Tucson Roadrunners first-half bests: Goalie Villalta MVP, big wins, best jerseys, more

It’s been quite a “first half” to the 2023-24 season for the Tucson Roadrunners.

Despite losing players like American Hockey League leading scorer Michael Carcone, No. 1 goalie Ivan Prosvetov and captain Adam Cracknell, plus enduring nearly a dozen call-ups and injuries to key players like captain Steven Kampfer, alternate captain Ben McCartney and left wing Justin Kirkland, the Roadrunners (28-13-1-1) came out of this week’s All-Star break in the top spot in the AHL’s the Pacific Division, and with the league’s third-best overall record.

With less than 30 games to go, the Roadrunners were back on the ice Friday night to begin a two-game series at the Iowa Wild (15-25-1-2), which continues Saturday at 5 p.m. Though it’s not the actual middle of the season, the All-Star break is a good time to look back, so that’s what we did.

Star sports editor Brett Fera and Roadrunners reporter James Kelley compiled their team superlatives from the first half of Tucson’s season.

Tucson’s MVP

James Kelley: It’s not as interesting when we agree, but there can be only one. Goalie Matthew Villalta’s 22 wins on his own at the break is better than 19 AHL teams have so far, and better than almost half of the 10 teams Tucson competes with in the Pacific Division. Since 1948, only eight goalies have won the AHL MVP; last year I rolled my eyes when one beat out Carcone, but sometimes a netminder is just that valuable they should break through.

Brett Fera: Villalta was — at best — brought in to split time with longtime Tucson goalie Prosvetov. But when Prosvetov was claimed off waivers by the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche before the Arizona Coyotes could send him to Tucson, Villalta stepped in to, oh, just lead AHL goalies in games played, minutes, shots against, saves, and wins as the backbone of a now-first-place club. Most valuable, indeed.

Biggest win

JK: On Oct. 14, the Roadrunners won 2-1 deep in the heart of Texas to complete the series sweep of the Texas Stars to open the season. Although the Stars outshot Tucson 36-17, Villalta stood tall and showed the 3-2 opening night win wasn’t a fluke and that the Roadrunners would be very good on the road this year. Newcomers also got all of Tucson’s points (except for an assist by longtime Roadrunner Jan Jenik), proving the new-look Roadrunners’ potential for 2023-24.

BF: There’s admittedly a bit of recency bias here, but last Saturday’s matchup at Coachella Valley had it all. For starters, it was at CV’s Acrisure Arena, where Tucson’s 2022-23 season ended by way of a blowout in the first round of last year’s Calder Cup playoffs — a bracket Coachella Valley would roar through before falling in overtime in game seven of the finals. This time, with the Firebirds and Roadrunners jockeying for first place in the AHL’s Pacific Division coming in, the game had just as much intensity as a playoff matchup. Tucson fought back to tie three times after three separate CV one-one-goal leads and, after a scoreless OT, The Roadrunners won in a five-round shootout. Tucson ended the season’s first “half” in first place in point percentage (CV second), with the two teams tied in total points, setting up a must-watch stretch run in the Pacific.

Best story

JK: Last season, forward Colin Theisen split time with Tucson and the ECHL’s Atlanta Gladiators, but this year, he was sent to the Toledo Walleye, also of the ECHL. Although a demotion, it was a homecoming for the ASU alum — only about 25 minutes from where he’s originally from. When he returned to Tucson’s lineup, Theisen had a goal and an assist. Then he was sent to Toledo again, but in his first game back for the Roadrunners scored a goal, with another in his next game.

BF: Dependable Milos Keleman was one half of the duo that tied for Tucson’s goal-scoring lead in the month of January. The other? Not All-Star Josh Doan; not veteran Jan Jenik. It was Austin Poganski, who came to Tucson on a “professional tryout” (PTO) deal for training camp. He made the team but only managed to get into the lineup a few times in the first month of the season. Yet, now with a full-fledged AHL contract and finding regular ice time, Poganski has blasted his way to a 10-goal, 10-assist first half (six of those goals in January). Poganski’s real value will come two months from now, though. He brings a ton of recent playoff experience after being part of that aforementioned Coachella Valley team that got to within a single goal of winning the AHL crown; Poganski played in a whopping 24 playoff games for the Firebirds in last spring’s playoffs.

