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Kings Assign Liam Greentree To AHL

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The Los Angeles Kings have reassigned top prospect Liam Greentree to the AHL after the end of his OHL season. Greentree ranked third in OHL scoring this season with a dazzling 49 goals and 119 points in 64 games. He also ranked second in playoff scoring with 14 goals and 24 points in 11 games, before his Windsor Spitfires were eliminated by the Kitchener Rangers in a seven-game series.

The Kings drafted Greentree with the 26th overall pick in the 2024 draft. Many pundits expected him to go much earlier, after he scored 36 goals and 90 points in 64 games of his draft season. Greentree was revered for his ability to control possession and tempo through the neutral zone, boosted by a strong drive towards the net and a physical six-foot-two frame. Those attributes shined even brighter this season, after Greentree was paired with star Washington Capitals prospect Ilya Protas at center.

Protas’ ability to spark plays up the ice and crash into the low-slot complimented Greentree beautifully, and actually led to the former earning five more points than his winger this season. The two were inseparable for much of the year – and the experience with a burly, puck-hogging center could be a nice setup as Greentree sets his sights on a lineup already featuring Quinton Byfield.

For now, Greentree will look to carry his tremendous scoring into the pro flight. He will join the Ontario Reign ahead of their first games of the Calder Cup Playoff matchup against the San Jose Barracuda this weekend. The turnaround might be too quick for Greentree to play his pro debut on Saturday, though it’ll be tough to not consider the star scorer in what could be a must-win game on Monday.

Devils’ Matyas Melovsky Signs AHL Contract

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Devils prospect Matyas Melovsky will turn pro in 2025-26, just not under an NHL deal. He’s beginning his journey in the organization on a minor-league deal with AHL Utica, the club announced.

A sixth-round pick last year, Melovsky was an overage selection who’d spent the last two seasons with the Baie-Comeau Drakkar of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League. He returned to the Drakkar for his age-20 season in 2024-25, exploding to lead the team with a 26-57–83 scoring line in 57 games. The versatile 6’1″, 190-lb forward added a +40 rating, hitting the mark for the second year in a row, and tied for seventh overall in QMJHL scoring.

While passed over in the 2022 and 2023 drafts, the Czech forward has been a high-end offensive producer for Baie-Comeau since coming stateside from the HC Vítkovice organization for the 2022-23 campaign. He led the QMJHL in assists by a rookie (52) in 2022-23 and was a key producer for Czechia at the 2024 World Juniors, helping the team to a bronze medal with a tournament-leading 10 assists in seven games. He was over a point per game in the Czech top junior league in his draft year, too, so he’s got a track record of offensive success.

That makes Melovsky a definite sleeper pick in New Jersey’s system. Scott Wheeler of The Athletic ranked him as the Devils’ No. 7 prospect in January. It’s a tad surprising not to see them reward him with an NHL entry-level contract out of the gate, but since they’re not at risk of losing his exclusive signing rights until June 2026, they can afford to have him play out a year on an AHL deal without taking up a contract slot.

It’s worth noting that while Melovsky is eligible for a three-year ELC if he signs before Jan. 1, 2026, he’ll only be eligible for a two-year rookie deal if New Jersey signs him after. He turns 21 next month, so that’s his signing age for 2025.

Wild Sign Riley Mercer To Entry-Level Deal

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The Wild announced they’ve signed undrafted free agent goaltender Riley Mercer to a three-year entry-level contract beginning in 2025-26. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Mercer, 21, turns pro after five seasons with the Drummondville Voltigeurs of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League. The 6’2″, 203-lb netminder won a QMJHL championship with the club in 2023-24, posting a 1.89 GAA, .934 SV%, and two shutouts in 19 playoff games. He proceeded to lead the league with a .925 SV% in 46 appearances in 2024-25, although he was injured in the postseason as Drummondville was upset by the Halifax Mooseheads in seven games in the first round.

Minnesota and Mercer aren’t new to each other. The Wild invited him to rookie camp last year, so he’s been on their radar for a while. He opted to return to Drummondville for his overage season instead of signing a professional deal, but he’ll now get an NHL contract out of the gate to give him call-up opportunities as soon as next season.

He’ll presumably report to AHL Iowa out of the gate to join a Wild goaltending group that’s in a bit of flux. Top prospect Jesper Wallstedt is expected to move to a full-time NHL role next year after signing a two-year, $4.4MM extension last October, but he’s coming off a disastrous season that saw him post a 3.59 GAA and .879 SV% in 27 AHL games. But beyond him and Filip Gustavsson, 23-year-old Slovak Samuel Hlavaj was the only other goaltender under contract or team control for 2025-26. He could be in line for the AHL starting job next year after outperforming Wallstedt with a 2.85 GAA, .904 SV%, one shutout, and a 14-14-4 record in 36 AHL appearances this season.

