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Carter Rowney

Carter Rowney Re-Signs In Germany

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Forward Carter Rowney, a veteran of over 200 NHL games and a 2017 Stanley Cup Champion with the Pittsburgh Penguins, has opted to continue his career overseas in Germany with DEL side Lowen Frankfurt for three more seasons, per an announcement from the league. The 34-year-old is now under contract with Frankfurt until 2026, likely meaning he’ll finish out his career with the club.

Rowney became an unrestricted free agent last summer after not being re-signed by the Detroit Red Wings, where he battled injuries in 2021-22 and played just 26 games on a one-year deal. The move overseas proved productive for Rowney, who exploded for 58 points in 55 games with Frankfurt last season.

The Alberta-born forward joined the Penguins organization on an AHL contract in 2013-14 after completing a four-season collegiate career with the University of North Dakota, bouncing up and down between the AHL and ECHL for a few seasons before getting an NHL deal from Pittsburgh for 2016-17. It turned out to be a shrewd move by then-general manager Jim Rutherford, as Rowney would go on to play in 20 of 25 playoff games for Pittsburgh in 2017, recording three assists in a bottom-six role while helping the Penguins capture their second consecutive Stanley Cup.

He would spend most of his professional career with the Anaheim Ducks, though, signing a three-year deal with them in free agency in 2018. He recorded a career-high seven goals and 20 points in 62 games in his first year there, 2018-19, and totaled 45 points in 152 total games as a Duck.

Rowney played a crucial role in helping Frankfurt stay in the DEL last season after earning promotion from the DEL2 the year before. The former Red Wing will also have the opportunity to mentor a future Red Wing in 2023-24, as 2023 fifth-round pick Kevin Bicker is expected to suit up for Frankfurt next season.

There likely would have been a place for him in the minors or at the bottom of an NHL lineup if he wished to return after a healthy season, but understandably, he’s opted to stay with the team that’s helped him rejuvenate his career after a tough few seasons.

Minor Transactions: 02/05/23

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It’s the final day of the NHL All-Star break, with teams set to return to the ice tomorrow night. With twelve teams set to do battle and several beginning bye weeks, it’s clear we’re right in the thick of the NHL season. As teams prepare for a crucial stretch of games leading up to the trade deadline, clubs in minor and foreign leagues are making roster tweaks. We’ll keep track of those moves here.

