Jayden Halbgewachs Signs In SHL
Sep 6: Vaxjo has officially announced the contract, welcoming Halbgewachs to the SHL.
Sep 5: A few days ago, reports emerged linking former San Jose Sharks forward Jayden Halbgewachs to MODO, a team in the Swedish second league. Today, new information has come out linking him to the Vaxjo Lakers of the SHL, instead. It appears, according to Expressen, that both teams were interested but the free agent decided to go with the higher-level club.
Halbgewachs, 25, qualified for Group VI unrestricted free agency this summer after only playing three games with the Sharks through the early part of his career. An undrafted signing out of the WHL in 2017 (where he scored 70 goals in 72 games during the 2017-18 season), he has played four years in the minor leagues, recording solid (but not incredible) point totals with the San Jose Barracuda. In his three games with the Sharks, he did record an assist but failed to notch his first NHL goal.
Sometimes, players go overseas for a bigger opportunity and to show that they are more than just minor league talent. If he can dominate the Swedish league, perhaps another NHL team takes a chance on him down the road. For now, though, it appears as though Halbgewachs will be off the North American grid, meaning it’s just more development resources from San Jose that didn’t result in much value.
Snapshots: Penguins, Vikman, Jenner
With nine defensemen on their roster, it would appear at first glance that the Penguins might be a team to watch for on the trade front. Team president Brian Burke acknowledged to Dave Molinari of Pittsburgh Hockey Now that there are some teams calling to inquire about their blueliners although, for the time being, there aren’t any active trade discussions. Prospect Pierre-Olivier Joseph is now waiver-eligible and likely wouldn’t sneak through and while Ty Smith is exempt from hitting the waiver wire, they didn’t acquire him from New Jersey for John Marino simply to play him in the minors. While there’s nothing on the front-burner now, there’s a good reason to think that Pittsburgh could be moving a defenseman at some point over the next month.
Elsewhere around the NHL:
- While Golden Knights prospect Jesper Vikman is eligible to turn pro and play in their minor league system this season, it’s expected that he’ll be returned to WHL Vancouver, notes Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province. The 20-year-old was a fifth-round pick by Vegas back in 2020 and had a decent start to his major junior career with a 3.05 GAA and a .903 SV% in 35 games with the Giants. While the Golden Knights might benefit from a bit of extra depth in their farm system with some of the uncertainty that they have between the pipes, sending him back would likely be best for his development.
- Blue Jackets center Boone Jenner told Aaron Portzline of The Athletic (subscription link) that he has fully recovered from the back injury that cost him the final 23 games of last season. Jenner has missed time with back trouble in three different seasons now but all three have been in different areas. The 29-year-old had 44 points in 59 games last season while logging over 20 minutes per night for the first time in his career and he will undoubtedly be a welcome return for a Columbus team that is looking to turn their fortunes around quickly following the addition of Johnny Gaudreau this summer.
Minor Transactions: 08/30/22
As far as late August goes, we’ve had a pretty busy 24 hours in the NHL, with the trade of Adin Hill to the Vegas Golden Knights last night, followed by a massive extension for Tage Thompson to stick with the Buffalo Sabres for seven more years. Not to be forgotten, the Minnesota Wild also added that forward they were rumored to be looking for, inking former Anaheim Ducks prospect Sam Steel to a one-year deal. Busy as the last day was in the NHL, there’s still action going on around the hockey world, and we’ll keep track of some of those other transactions here:
- A big trade went down in the WHL this afternoon, the Saskatoon Blades announcing they’ve acquired forward Conner Roulette and a third-round pick in the 2026 WHL prospects draft from the Seattle Thunderbirds in exchange for overage forward Kyle Crnkovic (link). The 20-year-old Crnkovic spent the previous five seasons with the Blades organization. Always a solid contributor, he broke out in 2021-22, tallying 39 goals and 55 assists in 68 games for Saskatoon. Roulette, 19, was a fourth-round pick of the Dallas Stars in 2021 and has spent the previous four years with the Thunderbirds, having his own breakout this past season with 24 goals and 42 assists in 65 contests.