The younger brother of Devils forward Dawson Mercer should be at least ticketed for an AHL backup role out of the gate as a result, although they could also sign a veteran backup for Hlavaj and demote Mercer to ECHL Iowa for more playing time. That’s a common path for goalies, especially undrafted ones making the jump from junior hockey.

Mercer’s contract will run through the 2027-28 season. He’ll be a restricted free agent upon expiry and will be eligible for arbitration if he plays at least 10 games in each season of the deal.

Flames Assign Adam Klapka To AHL

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After sustaining an injury in the final game of the regular season, Flames winger Adam Klapka wasn’t cleared to be assigned to the minors with the rest of his eligible teammates last week.  However, that clearance has now come as the team announced that he has been assigned to AHL Calgary.

The 24-year-old signed with the Flames as an undrafted free agent back in 2022 and made his NHL debut last season, getting into six appearances.  This season, he was utilized much more often, having six different stints with the Flames over the course of the year, including making the team out of training camp.

Klapka played in 31 games with the big club this season, potting six goals and four assists while averaging 9:39 per night.  He also chipped in with 108 hits and 25 blocked shots.  With the Wranglers in the minors, he was much more impactful offensively, tallying 14 goals and 12 assists in 33 games.

Klapka’s waiver exemption expires after this season so this final stretch with the Wranglers could help his cause to push for a roster spot in 2025-26.  However, to get that chance, Calgary will have to win the next two games over Coachella Valley or their playoff run will come to a quick end.

Blackhawks Assign Colton Dach To AHL

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Colton Dach’s first NHL season came to an early end when he suffered an elbow injury last month.  However, it appears that injury has healed as the Blackhawks announced that the forward has been assigned to AHL Rockford.  The assignment couldn’t have been made until he received a clean bill of health.

The 22-year-old was a second-round pick by Chicago back in 2021, going 62nd overall.  After injuries took out most of his final WHL season, Dach was limited to just 48 games in his first professional season, spent entirely with the IceHogs.  Nonetheless, he put up a respectable 11 goals and 16 assists in those outings.

This season, Dach got off to a strong start with Rockford, earning himself a recall in early January.  Aside from a pair of brief stints in the minors after that, he spent the bulk of the second half with the Blackhawks, getting into 25 games where he had two goals and five assists while logging a little over 12 minutes a night.  Meanwhile, with the IceHogs, Dach had a strong half-season, tallying 12 goals and 14 helpers in 33 outings.

Dach was papered down at the trade deadline, keeping him eligible to play in the minors for this very reason.  Rockford took the opener of its best-of-three series on Wednesday and will look to punch their ticket to the next round with a win on Friday.

Devils Recall Seven Black Aces

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Since the Devils’ AHL affiliate in Utica failed to make the Calder Cup Playoffs, New Jersey is beefing up its postseason roster with seven Black Aces. The team announced they’ve recalled forwards Brian Halonen, Mike Hardman, Nathan Legare, Marc McLaughlin, defensemen Topias Vilen, Colton White, and goaltender Isaac Poulter as practice players for the remainder of their playoff run.

While the group is technically available to play postseason games for the Devils if need be, that’s never the purpose behind Black Ace recalls during the postseason. Instead, they’ll skate with the team to extend their season since they’re not getting any AHL action.

The four forwards each got into NHL games for New Jersey in 2024-25. It marked Legare’s NHL debut and Hardman’s and McLaughlin’s Devils debuts. Halonen, an undrafted free agent signing out of Michigan Tech in 2022, made a couple of appearances in January amid a strong minor-league showing. Halonen led Utica in goals (27) and ranked second in points (40) in 62 showings. He signed a two-year, two-way extension last May, so he’ll be back with the club next season, barring a trade.

Hardman also logged a pair of appearances for New Jersey, one in December and one in April. They were his first in the NHL since March 2023 as a member of the Blackhawks. A depth free agent pickup last summer, he’s also under contract through 2025-26. The 26-year-old scored 18-17–35 in 57 AHL games and had a team-high +11 rating.

Legare, 24, made his NHL debut in December with a trio of appearances and recorded a minus-one rating. He’s already on his third NHL organization. A third-round pick of the Penguins in 2019, he was traded to the Canadiens in August 2023 as part of the Erik Karlsson three-team deal. He spent under a full season in Montreal’s system before they traded him to New Jersey in a minor-league swap ahead of last year’s AHL trade deadline. He’s a restricted free agent this summer and is eligible for arbitration.

