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Oilers Sign Damien Carfagna To Two-Year Contract

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Apr. 1: PuckPedia shared the terms of Carfagna’s two-year entry-level contract with the Oilers earlier today. He’ll earn a salary of $775K at the NHL level and  $85K at the AHL level. Additionally, Carfagna will receive an $87.5K signing bonus for each year of the deal and have access to $12.5K in performance bonuses for an unspecified number of games played. After including his signing bonus, Carfagna’s cap hit rises to $862.5K each year of the contract.

Mar. 31: The Edmonton Oilers have joined in on the race for college free agents. The team announced they’ve signed junior-year defenseman Damien Carfagna from The Ohio State University. Carfagna has agreed to a two-year, entry-level contract beginning in the 2025-26 season. There has so far been no indication on if he will join the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors through the end of the season.

Carfagna becomes yet another undrafted college free agent to earn a pro deal. He just wrapped up a fantastic season with the Ohio State Buckeyes, ranking second in scoring on the team’s blue-line with seven goals and 28 points in 38 games. Carfagna transferred to OSU ahead of the 2023-24 season, after spending his freshman year at the University of New Hampshire. He posted a modest 16 points, two penalty minutes, and minus-15 in 35 games with UNH, then fell to just six points in 34 games with Ohio State last year. At a glance, it seemed Carfagna’s search for a bigger role at a bigger school had flunked – as he fell from UNH’s second pair to Ohio State’s third pair. But he regained plenty of ground this season, and had his feet planted on Ohio State’s top pairing by the end of the season.

Carfagna is a stout five-foot-11, 170-pound defenseman who excels at making plays over both blue-lines. He’s strong on the puck and has grown substantially in his ability to play through contact – though he’s still working on his ability to clear out the danger areas of the ice. His ascension to OSU’s top role was built on a stellar ability to move the puck, and his great stylistic compliment to fellow nimble puck-mover Aiden Hansen-Bukata. Carfagna will likely need a hardy runway to translate his smart plays and responsible positioning to the pro flight, but his ability to support the breakout and join the rush should soon stand out.

Penguins’ Emil Bemstrom Clears Waivers

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April 1: Bemstrom cleared waivers, Friedman reports. It’s unclear whether the Pens plan to immediately assign him to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton or purely open up roster flexibility.

March 31: The Pittsburgh Penguins have placed depth winger Emil Bemstrom on waivers per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Bemstrom served a fourth-line role in Pittsburgh’s last three games and didn’t manage any notable stat changes other than one shot on net.

Bemstrom has spent the bulk of his season with the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins – intercut by routine trips to support Pittsburgh’s bottom six. He’s recorded one assist, no penalties, and an even-plus minus through 13 NHL appearances this year while averaging just over eight minutes in ice time. Bemstrom’s looked far more comfortable in the minors, where he has 21 goals and 46 points in 43 games on the season. Those marks lead the AHL Penguins in goals and points on a per-game basis. They also make Bemstrom one of just 15 remaining AHL skaters scoring above a point-per-game pace in more than 20 games.

Bemstrom has adjusted well to the Penguins minor league ranks after spending the bulk of the last five seasons fighting for a role in the NHL. He made his NHL debut with the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2019-20 season and recorded 20 points, split evenly, in 56 games as a rookie. He followed that foundational performance with a brief stint in Finland’s Liiga during the 2020-21 season, where he managed an encouraging 17 points in 16 games. But Bemstrom couldn’t hold onto that scoring when he returned to the NHL, with just five points in 20 games through the end of the year. He worked his way to a career-high 22 points in the 2022-23 campaign – but hasn’t been able to maintain the scoring across a full season. It seems Bemstrom has fallen firmly into the rut of top-end AHL scoring and minimal NHL scoring – and Pittsburgh will now take the step needed to reassign him to the minor leagues.

This news comes quickly after Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s leading scorer, top prospect Ville Koivunen, made his NHL debut. Koivunen didn’t manage any scoring in his first shot at Pittsburgh’s lineup, but he could hang onto the mantle of bottom-six minutes as the Penguins approach their final seven games well outside of playoff contention.

It’s important to note that, should Bemstrom be claimed on waivers, he would not be able to return to an NHL roster. Post Trade Deadline roster rules would instead force his new team to assign Bemstrom to their minor leagues.

Poll: Which College Signing Will Make The Biggest Impact In 2024-25?

