Snapshots: Kulemin, Schmidt, Oil Kings
Nikolai Kulemin‘s NHL career is over for the time being, as the 31-year old has signed with Magnitogorsk in the KHL. As TSN relays, it is a multi-year deal worth around $3.2MM per season, which is actually a step down from the salary he’d been earning in the NHL. Kulemin signed a four-year $16.75MM contract with the New York Islanders in 2014, and was scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.
The Toronto Maple Leafs’ second round pick from 2006 played just 13 games for the Islanders this season, recording three points. A one-time 30-goal scorer, Kulemin was never able to repeat that kind of success and will leave the NHL with 274 points in 669 games. There’s no guarantee his career in North America is finished for good, but it wouldn’t be surprising if we never saw him on this side of the ocean again.
- Nate Schmidt has turned into an elite defenseman for the Vegas Golden Knights, logging huge minutes on a nightly basis and controlling the game during the playoffs. If you were a Washington Capitals fan upset when they lost him in the expansion draft, know that GM Brian MacLellan tried (and failed) to get him back right away. In Isabelle Khurshudyan and Jesse Doughtery’s latest piece for the Washington Post, Vegas GM George McPhee reveals that Washington immediately tried to reacquire the young defenseman, but that the Golden Knights valued him so highly that they made a deal impossible for the Capitals to accept. Schmidt will take on his former club in the Stanley Cup Finals starting tonight, where he’ll be asked to shut down some of the most dangerous forwards in the league.
- The Edmonton Oil Kings have relieved head coach Steve Hamilton and assistant coach Ryan Marsh of their duties, meaning a new staff will be taking over the WHL team next season. That staff might have to be hired by a new GM too, as the team also announced that GM Randy Hansch will be joining an NHL team as an amateur scout after July 1st. The Oil Kings finished dead last in the WHL this season with a 22-42-8 record, and scored the fewest while allowing the most goals in the league. It was a disastrous year, but as we’ve seen many times at the junior level before they could be in for a quick rebuild. The team selected 15-year old Dylan Guenther first overall in the recent bantam draft, and will hope he can lead the team back to prominence in the coming years.
Philadelphia Flyers See Value In Goaltending Like Vegas Does
The emergence in the last couple of years of prospect Carter Hart, who won the CHL Goaltender of the Year award Saturday for the second straight year is the only hope the Philadelphia Flyers have to filling the one major gap on their roster — goaltending. With the team locked into another year with the tandem of average goalies Brian Elliott and Michal Neuvirth, the team has to hope that Hart, who will join the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms next year, can live up to the hype and lead the Flyers to that next level in a year.
Only 19 years old, Hart has put up three dominant seasons with the Everett Silvertips of the WHL. In the 2015-16 season as a 17-year old, Hart posted a 2.14 GAA and a .918 save percentage. The Flyers drafted him in the second round after that season. He followed that year up with a 1.99 GAA and a .927 save percentage in the 2016-17 season to capture his first CHL Goaltender of the Year award. It only got better. Despite a respite in December to represent Team Canada at the World Juniors, he tallied a 1.60 GAA and a .947 save percentage for one of the best junior seasons for a goalie ever.
He joined Lehigh Valley for their playoff run recently, but didn’t get into a game. That job should be handed to him next season, although Hart is looking to make the rare jump straight to the Flyers.
“I want to be (in the NHL) next season,” he said to the Courier-Post. “That’s my goal for the summer is to get bigger, faster and stronger so I’m prepared for training camp. That’s really all I’m focused on right now is that this summer is huge for me. I’m excited to go home, whenever that is, and get my training started and get ready for next season.”
Philly.com’s Sam Carchidi finds himself comparing this year’s Flyers team to that of the Golden Knights squad that sits four wins away from a Stanley Cup title. The one big difference that the scribe notes between the two teams is that Vegas hit the jackpot when they got Marc-Andre Fleury in the expansion draft from the Pittsburgh Penguins. That move is the key factor that the Flyers lacked this year. When Elliott was not hurt, he put up decent numbers with a 2.66 GAA and a .909 save percentage in 43 games, but that isn’t good enough for a team to take that next step in the playoffs. Neuvirth wasn’t much better with a 2.60 GAA and a .915 save percentage in 22 games.
