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Archives for April 2019

Minor Transactions: 04/12/19

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The first game of each playoff series is in the books, and boy was it a wild ride. Upsets, shutouts and physical play have given us a great start to the postseason and it only continues tonight. The Columbus Blue Jackets will try to shock the world once again with a win in Tampa Bay, while the Winnipeg Jets will try to find a way to solve Jordan Binnington. As teams prepare for that action, we’ll be here keeping track of the minor moves.

  • The Winnipeg Jets returned Eric Comrie to the minor leagues yesterday, allowing him to return to the Manitoba Moose for their own playoff run. The young goaltender will likely bounce back and forth to give them an extra body at practice, but isn’t expected to suit up for any of the Jets’ games.
  • The same scenario is in place right now for the Boston Bruins and Daniel Vladar, who was up on Thursday night to serve as the emergency backup but has been reassigned to AHL Providence today.
  • Adam Clendening has been recalled by the Columbus Blue Jackets after playing last night for the Cleveland Monsters. Clendening is one of the best defensemen in the AHL and will bounce back and forth like Comrie until one of his two teams is eliminated.

Ralph Krueger Leaves Southampton FC

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In a somewhat surprising turn of events, Ralph Krueger has left his post as Chairman of the Southampton Football Club. His contract was set to expire at the end of June, and all parties decided it would not be extended. This comes less than two weeks after Krueger told Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic (subscription required) that he may be interested in returning to the NHL in a front office role. Krueger of course has experience behind the bench in the NHL and abroad, but could potentially be a candidate for a higher position like President of Hockey Operations.

The Edmonton Oilers, who Krueger last coached in 2013, have said that they are not currently looking to install someone over the incoming general manager. The idea of hiring one wasn’t completely shut down by CEO Bob Nicholson at his end of year press conference, but it was definitely pushed aside as the focus was made the team’s next GM.

The Ottawa Senators though have been open about their search for a hockey operations executive to install next (or perhaps above) GM Pierre Dorion. The team has already reached out to several top names but were turned down each time. Krueger could now be an option, but it remains unclear what his plans are after leaving Southampton.

Kruger coached Team Europe in the 2016 World Cup of Hockey and was praised nearly unanimously by his players. He has been working with Southampton for six years, and has also been given nothing but praise for his time there. He was apparently on the list of names that Buffalo Sabres GM Jason Botterill considered for his last coaching search.

Snapshots: Worlds, McLellan, Hawkey

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Team Canada got turned down by Carey Price for the upcoming IIHF World Championship, but still could have some pretty excellent goaltending for the tournament. Not only will young phenom Carter Hart be part of the team, but Craig Morgan of The Athletic has heard that Darcy Kuemper is also on the team’s radar. There could be several other candidates considered, especially since teams exiting the first round of the playoffs would make their players available.

If it is Hart and Kuemper, it would certainly not be tandem that was expected at the beginning of the season. The Philadelphia Flyers goaltender won’t turn 21 until August, but put together quite an NHL debut this season. In 31 games Hart put up a .917 save percentage and kept Philadelphia in the playoff hunt longer than many expected early in the year. The same could be said about Kuemper, who went from unheralded backup to potential Vezina candidate after posting a .925 in 55 appearances. The tournament begins on May 10th.

  • Now that the draft lottery is over all eyes in Los Angeles will be waiting for the result of the Kings’ coaching search, which appears to still have some work to do. Curtis Zupke of the Los Angeles Times tweets that as of earlier today nothing was imminent for the Kings, though they are still in the “sweepstakes” for Todd McLellan. McLellan has also been meeting with the Buffalo Sabres this week as he also takes in the NCAA Frozen Four, and reports have seemingly come from both sides that they were close to signing the coach. Wherever McLellan does end up, it seems as though the other team will quickly have to move on to their next candidate—unless another team moves on him first.
  • Speaking of the Frozen Four, Minnesota-Duluth won their semi-final game earlier today and eliminated the Providence Friars. That marks the end of several NCAA careers for Providence including goaltender Hayden Hawkey, who will now have to make a decision on whether to sign right away or wait for unrestricted free agency this summer. The Montreal Canadiens traded Hawkey’s rights last summer in exchange for a fifth-round pick, likely to avoid this situation since they already have a full depth chart of goaltenders. The 24-year old posted a .920 save percentage for Providence this season, his third as the team’s starter. He’ll become a free agent in August if the Oilers don’t get him under contract.