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A contract signing frenzy has broken out across the NHL as the NCAA season draws to a close. Teams are in a mad dash to lock up their star prospects, or sign impactful free agents who slipped through the cracks of the draft. The range of outcomes for these fresh pro recruits will stretch across the hockey world. Some will finish their seasons on amateur try-out contracts in the minor leagues, while others have earned a proud AHL shot, and even more find themselves suddenly thrust into the NHL lineup. The group of signees is headlined by prospects with years of anticipation behind them, joining teams with important games left on the docket. Those big additions lead to the natural next question – which college signing will make the biggest impact through the remainder of the year?

University of Minnesota star Jimmy Snuggerud may be an easy top guess. The 20-year-old right-wing has joined a St. Louis Blues team in the midst of a nine-game win-streak that’s propelled them into a confident playoff spot. St. Louis’ success has come in no small part thanks to rookie Zachary Bolduc, who has 16 goals and 31 points in 65 games this season. He’s been backed by other thriving young forwards, like Dylan Holloway and Jake Neighbours. The Blues have leaned into their youth movement by promoting top AHL scorer Dalibor Dvorsky to the top flight, after he potted 20 goals and 43 points in 57 minor league games. Now, St. Louis also adds the snappy shot of Snuggerud after he managed a dazzling 24 goals and 51 points in 40 games of his junior season. Snuggerud doesn’t shy away from physicality and plays a cool, calm, and collected game that should blend well with a Blues offense that’s firing on all cylinders since the calendar turned over.

But St. Louis’ Central Division rivals have a pair of new faces who could find their way to a big splash. The Chicago Blackhawks may be well outside of postseason contention, but they’ve received their own injection of young potential by signing Snuggerud’s UMN teammates, centerman Oliver Moore and defenseman Sam Rinzel. Both players filled top-end roles for the Gophers this season, to dazzling results. Rinzel took home the Big Ten’s ’Defenseman of the Year’ honors this year, after recording 10 goals and 32 points in 40 games of his sophomore season. Moore just narrowly outscored him, potting 12 goals and 33 points in 38 games of his own. The pair have already made their NHL debuts – and while neither scored, they were both instantly noticeable amid a Blackhawks offense that’s slowed down as of late. Chicago is looking towards the future as the season draws to a close, and strong performances out of Moore or Rinzel could go a long way towards cementing their top-of-the-lineup role through next season. It seems Rinzel’s spot may already be locked up – after he recorded over 20 minutes of ice time and four shots on net in his debut.

There’s even more to watch from Gopher alums in the Central Division – with Matthew Wood inking a deal with the Nashville Predators after completing his junior year at UMN. Wood ranked second on the Gophers in scoring behind Snuggerud, with 17 goals and 39 points in 39 games this season. It was an impressive performance for the fresh-transfer – but perhaps even more impressive, it was Wood’s first time not leading his team in scoring since he made his junior hockey debut in the 2020-21 season. He’s a fierce shooter, with the heft and skating to push his way into space, even against top competition. He could quickly find a role on a Predators team that lost Mark Jankowski at the Trade Deadline – and one that’s in desperate need of a booming top prospect to spark hopes.

While the Gophers look to take control of the Central Division, the Metropolitan Division could soon be controlled by Eagles. Boston College stars Ryan Leonard and Gabe Perreault have inked their first pro deals, signing with the Washington Capitals and New York Rangers respectively. The duo are absolute top prospects who have spent the vast majority of the last four seasons playing on the same line. Leonard is a beefy sniper capable of driving down the boards with speed and getting the puck on net quick. Perreault is a bit more nimble – and uses a strong drive to overwhelm opponents on the forecheck and quick hands to beat them in his paths to the net. Both have done nothing but sparkle with their individual efforts, and seem fully capable of translating at least some of their upside to the NHL right away. Leonard will join the best team in the league, while Perreault will join a squad currently in tight contention for the Eastern Conference’s second Wild Card. Both roles should lead to major roles that could lead the top names to quick scoring.

Plenty of other signings across the hockey world could pay off sooner rather than later. Even if they don’t, the chance to watch top prospects finally donning their NHL jerseys is hard no to be excited over. Who do you think will make the biggest impact? Vote below:

For mobile users, click here to vote.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Minor Transactions: 3/31/25

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It has been quite a busy day on the transaction front, with plenty of college players signing their entry-level contracts.  Meanwhile, there have been some other moves involving NHL players and prospects.  We’ll quickly run through those here.

