Feb. 26: The Golden Knights announced Thursday that they’ve returned Coghlan, Laczynski, and Uchacz to Henderson. None of their American or Canadian Olympians played in last night’s 6-4 win over the Kings, with some of them being designated as non-roster players in order to comply with the 23-man limit. Sending the trio down gives the Knights the space to reinstate all of them ahead of their expected return to play tomorrow against the Capitals. All three played last night, with Laczynski having a career-best three-point game – all assists – with a +2 rating.
Feb. 24: The Vegas Golden Knights summoned a trio from AHL Henderson earlier today, as several key players are returning from the Olympic Games, affecting their status for tomorrow’s action against Los Angeles. Dylan Coghlan, Tanner Laczynski, and Kai Uchacz have joined the team and could play tomorrow, each offering some NHL experience.
Head coach Bruce Cassidy, himself returning from assistant coach duty for Team Canada, offered updates on a number of Golden Knights, as reported by Danny Webster of The Las Vegas Review-Journal. Gold medalists Jack Eichel and Noah Hanifin will not play, and they’re expected to rejoin the team Friday in time for the team’s game in Washington. The status of silver medalists Mitch Marner, Mark Stone, and Shea Theodore for tomorrow remains to be determined.
Coghlan brings the most NHL pedigree out of the bunch, with 114 games, including a previous stint with Vegas from 2020-22. The 28-year-old defenseman is the club’s top blueliner call-up option whenever in a pinch, subject of several such transactions all season. They haven’t led to much opportunity, however, as he’s skated in just two games so far this season with the Golden Knights, otherwise playing in Henderson. Never recording more than 13 points in a year at the NHL level, Coghlan is much more offensively capable in the AHL, as he’s recorded 24 points in 37 games.
Laczynski, a 28-year-old center, is the Silver Knights’ top scorer, with 43 points in 40 games. The efforts have helped him earn stints with Vegas over the last two seasons, where he has one goal and three points across 17 games, nine of which came this season. The Ohio State University product was a sixth-round choice of Philadelphia in 2016, carving out a strong AHL career and 55 total NHL appearances as a Flyer and Golden Knight. The 6’1″ righty is capable of slotting in down the middle or on the wing in the bottom six.
Meanwhile, Uchacz stands out as the youngest, still just 22 and in his second professional season. Undrafted out of the WHL, the 6’2″ center had a respectable 30-point debut campaign for Henderson last year, so far on a nice step forward as he needs just three points to tie the mark at just 44 to-date in 2025-26. Uchacz made his NHL debut on Feb. 4, also playing the day after, averaging just under 12 minutes in both games and picking up a fighting major. The Calgary native will likely need to lean into that grit as he faces a difficult path to a full-time NHL role, but he’s already a trusted call-up for fourth-line fill-in duty.
Vegas will take on the Kings tomorrow, and aside from what could be a patchwork lineup in white and gold, eyes will be on their opponents, as Artemi Panarin makes his Los Angeles debut.