When the NHL's Arizona Coyotes were deciding who to trade for to help the Tucson Roadrunners’ playoff push in March, Tucson head coach Steve Potvin admitted recently he “no clue” who defenseman Steven Kampfer was.
Arizona would go on to trade for Kampfer from the Detroit Red Wings, with the Coyotes then sending the veteran blueliner to the AHL's Roadrunners.
“It was great, because I had no idea who he was and it came down to two choices: player X and Steve and honestly we watched a couple shifts and it was like ‘oh it’s done, that’s the guy for sure,’” Potvin said. “But obviously we’re delighted to see what type of character he had and then we got to know that we was with the Bruins and that he won the Stanley Cup and then from that point we were obviously very lucky.”
Kampfer went on to become a leader right away for Tucson and after the season's first series he was named the Roadrunners’ 2023-24 captain.
“When we walk in the room you can see who’s leading and they relate to the guys really quickly. The captains that have that personality,” Potvin said. “The room speaks and the room knows it right away so he fit in. You could see it right away when he came in the room, he just fit right in and it was easy to see that he was gonna be a leader.”
The Roadrunners (3-3-0-0) close out their first home stand of the season when they host the Chicago Wolves (1-3-1-1) for a two-game series on Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m.
After playing in college at Michigan, Kampfer has skated for four NHL teams, six AHL teams and one in the Russia-based KHL. He played for USA in the 2022 Olympics and in 2011 he picked up his Stanley Cup winning ring with Boston.
Last year’s Tucson captain, Adam Cracknell, signed with the Henderson Silver Knights in the offseason, leaving the Roadrunners in need of a player deserving of wearing the "C" on his jersey.
Kampfer fit the part, with forwards Zach Sanford and Ben McCartney were named alternate captains.
“It’s an honor and a privilege,” Kampfer said. “It’s hard to replace a guy like Adam Cracknell, obviously with what he did last year. But you learn a lot from him; you learn from other leaders that you’ve been around and it’s not just myself — it’s Ben, it’s Zach, it’s the other guys that have been around for a long time. We all kinda lean on each other and it’s a leadership by group, (a) committee.”
Sanford played for Boston College and then six NHL teams and five AHL sides. He won the Stanley Cup in 2019 over Kampfer’s Bruins.
Tucson Roadrunners forward Zach Sanford (12), skating for the NHL's Arizona Coyotes during the 2023-24 preseason, hits the ice fighting for the puck with Ducks defenseman Lassi Thomson (29), left, and Ducks defenseman Jackson LaCombe (60) in the third period of their NHL preseason game at Tucson Arena on Oct. 7.
“Honestly I don’t know if there’s a team that has one Stanley Cup winner on it; we have two of them,” Potvin said. “So we’re very fortunate. We’re gonna lean on them. We’re going to ask them questions and we’re gonna depend on their leadership to help our young guys.”
McCartney joined the Roadrunners in the 2021 after the Coyotes picked him the seventh round of the 2020 draft.
“It’s an honor I’m just gonna keep being myself and just keep on helping the young guys and keep on being a good example on the ice and off ice,” McCartney said.
Kampfer, 35, and Sanford, 29, are seasoned vets who both have joined the club since March; McCartney, 22, is already in his fourth year with the organization.
“I think we all have the same goal in mind, is to make it to the next level or it’s to compete for the Calder Cup or things like that,” Kampfer said. “So i think everybody has the same goal, same vision in mind here that when we found out who was in the leaders we all sat down and talked.
“We all have different attributes, we all have different strengths. It’s an area we can all rely on each other. We can all lean on each other in different situations,” Kampfer added. “Obviously Zach and I are a little bit older and Ben’s still up and coming.
"Ben’s one of those guys that’s a workhorse on the ice and Zach’s a very smart player, so he’s more of a lead by example kind of guy.”
Roadrunners' forward Ben McCartney (22) wrestles with San Diego's right wing Jacob Perreault (11) for control of the puck in front of the benches in the third period of their AHL game at Tucson Arena on Oct. 23
Cracknell was on an AHL contract but Kampfer, Sanford and McCartney are all on two-way contracts with Arizona, meaning they could each ultimately be moved up to the NHL at some point.
Potvin isn’t worried about constantly losing captains or assistants. He said they have other leaders too like center Justin Kirkland, left wing John Leonard, defenseman Cameron Crotty, left wing Travis Barron and center Ryan McGregor.
“That’s what our hope is. Our hope is that they do get called up and they get to be in the NHL,” Potvin said. “We have a strong leadership group. ... We're lucky."
So far this season, Sanford (currently in the NHL) has been called up twice by the Coyotes and McCartney once.
Slap shots
• Friday is College Night for the Roadrunners. UA or Pima College students can get tickets for $10.
• Saturday is Military Appreciation Night. The first 1,000 fans will get Roadrunners military appreciation hats and Veterans and active military will get discounts on tickets.
• The Roadrunners will also be selling be selling $25 mystery tickets that can win a team military-themed signed jersey.
VIDEO: Tucson Roadrunners newcomer Hunter Drew gets the Roadrunners on the board first against his long-time former team, the San Diego Gulls, to help pace Tucson to a 2-1 win over the Gulls on Oct. 24, 2023 at Tucson Arena. (Video courtesy Tucson Roadrunners/AHL)
VIDEO: Tucson Roadrunners forward Dylan Guenther scores to help the Roadrunners to a 2-1 win over the San Diego Gulls on Oct. 24, 2023 at Tucson Arena. (Video courtesy Tucson Roadrunners/AHL)
VIDEO: Tucson Roadrunners goaltender Matthew Villalta makes a sprawling save — one of 35 he had on the night in a 2-1 Tucson win Oct. 14 at the Texas Stars to start the 2023-24 season 2-0 overall. (Video courtesy Tucson Roadrunners/AHL)
