The Henderson Silver Knights Are 1-2 After a Shutout Loss in San Diego

by Ryan Rose

What Happened in the First Week

The season started well. On Saturday, October 3, the Silver Knights opened their seventh AHL season at home against Bakersfield. Alex Weiermair scored the first goal of the night in the first period. It was the first professional goal of his career. Alexander Holtz made it 2-0 in the second period. Bakersfield fought back in the third with goals from Daniel D'Amato and Connor Clattenburg, but Holtz scored again on the power play with just over four minutes left. That goal turned out to matter. Quinn Hutson scored late for Bakersfield with an extra skater on a 6-on-4 power play, and Henderson held on to win 4-3.

The next night, Sunday, October 4, the same two teams met again at Lee's Family Forum. This time Bakersfield won 3-1. The Silver Knights posted a game breakdown video that confirms the score. The full scoring summary for that game, including who scored Henderson's lone goal, is [NOT VERIFIED] in the sources we could confirm.

After a week off, Henderson went on the road to Pechanga Arena in San Diego on Saturday, October 10. It was the Gulls' home opener. Roger McQueen scored the game-winning goal, his first goal as an AHL player and his third of the season. Nico Myatovic added the second goal. Drew Elliott, Anton Wahlberg and Ryan Carpenter picked up assists for San Diego.

The big story was in net. Damian Clara made 25 saves on 25 shots. It was his first AHL shutout, and it came in just his sixth career start. According to the Gulls, it was the first time in the team's AHL history that San Diego shut out an opponent in a home opener. Clara is the 14th different goalie in Gulls AHL history to record a shutout. Carl Lindbom was in goal for Henderson, and the Gulls' release noted that Clara praised Lindbom's play at the other end.

The Gulls' coaching staff gave Henderson some credit too. San Diego assistant coach Kelly Buchberger said Clara faced only one shot in the first 12 minutes, but that Henderson brought more pressure in the second period. He also said Henderson had possibly five power plays, and that San Diego's penalty kill was outstanding. Put simply, the Silver Knights had chances with the extra skater and did not convert. The exact power play numbers for the game are [NOT VERIFIED].

So the record stands at one win and two losses. Both losses came by two goals, which means neither one went to overtime. That makes Henderson 1-2-0-0 in the AHL's standings format, two points from three games. The official standings line is [NOT VERIFIED] against the league table, but the math from the scores is simple.

Joel Ward, named head coach of the Henderson Silver Knights in June 2026, in an AHL announcement photo

Why It Matters to Henderson and Las Vegas Residents

For most people in the valley, the Silver Knights are not about standings. They are a night out. Lee's Family Forum sits at 200 S. Green Valley Parkway in Henderson, and it holds 5,567 seats. That is a small building by pro sports standards, and it means just about every seat is close to the ice. For families in Green Valley, Anthem, Inspirada, Seven Hills and the rest of Henderson, it is one of the few pro sports options that does not require a trip to the Strip.

A slow start matters for one practical reason. Winning teams draw bigger crowds, and bigger crowds make the building louder and more fun. A team that scores one goal in two games is a team fans start to worry about. The quicker Henderson finds its scoring touch, the better the atmosphere will be for the rest of October.

There is also the bigger picture for Golden Knights fans. The Silver Knights are the top development team for the Vegas Golden Knights. Players who struggle or improve in Henderson this fall could be the same players who get called up to T-Mobile Arena later. When Henderson's young forwards cannot score, that is worth watching for anyone who follows the NHL club. When they break out, the same is true.

The good news is the schedule. After the San Diego trip, Henderson plays at home on Wednesday, October 14, against the Coachella Valley Firebirds at 7 p.m. Then comes a road game at Ontario on October 17. After that, the Silver Knights play three straight home games: Tucson on Friday, October 23 at 7 p.m., Tucson again on Saturday, October 24 at 6 p.m., and Ontario on Wednesday, October 28 at 7 p.m. For a Henderson family, that is a lot of chances to see a game close to home in the next few weeks.

The opening weekend did show some bright spots worth following. Alex Weiermair scored his first pro goal in front of a home crowd. Alexander Holtz had two goals in the opener, including the power play goal that held up as the difference. Those are the kinds of moments that give young fans a player to cheer for, and they show the offense can produce when it gets going. The question for the next few weeks is whether those early goals were a sign of things to come or a one-night burst.

Weeknight games at 7 p.m. are a real advantage here. A Wednesday game in Henderson is easy to fit around work and school, and the drive home for most Henderson neighborhoods is short. That kind of easy access is part of what makes a local team a habit instead of a once-a-year event.

The goalie picture also matters for fans who like to follow individual players. Carl Lindbom has been a key part of Henderson's crease. Midway through last season, he had two shutouts and a .928 save percentage in 14 appearances, according to a Bakersfield Condors game preview. Keeping the other team to two goals on the road, as Henderson did in San Diego, is usually enough to win. The problem on Saturday was at the other end of the ice.

