As we wait for tomorrow’s announcement about the upcoming NHL season, minor league and European teams continue to fill out their depth charts. With a few months of offseason still to come, signings and loans will slowly drip out and we’ll try to cover all the important ones. Make sure to refresh this page throughout the day as we keep track of today’s minor moves:
- Graham Knott has signed a one-year contract with the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL after he was left unqualified by the Pittsburgh Penguins this offseason. A second-round pick of the Chicago Blackhawks in 2015, Knott’s career hasn’t gone as planned. The 23-year-old 6’4″ forward spent most of the 2019-20 season in the ECHL, playing just 11 games at the AHL level with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Once considered a promising prospect that won gold at the Hlinka-Gretzky and took home a Memorial Cup, the chances of him ever reaching the NHL are dwindling.
- While Manuel Wiederer was not given a qualifying offer by the San Jose Sharks, the organization did sign him to an AHL contract for the upcoming season. While he waits for that season to start, he has been loaned back to his hometown team in Deggendorf, Germany where he’ll play in the third-tier until the AHL resumes. Wiederer, 23, scored just 12 points in 35 games for the San Jose Barracuda last season.
- Andrew O’Brien, a fourth-round pick of the Anaheim Ducks in 2012, has mutually-terminated his contract with Dinamo Riga of the KHL after just seven games. The 27-year-old dominated the Norwegian league last season, scoring 45 points in 51 games (and recording an incredible 309 penalty minutes) in his first year overseas after several in the AHL.