👋 GOOD MORNING - Happy Friday! I hope you had a great week.

What a wild story around the NBA that dropped yesterday, centered around illegal betting and poker games. Arrests have included some big names / teams, and it’s troubling, to say the least. In the immediate, Portland coach Chauncey Billups and Heat player Terry Rozier were arrested and placed on leave from their respective organizations.

Longterm, who knows how this is going to shake out, but it’s certainly troubling. So far, for what it’s worth, there have been no ties to the Suns organization.

OK, on a lighter note, it’s Friday, so you know what’s coming! Here’s a laugh if you need one to get you through to the weekend: Why does the ice melt when a hockey game ends? Because all the fans leave!

Quick reminder — the Cardinals and Wildcats are both on bye weeks, so the Sun Devils are all you have to get your local football fix this weekend!

Let’s run it back next week. On to the show!

— Patrick Brown, PHNX Sports Daily Editor

The 2025-26 AHL season is underway, and the Tucson Roadrunners are off to a solid start.

Tucson has split each of its first two series of the season, and is 2-1-1 having most recently fallen to Calgary 4-3 in overtime last Sunday. The Roadrunners still have four games left on their current homestand, including a pair of games against Bakersfield tonight and tomorrow.

Like every AHL team, Tucson is at the mercy of its parent club, the Utah Mammoth, when it comes to its roster. Even so, though, the team has started the season with a number of top NHL prospects, all of whom are expected to make an impact this season.

That’s business as usual for Tucson coach Steve Potvin, who has led the ship for the past four seasons — all of which have included the playoffs. That said, the Roadrunners have not qualified for the Division Semifinals since the 2020-21 season, and have only made it beyond that once since 2016-17.

There’s already a player on the move, as Utah recalled center (and NHL veteran) Kevin Rooney after a strong start to the season. Rooney recorded three goals and an assist in four games, and is the first Roadrunners player to get the nod this season.

There will be more, but in the meantime, here’s who you should keep an eye on:

The 21-year-old Lamoureux towers over the competition at 6-foot-7, but he continues to work on development in his second professional season. Lamoureux appeared in 15 NHL games last season — notching a goal and two assists — but primarily spent his time in the AHL, recording 42 games with the Roadrunners while finishing with a plus/minus rating of minus-6. He’s off to a strong start this season, as he’s plus-5 with two assists in four games.

If Utah gets banged up defensively Lamoureux will definitely be on the short list, so keep your eyes peeled.

Szuber has only appeared in one NHL game, back in 2023-24 with the Arizona Coyotes, but he has been a steady presence on the Tucson blue line. He’s quickly become an AHL vet with 139 games and 64 points, and already has one goal and three assists in four games this season. Szuber is starting to look like a reliable pick from the 2022 NHL Draft.

“Danny goals,” as he’s lovingly been called, already has solid KHL experience under his belt. But’s NHL arrival has been much anticipated, and he has already recorded one goal and two assists in four games with the Roadrunners. The 20-year-old had 28 points in 54 games with the KHL’s Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, arguably the second-best league in the world.

Probably won’t take long to see him level-up, but enjoy his development while he’s with the Roadrunners.

Nordh did appear in two games with Tucson in 2024-25, but is still a rookie considering that’s the only time he spent in the AHL. He flourished with the OHL’s Soo Greyhounds last season — recording 21 goals and 31 assists in 47 games — and already has a goal and an assist for the Roadrunners this season.

Matikka seems ready to take a giant leap this season, his second in the AHL, after spending 28 games with Tucson last year. The 21-year-old has consistently stood out at preseason camps with his work ethic and raw talent, and he already has a goal and an assist in four games. Matikka is no stranger to success, having won a National Championship with Denver in 2023-24, and he made the All-Tournament team in the process.

My Take: There are so many players, and leaders, on the club that I’ll have to spend some more time calling them out in a future issue. Just remember, this year’s Roadrunners team has a number of top NHL prospects who have just started to round into professional form, so enjoy the games this season. If you get a chance to get down to TCC to catch a game this season, it’s a no-brainer! Do it, and then grab some tamales from El Charro afterwards.

On The Road Again: The Suns hit the road for three straight following their season-opening win over Sacramento on Wednesday, kicking it off tonight in L.A. against the Clippers (7:30 pm). Phoenix has a quick turnaround after that facing the Nuggets in Denver tomorrow (6 pm) before wrapping things up in Utah on Monday.

Fans will have to wait a little longer before Jalen Green makes his team debut, as he’s still battling a hamstring injury and will not appear this weekend, though he will be on the trip with the Suns.

The Only Show in Town: The No. 24 Sun Devils football team has another critical matchup tomorrow, hosting the 6-1 Houston Cougars with Big 12 title implications at stake. ASU is going to be without star receiver Jordyn Tyson, but they’re at least going to be in some pretty sweet uniforms for the 5 pm kickoff (ESPN2). I’m a pretty big fan of this combo, and here’s hoping they lead to another W!

Finish Strong: Rising FC looks to lock up a postseason spot with one game left, and effectively controls its own destiny: A win, and Phoenix is in. There are a number of scenarios that could see Rising FC finish anywhere from fourth place to ninth place, but tomorrow’s match against Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC (4 pm, 3TV) can put all the speculation to bed if it simply wins the match.

Oh, by the way, a win would also be its third straight league win … a great way to head into the postseason!

Arizona will always love the Doan family!

Heading into the weekend like: