AHL PROSPECTS WATCH: Back to the grind for WJC stars

Monday is when American Hockey League teams catch up after another hectic weekend on the ice and on the highways.

With two and sometimes three games – plus travel – crunched into a weekend, those teams have earned that rest and step away from the rink. But Monday here is a day to catch up on and assess some of the weekend’s best performances across the 31-team AHL.

BACK TO THE GRIND

A wave of top-tier AHL talent is heading back to the just-completed World Junior Championship.

The Czech team that exited in the quarterfinal with a loss to the United States featured a trio of first-round talent that spent some time together as a line. Colorado Eagles forward Martin Kaut went 3-1-4 in five games. Kaut, who turned 19 just before the start of the AHL season, went 16th in the 2018 NHL Draft to th