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NHL Announces New Player Transfer Agreements

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The NHL has announced new player transfer agreements today, including one-year extensions with the existing ones. Those include the IIHF Member Federations/Leagues in Austria, Belarus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Latvia, Norway, Slovakia, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.

They have also extended the existing CHL Agreement with the Canadian Hockey League (OHL, WHL, QMJHL). This means that nothing will change in regards to players drafted out of the CHL being eligible for AHL play before the age of 20. Corey Pronman of The Athletic (subscription required) recently polled scouts on whether the believed the agreement should be amended; 60% felt it should be, however, any changes will have to wait at least another year.

The biggest news however is the new one-year agreement with the Swiss Ice Hockey Association and Swiss League, something that previously did not exist. This will provide extra opportunities for players in Switzerland to come over to North America, and will slightly tweak the rules for draft picks out of the league.

With these agreements announced, we will likely see a flood of contracts for European players officially filed over the next few days.

IIHF Sets Rankings And Groupings For The 2022 Olympics

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Normally, it would be a little while yet before the next set of IIHF rankings would come out as the World Championships play a big role in those rankings.  However, with those tournaments cancelled, they have gone ahead and announced their end-of-year rankings.  Viewed on their own, it may not seem all that significant but these rankings also set the groupings for the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.  The groupings (and seedings) are as follows:

Group A: Canada (1), USA (6), Germany (7), China (12)
Group B: Russia (2), Czech Republic (5), Switzerland (8), Qualifier 3 (11)
Group C: Finland (3), Sweden (4), Qualifier 1 (9), Qualifier 2 (10)

Rounding out the top-ten in the current rankings are Slovakia (9) and Latvia (10).

The qualifying tournaments to determine the final three spots started last November and are slated to conclude in late August in Slovakia, Latvia, and Norway although that could certainly be moved depending on the state of the ongoing pandemic.  Those groups are:

Group D: Slovakia, Belarus, Austria, Poland
Group E: Latvia, France, Italy, Hungary
Group F: Norway, Denmark, Korea, Slovenia

A final decision on whether or not the NHL will participate in Beijing has not yet been made.

Meanwhile, the rankings were also set on the women’s side and set the brackets for the Olympics.  Their side is done a bit differently with the top teams all in the same group for competitive purposes with each of them getting guaranteed advancement to the medal round.  The Olympic brackets are as follows:

Group A: USA (1), Canada (2), Finland (3), Russia (4), Switzerland (5)
Group B: Japan (6), Qualifier 1 (7), Qualifier 2 (8), Qualifier 3 (9), China (10)

The Czech Republic (7), Germany (8), Sweden (9), and France (10) round out the top-ten in the current rankings.  The first three countries will host the qualifying tournaments which are scheduled for February 2021.

Snapshots: Zub, Suspensions, U17

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With the KHL season and playoffs now over, the pursuit of the best players in the league will begin in earnest for NHL clubs trying to add free agent talent. One of the players drawing the most interest is Artyom Zub, who Darren Dreger of TSN reports has narrowed his options to just two teams. The Ottawa Senators, one of the teams chasing Zub the longest, is one of them.

The 24-year old defenseman has played the last four seasons with SKA St. Petersburg, one of the KHL’s powerhouse organizations. He broke out offensively this season with 13 goals and 22 points, though Igor Eronko of Sport-Express points out that he doesn’t see the powerplay and is normally more of a defensive option. For a more thorough scouting report, Scott Wheeler and Hailey Salvian of The Athletic (subscription required) recently broke down some of Zub’s tape.

  • Zub’s not the only KHL player with his name in the news today, as Kirill Dyakov was one of three to receive a suspension from the IIHF. Dyakov currently plays for Admiral Vladivostok but will receive a 15-month suspension from IIHF competition after testing positive for cocaine. Michael Budd and Vladislav Nikiforov also received 24- and 15-month suspensions respectively.
  • USA Hockey has announced its U17 roster for the 2020-21 season, a group that is expected to have a strong NHL draft presence down the road. There are some familiar hockey names among them, including Marek Hejduk—son of Colorado Avalanche legend Milan Hejduk.

