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Archives for January 2022
2022 Team USA Olympic Roster
Though the official announcement is still an hour away, Frank Seravalli and Chris Peters of Daily Faceoff are reporting all 25 players that are expected to be named to Team USA for the upcoming 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China. The group includes players from the NCAA, AHL, and several overseas leagues.
The roster will be:
G Drew Commesso
G Strauss Mann
G Pat Nagle
D Brian Cooper
D Brock Faber
D Drew Helleson
D Steven Kampfer
D Aaron Ness
D Nick Perbix
D Jake Sanderson
D David Warsofsky
F Nick Abruzzese
F Kenny Agostino
F Matty Beniers
F Brendan Brisson
F Noah Cates
F Sean Farrell
F Sam Hentges
F Matthew Knies
F Marc McLaughlin
F Ben Meyers
F Andy Miele
F Brian O’Neill
F Nick Shore
F Nathan Smith
This group has a huge college contingent and also includes several players who were robbed of an opportunity to compete for a World Junior medal this year when the tournament was canceled.
In all, 13 NHL prospects are included on the team, including Beniers, the first-ever draft pick in Seattle Kraken history. The Toronto Maple Leafs are the only club with two prospects, as Minnesota freshman Knies and Harvard sophomore Abruzzese both made the squad.
The tournament is set to kick-off for the U.S. on February 10 when they take on China, a nation that was given entry to the tournament because it is hosting the event.
Boston Bruins Place Three In COVID Protocol
Jan 13: Matt Grzelcyk has now entered the protocol, along with another staff member. The Bruins recalled Tyler Lewington and Jack Ahcan today; the former would be making his Bruins debut should he enter the lineup as expected.
Jan 10: The Boston Bruins placed defensemen Connor Clifton, Derek Forbort, and a team staff member into the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol within an hour of puck drop of their game against the Washington Capitals tonight, per a team tweet.
In their absences, it’s likely that Urho Vaakanainen and John Moore will make up the bottom pair for tonight’s game. Warmups have already begun and the Bruins have no other defensemen on the active roster to fill in.
Forbort, who’s in his first season as a Bruin, has seven points through 31 games this year and has bounced around the team’s defensive pairings. He offers little offensively, but he’s had really good defensive impacts since joining Boston. His ability and versatility will certainly be missed while he’s in protocol.
Clifton has played in just 22 games, scoring two points, but he’s also been rather reliable defensively when in the lineup. Vaakanainen and Moore will need to play a responsible game in his and Forbort’s absences.
If all goes well, Clifton and Forbort could return January 18th against Carolina, the team’s first game after the conclusion of what could be five-day quarantines for them.
New Jersey Devils Sign Kyle Shapiro To ATO
The New Jersey Devils were in trouble when they were forced to put both Akira Schmid and Mackenzie Blackwood in the COVID protocol. The only other healthy goaltender in the entire organization was Jon Gillies. While he’ll get the start tonight, his backup will be Kyle Shapiro, who has signed an amateur tryout contract.
Shapiro, 28, is an assistant coach with the NAHL’s New Jersey Titans and serves as a regular emergency backup for the Prudential Center. He played four seasons of Division III college hockey, three of them with the University of Southern Maine and one with New England College. If forced into action, it would be his first competitive game since the 2017-18 season.
It’s not all bad news for the Devils though. The team has also activated Nathan Bastian, Andreas Johnsson, Yegor Sharangovich, and Pavel Zacha from the COVID protocol. Colton White has also been recalled from the taxi squad. All five players are available to play tonight, giving the team a little bit of a boost as they take on the New York Islanders.
Chris Wideman Suspended One Game
The Department of Player Safety has issued the second suspension of 2022, banning Montreal Canadiens defenseman Chris Wideman for one game. The head-butting incident that earned Wideman a suspension came in the third period of last night’s game against Erik Haula of the Boston Bruins. As the accompanying video explains:
It is important to note that Wideman’s helmet makes clear, intentional, and direct contact with Haula’s face and head. This is not an occasion where two players accidentally or inadvertently collide in a scrum. Rather, this is an unacceptable and intentional head-butt delivered to an opponent’s face with some force.
Notably, Wideman has not been fined or suspended previously, leading to a bit of leniency on behalf of the DoPS. Haula also did not suffer a serious injury like some other suspendable plays, meaning a one-game ban was always the likely outcome for the Canadiens defenseman.
This incident will be included on Wideman’s record moving forward, however, meaning any further supplementary discipline could come with a higher penalty. For now, he’ll forfeit $3,750 and have to miss Montreal’s game against the Chicago Blackhawks this evening.
