Las Vegas Review-Journal (Sunday)
Viveiros says he’s OK with growing roster
Condensed schedule, injuries key factors
The Henderson Silver Knights, who boast the American Hockey League’s best record, are hardly in need of reinforcements.
They’re getting them anyway. The team has added players in recent weeks from all sorts of different places.
Center Cody Glass played one game in the AHL after being sent down from the Golden Knights. Forward Marcus Kallionkieli joined the team from the top junior league in Finland. Defenseman Pete DiLiberatore was the latest arrival from the college ranks, and defenseman Layton Ahac could soon follow.
That’s a lot more bodies for coach Manny Viveiros to manage, but he said it hasn’t been that difficult. Injuries have piled up thanks to the team’s condensed schedule.
“A lot of that has taken care of itself,” Viveiros said. “That part has unfortunately helped in our decision-making of managing who’s playing and not playing.”
Glass only took up a lineup spot one night. He played Wednesday and then was called back up to the NHL on Friday. The others will likely stick around a while longer.
Kallionkieli, a 2019 fifthround pick, made his AHL debut Wednesday and scored his first goal Friday. DiLiberatore made his first appearance that same night, six days after his junior season at Quinnipiac ended in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
The 2018 sixth-round pick, who had 20 points in 29 games with Quinnipiac, signed his entry-level deal two days later.
“Really good puck-moving defenseman who sees the ice quite well,” said Viveiros, who added DiLiberatore barely got a morning skate in before his debut. “Very intelligent young man, so he’s able to pick up what we want to do right away.”
Ahac has yet to be appear, but he’ll provide another boost to the blue line. The 2019 third-round pick had nine points in 27 games as an Ohio State sophomore. When he’s ready for his debut, it’ll be another body for Viveiros and his staff to fit into what could soon be a packed depth chart.
“You want to manage everyone’s playing time,” Viveiros said. “You want everyone to get in as much as possible.”
Hunted already?
The Silver Knights’ fast start in their inaugural season seems to be catching the league’s attention. Goaltender Logan Thompson said players have been talking in the locker room about how it seems they get opponent’s best effort most nights. Defenseman Jimmy Schuldt agreed.
“I think we’ve got a target on our backs,” Schuldt said. “It makes it more fun because we’ve got to back it up every single night. I think we’re going to get every team’s best shot and every team’s best lineup. A lot of times it seems like teams are sending guys down from the taxi squad just to play us.”
Hayes gets new deal
Defenseman Zack Hayes, who started the season on an AHL contract, signed an entry-level deal with the Golden Knights on Tuesday.
Hayes, 21, scored four points in his first 17 games. He led the AHL in plus-minus entering Saturday at plus-18. His next-closest teammate, defenseman Carl Dahlstrom, was plus-13.