Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Archives for August 2022

German Rubtsov Signs In KHL

at CDT | by 2 Comments

2016 Philadelphia Flyers first-round pick German Rubtsov has signed a one-year contract with Spartak Moskva in the KHL, per the team.

Rubtsov, a 24-year-old center, was taken 22nd overall in 2016 with the upside of being a high-end, two-way middle-six center. Things have never quite panned out for him at the professional level, though, as his AHL production had steadily decreased over the past few seasons. The Flyers dealt Rubtsov to the Florida Panthers as part of the Claude Giroux trade last season.

Down the stretch, Rubtsov had just one goal in six regular-season and playoff games with the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers. It wasn’t enough to convince the Panthers to issue him a qualifying offer, making him an unrestricted free agent this summer.

At 24, Rubtsov is nearly in his prime already. Although it is just a one-year deal, it’s extremely likely that Rubtsov’s chance at an NHL career, or even a career in North America, is completely gone. There’s always the chance that a move back home and a different system is able to help Rubtsov rediscover his game, but it would have to be a magnificent step forward for an NHL team to come calling for him next offseason.

Next season in Moscow, Rubtsov will join a Spartak team that’s made the playoffs for the past five seasons.

NHL, NHLPA Expect World Cup Of Hockey Return In 2024

at CDT | by 4 Comments

Speaking Wednesday during the NHL’s European Player Media Tour, NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said the NHL, NHLPA, and IIHF are “moving full steam ahead” and “continuing to have regular meetings” regarding the return of the World Cup of Hockey tournament in February of 2024.

And, as reported earlier this year, more concrete details about the tournament are beginning to emerge from Daly and the aforementioned planning sessions. According to Daly, the NHL and NHLPA are in the process of narrowing down host cities for the tournament, including select European cities for preliminary and qualification games.

We still want to play one pool in Europe, a preliminary round pool in Europe and a preliminary round pool in North America and move the semifinals and the final to a different city in North America likely. I think that short list would universally encompass more traditional hockey markets.

The tournament is expected to take place over a 17-day period in February, including a day on the front and back end of gameplay for travel purposes. Considering the in-season nature of the tournament, there will be little in terms of practice time for the assembled national teams.

Daly also revealed that there are ongoing discussions about expanding the tournament field from eight teams to 10, although any qualification stage to narrow down the field back to eight would take place during the tournament given the compressed schedule.

Of obvious note is the potential participation of Russia in this tournament, which Daly said today is still uncertain.

This would be the first best-on-best hockey tournament of its kind since the last time the World Cup was held in 2016. The last Winter Olympics to feature NHL talent was the 2014 edition in Sochi, Russia. All in all, it would be the fourth edition of the World Cup, as it was previously held in 1996 and 2004.

Ottawa Senators Reach Affiliation Agreement With Allen Americans

at CDT | by 2 Comments

The Ottawa Senators have found an ECHL affiliate, reaching an affiliation agreement with the Allen Americans for an initial duration of one season. The Senators announced the news this morning jointly with their AHL affiliate in Belleville.

2022-23 will mark the first season that the Senators have had an ECHL affiliate since 2019-20, and only the second season out of the last six. Ottawa’s one-year partnership with the Brampton Beast in 2019-20 was beneficial, as the Beast provided a solid bit of development for goalie prospect Joey Daccord, now with the Seattle Kraken. The emergence of COVID-19 at the end of the season, however, forced the Beast franchise to cease operations.

Speaking of the Kraken, the Americans were the new NHL team’s first-ever ECHL affiliate last season. Earlier in the offseason, though, the Kraken opted to not re-sign their agreement with Allen and sign on with the Kansas City Mavericks instead. Allen brings a long history of success to the Senators organization; the franchise has only missed the CHL (Central, not Canadian Hockey League) or ECHL playoffs once since their inception in 2009-10. They were the winners of four straight CHL/ECHL championships from 2013 to 2016.

Senators general manager Pierre Dorion gave the following statement on today’s announcement:

The Americans’ franchise carries a rich tradition of success. We’re looking forward to contributing to it in a positive manner when we begin placing prospects in Allen in 2022-23. 

