The Tucson Roadrunners are literally a different team from the one that played their last home game on Feb. 1.
On Feb. 3, the Utah Hockey Club traded for forward Sammy Walker from the Minnesota Wild for future considerations and assigned Walker to the Roadrunners.
Then, in his first game for Tucson, Walker got two goals and two assists, getting a hand in every goal as Tucson snapped their eight-game winless streak at the San Jose Barracuda, 4-3, on Feb. 7.
The win kicked off Tucson’s annual Gem Show road trip, which is tied for the longest of the season, being seven games.
“I feel like this road trip has been like close to a month,” Walker said to Roadrunners personnel on Wednesday night after the road trip ended, “but I’m excited to finally get there and settle in and yeah, hopefully we can get back in the win column.”
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Walker had 11 points in 30 games with the Iowa Wild this season but has 6 in 7 games for Tucson.
The Roadrunners (22-22-2-2) return home to host the Abbotsford Canucks (27-20-1-1) in a Saturday/Sunday series. The Canucks are the Vancouver Canucks’ affiliate.
Tucson sent forward Miko Matikka to their ECHL affiliate, the Allen Americans, on Valentine’s Day. Utah recalled goalie Jaxson Stauber and Tucson called back up goalie Dylan Wells from Allen on Monday.
Gem of a road trip
Though the Roadrunners entered the road trip having dropped eight in a row, they rebounded to post one of their best Gem Show road trips ever.
Tucson went 3-3-0-1 on the trip, only the third time they ever finished .500 or better on the Gem Show road trip. In 2017, they went 1-5; in 2018, 4-2; in 2019, 2-3-0-1; in 2020, 2-4-0-1; in 2022, 2-4; in 2023, 1-6; and last season they went 3-1-1-0. In 2021, they didn’t have a Gem Show road trip and in the seven-game road trip in January they went 3-4.
Roadrunners run to the playoffs
As of Friday morning, the Roadrunners sit in the last playoff spot in the division.
Tucson is tied for seventh place with the Bakersfield Condors (20-18-5-3) with 48 points but the Roadrunners own the first tiebreaker, regulation wins, with 20, compared to the Condors’ 14.
“Every game’s huge from here on out,” Walker said. “So every game matters, we gotta be consistent, full 60 minutes every night, I mean, we gotta get some wins here and get in the playoff picture here.”
Coachella Valley (27-17-1-5) sits in fourth place, in the final spot that gets home-ice advantage in the first round. In the Pacific Division, the first-place team gets a bye to the second round and in the first round, the No. 2 seed plays seven, the No. 3 plays six, and four and five play, with every first-round series being at the better seed.
The Roadrunners have 24 games remaining to make the playoffs for the third straight season.
Doaner loaner
With the NHL having gone on a couple-week break for the 4 Nations Face-Off, Utah sent forward Josh Doan back to Tucson for a few games.
Doan collected five points in three games for the Roadrunners, helping them get three standings points in a series at the Henderson Silver Knights and move back into the playoff spots.
Utah recalled the Scottsdale native on Tuesday.
Spreading the wealth
Tucson Roadrunners forward Hunter Drew tallied his team-leading third multi-goal game of the season in a 5-2 loss to the Coachella Valley Firebirds at Acrisure Arena on Feb. 19. Drew plans to utilize homefield advantage for the Roadrunners' next four games.
While the Roadrunners’ scoring was dominated by their top line at the end of the winless streak, their depth has returned.
Right wing Hunter Drew scored a couple in their 5-2 loss at Coachella Valley on Wednesday.
“That was awesome for him to pop a couple there and it’s nice playing with a guy like that,” Walker said, “ ... he brings the energy and he’ll get in there and the D don’t wanna go back and get pucks when they gotta face a player like that, so it kind of frees you up a bit and no, yeah, it was fun.”
Drew’s last goal before the Coachella Valley game was Dec. 21, and his last multi-point game was Dec. 20.
Center Ryan McGregor had 3 points in the Henderson series last week, including his first multi-point game since Oct. 20. Also against the Silver Knights, right winger Aku Räty scored his first goal since Jan. 3.
Tucson Roadrunners rookie forward Julian Lutz scores his first career goal late in the second period of Sunday's 7-4 victory over the Henderson Silver Knights at Lee's Family Forum.
Birthday bash
On Saturday, the Roadrunners will give out youth hockey jerseys and will celebrate Dusty’s 9th birthday.
Other mascots will be on hand for Dusty’s birthday. A graphic the Roadrunners tweeted featured the mascots for the Phoenix Mercury, ASU Sun Devils, Tucson Sugar Skulls, Valley Suns, Chick-fil-A and Wilma Wildcat.
The series will also be “Salute to Services Weekend,” with military getting a 20% discount, recognition of military members and their families, a Vietnam War commemoration booth and ceremonial swearing in.
Villalta milestone
On Sunday against Henderson, Tucson goalie Matthew Villalta won his 100th AHL regular season game.
Villalta (11-17-3) snapped a nine-game winless streak where he went 0-7-2, getting his first win since Jan. 3.
Villalta owns a 100-66-17 record in regular season games and is 2-4 in the playoffs.
Roadrunners at 10
On Feb. 10, the Roadrunners announced plans to celebrate their 10th season.
In addition to special promotions, giveaways and fan experiences, the Roadrunners will debut a 10th-season logo.
They also announced a new two-year season ticket plan where fans can get tickets at a reduced rate in the second year of the deal.
The Roadrunners are accepting $50 deposits for new season tickets, and those who renew or get new season tickets by the end of February will be eligible for 28 days of prizes like autographed memorabilia, gift cards to local restaurants, glass seats and lunch with Roadrunners head coach Steve Potvin.
New season ticket holders will get a free subscription to AHLTV on FloHockey for the rest of the season and four complimentary tickets to a Roadrunners home game of their choice in March or April.