The scribe points out that what Fleury has done is shown the other 30 general managers in the league that goaltending is the most important position of the game. The Flyers only hope is that Hart is as good as advertised once he reaches the professional ranks. The hope is that one year in the AHL will hopefully prove he’s ready to be that goaltender of the future in Philadelphia. Of course, the Flyers may have learned this lesson several years ago and have their own pipeline with promising Swedish goaltender Felix Sandstrom expected to come over to the U.S. to join Hart in Lehigh Valley next season.
2018 Memorial Cup Preview
The finale of the 2017-18 major junior season kicks off on Friday with the beginning of the Memorial Cup tournament. Each year, the champions of the three CHL leagues—the OHL, QMJHL, and WHL—and a rotating host team face off in a round-robin tournament with the championship being held on Sunday, May 27. This year’s tourney takes place in Regina, Saskatchewan and features the host Regina Pats of the WHL, the OHL champion Hamilton Bulldogs, the QMJHL champion Acadie-Bathurst Titan, and the WHL champion Swift Current Broncos. Below is a summary of each of the contending squads to help prepare for the upcoming games:
Regina Pats (40-25-7)
The host Pats are not quite on the level of the other three teams, as per usual, but that doesn’t mean they can’t string together enough wins to steal the Memorial Cup away. The Pats finished third in the WHL’s East Division, although their 87 point were good enough for seventh in the league. The team is well acquainted with another Memorial Cup competitor, the Swift Current Broncos, as they finished just behind the eventual champs in the division and fell to them in the first round of the WHL playoffs in seven games. If not for that match-up, Regina had the talent to advance further in the postseason.
The team finished fifth in the league in goals against behind a stout defense featuring three highly regarded NHL prospects: Libor Hajek (NYR), Cale Fleury (MTL), and Josh Mahura (ANA). The offense is led by another standout Ducks prospect, first-rounder Sam Steel (ANA), and has scoring depth in the form of Jake Leschyshyn (VGK), Matthew Bradley (MTL), and draft-eligible Emil Oskanen. The hosts will be far from a pushover in this tournament.
Swift Current Broncos (48-17-7)
The Broncos have the benefit of staying nearby in Saskatchewan and facing a team that they handled all year long in Regina. The team is also on a bit of a hot streak having beaten two division champs, the Moose Jaw Warriors and the Everett Silvertips, en route to their WHL title. Swift Current is a well-rounded squad who finished second in goals against and third in goals for this season. Star center Glen Gawdin (CGY) contributed to both of those marks with both an outstanding 125 points and checking game that earned him over 100 penalty minutes and a +61 rating. Gawdin and partner-in-crime Aleksi Heponiemi (FLA) finished second and third respectively in WHL scoring and form a formidable duo on the team’s top line.
Offensive defenseman Colby Sissons (NJD) and his under-rated pair mate Artyom Minulin are a force themselves on the blue line. However, the key to the Broncos success in the tournament will lie with goaltender Stuart Skinner (EDM). Skinner’s play was incredible in the postseason, as he posted a .932 save percentage and 2.20 GAA in 26 starts. If that level of play continues, Swift Current will be hard to beat.
Hamilton Bulldogs (43-18-7)
The OHL champs were also East Division regular season champs and held the third-best record in the league. They were also third-best in goals against and fifth-best in goals for. Hamilton took their game to the next level in the playoffs though, dropping just five games in four series, including taking down arguably the best team in junior hockey this year, the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, in a six-game final series.
The Bulldogs are led by a forward corps that is unrivaled in depth in this tournament: Robert Thomas (STL), Matthew Strome (PHI), Will Bitten (MTL), MacKenzie Entwhistle (ARI), and overage phenom Brandon Saigeon. The only question is whether or not Hamilton has the difference-makers elsewhere in their lineup to keep up in the tournament.
Acadie-Bathurst Titan (43-15-10)
The Titan finished with the second best record and goal differential in the QMJHL and with the Maritimes Division title, but were clearly the best team in the league come playoff time, when they completed two sweeps and lost only four games on their way to a relatively easy championship. Keeper Evan Fitzpatrick (STL) was the star of the show in the postseason, continuing his strong play from the regular season. Forward Antoine Morand (ANA) and potential top-ten pick defenseman Noah Dobson led their respective units, but watch out for Flyers first-rounder German Rubtsov (PHI) to be the key to the Titan’s success in the tournament.
