Tucson Roadrunners
CityTucson, Arizona
LeagueAmerican Hockey League
ConferenceWestern
DivisionPacific
Founded1994
Home arenaTucson Convention Center Arena
ColorsBrick red, desert sand, copper, black, white[1]
         
Owner(s)Arizona Coyotes
General managerJohn Ferguson Jr.[2]
Head coachSteve Potvin
MediaArizona Daily Star
KMSB (Fox 11)
KTTU (My 18)
KTZR (Fox Sports 1450)
AHL.TV (Internet)
AffiliatesArizona Coyotes (NHL)
Websitetucsonroadrunners.com
Franchise history
1994–2016Springfield Falcons
2016–presentTucson Roadrunners
Championships
Division titles2: (2017–18, 2019–20)
Current season

The Tucson Roadrunners are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL) that began play for the 2016–17 season. Based in Tucson, Arizona, and affiliated with the National Hockey League's Arizona Coyotes, the team plays its home games at the Tucson Convention Center Arena.

History

On April 19, 2016, the Arizona Coyotes announced that they had reached an agreement to purchase their AHL affiliate, the Springfield Falcons, and would relocate the team to Tucson for the 2016–17 season.[3][4] Said purchase and relocation was contingent on three approvals; the first from Rio Nuevo (Tucson's downtown revitalization authority) to invest $3.2 million in arena upgrades to bring the Convention Center to professional-quality standards was approved on April 26,[5] the second from the AHL Board of Governors to conditionally approve the purchase and relocation by the Coyotes was approved on May 10,[6] and the third from the Tucson City Council for a 10-year lease with the Convention Center was approved on May 17.[7][8]

A name-the-team contest was held between May 17 and May 31.[9] The hockey club's new name and logo were revealed on June 18 during the Tucson Convention Center's open house event.[10] The chosen name, Roadrunners, pays homage to the Phoenix Roadrunners, a team name that was used for various Phoenix professional hockey teams from 1967 to 2009, and creates a play on words with its parent club the Coyotes (a reference to the classic cartoon duo of Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner). Its logo, as well, is a close match for the traditional logo used for Phoenix Roadrunners' teams of the past. On October 27, the day before their home opener, the Roadrunners unveiled their mascot, Dusty the Roadrunner. Dusty wears number 16 on his jersey, representing the year the Springfield Falcons relocated to Tucson in 2016.[11]

On June 21, 2016, Mark Lamb was hired as the team's first head coach after holding the same position with the Western Hockey League's Swift Current Broncos since 2009. Mark Hardy was hired as an assistant coach.[12] The team named its first president Brian Sandy, along with three other key staff members, on July 18.[13] On July 20, the Roadrunners announced their first general manager, Doug Soetaert, promoted from his former position as a scout for the Coyotes.[14]

The Roadrunners played their first-ever game on October 14, 2016, against the San Diego Gulls at Pechanga Arena, losing 5–3. Roadrunners' inaugural captain Craig Cunningham scored the team's first two goals in franchise history.[15] The Roadrunners played their first home game two weeks later on October 28, winning by a score of 6–5 in front of 6,521 fans.[16]

During a home game against the Manitoba Moose on November 19, 2016, Roadrunners player Craig Cunningham collapsed on the ice just before the opening faceoff.[17] He was promptly transported to the hospital, where he was diagnosed with an acute cardiac arrest resulting from ventricular fibrillation, a condition that caused his heart to stop beating. The arena's medical team, in addition to the staff at St. Mary's Hospital and Banner-University Medical Center, worked continuously for 85 minutes to administer CPR and ultimately succeeded in saving his life.[18] On October 27, 2017, the Roadrunners retired Cunningham's No. 14 jersey during a pregame ceremony.

After one season, Lamb was released and replaced by Mike Van Ryn, the player development coach with the Coyotes. Under Van Ryn, the Roadrunners finished in first place in the Pacific Division but were eliminated by the Texas Stars in the division finals of the 2018 Calder Cup playoffs. Van Ryn then left to pursue other coaching opportunities and was hired by the St. Louis Blues.[19] The Coyotes then hired Jay Varady as head coach of the Roadrunners for the 2018–19 season after a successful season as coach of the Kingston Frontenacs.[20]

