Injuries aplenty have increased roles available with Ontario Reign

The Ontario Reign have been near the top of the standings all season in the American Hockey League, posting a 33-11-4-3 record that has them just five points away from clinching a spot in the Calder Cup Playoffs. But an unprecedented wave of injuries within the organization, both at the NHL and AHL level, has left both the Kings and Reign without many of their top lineup options.

With recent recalls for Rasmus Kupari, Martin Frk and Gabriel Vilardi up front as well as defenders Jordan Spence, Austin Strand and Christian Wolanin, all of whom were in the lineup for the Kings on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena, opportunity is available for others to make an impact during the team’s upcoming homestand which begins Friday with a matchup against Bakersfield.

First and foremost, it’s very exciting for the Reign coaching staff and the remaining players on the roster to see their peers have success at the highest level. The Kings most recent win on Sunday night, a 3-2 shootout victory over the Atlantic Division leading Florida Panthers, was a tremendous achievement over a team that has the second-most points in the NHL. While Jonathan Quick was the story, stopping 30 shots to earn a win in his 700th career NHL game, both Kings goals came from players who had played for Ontario just days before with Kupari opening the scoring in the first and Frk tying the game in the final minute of the third. Spence, who posted his first career NHL point with an assist on Kupari’s goal, played almost 24 minutes in Sunday’s win and was named the third star of the game.

“That was an exciting game,” said Reign assistant coach Chris Hajt. “The Kings played very well and responded after the San Jose game. It was great to see, great to watch as far as our guys that got called up and we’re happy for them. That’s one of the biggest things for us is being able to have guys that go up and have success and hopefully they can continue to contribute and help them win.”

Seeing those players come up and have success can also serve as a motivator for those remaining on the Reign roster, who are constantly working on their game with the hope that they’ll receive the next opportunity.

“For the guys that are still here with us it definitely gives them that understanding that they are close,” Hajt said. “You have to make sure you’re playing the right way and developing on a daily basis because you want to be that next guy to get that call.”

Even though they’ll be without some of their leaders both on offense and defense, that doesn’t change the expectations Hajt and the rest of the coaching staff have for how the Reign will play and the results they’re looking for. Ontario has been a top team in the AHL all season, and everyone believes they can continue to produce the same level of results moving forward, no matter who is in the lineup.

“That’s life in the American Hockey League,” Hajt said. “Things happen, like injuries to the Kings and for us, and it’s important to adapt, it’s important to have structure in place to move forward and guys that have been brought in have been able to buy in to that and be able to adapt very quickly to the style that we play and the structure that we want to play with. No matter who is in the lineup, we have that expectation that we’re going to win and play the right way.”

With a new-look lineup expected over the next few weeks, here are some players to watch out for who may see increased roles as the team continues their push toward the postseason.

Samuel Fagemo – Forward

Fagemo has already had a major impact for Ontario in his second pro season in North America, scoring 19 goals in 46 games. But he’ll be someone the Reign lean on even more in the absence of his peers in the team’s top-6 like Vilardi and Kupari.

While Ontario’s offense and power play have been its calling cards all season, there’s going to be more opportunity for Fagemo, who consistently gets himself into top scoring areas, to help produce goals. The former second-round draft selection in 2019 has already been a factor in all situations, playing in multiple roles on both special teams. Now he’ll be counted on to continue scoring at the same rate without some of the linemates he’s been used to.

One option for Hajt and assistant coach Craig Johnson, may be to reunite a line that was previously used with Fagemo, Jaret Anderson-Dolan and Vladimir Tkachev, that had success in the team’s middle-six during the month of November.

Fagemo’s goal total ranks third on the Reign this season, while his 30 points are seventh-most overall, but third among those remaining on the roster. The Goteborg, Sweden native has also built a plus-minus rating of +18 this season and saw a recent seven-game point streak come to an end when Ontario was shut out for the first time during 2021-22 on Saturday night in San Diego.

“Sammy’s had a really good year,” Hajt said. “He’s gotten a taste of the NHL, scored some huge goals for us, and played roles on the power play and penalty kill. “He’s definitely someone that we’ve leaned on and that we will continue to lean. He’s an extremely hard worker, has real good detail in what he does and we’re definitely looking forward to him having another level to his game and being able to help our team win.”

Brett Sutter/Austin Wagner – Forwards

While the recent lineup flux may force a change to how the Reign deploy their attackers, I’m grouping forwards Brett Sutter and Austin Wagner together here as they’ve paired together at both 5-on-5 and on the penalty kill as a dynamic duo.

Using a great combination of will and hockey sense, Sutter and Wagner have been a great veteran combination this season for Ontario. At some points, they’ve seen Aidan Dudas, who has missed time recently with an injury but projects to return soon, as the third member of their line, while at other times it has been the physical Jacob Doty flanking them on the right wing. Either way, they’ve made a big impact in games as a hard unit for opponents to match up with because of their speed and skill.

Now there’s an opportunity for both to get an increased role with more time on ice as Sutter could be an addition to the power play and Wagner will likely be adding minutes to his already important penalty killing duty.

