First, some old business: in my last Stat Tricks article, I talked about the Colorado Eagles being unable to make comebacks after falling behind. But last week, after giving up four quick goals to the Calgary Wranglers (CGY) in the second period and falling behind by two points, the Eagles staged a third-period comeback and ended up winning the game in overtime. They are now 2–4–0–1 when trailing after the second period.

And now, on to some new business!

How many losses?

As just about anybody reading this article probably knows, the Colorado Avalanche currently have an astonishing record of 31–3–7. Ten losses, with only three of them in regulation. Amazing, right? But there’s currently a professional hockey team that can make that record look rather pedestrian. I wish I could say it was the Colorado Eagles, but unfortunately, it isn’t. It’s the Grand Rapids Griffins (DET).

The Griffins are currently 28–1–1–1. That’s the best start the AHL has ever seen. They reached 50 points three games faster than any other team in the AHL’s 90-year history. By comparison, the next-best team in the league is the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (PIT), sitting at 22–9–1–2. The Eagles currently rank fourth in the league at 21–7–1–1.

Special teams declining? Or maybe just reverting to the mean.

On November 21, at our last Stat Tricks check-in, the Eagles’ power play was running at 29.2 percent, and the AHL ranked it second. Oddly, there was a vast discrepancy between the power play on home ice, which sat at an impressive 41.9 percent, versus the power play on the road, which was an abysmal 5.9 percent. The penalty kill was also ranked second in the league at 88.5 percent.

Now, approximately six weeks later, both the power play and the penalty kill have fallen in rank. The power play is now eighth in the AHL at 22.8 percent, and the team ranks fifth at 83.7 percent on the penalty kill. The home/away dichotomy when playing with a man-advantage still exists, although it’s narrowed a bit. It’s now 32.7 percent at home and 8.3 percent away.

It’s also worth noting that only one team (Providence Bruins – BOS) has had fewer power play opportunities than the Eagles. Colorado has only had 92 power plays. The San Jose Barracuda (SJ) and the Rockford IceHogs (CHI) lead the league with 130 power plays so far this season.

Over the last six games — two at home and four on the road — the Eagles have converted on five of their last 21 power play attempts*, which averages out to 23.8%. It’s disappointing to see the special teams falter a bit, but they’re still ranked in the top third of the league. I think this is more a matter of reverting to the mean than anything. Also, getting Danil Gushchin back from injury will probably boost the Eagles’ power play numbers.

*Side note: One of those power plays happened with only two seconds remaining in the game against the Henderson Silver Knights (VKG). Technically this counts as an unconverted power play for the Eagles, despite being only two seconds long. Prior to that, they had been two for four on the power play in that game.

Check-in with Newbies

Admittedly, I’m being fast and loose with the term “newbie” here. It’s more about checking in with players who have played a few games with the Eagles or who are recently back from injury.

Danil Gushchin: Before being injured, Gushchin led the league in scoring. He then missed approximately six weeks because of a lower-body injury. The forward has only been back for four games. He has one goal so far in that time.

Luke Toporowski: Since being acquired by the team in exchange for Garret Pyke, Luke Toporowski has played thirteen games. He’s moved around the lineup a bit but has been on the third line the last couple of games. He’s had time on the power play. He has three goals and six assists in that time. Overall, he’s been a fantastic addition to the lineup.

Nikita Prischepov: The Russian missed the first part of the season because of an injury suffered during training camp. He’s played thirteen games so far, mostly on a line with Ivan Ivan and Taylor Maker. The three have developed great chemistry. Nikita Prischepov has four assists so far and scored his first goal in the game on January 1, 2026.

Points leaders, and recent streaks

Over the last few games, three players have stood out.

— Jayson Megna has ten goals and three assists in his last ten games.

— Alex Barré-Boulet has four goals and nine assists in his last eight games.

— Jack Ahcan has two goals and nine assists in his last seven games. It’s also worth noting that both goals were game-winning goals in overtime.

Also of note: TJ Tynan, who leads the team in assists, has led the league in assists in four different seasons, and has twice been named the AHL MVP of the Year, finally scored his first goal of the season on Saturday. Tynan has been praised by his teammates many times for his unselfish play, always passing the puck to them instead of taking shots himself. Just look at how thrilled Tynan was and how happy his teammates were for him.

As far as overall points leaders are concerned, I’ll do it the easy way.

 

Three Completely Random Stats:

— Maros Jedlicka, an Avalanche seventh-round pick of the 2023 draft, scored his first and second goals of the season yesterday in the game against the Henderson Silver Knights. He had two goals and four assists in 21 games with the Eagles last season.

— The dubious award of having the fewest shots in the second period of a game belongs to the Eagles, who had only one in their game against the Henderson Silver Knights on December 20, 2025. On the bright side, the Eagles ended up winning that game 2–1 in overtime.

—The Eagles are one of only two teams in the AHL that have not allowed a single shorthanded goal against. The other is the Rochester Americans (BUF).

Up Next

The Eagles have back-to-back games in Loveland this weekend against The San Diego Gulls (ANA). The Eagles are 2–0–0–0 against San Diego so far this season.