Golden Knights Made Their First Camp Cut and Sent 12 to Henderson

by Ryan Rose

What Happened

General manager Kelly McCrimmon announced the move on September 21. The team's release was titled "Golden Knights Reduce Training Camp Roster By 16 Players." Twelve players were assigned to Henderson for the start of American Hockey League training camp. Those players are Jordan Gustafson, Brandon Hickey, Lucas Johansen, Jett Jones, Samuel Mayer, Riley McKay, Pavel Moysevich, Bronson Ride, Shane Smith, Sloan Stanick, Trent Swick and Alex Tracy.

Four more players went back to their junior teams for the start of their seasons. Those four are Dylan Allie, Matthew Minchak, Conor Walton and Vann Williamson. Junior players are usually teenagers who are still developing. Going back to junior is not a punishment. It means they get big minutes and a lot of games, which is how young players grow.

After the cut, the Golden Knights had 50 players left in camp. That group was made up of 29 forwards, 17 defensemen and 4 goaltenders. Camp had opened on September 17 with 66 players, including seven goaltenders. So three of the seven goalies left camp in this first cut, and the NHL group was down to Carter Hart, Adin Hill, Carl Lindbom and Cameron Whitehead.

The timing lined up neatly with Henderson's schedule. The Silver Knights opened their own training camp that same day, with the first skate set for noon on September 21 at America First Center in Henderson. Players who started the week in Summerlin were quickly skating for a new head coach, Joel Ward, on the other side of the valley. That is how the NHL and AHL clubs work together here. One building feeds the other, and the two rinks sit about a half hour apart by freeway.

The Golden Knights did not slow down after the move. The NHL group kept practicing at City National Arena in Summerlin, then went to San Jose for a preseason game on Tuesday. They came home to T-Mobile Arena for two more preseason games that week, against the Utah Mammoth and the San Jose Sharks.

It helps to know what kind of players were on this list. The 12 names were a mix of young prospects and depth players who spend most of their time in the AHL. Two of them, Pavel Moysevich and Alex Tracy, are goaltenders. Goalies need game reps more than almost any other position, and a crowded NHL camp does not give them many. Sending them to Henderson early means they can face real shots every day instead of waiting their turn behind Carter Hart and Adin Hill.

The release also kept some familiar prospect names in the NHL group for now. Trevor Connelly, Braeden Bowman and Juho Piiparinen were still on the list of 50 after the first cut. That tells you the team wanted a longer look at them against NHL players. It does not guarantee a roster spot, but it is a sign of where they stood on September 21.

Close-up of a hockey stick and puck on the ice, representing young prospects heading to Henderson Silver Knights camp

Why It Matters to Las Vegas Residents

If you live in Henderson, this is your team's roster taking shape in real time. The Silver Knights are the local pro team that plays right in the middle of the city. The 12 players who arrived on September 21 are the first building blocks of the lineup you will see at Lee's Family Forum this season. When people in Green Valley, Anthem or Inspirada go to a Silver Knights game this winter, they will be watching a lot of these same names.

It also matters because Henderson hockey is the affordable way to watch pro hockey in Clark County. A night at T-Mobile Arena on the Strip is a big spend for a family. A Silver Knights game in Henderson is closer to home, easier to park at, and usually far easier on the wallet. The talent on the ice is still the next level down from the NHL. Some of these players will get called up to Vegas at some point this season.

Look at how fast the payoff came. Samuel Mayer was one of the 12 players sent to Henderson on September 21. Five days later, on September 26, he scored in the Silver Knights' first preseason game, a 4-1 win over the Tucson Roadrunners at the Southwest Showdown in Tucson. That was Joel Ward's first game as the team's head coach. So the very first cut already produced a goal scorer for Henderson before the home opener.

The first cut also shows how the Silver Knights roster gets built in layers. The Sept. 21 group arrived first and got a head start with the new coach. A second wave came from the NHL camp two days later, which we cover in a separate story linked above. By the time the Silver Knights played in Tucson, both groups were mixing on the same ice. The players from the first cut had a couple of extra days to learn Ward's systems, and that can matter when jobs are being handed out.

There is a community side to this too. Pro players who get assigned to Henderson live here during the season. They rent apartments, shop at local stores, eat at neighborhood spots and show up at youth hockey events. A full AHL roster adds a small but real group of new residents to the southeast valley every fall. Many of them are young and new to Nevada, and Henderson becomes their home base for months at a time.

For families with kids in youth hockey, the Silver Knights are also the easiest place to see pro players up close. Practices during camp were open to the public, and the players who skate in Henderson are often the same ones kids meet at clinics and community events. A 20-year-old prospect is only a few years older than the high school players watching from the stands. That makes the dream feel real for a lot of local kids.

Background and History

The Silver Knights have been the Golden Knights' American Hockey League team since 2020. The AHL is the top development league under the NHL. Every NHL team has an AHL partner, and the two clubs trade players back and forth all year. Vegas is one of the teams that keeps its AHL club close to home, which makes those moves quick and easy.