Minnesota Notes: GM, Free Agents, Whitecaps
The Minnesota Wild are closing in on their next GM, as Michael Russo of The Athletic (subscription required) reports that team owner Craig Leipold will sit down with Paul Fenton today and Tom Fitzgerald on Thursday before making a final decision. Fenton, the Nashville Predators assistant GM, has been a candidate for countless jobs over the past decade but stayed with his current organization as the right hand of David Poile. Fitzgerald, a rising star in the New Jersey Devils front office, apparently “thoroughly impressed Leipold” in his first interview and is now a legitimate finalist for the job.
Minnesota let long-time GM Chuck Fletcher go after a disappointing first-round exit at the hands of the Winnipeg Jets, and are looking for something of a new direction under their next executive. The team has routinely made the playoffs in recent years, only to quickly bow out and try again the following season.
- When CapFriendly released their offer sheet compensation yesterday, one couldn’t fault a Minnesota fan from feeling fearful when reading the list of restricted free agents. Two of the very best—Jason Zucker and Mathew Dumba—belong to the Wild, and could potentially draw offer sheet interest. Zucker is coming off a breakout 64-point season and is already 26, while Dumba lived up to his seventh-overall draft position with a 50-point season from the blue line. Both players are integral parts of the Minnesota team, and key negotiations for whoever becomes the next GM. If someone were to sign either to a big-money offer sheet, it may be hard to turn down what would be an expansive compensation package.
- The NWHL has expanded to the state of hockey for the 2018-19 season, as the Minnesota Whitecaps will become the league’s fifth team. Joining the Boston Pride, Buffalo Beauts, Connecticut Whale and Metropolitan Riveters, Minnesota will be the league’s first foray outside of the north east. The Whitecaps have operated independently for several years, playing exhibition games against NWHL teams but never being an official part of the league. The organization will initially be owned by the league.
Edmonton Oilers Sign Stuart Skinner
It’s been a good 24 hours for Stuart Skinner. The 19-year old goaltender for the Swift Current Broncos won the WHL Championship last night, and today has signed his three-year entry-level contract with the Edmonton Oilers.
Skinner, the Oilers’ third-round pick in 2017, posted an incredible .932 save percentage in the postseason for Swift Current, including six shutouts en route to the title. He’ll now play in the upcoming Memorial Cup, before likely heading to development camp in the summer. The big goaltender is a very interesting prospect and could represent the team’s future in net, though he still has several jumps to make in his development.
The Oilers don’t have a clear succession plan in place for their goaltending situation, with Cam Talbot scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent next summer. While they signed Mikko Koskinen out of the KHL recently, he’s also on just a one-year deal and will be a UFA in 2019. Behind those two, who figure to be the NHL tandem in 2018-19, there is a group of goaltenders including Laurent Brossoit and Nick Ellis who have all failed to show anything that would make one believe they can handle a starting job in the NHL. Brossoit is actually a UFA this summer, and doesn’t look like he’ll be retained at all.
Fellow CHL prospect Dylan Wells struggled this season in Peterborough, and is a long-shot to make a real impact at the NHL level. That leaves Skinner as the best goaltending prospect in the system, and one that will be watched carefully over the next few years. If he shows that his recent playoff performance can be repeated next season in the WHL, perhaps the team won’t have to go out and acquire another long-term option in net, instead just re-signing Talbot and hoping Skinner can make the team before long.
Snapshots: Hunwick, Pitlick, Stars
Matt Hunwick‘s first season in Pittsburgh did not go according to plan. After signing a three-year, $6.75MM contract with the Penguins at the opening of free agency, the expectations were that Hunwick would be a capable everyday defenseman. Yet, by the trade deadline Hunwick had missed 18 games due to injury and a few more due to healthy scratches and had just five points on the year to show for the games he did play in. Less than a year in to a three-year pact, GM Jim Rutherford was searching for a way to move his contract. When he couldn’t, Hunwick ended up watching 26 of the Penguins final 29 regular season games and each game of the postseason from the press box. These disappointing results are not lost on Hunwick though; the veteran defenseman was honest in his self-criticism when speaking to the gathered media yesterday, reports The Athletic’s Seth Rorabaugh. Hunwick did attribute some of the blame for his poor play to injury and a Penguins system that was difficult to adjust to, but largely took responsibility for the campaign by admitting his lack of a mental edge. “I don’t think I played with enough confidence throughout the season…Maybe (confidence was) part of the reason (for struggling)”, Hunwick said, adding ““I’d hope to play a lot better (next season). I’d like to be more assertive and be more confident right out of the gate. Now knowing the system and the guys, I think that should happen.” Maybe that will happen for Hunwick, but that is assuming he remains in Pittsburgh to begin next season. Rutherford still faces the pressure of the salary cap crunch and an overpaid depth defenseman is an ideal target to move out, if possible. Hunwick has proven to be a capable player over his career and he very likely would improve in year two with the Penguins, but he may not be afforded the opportunity after a rough start this year.