McLaughlin arrived in Newark at the trade deadline, acquired from the Bruins for defenseman Daniil Misyul. He played in the Devils’ final two games of the regular season and recorded an assist and a minus-one rating. The 25-year-old center had six assists in 16 games for Utica after the trade and will be a Group VI unrestricted free agent this summer, so this could be the end of his short stint as a Devil.

Vilen, 22, has yet to make his NHL debut. New Jersey drafted the rearguard in the fifth round of the 2021 draft and he’s coming off his second full season with Utica. The 6’1″, 194-lb lefty had 1-23–24 with a plus-two rating in 58 games this year and has one season remaining on his entry-level contract.

White was a Devils draft pick back in 2015 and returned to the organization last summer after a two-year stint with the Ducks. He hasn’t played in the NHL since logging a career-high 46 appearances for Anaheim in 2022-23. The 27-year-old depth piece rediscovered his game in Utica after a tough second year with Anaheim’s affiliate in San Diego, posting 4-17–21 in 61 games with a plus-one rating.

Poulter has been on the Devils’ roster more than a few times over the past two seasons as an emergency recall and, despite dressing as a backup for regular-season action, hasn’t touched the ice. He posted a .898 SV%, 2.86 GAA, one shutout, and a 16-13-7 record in 36 showings for Utica this year.

New York Rangers Agree To Multi-Year Extension With Chris Drury

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The New York Rangers are sticking with the current leader of their front office. The Rangers announced a multi-year extension with General Manager Chris Drury.

In the announcement, MSG Sports Executive Chairman and CEO James Dolan wrote, “I am pleased that Chris will continue to lead the Rangers hockey operations in his role as President and General Manager. Over his tenure, Chris has shown passion for the Rangers, relentless work ethic, and a tireless pursuit of excellence. While we are all disappointed in what transpired this past season, I am confident in his ability to guide this organization to success.”

Despite working for New York’s front office since the 2015-16 season, Drury has spent the last four seasons as the team’s General Manager. Although he cannot be fully credited, the Rangers have appeared in two Eastern Conference Finals under Drury, additionally winning the President’s Trophy last season.

Beginning with the draft, Drury has made three selections in the first round, with his first being Brennan Othmann from the OHL’s Flint Firebirds in 2021. Othmann has yet to break out at the NHL level, but has been extremely successful with the team’s AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack. Drury’s most impressive selection came two years later, when the Rangers selected Gabriel Perreault with the 23rd overall pick. After an incredible two-year run with Boston College, Perreault projects to be a quality top-six forward for years to come in New York.

Unfortunately, Drury’s tenure as General Manager becomes checkered when analyzing his trade history. Drury is credited with trading away Brett Howden, Pavel Buchnevich, and Nils Lundkvist, while failing to bring back anything of legitimate value in those deals. Still, Drury can be aggressive on the trade market when he needs to be, acquiring Patrick Kane, Vladimir Tarasenko, and J.T. Miller while being able to move the heavy contract of defenseman Jacob Trouba.

He’s been a toss-up when it comes to perusing the free agent market. Drury signed Barclay Goodrow and Patrik Nemeth to burdensome contracts, but also locked up Igor Shesterkin, Vincent Trocheck, Adam Fox, and Alexis Lafreniere to long-term deals.

Still, like it is for all of the Original Six organizations, the proof is in the pudding. Although some teams may feel content with two Conference Final appearances in three years, the Rangers faithful are still hungry for their first Stanley Cup banner in 31 years. Despite agreeing to a multi-year extension with the Rangers, the pressure to perform shouldn’t escape Drury.

Evander Kane, John Klingberg Will Play In Game 2

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The Oilers suffered a dramatic loss in Game 1 to the Kings, with top-nine forward Evander Kane unavailable as he has been all season, having undergone multiple surgeries. He and defenseman John Klingberg, who’s been out since late March with a lower-body injury, have been cleared by Edmonton’s medical staff and will be in the lineup for Game 2 tonight as they try to even the series, head coach Kris Knoblauch said (via the team’s Tony Brar).

It’s not unexpected – Knoblauch said yesterday there was a strong possibility of both being cleared. Both ended the season on long-term injured reserve and will technically need to be activated. However, that’s an inconsequential move as roster limits and the salary cap are no longer in effect during the playoffs.

Tonight will be Kane’s first game since Game 2 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final on June 10, so that’s 317 days between games. The 33-year-old played through a sports hernia to end last season and paid the price. He underwent surgery in September and also required corrective action on two torn hip adductors and lower abdominal muscles. He was initially expected to return around January, but a knee issue arose during his recovery that required surgery in early January. That kept him on LTIR for the balance of the regular season, although he’s been skating now for a couple of weeks.