Rosters Announced For U18 World Championship

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The rosters for both Team USA and Team Canada have been released for the upcoming U18 World Championship, and they include some top prospects set to be drafted this summer. Jack Hughes is the obvious name to watch on the American squad, but several of his teammates from the USNTDP are also sure to turn heads. The full U.S. roster is as follows:

G Spencer Knight
G Cameron Rowe

D Domenick Fensore
D Drew Helleson
D Case McCarthy
D Henry Thun
D Alex Vlasic
D Marshall Warren
D Cam York

F John Beecher
F Matthew Beniers
F Matthew Boldy
F Cole Caufield
F Judd Caulfield
F Sean Farrell
F Michael Gildon
F Jack Hughes
F Owen Lindmark
F Patrick Moynihan
F Landon Slaggert
F Trevor Zegras

Several other players including Zegras, Caufield, Knight and York are all considered potential first-round selections, making this U18 squad a powerhouse in the upcoming tournament. The team will be looking for their 11th gold medal in the event, the most by any country. John Wroblewski will be the head coach.

Meanwhile, Canada is also putting together an impressive group of prospects but unfortunately will not have potential first-overall pick Alexis Lafreniere available. That’s because Lafreniere is still in the QMJHL playoffs with Rimouski and could go all the way to a Memorial Cup. Instead the focus will be on potential top-five pick Dylan Cozens and several other 2019 draft-eligibles. The full pre-competition roster is as follows:

G Taylor Gauthier
G Dylan Garand
G Jonathan Lemieux

D Braden Schneider
D Kaedan Korczak
D Thomas Harley
D Michael Vukojevic
D Jamie Drysdale
D Lukas Cormier
D Daemon Hunt

F Brayden Tracey
F Keean Washkurak
F Nathan Legare
F Mavrik Bourque
F Jamieson Rees
F Alex Newhook
F Ryan Suzuki
F Dylan Cozens
F Connor Zary
F Peyton Krebs
F Hendrix Lapierre
F Jean-Luc Foudy
F Jacob Perreault

The Canadian team does not appear on paper to be as dominant as their American counterparts, but anything can happen in a short tournament. The group will be coached by Brett Gibson, and could invite more players from the CHL as teams are eliminated.

The tournament begins on April 18th in Sweden.

AHL Announces 2018-2019 First, Second All-Star Teams

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After announcing their All-Rookie team earlier this week, the AHL have now given us their choices for the first and second All-Star Teams for 2018-19. These players were voted in by coaches, players and media all across the league. This is not the same as the rosters for the All-Star Game, instead these are the top players at each position for the entire season.

First All-Star Team:

Goaltender: Alex Nedeljkovic, Charlotte Checkers (Carolina Hurricanes)

Defenseman: John Gilmour, Hartford Wolf Pack (New York Rangers)

Defenseman: Zach Redmond, Rochester Americans (Buffalo Sabres)

Left Wing: Daniel Carr, Chicago Wolves (Vegas Golden Knights)

Center: Carter Verhaeghe, Syracuse Crunch (Tampa Bay Lightning)

Right Wing: Jeremy Bracco, Toronto Marlies (Toronto Maple Leafs)

Second All-Star Team:

Goaltender: Shane Starrett, Bakersfield Condors (Edmonton Oilers)*

Defenseman: Aaron Ness, Hershey Bears (Washington Capitals)

Defenseman: Ethan Prow, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (Pittsburgh Penguins)

Left Wing: Tyler Benson, Bakersfield Condors (Edmonton Oilers)*

Center: Chris Mueller, Toronto Marlies (Toronto Maple Leafs)

Right Wing: Andrew Poturalski, Charlotte Checkers (Carolina Hurricanes)

*Also named to All-Rookie Team

Just like last season when Sami Niku and Mason Appleton made both the All-Rookie and All-Star rosters, Starrett and Benson will draw quite a bit of praise for their outstanding years. The fact that Starrett is having this much success even as an undrafted goaltender is all the more impressive, while Benson certainly delivered on his 32nd-overall selection in his first year of professional hockey.

