AHL notebook: Getting on NHL radar with fast starts to season

Development of players hoping to make the NHL no longer has a hard-and-fast timeline, with paths of different lengths often necessary to reach the ultimate goal.

This is especially true at the AHL level. Some players making the daunting jump to a level of play one step from the NHL struggle early. Some were overlooked in the NHL Draft. Some needed a fresh start.
Here is a look at five unheralded players who have put themselves on the NHL radar with their play during the first month of the AHL season:

Martin Frk , Ontario (Los Angeles Kings)

Armed with an elite shot, Frk (6-foot-1, 210 pounds) has long tantalized executives with his potential but has yet to find an NHL fit.
Selected by the Detroit Red Wings in the second round (No. 49) of the 2012 NHL Draft, the 28-year-old forward has flirted with full-time NHL work. After winning the Calder Cup with Grand Rapids in 2017, Frk scored 31 points (12 goals, 19 assists) in two seasons with the Red Wings.
He signed as free agent with Los Angeles on July 1, 2019 and has spent most of the past two seasons with Ontario, which is 10-1-0-1 to start the season.
Frk has scored 20 points (nine goals, 11 assists) in 12 games and is tied for the AHL scoring lead with Springfield defenseman Scott Perunovich (St. Louis Blues). Frk's nine goals are tied for the AHL lead with Rochester forward Jack Quinn (Buffalo Sabres) and Stockton center Adam Ruzicka (Calgary Flames).
In Ontario, Frk has improved his two-way game, which could make him a candidate for more NHL work.

Otto Koivula, Bridgeport (New York Islanders)

The 23-year-old forward (6-5, 225) has rebounded from a challenging 2020-21 season, split between Bridgeport and HIFK of Liiga, the top professional league in Finland.
The Islanders selected Koivula in the fourth round (No. 120) of the 2016 NHL Draft and have let him develop slowly as a pro. He played two seasons in Finland with Ilves of Liiga before coming to the AHL for the 2018-19 season, when he scored 46 points (21 goals, 25 assists) in 69 games for Bridgeport. He also played 12 NHL games that season but did not score a point.
After scoring nine points (two goals, seven assists) in 20 games for Bridgeport in the abbreviated 2020-21 season, Koivula has scored 13 points (three goals, 10 assists) in 15 AHL games, including a stretch of at least one point in 10 of 11 games.

Adam Ruzicka, Stockton (Calgary Flames)

Ruzicka (6-4, 202) and the rest of the Stockton roster endured a trying experience last season, relocating to Calgary because of concerns surrounding COVID-19.
Stockton (9-0-2-0), back playing in California again, has been an early success story. With the Flames (8-3-5) third in the Pacific Division, there is less temptation to rush Ruzicka, a 22-year-old forward chosen in the fourth round (No. 109) of the 2017 NHL Draft.
Ruzicka has scored 15 points (nine goals, six assists) in 11 games, and his nine goals are tied with Frk and Quinn for the AHL lead.

Akira Schmid, Utica (New Jersey Devils)

Utica (11-0-0-0) has gotten off to a fast start behind the goaltending pair of Schmid and Nico Daws.
Schmid (6-5, 205) has taken a dramatic step from the United States Hockey League to the AHL and the 21-year-old made that transition a smooth one after the Devils selected him in the fifth round (No. 136) of the 2018 NHL Draft.
Last season with Sioux City of the USHL, Schmid was 22-13-1 in 36 games with league-bests in save percentage (.921) and goals-against average (2.01).
Through four AHL games this season, Schmid leads the AHL in save percentage (.951) and GAA (1.38).

Nick Swaney, Iowa (Minnesota Wild)

Swaney, from Burnsville, Minnesota, was chosen by the hometown Wild in the seventh round (No. 209) in the 2017 draft.
The 24-year-old rookie forward (5-10, 178) has taken a patient path to the AHL. He played four seasons at the University of Minnesota-Duluth, winning back-to-back national championships in his first two seasons.
After scoring 28 points (13 goals, 15 assists) in 28 games as a senior in 2020-21, Swaney turned pro with Iowa and played six games last season. He has scored 11 points (seven goals, four assists) in 11 games this season with Iowa (7-3-1-0) battling for the Central Division lead.