While most of the headlines surrounding the Henderson Silver Knights focused on whether Carter Hart would make his official return to professional hockey, the spotlight overshadowed the comeback of another player equally important within the Vegas Golden Knights’ farm system.
Back in July, forward Trevor Connelly suffered a lower-body injury during the World Juniors showcase. The Golden Knights held rookie camp without their top prospect, and the Silver Knights had to start their season without one of their key X-factors.
However, fans finally got to witness the moment they had been waiting for, as Connelly made his season debut on Saturday against the Calgary Wranglers.
It didn’t take long for Connelly to make an impact. After Martin Frk put the Wranglers on the board just 18 seconds into the game, Connelly and the Silver Knights capitalized on a power play opportunity. Connelly was instrumental in the goal, finding Raphael Lavoie, who crashed the net and pushed the tying goal across the line.
“Trevor played well. He has the puck, you can see the skill. It’s his first game since, for us, last April,” said Silver Knights head coach Ryan Craig. “He’s playing catch-up, and the league continues to get faster just like any league as it goes through. Trevor did a good job, I thought, with his first game. He can now take a deep breath in knowing that he gets through it healthy and we can work from there.”
The Wranglers responded with their own power play goal from Justin Kirkland to take a 2-1 lead at the end of the first period.
The Silver Knights bounced back early in the second period. Dylan Coghlan scored a snipe from the point to tie the game, followed by crisp passing that left Jonas Rondbjerg with enough space to give Henderson their first lead of the night.
“Just the shot mentality. It was nice to get one four seconds into the power play, and the next power play, we’re snapping it around pretty good,” said Coghlan, reflecting on the effectiveness of the Henderson power play unit.
Unfortunately for the Silver Knights, things quickly unraveled after that with three unanswered goals from Calgary, pushing the score to 5-3.
Henderson inched closer thanks to Tuomas Uronen. The 2023 sixth-round pick, who has looked like a steal in his first year with the Silver Knights, continued his impressive start by netting his seventh goal in just his first ten career AHL games.
That goal was the closest Henderson would get to a comeback, as Frk completed his hat trick to seal a 6-4 win for the Wranglers.
Despite the loss, the Silver Knights did not go down without a fight—a tenacity that earned the respect of Coach Craig.
“Tonight, after getting scored on 18 seconds in, our pushback and resolve, we go up 3-2 seven minutes into the second period. So, it’s how you manage those momentum swings. You know that they’re going to push back; there are good teams that we’re playing each and every night. It’s how we respond to that,” Craig remarked about his team’s compete level.
Connelly and the Silver Knights will get another opportunity to face the Wranglers on Sunday, with Carter Hart’s return now looking on the horizon.
https://sports.yahoo.com/article/trevor-connelly-makes-season-debut-060542351.html