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Cole Reinhardt

Senators Recall Cole Reinhardt

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The Ottawa Senators have announced that they’ve recalled forward Cole Reinhardt from the Belleville Senators of the American Hockey League. This recall marks the sixth time that the 24-year-old has been brought up from Belleville as he continues to rack up miles along Highway 7 and 401. Reinhardt plays under a two-way contract that pays him $95K in the AHL and $775K in the NHL. If he remains on the NHL roster until tomorrow, he will receive a nice little bonus over the holidays and earn his NHL salary until at least December 27th due to the NHL roster freeze.

Reinhardt is having a terrific season in Belleville, his fifth with the team. In 13 games thus far, he has almost matched all of last season’s production posting six goals and 10 assists. Last year was a difficult one for Reinhardt as he tallied just eight goals and 15 assists in 56 games. He’s never been much of an offensive threat, posting his finest offensive season during his last year in the Western Hockey League when he tallied 31 goals and 24 assists in 56 games.

In the NHL this season, Reinhardt has struggled in five games, turning the puck over three times and being dominated on the possession front with a CF% of 37%. However, he has been a physical presence with 14 hits and has shown a bit of an offensive pulse with a goal and an assist.

The Senators are in Calgary tonight to take on the Flames and it seems likely that Reinhardt will serve as the Senators extra forward for that contest, but we should know more later today.

Minor Transactions: 12/14/24

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It has been a busy Saturday on the transaction front across the NHL.  We’ve covered several of them already but quite a few other teams have made minor moves.  We’ll run through those here.

  • Utah announced (Twitter link) that they’ve re-assigned defenseman Kevin Connauton to AHL Tucson. The veteran was recalled on Wednesday but with Utah claiming Dakota Mermis on Thursday, Connauton was no longer needed as a reserve defender.  The 34-year-old has played in 17 games with the Roadrunners so far this season, notching three goals and three assists.
  • The Senators announced (Twitter link) that forward Cole Reinhardt has been re-assigned to AHL Belleville, one day after being recalled. The 24-year-old has been quite productive in the minors so far, picking up five goals and ten assists in just 12 games which has helped earn him five games with Ottawa.  In those outings, he has a goal and an assist, his first points at the NHL level.
  • After being papered down on Thursday, the Blue Jackets have recalled goaltender Jet Greaves and winger Mikael Pyyhtia, per the AHL’s transactions log. Greaves made his 2024-25 Columbus debut on Thursday against Washington, making 35 saves on 37 shots in a losing effort.  He has a 3.02 GAA and a .902 SV% in 15 appearances with the Monsters.  As for Pyyhtia, the 22-year-old has played in 19 games with the Blue Jackets so far, collecting a goal and an assist while averaging 13:33 per night of playing time.
  • After papering down defenseman Keaton Middleton and winger Givani Smith on Friday, the two are back up with the Avalanche, the team announced (Twitter link). Middleton has played in four games with the Avs this season in his first NHL action since the 2020-21 campaign; he has been held without a point while averaging 11:33 per night of ice time.  Smith, meanwhile, was acquired as part of the Mackenzie Blackwood trade earlier this week after he cleared waivers.  He has played in eight games between the two teams and is still looking for his first point of the season as well.
  • After having his contract terminated earlier in the week, former San Jose prospect Valtteri Pulli has found his next home. HC Lugano of the Swiss NL announced that they’ve signed the blueliner for the remainder of the season.  Pulli played in just two games with the AHL’s Barracuda before requesting his release earlier this week.

Atlantic Notes: Reinhardt, Norris, Lafferty, Stolarz, McMann, Talbot

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The Senators announced Friday that they’ve recalled left-winger Cole Reinhardt from AHL Belleville.

The 24-year-old has been subject to multiple paper transactions this season, but this doesn’t appear to be one of them. Reinhardt has been in Belleville since Sunday and hasn’t been rostered for either of Ottawa’s last two games. He could enter the lineup tonight against the Hurricanes instead of center Zack Ostapchuk, who left Wednesday’s 5-1 win over the Ducks with an undisclosed injury.