  • Stanley Cup champion Carter Rowney has signed an extension to remain with the Frankfurt Lions beyond this season. The 249-game NHL veteran, 33, is in his first season playing professionally in Europe after spending all of last year with the Red Wings. He’s been very good in Germany, scoring 17 goals and 46 points in 45 games, a mark that ranks him 6th on the DEL scoring leaderboard, tied with Red Bull Munich forward Yasim Ehliz.
  • HC Slovan Bratislava has brought in a replacement for the departed Carl Ackered on their blueline: Nate Kallen. The reigning Slovak champions signed Kallen, 25, to bring some two-way prowess to their back end. The 2020 Hobey Baker nominee arrives in Bratislava having spent this year with the ECHL’s Maine Mariners, where he posted 18 points in 34 games. It’s been a busy week for Slovan, as about a week ago the team made another signing, bringing in 2014 first-round pick Nikita Scherbak.
  • Former Winnipeg Jets prospect J.C. Lipon has signed an extension to remain with his current club, the DEL’s Straubing Tigers. Lipon has been a good fit in Bavaria since arriving from the KHL, scoring 17 goals and 29 points in 44 games, giving the team ample motivation to lock him down to this extension. The former Manitoba Moose alternate captain, who has nine NHL games on his resume, has helped the Tigers rank among the top teams in the DEL this season.
  • Grizzlies Wolfsburg, a team in the DEL, has reportedly signed a contract for next season with Chris Wilkie, a forward who plays for another team in their league: the Bietigheim Steelers. This is the former Florida Panthers prospect’s first professional season in Europe, and it has gone decently well. He ranks second on the Steelers in goal scoring with 12 in 36 games and offers experience from both his time as an AHL forward and from his days playing college hockey. Since the Steelers look like a real candidate for relegation to the DEL2 for next season, this reported contract gives Wilkie the chance to remain in the German top division.
  • The DEL’s Eisbaren Berlin are reportedly interested in signing Red Bull Munich forward Freddy Tiffels for next season. Tiffels is a former Pittsburgh Penguins draft pick who has spent the last half-decade as a DEL regular. He scored 49 points in 45 games last season but has seen his offense decline sharply this season to just 25 points in 45 games. Perhaps a change of scenery and a move to Berlin, as the team seems to be eyeing, could be what Tiffels needs to return to the top end of the scoring leaderboard.
  • Veteran DEL blueliner Dominik Bittner will reportedly leave his current club, Grizzlies Wolfsburg, and head to EHC Red Bull Munchen for next season. The 30-year-old has nearly 500 games of DEL experience under his belt, and has spent the last four seasons manning the blueline in Wolfsburg. He represented Germany at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and will head to the three-time DEL champions for next season.
  • Per a team announcement, French forward Justin Addamo has been released from his PTO with the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins and sent back to the ECHL’s Wheeling Nailers. Adddamo, 24, is in his first professional season since leaving the college ranks. He’s done pretty well, scoring 18 goals and 25 points in 38 games, and will look to help the Nailers gain ground in the ECHL’s Central Division.
  • Forward Jimmy Soper has been traded to the ECHL’s Rapid City Rush, per the league’s official transactions report. Soper, 27, played one season for the Kitchener Rangers at the junior level and has worked his way up from Junior A to Canadian university hockey, to the SPHL, and now to the ECHL, where he’s become a solid offensive contributor. Soper, who brings offensive ability as well as an edge to his game, heads to Rapid City from the Norfolk Admirals. Soper was traded to the Admirals from the Tulsa Oilers for Tag Bertuzzi, the son of former NHLer Todd Bertuzzi and cousin of current Detroit Red Wing Tyler Bertuzzi. Soper scored 71 points in 105 games over two seasons in Tulsa, and now finds a new home in Rapid City to continue his ECHL career.
  • Aleksi Rekonen seems to have found a home in Czechia. The Finnish forward, a veteran of Liiga and the Swedish second division (HockeyAllsvenskan), has signed a contract extension to remain with his current club, HC Plzen, beyond this season. Rekonen has been solid for Plzen, scoring 10 goals and 29 points in 44 games, marks that rank second on the team in scoring.

This page will be updated throughout the day

Carter Rowney Signs In Germany

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Veteran NHL forward and Stanley Cup champion Carter Rowney has decided to head overseas for the latest chapter in his hockey story, signing a deal with Lowen Frankfurt of the German DEL.

Rowney, 33, played 26 games for the Detroit Red Wings last season, scoring four goals and registering six points. The undrafted free agent signing out of the University of North Dakota worked his way up from the ECHL to make his NHL debut in 2017 and won the Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins as a 27-year-old rookie.

While that certainly was his career highlight, Rowney used his success in Pittsburgh to land a three-year, $3.4MM contract with the Anaheim Ducks in 2018 and now leaves the NHL having played in 249 regular season games. Not bad for a player out of the AJHL who scored just a single goal in his first year of college hockey.

Given his age and already declining usage, it may be the last we see of him in the NHL.

Injury Updates: Perunovich, Kassian, Karlsson, Rowney

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Blues defenseman Scott Perunovich recently completed his five-game LTIR conditioning assignment with AHL Springfield where he had a goal and an assist.  However, as Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic points out (Twitter link), the 23-year-old remains on LTIR and head coach Craig Berube indicated that Perunovich is still being evaluated.  It’s unclear if this is a flare-up of his upper-body injury or something else entirely but it appears as if St. Louis will be without the young defenseman for a while yet. His continued presence on LTIR will make it that much harder for them to bank any cap space in an effort to give themselves any sort of wiggle room to try to add before the upcoming trade deadline.

