Head coach Ryan Craig and the Henderson Silver Knights are off to a strong 9-7-1 start, a sharp contrast from last season’s 4-12-0 opening stretch. This year’s group has leaned on its veterans, but the early surge has just as much to do with the injection of youth throughout the lineup.
Related: Carter Hart Returns to Action With 5-2 Win Over Calgary Wranglers
And some of that youth is already making noise beyond the AHL.
In the first edition of the Silver Knights Prospect Notebook, we break down three players driving Henderson’s early progress — including one who’s turning his opportunity at the NHL level into real results.
Bowman Finding Success in NHL Stint
Braeden Bowman, an undrafted free agent has a story that makes you feel good. The 22-year-old got called up on Nov. 12 and since has taken advantage of every opportunity with the Vegas Golden Knights.
“We’ve supported him,” Craig said. “That’s our job here, is to support the player but the credit goes to him. Very happy for him when he got the call. From what I had seen, he played really good against the Islanders.”
Bowman has been just shy of a point-per-game player with the Golden Knights notching four goals and six points in seven games.
When he scored his first NHL goal against the St. Louis Blues on Nov. 17, his former teammates down in Henderson we’re excited.
“I think our guys were pretty excited, it kind of happened during warmups,” Craig said.
For now, Bowman stays in Vegas — and the fit has been better than anyone expected. What started as a short-term move has quietly turned into something that’s working for both sides.
Trevor Connelly Off to Hot Start in AHL Return
Trevor Connelly was injured this summer which kept him sidelined for the Golden Knights 2025 Rookie Camp and the first six weeks of the AHL season.
Now, after having two weekends in Henderson under his belt, he’s shown no signs of slowing down with five points in four games.
“When he has the puck, you can see the skill,” Craig said. “He’s playing catchup. The league continues to get faster just like any league as it goes through.”
The 2024 first-round pick has shown real poise, quickly earning the respect of teammates with his skill and the way he’s blended into a moving midseason lineup.
“He’s dynamic, he’s a talented kid, he plays hard and he’s fun to watch,” Jaycob Megna said.
We’ll see what the rest of the season brings for Connelly, but a call-up shouldn’t be ruled out. If his trajectory holds, he’ll force the conversation on his own.
Lukas Cormier Showing Promising Start With Silver Knights
Lukas Cormier is one of several young Silver Knights — Connelly included — who’ve made a real impact early in the season. More broadly, he’s become a key piece of a blue line that keeps finding its way onto the scoresheet.
“It’s a product of what we have with those guys back there,” Craig said. “Especially those four guys can get the puck going north.”
Through the first two months, Cormier leads all Henderson defensemen with four goals and 14 points in 16 games — a reflection of his own development and the broader step forward the Silver Knights have taken this season.
The 23-year-old is nearing 150 AHL games, and in that time he’s steadily grown into one of the Silver Knights’ most reliable offensive puck movers on the back end.
Loose Pucks:
- Carter Hart made his Silver Knights debut on Nov. 15 and has appeared in just one game since, posting a 1-1-0 record with a 2.55 goals-against average and .875 save percentage. The 27-year-old is eligible to return to the NHL on Dec. 2, and with Adin Hill sidelined, it’s increasingly likely Hart won’t be in Henderson for long.
- The veteran trio of Jérémy Davies, Megna and Dylan Coghlan has quietly anchored one of the Silver Knights’ early strengths: production from the blue line. The group has combined for nine goals and 30 points in 46 games, giving Henderson a reliable offensive push from the back end. For a team off to a fast start, that level of contribution has been a steadying force.
- With Hart in the AHL and Adin Hill sidelined, Carl Lindbom has taken on the bulk of the workload in Vegas. He’s still searching for his first NHL win — sitting at 0-4-2 — but the record doesn’t fully reflect how composed he’s looked in several of those starts. Whether he returns to Henderson once Hart is recalled remains to be seen, but despite the numbers, Lindbom has shown he can hold his own at the NHL level.