Ottawa would need someone to shift to center – Reinhardt has never played the position meaningfully at the professional level. One of Nick Cousins, Noah Gregor or Ridly Greig will likely move to take Ostapchuk’s spot as fourth-line center while Reinhardt slots in on their wing.

In five NHL appearances this season, the 24-year-old Calgary native has a goal and an assist with a -2 rating and 14 hits while averaging 9:15 per game. He’s been dynamic when on assignment to the B-Sens, posting five goals and 10 assists for 15 points in only 12 games. He’s the only Belleville player producing more than a point per game.

In other Sens news, the league announced that center Joshua Norris had been fined $2,000 for being issued his second embellishment citation this season. The incident that spurred the fine occurred on Dec. 5 against the Red Wings, with the league positing that Norris overreacted to a holding offense from Detroit rookie Marco Kasper (video link).

Elsewhere in the Atlantic Division:

  • Sabres forward Sam Lafferty practiced in a regular jersey this morning and could be an option to return to the lineup this weekend, head coach Lindy Ruff told Paul Hamilton of WGR Sports Radio 550. Lafferty has been on injured reserve for over a week with a lower-body issue and has missed Buffalo’s last six games, all of them losses amid a larger eight-game winless streak. Prior to getting hurt, the 29-year-old was averaging just 9:48 per game and had been limited to one goal in 22 appearances with a -2 rating. Buffalo signed him to a two-year, $4MM deal in free agency over the summer to contribute as a fourth-line piece and kill penalties, the latter of which he’s rarely done – he averages just 32 seconds per game shorthanded.
  • It’s all good news on the injury front for the Maple Leafs. Netminder Anthony Stolarz is only day-to-day with his lower-body injury after leaving last night’s win over the Ducks after the first period, head coach Craig Berube said today (via Jonas Siegel of The Athletic). The 30-year-old leads the league with a .927 SV% and has started 17 of Toronto’s 29 games, on pace to break last year’s career-high 24. He’ll likely miss their next two games against the Red Wings and Sabres, but the lack of an IR placement suggests he may be available next Wednesday against the Stars. Berube also said that winger Bobby McMann, who’s missed seven games with a lower-body issue, is “very close” to returning (per David Alter of The Hockey News).
  • Red Wings starter Cam Talbot re-aggravated the lower-body injury that kept him out for most of this month and will be unavailable tomorrow against Toronto, per the team’s Daniella Bruce. He made 32 saves on 34 shots in a loss to the Flyers last night, bringing his SV% on the year up to a strong .916 mark. The team will wait to recall a backup for No. 3 option Ville Husso until tomorrow, Bruce said.

Senators Reassign Zack MacEwen, Recall Cole Reinhardt

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Nov. 25, 2:16 p.m.: The Senators confirmed that they’ve reassigned MacEwen to Belleville. They replaced his roster spot by recalling left-winger Cole Reinhardt. The 24-year-old had an assist in a pair of appearances earlier this season and has 14 points (5 G, 9 A) in 11 games with the B-Sens this season, leading the AHL club in scoring.

Nov. 25, 1:03 p.m.: MacEwen cleared waivers, Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia reports. He can now be assigned to Belleville.

Nov. 24: The reason behind Zack MacEwen’s absence from this morning’s practice has now come to light. The Ottawa Senators organization has placed MacEwen on waivers to reassign him to their AHL affiliate, the Belleville Senators.

MacEwen is no stranger to AHL hockey. He spent the first several years of his professional career with the Utica Comets of the Vancouver Canucks organization scoring 37 goals and 96 points in his first 155 AHL contests.

He even spent a few games with the AHL Senators last season scoring two goals and seven points in 10 games. Still, his time with the Senators organization has been mostly spent in Ottawa.

He’s primarily been a mildly-used depth forward for the Senators. Since signing a three-year, $2.33MM contract with the Senators in 2023, he’s scored four goals and six points in 49 games while averaging 6:59 of ice time per game.

It’s unlikely he’ll get claimed over the next 24 hours but could provide value to some teams. He has a league-minimum salary of $775K and has managed 150 hits in a season twice. For a team looking to add physicality to their bottom six for virtually nothing — MacEwen fits the mold.

