Snapshots: Merzlikins, Nurse, Atkinson, Puljujarvi
The Columbus Blue Jackets will have to stick with alternative options in net as starter Elvis Merzlikins is not expected to be healthy for the team’s season finale on Thursday per NHL.com’s Jeff Svoboda. Merzlikins has missed the last four games with an upper-body injury. He’s not far off from a return and has already returned to practice, should Columbus find a way to extend their season. To make the playoffs, the Blue Jackets will need to win their final game, and hope the Montreal Canadiens lose their finale against the Carolina Hurricanes.
Columbus has utilized red-hot goaltender Jet Greaves in the wake of Merzlikins’ injury. The 24-year-old fill-in has been stellar over his recent stretch, winning each of his last four games and recording two shutouts. In total, Greaves has posted a .975 save percentage over his last stretch. The performance has been a continuation of Greaves’ dominant season in the minor leagues, where he’s recorded a .920 save percentage in 40 appearances – sixth-highest in the NHL.
The Blue Jackets will face a tough decision should they break into the postseason. Merzlikins has a quaint .892 save percentage and 26-21-5 record on the season. That’s been enough to perform above backup Daniil Tarasov‘s .881 save percentage, but it’s hardly been enough to boost the squad’s playoff odds. With Greaves having one of the hottest gloves in the hockey world over his last four games, Columbus could opt for the youngster as they pursue their first playoff bid since 2020.
Other notes from around the league:
- Edmonton Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse has been suspended for one game for cross-checking Los Angeles Kings forward Quinton Byfield, per an announcement from the Department of Player Safety. No details on if Byfield is injured have been released, though he was a scratch in Los Angeles’ final game of the season. Nurse will miss Edmonton’s season finale – an ultimately inconsequential game with the squad already locked into a First Round matchup with the Kings. As things stand, both Nurse and Byfield are expected to return for Game 1 of the postseason. Nurse will look to find a spark after netting 33 points in 76 games this season, while Byfield will continue his lead of the Kings’ lineup, after scoring 23 goals and 54 points in 80 games. Byfield ranks fourth on the Kings in scoring.
- The Tampa Bay Lightning have recalled veteran depth forward Cam Atkinson. The move comes after fourth-line forward Mitchell Chaffee was banged up in the team’s Tuesday win over the Florida Panthers. Atkinson has been assigned to the minors on multiple occasions but hasn’t played in any AHL contests. His only hockey this season has come from 38 games in the Tampa Bay lineup, where he’s recorded nine points, eleven penalty minutes, and a minus-four. Atkinson may need to fill Chaffee’s depth role in Tampa Bay’s Thursday finale against the New York Rangers. Chaffee has 12 goals and 18 points in 66 games this season.
- Speaking of Chaffee, Florida Panthers winger Jesse Puljujarvi is set to have a DoPS hearing for an illegal check to the Lightning forward’s head on Tuesday. Puljujarvi hasn’t yet received any discipline from DoPS in his eight-year NHL career. He’s playing with his fourth NHL club in the last three years in Florida, and has one goal and 15 penalty minutes in five games. Puljujarvi earned his call-up to the Panthers lineup after recording 12 points in 20 games with the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers. He’ll be one of many options the team has as they enter the postseason, though any lineup role would be minimal.
Minor Transactions: 4/16/25
The NHL season has come to an end, or soon will, for teams around the league that missed out on this year’s Stanley Cup Playoffs. That fact has driven many to begin the process of assigning their waiver-exempt players to more successful teams in the minor leagues. We’ll cover the bulk of those assignments here:
- In a rare move with playoff implications, the St. Louis Blues have assigned top forward prospect Dalibor Dvorsky to the minor leagues. Dvorsky hasn’t played since April 9th, when he made his second career appearance in the NHL. He has no points and an average of nine minutes in ice time over his first two games. This move will return him to a star role in the minor leagues, where his 20 goals and 44 points in 59 games rank third and fourth on the Springfield Thunderbirds respectively. Springfield have squeaked into the Calder Cup playoffs with 74 points in 70 games this season. Dvorsky will be a major boost to their postseason roster, unless the Blues opt to include him in their inevitable wave of Black Ace recalls.
