\u201cI\u2019m disappointed for them, not in them,\u201d Eagles coach Mark Letestu said. \u201cI believe this team is championship-level. Tonight, and the series, reveals just how hard winning is. To be able to outplay them, in my opinion, probably six or seven games, but you don\u2019t always get results. It\u2019s very disappointing, because I know what they put into it. You just feel for them.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis one will stick with me for a while.\u201d<\/p>\n
The AHL is, at its core, a developmental league for the NHL. It is the second-best hockey league in the world, but it\u2019s also a key stop on the path for many NHL players.<\/p>\n
There are several young players on the Eagles roster who can profit from this deep playoff run in the future. Players like forwards T.J. Hughes<\/a>, Taylor Makar<\/a> and Gavin Brindley<\/a>, plus defensemen Sean Behrens and Alex Gagne, are all guys who believe their journey has better days ahead at the next level up.<\/p>\n This was the first time the Eagles reached the AHL\u2019s conference final since moving up from the ECHL for the 2018-19 season. NHL clubs will always say that all AHL game reps are valuable for development, but it is during the Calder Cup Playoffs, when the competition ramps up and the space available on the ice shrinks, that it comes closest to NHL quality.<\/p>\n \u201cI hope it propels them,\u201d Letestu said. \u201cI hope it makes them hungrier. You get a taste of success. A long playoff run, it\u2019s invaluable for their experience, but they don\u2019t want to hear that right now. Coming up short never feels right, never feels good. And this one, when you feel like you have the pieces for it, makes it feel a little bit worse.\u201d<\/p>\n The Eagles had the joint fifth-best record in the regular season. An upset-filled AHL playoff bracket broke their way, so they had home-ice advantage for the Western Conference Final, and would have had it for the Calder Cup Final as well.<\/p>\n For veteran players like Megna, Keaton Middleton and Jacob MacDonald, this was 5-6 years of service with this organization in the making. That\u2019s why Megna, who hadn\u2019t played in a month, returned for Game 7 two or three weeks before he was projected to, a full face shield attached to his helmet.<\/p>\n Megna scored with 70 seconds remaining in Game 7, at the business end of a great play by Makar, but the sand in the hourglass ran out at the end of a chaotic game.<\/p>\n \u201cThey cautiously gave me the green light and just said \u2018make sure you protect yourself,\u2019 \u201d Megna said. \u201cI wanted to leave it all out there for Game 7, and make sure I was there for the guys.<\/p>\n \u201cThis group will never be the same. That\u2019s part of hockey, but it\u2019s tragic. You get so close to these guys and battle together for such a long time. Thought we were right there.\u201d<\/p>\n Just before Megna spoke in the hallway outside the Eagles locker room, Gagne lumbered by on crutches. He had been injured in the first period of Game 7, leaving the Eagles with five defensemen in the fight of their AHL lives.<\/p>\n The injuries he speculated he might have were ones that should leave a player out of the lineup for weeks, if not months. He was on the bench in the second period, still trying to get back into this fight.<\/p>\n This was unquestionably a successful season for the Eagles, including for Letestu as a first-year head coach. There will certainly be big changes before next year.<\/p>\n![\"Colorado](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/TDP-Z-HUGHES-1a.jpg\")
Colorado Eagles forward T.J. Hughes playing against the Coachella Valley Firebirds at Blue Arena May 17, 2026. T.J. Hughes, signed by the Avalanche as a college free agent in April, leads all AHL rookies through the conference finals with 14 points. (Photo courtesy of Kaitlyn Criss\/Colorado Eagles)<\/p>\n