That closeness is a big deal for player development. When a Golden Knights player gets hurt, the team can call up a replacement from Henderson and have him at practice in Summerlin the same day. When a young player needs more ice time, the team can send him down without moving him across the country. Coaches from both clubs can watch each other's practices without getting on a plane. Other NHL organizations would love that kind of setup.

This is a special year for the franchise. The 2026-27 season is the 10th for the Vegas Golden Knights. The team won the Stanley Cup in 2023 and has reached the Stanley Cup Final three times. This fall also brings new head coaches at both levels. Ryan Craig took over the Golden Knights, and Joel Ward took over the Silver Knights. A new coach at each level means both camps were a fresh start for everyone, including the prospects.

Hockey players with sticks on the ice, similar to the young prospects competing for spots on the Henderson Silver Knights roster

Training camp always starts big and gets smaller. The Golden Knights opened with 66 players on September 17. An NHL team only dresses 20 players for a game, so most of the players in camp know from day one that they will end up somewhere else. The first cut is usually the biggest group of AHL assignments, because the team has seen enough to know who needs more time to grow. Later cuts are harder calls, and they often include waiver decisions on veterans.

The first cut is not the end of the road for anyone on the list. Many NHL regulars across the league started their pro careers in the AHL and were sent down early in camp more than once. For a player like Jordan Gustafson or Jett Jones, going to Henderson means heavy minutes, a lot of games and a coaching staff focused on development.

What Happens Next

The next date on the calendar is the one Henderson fans care about most. The Silver Knights open their regular season at home on Friday, October 3, against the Bakersfield Condors at Lee's Family Forum. That will be the first chance for local fans to see the full roster, including players from both camp cuts, in a game that counts.

Before that, the Silver Knights close out their preseason in Tucson at the Southwest Showdown. The first game on September 26 went well. Samuel Mayer, Alex Weiermair, Mathieu Cataford and Jakub Demek scored in the 4-1 win, and goalie Carl Lindbom stopped 26 of 27 shots. Henderson also killed all four Tucson power plays. That is a strong first look at a team that has had less than a week together.

Watch for more roster news between now and the opener. NHL clubs keep trimming until the regular season starts, and players can move between Vegas and Henderson at any time after that. Injuries at the NHL level often create call-ups. A player who plays well in Henderson in October could be skating at T-Mobile Arena by winter. That is the whole point of having an AHL team nearby, and it is why following the first cut group is worth your time.

Keep an eye on the goalie picture in particular. Henderson needs goaltenders who can carry a heavy AHL schedule, and the Golden Knights want their young goalies playing a lot. Moysevich and Tracy arrived with the first cut, and Lindbom and Cameron Whitehead joined later. How the Silver Knights split starts among that group in October will say a lot about how the organization sees each of them.

It is also worth watching which of the 12 players become regulars in Henderson and which spend time elsewhere. AHL teams have their own roster limits, so a few names could move again. The team will post official transactions as they happen.

Ryan's Take

I love stories like this because they show how much Henderson has changed. A decade ago, nobody moved to Henderson thinking about pro hockey. Now the city has its own team, its own arena, and a steady stream of young athletes living here from fall to spring. Those players and their families rent homes, and sometimes they buy them. Coaches, trainers and staff do the same. It is a small group compared to the whole city, but it adds to the demand for rentals near the arena and along the 215 corridor.

The bigger picture is what these amenities do for how Henderson feels. When buyers ask me what there is to do in Henderson, a pro hockey team that is affordable, easy to reach and full of future NHL players is a real answer. It does not move a home's price by itself, and I would never tell a client to pay more just to be closer to an arena. But it is one more reason people choose Henderson over other parts of the valley, and that choice shows up in demand over time.

Rows of homes spread across the desert in the southeast Las Vegas Valley, where many Henderson Silver Knights players live during the season

What You Can Do

Plan a night at the home opener. The Silver Knights host the Bakersfield Condors on Friday, October 3, at Lee's Family Forum in Henderson. Buy tickets through the team so you know exactly which building and start time you have. Opening night is usually one of the busiest games of the year, so give yourself extra time for parking.

Learn a few names before you go. Jordan Gustafson, Jett Jones, Shane Smith, Samuel Mayer and goalies Pavel Moysevich and Alex Tracy were all part of the first group sent to Henderson. Picking two or three players to follow makes a game more fun, especially for kids. If one of them gets called up to Vegas later in the season, you will feel like you saw him first.

If you are new to the valley, a Silver Knights game is also an easy way to get to know Henderson. Get there early, grab dinner nearby and make a night of it. A lot of people who move here tell me the first time Las Vegas felt like home was at a local event that had nothing to do with the Strip. A minor league hockey game with your neighbors is exactly that kind of night.

Keep an eye on the Golden Knights' official news page for transactions. Roster moves between Summerlin and Henderson happen all season. If your kids play youth hockey, look for Silver Knights community events and clinics this fall. They are some of the best ways to meet pro players and grow the game in our own backyard.

Have questions about how this affects your home or neighborhood? Reach out to Ryan Rose or text/call 702-747-5921 anytime.