- The Chicago Blackhawks have assigned top defense prospects Kevin Korchinski and Artyom Levshunov to the AHL after the end of their season, per a release from the Rockford IceHogs. Both players have manned dominant roles in the IceHogs lineup this season – Korchinski looking to find his comfort after a hard NHL role last season, and Levshunov looking to vindicate his second-overall selection in last year’s draft. They lead the Rockford blue-line in scoring, with Korchinski netting 27 points in 54 games and Levshunov scoring 22 points in 50 games. Levshunov proved the more productive in all three zones at the NHL level. He recorded six assists, eight penalty minutes, and a minus-13 in his first 18 games in the NHL. Korchisnki only scored two points in 16 NHL games this season, though his minus-five was the fourth-best on the Chicago defense. The duo will offer a well-rounded impact to Rockford’s playoff push – Korchinski bringing strong offense and Levshunov showing strong two-way play.
- The San Jose Sharks have assigned defenseman Luca Cagnoni back to the minor leagues after recalling him to play in their latest game, per Curtis Pashelka of the Bay Area News Group. Cagnoni recorded an assist and two penalties in roughly 18 minutes of Monday’s overtime loss to the Vancouver Canucks. The score was his second assist in six NHL games this season, on top of eight penalty minutes and a minus-four. Cagnoni was named to the AHL All-Rookie Team on Wednesday – high praise after he led all rookie defensemen in scoring with 14 goals and 49 points in 62 games this season. Cagnoni had a breakout season in his first professional campaign, and already seems to be outperforming his fourth-round selection in the 2023 NHL Draft. He will look to keep a good year going as the San Jose Barracuda prepare for a playoff push.
- Winger Kailer Yamamoto represents the first veteran on this list. He’s headed back to the Tucson Roadrunners alongside goaltender Matt Villalta, after the end of the Utah Hockey Club’s inaugural season, per Cole Bagley of KSL Sports. Yamamoto has been a force in the minor leagues. He leads Tucson in scoring this season with 53 points in 52 games. It’s been a valiant performance that earned the depth forward 12 appearances in the NHL. He scored three points in those games. Villalta has stood tall as Tucson’s starting goaltender as well, with a team-leading .906 save percentage in 41 games this season. He played in just the third NHL game of his career this season and recorded a win, with 28 saves on 31 shots. Yamamoto will return to Tucson’s top-line, while Villalta will likely return to the starter’s role ahead of Jaxson Stauber.
- The Nashville Predators have assigned Ryan Ufko back to the minor leagues, per Alex Daugherty of The Tennessean. Ufko made his NHL debut on Monday. He didn’t manage any notable stat changes in 15:37 of ice time. Ufko has emerged as a top-four defender for the Milwaukee Admirals this season. His eight goals and 29 points in 71 games lead the Admirals blue-line in scoring. Ufko is still rounding out the physical and two-way aspects of his game, but his emergence as an AHL rookie has proven promising on a Preadtors team well capable of honing defenders into NHL talents.
Flames Recall Hunter Brzustewicz and Samuel Morton
The Calgary Flames have recalled defense prospect Hunter Brzustewicz and forward prospect Samuel Morton ahead of their final game of the season. This is the first NHL call-up of either player’s career. They could make their NHL debut in Calgary’s flag-waving game, after the Flames were mathematically eliminated from the postseason on Tuesday.
This moves marks a chance for Calgary to gauge their early returns on the January 2024 trade that sent Elias Lindholm to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for NHL winger Andrei Kuzmenko, the rights to Brzustewicz and Joni Jurmo, and two draft picks. Kuzmenko spent 66 games with the Flames before being traded to the Philadelphia Flyers this season, and Calgary hasn’t yet seen any of their acquired prospects on NHL ice. Brzustewicz could be the player to change that, after posting a stout five goals and 31 points in 69 games as an AHL rookie this season. He ranked second in scoring on the Calgary Wranglers’ blue-line behind Jeremie Poirier. The duo also ranked dead-last on the Wranglers’ blue-line in plus-minus, with Poirier sporting a minus-10 and Brzustewicz a minus-nine.
Brzustewicz has long been lauded as a diligent puck-moving defenseman who excels at getting through the neutral zone with tempo. But that knack has left him exposed to quick-moving plays or turnovers in either end. The fast-paced, downhill style of the NHL could be what snaps the 19-year-old defender out of his one-way funk, and give him the platform needed to mix strong scoring and well-rounded defense.
