Less than two months remain in the AHL season, and the Tucson Roadrunners are in the thick of it. Leading the Henderson Silver Knights for the final playoff spot in the Pacific Division by a single point, March is shaping up to be a big month for the Utah Mammoth’s American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate after a mediocre February.
In February, the Roadrunners went 4-5-0 across their nine games. They finished the month by going 0-2-0 at home and 4-3-0 on the road. As mentioned, they sit seventh in the division with an overall record of 24-20-8 and 56 points. Here’s everything you need to know about the Roadrunners from February.
February’s Results
In January, the Roadrunners played a majority of their games at home because of what came this month. February’s annual gem show in Tucson once again forced the Roadrunners to play a majority of their games on the road. That included a trip up to Alberta and a couple of trips to Southern California.
The Roadrunners did spend a lot of their off days practicing in Arizona, even traveling up to Chandler when needed. Here are the results from February.
5-1 L @ Ontario, 7-3 W @ Calgary, 6-5 W (OT) @ Calgary, 6-1 L @ Coachella Valley, 3-2 W @ Coachella Valley, 4-2 L vs Ontario, 5-3 L vs Ontario, 2-1 W (OT) @ San Diego, 5-3 L @ San Jose
Putting the “Road” in Roadrunners
Every February, the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show comes to the Tucson Convention Center. Believe it or not, it is the oldest recurring event in Tucson, hitting 71 consecutive years this month. It is also an incredible revenue provider for the city, as hundreds of people flock to the city for the show, which leads to golf courses, restaurants, and other businesses seeing an uptick in sales.
Because of the show’s importance to the city, every season, the Roadrunners are squeezed out of their home and are forced to play most of their games on the road. As mentioned, the Roadrunners were all over the West Coast during the month. They first made a short trip to Southern California before taking a flight to Calgary. Add on a couple more trips to Southern California and a trip to Northern California, and it was a chaotic February, like usual.
However, most of the players enjoyed racking up the number of travelling miles as they did. It allowed the team to bond and spend time together. With the amount of callups and injuries there’s been this season, the Roadrunners really haven’t had time to experience that.
“You’re around the team more for meals, breakfast, morning skates, and on the bus,” Cameron Hebig said. “It’s a chance to learn from your teammates and bond that way. It’s fun to get on the road and get in the hotel with the guys.”
Jack Ricketts hasn’t been on the Roadrunners for long, getting the call-up from the ECHL’s Utah Grizzlies in late January. Despite players returning from call-ups and injuries, Ricketts has been kept around by the team for his excellent play. Getting to go on the road and get to know some of his new teammates better has been a great experience for him.
“It’s always nice to be on the road because everyone’s sort of together, doing some dinners and whatnot,” Ricketts said. “Bonding with the guys also helps with confidence on the ice. It’s been fun.”
Funny enough, the Roadrunners have a better overall record on the road than at home. This season, they’re 13-9-2 away from Tucson. That includes their 4-3-0 record in February, a much better record than their two losses in their two home games in the month.
Related: Olympic Omission Becoming Motivation for Mammoth’s Maksymilian Szuber and Julian Lutz
The Roadrunners are hoping that trend continues for the rest of the season. 12 of their final 20 games are on the road, including a seven-game road trip at the end of the season in April that will be pivotal to the team’s season.
That being said, just like in the NHL, every game is important going forward, especially when you’re in the position the Roadrunners are in, being just a little bit over the playoff line. They have to get better at home, now with an 11-11-6 record at the Tucson Convention Center. They’ll be going up against big opponents, too, like the Silver Knights in the first home games of March.
Being able to get those homestands is important for the Roadrunners. It means more practice and more comfort. Using that to the team’s advantage and finishing the season strong at home as well needs to be something the Roadrunners do.
“It’s nice to get a reset back home,” Hebig said. “You get a week of practice, and you get your training and your skill work in practice, and get the touches. On the road, you’re playing lots of games, you don’t get those touches and practice time and all that.”
It’s going to be a tough couple of weeks, especially with the number of road games that still await the Roadrunners. Traveling can be tough, but that’s just life in the AHL. The team knows that and are making the best out of the situation, aware of the challenges that lie ahead.