Senators Notes: Gaudette, Reinhardt, Subban

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The Senators assigned forwards Adam Gaudette and Cole Reinhardt to AHL Belleville today, per a team announcement. It’s just a short-term move to accrue cap space and delay both players’ temporary waiver exemption, relays Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia. They should be back on the active roster before tomorrow’s game against the Blues.

It’s the second time Gaudette’s been involved in such a transaction this year. He was placed on waivers the day before opening night rosters were due but was never sent to the minors, sticking around to begin the season. He was assigned to Belleville on Oct. 15 before being recalled the following day without reporting to the minor-league club. The 28-year-old has appeared in seven of Ottawa’s eight contests this season, scoring twice and adding an assist with a +1 rating. He can play in three more games or remain on the active roster for nine more days before he needs waivers again to head to the minors, so his temporary waiver exemption will likely expire by mid-November.

Reinhardt, 24, has suited up in the Sens’ last two games with Shane Pinto now out week-to-week with an undisclosed injury. The 2020 sixth-round pick recorded an assist in his season debut against the Golden Knights on Friday and is averaging just 7:03 across his pair of showings, adding two blocks and five hits. The left winger also has five points in three games with the B-Sens this year. Like Gaudette, he cleared waivers during the preseason. He was added to the NHL roster for a pair of days earlier this month for injury insurance, so combining that with this most recent recall, he’s been on the NHL roster for five days. That gives him 25 days on the active roster or eight NHL appearances before he needs waivers again to head back to Belleville.

Neither Pinto nor David Perron, who’s out on personal leave, have been placed on injured reserve or non-roster. That leaves them with only 12 healthy forwards with no flexibility when Gaudette and Reinhardt come back up. Perron and Pinto aren’t expected back by tomorrow’s game, so Gaudette and Reinhardt should once again play fourth-line roles against the Blues.

Additionally, the Sens added some goaltending depth with Belleville signing goaltender Malcolm Subban to an AHL contract. The 30-year-old had previously been on a professional tryout with the Grand Rapids Griffins, the Red Wings’ AHL affiliate, but didn’t get into a game and was released over the weekend. The 2012 first-round pick last played in the NHL with the Blue Jackets last season, stopping 32 of 35 shots in a loss to the Hurricanes on April 7.

Subban is essentially now the No. 5 option on Ottawa’s goalie depth chart. He’ll split the Belleville crease with Leevi Merilainen while Mads Søgaard, the Sens’ third-stringer, is out with an injury.

Senators Reassign Leevi Meriläinen, Recall Cole Reinhardt

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The Senators announced Friday morning that they sent goaltender Leevi Meriläinen back to AHL Belleville and recalled winger Cole Reinhardt.

That indicates Linus Ullmark is ready to return from a muscle strain that’s kept him out of the lineup for nearly two weeks. He was widely anticipated to return against Utah on Tuesday but was ruled out on the day of the game, prompting Meriläinen’s recall a few hours before puck drop. Meriläinen didn’t play against Utah, instead backing up Anton Forsberg, who pitched a 31-save shutout.

Unsurprisingly, Meriläinen didn’t get to add to his two-game NHL résumé. The 22-year-old netminder was a third-round pick of the Sens in 2020 and made his major league debut in a brief call-up in the 2022-23 campaign, posting a .878 SV%, 4.23 GAA, and a 0-1-1 record. The 6’3″ Finn has fared decently well in the minors, where he has a career 2.82 GAA, .906 SV%, two shutouts, and a 15-10-1 record in 31 appearances with the B-Sens over the past three years. He also had a sparkling .926 SV% in 13 games for the ECHL’s Allen Americans last season.

Reinhardt has been ferried between leagues a couple of times this season, most recently being sent down on Tuesday to make room for Meriläinen on the active roster. He’s back up today, meaning Shane Pinto remains a game-time decision at best for tonight’s contest against the Golden Knights after sustaining an undisclosed injury in Utah, per Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch.

The 24-year-old Reinhardt has yet to be rostered for a Sens game in 2024-25 despite the transactions, but that will change tonight. They have 13 other forwards on the active roster, but with David Perron on personal leave, Reinhardt will make his season debut against Vegas if Pinto can’t play. The 2020 sixth-rounder has one NHL appearance to his name, coming against the Predators on April 7, 2022. He recorded a shot on goal and two hits in 8:35 of ice time. He’s been off to a hot start in Belleville, posting two goals and three assists through his first three games of the season.