While Brzustewicz looks to bring a good name to drafted prospects, Morton will look to show the capabilities of undrafted free agents. He signed with the Wranglers at the end of the 2023-24 season, after wrapping up his sixth year in college and his fourth with Minnesota State-Mankato. Morton was a strong scorer in his final collegiate season, netting 24 goals and 34 points in 37 games. That high-energy, hard-earned scoring carried over to the pro ranks. Morton scored 11 points in his first 19 pro games last season, split between the regular-season and postseason. He built onto that with a breakout year this season, netting 20 goals and 45 points in 69 games – good for fourth on the Wranglers in scoring. Morton also posted a team-worst minus-14, though his physical presence has helped make up for some lacking defense. He’s another high-energy scorer who will look to round out his game as he receives more NHL opportunities.
Should they make their debuts in Calgary’s final game, Brzustewicz would likely replace one of Jake Bean or Brayden Pachal in the lineup, while Morton would replace Ryan Lomberg, Kevin Rooney, or Yegor Sharangovich. The Flames take on the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday.
Panthers Reassign Jesse Puljujarvi, Rasmus Asplund, Matt Kiersted
April 16: The Panthers reassigned the trio back to Charlotte on Wednesday, according to a club announcement. Florida’s regular season schedule ended with yesterday’s playoff preview against the Lightning, so they no longer need the extras from the minors to allow roster players to rest ahead of the postseason.
April 6: The Florida Panthers have recalled forwards Jesse Puljujarvi and Rasmus Asplund, as well as defenseman Matt Kiersted, per the AHL Transactions Log and PuckPedia. This move returns Asplund and Puljujarvi to the NHL ranks for the first time since January, and marks the first call-up of Kiersted’s season.
This is a familiar pattern for Kiersted, who’s spent the last four seasons as one of the top defenders on Florida’s call-up sheet. He hasn’t stepped into the NHL lineup since the 2022-23 season, when he recorded four points, six penalty minutes, and a plus-four across 20 games. Those marks brought Kiersted’s career totals up to six points, 10 penalty minutes, and a minus-eight in 37 games and three seasons in the NHL. He’s found much better footing as a sturdy and physical defensive defenseman in the minor leagues. Over parts of four seasons, Kiersted has totaled 83 points, 199 penalty minutes, and a plus-54 in 232 AHL games. He’ll offer an alternative to Jaycob Megna, who’s stepped onto Florida’s bottom pair for the last two games.
For Puljujarvi and Asplund, a call-up to Florida is still a new experience. Aslpund signed a one-year, league-minimum contract with Florida this summer after joining the team at the 2024 Trade Deadline. He’s only appeared in two NHL games this season, with no notable stat changes. Asplund’s impact has been felt far more in the minors, where he’s totaled 42 points and 21 penalty minutes in 62 games. He ranks third on the Charlotte Checkers in scoring.
Puljujarvi joined the Panthers organization on an AHL contract this February, after being released by the Pittsburgh Penguins. He scored three points in his first seven games with the Charlotte Checkers – enough to earn a two-way NHL contract in early March. With just a handful of games left in the season, Florida will now take advantage of that two-way deal and award Puljujarvi with his first call-up. Should he get a run at icetime, Puljujarvi will be looking to build on the measly nine points he scored in 26 games with the Pittsburgh Penguins earlier this season. The former fourth-overall pick has recorded 127 points in 382 games and eight seasons in the NHL.
Florida doesn’t have any lineup holes to promote their recalled forwards into, but the pair will offer a boost of scoring to the Panthers’ depth. No player on Florida’s fourth line, consisting of A.J. Greer, Tomas Nosek, and Jonah Gadjovich, has managed more than one point over their last 10 games.
Sharks’ Logan Couture Announces Retirement Due To Injury
April 15: As expected, Couture told reporters today that he’s unable to continue his playing career (via Pashelka). He’ll presumably remain on long-term injured reserve (if necessary to keep San Jose cap-compliant) for the remainder of his contract, which carries an $8MM cap hit through 2026-27.
April 14: The San Jose Sharks are planning to hold a joint press conference with team captain Logan Couture on Tuesday where Couture is expected to announce the end of his playing career due to injury, per Curtis Pashelka of the Bay Area News Group. The news was originally reported by Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff. Couture has been working to recover from Osteitis Pubis, a condition that causes inflammation of the joints between pubic bones.
Couture made a detailed effort to return to game shape after receiving his diagnosis ahead of the 2023-24 season. He had to miss the first three months of the campaign to rehab, but told NHL.com in December of 2023 that he was optimistic and trending upwards. Couture said at the time:
Finally, knock on wood, everything continues to go well and I’m over that hump and things can continue to trend to me getting back to practicing with the guys.