Talented minor league wingers seem to grow on trees in Toronto, as the team once again has a player with several league accolades. Bracco is currently leading the AHL in scoring with 78 points heading into the last few games of the season, and is a good bet to challenge for a roster spot with the Maple Leafs in the future. So too will Nedeljkovic, who will likely be pushing for a full-time role with the Hurricanes pretty soon.

Russia Announces Several Players For IIHF World Championship

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The Russian National Team has announced several players who will begin preparation next week for the upcoming IIHF World Championship, and there are interesting notes to be gleaned from the list. The group is not exhaustive, meaning that several other players will join the team after being eliminated from their respective KHL or NHL playoffs, while not every player listed may end up suiting up at the tournament in May. The announced names:

Goaltender:

Alexandar Georgiev, New York Rangers

Defensemen:

Artem Zub, SKA St. Petersburg
Dinar Khafizullin, SKA St. Petersburg
Vladislav Gavrikov, SKA St. Petersburg
Artem Sergeev, Salavat Yulaev
Ilya Lyubushkin, Lokomotiv
Egor Yakovlev, New Jersey Devils
Ivan Provorov, Philadelphia Flyers

Forwards:

Ilya Kovalchuk, Los Angeles Kings
Vladislav Namestnikov, New York Rangers
Artem Anisimov, Chicago Blackhawks
Evgenii Dadonov, Florida Panthers
Alexander Burmistrov, Salavat Yulaev
Vladimir Tkachyov, Salavat Yulaev
Nikita Gusev, SKA St. Petersburg
Sergei Plotnikov, SKA St. Petersburg
Nail Yakupov, SKA St. Petersburg
Alexander Barabanov, SKA St. Petersburg

First and foremost, the eye will immediately be drawn to Gusev’s name after reports this morning indicated that he may be on his way to the Vegas Golden Knights instead. While Darren Dreger of TSN reports that Gusev’s representation is working to get him out of the last few weeks of his contract with SKA, the Golden Knights themselves have refused to comment on the situation. It’s not clear at this point if he will be allowed to join Vegas for an NHL playoff run, or if Gusev is instead going to join the national team and participate in the upcoming tournament.

Next is Provorov, who is set to become a restricted free agent this summer. Players often avoid going to the tournament if they don’t have a contract for next season due to the injury risk, but perhaps the Flyers have already done work to remedy that situation. In fact, the Russian press release indicates that Provorov will “join the team after he signs a new contract” indicating that they might not be waiting very long. The tournament starts on May 10th, well before Provorov would actually become an RFA.

Dadonov and Anisimov will also not be joining the Russian team right away. The former is dealing with a minor injury and will have to be cleared by the Panthers before reporting, while the latter is said to be joining the group on April 26th.

Nic Dowd Signs Three-Year Extension

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The Washington Capitals have decided to lock up some center depth. Nic Dowd experienced a career year playing on the Capitals’ fourth line this season, and the team has rewarded him with a three-year contract extension. The deal carries an average annual value of $750K, and will keep Dowd under contract through the 2021-22 season.

Now 28, Dowd is about to make his NHL playoff debut after finally finding a home with the Capitals this season. Originally a seventh-round pick of the Los Angeles Kings in 2009, he had only once played more than 40 games in a season prior to 2018-19. This year saw him record eight goals and 22 points in 64 games while anchoring the fourth line, something he’ll likely do for the next few seasons.

That is, unless the Capitals find a better option during that time. Though Dowd has found some financial and career stability with this deal, there’s no reason to believe that the Capitals wouldn’t move on if an upgrade presented itself. The $750K cap hit is nearly the league minimum—in fact it will be by 2021-22—meaning it can be buried in the minor leagues if the team needs a bit of flexibility. Still, Dowd could very well show that he can be a valuable member of the team over the next few weeks given his penchant for scoring timely goals. Of his 17 career NHL tallies, six have been game-winners.