Senators Recall Leevi Meriläinen

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The Senators have added goaltender Leevi Merilainen to their roster ahead of tonight’s game against Utah with Linus Ullmark not quite ready to return from a muscle strain, the team announced. Left-winger Cole Reinhardt has been reassigned to AHL Belleville to keep the roster at the 23-player limit.

Ullmark was projected to make his return to the lineup tonight after the team sent No. 3 goalie Mads Søgaard back down to the minors over the weekend. But he’s evidently not quite 100%, and he’ll be held out again tonight in line with previous reports that the Sens are operating with an abundance of caution in returning their new starter to game action.

That’s left Anton Forsberg in charge of the crease for now, and his underwhelming showing last season has continued. Forsberg has a 1-1-0 record in three starts and has struggled to the tune of a .863 SV%, 4.16 GAA, and -2.6 GSAA. Søgaard didn’t do any better in his brief look, conceding four goals on just 17 shots in last week’s wild 8-7 win over the Kings. He then sustained an injury in a game with Belleville after being returned there Sunday, so it’s now Merilainen who gets the call to back up Forsberg tonight against Utah.

Merilainen, 22, has just two games of NHL experience. The Sens’ 2020 third-rounder got into a pair of contests in 2022-23 when injuries decimated their goaltending depth, and it was certainly earlier in his development than they anticipated him seeing NHL ice. He managed a .878 SV% and 4.23 GAA, conceding 1.3 goals above average.

Last year was the Finn’s first in North America full-time. He did okay in an extended run with Belleville, logging a .906 SV% and a shutout in 24 appearances. But he starred at the ECHL level for the Allen Americans, where he posted a .926 SV% despite seeing a heavy workload shot-wise in 13 games.

The 6’3″ netminder has a good glove hand and helped Finland to a silver medal back at the 2022 World Juniors. So far this year for the B-Sens, he has a 3.47 GAA, .852 SV%, and a 2-1-0 record in three appearances.

Reinhardt, meanwhile, has been between leagues this season as roster flexibility allows. He hasn’t yet managed to make an appearance for Ottawa in 2024-25, but he has torched the minors with five points in three games for Belleville. The 24-year-old passed through waivers unclaimed during the preseason but remains an intriguing depth scoring option, so Ottawa won’t hesitate to have him in the minors whenever necessary to delay the expiry of his temporary waiver exemption.

Senators Recall Cole Reinhardt, Mads Søgaard Sent To AHL

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The Ottawa Senators have announced that they’ve recalled left winger Cole Reinhardt from the Belleville Senators of the American Hockey League and are demoting goaltender Mads Søgaard. The move could be a signal that Senators star goaltender Linus Ullmark is set to return from a strain that has been keeping him out of action.

The Senators recalled Søgaard earlier this week and he dressed in one game, giving up four goals on 17 shots in just over 34 minutes of action against the Los Angeles Kings. The 23-year-old has yet to establish himself as a regular NHLer as his numbers are pedestrian at best. In 28 NHL regular season games, the former second-round pick has an 11-10-3 record with a .881 save percentage and a 3.53 goals-against average. Søgaard posted solid numbers in the AHL last season, registering a .916 save percentage and a 2.45 goals-against average in 32 games.

24-year-old Reinhardt is off to a terrific start in the AHL this season, posting two goals and three assists in three games with Belleville. Reinhardt has never been much of a scorer at any level, topping out at 34 points in 66 AHL games for his best offensive season as a professional. He is a strong skater and plays well in all facets of the game and will likely see time on the fourth line if he dresses during his NHL recall. The former sixth-round pick has seen NHL action before dressing in a game for the Senators back in April of 2022.

Senators Recall Seven Players

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Saturday: The team announced that Boucher, Crookshank, Halliday, Hodgson, and Roos were all returned to Belleville today.  Reinhardt and Sebrango remain, suggesting they’ll likely play in Ottawa’s preseason finale tonight against Montreal.

