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Posted: Apr 19, 2018

Six former Huskies on AHL Calder Cup rosters

Six former Huskies on AHL Calder Cup rosters

HOUGHTON, Mich. – Six former Michigan Tech hockey players are on American Hockey League (AHL) teams for the 2018 Calder Cup Playoffs. Dane Birks and the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins play the Charlotte Checkers, Chris Conner and the Lehigh Valley Phantoms matchup with the Providence Bruins, Tanner Kero and the Rockford IceHogs play the Chicago Wolves, and Shane Hanna, Joel L'Esperance and the Texas Stars open against Matt Roy and the Ontario Reign.

The top four teams in each of the AHL's four divisions as ranked by points percentage (points earned divided by points available) qualified for the 2018 Calder Cup Playoffs. The division semifinals are best-of-five series, while all other series are in a best-of-seven format.

In operation since 1936, the AHL serves as the top development league for all 31 National Hockey League teams. More than 87 percent of all players competing in the NHL are AHL graduates, and through the years the AHL has been home to more than 100 honored members of the Hockey Hall of Fame. Sixteen clubs will continue to vie for the league's coveted championship trophy when the 2018 Calder Cup Playoffs get underway Thursday.

Birks (defenseman/Merritt, British Columbia) was assigned to the Penguins AHL club after signing a two-year NHL contract that begins next season with Pittsburgh on March 27. He made his AHL debut on April 15 in a 3-2 win over the Hershey Bears. Birks appeared in 117 games for the Huskies over the past three seasons. His offensive numbers improved in each season, finishing with 30 career points on seven goals and 23 assists. He was a sixth-round pick (164th overall) of the Penguins in the 2013 NHL Draft.

Conner (forward/Westland, Michigan) finished the regular season with 37 points on 17 goals and 20 assists in 65 games for the Philadelphia Flyers farm team. He also served as an assistant captain. Conner has played 12 seasons of pro hockey with 606 career games at the AHL level. He has 21 career points (eight goals, 17 assists) in 39 Calder Cup Playoff games. Conner appeared in 151 games at Tech from 2002-06 with 129 career points (69 goals, 60 assists). He was an All-American in 2004 and holds the school record for most shorthanded goals in a season (8) and career (15).

Kero (forward/Hancock, Michigan) has 20 points in 36 games in his third pro season, scoring eight goals and adding 12 assists. He also played eight games with the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks at the beginning of the season. He has played in 130 career AHL games and has 40 goals and 44 assists. While at Tech, Kero was an All-American, the 2014-15 WCHA Player of the Year, the WCHA Outstanding Student-Athlete of the Year, an All-WCHA First Team selection, and won the WCHA scoring title. In 153 career games in a Tech uniform, he racked up 111 points on 55 goals and 56 assists.

Hanna (defenseman/Salmon Arm, British Columbia) has played 20 games for the Stars this season, tallying three assists. He is also on the roster for the Idaho Steelheads of the ECHL for their playoff push. Hanna played 163 games in a Tech uniform from 2013-17. He never missed a game in his career, finishing two games short of a Tech record. Hanna was an All-WCHA selection all four years, a two-time alternate captain, and tallied 90 career points on 21 goals and 69 assists.

L'Esperance (forward/Brighton, Michigan) appeared in nine regular season games since he signed with the Stars on March 28. He buried his first professional goal on April 7, scoring the game-winner against the IceHogs to clinch a playoff spot. He also has one assist. L'Esperance played four seasons for the Huskies, appearing in 152 career games. He was an alternate captain this season and finished with 98 career points, racking up over 25 points in each of his final three seasons. In 20 career playoff games, he had 23 points on 10 goals and 13 assists while finding the scoresheet in all three NCAA games with two assists and a goal.

Roy (defenseman/Canton, Michigan) played 49 games in his first pro season, scoring four goals and adding 13 assists. He appeared in eight games at the end of last season for the Reign, recording his first professional point with an assist on April 1 after he signed a two-year contract with the LA Kings. Roy played in 115 games over three seasons (2014-17) with the Huskies, recording 55 points on 12 goals and 43 assists. Roy was the team leader in assists with 21 as a junior and had the assist on the game-winning goal six times. He was a two-time All-WCHA selection.

Other former Huskies in the AHL not in the playoffs

• Blake Pietila (Binghamton Devils) played 60 games in his third full pro season and was an alternate captain. He scored 12 goals and added 10 assists. He also played a pair of games for the NHL's New Jersey Devils in February and was called up earlier this week to be on the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoff roster after Binghamton's season ended. The forward from Brighton, Michigan has played 167 career AHL games and totaled 72 points (39 goals, 33 assists). Pietila played 153 games for Tech from 2011-15 and was a two-time captain. He had 106 career points on 46 goals and 60 assists.

• Mark Auk (Iowa Wild) played five games at the end of the regular season after he signed with the Wild on March 30. He scored his first pro goal on April 6. The defenseman and native of St. Clair Shores, Michigan, played four seasons for the Huskies, appearing in 150 games. He was fourth amongst all NCAA Division I defensemen with 84 career points on 21 goals and 63 assists at the end of the season. He finished his career with a plus-54 rating and averaged 44 blocks per season.