  • The Jets announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled center Jaret Anderson-Dolan and goaltender Chris Driedger from AHL Manitoba. Anderson-Dolan is up after Rasmus Kupari suffered a setback in his recovery from a concussion, while Driedger will cover for Eric Comrie, whose wife went into labor over the weekend.  This is Anderson-Dolan’s second recall of the season but he didn’t play in the first one.  He has 19 points in 51 games with the Moose this season.  Meanwhile, Driedger was acquired from Florida near the trade deadline, combining to make 25 appearances between their farm team and Manitoba, playing to a 3.03 GAA and a .877 SV%.
  • The Golden Knights have recalled goaltender Akira Schmid from AHL Henderson, relays Danny Webster of the Las Vegas Review-Journal (Twitter link). He’ll be covering for Ilya Samsonov for the time being who is day-to-day with an upper-body injury.  Schmid is in his first season with Vegas after being acquired at the draft but has played almost exclusively with the Silver Knights, posting a 3.58 GAA and a .886 SV% in 30 outings.
  • The Predators announced that they’ve reassigned wingers Hiroki Gojsic and Kalan Lind to AHL Milwaukee. Gojsic was a late third-round pick in June and has already signed his entry-level deal.  The 18-year-old had 20 goals and 17 assists in 61 games this season with WHL Kelowna but with the Rockets missing the playoffs, he’s eligible to be sent to the minors.  As for Lind, he wrapped up his major junior career with WHL Red Deer, tallying 12 goals and 15 assists in 37 games with the Rebels.  A 2023 second-round selection, Lind has also already signed his entry-level deal and since he’s 20, he’ll be turning pro full-time next season, an option that won’t be available to Gojsic.

Sharks Recall Jack Thompson

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The San Jose Sharks have made their corresponding recall after reassigning two skaters earlier this morning. The team has called up rookie defenseman Jack Thompson from the AHL. Thompson is in the midst of a hot streak in the minors, having recorded five points, a plus-two, and 11 shots on goal over his last four games. He will now return to the NHL for the first time since being reassigned to the minors on March 6th.

Thompson’s playing time this season has been nearly perfectly split between the major and minor league rosters. He made the Sharks lineup out of training camp and recorded three points in his first three games of the season. That was enough to hold onto San Jose’s extra defender role through mid-December, but Thompson was reassigned to the minors after netting just five total points through his first 14 games of the NHL season. He quickly adjusted to the minors and scored nine points across 16 games.

With San Jose’s blue-line in flux around the turn of the year, Thompson’s hot scoring quickly made him the Sharks’ de facto call-up. he bounced between the NHL and AHL lineups through January, February, and March. The frequent movements coincided with Thompson netting just one point – an NHL goal – through 18 combined games between January 27th and March 19th. His recent scoring streak has marked a resurgence from that slump, and the Sharks will now reward Thompson’s resilience with a return to the top flight.

Thompson should step directly into the lineup after Cagnoni was reassigned. He could be in store for an immediate top-four role ahead of left-shot defender Marc-Edouard Vlasic, who has spent the last few games playing on his off-hand. Those minutes could soon sap up, though, as more fellow blue-liners Henry Thrun, Vincent Desharnais, and Jimmy Schuldt work their way back from injuries of varying severity.

Bruins Patrick Brown, Vinni Lettieri Clear Waivers

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3/31: Both Bruins forwards have cleared waivers, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. They will now be eligible to be assigned to the minor leagues.

3/30: The Boston Bruins have placed forwards Patrick Brown and Vinni Lettieri on waivers, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Both players have been up and down between the major and minor rosters this season, after each successfully clearing waivers in October.

Lettieri has been the slightly more utilized forward between the pair. He’s appeared in 19 games this season and scored two goals and three points, while tacking on four penalty minutes and a minus-eight. It’s another season of low-scoring for Lettieri, after he entered the season with just 27 points in 128 career NHL games. He’s been far more exciting in the minors this season – with 20 goals and 48 points in 46 games ranking him second on the Providence Bruins in scoring. Lettieri is one of just 15 AHL skaters still scoring above a point-per-game pace through 20-or-more games. While his NHL scoring has stayed consistently low, he’s been a routine force in the minors. Lettieri has rivaled point-per-game scoring in every AHL season since 2020-21 – including netting a career-high 49 points in 48 games of the 2022-23 campaign. With a succesful pass through waivers, Lettieri could be in a great spot to break that career-high in his age-30 season.

