Tucson Roadrunners captain Steven Kampfer returned to game action last week — pleased to see the team rise up the standings in his absence.
Friday, Kampfer, a defenseman, returned to the lineup after almost two months out as Tucson beat Coachella Valley 3-1.
“It was a long eight weeks,” Kampfer said.
Kampfer suffered a lower-body injury on Nov. 3 against the Chicago Wolves when he blocked a shot.
The Roadrunners (19-8-1-1) have won five in a row, seven of their last eight and eight of their last 10.
“It’s huge,” Kampfer said about the Roadrunners winning despite losing their captain. “It’s like we talked about at the beginning of the year: We have a great group of guys, everybody cares about each other, personally, professionally and I think everybody bought into our system and we played it really well.”
Tucson returns to action on Wednesday at the San Jose Barracuda (10-14-4-0) to start a five-game road trip that takes them from California to Chicago to Abbotsford, British Columbia.
Arizona traded for Kampfer in March, and the Coyotes sent him to Tucson to help the Roadrunners reach the playoffs.
“Hats off to him, and hats off to the surgeons and (Tucson head athletic trainer) Jordan (Ellis) and (Tucson performance coach) Parker (Poore); they did an outstanding job,” said Tucson head coach Steve Potvin. “And Steve was relentless; whenever there was an opportunity to rehab, he did it.
“Whenever there was a time to get the extra workout in, he did it and our staff was with him there all the way through it and couldn’t be prouder of his effort and the staff’s effort.”
Kampfer has played for four NHL teams, six AHL teams and one in the KHL. He also played for USA in the 2022 Olympics, and in 2011, he got a Stanley Cup ring with Boston, although he wasn't with the Bruins during the Finals.
Tucson forward Dylan Guenther, a 2021 first-round draft pick who has 28 points in 28 games, said Kampfer adds maturity to a fairly young lineup.
“I room with him on the road and he’s kinda like a father figure for me I mean we’re different paths, he’s a defenseman, I’m a forward but he’s been through a lot so it’s nice to talk and look up to him,” Guenther said.
Kampfer said it’s important for leaders to give their teammates someone to talk to.
While he was injured, Kampfer was still active.
“He was out, but he was definitely on the sidelines encouraging the guys and making sure that guys are doing well and if they have any questions, they can always lean on him, and so even though he wasn’t playing he still played a part,” Potvin said.
Slap shots
- Saturday’s attendance of 6,087 at Tucson Arena in a 3-2 win over San Diego was the Roadrunners’ best since Nov. 9, 2019. Tucson’s total attendance last week of 10,950 is their best weekend total since Apr. 12-13, 2019. “Oh, it was outstanding; this was so much fun,” Potvin said. “The fans I think feel the energy for themselves but I don’t know how much they understand what it does for the players, it’s a real boost of energy. “We used it and we’re happy to play in front of them and we love getting the response from them and when you get a response from the fans and there’s this many people you can’t help but get charged up.”
- The year 2023 was kind to the Roadrunners as they returned to the playoffs, had a player in Michael Carcone win the AHL scoring title and rose to second place this season by the end of the calendar year. “I think when we started the season last year, we had a .670 winning record and then in the middle part, I think we were .233, and then from February on I think we were again .620 something,” Potvin said about 2023. “So that middle part of the season was difficult, so we can say that from February to this point we’ve put some things together and we’ve started to really incrementally get better and start to really identify what we want to play like and the type of people we want in our locker room.”
- Potvin just missed out on the chance to coach the Pacific Division All-Star team at the AHL All-Star Classic in February. The division leaders as of Dec. 31 send their head coach to the ASG, but Tucson ended up second with 40 points. Calgary Wranglers head coach Trent Cull will coach the Pacific Division. Calgary had 41 points.
VIDEO: Tucson Roadrunners goaltender Dylan Wells had this big early save in the Roadrunners' eventual 3-2 win over the San Diego Gulls on Saturday, Dec. 30, 2023, at Tucson Arena. While San Diego went up 2-0, Wells held the fort down in the end, finishing with 14 saves on 16 San Diego shots on net as the Roadrunners won their fifth in a row heading into 2024. (Video courtesy Tucson Roadrunners)