“On the road, it’s been fun,” Hebig said. “You bond as a team on the road. There are lots of road games coming up here. We got a lot in the second half here, so we got to make the most of those.”
Hey Now, You’re An All-Star
While the NHL had the Olympic break, the AHL had its own break: the AHL all-star break. While it was only a couple of days off, most of the Roadrunners were happy to get a break. However, one player got the chance to travel to Rockford and participate in the weekday’s celebrations.
Simashev, as mentioned in the previous Roadrunners Report, was named the Roadrunners’ representative at the 2026 AHL All-Star Challenge. During the skills competition, Simashev first competed in the CCM Fastest Skater event. He recorded a time of 14.373, which was fifth best. Konsta Helenius of the Rockford IceHogs won it with a time of 13.770.
Dmitri Simashev showing off the wheels at the All-Star Speed Skating Challenge 💨
Fast. Smooth. Locked in.@TheAHL pic.twitter.com/EJIxBjV2PP
— Tucson Roadrunners (@RoadrunnersAHL) February 11, 2026
The next event Simashev took part in was the CCM Hardest Shot competition. The defenseman came in seventh place with a 93.9 MPH, although the gun didn’t pick up his first attempt, which was definitely a harder shot. Arthur Kaliyev of the Belleville Senators won that event with a shot of 104.0 MPH.
Simashev’s Hardest Shot Challenge!@TheAHL pic.twitter.com/IWwPlsO4s8
— Tucson Roadrunners (@RoadrunnersAHL) February 11, 2026
Finally, Simashev played in the Upper Deck Breakaway Relay. In the second round, he scored on Toronto Marlies’ goaltender Artur Akhtyamov, helping the Western Conference beat the Eastern Conference 6-5, though the East ended up winning the entire skills challenge 18-15.
In the AHL All-Star Challenge, the Pacific Division won their first game against the North Division 4-1. Simashev recorded an assist on Jagger Firkus’s eventual game-winning goal. The Pacific won their second game against the Atlantic Division 3-2 before falling to the Central Division 4-0. Simashev did not record a point in those two games.
The two wins clinched the Pacific a spot in the finals against the Central. Simashev had a couple of good chances throughout the game, and the Pacific ultimately beat the Central 3-1 to win the entire tournament.
While it’s not an NHL all-star nod, getting the opportunity to play among the AHL’s best is still a great achievement and one that is respected among the hockey community. Last season, when Hebig earned his first AHL all-star nomination, players in both the AHL and the NHL acknowledged and were proud of his achievement, including now Buffalo Sabres forward Josh Doan. At only 21 years old, it’s quite impressive what Simashev has managed to achieve in just his first season in North America, including his week in Rockford.
Training Camp 2.0
A week after the last NHL game, amidst the Olympics, the NHL doesn’t stop completely. NHL teams run practices throughout the break. Because players are away for the Olympics, AHL players are called up. Due to the roster freeze, players don’t have to go through waivers either, allowing the Mammoth to call up whoever they want.
Eight players from the Roadrunners were called up over the break. That list includes Simashev, Daniil But, Maveric Lamoureux, Maksymilian Szuber, Matt Villalta, Ben McCartney, Scott Perunovich, and Kevin Connauton.
With the amount of new faces around at practice, the week or so has been nicknamed training camp 2.0. It’s almost a fresh new slate.
For some Roadrunners, the call-up was a reward. Connauton has played a big-time role during the team’s extensive amount of injuries, even acting as a forward sometimes. Perunovich and Szuber have been two of the most reliable defensemen for the Roadrunners this season. McCartney is in the midst of a career season. With Karel Vejmelka at the Olympics, Villalta was the obvious choice to call up.
For others, it was their status as top prospects within the organization. Lamoureux and But were automatic call-ups. Simashev was in that group too.
It was a bit harder for Simashev to readjust to the NHL practice. Unlike a lot of the guys at practice, all of the Roadrunners didn’t have a break and came up either after games or practices. That didn’t change their excitement and feelings about being in the NHL.
