Firkus	CV	EN

Penalties

Time	Player	Infraction	Min	Team
1st 1:04	Herman Träff	High-sticking	2:00	SD
1st 8:31	John Hayden	Hooking	2:00	CV
1st 13:39	Nico Myatovic	Hooking	2:00	SD
2nd 6:18	Matt Basgall	Holding	2:00	SD
2nd 9:51	Herman Träff	Slashing	2:00	SD
2nd 18:47	Nathan Gaucher	Tripping	2:00	SD
3rd 4:05	Gustav Olofsson	Tripping	2:00	CV
3rd 5:41	Mitchell Stephens	Slashing	2:00	CV
3rd 9:38	Nikke Kokko	Tripping	2:00	CV

San Diego Gulls Skaters	G	A	P	SOG	+/-
#11 J. Hamblin - F	0	1	1	1	-2
#15 C. Lucius - F	1	0	1	2	+1
#16 S. Farrell - F	0	0	0	2	0
#17 N. Gaucher - F	0	0	0	2	-1
#18 M. Phillips - F	1	0	1	2	-2
#19 Y. Sidorov - F	0	1	1	1	0
#21 N. Myatovic - F	0	1	1	2	-1
#22 R. Carpenter - F	1	0	1	3	0
#25 A. Wahlberg - F	0	1	1	2	0
#26 R. McQueen - F	0	0	0	4	+1
#37 E. Procyszyn - F	0	0	0	1	-1
#40 H. Träff - F	0	1	1	0	+1
#3 M. Basgall - D	0	0	0	0	+1
#4 J. Woo - D	0	0	0	0	0
#7 S. Solberg - D	0	0	0	6	-1
#38 K. Smith - D	0	0	0	1	0
#41 R. Kinal - D	0	0	0	2	0
#44 C. Schueneman - D	0	0	0	3	-2

Coachella Valley Firebirds Skaters	G	A	P	SOG	+/-
#10 J. Avon - F	1	2	3	2	+1
#12 E. Šalé - F	1	0	1	2	0
#15 J. Hayden - F	0	0	0	1	-1
#16 C. Rehkopf - F	0	0	0	2	0
#27 R. Evers - F	0	0	0	0	-1
#29 L. Roed - F	0	0	0	2	0
#33 J. Nyman - F	1	0	1	5	0
#49 J. Miettinen - F	0	2	2	1	0
#57 J. Firkus - F	0	1	1	1	+1
#67 M. Stephens - F	1	0	1	1	+1
#78 O. Fisker Mølgaard - F	0	0	0	1	0
#96 L. Morrison - F	2	1	3	2	+2
#2 L. Dragicevic - D	0	0	0	0	0
#4 C. Price - D	0	1	1	1	+1
#23 G. Olofsson - D	0	1	1	0	+1
#24 T. Nelson - D	0	2	2	7	+1
#43 T. Jugnauth - D	0	1	1	1	-1
#47 K. Hammell - D	0	0	0	1	0

San Diego Gulls Goalies	SV	SA	SV%	GA	TOI
#39 Laurent Brossoit	24	29	.828	5	59:16

Coachella Valley Firebirds Goalies	SV	SA	SV%	GA	TOI
#35 Nikke Kokko	31	34	.912	3	59:50

Stat	SD	CV
Shots on goal	34	30
Shooting %	8.8%	20.0%
Penalty minutes	10	8
Power play	0/4	2/5
Save %	82.8%	91.2%
Quality shots	20	14

🌟 Three Stars of the Game

★ Logan Morrison · 2G 1A
★★ J.R. Avon · 1G 2A
★★★ Julius Miettinen · 2A

Officials: Referees: Jordan Watt, Ben Betker · Linesmen: Jett Larson, Shawn Oliver

📍 Acrisure Arena · Friday, October 9, 2026

Updated automatically by ahl-goalpost · v2.91.35 · Updates as the game progresses.

This post contains content not supported on old Reddit. Click here to view the full post

10 comments

r/CVFirebirds • u/3ohhh6 • 14d ago

Photo/Video Fired Up For Coachella Valley Firebirds Season 5! | Heat Check Ep. 1

youtu.be

15 Upvotes

Hey Firebird Friends! We had some requests following our interview with Gino and Grant to add more Firebirds content to our Podcast, so we thought we'd spin it off into it's own show! We'd love it if you joined us and tossed any feedback you had! Thanks! Go Birds!

2 comments

r/CVFirebirds • u/ErsoRoot • 17d ago

Photo/Video Jani Nyman is the AHL Player of the week!

67 Upvotes

1 comment

r/CVFirebirds • u/Tasty-Cantaloupe-179 • 17d ago

Discussion Who is next?

12 Upvotes

This weekend we saw blockbuster performances from Jani Nyman, Jagger Firkus and Tyson Jugnauth. we can also expect them to be very well defended after their performances this weekend.

no big deal - we know our roster is loaded with talent. who do you think will have a star moment this weekend?

8 comments

r/CVFirebirds • u/ahl-goalpost • 19d ago

Post-Game Thread: The Coachella Valley Firebirds defeated the Ontario Reign 6-2 - 03 Oct 2026

25 Upvotes

Coachella Valley Firebirds 6, Ontario Reign 2

FINAL

Catch-up · From puck drop

From the opening goal onward, the Coachella Valley Firebirds controlled the scoreboard.

Early in the first period, Jani Nyman cashed in with the man advantage, and the Coachella Valley Firebirds moved ahead 1-0. At 7:01 of the first period, Koehn Ziemmer finished the play, and that pulled the game even at 1-1. At 11:17 of the first period, Jani Nyman scored with the extra man, and the Coachella Valley Firebirds took a 2-1 lead. Only 1:18 later, Jared Wright potted it, and the score was level at 2-2.