He would skate in his first game of that season just over one month after delivering that quote – and recorded an assist in his return. But Couture’s comeback was short-lived, and he’d end up back out of the lineup due to his injury after just six games. His final game, on January 31st of 2024, will now stand as the last of Couture’s storied NHL career.
There’s a short list of players whose name is more ubiquitous with Sharks hockey than Couture’s. He spent all 16 seasons of his NHL career with San Jose, after being drafted by the team with the ninth overall selection in the 2007 NHL Draft. Over the years, Couture worked his way up to the fifth-most games (933) and fourth-most points (701) in franchise history. He also ranks third in goals (323) and fifth in assists (378).
Couture played through his NHL rookie season on the 2009-10 Sharks – a legendary squad in franchise history that featured the likes of Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, Dany Heatley, Dan Boyle, Ryane Clowe, and Joe Pavelski among many others. Couture only scored nine points in 25 games – the minimum to qualify a rookie season. He found his spot in the NHL lineup before the end of the regular season and went on to support San Jose with four goals in 15 playoff games as the team chased a loss in the Western Conference Finals. Couture would play his first full season in the following year. He scored an impressive 32 goals and 56 points in 79 games during the regular season, and added 14 points split evenly in 18 playoff games to again push the Sharks to a loss in the Western Conference Finals.
With his legs under him, Couture quickly became a locked-in piece of the Sharks’ daily lineup. He held down a set-and-forget
role as San Jose’s second-line center throughout the 2010s, serving as the young-and-reliable punch behind Thornton, Marleau, and Pavelski as the trio aged. He routinely rivaled the 30-goal and 60-point mark during the regular season, and consistently found a way to grow to point-per-game scoring in the postseason. That sentiment rang loudest during the 2015-16 campaign, when Couture was forced out of 30 regular season games by a broken fibula – but then returned for a dazzling 10 goals and 30 points in 24 playoff games. He was the beating heart of the Sharks lineup that summer, and pushed the team to their first Stanley Cup Final in franchise history, only to be beaten by the dynasty-era Pittsburgh Penguins.
San Jose’s routine appearance in the postseason would fizzle out just three years after their run to the Cup Finals. Couture scored 20 points in 20 games of the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs to push the team to one last run to the Conference Finals, but their walls crumbled soon after. Couture missed 30 games of the 2019-20 season with a fractured ankle. His next full season was in 2020-21, on a Sharks lineup without Thornton and soon to part with Marleau, Brent Burns, and Erik Karlsson. The Sharks continued to tear down through 2023-24 – sending Timo Meier to New Jersey in 2023 and Tomas Hertl to Vegas in 2024. Through all of the change and fluctuation, Couture remained the proud consistent – holding strong to the captaincy and welcoming an increasingly younger roster with open arms.
Couture’s support of the Sharks has stayed consistent even as he’s faced career-ending injury. He’s supported rookie head coach Ryan Warsofsky for much of this season, helping to make lineup decisions and adjust star rookies to the next level. He enters retirement still in firm grip of San Jose’s captaincy – and surely with a coaching or development role soon to come. Stepping onto a pro team’s staff will likely coincide with Couture handing the Sharks’ “C” to one of the team’s future superstars – most likely Macklin Celebrini. That handoff will mark yet another meaningful step in Couture’s journey as a Sharks legend, even if the details surrounding it are unfortunate. Couture’s only hardware during his NHL career was a Gold Medal at the 2017 World Cup – though his presence as a consistent leader, strong two-way forward, and top-echelon franchise scorer will almost certainly earn the Guelph, Ontario native respect from local Hall of Fames over the coming years.
Kraken Recall Ville Ottavainen
The Seattle Kraken recalled defenseman Ville Ottavainen late Monday night. It is the first call-up of Ottavainen’s career. He will have a chance to make his NHL debut in Seattle’s final game of the season on Tuesday.
Seattle originally drafted Ottavainen in the fourth-round of the 2021 NHL Draft. His draft selection came after he left the OHL to make his professional debut in Finland’s Liiga and recorded three points, 10 penalty minutes, and a minus-15 in 22 rookie games. Ottavainen followed his draft selection with two more seasons in the Liiga, and grew to a career-best 16 points, 30 penalty minutes, and plus-two in 51 games played in the 2022-23 season. He moved to North America at the end of the year, and had a breakout performance as an AHL rookie last season. Ottavainen recorded 34 points, 30 penalty minutes, and a plus-27 in 70 games with the Coachella Valley Firebirds in 2023-24 – good for third on the team’s blue-line in scoring.
