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NHL Central Scouting Releases Midterm 2023 Rankings

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The midterm rankings are out from NHL Central Scouting for the 2023 draft, and unsurprisingly, Connor Bedard takes home the top spot among North American skaters. The Regina Pats forward set a number of records at the recent World Juniors, and won’t turn 18 until July, making him one of the younger players in the draft. Dan Marr, vice president of NHL Central Scouting, has this to say about the WHL phenom:

Connor Bedard is an outstanding talent with the ability to utilize all of his skills and assets at top speed, placing him on a level of his own right now as the No. 1 prospect for the 2023 NHL Draft. He is one of the more natural scorers to come along since Patrick Kane with a Draft hype reminiscent of Connor McDavid and Sidney Crosby. Like those three, Bedard is a player that can bring you out of your seat.

Adam Fantilli, another Canadian forward prospect with huge upside, ranks second behind Bedard in the NA list. A freshman for the University of Michigan, Fantilli has racked up 11 goals and 26 points in just 16 games. He is a good bet to go second overall but didn’t have the runaway World Junior tournament that Bedard experienced, which seems to have widened the gap considerably between the two.

The top ten North American skaters are:

  1. Connor Bedard, Regina Pats (WHL)
  2. Adam Fantilli, Michigan (NCAA)
  3. William Smith, USNTDP
  4. Ryan Leonard, USNTDP
  5. Brayden Yager, Moose Jaw (WHL)
  6. Oliver Moore, USNTDP
  7. Zach Benson, Winnipeg (WHL)
  8. Matthew Wood, UConn (NCAA)
  9. Samuel Honzek, Vancouver (WHL)
  10. Colby Barlow, Owen Sound (OHL)

Not to be forgotten is the international list, which could be considered an even deeper top-10. While the top-ranked Leo Carlsson from Sweden isn’t quite to Bedard’s level, he is a difference-making talent in his own right. The 18-year-old center is already in his second SHL season playing regular minutes, and has 15 points in 26 games for Orebro HK. The kind of two-way player that can anchor a lineup, Carlsson seems to do everything right, all the time. Marr had this to say about the top European:

Leo Carlsson is a competitive two-way forward with all the tools needed to excel. He is very athletic, a quick and fluid skater, strong on the puck and effective in battles. A very consistent performer capable of making the game look easy with his deceptive smarts and skills. He generates chances at crucial times and is capable of changing the momentum of games.

Beyond Carlsson though is a group of excellent talents that teams will be clamoring over in the summer. Matvei Michkov, a Russian forward that was once considered a potential rival of Bedard’s for the first-overall pick, comes in second. The dynamic Michkov constantly drives the puck to dangerous areas with slick skill and agility, while possessing a hard snapshot and one-timer that make him a weapon on the powerplay. Since a recent move to HK Sochi so that he could actually get some KHL playing time, he has four goals in nine games.

The top ten International skaters are:

  1. Leo Carlsson, Orebro (SHL)
  2. Matvei Michkov, Sochi (KHL)
  3. Axel Sandin Pellikka, Skelleftea (SHL)
  4. Dalibor Dvorsky, AIK (Allsvenskan)
  5. Eduard Sale, Brno (Czechia)
  6. Otto Stenberg, Frolunda (Sweden Jr.)
  7. Lenni Hameenaho, Assat (Liiga)
  8. Mikhail Gulyayev, Omsk (KHL)
  9. Kasper Halttunen, HIFK (Liiga)
  10. David Reinbacher, Kloten (NL)

The full rankings, including the goaltending lists, can be found here.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Oliver Ekman-Larsson Expected To Be Scratched

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When the Vancouver Canucks take on the Tampa Bay Lightning tonight, it appears as though they will have a $7.26MM defenseman sitting in the press box. Oliver Ekman-Larsson was with Kyle Burroughs on the fourth pairing at the morning skate according to Patrick Johnston of The Province, with Travis Dermott taking his place next to Tyler Myers.

Head coach Bruce Boudreau was asked directly about it, and said scratching Ekman-Larsson was “potentially true” though did then go on to call him “arguably [their] best defenseman.”

Ekman-Larsson, 31, has been dreadful this season for the Canucks, who have been outscored 44-34 at even strength with him on the ice. Those 44 goals against put him 7th-worst in the entire league among defensemen, and the worst on Vancouver in particular.

Since arriving from the Arizona Coyotes in a massive 2021 trade, his goal-scoring has also dried up. A two-time 20-goal scorer, Ekman-Larsson has just six in 119 games since joining Vancouver.

