Morning Notes: Panthers, Tracy, Scheel
Florida Panthers defensemen Aaron Ekblad and Dmitry Kulikov each suffered injuries in yesterday’s win over the Ottawa Senators, head coach Paul Maurice announced postgame. Per team reporter Jameson Olive, both defensemen “sound like they could miss time” with these injuries.
Ekblad appeared to suffer the injury after blocking a shot with his hand. Maurice told the media, including Florida Hockey Now’s George Richards, that Ekblad doesn’t look good as a result of the injury, and while he is still being evaluated, is likely to miss some time. Ekblad has been Florida’s No. 3 defenseman this season and has 26 points in 72 games while averaging 22:28 time on ice per game. Kulikov has been Florida’s No. 5 defenseman and appeared to suffer his injury after taking a puck to the face. Per Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald, Kulikov is set for a CT scan to help determine the full extent of his injury.
Other notes from around the hockey world:
- The Henderson Silver Knights, AHL affiliate of the Vegas Golden Knights, announced yesterday the signing of NCAA free agent goalie Alexander Tracy to an AHL contract for the 2026-27 season. Tracy will report to the ECHL’s Tahoe Knight Monsters for the rest of 2025-26. He was ranked as the No. 9 player in this year’s NCAA free agent class by the team at Elite Prospects, who called him “a refined goaltender whose greatest asset is that he boasts very few flaws.” Tracy has been a strong goalie at just about every level he’s played at. Playing college hockey for Minnesota State (Mankato), he posted a .927 save percentage in 115 career games, won two conference titles, a conference goalie and player of the year award, and was a Hobey Baker Memorial Award finalist. He is also a Clark Cup champion and playoff MVP from his days in the USHL, and was a top goalie during his lone season in the NAHL. Now, he’ll hope to sustain that track record of brilliance at the ECHL level to begin his pro career.
- Adam Scheel, a former member of the Dallas Stars organization who proved to be a star goaltender in the NCAA and ECHL, has signed a contract for next season to join the Frankfurt Lions of the DEL. The 26-year-old concluded a four-year run playing pro hockey in North America last summer when he signed a one-year deal to be a tandem goalie for Barys Astana, a Kazakh club in the KHL. He ended up making the KHL’s All-Star Game, posting a .908 save percentage in 32 games despite owning a 10-18-1 record. Scheel is a significant signing for Frankfurt, as he has over 100 games of AHL experience under his belt and has proven himself in the KHL. He is set to join a Frankfurt team that ranked as the second-worst in the DEL this season and surrendered the second-most goals.
Edmonton Oilers Reassign Roby Jarventie
The Edmonton Oilers have reassigned forward Roby Järventie to their AHL affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors. The move leaves the Oilers with 13 healthy forwards on their active roster.
Järventie was originally recalled on March 19 when the Oilers shifted star center Leon Draisaitl to long-term injured reserve. The 23-year-old made his Oilers debut on March 21 in the team’s loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning, and ended up dressing for three games in Edmonton, and serving as a healthy scratch for one. His trio of games on this most recent recall were Järventie’s first NHL contests since he played in seven games for the Ottawa Senators in 2023-24.
The No. 33 pick of the 2020 NHL draft, Järventie has yet to make real headway in the NHL in the limited opportunities he’s received. The 6’3″, 209-pound winger has been a solid AHL scorer for much of his time in North America, and has 17 goals and 36 points in 52 AHL games this season. In the NHL, he’s registered one point in his 10 career games, but is still waiting on his first NHL goal.
On this most recent recall, Järventie played sparingly, averaging 8:00 time on ice per game. His impact on the box score was limited to one hit, two shots on goal, and four blocked shots. Interestingly, Järventie’s solid AHL production hasn’t actually come in a significant lineup role. He’s not one of the team’s leaders among forwards in terms of how much ice time he receives per game, and is typically behind both veterans such as Seth Griffith and Max Jones, as well as younger forwards such as Quinn Hutson, Viljami Marjala, and Isaac Howard on the depth chart.
For Järventie to maximize his odds of earning another NHL call-up, he’ll likely want to find a way to get onto the Condors’ top power play unit on a more consistent basis, and also find a way to earn a more substantial lineup role, so that he can increase his production at that level even further.