When Kane is healthy, he’s been an impact player for the Oilers in the postseason. He led the playoffs with 13 goals in just 15 games in Edmonton’s run to the Western Conference Final in 2022 and has 20-10–30 in 47 postseason games as an Oiler overall. Edmonton will bank on him being an important secondary scoring option after Leon Draisaitl, Connor McDavid, Zach Hyman, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins combined to score 48.3% of the Oilers’ total goals in the regular season.

In a follow-up report from Brar, it appears Kane will join Nugent-Hopkins and Hyman on the team’s second line, while Klingberg will play next to Jake Walman on the second defensive pairing. Although there’s nothing to pull from the 2024-25 campaign, the offensive trio combined for a 60.6% xGoals% last season in 83.1 minutes of action according to MoneyPuck. Should the Oilers receive something similar this evening and for the remainder of the series, the Kings will have a hard time defending against Edmonton’s offense.

Meanwhile, the Oilers have intelligently placed Klingberg next to a capable, defensive-minded blue liner. Despite nearly doubling his career-high in points this season, Walman is best known for his defensive prowess, earning an E +/- of 3.9 in 15 games with Edmonton after the trade deadline and an on-ice save percentage of 92.1% at even strength. In contrast, Klingberg had a lower performance, recording an E +/- of -1.9 over 11 games.

Blackhawks Assign A.J. Spellacy To AHL

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The Blackhawks have assigned forward prospect A.J. Spellacy to AHL Rockford to finish his season in the Calder Cup Playoffs, the latter club announced.

Spellacy’s Windsor Spitfires of the OHL were eliminated last night in the second round after blowing a 3-0 series lead against the Kitchener Rangers. The 19-year-old missed Games 2 through 5 of that series with injury and only managed to play in five of the Spitfires’ 12 playoff games as a whole, recording a goal and two assists.

Selected in the third round of last year’s draft, Spellacy’s post-draft season was remarkably similar to his draft year. The 6’3″, 205-lb winger is a great skater and heavy forechecker but doesn’t have a particularly high offensive ceiling. He scored 18-19–37 in 62 games with Windsor this year after posting a 21-17–38 scoring line in 67 games last year, slightly upping his points per game pace.

The Ohio native had a strong camp showing with the Hawks last fall and will now get his first taste of professional hockey with Rockford as the IceHogs begin their play-in series against the Chicago Wolves tonight. He’ll presumably head back to Windsor next season for a fourth and final season of major junior hockey unless he makes a surprise run at a Blackhawks roster spot. He’ll still be too young for a full-time AHL assignment in 2025-26. His entry-level contract, which Chicago signed in January, carried a $906,667 cap hit at signing, but that will decrease since his $97.5K signing bonus for 2024-25 was paid out. The deal is slide-eligible for both this year and next if he plays fewer than 10 NHL games in 2025-26.

San Jose Sharks Sign Matt Davis To AHL Contract

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For the second time in as many years, the San Jose Sharks organization has signed another National Championship-winning netminder out of the University of Denver. The Sharks AHL affiliate, the San Jose Barracuda, announced they’ve signed goaltender Matt Davis to an AHL contract through the 2025-26 season.

The news comes exactly two years and 12 days since the Sharks signed Magnus Chrona out of the Pioneers program. Davis, who played as Chrona’s backup for his freshman and sophomore campaigns, won the first National Championship of his career in 2022. Once Chrona transitioned to professional hockey, Davis was given the reins in southern Denver once the 2023-24 season began.

It’s a move that worked out well for the program. Davis was flat-out electric in his first season as the Pioneers’ starter, managing a 25-5-3 record in 34 games with a .917 SV% and 2.34 GAA, including two shutouts. He backstopped the University of Denver to a second-place finish in the hotly contested NCHC Conference. He helped knock out the University of Massachusetts, Cornell University, Boston University, and Boston College en route to their 10th National Championship in program history.

Even though Davis did not receive any awards in the NCHC Conference, he was named the NCAA Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player and the HCA’s Goaltender of the Month for March. Remarkably, Davis had an even better season in 2024-25.

He finished his senior campaign with a 29-10-1 record in 40 games with a .924 SV% and 2.07 GAA. Unfortunately, despite knocking out Providence College and Boston College, the Pioneers ran into a red-hot Western Michigan University in the Frozen Four, ending their chance at a repeat victory. Still, he earned one NCHC Conference award, the 2024-25 Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

Davis finished his NCAA career with a 63-17-4 record in 90 games with a .921 SV% and 2.13 GAA. Assuming Yaroslav Askarov becomes a full-time netminder for the Sharks in 2025-26, Davis has every opportunity to become the Barracuda’s leading man.

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