Michael Carcone made such a big impression while on loan to Tucson from Nashville that the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes signed him to a two-way deal during the offseason.

 Kelly Presnell, Arizona Daily Star 2021

Barely 11 months ago, Tucson Roadrunners forward and alternate captain Michael Carcone was in hockey’s no-man’s land.

This weekend, as the Roadrunners (11-10-2-0) open a two-game set with the Colorado Eagles (12-11-3-2) in Tucson Arena, Carcone isn’t just one of the most important pieces of the Roadrunners’ ever-evolving roster; he’s also one of five Tucson skaters to already make their NHL debuts this season.

“You dream about it,” Carcone said of last month’s stint with Coyotes. “It’s been a super, super cool experience.”

Carcone’s time with the NHL club may have been brief. But given where his career was not even a year earlier, it’s further proof he’s found a home in the desert.

In late January 2021, Carcone was a player without a team.

The NHL’s Nashville Predators acquired Carcone in a deal with the Ottawa Senators, but didn’t have long-term plans for him. The club sent the majority of its developing prospects to play for the AHL’s Chicago Wolves.

Carcone was dispatched to a different AHL team: the Roadrunners.

While on loan to Tucson from Nashville, Carcone blossomed into a goal-scorer. The Coyotes signed him to a two-year, two-way contract following the season.

“Sometimes you need to find a home. For me, I feel like I found a home here in Tucson,” he said. “I have a really good relationship with the coaching staff and with the guys in the room. That’s the main reason I wanted to sign here again.”

For Carcone and others, the proverbial shuttle from Tucson to Glendale and back seems to have be more active than usual.

Tucson is barely one third of the way through its 2021-22 AHL schedule, and the Coyotes’ NHL slate is roughly 40% complete. Yet six players have already made their NHL debuts for the Coyotes this season; the club record for a full season is nine, set in 2016-17.

Fifteen different players have played for both the Coyotes and Roadrunners this season. That includes Carcone and four other Roadrunners to make their NHL debuts — fellow forward Ben McCartney and defensemen JJ Moser, Cam Dineen and Dysin Mayo.

Goaltender Karel Vejmelka is the sixth on that list, although he jumped straight to the Coyotes’ lineup, bypassing the AHL and Roadrunners altogether.

First-year Tucson sensation Matias Maccelli was expected to be No. 7 in recent weeks, but was kept out of action due to COVID-19 protocols. Maccelli was sent back to the Roadrunners this week and is expected to be in the lineup this weekend against Colorado.

Still, it’s likely the 21-year-old plays for the NHL club at some point this season. He leads Tucson in goals (seven), assists (14) and points (21) so far.

Wednesday's Roadrunners game drew less than 1,000 fans.

Roadrunners back on TV

Southern Arizona hockey fans have multiple options to watch their team this weekend, when the Eagles visit the Roadrunners Saturday at 7 p.m.and Sunday at 4 p.m.

Tucson’s KWBA-TV, found on Channels 8 or 58 on most local cable and satellite systems, will broadcast Saturday’s game.

Saturday marks the third Roadrunners’ game this season on the CW Tucson. Next week, Adrian Denny and Jimmy Peebles of TucsonRoadrunners.com will call the Roadrunners’ first-ever televised road game from Stockton, California.

Those who would rather watch the Roadrunners in person should have some room to spread out inside Tucson Arena. The team announced crowds of 1,810 on Tuesday and 1,815 on Wednesday, though the actual number of fans in seats appeared well below 1,000 both nights. Tucson Arena seats 6,400 fans.

Attendance for Tucson’s big-ticket sports, including UA men’s and women’s basketball, has dipped this season. The COVID-19 pandemic is partly to blame — especially the currently surging omicron variant.

Roadrunners stand tall when short-handed

The Stockton Heat have been one of the AHL’s top teams all season, with their .796 win percentage third out of 31 AHL teams entering the weekend.

The Heat have seven losses this season; three of them have come at the hands of the Roadrunners.

Part of Tucson’s success: Its penalty kill, which has shot up of late into the top half of the league ranks. The Roadrunners are killing 82.7% of all shorthanded situations.

Against Stockton, the league’s second-best goal-scoring output overall, Tucson is 15 of 16 (93.8%) when down a man in six matchups this season. That includes going 8 for 8 in a two-game midweek split in Tucson Arena.

“I think that was a bright spot for sure (Wednesday),” Tucson coach Jay Varady said of the penalty kill — a unit overseen in many respects by assistant coach John Slaney. “And (Tuesday) I thought both special teams were good to help us with the victory.

“We’ve got a group there that’s trying to find a little rhythm. We kept some pairs together … and they were able to have some good shifts,” he added.”

Tucson’s relative success when shorthanded is noteworthy considering the Roadrunners enter this weekend as the fourth-most penalized team in the AHL. While the Toronto Marlies pace all teams with 15.28 penalty minutes per game, Tucson isn’t far behind, at 15.13.

Become a #ThisIsTucson member! Your contribution helps our team bring you stories that keep you connected to the community. Become a member today.