Best duo

BF: Duo? Naa. We’re going trio — specifically Steve Potvin, John Slaney and Zach Stortini. Maybe the coaching staff is an odd pick here, but somebody show me, first, another of the AHL’s 32 head coaches who deserves Coach of the Year honors for what his team has done so far in 2023-24 more than Potvin. Then, show me a coaching staff that’s gotten more out of their squad than longtime duo Potvin and Slaney and third-year bench addition Stortini. I’ve said it way too many times this season on Roadrunners Happy Hour (shameless plug: that’s the radio show Roadrunners play-by-play voice Adrian Denny, Tucson Arena public address announcer Kim Cota-Robles and I co-host every Tuesday at 5 p.m on Fox Sports 1450-AM); I thought this team would be good this year, and certainly better than last year’s seventh-place Pacific Division finish. But this good? No way, and Potvin, Slaney and Stortini deserve credit for every bit of the success.

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Best sweater

JK: Though it was a perfect time for the Roadrunners to bring back their black “Kachina” jerseys after a year away (the team used white last season), they’re not exactly new; so I’m going with the Military Appreciation sweaters. Usually, military jerseys are pretty lazy, slapping on some Stars and Stripes and/or camo but Roadrunners’ ones always look great. This year, they were blue with a Dusty logo based on the Air Force’s famous roundel or National Star Insignia. Well done.

BF: The easy answer is the black “Kachina” — a sweater so great Villalta politicked to be able to bring wear that one at last weekend’s All-Star events in San Jose. And the fun answer is Tucson’s multi-colored, Hawaiian print “Beach Night” warmup jersey. But I’m going to go out on a limb and the best in this category hasn’t happened yet. It will be the Roadrunners’ recently-announced blue and yellow throwbacks, honoring the old IHL/WHA/ECHL Phoenix Roadrunners for “Hockey Day in Southern Arizona.” Those are coming Feb. 24.

Next to the NHL

JK: Although he’s been injured much of the year and hasn’t played in the NHL since 2020-21, Roadrunners captain Steven Kampfer is a good choice no matter which direction the Coyotes go. If they stay in the playoff race, they can call up a vet with Stanley Cup Final and Olympic experience to help with a young team. If they sell at the trade deadline, he can replace a veteran they perhaps dealt away for more draft picks.

BF: He might not literally be the “next” one, but in context, if ever there were a three-day performance (admitted recency bias again) that says “yeah, that guy has ‘it’” — whatever “it” is — it was Doan last weekend. It started with his clean, bang-bang regulation goal before he converted on a filthy shootout goal in the Saturday win over Coachella to put Tucson in first place. Then, over the next two days, he was smooth as it gets, hardly missing in any situation while participating in both the AHL All-Star skills Classic’s Sunday skills competition and 3-on-3 tournament in San Jose. Watch him while you can, folks. The heir apparent to his own family’s Arizona Coyotes’ legacy might not be in Tucson all that long.

Best theme night

JK: Like their uniforms, this is an area where the Roadrunners have an embarrassment of riches. But the Force is definitely with Star Wars Night as this year Tucson drew 6,087 for it. Last year, Star Wars Night’s attendance was 5,717, the second highest mark behind until they had 5,923 for the season finale. To top that this year, they may need to host a playoff game.

BF: I’ll support James’ call on this one for the “first half.” But “second half” has a few sure-to-be-a-blast nights on the upcoming schedule. Just in the next couple weeks alone: Kids “Kachina” jersey giveaway (Feb. 17 vs. Ontario), “Swiftie” night (Feb. 23 vs. Bakersfield), and Hockey night in Arizona (a.k.a. Throwback Night. On the latter, which is Feb. 24 vs. Bakersfield, the Coyotes and Roadrunners alumni will face the University of Arizona hockey team at 4 p.m, before the AHL game at 7 p.m.