SPRINGFIELD – For each player in the American Hockey League, the dream is the same. They yearn to be “up there,” playing in the National Hockey League.

Springfield Falcons players look to their parent club, the Columbus Blue Jackets, and see that it can be done.



For instance, in Thursday night's game at Buffalo, Matt

Calvert, Cam Atkinson, Ryan Johansen, Dalton Prout and David Savard got considerable ice time in an impressive 4-1 victory for the Jackets.

Five ex-Springfield players, now skating for the big club -- and don’t forget Curtis McElhinney, now the Jackets’ No. 2 goaltender.

Atkinson, Calvert, Prout and Savard played here two seasons ago, and they were here for part of the 2012-13 campaign. Johansen, one of Columbus’ prized first-round picks, played here last season until the NHL lockout ended. McElhinney was here all season, and won his team’s MVP award.

Veteran pro Ryan Craig, the reigning captain of the Springfield Falcons, was the latest to get the call from Columbus as he was promoted to the big club on Friday, the day before the Jackets were scheduled to host the Boston Bruins. Defenseman Tim Erixon was sent to Springfield.

Coach Brad Larsen and his staff can take pride in what their former players are doing now in the NHL. It certainly speaks well for them, and it gives current Falcons players more reason for hope. Play all out every night, help the team win and maybe the call will come.

That’s life in the AHL, no matter the time of the season. Early or late, every game is important. So it will be Saturday night, when the Falcons host the Worcester Sharks at the MassMutual Center. And so it will be Sunday afternoon, when the Birds visit Bridgeport.

The Falcons have played only one game so far, but some players already have made a mark.

Goaltender Jeremy Smith excelled in Springfield’s opening 3-2 victory over Manchester, especially in overtime and during a shootout in which he stoned all five Manchester snipers.

Michael Chaput, a big winger from hockey-mad Montreal, delivered the tieing goal in the third period with a top-shelf effort. He’s a dependable and durable player, as he showed last season, when, as a rookie, he played in 80 of Springfield’s 83 games, including seven in the playoffs.

Darryl Boyce, a seventh-year pro from Prince Edward Island, had Springfield’s first goal. He came to the Falcons under a tryout agreement in September, bringing an impressive resume that included five seasons with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies.

The entire Springfield defensive unit – Will Weber, Patrick McNeill, Cody Goloubef, Frederic St. Denis and rookie Austin Madaisky – played tight hockey. They especially dominated the third period, when Manchester got off only four shots.

“We certainly didn’t give up much over three periods, but I didn’t like our game in overtime. We have to correct that,” coach Larsen said.



ICE CHIPS: This will mark the season opener for the Sharks . . . It will be Hispanic Heritage Night, the first of many promotions put together by the Falcons' marketing department. Three special nights will have the team wearing specialty jerseys – Nov. 8, Hometown Heroes night; Jan. 18, 20th anniversary night; and March 1, Pink in the Rink Night for fund-raising in the fight against breast cancer . . . The AHL's Hall of Fame class of 2014 will consist of coach Bill Dineen, goaltender Bobby Perreault, coach Al MacNeil and defenseman John Slaney. They will be enshrined Feb. 12 during AHL All-Star Classic weekend in St. John's., Newfoundland . . . The Blue Jackets play a headline game Saturday, hosting the Boston Bruins at 2 p.m.

Garry Brown can be reached at geeman1918@yahoo.com