“We’ll see what the lines shake out to be, but they’ve played a lot together and killed together all year so there is a chemistry and understanding reading off each other,” Hajt said. “When you’re putting lines or combos together, you definitely think of that chemistry they have.”

Sutter is the ultimate leader of the group and has remained durable this season, playing in 49 of the team’s 51 contests in his 15th professional season. The center has also posted 15 points, scoring seven goals and assisting on eight others, including two game-winning tallies.

“We count on Brett in so many situations,” Hajt said. “Key faceoffs, 5-on-6 penalty kill, he’s had a little bit of power play time lately that earlier in the year he didn’t get, and that’s a good thing about our organization is the depth that we have and the guys that may have not been in certain situations early on in the year will be in those situations now. You go through these stretches during a year and you’ve got to look at it the right way. Certain guys are going to get an opportunity to do more than they have been and that’s what they want, they want to be able to have those opportunities and take advantage of it.”

The same is true for Wagner, who is already one of seven skaters with a double-digit goal total for Ontario. Now in his fifth pro season, all of which have been with the Kings organization, Wagner has played in 171 career NHL games and the team will lean on his experience during this stretch. This season he has an AHL career-high 19 points with 11 goals and eight assists, while factoring in on three of the team’s four shorthanded goals.

“Wags obviously has a lot of experience and we talk about that quite a bit,” Hajt said. “He’s definitely someone that we’re going to need to be at the top of his game. He’s had more of a role on the penalty kill this year, used his speed very well in a lot of situations. He’s long, lanky, and uses his stick to his advantage so we definitely need Wags to play well and we respect him a lot as a player.”

Cameron Gaunce – Defense

By far the most veteran player Ontario has on defense, Gaunce recently played in his 750th career professional game, with over 700 coming at the AHL level. Much of his role this season has been mentoring the team’s two rookie blueliners in Helge Grans and Jordan Spence. Now with Spence seeing time in the NHL, including a team-high 25:18 in ice time on Tuesday, Gaunce could be counted on for bigger minutes in both a shut down role as well as an offensive capacity.

Gaunce has totaled 18 points this season on three goals and 15 assists, and the Reign may look for him to show more of the kind of play he had when he posted a career-high 46 points three seasons ago with the Syracuse Crunch where he had an important role on the team’s power play.

There’s also the defensive responsibility that Gaunce has proven he can handle. Most recently paired with the 19-year-old Grans, the Sudbury, Ont. native will also continue to log big minutes on the penalty kill.

“Cameron’s an excellent human being first of all and has been an unbelievable leader for this team,” said Hajt. “He just comes to work every day. He’s on the ice every time, whether it’s an optional skate or not, he’s always working on his game and showing the right way of doing things. Whatever role or thing we ask of him he does, and he does it to the best of his ability, he does it with a smile and with a great sense of responsibility. Working with younger players, he’s terrific on the bench with them, in between periods and whatnot, it’s invaluable to the team and for our young back end and could be someone that will get more minutes because of the situation.”

Christian Kasastul – Defense

One of a few players with the team on a professional tryout contract (PTO), Kasastul has earned a consistent role as a member of the defensive group with energy and a willingness to do whatever he’s been asked. The blueliner is in his seventh pro season, but this year has been his first taste of hockey in North America and he’s thrived in a limited role.

Kasastul previously found familiarity with Strand, but he’ll most likely be working on chemistry with a new partner this week. After watching what he’s been capable of in 20 appearances this season, the Reign are confident Kasastul is the kind of player that can fit in whatever role he’s assigned.

“Every day he’s gotten better,” Hajt said of Kasastul. “That’s an important thing and he’s worked on his game, he’s someone that is a competitor. That immediately jumps out at you, he doesn’t care who you are, he’s going to play physical, he’s going to be hard to play against in his own zone, off the rush, it’s a physical element that we need and he’s done an excellent job of it. Other teams don’t like him because he does play so hard.

“He’s taken on a bit of a penalty kill role as well, the other night he had four blocked shots on one kill and that goes a long way with your teammates that you’re willing to put your body on the line and put your team in front of your own needs and he does that. It’s something that rubs off on other guys and they have a ton of respect for him.”

Ontario continues its month chock-full of home games this weekend with a matchup against the Condors on Friday and their final meeting of the regular season with Abbotsford on Sunday afternoon. Next week the Reign host Grand Rapids on Tuesday and Sunday, with a trip to San Diego for a battle with the Gulls sandwiched in between on Saturday.

While there are still 17 games remaining on the team’s regular season schedule, the playoff picture in the Pacific Division is coming into focus. Ontario currently holds second place behind Stockton, who can become the first AHL team to clinch a postseason berth tonight. First place is still not out of reach for the Reign, with a first-round bye as the spoils for the team that wins the division. Teams that finish in second, third and fourth place will host a best-of-3 series against clubs in 5th-7th with the winners advancing to the Division Semifinals. For fans who want more insight into the AHL’s playoff process, check out the league’s Playoff Primer here.