Snapshots: Award Voting, League FAQ, World Championship

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Over the weekend, our readership chose Quinn Hughes as the overwhelming favorite for the Calder Trophy as the league’s top rookie, should the season end without any more games being played. If the same question were asked of the staff at The Athletic, they’d give you a different answer.

Many of the top writers from around the hockey world got together and mock-voted on the awards (subscription required), resulting in Cale Makar edging out Hughes for the trophy. It is a shame that these two phenoms may not be able to finish out their freshmen seasons, but both will certainly have long careers. That’s not the only surprising outcome in The Athletic’s piece, which includes finalists for each award.

  • The NHL released an updated FAQ regarding the paused 2019-20 season, and one thing now included is the determination that the 2020-21 season will be played in its entirety. That’s a line deputy commissioner Bill Daly has been repeating in recent media appearances, making it clear that one of the league’s top priorities is maintaining an 82-game campaign next season.
  • Speaking of frequently asked questions, the IIHF did the same for their recently canceled 2020 World Championship. Interestingly though, they include a note that says “at this time, it cannot be determined if it will be possible for the World Championship to be postponed to a later date in 2020…” potentially leaving the door open to hold the tournament at some future point this year.

IIHF Officially Cancels Men’s World Hockey Championship

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It’s a decision that has been expected for a while and is now official.  The IIHF announced that they have cancelled the upcoming Men’s World Hockey Championship that was slated to take place in Switzerland in May due to the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.  IIHF President Rene Fasel released the following statement:

This is a harsh reality to face for the international ice hockey family, but one that we must accept.  The coronavirus is a global problem and requires major efforts by government bodies to combat its spread. The IIHF must do all it can to support this fight. We have to set sport aside for now and support both the government bodies and the ice hockey family.

The annual tournament featured numerous NHL players whose teams were eliminated from the playoffs early as well as a mixture of the some of the top international talents around the world that haven’t made it to the NHL yet.  16 countries had been slated to participate including Belarus and Kazakhstan who were promoted from Division 1-A following the 2019 event.

It may be a while before Switzerland gets another opportunity to host the tournament as host cities for the Worlds have already been named through 2025.

World Championship In Jeopardy Of Being Cancelled

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While it may not come as much of a surprise with hockey leagues and tournaments getting cancelled, one of the biggest tournaments coming up in May is the World Championship, which is supposed to be held in Switzerland between May 8-24, could find itself on the chopping block as well.

According to German website SRF (translation required), IIHF President Rene Fasel has expressed concern over whether the World Championships will likely be played.

“With the current facts, it is hard to imagine that the World Cup will be held. We have a responsibility to the people of the country,” said Fasel. “It is now a matter of discussing the situation – with all those involved. We still have some time and would like to make the decision with a clear head.”

With the tournament just eight weeks away, it would seem unlikely that the tournament will continue at the moment with the threat of COVID-19 at its peak in Europe. On top of that, with the NHL season still to be determined, there is a possiblity that NHL players will not be availabe at the start of the tournament, even players from non-playoff teams, as the season could be pushed back.

Fasel will have a conference call Tuesday with national officials regarding the status of the tournaments and said he hopes to have a decision made by the end of the week.

More International Tournaments, Leagues Canceled

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The sport event cancelations continue to pour in from around the globe. Today Finland’s Liiga decided to shut down for the rest of the season, announcing that there will be no champion this year. The United Kingdom’s EIHL has done the same. The IIHF has also officially canceled the Men’s Division II and III World Championships, after previously shutting down the U18 event that was scheduled for later this month.

The last standing event is still the Division I World Championship, which is normally attended by NHL players eliminated from postseason contention. Though it has not been formally canceled, the expectation is that it will be in the coming days.

For Liiga, it means that their Champions League and Spengler Cup seeding will come from the current regular season standings. It also means that Jokerit is the last professional club operating in Finland, as they are part of the KHL which has not yet suspended their playoffs.

These announcements should come as no surprise at this point.

U18 World Championship, Frozen Four Canceled

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The fallout from the coronavirus outbreak continues, this time to the amateur ranks. The IIHF U18 World Championship and the NCAA Frozen Four have both been cancelled for this year. The U18 event was set to be held later this month in Plymouth and Ann Arbor, Michigan while the Frozen Four tournament is part of a wider swath of cancelations from the NCAA. The OHL Cup, the top midget hockey tournament and the prime location for junior hockey teams to scout upcoming talent, has also been canceled.