What has happened to the Canucks this season isn’t all his fault, but he is emblematic of the problem the team faces. They are not competitive, and yet have plenty of long-term, big-money contracts on the books. The $7.26MM for Ekman-Larsson isn’t even his full contract – the Coyotes retained $990K per season when they dealt him. It extends through 2026-27, and includes a full no-movement clause that he would have to waive again to orchestrate any kind of exit (other than a buyout, which currently would extend through 2031).

The Canucks have more than $69MM committed to just 14 players for next season. That does not include Bo Horvat or Andrei Kuzmenko, who are both pending unrestricted free agents.

Patrick Kane Placed On Injured Reserve

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The Chicago Blackhawks have moved Patrick Kane to injured reserve retroactively to January 3 when he last played. That means he can come off whenever deemed healthy enough to return. Charlie Roumeliotis of NBCS Chicago reports that Kane is feeling better and hopes to play on Saturday.

Today’s transaction was to clear room for MacKenzie Entwistle, who has been activated from injured reserve and is ready to go. The 23-year-old winger hasn’t played since December while dealing with a wrist injury.

If Kane does return for Saturday’s game, it means another move is coming down the pipe. The Blackhawks remain at the maximum of 23 players on the roster, without a lot of obvious forward options to send down.

Lukas Reichel, who is still waiver-exempt, has been playing great in this latest call-up, scoring three points on Sunday in just his third game of the season. The 20-year-old is one of the team’s top prospects and looks ready to contribute at the NHL level, but might end up on his way back to the AHL in a few days.

For now, Kane will take time to fully heal and continue to make sure that there is no lingering effect. The legendary Blackhawks forward will be the focus of many trade rumors over the next few weeks, as he decides whether he wants to stay in Chicago or chase the Stanley Cup somewhere else.

If he’s not healthy, that decision doesn’t matter.

Brian Gionta Joins Niagara University

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The next stage of Brian Gionta’s hockey career is about to get underway, as Niagara University has announced him as their new director of player development. This move follows a few years of coaching in the Buffalo Jr. Sabres program and could suggest a front office future for the former NHL forward.

Jason Lammers, the head coach of Niagara, released the following:

Brian’s commitment to developing players and helping them reach their full potential is his priority. Brian’s strong leadership skills and passion for the game are Uncommon and will bring a new level of development for our student-athletes both on and off the ice to the program.

Gionta, 43, retired in 2018 after captaining the U.S. at the Olympics, the second time he had suited up for his country at the Games. A veteran of over 1,000 NHL games, he served as captain for the Montreal Canadiens and Buffalo Sabres, while racking up 291 goals and 595 points. His college career was outstanding, finishing as a Hobey Baker finalist three times while winning the NCAA championship in his senior year at Boston College. He won the Stanley Cup in 2003 with the New Jersey Devils, and was inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in 2020.

It potentially means nothing, but a move like this could indicate Gionta’s desire to climb the ladder in hockey development and operations. If he chooses, there will likely be many teams that would be willing to leverage his experience and knowledge. The third-round pick carved out an excellent career and was exceptionally well-respected during his time as a player.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Tanner Pearson Will Not Return This Season

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The Vancouver Canucks have some more disappointing news, announcing that Tanner Pearson suffered a setback in his recovery and needed a second hand surgery. He will miss the rest of the 2022-23 season.

It’s a season to forget for Pearson, who will end the year with just a single goal and five points. Through 14 games it was already evident that he wasn’t going to live up to the $3.25MM cap hit he carried, but at the very worst would be a reliable veteran piece for the bottom six.

Now, he very well could have played his last game in a Canucks uniform. Pearson’s seven-team no-trade clause will expire at the end of the season, meaning he no longer has any protection in his contract. If the team can’t find a taker, they could also choose a buyout, which would reduce his cap hit to $1.42MM for the 2023-24 season at the cost of a $917K penalty in 2024-25.

Of course, he needs to be healthy for the team to execute a buyout, meaning this hand surgery will have to go well for the team to have any chance of getting out from the last year of his deal.

Interestingly though, at 30 years old, Pearson may end up as a buy-low candidate in the offseason. It wasn’t working in Vancouver anymore and his currently salary makes him a difficult piece to build around, but at a lower cost, he could be a valuable depth piece. If he heals well this time, there could still be plenty of hockey left in the ten-year veteran, who scored 21 goals as recently as 2019-20.