“Guys were there after break,” Simashev said. “I didn’t have a break, so that was tough for me. That was a really hard practice, but it’s really good. Every time you see the NHL name, it’s the best league in the world; it’s the best players. You see this pace. You see how good they are, the skill. You just enjoy every day there. There are no bad days in the NHL.”
Head coach Steve Potvin has seen Simashev improve rapidly. In just a span of 10 games, the coach can tell you how much the defenseman has improved. Potvin has been coaching Simashev on being better with his stick and being more disruptive. For him, it’s been easy to do so because of the defenseman’s urge to win and be better.
“He’s one of those guys that when the puck drops, he wants to win, and he’s invested in it,” Potvin said. “He just wants to get to the next level. When you have that will, and you’re competitive that way, and you’re playing where your feet are, you’re going to make those improvements.”
While all those players were sent down before the NHL season resumed, the experience was definitely a good one for the players who got the opportunity to be in Utah. They got to be a part of an NHL practice and, more than likely, got told what they’ve been doing well and what they need to work on by the Utah staff.
It’s also a good measuring stick of who the Mammoth see as their next call-ups. They didn’t call just everybody up. It was more than likely players whom they see as the next NHLers in the foreseeable future.
Deadline Day and the Path Ahead
A bit of fast tracking into the future, the trade deadline brought one big trade to the Mammoth/Roadrunner organization. The Mammoth traded for MacKenzie Weegar, a trade that didn’t see any Roadrunners player shipped off.
Despite the deadline being gone, there is one more trade deadline that looms ahead. The AHL trade deadline is on Mar. 13. AHL players can be traded until then, but only if they’re under an AHL contract, and NHL players who were on an AHL roster when the NHL trade deadline passed.
Not a lot of deals go down at the AHL trade deadline because of the limitations. However, it is a way to do some final tinkerings and improvements before the final couple of weeks of the AHL season.
For the Roadrunners, there are some things that need fixing if the team wants to make the playoffs. Similar to their NHL parent, the Roadrunners aren’t great at staying disciplined, and because of that, their penalty kill is sent out quite a bit. However, the PK hasn’t bailed them out much, as the team owns the worst unit in the entire AHL.
Discipline has been something Potvin has been preaching about ever since the beginning of the season. Throughout all the losses and even the wins, the coach has been adamant and truthful about discipline being the key weakness of the Roadrunners. Past the halfway point of the season, it’s something he still sees as something that needs to be fixed if the team wants to make the playoffs.
“The game plan most nights is pretty spot on,” Potvin said. “We just have to have the discipline. The first part of the season for us hasn’t been for nothing. We’ve learned what it takes to win at this level and put ourselves in a position to be in the playoffs. It can’t be for nothing. We know what it takes. We just have to be disciplined.”
It doesn’t help that the power play has been middle of the pack. There have been quite a few times where the Roadrunners have needed a big-time goal while being on the man advantage. More than a few times, they haven’t come up big.
Potvin says the six-on-five play hasn’t been great because they haven’t attacked the slot enough, and passes haven’t been distributed quickly enough. It’s something that needs to change to get the man advantage operating at 100%.
“When we were down by one, there’s a lot of passing on the exterior and not a lot of attacking the slot, and a lot of times it happens from a shot and then a recovery,” Potvin said. “We have to have that shot mentality a little bit and make sure we’re a little cleaner on our sets.”
The Roadrunners’ offense and defense have been mediocre at best, which has resulted in only 13 wins in regulation. Acquiring someone who can provide a spark at the deadline might be in the best interest. Last season, the trade that brought Sammy Walker to Tucson ended up being a fruitful one, as he thrived with the Roadrunners. Even a minor trade like that could give the team some new life.
Even if the Roadrunners stand pat at the deadline, there might be some help on the way. There are a couple of Mammoth prospects that could join the team in April after their seasons are done. Guys like Cole Beaudoin and Gabe Smith have their entry-level deals signed and can join the Roadrunners if their season ends on time.
At this point, though, the Roadrunners need to play their best game now. Barring any injuries, it’s unlikely the Mammoth will call anyone up. That means the big guys, Simashev, Lamoureux, and But, will be in the AHL for the rest of the season. There are no excuses going forward. This is the best team the Roadrunners will ice.