While not unexpected, these moves will once again have an indirect effect on the NHL as teams can no longer scout the next wave of prospects. The Frozen Four especially is a chance for undrafted collegiate talent to showcase their skills, while the U18 event is always attended by scouts from every NHL organization.

One event still technically on the calendar is the IIHF Men’s World Championship, which is normally attended by NHL players that have been eliminated from the postseason. That tournament is set to start in eight weeks, but could obviously face the same fate.

IIHF Cancels 2020 Women’s World Hockey Championships

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The Coronavirus continues to wreak havoc on the international hockey calendar.  Earlier this week, the IIHF announced the cancellation of six upcoming tournaments at the Under-18 and Women’s levels but the top tournaments at each level were still an option.  That doesn’t appear to be the case for the latter now as TSN’s Darren Dreger reports (Twitter link) that the IIHF has cancelled the 2020 Women’s World Hockey Championship.  The tournament was slated to begin later this month in Eastern Canada.

It’s only the second time that the tournament has been cancelled with the other instance occurring in 2003 during the SARS outbreak.  Ten countries were slated to participate: Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Japan, Russia, Switzerland, and the United States.

No decisions have been made yet on the World Under-18’s which feature many of the top draft-eligible prospects or the Men’s World Hockey Championship which has many players from non-playoff teams involved.  The Under-18’s are set to take place in Michigan next month while the Men’s Worlds are scheduled for May in Switzerland.  Earlier this month, IIHF President Rene Fasel indicated that March 15th could be the deadline to make calls on those tournaments while the potential to play without fans in attendance wasn’t an option that was being considered.  As a result, there is likely to be more news on the international front in the near future.

Overseas Notes: Coronavirus, World Championships, Sticks, Jokipakka

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As the coronavirus crisis continues to creep into every corner of day-to-day life, it was only a matter of time before it started to have a major impact on hockey. IIHF President Rene Fasel has revealed to the Swiss media that the threat of coronavirus is being taken seriously as it pertains to upcoming international tournaments. Fasel states that the IIHF’s medical commission is currently meeting to discuss the potential cancellations of any international events in March and April. This would include the U-18 World Junior Championships, scheduled to be held in Michigan in April. Should the sickness persist, the IIHF will also have to consider cancelling the 2020 World Championships, slated to take place in Switzerland in May. Fasel gives March 15th as the date when these difficult decisions will begin to have to be made. This appears to be a decision based wholly on health risks, as the tournaments are insured against cancellation and neither the IIHF nor the hosts would be facing financial loss. With that said, Fasel also ruled out the possibility that tournaments could still be held but just closed to the public. With no end to the coronavirus outbreak in sight, it appears more likely than not that the U-18’s and World Championships this year could be the next victims of the disease.

  • Of course, this is not the first link between coronavirus and hockey, as the mass shutdown of the Chinese economy has greatly limited the supply of sticks to the NHL and other levels of the game. Both Bauer and CCM have their primary factories in the country most greatly affected by this outbreak and neither have been in operation for weeks, while shipping to North America has also been halted. Players across the league have begun to stock up on sticks as they face the possibility of a coming shortage. NHL players, who often order custom sticks in small batches, may have to work with what they have through the rest of the season and possibly into the postseason.
  • In non-pandemic news, former NHLer Jyrki Jokipakka has benefited greatly from a move to Europe. Now with his second team in his third season since leaving North America, Jokipakka was the undisputed top defender for the KHL’s Sibir Novosibirk this season, leading the team in time on ice and finishing near the top in assists, points, and blocked shots. He also finished among the top-ten producers on defense league-wide. While Sibir has not yet begun their Gagarin Cup playoff campaign, Jokipakka is already the bright spot of the season for the team. The club opted to reward him for his success with a new two-year extension. Jokipakka flashed ability in the NHL, but never able to put it all together in stops with the Dallas Stars, Calgary Flames, and Ottawa Senators. So, while the 28-year-old could have waited to see if there was NHL interest this off-season, it seems like he has made the right choice to stick with where he has finally found consistent success and is valued as a top contributor.

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