- Former Nashville Predators draft pick Wade Murphy is headed back to North America, signing with the Idaho Steelheads of the ECHL, after spending last season in Austria (link). A seventh-round pick by Nashville in 2013, the forward has spent the bulk of his professional career in the ECHL after a three year college career. The stint in Austria was a successful one for Murphy, who had 23 points in 38 games for Ljubljana Olimpija, the most he’s had in a professional season to date.
- The Laval Rocket, the AHL affiliate of the Montreal Canadiens, have signed forward Brett Stapley to a one-year AHL contract for the 2022-23 season, the team announced (link). Stapley, 23, was a seventh-round pick by Montreal back in 2018 and recently finished up his fourth season at the University of Denver. The North Vancouver, BC native had a solid college career, capped off by a breakout 2021-22 with 18 goals and 25 assists in 41 games. With the Canadians in a full rebuild, if Stapley can have a strong transition from college to the professional ranks, he may still have a chance to break into the NHL.
- The Jacksonville Icemen announced they have signed Jake Witkowski to a one-year contract (link). The forward recently finished his college career, playing four years at Boston University prior to a season at Canisius College in 2021-22, where he had 11 points in 32 games. Interestingly, Witkowski is older than the typical college free agent, having turned 26 a few days ago.
- Toronto Marlies defenseman Joseph Duszak won’t be returning for the 2022-23 season, instead heading to Dinamo Minsk of the KHL (link). Duszak, 25, spent three years at Mercyhurst College, joining the Marlies after an impressive 47 points in 37 college games in 2018-19. The Long Island native would split the 2019-20 season between the Marlies and the Newfoundland Growlers (the Marlies’ and Toronto Maple Leafs’ ECHL affiliate), joining the team full-time thereafter. Like in college, Duszak broke out in his third full professional season, recording seven goals and 45 assists in 61 games on the Marlies blueline this year.
Prospect Notes: Dickinson, Hamara, Lindgren
The Niagara IceDogs have had a tumultuous 12 months, and things aren’t slowing down. The OHL team will not have top pick Sam Dickinson in camp according to Jeff Marek of Sportsnet, confirming earlier reporting from Matt Young of OHL Tonight.
Dickinson, the fourth-overall pick in this year’s OHL draft, was also picked late by the Chicago Steel of the USHL and could see his CHL rights traded to the London Knights according to Young. Both powerhouse organizations are known for being able to recruit talented youngsters, given their elite development programs.
- The Kitchener Rangers, meanwhile, announced some good news today by signing Tomas Hamara to a standard contract. The Ottawa Senators third-round pick was the 26th selection in the CHL Import Draft and will come over from Finland, where he has played the last several years. The Czech-born defenseman signed his entry-level contract with Ottawa in July.
- Speaking of 2022 draft picks, Buffalo Sabres prospect Mats Lindgren (son of former NHL forward Mats Lindgren), has been traded from the Kamloops Blazers to the Red Deer Rebels for the upcoming WHL season. Lingren was the 106th player selected last month, joining a Sabres prospect pool that is loaded with young talent.
Victoria Royals Hire Morgan Klimchuk
Selected 28th overall, with the pick the Calgary Flames received for Jarome Iginla, Morgan Klimchuk will join the group of players that only ever played a single NHL game. The 27-year-old has joined the coaching staff of the Victoria Royals of the WHL, signaling a definite end to his professional career.
Klimchuk last played during the 2019-20 season with the Belleville Senators, scoring 12 goals and 26 points in 49 games. In 2021-22 he coached U15 prep players at Edge School, a private athletic academy outside of Calgary. Through 274 AHL games, he scored 62 goals and 133 points.
While he has quite a bit of work ahead of him, these kinds of early retirement stories can lead to extremely young head coaches at the professional level. Klimchuk was picked in the same round as Nathan MacKinnon and Aleksander Barkov, for instance, players who are still right in their prime on the ice.
Buffalo Sabres Sign Tyson Kozak
The Buffalo Sabres have signed forward prospect Tyson Kozak to a three-year, entry-level contract, per a team release Friday. Per CapFriendly, the contract carries a cap hit of $850K with a rather unique signing bonus structure.