Whether they make the playoffs or not is up to the team. They control their own destiny at this point. However, making the playoffs would be big for the development of many players on the Roadrunners. A postseason push will also show how well a lot of these prospects have developed as well.
Goal of the Month
There are three big goals that are in contention for the title of goal of the month. The first comes from the Feb. 21 game against the Ontario Reign. Andrew Agozzino intercepted a pass and came streaking into the offensive zone before passing it to But. But went forehand-backhand into the back of the net to score the second goal of the game. A pure showcase of how nice the Russian forward’s moves can be.
The second honorable mention has to go to the overtime winner from the Feb. 25 game against the San Diego Gulls. Perunovich made a backhanded pass to Kevin Rooney right near the blueline. Rooney cut into the Gulls’ zone and managed to pass it back to Perunovich, who snapped the puck into the back of the net for the game-winning goal. The celebration was awesome as well, with the defenseman heading straight to the locker room while motioning his teammates to join him as well.
SCOOTER CALLS GAME pic.twitter.com/tK58QdAED2
— Tucson Roadrunners (@RoadrunnersAHL) February 26, 2026
The goal of the month, though, has to go to Hebig’s goal against the Coachella Valley Firebirds on Feb. 15. After receiving a weird pass that went into the offensive zone, Hebig took the puck, outmaneuvered a Firebirds defenseman, glided in front of the goaltender, and went forehand-backhand, putting the puck in off the back of his stick.
What a BEAUTY by Cam Hebig pic.twitter.com/UA0DzEONuQ
— Tucson Roadrunners (@RoadrunnersAHL) February 16, 2026
The goal helped the Roadrunners pick up a 3-2 win over the Firebirds. However, the goal was a true showcase of Hebig’s skill. The Mammoth have already called him up once this season. With his great production and getting goals like this, it wouldn’t be surprising if he gets a trip to Salt Lake City again in the foreseeable future.
Roadrunner Records and Transactions From Tucson
There were a few records and achievements set by the Roadrunners during February. Here are all the notable ones from the month.
- Hebig passed Kyle Capobianco for second all-time in franchise history for assists. He trails Michael Bunting by 10 assists for first place.
- McCartney passed Robbie Russo for fourth all-time in franchise history for assists. He trails Capbianco by three assists for third place.
- McCartney passed Michael Bunting for third most games played in franchise history. He trails Dysin Mayo by 15 games for second place.
- Ricketts scored his first AHL goal against the Calgary Wranglers on Feb. 6.
With training camp 2.0 going on, quite a few transactions were going through the Roadrunners. Here are the transactions from the month.
- Dylan Wells was returned to the Kansas City Mavericks on Feb. 2.
- But was returned to the Roadrunners on Feb. 4.
- Maxim Barbashev was returned to the Grizzlies on Feb. 8.
- Wells was recalled from the Mavericks on Feb. 17.
- Villalta, Simashev, McCartney, Lamoureux, and But were all recalled by the Mammoth on Feb. 17.
- Simashev and Lamoureux were returned to the Roadrunners on Feb. 19.
- Villalta and But were returned to the Roadrunners on Feb. 20.
- Perunovich and Connauton were recalled by the Mammoth on Feb. 20.
- Wells was returned to the Mavericks on Feb. 21.
- Szuber was recalled by the Mammoth on Feb. 22.
- Perunovich was returned to the Roadrunners on Feb. 22.
- Szuber, Connauton, and McCartney were returned to the Roadrunners on Feb. 23.
- Lamoureux and Simashev were recalled by the Mammoth on Feb. 23.
- Lamoureux was returned to the Roadrunners on Feb. 24.
- Simashev was returned to the Roadrunners on Feb. 25.
What’s Up Next?
The Roadrunners will play their first four games in March on the road in California, finishing off their series with the San Jose Barracuda before heading down and playing the Reign and Bakersfield Condors. The team will then play a crucial series against the Silver Knights to open up a four-game homestand that could very well play a hand in who gets the final playoff spot in the Pacific Division.
After rounding out their homestand against the Barracuda, the Roadrunners will head up to Manitoba to play the Manitoba Moose before heading back to southern Arizona to play the Reign in a two-game series.