For now, he can be moved to long-term injured reserve to give the team some extra cap flexibility if they end up needing it.

Buffalo Sabres Recall Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen; Reassign Jack Quinn

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It comes a few days late, but the Buffalo Sabres have recalled Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen as expected. The young goaltender was dealing with an illness but is expected to start tonight against the Winnipeg Jets. To make room, the Sabres have reassigned Jack Quinn to the AHL.

Luukkonen, 23, is essentially still the team’s starting goaltender right now, despite rotating back and forth from the AHL. The Sabres are in a three-goalie rotation after Eric Comrie recovered from injury, but they plan on having Luukkonen play a lot. That’s because Comrie’s play has been so inconsistent this year that they have lost some trust in him. On Tuesday against the Seattle Kraken, when Luukkonen was unable to play, Comrie allowed four goals on 18 shots.

The interesting part is that his recall comes at the cost of Quinn, who has struggled of late. The 21-year-old rookie has 17 points in 33 games, but none of those have come in his last nine. While the Sabres are still winning with him out there, the young forward isn’t contributing a ton to those victories. The question now is whether Quinn gets an extended period in the minors – a league he has already dominated – or is back up in a few days when Craig Anderson or Comrie take the net. The eighth overall pick from 2020 will need to play somewhere, and not be used like a yo-yo between leagues.

For now, they will go with their young goalie and see if he can get them back in the win column after two disappointing losses.

Pittsburgh Penguins Recall Taylor Fedun

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The Pittsburgh Penguins cleared three rosters spots yesterday, and now they’ve filled at least one of those with a recall from the minor leagues. Taylor Fedun is on his way to the NHL, recalled for the first time in more than a year.

Fedun, 34, hasn’t played an NHL game since the 2019-20 season when he was still with the Dallas Stars. The minor league veteran has been playing with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton for the past two seasons, rarely recalled even as injury insurance. This year, through 30 games, he has just two points, but is still a steady enough presence in the defensive end that he could potentially take some minutes with the big club.

There’s not much to get excited about with this recall though, as Fedun’s days as an NHL regular are long past. The team liked him enough to hand over a two-year contract last spring, but adding a 34-year-old minor league journeyman is probably not going to solve the Penguins’ issues. The club has lost seven of ten and sit fifth in the Metropolitan Division, still waiting on a hot streak to get them into contention for the division crown.

On Tuesday, young defenseman Pierre-Olivier Joseph saw just ten minutes of ice time, nearly 15% of which was on the powerplay. He managed to take two minor penalties in that short period. Perhaps the team is looking for a little more veteran savvy in that spot, but it remains to be seen whether Fedun will actually play.

Rangers Claim Jake Leschyshyn; Panthers Claim Casey Fitzgerald

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The New York Rangers are the team willing to take a chance on Jake Leschyshyn, claiming him off waivers from the Vegas Golden Knights according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. The young forward was waived yesterday after failing to record a single point this season. They aren’t the only team nabbing a new player though. Casey Fitzgerald has been claimed by the Florida Panthers, meaning he’s leaving the Buffalo Sabres, the only organization he’s ever been a part of.

Leschyshyn, 23, is better than he has shown for the Golden Knights this season, but the fact was that he hadn’t produced any offense despite regular (albeit limited) playing time. Selected 62nd overall in 2017, the Rangers likely have confidence that they can get him back closer to the player that put up 27 points in 34 games for the Henderson Silver Knights last season. A versatile forward who can be good defensively, engage physically and play both center and wing, he doesn’t need to produce a ton to be valuable. He does have to produce some though, which will ultimately decide whether he stays in the Rangers lineup for long.

Fitzgerald’s loss is a critical one for the Sabres. As referenced yesterday, when he was placed on waivers, Buffalo has some of the thinnest organizational depth in the league on defense. With today’s loss, they are now tied with Seattle for the fewest defensemen under NHL contracts with 11. Should the team run into any injuries, they would quickly run into a tricky situation in terms of available call-ups. With the team legitimately challenging for a playoff spot, that may end up being an area of focus at the trade deadline.

For Florida though, Fitzgerald is a nice solution. In early December, we wrote that defensive depth was a serious need, as the coaching staff didn’t seem comfortable icing the bottom pair for more than a few minutes a game. Matt Kiersted, for instance, is averaging just 9:51 in his 20 appearances. Fitzgerald, who has played 59 games over the last two seasons with Buffalo, gives them another option there, perhaps one that can gain some trust.

