Blues Recall Eight Players From AHL
The St. Louis Blues have recalled eight players from the AHL in preparation for their final preseason game against the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday. The full list of call-ups includes forwards Dalibor Dvorsky, Aleksanteri Kaskimaki, Mathias Laferriere, MacKenzie MacEachern, Hugh McGing, and Dylan Peterson; as well as defensemen Samuel Johannesson and Hunter Skinner.
That’s emphasized by the fact that none of the recalled managed any preseason scoring, despite each playing in at least one game excluding Peterson. In fact, the bunch only combined for five shots through their collective 10 games. Luckily, St. Louis’ preseason wasn’t as unproductive as the Blackhawks – who’ve so far managed just four goals in four games.
St. Louis’ bunch of recalls is led by 2023’s 10th-overall selection, Dalibor Dvorsky – a popular pick to make the Blues roster headed into training camp. His demotion to the AHL likely snubs those hopes, though Dvorsky is still carrying plenty of momentum into his first professional season in North America, after recording 45 goals and 88 points in 52 OHL games last season. The Slovak has been a top prospect throughout his teens and joined Sweden’s AIK for his age 17 and 18 seasons. Playing in the HockeyAllsvenskan – Sweden’s second-tier pro league – Dvorsky combined for 17 points in 55 games across the two seasons, enough to inspire the Blues to spend their earliest draft pick since they selected Alex Pietrangelo fourth-overall in 2008.
Pending a major breakout in Saturday’s matchup, all eight recalls can expect to head back to Springfield in due time. The Thunderbirds open their season against the Laval Rocket on October 12th, while St. Louis will kick things off in Seattle on October 8th.
NCAA Preparing Vote To Expand Eligibility To CHL
The NCAA is prepared to vote on a proposal that could expand eligibility to CHL players, per NHL player agent Allan Walsh and Jim Connelly of USCHO.com. Connelly adds that the vote will implement emergency legislation, if passed, and could occur during one of the board’s routine Tuesday and Wednesday meetings. This decision follows pressure from an antitrust lawsuit filed in August, that claimed the NCAA’s exclusion of CHL athletes is unlawful. The NCAA organized a committee to review the league’s eligibility in response to the lawsuit and received an official recommendation to expand eligibility.
While this vote formalizes the news, the topic of allowing CHL players into the NCAA has rapidly gained popularity over recent months. That hype peaked when Regina Pats forward Braxton Whitehead announced a commitment to Arizona State University. Current rules list Whitehead as ineligible to join ASU, as he’s already played five seasons and 199 games in the WHL – suggesting that a change is imminent. Whitehead scored 96 points in those outings, slowly climbing his way up Regina’s roster and finding his footing as a responsible, middle-six winger.
It’s presently unclear how this vote would impact the NCAA, or when fans may be able to expect the new recruiting pool to open up. The standard CHL player contract already covers costs of post-secondary schooling – though that’s typically led players to Canadian universities. CHL contracts also hold players through the age of 20 – or four CHL seasons – a rule that would seem sensible to translate into a partnership with the NCAA.
Whitehead’s verbal commitment currently has him joining the Sun Devils for the 2025-26 season. He may not be the only Canadian juniors player to make that jump, should the looming vote go through.
Maple Leafs Announce Multiple Minor Injuries
The Toronto Maple Leafs have announced a handful of injuries as they approach their final game. The group is notably led by winger Nicholas Robertson, who’s day-to-day with an upper-body injury per David Alter of The Hockey News. Robertson has been among Toronto’s biggest standouts this preseason, netting a team-leading three goals through four appearances. Toronto has been vocal about Robertson’s chance to earn more ice time this season, as they look to fill the void left by 20-goal scorer Tyler Bertuzzi, who moved to the Chicago Blackhawks this summer. Robertson has stifled through menial NHL roles for the past three seasons, with the 2023-24 campaign representing his only full year with the Leafs. He’s so far totaled 34 points, split evenly, in 87 career appearances.
Robertson will be joined on the absentee list by defender Jake McCabe (upper-body) and utility forward Calle Jarnkrok (lower-body), who are bearing through day-to-day injuries of their own per a team announcement. Both players have only played in two games this preseason, and neither scored a point.
McCabe proved the healthier of the two in 2023-24, though a groin injury held him out of nine games in the year’s first half. He scored a career-high eight goals and 28 points in his remaining 73 games, while averaging over-20 minutes of ice time for the first time since the 2021-22 season. Jarnkrok’s role wasn’t as substantial, instead spending his time rotating through the team’s third line. He recorded 10 goals and 21 points in 52 games, near-perfectly half of his scoring totals from last year.
All three players seem to be locks for Toronto’s lineup when healthy, plenty of reason to be cautious with just one preseason matchup against Detroit remaining on their calendar. They’ll now each look to heal quickly, in preparation for the Leafs’ season opener against Montreal on October 9th.
