HGD 10: Henderson visits Stockton Arena for the first time (8:00 p.m. MT)

The Stockton Heat will look to make some new friends on Friday night when they welcome one of the American Hockey League’s newest franchises to the Stockton Arena for the first time.

The Henderson Silver Knights are affiliated with, you guessed it, the Vegas Golden Knights. Friday’s meeting will be the first between Henderson and Stockton since the Silver Knights joined the AHL in 2020–21.

Henderson’s lineup boasts a couple of familiar faces for Flames fans. @Sven Baertschi and @Brandon Hickey will likely both be in the lineup for the Knights when play against Stockton on Friday and Saturday.

Baertschi played parts of four seasons with the Flames after being drafted in the first round by the team in 2011; Hickey never suited up for the Flames but was part of the package Calgary sent to Arizona for @Mike Smith in 2017.

Stockton has won eight consecutive games and has yet to lose in regulation this season. @Dustin Wolf made 41 saves for the Heat in their 5-4 overtime win over the Bakersfield Condors on Wednesday.

@Jakob Pelletier – @Adam Ruzicka – @Matthew Phillips
@Eetu Tuulola – @Glenn Gawdin – @Luke Philp
@Justin Kirkland – @Connor Zary – @Byron Froese
@Emilio Pettersen – @Mark Simpson – @Alex Gallant

@Connor Mackey – @Andy Welinski
@Kevin Gravel – @Nick DeSimone
@Yan Kuznetsov – @Colton Poolman

@Dustin Wolf
@Adam Werner

@Sven Baertschi – @Maxim Marushev – @Ben Jones
@Ben Thomson – @Mason Primeau – @Jermaine Loewen
@Lynden McCallum – @Pavel Dorofeyev – @Lucas Elvenes
@Colt Conrad – @Daniel D’Amato

@Derrick Pouliot – @Brayden Pachal
@Peter DiLiberatore – @Daniil Miromanov
@Ian McCoshen – @Kaedan Korczak
@Brandon Hickey

@Dylan Ferguson
@Logan Thompson

Stockton — @Adam Ruzicka (seven goals, 12 points); @Jakob Pelletier (four goals, 11 points); @Glenn Gawdin (one goal, nine points); @Matthew Phillips (four goals, nine points); @Byron Froese (two goals, six points).

Henderson — @Sven Baertschi (four goals, seven points); @Pavel Dorofeyev (four goals, seven points); @Daniil Miromanov (two goals, six points); @Lucas Elvenes (one goal, five points); @Peter DiLiberatore (one goal, five points).

Stockton — @Alex Gallant. The AHL is still very much an enforcers’ league, but Gallant is going to need to do more than just fight if he wants to stay in the lineup for a stacked Heat team. When @Martin Pospisil returns from his injury, Gallant might be sent to the press box … unless he makes a strong case to stay. When the 28-year-old Summerside, PEI product is at his best, he’s a relentless forechecker who can score a few goals with his hard shot.

Henderson — @Sven Baertschi. Perhaps Gallant’s polar opposite, Baertschi is a finesse player who looks to be finding his groove in a new organization. Baertschi was once an effective middle-six forward for the Vancouver Canucks but a combination of injuries and an expensive contract forced him out of the NHL. Now 29, Baertschi needs to keep producing if he wants to find his way into the lineup for a depleted Vegas team.

This game will be broadcast on AHL TV (subscription required) and on Spreaker (audio only), with the opening puck-drop set for 8:00 p.m. MT.

FlamesNation contributor Paige Siewert will provide live game updates on her Twitter account. Additionally, you’ll be able to follow along at TheAHL.com.