On May 12, 2020, the AHL announced the cancelation for the remainder of the 2019–20 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Roadrunners were awarded the Pacific division title for having the best record in the division when play was suspended and later canceled.[21] Prior to the postponed start of the 2020–21 season, head coach Varady joined the Coyotes' staff as an assistant coach[22] and assistant Steve Potvin was promoted to head coach of the Roadrunners.[23] Varady returned to the Roadrunners as head coach before the 2021–22 season.[24] Following the season, Varady departed for the Detroit Red Wings as an assistant coach, with Potvin being renamed as head coach for the 2022–23 season.[25][26]

Rivalries

The Roadrunners consider the San Diego Gulls, the AHL affiliate of the Anaheim Ducks, as their primary rival and refer to them as their "I-8 Border Rival".[27] Additionally, the winner of each season's series between the two teams is presented with the "I-8 Border Cup Trophy", which has been in the possession of the Roadrunners since the 2018–19 season.[28][29] As of the 2022–23 season, the two teams have faced each other 64 times during the regular season, which is the highest number of games that the Roadrunners have played against any opponent.[30] The Roadrunners current record against the Gulls is 31–30–2–1, with the Roadrunners winning the 2022–23 season series 4–2–2–0.[31]

Season-by-season results

Regular season Playoffs
Season Games Won Lost OTL SOL Points PCT Goals
for		 Goals
against		 Standing Year Prelims 1st
round		 2nd
round		 Conference
Finals		 Calder Cup
Finals
2016–176829318066.4851872376th, Pacific2017Did not qualify
2017–186842205190.6622141731st, Pacific2018—W, 3–1, SJL, 1–4, TEX——
2018–196834265376.5592062025th, Pacific2019Did not qualify
2019–205836191275.6471981631st, Pacific2020Season cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2020–213613203029.4031031267th, Pacific2021[lower-alpha 1]—L, 1–2, SJ———
2021–226823395152.3821822688th, Pacific2022Did not qualify
2022–237230338169.4792192457th, Pacific2023L, 1–2, CV————
  1. ↑ The 2021 Calder Cup playoffs were not held; the Pacific Division held a postseason tournament for the division title. The bottom four teams had single-elimination play-in games to qualify for the semifinals (the first two rounds). The division semifinals and finals were best-of-three for the John D. Chick Trophy (the last two rounds).

Players

Current roster

Updated January 11, 2024.[32]

Team roster
No. Nat Player Pos S/G Age Acquired Birthplace Contract
26 Canada Travis Barron LW L 25 2021 Brampton, Ontario Coyotes
5 Canada Cameron Crotty D R 24 2021 Ottawa, Ontario Coyotes
3 Canada Peter DiLiberatore D L 23 2023 Halifax, Nova Scotia Roadrunners
91 United States Josh Doan RW R 21 2023 Scottsdale, Arizona Coyotes
28 Canada Curtis Douglas C L 23 2022 Oakville, Ontario Coyotes
36 Canada Hunter Drew RW R 25 2023 Kingston, Ontario Roadrunners
39 Canada Cameron Hebig C R 26 2021 Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Roadrunners
24 Czech Republic Jan Jenik F L 23 2021 Nymburk, Czech Republic Coyotes
44 United States Steven Kampfer (C) D R 35 2023 Ann Arbor, Michigan Coyotes
21 Slovakia Milos Kelemen LW L 24 2022 Zvolen, Slovakia Coyotes
23 Canada Justin Kirkland C L 27 2023 Winnipeg, Manitoba Coyotes
64 Slovakia Patrik Koch D L 27 2023 Bratislava, Slovakia Coyotes
43 United States John Leonard LW L 25 2023 Amherst, Massachusetts Coyotes
22 Canada Ben McCartney (A) F L 22 2021 Macdonald, Manitoba Coyotes
16 Canada Ryan McGregor C L 24 2021 Burlington, Ontario Coyotes
42 Canada Lleyton Moore D L 21 2023 Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Roadrunners
79 Canada Montana Onyebuchi D R 23 2023 Dugald, Manitoba Coyotes
41 United States Austin Poganski RW R 27 2023 St. Cloud, Minnesota Roadrunners
35 Finland Aku Raty RW R 22 2023 Oulu, Finland Coyotes
13 United States Nathan Smith C R 25 2022 Tampa, Florida Coyotes
77 Sweden Victor Soderstrom D R 22 2021 Skutskar, Sweden Coyotes
55 Germany Max Szuber D L 21 2023 Opole, Poland Coyotes
33 Canada Anson Thornton G R 20 2023 Oshawa, Ontario Coyotes
31 Canada Matthew Villalta G L 24 2023 Godfrey, Ontario Coyotes
32 Canada Dylan Wells G L 26 2023 St. Catharines, Ontario Roadrunners

Team captains

Retired numbers

Tucson Roadrunners retired numbers
No. Player Position Career No. retirement
14Craig CunninghamC2016October 27, 2017[40]

Team records and leaders

Figures are updated as of the conclusion of the 2022–23 season.