The Sabres drafted Kozak in the seventh round of the 2021 NHL Draft with the 193rd overall pick. The 19-year-old center had 32 goals, 37 assists, and 69 points in 66 games last season with the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks. Barring a massive unforeseen development in which Kozak makes the Sabres out of camp, he’ll return there next season as well.
Buffalo director of player development, Adam Mair, called 2021-22 “an excellent year” for Kozak, while Rochester Americans assistant coach Michael Peca also spoke highly of the player during development camp in July:
Watching him out there, you’d think he went in the top three rounds, to be honest with you. The kid’s impressive. He’s quiet, he’s unassuming, but he’s a real hockey player. He does everything right on the ice.
Kozak is a solid member of what seems to be a promising 2021 draft class for the Sabres. He’ll join his peers in Josh Bloom (Saginaw, OHL) and Olivier Nadeau (Gatineau, QMJHL) as 2021 Sabres draftees returning to the CHL next season.
His strengths rely on his two-way game, as alluded to by Peca. He’s a smart offensive player who shows good instincts away from the puck and has a surprisingly physical play style given his 5′ 11″, 165 lb frame.
Chicago Blackhawks Sign Kevin Korchinski
August 11th: CapFriendly has reported the expected financial terms of the deal. Korchinski’s $950K cap hit is made up of an $855K base salary and a $95K signing bonus. It also contains $1MM in Type A performance bonuses and pays $82.5K per season in the minors. Interestingly, the contract will also pay Korchinski a $10.5K salary each year he spends in juniors, which The Athletic’s Scott Powers reports that the defenseman is likely to spend a year or two in the WHL.
August 10th: The Chicago Blackhawks made big moves to acquire the seventh-overall pick in this year’s draft and used it on super-talented WHL defenseman Kevin Korchinski. Today, they’ve officially added him to the organization, signing the young Korchinski to a three-year, entry-level contract.
If you want a defenseman that has the puck on his stick every time he is out there, it’s Korchinski, who is involved in the play at all times. This is not a player who relies on dumping the puck out or giving it to his partner to deal with; he wants to be in control of every breakout.
Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson explained on the draft floor that it was Korchinski they were always targeting as they moved up the board, by sending Alex DeBrincat to the Ottawa Senators for a package that included the seventh selection. If he hits, he’s going to be a tremendous addition to the team for a long time, anchoring their defense.
The question is whether or not he will hit, and quite frankly, there isn’t a lot to go on just yet. Korchinski played just 24 WHL games before the 2021-22 season, meaning his experience level is still relatively low to many of his peers. A June birthday, he had only just turned 18 a few weeks before the draft, and will likely take a little while before he’s manning the Blackhawks blueline on a regular basis.
After missing the cut at the current World Juniors, he is a strong candidate for the tournament in December and is expected to spend the season with the Seattle Thunderbirds once again. His entry-level deal will slide, provided he doesn’t play ten games in the NHL next season.
Minor Transactions: 08/11/22
The hockey world has slowed to a standstill as we wade through the middle of summer, even if there is an international tournament going on. The World Juniors in Edmonton have so far barely registered as far as fan excitement, drawing only a few thousand attendees to Canada’s game yesterday (and fewer still to the other matches). It might not be prime hockey season but there are still moves being made by hard-working front office staff. We’ll keep track of the notable minor transactions right here.
- The Tucson Roadrunners have re-signed Tyson Empey and Hudson Elynuik to one-year, AHL contracts for the upcoming season. Elynuik, some fans will remember, turned heads as a 6’5″ powerhouse in the WHL, earning him a third-round selection by the Carolina Hurricanes in 2016. He played 22 games with the Roadrunners last season, scoring nine points and registering 44 penalty minutes.
- Julien Rod, younger brother of former San Jose Sharks forward Noah Rod, is headed back to Switzerland after one year in the QMJHL. The 17-year-old winger is eligible for the 2023 draft but scored just 14 points in 56 games with the Drummondville Voltigeurs last season after going 28th overall in the 2021 CHL Import Draft. His brother, who was picked 53rd overall by the Sharks in 2014, is back home as well, after terminating his deal with San Jose in 2018.