Blue Jackets Place Dmitri Voronkov On Injured Reserve
The Columbus Blue Jackets are set to open the 2024-25 NHL season without forward Dmitri Voronkov. The team announced they’ve placed Voronkov on injured reserve with an upper-body injury from their most recent preseason contest against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
He originally came to the organization as the 114th overall pick of the 2019 NHL Draft from the Kontinental Hockey League. He spent four more years suiting up for the KHL’s Ak Bars Kazan but the Blue Jackets quickly pulled him to North America after his impressive 2022-23 KHL season where he scored 18 goals and 31 points in 54 games.
Voronkov became one of the few bright spots on Columbus’ roster last year scoring 18 goals and 34 points in 75 contests finishing fifth on the team in scoring as a rookie. The season was good enough for some outside consideration for the Calder Memorial Trophy as Voronkov placed 11th in voting.
It will be a while before Voronkov follows up on his strong rookie campaign with Aaron Portzline of The Athletic indicating that Voronkov will be out long-term. The Blue Jackets did not give a timeline for his return in their original announcement.
It’s another blow to a forward core that is still facing the void of Johnny Gaudreau after his tragic death in August. Voronkov was expected to be a reliable scorer Columbus could plug into their top- or middle-six even before the team signed unrestricted free agent forward James van Riemsdyk to a one-year deal. The Blue Jackets will need big years out of several players if they hope to improve or maintain their 2.85 GF/G from a year ago.
Jack Campbell Enters NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program
The National Hockey League and its Players’ Association have announced Detroit Red Wings goaltender Jack Campbell has entered the Player Assistance Program and will be away from the team indefinitely. Campbell signed a one-year, $775K contract with the Red Wings on the opening day of free agency this past offseason.
It’s an unfortunate turnaround for Campbell as he had hoped to rebuild his value on a one-year contract in Detroit after a disappointing 2023-24 season with the Edmonton Oilers. Campbell signed as an unrestricted free agent with the Oilers after a 2021-22 season in which he earned a .914 save percentage in 49 games with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Campbell would only see two years of his five-year, $25MM contract in Edmonton.
The team bought him out at the end of the 2023-24 season after Campbell posted a 22-13-4 record in 39 starts from 2022-24 with a .886 SV% and 3.53 goals-against average. The Oilers sent Campbell down to their AHL affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors, after only five games last year and he proved much better in the minor leagues. He secured an 18-13-1 record with the Condors in 33 games with a .918 SV% and 2.63 GAA in his first AHL competition since 2018-19.
Campbell was always likely to find himself with the Red Wings’ AHL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins, with the team having one of the most crowded creases in the league. Detroit was poised to enter the 2024-25 NHL season with Ville Husso, Alex Lyon, and prospect Sebastian Cossa already under contract and brought in Campbell and Cam Talbot over the offseason. Campbell will now look to the Player Assistance Program for help and work through whatever he is going through.
Waiver Wire: 10/4/24
According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman all 17 players on waivers yesterday have cleared. There are again several players to hit the wire today as reported by Friedman:
Anaheim Ducks
Boston Bruins
G Michael DiPietro
F Vinni Lettieri
D Jordan Oesterle
Florida Panthers
Los Angeles Kings
New Jersey Devils
F Justin Dowling
F Mike Hardman
F Samuel Laberge
F Nathan Légaré
F Maxwell Willman
Philadelphia Flyers
F Olle Lycksell
F Anthony Richard
Pittsburgh Penguins
F Emil Bemström
D Nate Clurman
F Jonathan Gruden
F Joona Koppanen
D Filip Král
D John Ludvig
F Samuel Poulin
Tampa Bay Lightning
Toronto Maple Leafs
Washington Capitals
San Jose Sharks Assign Yaroslav Askarov To AHL
The San Jose Sharks have made one of the more notable training camp cuts up to this point. The team announced today they have assigned goaltender Yaroslav Askarov to their AHL affiliate, the San Jose Barracuda where he will begin the 2024-25 season.
It would typically be surprising for a team to demote a trade acquisition so quickly especially considering the price. In late August, the Sharks acquired Askarov from the Nashville Predators for Magnus Chrona, David Edstrom, and Vegas’ first-round pick in 2025 before inking him to a two-year, $4MM extension.
The context behind this move is although San Jose believes Askarov will be their starting goaltender of the future he has been injured for much of training camp. The lower-body injury suffered by the young netminder in early September has prohibited him from playing in any preseason contests up to this point. Still, he should now be able to with the Barracuda. He’s expected to practice with the team today but will not appear in tonight’s game against the Bakersfield Condors.
It’s more than likely the Sharks are viewing this demotion as a pseudo-training camp for their young netminder. Askarov can work his way back from injury in a league he has already dominated before making his full-time transition to the NHL.
This confirms San Jose will start the year with Mackenzie Blackwood and Vitek Vanecek as their two netminders. The Sharks should be able to deploy three goalies throughout most of the regular season meaning Askarov will receive the call-up when he is fully healthy.
Vegas Golden Knights Sign Tanner Pearson
Another professional tryout agreement has ended in a guaranteed contract. The Vegas Golden Knights organization has announced they have signed veteran forward Tanner Pearson to a one-year, $775K contract for the 2024-25 NHL season.