Mike Smith Out 1-2 Weeks With Injured Thumb Tendon
The Edmonton Oilers will be without their preferred starter for another little while, as head coach Dave Tippett announced today that Mike Smith will be out one to two weeks with a partially torn thumb tendon. Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic reports that the plan is to recall Stuart Skinner, but the team is awaiting COVID testing results.
Smith returned from injury in late December and has played three games, his last coming on January 5. That only took his total on the year to six, however, as he has continued to miss time throughout the year due to various setbacks. That has left Mikko Koskinen as the regular starter, but he has struggled to carry the load and currently has a .900 save percentage. Koskinen and Tippett minced words through the media earlier this month, frustrations that will have to be quashed for the time being while Smith is out.
The question now will become whether Skinner, a 23-year-old netminder with just one game of NHL experience prior to this season, could run with the job. In ten appearances this year he has a .916 save percentage, though five of those games have ended in a loss. He’s been excellent in his rare appearances for the Bakersfield Condors too, and perhaps is ready for a jump to the next level.
Edmonton though has high hopes for this season, despite their recent struggles. Evander Kane has been linked strongly to the team as a potential free agent signing, while general manager Ken Holland recently said that he believes the answer is going to come from internal growth. The team is set to resume their season on Saturday against the Ottawa Senators, playing for the first time in ten days. They are currently on a five-game losing streak and now sit sixth in the Pacific Division.
Smith meanwhile is signed through next season, despite turning 40 in March and now missing almost the entire first half of this year. The veteran netminder carries a cap hit of $2.2MM on a new two-year deal he signed last July, and will actually earn a larger salary ($2.5MM) in 2022-23 than he is owed this season.
Olympic Notes: Czechia, Johnson, Team USA
David Krejci may be gone from the NHL but he’s not off the international stage. The former Boston Bruins star was one of 24 players named to the preliminary Czechia roster for the upcoming Olympics. The final group will be named later this month, but Krejci certainly feels like a lock at this point. Among the other names that will be familiar to NHL fans are Tomas Kundratek, Jakub Jerabek, Vladimir Sobotka, Tomas Hyka and Michael Frolik.
One name unfortunately not included is Jaromir Jagr, the 49-year-old who first appeared on the Olympic stage in 1998, winning the gold with a Dominik Hasek-led squad. Jagr has 19 points in 29 games with Kladno, the team he owns at the highest level of Czech hockey. A member of the exclusive Triple Gold Club, Jagr also has two World Championship golds and won the Stanley Cup twice with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
- While it was obvious that Owen Power would be part of Team Canada after he starred for his country at last summer’s World Championship, another one of his college teammates appears to be coming with him. Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK TV tweets that Kent Johnson will also represent Canada at the Olympics next month. The Columbus Blue Jackets selected Johnson fifth overall in 2021 and the extremely skilled forward is currently leading the powerhouse University of Michigan program in scoring with 28 points in just 19 games. There will be quite a few Wolverines taking part in the tournament, just months before many of them are set to sign entry-level NHL contracts.
- ESPN will reveal the full U.S. squad later today on The Point, where several Michigan players will be officially named. The squad should have a large college hockey presence, making it a unique experience for many of these young players. In a year where many were robbed of an opportunity to compete for a World Junior medal, they could bring home an even rarer one from Beijing.
Joel Eriksson Ek Enters COVID Protocol
Just as he was about to return from injury, Joel Eriksson Ek will have to enter isolation. Minnesota Wild head coach Dean Evason told reporters including Sarah McLellan of the Star-Tribune that Eriksson Ek has tested positive for coronavirus and will not play for the team tomorrow against the Anaheim Ducks. Victor Rask will take his place in the lineup, one that he hasn’t been able to fill since before Christmas.
Eriksson Ek last played on December 20, seeing just eight minutes before leaving with an upper-body injury. After missing his chance at an outdoor game and the Winter Classic, he was set to return for the Wild tomorrow night. That will have to wait, as a confirmed positive result will not only keep him out for tomorrow but also Monday’s matchup with the Colorado Avalanche, a key test in the Central Division race.
Signed to a massive eight-year, $42MM deal last summer, Eriksson Ek has finally started to show why the Wild were so excited to select him 20th overall in 2015. The two-way center had 19 goals and 30 points in 56 games last season and has come back at an even better pace this time around. In 30 games this year he has 11 goals and 20 points while posting the best possession statistics of his career. Those impressive underlying numbers are even with some heavy defensive deployment, as Eriksson Ek’s biggest value comes through in his own end. He finished fourth in Selke Trophy voting a year ago and will likely continue to be in the running for the award in the years to come.