Brown has performed a slight step behind Lettieri all year long. He has just one assist in 13 NHL games, and 44 points in 52 AHL games, on the season. He too entered the year with little NHL momentum behind him – entering 2024-25 with just 25 points in 149 career games. But his minor-league scoring does mark a small breakout after Brown managed just 32 points in 42 AHL games last season, and 21 points in 60 games of his last full AHL season in 2019-20. He spent the gap between the AHL stints playing routine minutes with the Philadelphia Flyers, and filling an extra forward role with the Vegas Golden Knights and Ottawa Senators. The journeyman Brown is now settled with the Bruins, and could soon head to support Providence’s Calder Cup Playoffs push after they clinched a spot last weekend.

Of note, neither player will be able to return to the NHL this season should they be claimed off of waivers. They’ll instead have to be assigned to their new team’s minor league program and potentially support a different Calder Cup race.

Wild Brendan Gaunce, Devin Shore Clear Waivers

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3/31: Both Wild forwards have cleared waivers, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. They will now be eligible to be assigned to the minor leagues.

3/30: The Minnesota Wild have placed depth forwards Brendan Gaunce and Devin Shore on waivers per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Both players have bounced between rosters all season long. Shore was placed on, and cleared, waivers in each of September, December, January, and February – while Gaunce was successfully waived in September.

While he’s often been the first cut when Minnesota needs roster flexibility, Shore has spent the large majority of his season on the NHL roster. He’s stepped into 51 games on the year and recorded five points, six penalty minutes, and a minus-six from Minnesota’s fourth line. Shore has also been returned to the minors for 14 games on the year. He has a productive 10 points, six penalty minutes, and minus-11 in those appearances. While he hasn’t found much scoring at either level, this year has marked the most Shore has played in one NHL season since 2016-17 and 2017-18 – when he played through two full seasons with the Dallas Stars. Those were career years for Shore, giving him the platform to score a career-high 33 and 32 points respectively. He’s fallen into the role of journeyman depth forward in the years since, playing through tenures with the Anaheim Ducks, Columbus Blue Jackets, Edmonton Oilers, and Seattle Kraken.

While Shore has provided Minnesota with a veteran presence in their extra forward slot, Gaunce has found his footing at the top of the AHL Iowa Wild lineup. He has 15 goals and 29 points in 35 AHL games this season, good for fifth on the roster in scoring. Those appearances have been intercut with 12 games in the NHL lineup, though Gaunce has only tallied one assist, four penalty minutes, and a minus-four at the top flight. He’s bounced between the NHL and AHL over the last three years, after a quick pit stop in Sweden’s SHL in the shortened 2020-21 campaign. He scored a career-high 39 points in 46 AHL games last season and has 29 points in 189 career NHL games.

Of note, neither player will be able to rejoin the NHL should they be claimed off waivers due to the post-Deadline roster rules . They will instead need to be assigned to their new club’s minor-league program.

Ryan Kirwan Signs Two-Year Deal With Marlies

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The Toronto organizations got a little deeper Saturday evening, when the AHL’s Toronto Marlies agreed to a two-year contract with Arizona State University senior Ryan Kirwan. The deal will officially begin in the 2025-26 season, with Kirwan finishing out this year on a professional try-out with the Marlies.

Kirwan was the top scorer for the Sun Devils this season, leading the team with 26 goals and 39 points in 37 games. It was a true breakout performance for the six-foot-two, 200-pound winger who had spent his last three seasons at Penn State University. He couldn’t find the same scoring groove at with the Nittay Lions – twice netting 13 goals and 26 points in 36 games; split by one season of just 17 points in 28 games. He was in need of a change of scenery, and found a proper fit with the ever-burgeoning Arizona State.

Kirwan was a top youth hockey prospect. He made the Avon Old Farms prep roster directly out of AA in his 15U season, and managed a dazzling 101 points in 71 games with Little Caesers in his 16U campaign. Those performances earned him a first-round selection in the 2018 USHL Futures Draft. He was immediately impactful in the junior league – netting 25 goals and 41 points in 50 games as a rookie, and 21 goals and 37 points in year two. Kirwan benefited from a physical profile that was a step more mature than his peers – and it’s likely that difference that made college a challenging scene. But he got his feet under him this season – while holding on to strong goal-scoring throughout. Kirwan will bring a stalky build, glued-on puck control, and a hard shot to the Marlies lineup starting in April.

