The Utica Comets (AHL) cannot stop winning. With two more victories this past week, the Comets lead the AHL in points percentage. A terrific turnaround from seasons past when the team had missed the playoffs.
In a roster move, the Comets have lost forward Riley Tufte to the Devils. Tufte was called up for insurance due to the injury to Anthony Mantha. After scoring 32 goals across 64 AHL games last season (top five in the league), Tufte only had two assists in nine games to begin this season.
For last week’s weekly recap, click here.
Results
Utica 5, Syracuse 2, Nov. 6
After snapping a long drought last week, the Utica power play came alive in their Friday contest against Syracuse going 2-for-3 overall.
Gabe Klassen scored on the power play in the first and Ben Steeves scored with the man advantage to begin the second to give Utica an early 2-0 lead. The teams traded goals the remainder of the second period. Colin White and Lenni Hämeenaho scored for the Comets. Both Steeves and White had two points by the period’s end. Utica led 4-2.
In the third, Klassen scored his second of the game, his fifth of the year. His empty-net tally put the nail in the coffin for the Crunch, spelling a 5-2 victory to begin the week for the Comets. Despite that, Syracuse did outshoot Syracuse 26-21. David Rittich was terrific, stopping 24 of 26 in victory.
Utica 4, Rochester 1, Nov. 7
Utica ended their week with a home victory against Rochester. The 4-1 decision is their fourth straight win.
There was no scoring in the first period, but in the second, Jack Malone and Xavier Parent each potted a goal. Sandwiched in between was a Rochester tally, so Utica led 2-1 after the second. In the third, Matyas Melovsky scored on the Comets’ second power play goal, and fourth over the last two games. Noesen iced things with an empty netter late.
Utica outshot Rochester 28-18 as Jakub Málek made 17 saves in the win. Utica’s power play went 2-for-4 and the kill was a perfect 5-for-5. Noesen posted a three-point game while Parent and Colin White had two points apiece. It was White’s second two-point game in a row.
Statistics Update
The Comets brought Gabe Klassen in during the offseason and he has made an immediate impact. The 23-year-old is tied for the team-lead in goals with five. He has six total points across his first 10 games. Klassen, listed at just 5-foot-10, had 36 points in 59 AHL games in his first full AHL season last year for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. In his final junior season in the WHL back in 2023-24, his 106 points ranked seventh in the WHL as he captained Portland.
Colin White, 29, had a massive week for Utica. He had two points in each of Utica’s victories and now has six over his last three games. White had a big season for the San Jose Barracuda last year, posting 48 points in 46 games. He has been a terrific veteran presence for the Comets early on.
As a team, the Comets finally got their power play to click this past week. Utica’s man advantage went 4-for-7 leading them to the two victories. Prior to their November 1 game against Hamilton, the power play was on an 0-for-22 streak. Just like that, the unit is back up to an 18.2% success rate which ranks 18th. This compliments a penalty kill unit that currently ranks second in the league at a staggering 90.2%.
Standings Update
Utica’s 8-2-0-0 record is the best in the NHL based on percentage. The Comets still have the least amount of games played in the league and are the only team that has only played 10 games. Their 18 points overall do trail Laval and Toronto in the North Division. However, each of those teams has already played 14 games.
Upcoming Schedule
The Comets finally have a three-game week ahead of them. They begin their week Tuesday night against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (7-4-1-0) in Pennsylvania then are right back in Utica for a game Wednesday night against Belleville (5-2-0-0). They end the week once again in Utica against the Crunch (5-5-2-0) Saturday evening.