More injury news from around the NHL:

  • The Edmonton Oilers had Zack Kassian back on the ice today as he continues to recover from a broken jaw, according to Ryan Rishaug of TSN. The veteran forward hasn’t played since February 9, when he left a game against the Chicago Blackhawks after taking a puck to the face. Kassian was wearing a full cage to protect the injury and it is still not clear when he’ll actually be back in the Oilers’ lineup.
  • The Sharks are hoping to have defenseman Erik Karlsson back in the lineup on Thursday, relays Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News. He has been out for the last six weeks with a shoulder injury that has been giving him trouble since the start of the season although it hasn’t held him back offensively as the 31-year-old has 26 points in 31 games.  Pashelka adds that blueliner Jaycob Megna could also return on Thursday.  The 29-year-old underwent surgery last month to repair a foot fracture, one that carried a recovery timeline of four-to-six weeks.  It appears he’ll be on the short end of that range.
  • Red Wings winger Carter Rowney left Friday’s game with what appeared to be a foot injury, notes Ted Kulfan of The Detroit News. He had just come back from a lower-body injury that cost him 17 games, scoring in two straight before last night.  Veteran penalty killing forwards are often something playoff teams look to add by the deadline but this injury may end any chance of Rowney being on the move by March 21st.

Filip Zadina Placed In COVID Protocol

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The Detroit Red Wings placed forward Filip Zadina in COVID-19 protocol prior to their game Saturday against New Jersey, per a team tweet.

In his absence, the team will dress 11 forwards and seven defensemen.

Zadina has just four goals and six assists in 30 games this year but is shooting at an uncharacteristically low 5.6% rate. The 22-year-old forward is still developing and is expected to be a big part of this Detroit team in the future as they regain relevancy.

With Zadina out, Detroit now has six players on the COVID list — forwards Carter Rowney, Givani Smith, Michael Rasmussen, and Robby Fabbri, as well as netminder Alex Nedeljkovic.

The team was already stretched thin at the forward position with Taro Hirose and Riley Barber making their season debuts tonight.

 

Red Wings Place Three Players And Two Coaches In COVID Protocol

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With the recent increase in COVID cases around the league, the last few days have had plenty of news about players and staff members entering COVID protocol and it appears today will continue that trend.  The Red Wings announced (Twitter link) that goalie Alex Nedeljkovic, winger Carter Rowney and Givani Smith, head coach Jeff Blashill, and assistant coach Alex Tanguay have all been placed in protocol and will be unavailable for tonight’s game against New Jersey.

Detroit has been hit relatively hard by COVID-related absences this season as Tyler Bertuzzi, Marc Staal, and Danny DeKeyser have all missed time recently while Robby Fabbri and Michael Rasmussen are currently in protocol as well.  The Red Wings have recalled winger Riley Barber and goaltender Calvin Pickard from Grand Rapids of the AHL in corresponding moves to be able to dress a full lineup against the Devils.

As for their coaching situation, the team announced in a follow-up tweet that assistant coach Doug Houda will be joined by a pair of coaches from AHL Grand Rapids – head coach Ben Simon and assistant coach Todd Krygier.  As is the case with all other COVID protocol placements, each individual will need to miss at least ten days if follow-up testing confirms that they have indeed tested positive.

Carter Rowney Signs With Detroit Red Wings

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The Detroit Red Wings have signed free agent forward Carter Rowney to a one-year deal. PuckPedia reports that the contract is worth $825K.

Rowney, 32, has played in more than 200 games in the NHL, including 19 during the 2020-21 season with the Anaheim Ducks. The undrafted forward worked his way up to the NHL after a strong four seasons at the University of North Dakota, making his debut with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2016-17. In fact, Rowney suited up for 20 playoff games that year for the Penguins, helping them secure their second consecutive Stanley Cup.

The most he has ever played in one season is 71 games, accomplished in 2019-20 with the Ducks. That number could be in reach with the rebuilding Red Wings, who still will need some veteran leadership in the lineup as they break their young forwards into the NHL.

