The easy answer to when the Henderson Silver Knights turned into the wagon they’ve become is after the All-Star break.
You need to go a few days after that to find when the belief started kicking in.
The Silver Knights returned from the break with a road series against the San Jose Barracuda on Valentine’s Day weekend.
They won the first game 4-2 to snap a five-game losing streak. The next night, San Jose scored five times in the second period to the tune of an 8-4 win.
One step forward, two steps back. The Silver Knights showed flashes, but were still well out of a playoff spot.
“There was a week after that where we talked about some lessons that needed to be learned,” said Silver Knights coach Ryan Craig.
It turns out they’re quick learners.
Less than two months later, they’re the hottest team in the American Hockey League, rolling into the Calder Cup Playoffs on a 17-3-3 run since the break.
The Silver Knights are heading to the postseason for the first time since 2022 after a weekend that required two thrilling, last-second wins over the Tucson Roadrunners.
“Step one complete,” Craig said. “Happy for our guys.”
‘At some point, it clicked’
They rallied from three goals down on Friday to win 4-3 on Viliam Kmec’s goal with less than a minute to go.
On Saturday, needing a regulation win to clinch, the Silver Knights scored twice in the final 1:26 to win 5-4.
“It’s fun hockey right now,” center Tanner Laczynski said. “Everyone’s kind of buying in, playing the right way.”
The 2022 season was the Silver Knights’ first full year in the AHL after their inaugural season was limited to division opponents because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Pavel Dorofeyev was the leading goal scorer on that team, once upon a time.
Henderson was swept in the first round by the Colorado Eagles.
The next three years included a coaching change from Manny Viveiros to Craig, the assistant coach since the Vegas Golden Knights’ inception who became the man tasked to right the ship in Henderson in 2023.
It’s been a slow build. Craig knew that it would be an adjustment when he took the job two weeks after the Golden Knights won the Stanley Cup.
He’s always had a patient demeanor. This season may have shown that more than ever.
“At some point, it clicked,” Craig said. “We talk about degrees of separation. It’s just a few degrees, or a degree, that we’re on the right side of it. We’ve been playing with confidence and engagement.”
Depth in the lineup
It’s been a year of different guys stepping up at different times.
Laczynski, 28, leads the team with 63 points, fourth most in the AHL.
He’s been the constant, whether in the AHL or when the NHL club is in a pinch — such as the first game after the Olympic break when he had three assists against the Los Angeles Kings.
Top prospect Trevor Connelly overcame two significant injuries — one before the season and the other during the IIHF World Juniors tournament in December — to become a top playmaker.
Connelly, the AHL’s rookie of the month in March, had an assist Saturday to extend his point streak to 17 games.
Raphael Lavoie was also the league’s player of the month after a 13-goal, 20-point March.
“Everyone’s been buying in, night in and night out,” Laczynski said. “It’s just been fun.”
They’re also heading into the playoffs with reinforcements.
Winger Braeden Bowman was reassigned to Henderson on Wednesday following a 54-game stint with the NHL club.
Despite being with the Golden Knights most of the year, Bowman has kept tabs on Henderson. His roommates are center Kai Uchacz and winger Ben Hemmerling.
Bowman posted five points in the two games against Tucson and scored twice on Saturday, including the game-winner with 15 seconds left.
The last time Bowman played in Henderson was Nov. 8.
“I think with this crew, this last year, we’re building a culture where we’re like brothers,” Bowman said. “It was easy for me to come in and rejoin the team. The culture that we’ve built, it’s just next man up. It showed this weekend.”
Winger Jonas Rondbjerg returned after a lower-body injury — suffered while playing with the Golden Knights — forced him to miss two months and withdraw from representing Denmark in the Olympics.
The last remaining pick from the Golden Knights’ inaugural draft class has been through all the highs and lows.
“It’s been two, three years since we’ve (made the playoffs),” Rondbjerg said. “To get to do that again is really exciting.”
Plenty to play for
Home-ice advantage in the first round is still in play with six games to go. The Silver Knights are one point back of San Jose for fourth place and two behind the Coachella Valley Firebirds for third.
They travel to Acrisure Arena on Wednesday to face the Firebirds. The Barracuda will be at Lee’s Family Forum for a two-game set starting Friday.
Craig said the objective now is making sure the Knights’ game is in good order over the final two weeks. The higher they finish, he said, the better hockey they’re playing.
“You take wins any way you can get them,” Craig said. “We’re not just trying to get in. We’re trying to get as high as we can, get as many points as we can. All we’ve done is check a box, or get an ‘X’ by our name.”
Contact Danny Webster at dwebster@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.
Silver Knights up next
Who: Silver Knights at Firebirds
When: 6:30 p.m. Wednesday
Where: Acrisure Arena, Palm Desert, California
TV: AHL.TV
Radio: KLAV 1230 AM
Golden Knights p next
Who: Golden Knights at Canucks
When: 7 p.m. Tuesday
Where: Rogers Arena, Vancouver
TV: KMCC-34
Radio: KFLG 94.7 FM/KKGK 1340 AM