The Colorado Eagles are 2–0 after winning both bouts against the Calgary Wranglers (CGY) on opening weekend. Game one was a dominant 7–4 victory that included three power play goals and ten players earning points. Game two was a 1–0 slog with Jayson Megna’s lone goal coming less than a minute into the game. So now, based on that tiny sample size, it is of course time to make some bold, way-too-early predictions for this season.

Prediction One: The Eagles will score even more goals than last year

Scoring more goals than last year is a big proposition. In 2024–25, the Eagles finished first in the AHL in goals scored with 250. And yet despite having scored so many goals overall, they only had one player finish in the AHL’s top 40 goal scorers — Jacob MacDonald, who finished seventh in the league and set a new AHL record for goals scored by a defenseman. One must scroll all the way to 42nd place to find the team’s second-place goal scorer, Tye Felhaber.

This season, the Eagles have added two additional players who finished in the AHL’s top 40 in goals for 2024–25: Alex Barré-Boulet, who finished 39th with 22 goals, and Danil Gushchin, who finished 11th with 28. It’s also worth noting that Barré-Boulet finished seventh in the league in total points thanks to 41 assists. Given this added firepower, I think this year’s roster could outscore last year’s.

Prediction 2: The Eagles will win the AHL Western Conference Championship

I’m totally cheating here. It’s easy to predict the Eagles will make a deep playoff run. After all, the Eagles have never once missed the playoffs in their 22-year history. They’ve won four championships in that time as well (two in the CHL and two in the ECHL). But since joining the AHL, the Eagles haven’t made it past the Divisional round of the playoffs. Last year, the Eagles took the Pacific Division series all the way to five games but ended up losing against the eventual Calder Cup Champions, the Abbotsford Canucks (VAN). (In the AHL, the Division Championship is the third round of the playoffs and is a best-of-five series.)

But the Eagles claim this is their year.

They could be right. The 2025–26 roster is without a doubt one of the most talented group of players they’ve ever assembled. I will not predict they’ll win the Calder Cup because I’m superstitious when it comes to sports, and that feels like one of those things a person just shouldn’t say. But I will predict that they will win the Western Conference Championship.

Prediction Three: Sam Girard will be traded, and Jack Ahcan will take his place

Every year, Avalanche fans ponder the same question: will Sam Girard be traded? He’s a talented offensive defenseman with mad skating skills. But on a team that already boasts two of the NHL’s best defenders in Cale Makar and Devon Toews, wouldn’t it make sense to trade Girard in order to free up his $5 million in cap space?

Until now, the Avalanche have obviously opted not to make that trade. But this year, Jack Ahcan could change that. Much like Girard, Ahcan is a left-shooting, fast and mobile blue-liner with a knack for finding the back of the net. His impressive performance in training camp and preseason makes him a shoo-in for call-ups. That the Avalanche called him up for their road trip as I was writing this article just proves my point. And while Ahcan is one year older than Girard, he’s also significantly cheaper at only $775,000 per year. I predict Jack will finish this season in an Avalanche sweater.

Conclusion

Only time will tell whether any of my predictions come true, but one thing I’m certain of: this is going to be a really fun year for Eagles fans.