- On the other end of the spectrum is Dallas Stars forward Tyler Pitlick. In grading out the roster after a frustrating end to the season – a late-season collapse that cost the team a playoff spot – Sportsday’s Joshua Friemel calls Pitlick a highlight of an otherwise disappointing season. In fact, Friemel states that Pitlick may have even been a better off-season addition than big-name acquisitions Ben Bishop, Marc Methot, or Martin Hanzal. The Stars spent right up to the cap in 2017-18, but paid Pitlick only $1MM and got 80 games and 27 points back in return. Friemel points out that his 14 goals were good enough for sixth on the team and they were also more than Jason Spezza and Antoine Roussel combined, who together made $9.5MM. Pitlick also contributed on the penalty kill and was one of the Stars’ more physical and effective two-way players. Better yet, Pitlick still has two years remaining on his deal at that same bargain rate. The underutilized Edmonton Oilers prospect may have been little more than a waiver when he signed in Dallas and may have flown under the radar this season, but going forward his value will no longer go unnoticed.
- Staying in Dallas, Stars owner Tom Gaglardi made the rare cross-organization reassignment today. The Kamloops Blazers, the WHL team that Gaglardi shares ownership in, today announced several front office changes, including the assignment of GM Stu MacGregor to the Stars organization, as Gaglardi also owns both Dallas and AHL Texas. The Athletic’s Sean Shapiro clarifies that MacGregor has been transferred to the Stars’ amateur scouting department, where his experience with junior hockey can be put toward a different purpose. With the Blazers finishing with the fifth-worst record in the league this season, changes were expected, but it’s a shrewd move by Gaglardi to replace his GM for one team without losing an asset by instead strengthening his other team.
Pavel Padakin Garnering NHL Interest
The off-season has yet to officially begin, but there have already been a number of international signings in recent weeks and there are surely more to come. Among those potential imports on the way could be KHL forward Pavel Padakin. Agent Igor Larionov confirmed to Russian source Championat that the Ukranian right winger has received several offers to play in the NHL next season.
Padakin, 23, has more North American experience than the typical young international player. After coming over as a 17-year-old in 2011 to play in the U.S. Tier II junior-level North American Hockey League, Padakin was able to make the jump to major junior the next year, joining the WHL’s Calgary Hitmen. After three seasons in the WHL, Padakin signed a minor league deal and split the 2015-16 season between the AHL and ECHL. Only after that did he return to Europe, signing with Sochi.
However, after leading his team in assists this season, as well as finishing third in points and second in plus/minus, Padakin in back in North America to train and meet with team executives. While his career statistics don’t indicate that Padakin could make a major impact on an NHL team right away, his familiarity with the North American game matched with a solid skill set could make him a nice AHL depth addition for the time being.
2018 WHL Bantam Draft Results
Though they’re not quite as noteworthy as the NHL Entry Draft, junior drafts can give fans a glimpse of the future of professional hockey. Today, the WHL held their 2018 Bantam Draft where the Edmonton Oil Kings held the first-overall pick.
With that pick Edmonton took Dylan Guenther, a 15-year old center who put up huge numbers in the CSSBHL. 103 points in just 30 games, he easily led the league in scoring and will now try to continue that success in the CHL. Eligible for selection in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, we’ll surely hear his name a few more times over the next few years.
The rest of the first round results can be found below, while the entire draft can be seen here.
