AHL notebook: NHL prospects to watch from West in Calder Cup Playoffs

The American Hockey League's Calder Cup Playoffs is down to 16 teams with some of the best NHL prospects are competing in the second round, which like the third round uses a best-of-5 format before the league shifts to a best-of-7 format for the conference final and Calder Cup Final.

Last week featured a breakdown of five top Eastern Conference prospects. Here is a look at the young talent in the Western Conference:

Yaroslav Askarov, Milwaukee (Nashville Predators)

The 20-year-old goalie has an opportunity to build on a strong regular season. He was chosen by Nashville as the No. 11 pick in the 2020 NHL Draft and is in his first season in North America. He took on a heavy workload for Milwaukee with 48 appearances, second-most in the AHL, and finished 26-16-5 with a 2.69 goals-against average, .911 save percentage and three shutouts.

Milwaukee trails 2-1 to Manitoba (Winnipeg Jets) in the second round after earning a first-round bye. Askarov has a 2.57 GAA and .921 save percentage.

Ryker Evans, Coachella Valley (Seattle Kraken)

Seattle is still building its prospect pool, and Evans is an early success story.

The Kraken chose Evans in the second round (No. 35) of the 2021 NHL Draft, and he has excelled in the transition to the pro game as a young defenseman. The 21-year-old was selected to the AHL All-Rookie Team after helping Coachella Valley finish second in the AHL in the regular season. Evans led rookie defensemen in points (44) and assists (38), scored six goals in 71 games and participated in the AHL All-Star Classic.

Coachella Valley defeated Tucson (Arizona Coyotes) in the first round. The Firebirds are tied 2-2 with Colorado (Colorado Avalanche) in the second round. Evans leads defensemen in playoff scoring with nine points (one goal, eight assists) in seven games.

Matt Murray, Texas (Dallas Stars)

Murray broke in with the Stars organization via an AHL amateur tryout agreement he signed with Texas on April 5, 2022, following five NCAA seasons at the University of Massachusetts. The goalie won the NCAA national championship in 2021 and three Hockey East championships in his college career.

After a promising showing last season with Texas, Murray signed a two-year, AHL contract July 18, 2022. Dallas then signed him to a one-year contract Oct. 31, 2022. The 25-year-old went 18-10-5 with a 2.37 GAA, .911 save percentage and three shutouts in 34 games for Texas. He played three NHL games and was 1-2-0 with a 3.39 GAA and .844 save percentage.

Winning the division earned Texas a first-round bye. It leads Rockford 3-0 in its second-round series.

Dustin Wolf, Calgary (Calgary Flames)

Wolf continues to surpass all expectations in his second pro season.

A seventh-round pick (No. 214) in the 2019 NHL Draft, the goalie broke into the AHL last season and was dominant. He helped Stockton, the Flames' former AHL affiliate, to the Western Conference Final against Chicago (Carolina Hurricanes), the eventual Calder Cup champion. He also was named to the AHL All-Rookie Team, the First All-Star Team and chosen as the league's top goalie after going 33-9-4 with a 2.35 GAA and .924 save percentage in 47 games.

The 22-year-old topped that performance in his second season. His 55 games led all goalies and he finished 42-10-2. Those 42 wins ranked first in the AHL, as did his GAA (2.09), save percentage (.932), and shutouts (seven) for the regular-season champions. Wolf is the eighth goalie in AHL history to win league most valuable player and first since Jason LaBarbera in 2004. He again was named to the First All-Star Team and chosen as top goalie, becoming the first-ever repeat winner of the award.

Wolf made his NHL debut with the Flames on April 12. He had 23 saves in a 3-1 win against the San Jose Sharks.

Calgary leads Abbotsford (Vancouver Canucks) 2-1 in the second round after getting a first-round bye.

Shane Wright, Coachella Valley

Wright came back to the AHL perhaps earlier than expected.

The forward was the No. 4 pick in the 2022 NHL Draft. After Wright had a goal and an assist in eight games for the Kraken, he was sent to Coachella Valley on a conditioning assignment on Nov. 20. He scored four goals in five AHL games and had seven points (four goals, three assists) to help Canada win the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship.

Seattle sent the 19-year-old to the Ontario Hockey League after the tournament. Kingston traded him to Windsor, a team that was expected to go on a long playoff run after finishing first in the Western Conference, but the Spitfires were upset by Kitchener in a first-round, four-game sweep and Wright became eligible to rejoin Coachella Valley.

Wright has two points (one goal, one assists) in seven Calder Cup Playoff games.