Firebirds looking forward to playoffs, start quest for Calder Cup against Bakersfield in first round
COACHELLA VALLEY, Calif. (KESQ) -- The Coachella Valley Firebirds finished 4th in the Pacific Division with 88 points through 72 games.
Despite a solid regular season effort, it's now onto to the Calder Cup playoffs, with the first round starting this week against the Bakersfield Condors.
Home ice locked in 🔥 #LGFB
— x - Coachella Valley Firebirds (@Firebirds) April 19, 2026
Get tickets now: https://t.co/LlWuBYFLZh pic.twitter.com/Da1VTLoEPy
Win and advance or lose and go home, it's an exciting time of year, as the quest for the Calder Cup is underway!
"Our main objective we talked about earlier in the season was trying to get in the playoffs, and we didn't sneak in, we earned our way in right from the start, from the get-go with the young team," said Firebirds head coach Derek Laxdal.
For seven months, we've heard about the Firebirds having the youngest roster in the American Hockey League, but here they are in the playoffs for the 4th year in a row, a credit to the character and leadership within the organization.
"I remember after the first game it was a tough night, but the resilience has been great, the development's been great," said Firebirds forward John Hyaden. "We might be young, but we have guys that have a lot of experience."
Players like Hayden, who have been with the Firebirds since the inception of the franchise, definitely have experience with back to back trips to the Calder Cup Finals in the first two years, followed by a second round exit last year.
But that was then, this is now.
"It's kind of a stubborn group. We don't go away and we find ways to win. We've had a great road record this year. I think we had 21 or 22 wins on the road. Those buildings are hard to play in, but we don't get fazed by it," said Laxdal.
"We know the challenge is there. We don't back down. We step up, and I'm really looking forward to this group going into the playoffs. They're going to be short sprints, and we have to make sure that we're ready to roll."
The playoffs will undoubtedly bring a lot of highs and a lot of lows. It'll be a new challenge, a new journey that this team, the 2025-2026 Firebirds, want to embrace and enjoy.
"This has been a really fun year. It's fun being around the young guys. I joke with them a bit like one day you'll be 31 like me, so just have fun. But we're we're enjoying it and I know we're capable of some special things in playoffs," said Hayden.
Stay with KESQ News Channel 3 for continuing coverage of the Coachella Valley Firebirds in the 2026 Calder Cup playoffs.