Background and History

The Henderson Silver Knights joined the AHL in 2020 as the top affiliate of the Vegas Golden Knights. This is their seventh season. The team now plays at Lee's Family Forum, which opened in March 2022. The arena was built in a partnership between the Golden Knights and the City of Henderson. It also hosts the Vegas Knight Hawks indoor football team and the Las Vegas Desert Dogs lacrosse team.

The building was first called the Dollar Loan Center. That naming deal expired in April 2024, and the arena was renamed Lee's Family Forum under a sponsorship with the family that owns Lee's Discount Liquor. The name honors founder Hae Un Lee and his late son, Kenny Lee.

The bench is new this year. On June 25, 2026, the Golden Knights named Joel Ward the third head coach in Silver Knights history. Ward, 45, is from North York, Ontario. He played 726 NHL games for the Minnesota Wild, Nashville Predators, Washington Capitals and San Jose Sharks. He scored 133 goals and 304 points in the regular season, and added 22 goals and 52 points in 83 playoff games. He also played 209 AHL games with the Houston Aeros and represented Canada at the 2014 IIHF World Championship.

Ward's coaching career started in Henderson. He was a Silver Knights assistant from 2020 to 2023, then spent three seasons as an assistant with the Golden Knights. This is his first job as a pro head coach. He took over after Ryan Craig moved up to coach the Golden Knights. We covered Ward's first time running a bench, at the rookie showcase in San Jose, in Joel Ward Ran a Bench for the First Time, and Ten Henderson Players Were on It.

Henderson Silver Knights 2026-27 schedule graphic showing home and away games from October through April

The 2026-27 schedule has 72 games, split evenly with 36 at home and 36 on the road. Henderson plays all nine of its Pacific Division rivals, plus four games each against the Texas Stars and Iowa Wild from the Central Division. The regular season ends April 10 at home against Calgary. The team also scheduled six Kids Day Sundays at home this season.

What Happens Next

The next test is Wednesday, October 14, at 7 p.m. against Coachella Valley at Lee's Family Forum. Coachella Valley is a Pacific Division rival, so the game counts directly in the race Henderson cares about most. A win would get the Silver Knights back to .500 after four games.

The rest of October is busy. Henderson plays at Ontario on Saturday, October 17 at 6 p.m. Then come the three straight home games against Tucson and Ontario from October 23 to October 28. The month ends with a road back-to-back: at Coachella Valley on Friday, October 30, and at San Diego again on Saturday, October 31. The Gulls then come to Henderson for two games on November 6 and 7. That gives Silver Knights fans three more looks at San Diego, and at Clara, in the next four weeks.

What to watch in those games is simple. Can Henderson turn power plays into goals? The Gulls said the Silver Knights had more pressure in the second period and possibly five power plays, and still did not score. Holtz scored on the power play in the opener, so the unit has shown it can finish. Getting more shots through, and more bodies in front of the net, is usually what turns a shutout into a win. The team has not released detailed shot or power play totals for every game, so those numbers are [NOT VERIFIED] here.

It also helps to keep the start in context. San Diego is 2-1-1-0 after its own first four games, according to the Gulls' release, so the Pacific Division is tightly bunched this early. Every team in the division has played only a handful of games. A two-game winning streak can move a team from the bottom of the table to the middle in a single weekend. That is why the home stretch from October 23 to October 28 matters so much. Three games in six days, all at Lee's Family Forum, is the kind of run where a young team can find its rhythm in front of its own fans.

One more thing to keep in mind. All AHL schedules can change, and the Silver Knights note on their own schedule page that all games are subject to change. Check the team's official site before you head to the arena.

Ryan's Take

Three games into a 72-game season is way too early to judge a team. What a slow start does is give fans a reason to pay attention. A first-year coach, a young roster, and a scoring problem to solve is a real storyline, and the next three weeks put most of it right here in Henderson.

From a neighborhood point of view, this is the kind of thing that adds up over time. Pro hockey on a Wednesday night, a short drive from Green Valley and the rest of Henderson, is a real lifestyle perk. It is not the reason anyone buys a home. But when people compare parts of the valley, things to do close to home are part of the picture, and a pro team down the street is a good one to have.

A hockey player lines up a shot on a goalie in front of the net, the kind of chance Henderson needs to finish more often

What You Can Do

If you want to see the Silver Knights try to break out of the slump, the Wednesday, October 14 game against Coachella Valley at 7 p.m. is the next chance. The October 23 and 24 games against Tucson make a nice weekend pair, with a 7 p.m. Friday start and a 6 p.m. Saturday start. Ticket prices for these games are [NOT VERIFIED], so check the Silver Knights' official site or the arena's site for current pricing.

If you have kids, look for the Kids Day Sunday games on the team's schedule. Sunday home games start at 5 p.m., which makes it easier to get home at a decent hour on a school night. The schedule graphic on the team's site shows every home and away date for the full season.

And if you just want to follow along, the Silver Knights post game breakdowns and news on their official website. AHL games are also streamed on AHLTV. A few more games will tell us a lot more about whether this is a blip or a trend.