Ottavainen’s hot start in the AHL hasn’t stuck this season, though. He’s still performing well – with 15 points, 41 penalty minutes, and a plus-eight in 66 games – but his role has become far more defense-oriented. That may be fitting for the six-foot-five, 225-pound Finnish defender, though. So long as he can stay on top of the goal differential, he should continue to find success in the Kraken pipeline. With one game left on the docket and little to gain, Seattle could use this as a chance to narrow down Ottavainen’s role ahead of a prove-it season next year.
Snapshots: Badinka, NHL Draft, Rutta
The Carolina Hurricanes have assigned defense prospect Dominik Badinka to the AHL after the conclusion of his season in Sweden’s SHL, per NHL.com’s Walt Ruff. Badinka finished the SHL season with five points across 57 games during the Malmo Redhawks regular-season and postseason. That mark sits one point higher than he managed in 33 SHL games last sesaon. He also improved his plus-minus from minus-nine to minus-five from last season to this season, and totaled 18 penalty minutes on the year.
Carolina drafted Badinka with the 34th-overall selection in the 2024 NHL Draft and signed him to his entry-level contract just over two weeks later. His plan was always to return to the SHL for his age-19 season, but Badinka will get a fast track to North American pros with this news. He was never particularly known for his scoring – though he did record 13 points in 17 games in Sweden’s junior league last year. Insteead, Badinka’s defining traits are his poised and gritty physicality and ability to shutdown opponents as they enter the defensive zone. He continued to round out both of those traits this season, while getting a hardy chance at an everyday pro role. His gritty, hard-nosed style should work much better in the more condensed play of the AHL. He’ll get a chance to prove that with the Chicago Wolves, who have already clinched a berth into the AHL postseason.
More notes from around the league:
- The San Jose Sharks have mathematically clinched last spot in the NHL and earned the top odds at the upcoming draft lottery per Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now. The Sharks will hold a 25.5 percent chance at securing first-overall for the second consecutive season, while the Chicago Blackhawks will hold a 13.5 percent chance and the Nashville Predators an 11.5 percent chance. Many have claimed OHL defenseman Matthew Schaefer as the consensus top pick, though he has only played in 17 games this season due to a collarbone fracture. If not Schaefer, the top pick is likely to go to OHL exceptional status forward Michael Misa or Boston College top center James Hagens. The NHL Draft lottery is set to be held on May 7th.
- Sticking in San Jose, defenseman Jan Rutta expressed his desire to re-sign with the Sharks to Curtis Pashelka of Mercury News on Sunday. Rutta is set to enter unrestricted free agency this summer and told Pashelka that he’s happy to have a chance to slot into San Jose’s lineup routinely. The 34-year-old defenseman has recorded nine points and a minus-three in 53 games this season, while typically filling a third-pair role. His plus-minus is the second-highest among Sharks defenders with at least 20 games played this season, behind only Jake Walman’s minus-one. Walman was traded to the Edmonton Oilers at the Trade Deadline.
Kings Sign Jared Wright To Two-Year Contract
The Los Angeles Kings have signed 2022 sixth-round draft pick Jared Wright to a two-year, entry-level contract per NHL.com’s Zach Dooley. The deal will begin in the 2025-26 season, while Wright will finish this season on the AHL’s Ontario Reign, per the AHL transaction log. Wright will turn pro after wrapping up his third year at the University of Denver.
Wright was a standout two-way forward over his years with the Pioneers. He filled a quaint role on the National Championship-winning 2023 squad, recording eight goals and 12 points in 34 games of his freshman season. But persisting through a depth role paid off in his sophomore season last year, when Wright jumped up to 15 goals and 25 points in 44 games while rotating through the team’s middle-six. Wright ranked fifth on the team in goals that year, while making a strong impact on play outside of the offensive end. His scoring fell back to earth just a bit this year, to the tune of nine goals and 17 points in 44 games this season – though his strong two-way impact remained clear.
Wright will conclude his collegiate career with 64 points in 122 games – though those low marks are a bit deceiving. Nearly every single point he scored at even-strength was a primary point – 49 of 52 points over the last three seasons to be exact. That’s an almost-shockingly impressive mark for the 22-year-old, Burnsville, Minnesota native – who was relatively young for his class. Wright excelled at shutting down opponents on one end of the ice, and controlling the puck over the blue-line and creating chances on the other end. He’ll look to hang onto those talents through the move to pro hockey, while hopefully discovering a bit more scoring along the way.
