With their mayor called up, the Tucson Roadrunners recalled forward Jack Ricketts, a former Quinnipiac University star.
On Wednesday, the Roadrunners called up Ricketts from the Utah Grizzlies of the ECHL.
“I got the call (Tuesday) night and then packed up and was on a 9:30 flight and got here around noon, so I had enough time to get a little nap in and get at it,” Ricketts said.
Tucson lost 5-3 to the San Diego Gulls later that evening.
"I think obviously we wanted to win out there, but personally I felt pretty good and just chipped away, tried to keep it simple and stick my game,” Ricketts said.
The Roadrunners (17-13-7-0) travel to Nevada to face the Henderson Silver Knights (16-14-3-2) for a two-game series starting on Saturday.
Ricketts, 26, has 18 points (eight goals) in his first professional season. He’s third on the team in goals and fifth in points and assists. The Oakville, Ontario, native signed a one-year AHL contract with Tucson in October.
“I think he played really well,” said Tucson head coach Steve Potvin. “Unfortunately we did get down 3-nothing and so we had to shorten the bench a little bit and we shortened it early, we wanted to try to get ourselves in a position to gain ground in the third period and we did that.”
Jack Ricketts on the ice vs. the San Diego Gulls, Jan. 21, 2026, for the Tucson Roadrunners.
The Tucson-Quinnipac connection doesn't start wtih Ricketts.
Forward Sam Lipkin is in his third season with the Roadrunners after playing for Quinnipiac.
In 2023, Tucson signed forward Michael Lombardi after Quinnipiac won the national championship, and he scored a goal in his first professional game exactly a week after they won the title.
“I talked to Sam a lot, we hung out with the summer a little bit,” Ricketts said. “So yeah, it seems like a little bit of a train to here but nice to be here, nice to see some familiar faces and chat about.”
Last season, Ricketts played for Quinnipiac after four seasons with Holy Cross. He had 114 points (66 goals) in 158 NCAA games.
Ricketts broke Quinnipiac’s Division I single-game goal record with four goals against American International College.
Ricketts started off on a line with Ryan McGregor and Lipkin.
"I think I've known those guys for a little bit now, so it was familiar getting out there with them and then just shift by shift talking, playing together,” Ricketts said.
Potvin was impressed with the energy Ricketts and his line mates provided.
“They were at the forefront of creating momentum for us,” Potvin said. “So I thought his debut was great and I thought the energy that that line provided at the end of the game was needed and it was good to see it.”
Hebig to the big league
On Wednesday, the Utah Mammoth recalled forward Cameron Hebig on his birthday.
Hebig, 29, has 33 points (15 goals) in 35 games for Tucson this season.
Potvin complimented his work ethic.
“This is a good, cool moment," Potvin said. "I think everyone in the American Hockey League should take note and understand that the path isn’t always straight and it’s not always so easy. There’s gonna be some bumps in the roads and you have to be able to persevere and you continue on with your dream. So you hope that he gets an opportunity to play and he's able to contribute and help them win games.”
Tucson Roadrunners Cameron Hebig (39) vs. the San Diego Gulls on Jan. 20, 2026.
Before Wednesday’s game, he led the Roadrunners in goals and power-play goals (5), power-play points (10) and multi-point games (9), is tied for first in points per game (0.94) and is second in total points.
It’s his first NHL call-up. In March, he signed his first two-way NHL deal and then signed another one with the Mammoth in July.
He’s the second Roadrunner to make their NHL debut this year, after forward Daniil But.
Nicknamed “The Mayor of Tucson,” Hebig is the Roadrunners' longest-tenured player (324) and career leading goal scorer (78).
Roadrunners freebie
On Tuesday, the AHL announced that Tucson’s game on Saturday night was selected as the Live on Social Game of the Week.
It can be seen for free on the AHL’s Facebook page, X (Twitter) account and YouTube channel. The puck drops at 7 p.m.
On Wednesday, the league announced that it and the Professional Hockey Players’ Association ratified a new five-year Collective Bargaining Agreement.
Streak ends
On Wednesday, the Roadrunners lost their first game in regulation since Dec. 20.
Tucson got at least a point in 10 straight games.
As of Tuesday night, the Roadrunners have played in the second-most overtime games in the AHL, 14. Tucson is 7-0-7-0 in those.
Until Wednesday’s 60-minute game, four of the Roadrunners’ last five games went to overtime. Tucson won two of those and earned points in 14 of 16 games dating back to Dec. 5.
Doan cashes in
Former Roadrunner forward Josh Doan signed a seven-year, $48.7 million contract with the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday.
Buffalo Sabres right wing Josh Doan (91) celebrates his goal during the first period of an NHL game against the Montreal Canadiens, Jan. 15, 2026, in Buffalo, N.Y.
Doan, who played 109 games for Tucson in 2023, 2023-24 and last season, has NHL career highs in goals (15), assists (20) and points (35) in 49 games in his first season with the Sabres. The seven-year deal starts next season.
“We're proud of that because I think he's one of the first guys that I think everybody had some involvement with him from our organization,” Potvin said. “If you look at our amateur scouts, then you look at our development staff, then you look at our American league staff, then our NHL staff had a hand in it, and then our pro scouts were able to get back in a trade, and so they were involved in our management group.
“So I think we're proud of it and we were able to turn an asset into a good trade and I think it's been showing improving wealth for both teams.”
Buffalo traded for the 23-year-old Scottsdale native, along with former Tucson defenseman Michael Kesselring, with the Utah Mammoth on June 26 for forward J.J. Peterka.
The Arizona Coyotes selected Doan in the second round of the 2021 NHL Draft. He played youth hockey under Potvin before playing for ASU.