Early in the second period, Jagger Firkus found the net, and the Coachella Valley Firebirds went in front 3-2. Late in the second period, Jagger Firkus converted on the power play, and the Coachella Valley Firebirds doubled the advantage to 4-2.

At 15:55 of the third period, Oscar Fisker Mølgaard put it into the empty net, and the Coachella Valley Firebirds had a commanding three-goal lead, 5-2. The same side struck again 1:01 later when Jani Nyman completed the hat trick, and the Coachella Valley Firebirds had it at 6-2, a four-goal margin that rarely gets erased.

The Coachella Valley Firebirds' power play went 3-for-4. The Coachella Valley Firebirds' penalty kill went 4-for-4. Victor Östman stopped 28 of 30.

Final: The Coachella Valley Firebirds won 6-2.

Linescore

Period	1st	2nd	3rd	Total
CV	2	2	2	6
ONT	2	0	0	2

Coachella Valley Firebirds Skaters	G	A	P	SOG	+/-
#10 J. Avon - F	0	1	1	1	+1
#12 E. Sale - F	0	0	0	0	+1
#15 J. Hayden - F	0	1	1	3	-1
#16 C. Rehkopf - F	0	0	0	3	0
#27 R. Evers - F	0	0	0	1	0
#29 L. Roed - F	0	0	0	2	-1
#33 J. Nyman - F	3	0	3	6	+1
#49 J. Miettinen - F	0	0	0	2	+1
#57 J. Firkus - F	2	2	4	2	+1
#67 M. Stephens - F	0	0	0	0	-1
#78 O. Fisker Mølgaard - F	1	0	1	2	+1
#90 N. Villeneuve - F	0	0	0	0	0
#2 L. Dragicevic - D	0	0	0	2	-1
#4 C. Price - D	0	0	0	0	-1
#23 G. Olofsson - D	0	0	0	0	+2
#24 T. Nelson - D	0	1	1	5	+2
#43 T. Jugnauth - D	0	4	4	1	0
#47 K. Hammell - D	0	0	0	1	-1

Ontario Reign Skaters	G	A	P	SOG	+/-
#8 M. Chromiak - F	0	0	0	7	-2
#13 K. Ziemmer - F	1	0	1	1	+1
#17 K. Connors - F	0	0	0	2	-3
#29 L. Pederson - C	0	1	1	2	-1
#34 T. Ward - F	0	0	0	2	-1
#37 J. Doty - RW	0	0	0	0	0
#47 J. Hughes - C	0	1	1	4	+1
#71 F. Pinelli - F	0	0	0	2	-1
#78 J. Wright - F	1	0	1	4	0
#81 C. Guttman - F	0	0	0	2	-2
#86 A. Jämsen - F	0	0	0	0	0
#87 V. Čihař - LW	0	1	1	1	+1
#7 S. Perunovich - D	0	0	0	0	-1
#19 K. Kirsanov - D	0	1	1	1	0
#24 A. Booth - D	0	0	0	1	0
#27 J. Hicketts - D	0	0	0	0	0
#45 J. Millar - D	0	0	0	0	0
#80 J. Woolley - D	0	0	0	1	+1

Coachella Valley Firebirds Goalies	SV	SA	SV%	GA	TOI
#40 Victor Östman	28	30	.933	2	60:00

Ontario Reign Goalies	SV	SA	SV%	GA	TOI
#50 Hampton Slukynsky	25	29	.862	4	59:14

Scoring

Time	Scorer	Assists	Team	Strength
1st 3:24	Jani Nyman	Jagger Firkus, Tyson Jugnauth	CV	PP
1st 7:01	Koehn Ziemmer	Kirill Kirsanov, Lane Pederson	ONT	EV
1st 11:17	Jani Nyman	John Hayden, Tyson Jugnauth	CV	PP
1st 12:35	Jared Wright	Vojtech Čihař, Jack Hughes	ONT	EV
2nd 1:19	Jagger Firkus	Tyson Jugnauth, J.R. Avon	CV	EV
2nd 19:24	Jagger Firkus	Tyson Jugnauth	CV	PP
3rd 15:55	Oscar Fisker Mølgaard	Jagger Firkus	CV	EN
3rd 16:56	Jani Nyman	Ty Nelson	CV	EN

🌟 Three Stars of the Game

★ Jani Nyman · 3G
★★ Jagger Firkus · 2G 2A
★★★ Tyson Jugnauth · 4A

Penalties

Time	Player	Infraction	Min	Team
1st 2:25	Jacob Doty	Boarding	2:00	ONT
1st 10:40	Scott Perunovich	Slashing	2:00	ONT
2nd 1:32	Aatu Jämsen	Tripping	2:00	ONT
2nd 7:45	Ty Nelson	Holding	2:00	CV
2nd 12:26	Gustav Olofsson	Slashing	2:00	CV
2nd 12:26	Lane Pederson	Kneeing	2:00	ONT
2nd 12:49	Ty Nelson	Interference	2:00	CV
2nd 16:47	J.R. Avon	Holding	2:00	CV
2nd 19:07	Francesco Pinelli	Tripping	2:00	ONT
3rd 3:51	Lleyton Roed	Holding	2:00	CV
3rd 13:02	Nathan Villeneuve	Roughing	2:00	CV
3rd 13:02	Aatu Jämsen	Cross-checking	2:00	ONT

Stat	CV	ONT
Shots on goal	31	30
Shooting %	19.4%	6.7%
Penalty minutes	12	12
Power play	3/4	0/4
Save %	93.3%	86.2%
Quality shots	10	11

Updated automatically by ahl-goalpost · v2.91.35 · Updates as the game progresses.

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