- Edmonton Oil Kings: C Dylan Guenther
- Kootenay Ice: D Carson Lambos
- Prince Albert Raiders: D Nolan Allan
- Calgary Hitmen: F Sean Tschigerl
- Kamloops Blazers: C Logan Stankoven
- Saskatoon Blades: F Colton Dach
- Red Deer Rebels: C Jayden Grubbe
- Lethbridge Hurricanes: C Zack Stringer
- Prince George Cougars: C Craig Armstrong
- Seattle Thunderbirds: C Kai Uchacz
- Medicine Hat Tigers: C Cole Sillinger
- Vancouver Giants: C Zack Ostapchuk
- Victoria Royals: D Nolan Bentham
- Tri-City Americans: D Mark Lajoie
- Brandon Wheat Kings: F Jake Chiasson
- Red Deer Rebels: D Kyle Masters
- Spokane Chiefs: D Graham Sward
- Kelowna Rockets: C Trevor Wong
- Portland Winterhawks: C Gabe Klassen
- Edmonton Oil Kings: D Keegan Slaney
- Prince George Cougars: G Tyler Brennan
- Moose Jaw Warriors: F Eric Alarie
Red Wings Notes: Rasmussen, Kronwall
The Detroit Red Wings were questioned by some when they selected Michael Rasmussen in last season’s draft. A strong preseason showing poured a little cold water on some of the criticism, and Rasmussen’s playoff performance with Tri-City has amped up the excitement surrounding the young prospect. Through 11 games in the WHL playoffs, Rasmussen has 29 points (14-15) and recorded yet another multi-point game in an 8-4 loss Tuesday evening. The Detroit Free Press’ Helene St. James writes that the Tri-City captain is making a very strong case to crack the Red Wings roster in the fall. The 9th overall pick in the draft has spent time on the wing during the playoffs, and seems to be developing into the big bodied, scoring forward Detroit envisioned when they drafted him. Of course, the NHL game is entirely different than juniors, but it’s a positive development for a team that has finally seemed to embrace the idea of a rebuild.
- MLive’s Ansar Khan reports that defenseman Niklas Kronwall is looking forward to a mentoring role next season in what will be the final year of his contract. Khan predicts that next season will be Kronwall’s final year in Hockeytown, as the 37-year-old has been playing on a wonky knee but still managed to defy Father Time with a stronger than expected season. Now, Kronwall will be counted onto mentor the younger defensemen rising through the system, namely Filip Hronek, Joe Hicketts, Libor Sulak and Dennis Cholowski. Khan writes that while some of those dmen could reach Detroit next season, he quotes Kronwall as saying:
“We’ve seen some guys up front (Dylan Larkin, Anthony Mantha, Andreas Athanasiou, Tyler Bertuzzi), and I think it’s definitely time for the back end to also get rejuvenated with some young players.
“It’s time for these young guys on D to take another step and get a shot at playing for the team. It starts with hard work. Have a good camp. Both Hronek and Cholowski seem to have had really good years. It will be awesome, and I very much look forward to watching them play.”
Dennis Cholowski Joins Grand Rapids Griffins
Dennis Cholowski has had quite the path to professional hockey, but that dream finally seems a reality. The Detroit Red Wings prospect has been assigned to the Grand Rapids Griffins, where he’ll likely suit up in the playoffs and then stay with for the 2018-19 season—that is, if he doesn’t make the NHL out of camp. Cholowski’s CHL team, the Portland Winterhawks, were eliminated from the WHL playoffs recently, ending his junior career.
In 2016, Cholowski was selected in the first round by the Red Wings who knew full well that he was planning on heading to college. The young defenseman had played in the BCHL to maintain NCAA eligibility, and was headed to St. Cloud State in 2016-17. He would make it to the collegiate ranks, but spend just one season at St. Cloud before signing his entry-level contract. That came with a single game for the Griffins last spring on an amateur tryout, though he’d have to wait for another opportunity in professional hockey.
Instead, he was sent to the CHL where he signed a deal with the Prince George Cougars. Prince George had drafted him way back in 2013 with the 200th selection in their bantam draft, never really expecting him to play for them. Instead, they received half a season—and an excellent one at that, scoring 39 points in 37 games—before moving him to Portland for a boatload of draft picks. Cholowski wold continue his strong play, scoring another 34 points in 44 games for the Winterhawks down the stretch and into the playoffs.
Cholowski was seen as a reach of sorts in his draft year, but looks like he’ll pay off for the Red Wings at the next level. A talented puck-mover, he’ll be a key part of how the Detroit re-tool looks over the next few seasons. For now, he’ll get some playoff experience with the Griffins who are trying to defend their 2017 Calder Cup Championship.