From Senators assistant general manager Ryan Bowness:

Chad Costello and his staff’s tutelage will help our prospects prepare for the next level. Player development is one of our most important priorities. We’re confident that placing prospects in Allen will be an asset to progression.

The Americans could have at least one NHL-contracted player returning from last season: goaltender Antoine Bibeau. The veteran minor-leaguer will be battling for the AHL backup spot behind Mads Sogaard in Belleville, and if he loses out, he could be sent back to Allen where he played 14 games last season.

Carolina Hurricanes Sign Paul Stastny

at CDT | by 15 Comments

8:17 pm: According to PuckPedia, Stastny’s contract carries a no-trade clause, as well as a $500K performance bonus for winning the Stanley Cup, per CapFriendly.

11:18 am: The Carolina Hurricanes have signed forward Paul Stastny to a one-year, $1.5MM contract, taking one of the best free agent centers remaining off the market.

Team president and general manager Don Waddell spoke on the deal:

Paul is an extremely reliable veteran who has been effective at both ends of the ice for his entire career. He adds even more experience and leadership to our forward group, and we are excited to have him in Carolina.

He’s right about Stastny being effective at both ends of the ice. The veteran of over 1000 games is solid defensively in his own right but also excels in the faceoff circle. Turning 37 in December, Stastny still managed over 20 goals and 45 points in 71 games for the Winnipeg Jets last season.

Where Stastny actually fits into the Carolina lineup remains to be seen. Stastny still consistently plays top-six minutes and holds his own doing so, but no one can be sure when age will finally catch up to him in that regard. There’s a big question mark at the second-line center spot for Carolina, and it’ll likely be an open-season competition between Stastny, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, and Martin Necas to see who fits that role best.

For Stastny, joining the Hurricanes provides him with a pretty solid opportunity to hoist a Stanley Cup over his head for the first time in his 16-season career. They’re still extremely scary on paper now, and they’ll be getting an in-house trade deadline acquisition as Max Pacioretty returns to health after the All-Star break. A revamped defense including Brent Burns, Dylan Coghlan, and a healthy Jake Gardiner should be fun to watch, and with the continued development of players like Kotkaniemi, Necas, and Seth Jarvis, the Hurricanes again seem like a strong threat to come out of the East.

Free Agent Profile: Zach Aston-Reese

at CDT | by 4 Comments

Zach Aston-Reese was one of the more prized college free agents in recent memory when he came out of Northeastern University at the conclusion of the 2016-17 college season, with nearly half of the league pursuing him. The forward ultimately chose to sign a two-year, entry-level deal with the Pittsburgh Penguins beginning the following season, which also allowed him to make his professional debut with the AHL’s Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Penguins that year. After a brief, yet impressive 10-game stint in the AHL where he posted eight points, Aston-Reese came back and impressed once again with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, earning the opportunity to crack the NHL for the first time in 2017-18.

In his first NHL season, Aston-Reese had four goals and a pair of assists in 16 games, a solid performance which was made all the better by his ability to play a physical game, contribute in dirty areas, and contribute on the penalty kill. All of that lead to Aston-Reese playing in 10 of Pittsburgh’s 12 playoff games that year as well. The following season, Aston-Reese would spend a little more time in the AHL before establishing himself as a regular on the NHL roster. In three seasons, the power-forward registered 45 points, 23 goals and 22 assists, over 145 regular season games, bringing along his gritty and responsible style of play with his offensive output.

This season was more of the same for Aston-Reese, who had two goals and nine assists in 52 games for the Penguins leading into the trade deadline. Somewhat of a salary cap casualty, Aston-Reese was included in the package that helped Pittsburgh bring back forward Rickard Rakell from the Anaheim Ducks. Now on an Anaheim team that had had its struggles and traded away several roster players at the deadline, Aston-Reese was able to slide into the lineup immediately and have an impact. Though he didn’t show many signs of improvement over the player he had been for his career thus far, the forward brought more of the same to the Ducks, tallying four points, three of which were goals, in 17 games, that included fairly regular penalty kill time.

