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Loan Roundup: 01/06/22

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After Team Canada put gold medals around their neck last night to conclude the 2023 World Junior Championship, a variety of prospects under NHL contract were loaned back to their minor or junior teams today. We’ll keep a running list of those transactions right here.

All transactions are provided by CapFriendly.

  • The Columbus Blue Jackets returned defenseman Stanislav Svozil to the WHL’s Regina Pats. Drafted 69th overall in 2021, Svozil had an incredible tournament with eight points in seven games for Czechia, winning a silver medal — the country’s first medal since 2005. Quickly looking like a draft steal, Svozil has 37 points in just 28 games, and he’ll return to playing with presumptive 2023 first-overall pick Connor Bedard.
  • Also from Columbus, 2022 sixth-overall selection David Jiricek is returning to the Cleveland Monsters, Columbus’ AHL affiliate. Jiricek also helped dominate from the Czech blueline, recording seven points and a staggering +10 rating in seven games. He played his first two NHL games before the tournament and has an impressive 20 points in just 19 games with the Monsters.
  • The Dallas Stars returned dynamic Canadian forward Logan Stankoven to the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers. Stankoven, who has a decent shot at making the team out of training camp in 2023-24, had three goals and 11 points in seven games with the Canadians. He was a second-round pick of the Stars in 2021, another budding draft steal.
  • Gritty forward Reid Schaefer, selected with the last pick of the first round in 2022 by the Edmonton Oilers, is returning to the WHL-leading Seattle Thunderbirds. Schaefer played at the bottom of the Canadian lineup and managed one assist in seven contests. He’s fourth on Seattle in goals with 15 in just 22 games.
  • Nashville Predators right-shot defense prospect Jack Matier was loaned back to the OHL’s Ottawa 67’s. The 124th overall selection in 2021 is amidst a breakout season in Ottawa, recording 26 points and a +24 rating through 26 games. He had one assist at the World Juniors.
  • The Vegas Golden Knights returned Czech forward Jakub Brabenec to the QMJHL’s Sherbrooke Phoenix. Drafted 102nd overall in 2021, Brabenec was just dealt to the Phoenix today from the Charlottetown Islanders. His scoring had taken somewhat of a dip before the trade with 25 points in 28 games, but a strong World Juniors performance should instill some confidence.
  • Vegas also sent forward Zach Dean to the QMJHL’s Gatineau Olympiques. Taken 30th overall in 2021, Dean has 35 points in 27 games with Gatineau and recorded a goal and two assists for Canada at the tournament.

Minor Transactions: 01/06/23

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With the World Junior Championships now over, the hockey world can fully return its focus on the NHL season. We’re in the full swing of things on the NHL calendar, and as teams continue to fight for playoff position, numerous teams in overseas and minor leagues are making tweaks to their roster. We’ll keep track of those moves here.

  • Montreal Canadiens second-round pick Riley Kidney was traded in a blockbuster QMJHL deal today. Kidney, who scored 100 points last season, was dealt to the Gatineau Olympiques in exchange for a 2025 first-round pick, Hurricanes draft pick Robert Orr, and forward Donovan Arsenault. This is the second time Orr has been traded this season, as he was acquired by the Olympiques in August.
  • Vegas Golden Knights prospect Jakub Brabenec, fresh off of a strong World Juniors performance, has been traded to another QMJHL team. He was sent to the Sherbrooke Phoenix in exchange for a package including draft picks and Swiss forward Joel Marchon. Brabenec was a fourth-rounder of the Golden Knights in 2021 and has 25 points in 28 games this season.
  • Former Florida Panther Jonathan Racine has a new club to play for. The 29-year-old 2011 third-round pick has signed a deal with Herning Blue Fox, a team in Metal Ligaen, the top division of professional hockey in Denmark. Racine last played in North America in 2019-20, splitting time in the AHL and ECHL. Before signing in Denmark, Racine had played this season for Manglerud in the Fjordkraft-ligaen, the top division of professional hockey in Norway.
  • 2009 Colorado Avalanche draft pick Brandon Maxwell has signed a short-term deal to play for the Malmo Redhawks of the SHL. Maxwell, 31, has played in Europe since 2013-14, save for a one-game stint in the ECHL. He’s gone from Czechia to Austria to Germany and now finds himself in Sweden for the next stop in his career.
  • Minor league veteran Matt Salhany has left the ECHL’s Jacksonville Icemen to sign a contract overseas. Per an official announcement, Metal Ligaen’s Aalborg Pirates have signed Salhany to a contract for the rest of the season. Salhany was a prolific scorer in his last stint in the Danish league, scoring 28 points in 35 games for Soenderjyske. His return to North America with Jacksonville hasn’t gone as planned, as he has just four points in 11 games, so he’ll head back to Denmark looking to resume his role as a top scorer.
  • Former HockeyEast regular Liam Blackburn is changing clubs. The 26-year-old Canadian has bounced around a bit this season. He moved from the German third division to the SPHL, played for three different SPHL clubs, and then left for Scotland, signing with the EIHL’s Fife Flyers. He’s now left for a different part of the United Kingdom, transferring to the Manchester Storm, a rival EIHL club. Blackburn, who was a solid scorer in college and an elite scorer in Germany’s third tier, had one point in nine games for the Flyers.
  • Former OHL and ECHL star Dante Salituro has changed clubs, as he is now playing for HC Presov. Salituro had previously been playing for HC Spisska Nova Ves, a rival club in the Slovakian Tipos Extraliga, the country’s top professional league. Salituro has 43 points in 65 career games in Slovakia, and last played in North America in 2019-20.
  • Miloslav Jachym, a veteran defenseman on the Eastern and Central European professional hockey circuits, has left his current club, HC Dukla Jihlava of the Czech second division. The team connected Jachym’s departure to the signing of a younger defenseman, David Vala, to a multi-year deal.

Golden Knights Sign Jakub Brabenec To Entry-Level Deal

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The Golden Knights have agreed to terms with one of their prospects, announcing the signing of forward Jakub Brabenec to a three-year, entry-level contract.  Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The 19-year-old was a fourth-round pick by Vegas in 2021 (104th overall) after he was able to hold down a somewhat regular role in the Czech Extraliga which is something that typically isn’t the case for draft-eligible players.  Brabenec was selected in the first round of the CHL Import Draft back in 2020 and the Golden Knights indicated that their preference was for him to play at the major junior level and that is where he has been since then.

Last season, Brabenec was the QMJHL’s Rookie of the Year after leading all first-year players in assists (47) and points (64).  He’s on pace for very similar numbers this season as he leads the Charlottetown Islanders with eight goals and 17 assists in 27 games, a pace of 42 assists and 62 points over a full season.  Vegas had until June 1st to sign Brabenec but clearly felt they didn’t need to wait that long to make a decision.

Officially, the contract begins this season but since Brabenec is already back in junior, he’s not going to be seeing any NHL action in 2022-23.  Accordingly, his deal will be eligible to slide this season and still have three years remaining on it in 2023-24.

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