Clay Stevenson, Jake Livingstone, Jake Lucchini and John Ludvig are Kootenay International Junior Hockey League alumni currently playing in the American Hockey League’s Calder Cup playoffs.
Stevenson (100 Mile House Wranglers) and the Hershey Bears are in pursuit of a third straight Calder Cup championship. Their season is on the line today heading into Game 3 of their best-of-five series, as they trail the Charlotte Checkers 2-0.
Stevenson has a win in his lone playoff start against Lehigh Valley on May 9. He has been backing up Hunter Shepard. He had 18 wins in 33 games and also made his NHL debut this season with the Washington Capitals.
Livingstone (Creston Valley Thunder Cats) and Lucchini (Beaver Valley Nitehawks) of the Milwaukee Admirals are tied with the Texas Stars 1-1 in their series.
Lucchini has five points in seven games, and had a three-point performance in their 6-4 win over the Stars on May 18. Lucchini was second on the Admirals with 45 points in 70 games. He played three games for the Nashville Predators this season.
Livingstone has played in three games and fired four shots on goal. The second-year pro finished the regular season with 16 points in 59 regular season games.
Ludvig (Kamloops Storm) and the Colorado Eagles are tied with the Abbotsford Canucks 1-1. Ludvig has three points in six games. During the regular season he had 12 points in 31 games. He also played in eight games for the Colorado Avalanche and collected two assists. Last season he had five points in 33 games with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The Canucks have a pair of KIJHL alumni on their AHL coaching staff with assistant coach Harry Mahesh (Osoyoos Storm – 2005/06) and Justin Pogge (Summerland Sting – 2002/03) as their development and goaltending coach. Their work contributed to the Canucks finishing fifth overall in the AHL with 92 points.
