REIGN PREVIEW 10/12 – Ontario vs. San Jose

WHO: Ontario Reign (0-0-0-0) vs. San Jose Barracuda (0-0-0-0)
WHAT: AHL REGULAR-SEASON GAME #1
WHEN: Saturday, October 12 @ 6:00 PM Pacific
WHERE: Toyota Arena – Ontario, CA
HOW TO FOLLOW: VIDEO: FloHockey – AUDIO: Reign Radio – TWITTER: @ShafReign & @OntarioReign

TOMORROW’S MATCHUP: The Ontario Reign begin their 10th season of AHL hockey on Saturday night at Toyota Arena, hosting the San Jose Barracuda to open the 2024-25 campaign.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: After finishing third in the Pacific Division in 2023-24 during Marco Sturm’s second campaign behind the bench, the Reign are once again expected to compete with the best in the west. Ontario brings back 14 returners from last year’s roster when it totaled 42 wins, the second-most in team history. Notably, Samuel Fagemo, who finished second in the AHL with 43 goals in just 50 games last season is back for his fifth year with the Reign, as well as veteran Charles Hudon, who had 54 points (20-34=54) in 56 games in 2023-24. Tyler Madden, who reached the 30-point plateau for the third consecutive season (15-19=34), also returns, along with defenders Joe Hicketts (1-19=20) and Jacob Moverare (2-16=18). The addition of veteran forwards Glenn Gawdin, Jeff Malott and Jack Studnicka, add AHL experience to the group, along with blueliner Reilly Wash.

PRESEASON RECAP: The Ontario Reign scored three times in the second period and Francesco Pinelli netted the game-winner with less than five minutes to play in the third to surge past the San Diego Gulls by a 5-4 final score in preseason action last Saturday night at Pechanga Arena. Tate Singleton led the way for the Reign offensively, scoring two goals and an assist in the win, while Luke Rowe added a goal and an assist. Erik Portillo played all 60 minutes of the contest in the crease for the Reign and stopped 26 shots to earn the victory.

HEAD-TO-HEAD: Ontario was at its best against San Jose last season and will look to continue their success once again in 2024-25. With an unblemished record of 8-0-0 from eight matchups, the Reign secured all 16 possible points available to them in the standings when facing the Barracuda. Ontario outscored San Jose 32-13 in last year’s series and produced a 21.9% power play success rate with seven goals in 32 opportunities. The Reign also killed 22 of 25 Cuda man-advantages (88%). Samuel Fagemo was Ontario’s leading scorer against San Jose last season, posting 16 points in seven games on 11 goals and five assists. Returning forwards Charles Hudon (3-3=6) and Taylor Ward also had strong offensive performances against the Barracuda (2-4=6), while Erik Portillo went 5-0-0 and allowed only seven goals in his five appearances.

THREE LETTER LEEGUE: Former Ontario Reign forward Andre Lee was in the lineup with the LA Kings for his NHL debut during an opening night victory in Buffalo on Thursday night. The Karlstad, Sweden native registered two shots on goal and two hits while logging nine shifts in his first NHL opportunity. Lee appeared in 105 games with Ontario over three seasons from 2021-24, totaling 24 points on 14 goals and 10 assists, recording career-highs last year with 13 points in 36 games (8-5=13) before adding four goals in eight playoff appearances.

SCOUTING THE BARRACUDA: San Jose is looking to improve after a finish at the bottom of the Pacific Division a year ago. The Barracuda are aiming for their first playoff berth since the 2018-19 campaign. One of their top returners from last season is forward Ethan Carwell, who finished with 43 points in 71 games on 23 goals and 20 assists. Two other notable names that have returned to San Jose are veterans Justin Bailey and Scott Sabourin. Bailey scored 11 points in 16 games last season before a recall to the Sharks where he appeared in 59 NHL contests. Sabourin, on the other hand, who previously played 28 games with the Reign in 2015-16, had 27 points in 59 outings with the Cuda and played three NHL games. Top prospects Filip Bystedt and Yaroslav Askarov San Jose’s roster, while the team also has former 2015 first-round pick Colin White up front.

HICKETTS AT THE HELM: Ontario officially named Joe Hicketts the fourth captain in team history on Thursday, welcoming back the defender for a second season with an added leadership responsibility. In addition, it was also noted that Charles Hudon and Jeff Malott would each serve as alternate captains. Hicketts, 28, appeared in 30 games with the Reign last year, where he posted 20 points (1-19=20) and added one goal and five assists (1-5=6) in eight Calder Cup Playoff games. He began his pro career in the Detroit Red Wings as an undrafted free agent prior to the 2014-15 season and went on to skate in 22 NHL games, all with Detroit. The 5-8, 176-pound blueliner has earned 217 points (35-182=217) with 290 penalty minutes and a plus-18 rating in 449 career AHL games split between Ontario, Iowa and Grand Rapids. In 39 career Calder Cup Playoff games, Hicketts has produced 18 points (2-16=18) and helped Grand Rapids to a Calder Cup Championship in 2017, where he contributed eight points (1-7=8) in 19 postseason contests. Hicketts takes over the captaincy from TJ Tynan, who held it for the 2022-23 and 2023-24 campaigns before departing in July to join the Colorado Avalanche organization. The first two captains in AHL-Reign history were forwards Brett Sutter (2017-22) and Vincent LoVerde (2015-17).

MASKED MARVELS: The Reign’s opening night roster features a pair of goaltenders that are in different parts of their respective careers. Pheonix Copley, a veteran of 237 AHL games over nine seasons, returns to the league for the first time since 2022 when he played 11 games with Ontario. After getting called up by the Kings that season, Copley went 24-6-3 in 37 appearances with LA, helping the club secure a playoff spot. Copley only played in eight games due to injury during 2023-24 and is looking to regain his footing. Erik Portillo, on the other hand, is coming off a rookie year which saw him win 24 of his 39 appearances. The 24-year-old is entering his second pro season with high expectations after posting a 2.50 goals-against average and a 0.918 save percentage.