REIGN PREVIEW 2/23 – Ontario vs. Calgary

WHO: Ontario Reign (30-15-2-1) vs. Calgary Wranglers (29-16-4-1)
WHAT: AHL REGULAR-SEASON GAME #49
WHEN: Sunday, February 23 @ 5:00 PM Pacific
WHERE: Toyota Arena – Ontario, CA
HOW TO FOLLOW: VIDEO: KCAL+ / FloHockey – AUDIO: ESPN LA App / Reign Radio – TWITTER: @ShafReign & @OntarioReign

TODAY’S MATCHUP: The Ontario Reign and Calgary Wranglers meet for the third time in nine days Sunday at Toyota Arena for the final contest at the building during February.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Four teams are currently separated by just a single point at the top of the Pacific Division standings at the start of the day, with Ontario holding a share of first with 63 points alongside Calgary and Colorado. The Reign were able to catch the Wranglers at the top of the table by winning seven of their last 10, including a pair of overtime victories in Calgary last week. Anytime the Reign have scored first this year, which has only happened in 18 of their 46 outings, they’ve had the upper hand, posting a 15-2-0-1 mark from those contests. Calgary is 19-7-4-1 from the 31 games this season where they’ve netted the opening goal, which has included all five of their previous meetings against Ontario. The Reign rank sixth in the league on the offensive end with 163 tallies for an average of 3.40 per game, just behind the Wranglers who are fifth with 3.46 goals per night. The Reign also average the third-most shots on goal in the league (31.88) and allow the second-least per game (26.06), while the Wranglers are 11-6-1-1 when they out-shoot their opponent.

LAST TIME OUT: The San Jose Barracuda got revenge from a loss in their building earlier this week to the Ontario Reign by turning the tables on Saturday night to secure a 3-1 decision at Toyota Arena. Martin Chromiak had the lone goal for the Reign in a losing effort, his third consecutive game with a power play strike. Goaltender Pheonix Copley made the start in between the pipes for Ontario and suffered the loss despite stopping 21 San Jose shots.

HEAD-TO-HEAD: The Reign have had the upper hand against Calgary this season, earning wins in four of their five previous matchups (4-0-1). Most recently, Ontario secured back-to-back overtime wins in Alberta at the Scotiabank Saddledome in a span of three days last week by scores of 4-3 and 3-2. Previously at Toyota Arena, the Reign also defeated the Wranglers 2-1 on Dec. 18 before avenging a 5-4 overtime loss on Jan. 19 with a lopsided 6-1 victory two nights later on Jan. 21. Ontario has had the upper hand on special teams, scoring five times on the power play from 20 chances (25%). The Reign have four skaters averaging a point-per-game against Calgary, including Charles Hudon (3-2=5), Jack Studnicka (2-3=5), Jeff Malott (1-4=5) and Andre Lee (2-2=4), while Taylor Ward (2-2=4), Martin Chromiak (1-3=4) and Tyler Madden (1-3=4) have all recorded four points in the series. Martin Frk and Dryden Hunt have led Calgary with six points in the five meetings this season, with Frk scoring a team-high three times. A year ago, Ontario secured points from six of their eight meetings with the Wranglers, earning a 5-2-0-1 record in the season series while outscoring Calgary a combined 26-16. Samuel Fagemo led the Reign with nine points from that series on seven goals and two assists.

CHARLIE CHATTER: Forward Charles Hudon enters Sunday night’s game on a team-best eight-game point streak, which is tied for the second-longest active run in the AHL. The stretch dates back to Jan. 31 and consists of 14 points on three goals and 11 assists. During seven games in February, the attacker ranks third in the league in scoring with 13 points (2-11=13). Hudon’s 47 points from 44 games this season leads the team and ranks tied for fourth in the AHL, while the Alma, Quebec native also has six game-winning goals on the year, which is tied for the second-most in the league. Hudon has done more damage on the man-advantage than any other Reign skater this season, totaling 17 power play points on three goals and 14 helpers. If he continues on his current pace, Hudon could set a new career-high in scoring, which he achieved with 57 points both in 2014-15 with the Hamilton Bulldogs and during 2021-22 as a member of the Syracuse Crunch. The attacker is also two goals shy of reaching 200 during his AHL career.

SCOUTING THE WRANGLERS: Forward Rory Kerins was leading Calgary with 34 points from his first 34 games this season before earning his first NHL call-up from the Flames last month. While he’s recently returned to the Wranglers lineup and continues to lead the club with 22 goals while reaching the 40-point mark, Calgary has two others atop the team scoring lead in former Reign attacker Martin Frk and Dryden Hunt. Frk leads the way with 45 points on 21 goals and 24 assists, while Hunt has 43 points on 12 goals and 31 helpers. Hunt’s assist total ranks as the third-most in the AHL. Forward William Strömgren has also come on as of late and has 38 points on 12 goals and 26 assists. Defender Jeremie Poirier paces the team’s blueliners with 26 points on four goals and 22 assists. Devin Cooley has led the Wranglers in net this season and has played more minutes than any other AHL goaltender (1913:45). Cooley’s 18-10-4 record from 33 appearances has him tied for the highest win total in the league and his 0.922 save percentage ranks fifth. Rookie Waltteri Ignatjew has also seen action between the pipes in 16 contests for Calgary.

COUNTING ON CHROMIAK: Coming into Sunday’s contest, Martin Chromiak has found the back of the net on the power play in three straight games, his longest goal-scoring streak of the 2024-25 regular season. The run of tallies gives the third-year attacker 11 total goals on the campaign, with five coming on the man-advantage to tie his career-high which was set as a rookie during 2022-23. The Ilava, Slovakia native finished both of his first two years with 15 goals, while his career-high of 32 points came in 70 contests a year ago. Through 47 games this season, Chromiak has 24 points. The former fifth-round selection by the LA Kings in the 2020 NHL Draft has 41 goals and 43 assists for 84 points in 174 career AHL games during his career.

POWER PLAY PROWESS: Ontario has scored a power play in four straight games, the team’s longest run of the 2024-25 campaign. During the streak, the Reign have combined to go 6-for-19 on the man-advantage, totaling 31.5%. Their most successful game was in San Jose on Wednesday, when they scored three power play goals and finished 3-for-6 in a 6-4 win. Martin Chromiak has scored three of the six man-advantage strikes during the run, while other power play tallies have come from Jack Studnicka, Tyler Madden and Aatu Jamsen.

Reign Check Gameday Forecast

2024-25 Head-to-Head Schedule vs. Calgary (all times Pacific):
Wed., Dec. 18 vs. Calgary, 2-1 W – Full Recap
Sun., Jan. 19 vs. Calgary, 4-5 OTL – Full Recap
Tue., Jan. 21 vs. Calgary, 6-1 W – Full Recap
Sat., Feb. 15 at Calgary, 4-3 OTW – Full Recap
Mon., Feb. 17 at Calgary, 3-2 OTW – Full Recap
Sun., Feb. 23 vs. Calgary, 3 p.m.
Sat., Apr. 5 at Calgary, 12:30 p.m.
Mon., Apr. 7 at Calgary, 6 p.m.