Hurricanes Sign Charlie Cerrato To AHL Tryout
The Carolina Hurricanes signed center prospect Charlie Cerrato to a tryout contract with their AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves, according to a team announcement. Team reporter Walt Ruff reported that the team is keeping its options open regarding signing Cerrato to an entry-level contract, either for the remainder of 2025-26 or one slated to begin in 2026-27.
In the increasingly murky, uncertain world of NCAA eligibility, signing Cerrato to a tryout agreement rather than a full contract could allow him to maintain his eligibility to play college hockey. If he ends up not signing an entry-level deal, there could be a path for him to return to college hockey, in a similar vein to other players who have returned to the college ranks after getting their feet wet in the AHL and ECHL.
Cerrato, 21, recently concluded his sophomore campaign with the Penn State Nittany Lions. While injuries limited him to just 23 games played, he improved his scoring rate slightly, posting 27 points. He scored 42 points in 38 games as a freshman.
The Maryland native was a member of the U.S. National Team Development Program before spending a year as a No. 1 center at the USHL level with the Youngstown Phantoms. His stellar debut season in college got him drafted No. 49 overall by the Hurricanes, a relatively high selection for someone who had been passed over at both the 2023 and 2024 entry drafts. But it was a reflection of just how much progress Cerrato had made in his development in his freshman season.
Entering the season, the team at Elite Prospects rated Cerrato as the No. 17 prospect, crediting his “off-puck qualities” with giving him a “likely path to a bottom-six NHL role.” He appears to have raised his stock over the course of this season, with The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler recently ranking him as the No. 5 prospect in Carolina’s system. According to Wheeler, Cerrato’s “believers are very confident he has an NHL future.”
With today’s tryout agreement signing, Cerrato has taken a concrete step towards realizing that NHL future. While he’ll first need to prove he can handle the rigors of the pro game at the AHL level, his status as a double-overage selection and his pro-style game likely mean he’ll have an accelerated timeline towards making it to the NHL compared to other 2025 picks.
The fact that he signed a tryout agreement, and therefore may have kept open the possibility of returning to college, makes Cerrato one of the more intriguing prospects to track in the AHL at this later stage of the season.
Predators Sign Aiden Fink To AHL Tryout
Predators right-wing prospect Aiden Fink signed an amateur tryout contract with the club’s AHL affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals, on Tuesday, Nick Kieser of Lower Broad Hockey relays. The transaction signals Fink is turning pro, but gives Nashville more time to decide if they want to sign him to an entry-level contract with immediate effect or beginning next season.
If Fink signed an NHL contract that began now, he would be ineligible for AHL assignment. Signing the ATO first will allow the Penn State product to play a few games in Milwaukee to get up to speed before the Preds make the call on whether to work him into their lineup for their push for a wild-card spot.
Fink, 21, was a seventh-round pick in 2023 – as Kieser points out, the last selection that former general manager David Poile made. Since then, all the 5’10” winger has done is score.
Fink was drafted from the Brooks Bandits of the Alberta Junior Hockey League. The junior ‘A’ organization is far from a powerhouse compared to Canadian Hockey League clubs but has produced several NHL alumni, highlighted by Avalanche superstar Cale Makar. Fink was voted as the top player in all provincial junior ‘A’ leagues in his post-draft season, erupting for 41 goals and 97 points in 54 games for the Bandits.
After committing to Penn State University the year prior, he arrived in State College as a freshman in 2024. Fink scored a point per game or better in each of his three seasons as a Nittany Lion, wrapping up his collegiate career with a 38-point effort in 30 outings this season. Injuries and a goal-scoring slump meant he didn’t reach the heights of his 23-goal, 53-point sophomore season that truly put him on the map, but he was still one of the top talents in the Big 10.
Fink was particularly impressive on the international stage this year. The Calgary-born forward has never been part of the Canadian national junior or senior team but joined a select team of NCAA players that traveled to compete against top-flight European talent in the Spengler Cup invitational back in December. While they ended up losing the final to hosts HC Davos of the Swiss National League, Fink’s four goals and four assists in four games led the tournament in scoring.