At the conclusion of the season, Aston-Reese was set to hit the UFA market and the still-rebuilding Ducks chose to let him walk, as the franchise sought to overhaul its group to an extent. In the nearly month-and-a-half since free agency has begun, many players have signed, but some solid NHL talent still remains waiting for a new opportunity, Aston-Reese included.

Stats:

2021-22: 69 GP, 5-10-15, +9 rating, 28 PIMs, 78 shots, 231 hits, 13:02 ATOI

Career: 230 GP, 32-34-66, + 39 rating, 99 PIMs, 351 shots, 655 hits, 13:42 ATOI

Potential Suitors:

This late in the offseason, players still on the market generally can’t afford to be too picky with the opportunities they receive, and the same might be true for Aston-Reese. However, the forward should be expected to gather some interest from teams who could offer him either a two-way contract or a PTO. Out of those offers, the 28-year-old is likely to look for one where he has the best chance of finding regular ice time. Aston-Reese’s responsible, physical, and high-energy game is one that may not jump off the page statistically and could be hard to understand from just watching a little here and there, or of course, just playing a little here and there. His game is one that shines through, somewhat quietly, by playing night in and night out. Thus, an opportunity on a team that can get him in the lineup on a nightly basis may be the best situation.

One team that sticks out as a solid fit is the Staten Island native’s hometown team – the New York Rangers. Right now, the Rangers boast a talented group of players both up front and on the blueline, however with a bottom-six that would project to include Sammy Blais, Filip Chytil, Julien Gauthier, Barclay Goodrow, Dryden Hunt, and Ryan Reaves, there could be opportunities for Aston-Reese to crack the lineup. In all likelihood, he would be competing with Rangers prospects like Will Cuylle, Vitali Kravtsov, and Brennan Othmann for a roster spot and playing time, but his experience and style of play could be a strong fit for a younger team that is already building it’s bottom-six with a similar style of player.

Other options for the veteran winger likely include rebuilding teams who prefer to keep established NHLers in the lineup rather than rush their prospects, such as the Chicago Blackhawks or Arizona Coyotes. Aston-Reese may also be able to find an opportunity with a competitive team who values his experience and energy, looking to have him as a budget option to compete for ice-time along with their less experienced players who the team prefers to let develop, rather than play in especially important games. A team like the Colorado Avalanche stand out as an example.

Projected Contract:

This late into free agency, Aston-Reese’s options are likely limited to a two-way deal or a PTO. If he’s offered a one-way contract, it’s highly unlikely that will be for any more than the league-minimum of $750K. A PTO may be the best-case scenario for Aston-Reese, which would give him a chance to highlight his play, which becomes more apparent the more consistently it’s seen. The PTO would give him a chance to find an opportunity with that team, or if not, perhaps with another team that has the chance to evaluate his tryout from afar. An especially strong showing may also vault Aston-Reese into the territory of a guaranteed one-way contract, potentially for even more than the league-minimum.

Snapshots: Ellis, Gallant, Svechnikov

at CDT | by 7 Comments

After two straight nightmarish seasons, the Philadelphia Flyers are desperate to return to contention in 2022-23. Last offseason, the Flyers acquired defenseman Ryan Ellis from the Nashville Predators, hoping that adding Ellis, a veteran top-pairing defenseman, would revamp their defense and help out young goalie Carter Hart. Unfortunately for the Flyers, though, Ellis’ health issues limited him to just four games in a Flyers uniform, and the Flyers in his absence struggled to keep pucks out of the net.