Like every signing for Detroit, Rowney also represents a potential deadline chip to sell off a few months down the line. Though he won’t be worth much, fourth-line forwards with size, physicality, and the ability to play center in a pinch are often targeted by contenders. In his 223 regular season games, the 6’2″ Rowney has delivered 550 hits.

Snapshots: Zucker, Bertuzzi, Ducks

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While the Penguins sent winger Jason Zucker back to Pittsburgh today to be evaluated, it appears they’re not particularly optimistic that his absence will be a short one.  Matt Vensel of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette notes that while they’re hopeful his lower-body injury isn’t as bad as they initially feared, they are preparing to be without the 29-year-old for an extended period of time.  Zucker is off to a quiet start to the season by his standards with just four goals and three assists in 17 games but his absence will open up a vacancy in their top-six.  If he’s going to miss more than 10 games or 24 days, he’ll be eligible to be placed on long-term injured reserve, giving them some short-term cap flexibility to recall a replacement.

Elsewhere around the league:

  • The Red Wings have been without winger Tyler Bertuzzi for all of February and it doesn’t sound as if he’ll be back anytime soon. Head coach Jeff Blashill told reporters, including Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press (Twitter link), that he has “no idea” when the 26-year-old will be able to return.  Bertuzzi was off to a strong start to his season with five goals and two assists in eight games and with his contract expiring this summer, missing this much time isn’t going to give him the type of platform season he was hoping for.
  • The Ducks activated Sonny Milano from IR and recalled him from his AHL conditioning loan, relays Elliott Teaford of the Orange County Register (Twitter link). The winger suffered an upper-body just a week into the season, limiting him to just two games.  He was quietly productive after joining Anaheim last season with five points in nine contests, making him an intriguing addition to a lineup that has struggled mightily offensively in the early going.  The team also placed winger Carter Rowney on IR due to a lower-body injury.  While the veteran is known more as a bottom-six player, he’s tied for the team lead in assists with six in 19 games.

Pacific Notes: Ducks, Quick, Chychrun

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The Anaheim Ducks have dealt with more than their fair share of injuries over the past year or so. The team is still far from healthy, but finally full strength is within sight, particularly among their battered forward corps. The likes of Ryan Getzlaf, Ryan Kesler, and Patrick Eaves are healthy, and recent injuries like those to Jakob Silfverberg and Kalle Kossila have also run their course. Nick Ritchie and Ondrej Kase are on the mend and expected to be active sooner rather than later. Corey Perry (knee) and Carter Rowney (upper body) are still far from a return, but in terms of players the Ducks reasonably expected to be healthy, things are looking up. However, a full set of healthy forwards also brings with it some tough choices. While Anaheim has the flexibility to send the likes of Ben Street, Pontus Aberg, Sam Carrick, and Kiefer Sherwood – currently on the roster – to the AHL, they have to be concerned about whether there is enough ice time to go around for the more permanent pieces. Already, the team sent promising rookie Isac Lundestrom to the AHL today to bring up Kossila and fellow top prospects Sam Steel and Troy Terry are already down with the San Diego Gulls. As the team grows healthier, it it possible that they could explore returning rookie Max Comtois to his junior club, the QMJHL’s Drummondville Voltiguers. While Comtois has already played in ten games this season and tolled the first year of his contract, he cannot be sent to the AHL and could be better served getting guaranteed top-six minutes at the junior level than fighting for ice time with the Ducks. Comtois is currently sidelined, buying Anaheim some time on the decision, but with conceivably an upwards of 20 forwards expecting to see action in the NHL this season, eliminating even just one option by sending Comtois back to junior would help the Ducks with their impending roster crunch.