Michael Bunting is the franchise leader in goals, assists, and points, playing with the Roadrunners for five seasons from 2016 to 2021.

Scoring leaders

These are the top-ten point-scorers for the Tucson Roadrunners in the AHL.[41]

Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; P/G = Points per game;   = current Roadrunners player

Points
PlayerPosGPGAPtsP/G
Michael BuntingLW26074106180.69
Michael CarconeLW14870811511.02
Lane PedersonC1835866124.68
Kyle CapobiancoD1552191112.72
Hudson FaschingRW1744957106.61
Laurent DauphinC1374460104.76
Brayden BurkeLW146356499.68
Cam DineenD207187290.43
Nick MerkleyRW109315889.82
Jan JenikLW110305484.76

Franchise leaders

Single season

Type Number Player Season Ref
Goals 31 Michael Carcone 2022–23 [42]
Assists 54 Michael Carcone 2022–23 [42]
Points 85 Michael Carcone 2022–23 [42]
Penalty minutes 178 Bokondji Imama 2021–22 [42]
Power play goals 14 Michael Carcone 2022–23 [42]
Short-handed goals 3 Laurent Dauphin & Jeremy Gregoire 2016–17 & 2019–20 [42]
Game winning goals 7 Mike Sislo & Brayden Burke 2017–18 & 2019–20 [42]
Plus-minus +30 Joel Hanley 2017–18 [42]
Wins 22 Hunter Miska 2017–18 [42]
Shutouts 5 Adin Hill 2017–18 [42]

Career

Type Number Player Ref
Games played 279 Dysin Mayo [43]
Goals 74 Michael Bunting [43]
Assists 106 Michael Bunting [43]
Points 180 Michael Bunting [43]
Penalty minutes 287 Bokondji Imama [43]
Power play goals 28 Michael Carcone [43]
Short-handed goals 5 Hudson Fasching [43]
Game-winning goals 11 Michael Bunting [43]
Plus-minus +30 Joel Hanley [43]
Wins 66 Adin Hill [43]
Shutouts 10 Adin Hill [43]