Friday: The Senators have recalled forwards Tyler Boucher, Angus Crookshank, Stephen Halliday, Hayden Hodgson, Cole Reinhardt, and defensemen Filip Roos and Donovan Sebrango ahead of tomorrow’s preseason game against the Red Wings, the team announced. The group will draw into the lineup after most were assigned to AHL Belleville last week.

Boucher, 21, will get another brief look ahead of his second professional season. Injuries have plagued the 2021 10th overall pick since draft day, especially last year. He managed just 21 appearances with the B-Sens in 2023-24, struggling to make himself a factor with two goals and five points and a -4 rating. He’s made just 83 league appearances total over the past three years.

Crookshank was among the more surprising cuts, especially so early in camp. The 25-year-old left-winger looked like he’d challenge for an opening night spot after a breakout AHL campaign, recording 46 points in 50 games for Belleville last year. He also held his own in NHL action, scoring twice and adding an assist in 13 games. He’s still waiver-exempt and will be among the first players summoned from the minors if injuries strike in Ottawa.

Halliday looked like he may challenge for a fourth-line role at one point in camp, but he’ll get one last look here before heading back to the B-Sens for his first full professional season. The 2022 fourth-round pick has been a standout at Ohio State for the past two years, where he had 77 points in 78 games. He closed out the year with five assists in 10 games for Belleville last year after signing his entry-level contract. The 22-year-old will likely be in contention for a recall this season and a potential roster spot in 2025.

Hodgson cleared waivers Saturday and is unlikely to be back with the club this season after being inevitably returned to Belleville following one more preseason game. The 28-year-old winger does seven games of NHL experience, all with the Flyers during the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons, but has struggled heavily to put up points in the minors for the past couple of years following a brief breakout in the Philly system. He had 16 points and 116 PIMs in 49 games for AHL Ontario last year while under contract with the Kings.

Reinhardt, 24, is entering his fifth season in the Sens organization. He’s developed into a consistent middle-six winger for Belleville, though his NHL upside remains minimal this late in his development. He posted eight goals and 23 points in 56 AHL games last year.

Roos is entering his third season in North America but his first with Ottawa. The Swedish defender spent the last two seasons in the Blackhawks organization, spending most of his time with AHL Rockford but still managing 21 NHL appearances (1 G, 2 A, -9). A decent enough puck-mover, he’s likely among Ottawa’s top three or four options for an in-season recall on the blue line. he had 16 points and a -12 rating in 59 AHL contests last year.

Sebrango, 22, was a Detroit third-round pick in 2020 but doesn’t look close to making an NHL impact. After he was acquired in last summer’s Alex DeBrincat trade, he struggled to find a regular role with Belleville and had seven points with a +3 rating in 35 games. He’s logged ECHL time in each of the past two years.

Senators Re-Sign Cole Reinhart To Two-Way Deal

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The Senators are keeping depth forward Cole Reinhardt in the organization next season, per a team announcement. It’s a one-year, two-way deal that carries an NHL salary and cap hit of $775K with an AHL salary of $95K.

Reinhardt, 24, was a sixth-round pick of the Sens in 2020 after being passed over in the 2018 and 2019 drafts. The Calgary-born left winger has just one NHL appearance to his name, skating 8:35 against the Predators in a game on April 7, 2022, while recording a shot on goal and taking a minor penalty.

Ottawa has still gotten solid value out of Reinhardt as a late-round selection thus far. He’s grown into a consistent contributor with AHL Belleville, putting up 40 goals and 99 points in 225 games over the last four years. Reinhardt leverages his 6’1″, 207-lb frame to play a heavy game and has displayed good shooting ability in the past, although he was limited to only eight goals in 56 contests this season.

Reinhardt spent his first professional season, 2020-21, on an AHL contract with Belleville before signing his entry-level deal with Ottawa the following offseason. That rookie contract covered his last three seasons of play, making this his first standard contract. He would have become a restricted free agent with arbitration rights had he not extended before July 1.

He earns a minor raise on the $70K AHL salary he earned in the final year of his rookie deal. Reinhardt will be an arbitration-eligible RFA again next summer upon expiry.

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