The 2024–2025 season had the potential to bring the Calder Cup to Loveland. A last-minute breakdown in the Pacific Division Finals would ultimately eliminate Colorado, but there is much more to consider.

The good

The Eagles had no problem scoring throughout the postseason. After a first-round bye, they flew past the San Jose Barracuda in four games. They had a hot start and jumped on the series lead with a 6–3 victory, which only highlighted their offensive power.

They scored 12 goals in the first series. The Barracuda heavily relied on physicality and aggression, frequently showcasing gritty play. Since their power play was successful, the Eagles had to use their specialty teams to keep it under control, which they did well.

In the San Jose series, they netted two power play goals in Game One, one in Game Two, and one in Game Four. All of them pushed the team toward their advancement to the next round.

The Canucks series would be a difficult one, since there was already brewing intensity between the rivals. Similar to their previous series, Abbotsford used size over speed.

While Colorado struggled to find their footing in much of the series. But, they showed true grit as they continued to claw their way to forcing their next game, including two victories in overtime.

The bad

Arguably the Colorado Eagles’ toughest opponent in both the regular and postseason, the Abbotsford Canucks, stunted the team built for a long run.

There was much that went right, but the team crumpled at the worst times before being sent home in a 5–0 loss in the Pacific Division Final.

The Eagles and the Canucks have a long history of being evenly matched teams in playoff runs. In the 2023–2024 season, Abbotsford handed Colorado a first round exit in their three-game series.

Colorado came into the series already disadvantaged after only winning two of the matchups in the regular season. The team would need to rely on their power play units when given opportunities by Abbotsford, who frequently found themselves in the penalty box.

The Canucks’ powerful defense stifled the Eagles throughout their five games, limiting them to a single goal despite many chances, while the Canucks capitalized on three power-play goals.

Their final blowout loss at home cut the season short, but also provided plenty of feedback for what needs to be fixed ahead of the 2025–2026 season.

What’s next?

There is a lot of young talent on the Colorado roster and many of the players have lots of room to grow. Jayson Megna named Tye Felhaber his most improved player throughout the season.

“I love the way that Tye Felhaber played this year,” he said. “I think he was a guy that maybe they didn’t know what they were going to get when they signed him, and he ends up playing with myself and Matthew Phillips and having a monster year. He played on the second power play, and he was out there with me on the penalty kill. I just think he excelled and raised his game in every facet. He was a big part of our chemistry in our locker room, he’s such a great glue guy. And we just fed off of his energy a lot of times, quite honestly, and really proud of the year that he put together.”

The young forward blew his previous season’s statistics out of the water, netting 22 goals and putting up 22 assists in 67 games. In that, he handled four game winning goals and three shorthanded.

He will remain with the Eagles on a two-way contract for one more year.

Jacob MacDonald is also a big name on the Colorado roster. He broke a long-standing record of most goals scored by a defenseman in a single season after finding the back of the net 31 times.

MacDonald will also remain in a Colorado sweater for at least one more year on a two-way contract.

The future is bright for the Eagles, especially when led by head coach Aaron Schneekloth.

“I feel like this team wasn’t built around one player,” he said. “It was a group that grew together. And there’s no question that our veterans led the way. They had the heavy lifting. I’m real proud of that. They were able to take some of our younger players under their wing and help with the development process and help with what it takes to be successful at this level and get to the next level and help them out with their careers.”