- Nicolas Guay, the undrafted forward who played 16 games with the Abbotsford Canucks last season after leaving the powerhouse University of New Brunswick program, has settled for an ECHL deal with the Trois-Rivieres Lions. Guay, 23, captained both the Voltigeurs and the Saint John Sea Dogs during his time in the QMJHL but after going undrafted. His father, Francois Guay, played exactly one game in the NHL but was a legendary junior player in Quebec and starred overseas for many years.
- Doyle Somerby is off to the KHL, signing with Kunlun Red Star for the next two years. The former Boston University captain split last season between the Iowa Wild and Tucson Roadrunners, scoring 11 points in 55 games.
This page will be updated throughout the day with any further notable transactions.
Snapshots: Larkin, Kolesar, Luypen
After changing agents earlier this offseason, it felt like Dylan Larkin and the Red Wings would be able to work out a long-term contract extension to keep the captain with his hometown team. However, it has yet to happen so far. In his latest mailbag for The Athletic (subscription link), Max Bultman tried to peg where a new deal should fall for the 26-year-old, suggesting Mika Zibanejad and Evgeny Kuznetsov as viable comparables. Those players took up a little more than 10% at the time their deals would sign which would peg Larkin’s price tag around the $8.6MM range. That would certainly represent a sizable increase on his current $6.1MM AAV and it doesn’t hurt that Larkin is coming off a 69-point season, the second-most of his career. There’s still plenty of time to get a deal done but it’s a bit surprising that an agreement isn’t yet in place.
Elsewhere around the hockey world:
- Although he underwent offseason surgery after missing the final three games of the season due to a lower-body injury, Golden Knights winger Keegan Kolesar told reporters, including Ben Gotz of the Las Vegas Review-Journal (Twitter link) that he will be ready to return by training camp next month. The 25-year-old had 24 points in 77 games last season which helped him to earn a three-year, $4.2MM contract last week to avoid salary arbitration. With Max Pacioretty and Mattias Janmark moving on this summer, Kolesar could be in line for a bit more playing time next season.
- After signing his entry-level deal earlier this month, Blackhawks prospect Jalen Luypen is on the move in the WHL. Tri-City announced that they’ve acquired the 20-year-old from Edmonton in a swap that included multiple conditional draft picks that are likely dependent on where the forward plays next season. Chicago could turn Luypen pro with AHL Rockford or send him back to junior for an overage year where he’d try to improve on the 64 points in the 66 games he played last season.
Calgary Wranglers Announce Name, Sign Five Players
After announcing their name yesterday, Calgary’s AHL affiliate has signed five players to AHL contracts for 2022-23. Formerly known as the Stockton Heat, the Calgary Wranglers will begin play at the Scotiabank Saddledome next season.
The five players signed were goalie Daniil Chechelev (whose NHL rights are owned by Calgary), defenseman Simon Lavigne, center Mitch McLain (signed to a two-year deal), defenseman Rhett Rhinehart, and center Brett Sutter.
Chechelev, just 21, was Calgary’s 96th overall selection in the 2020 draft. He played last season in Stockton on an AHL deal, having yet to sign his entry-level contract. He was sent to the ECHL’s Kansas City Mavericks for the vast majority of the season, where he compiled a 12-12-5 record, 3.64 goals against average, .894 save percentage, and one shutout. He sits fifth on the organization’s depth chart behind Oscar Dansk and Dustin Wolf, and he’ll likely be loaned back to the ECHL this season.
Lavigne joins the Wranglers after serving as the captain of the QMJHL’s Blainville-Boisbriand Armada last season, notching six goals and 30 assists for 36 points in 65 games. McLain, 28, signs a two-year pact in Calgary after scoring 17 goals in 76 games last season with the Milwaukee Admirals. Rhinehart posted 27 points in 53 games last year as an alternate captain with the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades. Sutter joins his father’s organization after spending the last five seasons as the captain of the Ontario Reign.