It’s a feel-good story for Pearson who has been limited by injuries the last few years. His last year with the Vancouver Canucks in 2022-23 saw Pearson skate in only 14 contests during the season as a hand injury requiring three surgeries lost him much of the year. He managed to skate in more than half of the games last year with the Montreal Canadiens but another hand injury lost him 38 games on the season.
The injuries to his hand have certainly limited his offensive production over the last two years but Pearson has been known as a reliable depth scorer in the past. He’s no longer a player who can carry responsibility in the top six for a playoff contender like his days with the Los Angeles Kings in the mid-to-late 2010s.
He has shown glimpses of his goal-scoring capabilities recently with 21 goals in 69 games for the Canucks in 2019-20 with another 24 in 119 games from 2020-22. The Golden Knights will likely use Pearson in a bottom-six role on the wing for some offensive punch toward the bottom of the lineup.
The signing is not all that surprising despite Pearson’s waning abilities over the last couple of years. Vegas has experienced a dramatic decrease in depth thanks to spending toward the upper limit of the salary cap and will have to supplement their roster with league minimum contracts.
Metropolitan Notes: Karlsson, Rust, Keefe, Harrold, Voronkov
Penguins star defender Erik Karlsson has shed his non-contact jersey as he aims to return from an upper-body injury by the season opener, per the team. He hasn’t seen any preseason action, but with five days still to go until their home opener against the Rangers, it seems like he won’t miss any regular season action. He hasn’t been ruled out for tonight’s exhibition game against the Blue Jackets, either, but with how much time he’s missed in camp, he should be considered doubtful at best.
Karlsson only re-joined practice yesterday after a few days of skating on his own. Evidently, it was a successful session, and he’s trending in the right direction quickly – after all, he only carried a non-contact designation for one day. It still wasn’t an incredibly rigorous practice, though, as head coach Mike Sullivan points out, and he wasn’t routinely taking contact. The 34-year-old is looking to get his second season in Pittsburgh off on the right foot after posting 56 points in 82 games last year, his lowest per-game production since the 2020-21 campaign.
It’s not all good news on the injury front for the Pens, though. Winger Bryan Rust remains day-to-day with an undisclosed injury after previously missing practice for what the team termed maintenance reasons. The 32-year-old is expected to once again start the season on Sidney Crosby‘s line after scoring a career-high 28 goals in 66 games last season.
Elsewhere in the Metro:
- Sheldon Keefe‘s move to the Devils after being fired by the Maple Leafs has him primed to win his first Jack Adams Award for coach of the year, as voted by NHL.com writers. He walks into a pretty favorable situation with New Jersey primed to rebound to a playoff-caliber record with No. 1 defender Dougie Hamilton at full health and their goaltending situation hopefully addressed with the offseason pickup of 2022 Vezina finalist Jacob Markström from the Flames.
- The Hurricanes have promoted Peter Harrold to their director of player development, the team announced. The 41-year-old had been with Carolina since 2020 as a development and skills coach, working with the team’s defenders. Harrold was a defenseman himself, skating in 274 NHL games in parts of nine seasons for the Devils and Kings from 2006 to 2015.
- Blue Jackets winger Dmitri Voronkov is still being evaluated after leaving last night’s loss to the Penguins with an upper-body injury, relays The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline. For now, his availability for the start of the regular season appears to be thrust into doubt. The 24-year-old finished 11th in Calder Trophy voting last year after coming over from his native Russia, finishing fifth on the Jackets in scoring with 34 points (18 G, 16 A) in 75 games.
Sabres Reassign Ryan Johnson
The Sabres announced that defenseman Ryan Johnson has been assigned to the AHL’s Rochester Americans. Johnson had been day-to-day with a lower-body injury, so it’s a good sign that he’s returned to health, but he won’t be on the opening night roster.
It’s not an insignificant move. Johnson, the final pick of the first round in 2019, turned pro last season following a four-year run at the University of Minnesota and spent a good chunk of the campaign on the Sabres’ roster. He didn’t make the initial cut, but he was recalled on multiple occasions and ended up making 41 appearances for Buffalo, posting seven points and a +3 rating while averaging 13:52 per game.
Although it was only in limited minutes, Johnson’s first NHL showing was promising. He had some of the better possession numbers on the team with a 52.7 CF% and a 52.9 xGF% at even strength, and he still managed to finish 10th on the club in blocks (39) despite only playing half the season.
Johnson is a pending restricted free agent and is eligible to sign an extension at any time with his entry-level contract expiring next offseason. The one-time World Juniors gold medalist (2021, USA) had nine points and a +5 rating in 27 appearances for the Amerks last year.
He may very well be the best option the Sabres have for an extra defender based on merit, but it’s likely not what’s best for his development. Roster math also wasn’t working in his favor this year. Instead of exposing veteran depth pieces Jacob Bryson or Dennis Gilbert to waivers just yet, they’ll have the waiver-exempt Johnson start the year on the farm and receive regular playing action instead of only stepping into bottom-pairing minutes in Buffalo when injuries allow.