San Jose Sharks Recall Jimmy Schuldt

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Veteran defenseman Jimmy Schuldt is getting another look with the Sharks.  The team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled Schuldt from AHL San Jose; it’s his fourth recall of the month.

The 29-year-old is in his first season with the Sharks after signing a one-year, two-way deal with them last summer.  He has seen his first NHL action since the 2018-19 campaign with Vegas so from that standpoint, the choice was a good one.

Schuldt has suited up in five games for the Sharks this season, all of which have come this month.  He has been held off the scoresheet in those outings while averaging a little under 15 minutes a game of playing time.  Meanwhile, with the Barracuda, Schuldt has six goals and 14 assists in 59 outings, his second straight year of declining offensive production in the AHL.

Schuldt is expected to add to his NHL games played total tonight against the Rangers as it’s believed he’ll draw in for the injured Vincent Desharnais.  However, his recall will likely be short-lived as Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News relays (Twitter link) that it appears that blueliner Marc-Edouard Vlasic will be available to play Sunday versus Los Angeles.  At that time, the emergency conditions for Schuldt’s recall will terminate, meaning he’ll either have to return to the Barracuda or be converted to one of San Jose’s four post-deadline regular recalls.

Afternoon Notes: Malkin, Shea, Talbot, Cossa, Svechnikov

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The Pittsburgh Penguins will face the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday without lineup pillar Evgeni Malkin, who is set to sit out with a day-to-day upper-body injury per NHL.com’s Michelle Crechiolo. This will mark Malkin’s 12th absence since January 1st.

Malkin has continued to make a strong impact when he’s healthy. He has three points in his last five games, and 15 points in 23 games since the calendar turned over. Those marks have brought Malkin’s season-long scoring total up to 15 goals and 46 points in 62 games. That’s an 82-game scoring pace of just 61 points – the lowest of Malkin’s 19 year career in the NHL. Even still, he’s ranked fifth on the Penguins roster in scoring and fourth among forwards in average ice time (18 minutes). Malkin remains the focal point of Pittsburgh’s second-line, and leaves a noticeable hole in Tuesday night’s lineup. Kevin Hayes will see a boost in minutes in Malkin’s absence, while Joona Koppanen is expected to step into the lineup once again. Koppanen scored his first NHL goal on March 18th – his only point in four games.

While losing Malkin is always terrible news in Pittsburgh, the team will have a silver lining in the return of oft-used defenseman Ryan Shea, who missed the last seven-games with an upper-body injury – per Crechiolo. Shea has just five points in 30 games this season, though he’s heated up as of late – and played a season-high 24 minutes of ice time in his last game on March 9th. Shea has averaged 20 minutes of ice time in 10 games since January 1st. He likely won’t return to those heights immediately upon returning from injury – but could see his minutes slowly climb over Pittsburgh’s next few games.

Other notes around the league:

  • Detroit Red Wings goaltender Cam Talbot will be healthy enough to serve as backup in Thursday night’s game, per Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press. St. James adds that Talbot’s return will require Detroit to reassign top goalie prospect Sebastian Cossa, who was recalled with Detroit facing injuries to Talbot and Petr Mrazek. Mrazek remains out. Talbot will ease back into the lineup looking to build on his .898 save percentage through 38 games this season. Meanwhile, Cossa will return to the minor leagues looking to maintain his .913 save percentage through 35 AHL games. Cossa has held steady at a .913 Sv% in each of the last three seasons. The Red Wings’ starter’s crease will continue to be manned by Alex Lyon, who’s saved 39 of 44 shots against over his last two starts. Those marks have brought Lyon to a .899 Sv% in 27 games this season – second-highest on the Wings behind Mrazek’s .902 in five games played.
  • The Carolina Hurricanes have received a boost of good news, with winger Andrei Svechnikov set to return to the lineup after he missed the last seven games with an upper-body injury per NHL.com’s Walt Ruff. The missed games brought Svechnikov up to eight absences this season – his fewest since the 2021-22 campaign. The 24-year-old winger has 18 goals and 43 points in 63 games this season. With such a chunk of missing games behind him, and just 11 games left on Carolina’s schedule, the ’Canes will likely ease Svechnikov back into the lineup. He’ll likely rotate through a top-six role with wingers like Jackson Blake, Taylor Hall, and Jack Roslovic.

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