References

  1. ↑ "Tucson Roadrunners Revealed as Name of Coyotes AHL Affiliate". ArizonaCoyotes.com (Press release). June 18, 2016. Retrieved May 3, 2019. The Coyotes colors of Brick Red, Desert Sand and black embody the logo, along with copper, and reflect the symmetry between the Coyotes and the Roadrunners teams. The Coyotes' Creative Services department designed the logo.
  2. ↑ "Coyotes Name John Ferguson as Assistant General Manager & GM of the Tucson Roadrunners". OurSports Central. September 15, 2021.
  3. ↑ "Coyotes Sign Agreement to Purchase Springfield Falcons AHL Franchise". Arizona Coyotes. April 19, 2016. Retrieved May 18, 2016.
  4. ↑ Chimelis, Ron (April 19, 2016). "Springfield Falcons to be sold, AHL team expected to leave Western Massachusetts". MassLive.com. The Republican. Retrieved May 18, 2016.
  5. ↑ Pallack, Becky (April 26, 2016). "Rio Nuevo will spend $3.2M to get arena ready for pro hockey". tucson.com. Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved May 18, 2016.
  6. ↑ "BOG conditionally approves Coyotes' purchase". TheAHL.com. American Hockey League. May 10, 2016. Retrieved May 18, 2016.
  7. ↑ Pallack, Becky (May 17, 2016). "City Council approves deal with Coyotes for AHL hockey in Tucson". AZCentral.com. Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved May 18, 2016.
  8. ↑ McLellan, Sarah (May 17, 2016). "Tucson City Council approves lease agreement for Arizona Coyotes' AHL team". AZCentral. Retrieved May 18, 2016.
  9. ↑ "Our AHL team is Coming to Tucson: Name the Team". Arizona Coyotes. May 17, 2016. Retrieved May 18, 2016.
  10. ↑ "Coyotes to Unveil New Name & Logo for AHL Affiliate in Tucson at Open House Event at TCC on June 18". Arizona Coyotes. June 1, 2016. Retrieved June 8, 2016.
  11. ↑ Dorf, Alison. "It's official! Tucson Roadrunners unveil mascot's name". KOLD.com. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
  12. ↑ "Coyotes Hire Lamb as Head Coach of Tucson Roadrunners". coyotes.nhl.com. Retrieved 2016-06-22.
  13. ↑ "Tucson Roadrunners hire new president, three others". tucson.com. Retrieved 2016-07-18.
  14. ↑ "Tucson Roadrunners Name Doug Soetaert as General Manager". OurSports Central. July 20, 2016.
  15. ↑ Carter, Ivan. "Tucson Roadrunners lose first game to San Diego Gulls, 5-3". Tucson.com. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
  16. ↑ Rosenblatt, Zack. "Roadrunners rally, zip past Stockton in first-ever home game". Tucson.com. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
  17. ↑ Gold, John. "Here's how Tucson Roadrunner Craig Cunningham cheated sudden death". Tucson.com. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
  18. ↑ "Tucson Roadrunners Craig Cunningham recovery a miracle". AZ Central. 2016-12-21. Retrieved 2016-12-21.
  19. ↑ "Roadrunners Announce Van Ryn to Leave Team to Pursue NHL Coaching Opportunity". OurSportsCentral.com. May 30, 2018.
  20. ↑ "Coyotes Name Varady Head Coach of Tucson Roadrunners". Arizona Coyotes. July 2, 2018.
  21. ↑ "Roadrunners named pacific division champions". Tucson Roadrunners. May 12, 2020. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
  22. ↑ "Coyotes Add Jay Varady to Coaching Staff for 2020–21 Season". OurSports Central. January 14, 2021.
  23. ↑ "Coyotes Name Steve Potvin as Roadrunners Head Coach". OurSports Central. January 22, 2021.
  24. ↑ "Coyotes Name Jay Varady as Tucson Roadrunners' Head Coach". OurSports Central. July 7, 2021.
  25. ↑ "STEVE POTVIN NAMED TUCSON ROADRUNNERS HEAD COACH". Tucson Roadrunners. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
  26. ↑ Roth, Thomas. "Red Wings hire Jay Varady as assistant coach". NHL.com. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
  27. ↑ "Roadrunners Home For Six Games At Tucson Arena In March". Tucson Roadrunners. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
  28. ↑ "Roadrunners are best in the West". KOLD.com. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
  29. ↑ Peebles, Jimmy. "Game #66: Tucson At San Diego". Tucson Roadrunners. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  30. ↑ Fera, Brett. "Arena history, dead heat on the ice bind Roadrunners to Gulls as AHL clubs renew rivalry". Tucson.com. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
  31. ↑ Peebles, Jimmy. "Game #65: Tucson Roadrunners (6) at San Diego Gulls (5) (OT)". Tucson Roadrunners. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
  32. ↑ "Tucson Roadrunners Roster". Tucson Roadrunners. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
  33. ↑ "Cunningham named Roadrunners captain". Tucson Roadrunners. November 2, 2016.
  34. ↑ "Roadrunners Name Leadership Group For 2017-18 Season". Tucson Roadrunners. October 6, 2017.
  35. ↑ "Roadrunners Name Mermis Team Captain, Announce Leadership Group". Tucson Roadrunners. November 5, 2018.
  36. ↑ "Roadrunners Name Chaput Captain, Announce 2019–20 Leadership Group". Tucson Roadrunners. October 3, 2019.
  37. ↑ "ROADRUNNERS BID FAREWELL TO DEFENSEMAN DYSIN MAYO". Tucson Roadrunners. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
  38. ↑ "HUDSON FASCHING NAMED ROADRUNNERS CAPTAIN". Tucson Roadrunners. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
  39. ↑ "ADAM CRACKNELL NAMED ROADRUNNERS CAPTAIN". Tucson Roadrunners. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
  40. ↑ "Cunningham jersey retired but new chapter ahead for 27-year old". nevalleynews.org. October 31, 2018. Retrieved June 5, 2019.
  41. ↑ "Tucson Roadrunners – All Time AHL leaders". hockeydb.com. June 10, 2019. Retrieved June 10, 2019.
  42. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Tucson Roadrunners - Single-Season AHL Leaders". QuantHockey. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
  43. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "Tucson Roadrunners - All-Time AHL Leaders". QuantHockey. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
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