His size and defensive limitations have kept Fink from being regarded as a legitimate top-10 prospect in a Nashville pool that’s on the deeper side. That said, his pure offensive ceiling is right up there among Nashville’s best – if he can handle the physical grind of the NHL and get to the areas he needs to in order to score.
Sharks Reassign Laurent Brossoit, Yaroslav Askarov To Return
Ahead of tonight’s game against St. Louis, the San Jose Sharks reassigned Laurent Brossoit to the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda. With this move in mind, it became apparent that starter Yaroslav Askarov is set to return to the crease, confirmed by Max Miller of Sharks Hockey Digest.
Brossoit has been back and forth in the past few weeks, last summoned three days ago. Throughout that time he’s only managed to play in one game, March 15 against Ottawa, where he took a loss in a rough outing. Even then, the 33-year-old deserves props for working his way back to the highest level after numerous injuries cast doubt on his career.
In 15 games with the Barracuda, Brossoit has been one of the AHL’s premier netminders, boasting a .915 save percentage and winning 11 of his 15 contests. As far as #3 depth goaltenders go, the Sharks feature a strong one in the British Columbia native with 141 games of NHL experience. He should have the opportunity to lead the San Jose farm hands into the postseason.
Meanwhile, Askarov’s return makes for an exciting end of the season for Sharks fans. It has been a tough month for the show stopping 23-year-old, who returned from a 16-day absence last week only to be injured again against the Blues. Thankfully it doesn’t appear to be serious, and he’ll come back against the same opponent four days later.
Askarov, thought to be one of the game’s best young goalies, hasn’t put it all together just yet. He’s struggled at times with a 3.52 goals against average and an .888 save percentage, slightly above the .500 win rate. Still, the Russian flashes his brilliance regularly and there’s usually a learning curve for any such prospect, especially adjusting as part of a growing team.
The Sharks are set up with young talent across the lineup, and Askarov will look to finish the campaign on a high note before continuing to improve with the club in 2026 and beyond.
Panthers Sign Tyler Muszelik
The Florida Panthers have signed 2022 sixth-round draft pick Tyler Muszelik to a two-year, entry-level contract set to begin in the 2026-27 season. Muszelik recently saw his college career come to an end after two years at the University of New Hampshire and two years at the University of Connecticut. It was not indicated if Muszelik will sign a minor-league contract for the remainder of the season.
Florida moved goaltender Kirill Gerasimyuk from the ECHL’s Savannah Ghost Pirates to the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers roughly an hour before signing Muszelik, which may create a crowded goalie room in the AHL.
Muszelik moved to the college level immediately after two seasons with the U.S. National Team Development Program. He split starts with Detroit Red Wings prospect Trey Augustine at the NTDP and managed a middling stat line: a 15-13-4 record and 0.880 save percentage in 34 USHL games. A quiet junior career and early start in college led Muszelik to a backup role for his underclass seasons in New Hampshire. His time with the Wildcats was fairly quiet, marked by a 9-10-2 record and 0.879 save percentage in 21 games.
Seeking more, Muszelik moved to Connecticut for his junior season in 2024-25. He moved straight into the starting role vacated by Nashville Predators’ prospect Ethan Haider and Calgary Flames’ prospect Arsenii Sergeev. Muszelik was quickly successful with routine ice time. He posted a 12-6-3 record and a .912 save percentage in 23 games. His performance was strong enough to help UConn push to the Hockey East championship game, where they lost to the University of Maine. Not to be deterred, Muszelik managed to improve on his strong numbers this season. He posted a 19-11-5 record and .926 save percentage in 35 games and again led the Huskies to the Hockey East championship, only to lose to Merrimack College.
Even with a pair of conference championship losses shadowing over him, Muszelik’s upperclass seasons were shining performances. He showed an impressive layer of athleticism and focus – and seemed to only get better the more frequently he took the starter’s crease. On the back of heavy minutes this season, Muszelik could get a chance to take an early break in preparation for his first pro season.
If he instead signs a minor-league contract for the remainder of the season, Muszelik would get a chance to compete with Gerasimyuk and Cooper Black for pro minutes. Black has held a firm grip on Charlotte’s starting role this season, marked by 24 wins and a .903 save percentage in 39 games. Gerasimyuk has recorded eight wins and a .904 save percentage in 17 AHL games. The pair of goaltenders will be Muszelik’s competition through the first year of his entry-level contract.