  • The Los Angeles Kings took another hit in net today with the news that backup goaltender Jack Campbell will be out four to six weeks with a torn meniscus. The team is already without starter Jonathan Quick due to the same injury and are left to lean on veteran Peter Budaj and rookie Cal Petersen for the time being. Fortunately, GM Rob Blake did assure the media later on that Quick remains on track to return sometime around the end of the month, per beat writer Curtis Zupke. Quick underwent surgery on October 31st and was given a timeline of roughly a month to return. So long as his rehab continues to progress positively, Quick could potentially be ready to return by the Kings’ November 30th clash with the division rival Calgary Flames. Yet, even in that best-case scenario, Budaj and Petersen will still be on the hook for the nine games between now and then.
  • In more immediate injury news, The Athletic’s Craig Morgan reports that Arizona Coyotes defenseman Jakob Chychrun is “probable” to make his season debut on Tuesday night against the Detroit Red Wings. Chychrun has been sidelined since late last season with a torn ACL in his right knee. The first-round pick was establishing himself as a reliable top-four defender prior to his injury and his return should come with an automatic starting spot, likely bumping Ilya Lyubushkin down to the minors and Jordan Oesterle from his starting slot.

Roster Battles Should Dominate Anaheim Ducks Training Camp

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More so than almost any team in the league, the Anaheim Ducks look to have uncertainty at the bottom of their roster. So far the 2018 offseason has been for the most part spent re-signing their own players, inking John Gibson and Adam Henrique to long-term extensions while reaching a two-year bridge deal with Brandon Montour. In free agency, the Ducks failed to secure any of the top names and now find themselves in a position where training camp could have a huge impact on who starts the season in Anaheim.

Up front, the Ducks have just ten forwards currently signed to one-way deals, not including Ben Street or Anton Rodin who have limited NHL experience and didn’t play in the league at all last season. Neither veteran minor league player should really be in contention for a roster spot with the Ducks, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be competition. Even once Ondrej Kase and Nick Ritchie are signed and given their spots, the team has a group of other forwards competing for the last few roles.

Brian Gibbons and Carter Rowney were both signed early in free agency and given $1MM+ salaries to provide some depth at the bottom of the lineup. Neither player has really proven himself at the NHL level though, with Gibbons playing 59 of his 125 career games last season for the New Jersey Devils and Rowney suiting up just 44 times last season for the Pittsburgh Penguins. The idea of handing either of them a full-time role without competition seems foolish, though since Rowney was brought in on a three-year deal he will obviously have the upper hand.

Behind them are several players on two-way or entry-level contracts, like Troy Terry, Kalle Kossila, Kiefer Sherwood and Kevin Roy. The latter three all spent time in the minor leagues with the San Diego Gulls last season, while Terry played just three games for the Ducks after signing out of the University of Denver. Given the uncertainty around Ryan Kesler’s health and the limited upside of both Gibbons and Rowney, you could see Anaheim decide to give a real chance to one of these players in 2018-19. That is, if they can hold off the competition.

One of the questions most often asked in our PHR Live Chats is whether or not Sam Steel and Max Jones are ready for the NHL. The pair of first-round picks from 2016 are now both 20 years old and will be beginning their professional careers, but there’s no guarantee that either will see the NHL just yet. Jones in fact was listed pretty far down in Corey Pronman’s recent prospect rankings for The Athletic (subscription required), including him in the “Have A Chance” section. There will be a huge battle between all of the listed forwards (and probably several others) for playing time in Anaheim this season.

On defense it’s also not clear who will shake out at the end of camp. The team signed Andrej Sustr and Luke Schenn this summer to improve their depth on the right side, but both likely can’t play with Josh Manson and Montour already locked into positions there. Marcus Pettersson, Jacob Larsson, Josh Mahura, Jaycob Megna, Andy Welinski and Korbinian Holzer are also all still in the organization and could challenge for the 6-7-8 spots, with no clear choice on who would play where. The departure of Kevin Bieksa and Francois Beauchemin certainly opens up some playing time, but the team will likely wait for someone to step up and prove they deserve regular minutes before handing them out.

All of this just makes for an interesting next few months for the Ducks, who are trying to get back to Stanley Cup contention with much the same team as the last few seasons. With Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry now entering their mid-thirties, more responsibility will have to be heaped upon the next wave of talent if the team is to stay respectable. Battles like the ones that will take place in training camp will determine whether this Ducks team is just a very good one, or a real contender for the Stanley Cup.

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