The expansion draft is another thing to consider when looking at a three-year deal for a depth forward. As it was with the Vegas draft two years ago, teams must expose at least two forwards that are under contract for 2021-22 and played at least 40 games the previous year or 70 the previous two combined. While that doesn’t seem like a very tough thing to do, having a player like Dowd meet the criteria is an easy way to give you some flexibility as the draft approaches.

This obviously isn’t a franchise-altering deal for the Capitals, but it is an effective way of insuring you have cheap options for the fourth line moving forward. The team has been stuck in a precarious cap situation the last two seasons, resulting in decisions like burying Devante Smith-Pelly in the minor leagues because of his relatively expensive $1MM salary. He couldn’t serve as an extra forward because the team simply needed the addition cap room to make necessary injury moves. Dowd will now give them that veteran option who can slot into several spots and likely pass through waivers if needed because of the length of the deal.

109 Players Invited To 2019 NHL Scouting Combine

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The NHL has invited the top 109 draft-eligible players to the 2019 Scouting Combine which will once again be held in Buffalo. Fitness testing will start on June 1st, where players from all over the world will compete to show their athletic ability and bump up their draft stock at least a few positions. The league will also be releasing their final draft rankings on Monday, April 15.

While the Scouting Combine can’t make a player a star, it can certainly shine a light on some physical attributes that may have been overlooked throughout his minor and junior hockey career. Last year saw Liam Foudy explode onto the scene with outstanding performances in nearly every event, which likely helped the Columbus Blue Jackets feel confident selecting him 18th overall in the following draft. Foudy has taken another step in his development with the London Knights, scoring 36 goals and 68 points in 62 games while helping the team to the brink of the OHL Conference Final.

For players like Jack Hughes and Kaapo Kakko, the presumptive top two selections in this year’s draft, the combine doesn’t mean a whole lot. A poor showing in some of the events wouldn’t remove them from consideration at the top of the draft, and a good one would only be expected at this point. For players a little further down the draft board it can be another important showcase.

The Athletic recently released a mock draft of the top-15 selections (subscription required), and there are several players on the list that are worth watching if they end up attending the event. Of course many eyes will be on the smaller players in the draft like Cole Caufield, who was mocked to the Philadelphia Flyers with the 11th pick. The USNTDP forward measures in at just 5’7″ 157-lbs, but is an incredible offensive player that could perhaps make an impact at the NHL level anyway. There are also beefy defensemen like Philip Broberg, who already weighs in at over 200-lbs and stands 6’3″. The Swedish defenseman is an excellent skater, and good performances in the mobility events might just make him even more appealing to NHL scouts.

It’s also of course a chance for teams to meet face to face with some of these players, and get a read on what drives them to be professional athletes. The interview process is one that has changed the course of many drafts in the past, and will continue to do so even as scouting techniques refine in the future.

Minor Transactions: 04/11/19

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The NHL playoffs didn’t disappoint as they got kicked off last night with some exciting finishes, including a roaring come back by the the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Tampa Bay Lightning are now down 1-0 in their first round series after dominating the entire league during the regular season, and will have immense pressure to get back in the win column tomorrow night. For today, three games are on the schedule starting with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins reviving their rivalry. As teams prepare for this action we’ll be here keeping track of all the minor moves.

  • The Washington Capitals have recalled goaltender Ilya Samsonov from the Hershey Bears. The 22-year old Samsonov will serve as the team’s third goaltender during the playoffs, a pretty big blow to the hopes of the Bears who have already locked up a playoff spot. Samsonov posted just an .896 save percentage in 36 games with the Bears this season, but is one of the top goaltending prospects in the world and has all the ability to put together a long AHL playoff run. Instead, he’ll work with the Capitals and allow Braden Holtby to get some rest in practice if needed.
  • Adam Clendening has been returned to the Cleveland Monsters, giving him a chance to suit up for the team tonight between NHL playoff matches. Clendening is serving as an extra defenseman for the Columbus Blue Jackets, but will likely bounce back and forth as the Monsters try to secure a playoff spot.
  • Simialrly, Cameron Gaunce was sent to the minor leagues by the Tampa Bay Lightning to help out the Syracuse Crunch. Gaunce had 43 points 57 games for the Crunch this season, his best year yet in the AHL.

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