Now, it seems Ellis’ absence looks set to continue. When asked by NHL.com’s Adam Kimelman if Ellis would be ready for the team’s season opener, Flyers head coach John Tortorella responded “I doubt it,” and elaborated that despite Ellis’ best efforts it’s doubtful he’d be ready to even participate in training camp. Ellis is currently battling what he termed a “multilayered” issue involving his “whole pelvic region.” While it’s definitely possible that Ellis returns next season and gets into games with the Flyers, Philadelphia spent significant resources this offseason preparing to survive without Ellis. The team traded for and extended Tony DeAngelo to presumably partner with Ivan Provorov on the team’s top pairing, and they also signed Justin Braun to round out the right side of their defense. The Flyers are likely expecting to eventually see Ellis back on the ice, but unfortunately it doesn’t seem like that’ll happen any time soon.

Now, for some other news from across the NHL:

  • Forward Brett Gallant has played for the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters for the past six seasons, and now it’s been announced that he’ll be returning for his seventh year there. The Monsters announced today that they’ve signed Gallant to a one-year AHL contract. The physical Gallant, 33, is a veteran of nearly 500 AHL games and last played in the NHL in 2013-14. He had four goals and 98 penalty minutes in 53 games last season and has logged nearly 1,500 penalty minutes in his AHL career.
  • Despite finally playing a year as a full-time NHL-er last season, Evgeny Svechnikov is still without a contract for next season. The 2015 first-round pick played in 72 games last season and scored 19 points. Kevin Weekes of ESPN reports that Svechnikov has changed representation, and has joined up with Dan Milstein’s Gold Star Hockey agency, a group that represents a multitude of Svechnikov’s fellow Russian NHLers.

Minor Transactions: 08/23/22

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

We’re inching closer to the opening of NHL training camps, and most teams have finalized their offseason work. That being said, there are still some players looking for a spot for next season, especially in minor leagues and in Europe. We’ll keep track of those moves here.

  • As part of the Los Angeles Kings’ announcement of an ECHL affiliation agreement with the Greenville Swamp Rabbits, the Kings’ AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign, announced the signings of five players to one-year, two-way (AHL/ECHL) deals for the 2022-23 season. Those players are as follows: defenseman Joe Gatenby and forwards Alex Ierullo, Brett Kemp, Justin Nachbaur, and Nikita Pavlychev. Gatenby, Ierullo, and Pavlychev are all 25-year-old players who (relatively) recently graduated college, while Kemp and Nachbaur are 22-year-old junior hockey prospects who both saw time with the Swamp Rabbits last season.
  • Veteran minor league journeyman Colton Saucerman is returning to North America after a two-year stint playing in European Leagues. The ECHL’s Allen Americans announced a one-year deal with the defenseman, signing him after he had a solid campaign starting for HC Kosice in the Slovakian league. Saucerman has extensive experience in both the AHL and ECHL and that experience should be a help to the Americans’ back end.
  • The ECHL’s Idaho Steelheads announced two signings today, inking forwards Jade Miller and Ty Pelton-Byce to one-year deals for the 2022-23 season. Miller, 27, had a four-year collegiate career at the University of Minnesota-Duluth before cutting his teeth as a professional with the South Carolina Stingrays in the ECHL. He scored 31 points in 72 games last season in South Carolina and should be a solid add for the Steelheads’ bottom-six. Some might know Pelton-Byce from his time at the University of Wisconsin when he scored 31 points in just 24 games in his senior season in large part thanks to sharing the ice with two NHL first-rounders in Cole Caufield and Dylan Holloway. Pelton-Byce spent time at both the ECHL and AHL levels last season and could get a top-six role in Idaho.
  • In another ECHL signing, the Witchita Thunder announced the addition of defender Jake Hamilton for the 2022-23 season. Hamilton is a former SPHL-er who broke into the ECHL last season by playing 33 games for the Adirondack Thunder.
  • Former New Jersey Devils prospect Nikita Popugayev has returned to hockey, says The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler (link). The forward, who walked away from the sport a year-and-a-half ago, is now in camp on a tryout with HK Sochi of the KHL. Still only 23 years of age, Popugayev last played during the 2020-21 season, tallying just six points in 25 KHL games. Popugayev last played in North America during the 2019-20 season, where he had 25 points in 47 games for the ECHL’s Adirondack Thunder.

This page will be updated throughout the day. 