Unfortunately, that play will have to wait at least a few more days because of this positive test. He’ll enter the protocol and hope to test out before the team’s January 21 game against the Chicago Blackhawks.
Taxi Squad Shuffle: 01/13/22
It’s finally a day without any postponements in the NHL. Eleven games are on the schedule, including several Canadian teams finally getting back on the ice. Many eyes will be on Boston where Tuukka Rask makes his return to the net, while in Carolina Jack LaFontaine will be dressing for the first time. As those teams and others prepare for action, we’ll keep track of all the minor league and taxi squad shuffling.
Atlantic Division
- The Florida Panthers will need to recall an extra goaltender, as Jonas Johansson has been placed in the COVID protocol. Spencer Knight, the obvious choice, is also already in the protocol, leaving just Christopher Gibson as a potential recall unless Knight is able to test out in time.
- The Ottawa Senators have recalled Jacob Bernard-Docker and Scott Sabourin from the taxi squad. The 21-year-old Bernard-Docker will play in his ninth career game this evening and is still looking for his first NHL goal.
- The Buffalo Sabres have activated Kyle Okposo and Alex Tuch from the COVID protocol, meaning Brett Murray’s time on the active roster is over. The young forward has been returned to the taxi squad.
Metropolitan Division
- The Carolina Hurricanes have officially recalled Jack LaFontaine to the active roster, sending Alex Lyon back to the Chicago Wolves. The 24-year-old LaFontaine recently abandoned his final college season to sign a one-year entry-level contract with the Hurricanes.
- The Philadelphia Flyers have added Morgan Frost and Max Willman from the taxi squad, while loaning Connor Bunnaman and Felix Sandstrom back to the AHL. Frost, the 27th overall pick in 2017, has six points in 16 games this season for the Flyers.
Central Division
- The Colorado Avalanche have added Mikhail Maltsev back to the taxi squad, after playing a pair of games against the Tucson Roadrunners a few days ago. Maltsev has 18 points in 25 games for the Colorado Eagles this season.
- Riley Damiani is involved in another transaction, this time coming up from the Texas Stars to the Dallas Stars taxi squad. He’s been moved up or down in near-daily transactions over the last while, as the Stars look to maximize cap space while still having enough extra bodies.
- The Nashville Predators recalled forwards Matt Luff and Cole Smith to the active roster from the taxi squad, while also calling up forward Cody Glass from the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals to the taxi squad. Luff and Smith should both draw into the lineup tonight against Buffalo.
Pacific Division
- The Vancouver Canucks have sent Phil Di Giuseppe back to the AHL, where he’ll join the Abbotsford Canucks once again. The 28-year-old has 16 points in 19 games for Abbotsford so far.
- Christian Wolanin has been activated from the COVID protocol and sent to the minor leagues by the Los Angeles Kings. Wolanin will be able to get back in game shape in the minor leagues before making a return, given he hasn’t played in nearly two weeks. Later in the day the team recalled Jaret Anderson-Dolan, Jacob Moverare, and Samuel Fagemo to the active roster.
- After Mike Smith was ruled out earlier today, the Edmonton Oilers have recalled Stuart Skinner to the taxi squad. The young netminder will likely move to the active roster in the coming days.
- The Anaheim Ducks have activated Sam Carrick from the COVID protocol, but his place will be taken by Simon Benoit who goes into it today. The team has also recalled Brendan Guhle from the AHL while sending Lukas Dostal from the taxi squad to the AHL.
This page will be updated throughout the day
Eric Staal Signs AHL PTO
As reported yesterday, the Iowa Wild have signed veteran center Eric Staal to an AHL professional tryout agreement, giving him a chance to tune up his game in preparation for the Olympics next month. Staal also hopes to earn an NHL agreement after the international tournament, though that is obviously a little further down the line.
Now 37, Staal has only ever played one season in the AHL and that was during the 2004-05 NHL lockout. That year he suited up for the Lowell Lock Monsters, recording 77 points in 77 games on a roster that also included names like Chuck Kobasew, Mark Giordano, and Cam Ward. More than 1,200 NHL games later and Staal is now heading back to the minors, if only for a handful of games.
The Wild play the next two nights at home against the Chicago Wolves, before welcoming in the Milwaukee Admirals and Manitoba Moose next week. It remains to be seen whether Staal will travel with the team when they hit the road for three games later this month. Canada’s first Olympic game is scheduled for February 10 against Germany, though the official roster has not yet been announced.