Avalanche Sign Matthew DiMarsico
The Colorado Avalanche will once again dip into the pool of college free agents. They have signed Penn State winger Matthew DiMarsico to a two-year, entry-level contract set to begin in the 2026-27 season. DiMarsico will join the AHL’s Colorado Eagles on an AHL contract for the remainder of the 2025-26 season.
This will be another boost to a big season for DiMarsico. The undrafted forward posted a career-high 18 goals and 42 points in 37 games with Penn State this season – one more goal and nine more assists than he managed in 39 games last year. He was also selected to represent the NCAA at the 2025 Spengler Cup, as part of a historic U.S. Collegiate Selects squad. DiMarsico posted two goals and a minus-two in four games at the international tournament. Much of his season was spent alongside, or behind, star prospect Gavin McKenna on the depth chart. Where McKenna offered flashy playmaking, DiMarsico brought poised drive and finishing around the net. His 6-foot, 180-pound frame stood tall against college competition, helping DiMarsico win his battles and fill multiple roles on the forecheck.
The 22-year-old has spent three seasons in college hockey’s Big Ten. He slowly worked his way up the Nittany Lions roster, propelled by a breakout year across from Nashville Predators prospect Aiden Fink last season. DiMarsico only had one year of junior hockey experience before his days as a college athlete – scoring 25 goals and 46 points in 59 games with the USHL’s Green Bay Gamblers in the 2022-23 season, the season after his first year of draft eligibility. He spent his age-18 season playing 18U hockey with the Buffalo Regals and high school hockey at Avon Old Farms.
DiMarsico was a workhorse talent for the Nittany Lions. He played upwards of 23 minutes a night in must-win games and helped push the puck downhill when Penn State broke out. He will get his first chances to translate that to the pro level with eight games left in the Eagles’ regular season. The Eagles are well-positioned for a playoff spot, though they haven’t yet clinched it. DiMarsico’s hot offense could be a major playoff boost and help him work towards the goal of one day slotting into the Avalanche’s bottom-six.
Red Wings Assign Anton Johansson To AHL
The Detroit Red Wings shared that prospect Anton Johansson has been assigned to AHL Grand Rapids, coming from Leksands of the SHL.
A fourth round selection in 2022, the 6’4″ defenseman made a nice impression last spring in 11 games during his tryout with the Griffins, recording five points. Sent back to his native Sweden for 2025-26, the righty was a bright spot as a key youngster for Leksands this year, posting 17 points and 49 penalty minutes in 42 contests, a solid step forward from the year prior.
Inking his entry level contract last year, the 21-year-old is not thought to be among the team’s highest ranked farmhands in a deep pool. However, he brings size, physical edge, and enough puck moving skills to be a continued riser as a great find at 105th overall. Considering that their third pairing and overall defensive depth has been a sore spot at times, Johansson is coming in with a real path forward into becoming a Red Wings mainstay.
Joining an elite AHL team for their stretch run as he makes the full time transition to North America, Johansson will be in a favorable situation in Grand Rapids. Losing Justin Holl to St. Louis in the Justin Faulk trade, the Griffins benefit from adding a physical youngster who has plenty of professional experience from Sweden, as well as prior time spent with the team. Johansson will also get to learn under fellow countrymen in veterans Erik Gustafsson and William Lagesson.
In all likelihood, Johansson won’t debut rocking the Winged Wheel for some time, but fans will eagerly watch his continued development in Grand Rapids next season as an ascending prospect. Detroit is facing the possible disappointment of missing the postseason again, but even if such is the case, their top prospect pool offers much to be excited about, especially as it aligns with the current roster’s needs.
Kraken Reassign Logan Morrison
3/29: Morrison has been re-assigned to AHL Coachella Valley, the team announced this morning. The forward was scratched in both games on the big club, as McCann returned last night. Seattle will be back at it Tuesday in Edmonton in dire need of points in an attempt to sneak into Wild Card berth. Meanwhile, the 12th ranked Firebirds will be pleased to have their leading scorer back.