Carolina Hurricanes Name Brock Sheahan AHL Head Coach

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Per a team release, the Carolina Hurricanes have named Brock Sheahan the head coach of their AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves.

Sheahan, 38, becomes a professional hockey coach for the first time. He got his coaching start with Notre Dame in 2013-14 as an assistant coach, serving just one season. For four seasons from 2014 to 2018, he spent time as an assistant and associate coach for the College of the Holy Cross before getting a job with the USHL’s Chicago Steel for 2018-19.

The Steel promoted him to their head coaching role during the 2019-20 season and he never looked back. Sheahan guided the 2020-21 Chicago Steel to a Clark Cup championship, working with current NHL prospects such as Sean Farrell, Matt Coronato, Mackie Samoskevich, and Josh Doan.

The Wolves themselves are coming off a Calder Cup-winning season, spearheaded by high-end veteran firepower and elite goaltending. It was enough to get their previous head coach, Ryan Warsofsky, an assistant job with the San Jose Sharks. Sheahan will need to keep the team’s structure intact after an offseason that’s seen a lot of turnover at all spots in the Hurricanes organization.

Prospect Notes: Clang, Feuk, Veinbergs

at CDT | by 2 Comments

John Gibson’s name is beginning to come up in trade rumors more and more, and, while it seems like the Anaheim Ducks might be in a lot of goaltending trouble without him, that’s not entirely true. Behind Gibson, the team has one of the best one-two goalie prospect punches in the league, quietly adding to their prospect pool this season via trade.

That trade was the Rickard Rakell deal, where the Ducks acquired goalie prospect Calle Clang from the Pittsburgh Penguins as part of the return. Today, they’ve officially loaned Clang to Rögle BK of the SHL for the 2022-23 season, per a team tweet. Clang was the backup for Team Sweden at the 2022 World Juniors, only so due to the brilliance of Jesper Wallstedt. In two games, Clang had a .944 save percentage, complementing what was a strong rookie season for him in the SHL (2.28 GAA, .915 SV%, 10-5-0 record). While he’ll be staying there for another season, it’s probably the best for his development — the team has another high-end goalie prospect in Lukas Dostal who will receive the lion’s share of the starts for the San Diego Gulls in the AHL.

  • Calgary Flames prospect Lucas Feuk is heading to North America on an AHL contract with the Calgary Wranglers, according to his former league in Sweden, HockeyEttan. A 2019 fourth-round pick, the Flames have Feuk’s exclusive signing rights until June of next year. The 21-year-old had 27 points in 32 HockeyEttan games last year split between Väsby IK and Nybro Vikings IF. HockeyEttan is Sweden’s third-tier professional league, sitting behind the SHL and Allsvenskan.
  • Another prospect is heading to North America, according to his former team — Tampa Bay Lightning 2022 draft pick Klavs Veinbergs will suit up for the USHL’s Lincoln Stars in 2022-23. Veinbergs, 19, was drafted from Zemgale in the Latvian league and represented his country at the 2022 World Juniors. He’ll head to the USHL to continue his development, which is becoming a popular destination among Latvian players.

Los Angeles Kings Announce ECHL Affiliation

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Los Angeles Kings have announced a two-year affiliation agreement with the ECHL’s Greenville Swamp Rabbits, giving them a full-time affiliate at the ECHL level for the first time since 2019.

Kings director of player development Glen Murray spoke on the agreement:

On behalf of the entire LA Kings organization, we are excited to announce our new affiliation with the Greenville Swamp Rabbits of the ECHL. We are very happy to have this development route for our future Kings under the leadership of Spire Sports + Entertainment and direction of Head Coach & General Manager Andrew Lord. We know that our prospects will have a first-class experience in Greenville while developing as players and people.

Greenville and Los Angeles already had a bit of a working relationship over the past few years, as without a specified affiliate, Los Angeles and AHL Ontario would consistently loan most ECHL assignments to Greenville regardless. Goalie Jacob Ingham has played there for the past couple of seasons, and as one of six Kings goalies under NHL contract, he’ll likely head there again next season.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

scroll to top