Former Broncos squaring off for AHL’s Calder Cup

Two former Swift Current Broncos will be battling each other in the AHL’s Calder Cup Final between the Chicago Wolves and Springfield Thunderbirds. 

Defenceman Max Lajoie and the Wolves earned their spot in the final after taking out the Stockton Heat, and Lajoie’s former Broncos teammate Glenn Gawdin, in six games in the Western Conference Final. Lajoie, who scored 22 goals and 98 assists for 120 points in three seasons with the Broncos, has three goals and six points in the playoffs for the Carolina Hurricanes’ farm team. 

Gawdin also had three goals and three helpers in the playoffs for the Heat, the Calgary Flames’ affiliate who are moving from Stockton, California, to Calgary next season. He captained the Broncos and was named WHL Playoff MVP when Swift Current won the Ed Chynoweth Cup in 2018. 

Joel Hofer played 49 regular season games for the Broncos (Photo: David Zammit - scbroncos.com)

Meanwhile, goaltender Joel Hofer and the Thunderbirds, the primary affiliate of the St. Louis Blues, needed seven games to knock out the Laval Rocket and clinch the Eastern Conference Championship. Hofer, who was a rookie for the Broncos in their 2018 championship season, has a 6-2 record in eight games played with a .947 save percentage and 2.08 goals against average, and he even scored a goalie goal earlier in the postseason. 

Game one of the best-of-seven series will be on Sunday, June 19, in Rosemont, Illinois.