3/27: The Seattle Kraken have recalled forward Logan Morrison from the AHL under emergency conditions. He will help Seattle address a slew of injuries, including to Jaden Schwartz, Jared McCann, and Ryan Winterton.
Morrison played in his NHL debut on March 26, 2024 – nearly two years ago to the day. He totaled four NHL appearances that season and recorded no scoring, no penalties, and a minus-one. Morrison has been with the AHL’s Coachella Valley Firebirds ever since. He carved out a top role on the Firebirds with back-to-back 40-point seasons over the last two years. With that footing, Morrison has taken off this year. He leads Coachella Valley in goals (27) and points (56) through 61 games. He has added 40 penalty minutes and a plus-22, also career-highs for the young professional.
The 23-year-old winger could be set to play in his fifth NHL game as the Kraken seek out a right-winger to fill out their depth chart. Seattle has operated with 11 forwards and seven defenseman recently, creating room for Cale Fleury to play in four games this month. He has one point and a minus-one in those appearances, bringing his season totals up to three points in 21 games. With that quiet stretch, and a 1-4-0 record in their last five games, Seattle could look back towards a traditional lineup structure to provide a spark.
Chicago Blackhawks Recall Kevin Korchinski
The Chicago Blackhawks have announced the recall of defenseman Kevin Korchinski from their AHL affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs.
The move returns the 2022 No. 7 overall pick to the NHL roster for the second time this month. Korchinski last played for the Blackhawks on March 1, was a healthy scratch March 3, and was sent down March 5.
The 21-year-old joins a Blackhawks roster that, before this recall, boasted just six healthy defensemen. Veteran Matt Grzelcyk has been sidelined since March 22 with an upper-body injury. He was ruled out for Chicago’s four-game road trip, a stretch that concludes tonight in Newark. Grzelcyk’s status beyond the road trip was not announced, but this transaction indicates the veteran could miss additional time.
Korchinski has had an up-and-down tenure in the Blackhawks organization since he was drafted in 2022, with the first top-10 pick of Chicago’s rebuild.
His ineligibility for the AHL due to a late June birthday led to Korchinski playing his entire rookie pro campaign in the NHL, averaging 19:36 time on ice per game, including 1:47 per game on the power play, in 2023-24. While he showed some flashes of the talent that made him such a high draft pick, his rookie year was undoubtedly a struggle.
Since that point, Korchinski has spent most of his time in the AHL, playing as a top defenseman for the IceHogs. Korchinski has been a top-pairing, all-situations player in Rockford this season, playing a heavy workload and on both sides of special teams. He’s scored 26 points in 53 games this season, and had 27 points in 56 games last season.
While he remains a quality prospect, some of his shine has faded as he’s been unable to secure a full-time NHL role with the Blackhawks, a team that has not been overflowing with veteran talent on the left side of its defense over the last few years. In 2023, he ranked as the No. 31 skater prospect across the NHL, according to Elite Prospects. By 2025, he ranked No. 83. Just a few days ago, the outlet released its newest rankings, and Korchinski was no longer in the top-100, settling in as an honorable mention.
With that said, although Korchinski’s stock has trended down since turning pro, that’s not to say he doesn’t still have a promising NHL future.
While third-party observers have lowered their projections for Korchinski as he’s remained in the AHL, the Blackhawks have a different view of his development. Assistant GM Mark Eaton told The Athletic’s Scott Powers and Mark Lazerus in January that he doesn’t believe “there’s any fear of [Korchinski] being in Rockford too long,” adding that he believes “the fear is him coming up too soon.” Eaton expressed confidence in Korchinski’s developmental direction, saying “he’s finally in a spot where he’s building that foundation to the player that he’s going to be at the NHL level.”
The Blackhawks aren’t playing for a playoff spot in what remains of the 2025-26 season, so player development is the key priority in the games that remain on schedule. Recalling Korchinski gives one of the team’s top prospects a chance to showcase his progress at the game’s highest level.
Set to be an RFA this upcoming summer, Korchinski is entering a stretch of games with significant individual stakes, even if the stakes for the team in the standings are minimal. The upcoming slate of NHL games Korchinski is set to dress for could go a long way in determining how comfortable the Blackhawks feel in penciling him into their NHL roster for 2026-27.
Photos courtesy of Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports