Ontario Reign: How Did The Rookies Do?

Every year new players come to AHL teams, including high-end prospects that teams assign to the American Hockey League, allowing them to develop and be NHL-ready. This year saw four rookies under entry-level contracts (ELCs) for the Ontario Reign. Today, we will evaluate their season with the Reign.

Let’s get started.

Forwards

Francesco Pinelli

Stat line: 67 games, 13 goals, 7 assists, 20 points, -9 rating

It didn’t start as a smooth transition to the AHL, after a 90-point campaign in juniors the year before, for Francesco Pinelli. The 21-year-old rookie struggled early on and was a healthy scratch for five games. During one of those games he was a healthy scratch (November 19th against the Calgary Wranglers), I asked Pinelli in the press box about some of the things he is getting used to in the AHL. His response was speed, size, and puck management as things he was getting acclimated to the AHL.

As the year went on, Pinelli got comfortable as the game started to slow down for him, and showed his skillset and potential. He began to drive play and used that east-to-west skating style in the neutral zone to gain offensive zone entry. He was probably the most improved player in the second half for the Reign and got rewarded with head coach Marco Sturm’s trust and finished the season with 12 points in his last 28 games.

Grade: B

Defensemen

Cole Krygier

Stat line: 55 games, 1 goal, 10 assists, 11 points, -7 rating

Cole Krygier played his first full season with the Reign after playing eight regular-season games last year. One thing I noticed from Krygier is that he can skate and isn’t afraid to lead the rush. I think with his first full year the growing pains were expected and they showed in the defensive end, but I think he had a solid year filling in as the team’s sixth/seventh defenseman and even played a game at forward on February 9th against the Henderson Silver Knights when Samuel Helenius and Martin Chromiak missed that game due to an illness.

His only goal on the year came on October 29th against the Abbotsford Canucks in a 5-3 Reign victory.

Grade: C

Brand Clarke

Stat line: 50 games, 10 goals, 36 assists, 46 points, -3 rating

Brandt Clarke’s offensive game came just as advertised. He had no issues transitioning from the OHL to the AHL, and I believe spending time with the Kings and Reign last year helped prepare him for this year. While Clarke’s defensive game can use more polishing, he had no issues racking up points.

In November and December, Clarke led the AHL in scoring for a rookie defenseman. Ultimately, he was called up to the Kings and would be passed by on that list. When he came back he started slow, and part of it could be him rotating with Jordan Spence in the lineup with LA, but that concern went away as the month of March began to wind down.

As expected, Clarke led the Reign in scoring for a defenseman and rookie. He finished first in assists, second in points, and third in goals for a rookie defenseman in the AHL. After the Reign’s opening night loss to the San Diego Gulls, Sturm praised Clarke in the loss and said how he wants to be a difference-maker; he was just that this year.

Grade: A

Goalies

Erik Portillo

Stat line: 24-11-3, 2.50 GAA, .918 save percentage, two shutouts

Erik Portillo struggled in the Rookie Faceoff tournament in September. The struggles for the 23-year-old netminder garnered overreactions within the fan base, with some ready to give up on him before he even played a professional game. Remember, first-year players in the AHL, and even at the NHL level, will always go through a struggle and adjustment phase. There’s a reason the AHL is a developmental league.

As expected, Portillo saw the struggles at times and his rebound control is still a work in progress as well as his tracking of pucks, but those things can be worked on. However, his overall numbers were solid. His 2.50 goals-against average was ranked sixth and his .918 save percentage was fourth among qualified rookie netminders in the AHL. He exceeded my expectations for the season. While those are great numbers for a rookie, allowing him to develop at least another year in the AHL will help his development.

Look for him to be Ontario’s number-one goalie in the playoffs, and let’s see if those solid numbers carry over.

Grade: A