Capitals Prospect Cole Hutson Likely To Return To School
Star Washington Capitals defense prospect Cole Hutson is leaning towards returning to Boston University for his sophomore season, per Jeff Marek of Daily Faceoff and sources available to ProHockeyRumors. Hutson won the Hockey East ‘Rookie of the Year’ award this season, after leading all freshmen in scoring with 14 goals and 46 points in 37 games this season. Hutson’s BU Terriers lost the National Championship game to Western Michigan University this weekend. He had no points in the championship game.
This news will see Hutson look to right that wrong and carry Boston University back to a National bid next season. He’s defiantly a star prospect and already seems to have outperformed his second-round, 43rd-overall selection in the 2024 NHL Draft. Hutson has earned that acclaim on the back of a season filled with highlight-reel plays, using nifty head-fakes and quick cuts to dance defenders out of their skates and open clear lanes to the net. They’re the same traits that earned him first-round acclaim from many last season, after he scored 51 points in 51 games with the U.S. National Team Development Program (USNTDP).
Hutson is the younger brother of star Montreal Canadiens prospect Lane Hutson, who is making a valiant push for the NHL’s Calder Trophy and record for most points from a rookie defenseman this season. The two play an unmistakably similar style, each using elusive skating and flashy dekes to draw opponents in and beat them clean. Like Lane, Cole has struggled at times to translate his dominant impact to his play away from the puck – struggling to match physicality and clear opponents out of the danger areas in the defensive zone. But Lane has come along well in all regards over the course of his rookie season, and continues to shed many of the concerns surrounding his defensive game. Cole could go through the same arc soon – but first, like his older brother, he’ll return for a sophomore season at BU.
Hutson will be set up for a clear path towards star minutes with the Terriers next season. He became the third-straight Terrier to win Hockey East’s ‘Rookie of the Year’ award this season – alongside brother Lane and star center Macklin Celebrini over the last two years. With a return for year two, Cole will get a chance to chase the Hockey East MVP title as well, stealing it away from rival Boston College after Ryan Leonard won the award this season. Should he continue his phenomenal scoring, he’ll be an early-season favorite for the Hobey Baker Award as well. That momentum and a return to the National Championship should go far in giving Hutson the momentum needed to make a strong impact on the Capitals lineup at the end of next season.
Predators’ Ryan Ufko Recalled, Set To Make NHL Debut
The Nashville Predators have recalled defense prospect Ryan Ufko and are expected to award him his NHL debut on Monday per Nick Kieser of Nashville’s 102.5 The Game. It is the first call-up of Ufko’s pro career.
Nashville drafted Ufko with in the fourth-round of the 2021 NHL Draft, after a standout year with the USHL’s Clark Cup Championship-winning Chicago Steel. Ufko followed a breakout juniors performance and draft selection with three seasons playing for the University of Massachusetts. He carried over his red-hot play right away, netting 31 points in 37 appearances – just two points shy of Scott Morrow’s mark for the lead in scoring among Minutemen defensemen. Alongside Morrow, Ufko served in a top role for UMass as they chased a Hockey East championship.
Ufko’s scoring pace took a slight dip in his sophomore season – when he tallied just 24 points in 32 games – though he did manage to grow from five goals to eight goals. He continued that growth while finding a new gear in his junior year, ending the season with 10 goals and 26 points in 37 games. That scoring coincided with a noticeable full-ice impact and helped Ufko push his squad to a conference semi-final exit. His game was noticeably more energetic, confident, and – above all else for the five-foot-10 defender – physical than in years prior. Nashville opted to strike while the iron was hot, signing Ufko to his entry-level contract and assigning him to the AHL at the end of the UMass season.
That decision proved immediately fruitful. Ufko has found another step in the pro ranks, with six points in nine regular season games and 10 points in 15 playoff games to close out the AHL’s 2023-24 season. He’s continued to grow into form this season, netting eight goals and 29 points in 71 games while earning more-and-more ice time as the year has gone on. Ufko certainly doesn’t have the explosive scoring of some top defense prospects, but the momentum he’s gained in Milwaukee has been admirable. With their season effectively lost, Nashville will give Ufko a chance to continue his momentum into the top flight. He becomes the seventh rookie to make his NHL debut with Nashville this season.