It wouldn’t be the first time a waiver claim did well on the Panthers blue line. Gustav Forsling, who now logs more than 24 minutes a night, was claimed almost exactly two years ago and has lived up to the potential.

Brendan Gallagher Out Six Weeks With Lower-Body Injury

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It’s been a year to forget so far for Brendan Gallagher. With just nine points on the season, he’s on pace for the worst total of his career. Now, he might not even get close. The Canadiens have announced that Gallagher will miss a minimum of six weeks with a lower-body injury.

Gallagher, 30, had only recently returned from an injury that kept him out a month, playing three games before hitting the shelf again. The energy forward was once the heart and soul of the Canadiens’ forward unit, now he seems an afterthought as they move toward a new core without his help. There have been a lot of miles put on his body over the year, as Gallagher played a give-everything-you-have style nightly, going to war in the corners and in front of the net.

After scoring just seven goals in 56 games last season, and not completing a full 82-game schedule since 2018-19, it’s easy to wonder what the future holds for Gallagher in Montreal. Unfortunately, at least for Canadiens fans, a year before Marc Bergevin’s time as general manager ended, he gave out a six-year extension to Gallagher that will keep him with the team through 2026-27. He carries a $6.5MM cap hit, and holds a six-team no-trade clause.

It’s hard to see any way that Montreal gets their money out of that deal, and while that isn’t a problem this season as they try for the first-overall pick, it could be in the future as they are trying to compete. The best-case scenario at this point is that Gallagher takes all the time he needs to get fully healthy and can come back to contribute down the road.

2023 AHL All-Star Rosters Announced

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While the focus of many hockey fans is on the upcoming NHL All-Star festivities, the AHL is set to hold its own event to honor the league’s best players. Today, they announced the rosters for the 2023 AHL All-Star Classic, which will be held in Laval, Quebec on February 5-6. Todd Nelson (Hershey), Greg Moore (Toronto), Neil Graham (Texas), and Mitch Love (Calgary) will be the four head coaches.

The rosters are as follows:

Atlantic Division

F Will Cuylle, Hartford Wolf Pack
F Tyson Foerster, Lehigh Valley Phantoms
F Ethen Frank, Hershey Bears
F Matthew Highmore, Springfield Thunderbirds
F Vinni Lettieri, Providence Bruins
F Riley Nash, Charlotte Checkers
F Mike Vecchione, Hershey Bears

D Samuel Bolduc, Bridgeport Islanders
D Xavier Ouellet, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
D Cam York, Lehigh Valley Phantoms

G Brandon Bussi, Providence Bruins
G Joel Hofer, Springfield Thunderbirds

North Division 

F Alex Barré-Boulet, Syracuse Crunch
F Brandon Biro, Rochester Americans
F Gabriel Dumont, Syracuse Crunch
F Anthony Richard, Laval Rocket
F Logan Shaw, Toronto Marlies
F Egor Sokolov, Belleville Senators

D Justin Barron, Laval Rocket
D Noel Hoefenmayer, Toronto Marlies
D David Jiricek, Cleveland Monsters
D Darren Raddysh, Syracuse Crunch

G Nico Daws, Utica Comets
G Joseph Woll, Toronto Marlies

Central Division 

F Riley Barber, Texas Stars
F David Gust, Rockford IceHogs
F Tommy Novak, Milwaukee Admirals
F Lukas Reichel, Rockford IceHogs
F Brett Seney, Rockford IceHogs
F Sammy Walker, Iowa Wild

D Declan Chisholm, Manitoba Moose
D Thomas Harley, Texas Stars
D Max Lajoie, Chicago Wolves
D Brian Lashoff, Grand Rapids Griffins

G Yaroslav Askarov, Milwaukee Admirals
G Jesper Wallstedt, Iowa Wild

Pacific Division

F Thomas Bordeleau, San Jose Barracuda
F Michael Carcone, Tucson Roadrunners
F Seth Griffith, Bakersfield Condors
F Matthew Phillips, Calgary Wranglers
F Andrew Poturalski, Coachella Valley Firebirds
F T.J. Tynan, Ontario Reign

D Ryker Evans, Coachella Valley Firebirds
D Brad Hunt, Colorado Eagles
D Daniil Miromanov, Henderson Silver Knights
D Christian Wolanin, Abbotsford Canucks

G Lukas Dostal, San Diego Gulls
G Dustin Wolf, Calgary Wranglers

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