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Scott Perunovich Wins Jim Johannson Award

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The only way Scott Perunovich’s season could get any better at this point is if the NHL allows him to sign and play with the St. Louis Blues this season. The talented young defenseman has added another trophy to his wall, winning the Jim Johannson College Player of the Year Award. Perunovich previously won the Hobey Baker and agreed to join the Blues organization.

University of Minnesota-Duluth head coach Scott Sandelin explained just why Perunovich was so important to his team:

He was a go-to guy for us, who played a ton of minutes. He’s always been a really talented offensive player with great vision, but I saw the development and how he has grown over the years here. It’s a great honor and the accolades he’s getting are certainly well deserved.

Perunovich, 21, acknowledged his teammates in his acceptance statement, but there is no doubt that he was the leader on UMD. With 40 points in 34 games he led the team in scoring despite playing defense, and was seemingly on the ice for every second shift all season long.

The second-round pick will now have to wait and see whether the NHLPA can convince the league to allow new contracts for 2019-20 so that he can help the Blues in a playoff run. So far the NHL has not budged, meaning Perunovich most likely will have to wait until 2020-21 to make an impact.

While undersized, there’s no doubting Perunovich’s talent with the puck and ability to find open teammates for scoring chances. There could be a period of adjustment at a higher level, but Blues fans are excited for him to get the opportunity.

Brinson Pasichnuk Agrees To Terms With San Jose Sharks

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June 5: Pasichnuk entry-level contract has been filed for next season, meaning it will be a two-year deal that carries him through the 2021-22 season. Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports reports that the deal is worth $925K in the NHL, including $185K in signing bonuses and also includes some Schedule A performance bonuses.

March 31: Changing times create changing operating procedures, and we’ve seen another interesting announcement from an NHL team today. Brinson Pasichnuk has officially agreed to join the San Jose Sharks organization, though no contract terms have been announced. That’s because like Scott Perunovich earlier this month, Pasichnuk has agreed to two different contracts; one that starts immediately should the 2019-20 season resume, and one that would start in the 2020-21 season instead. Sharks GM Doug Wilson released a statement on his newest defenseman:

Brinson is an excellent puck moving defenseman with a physical brand of hockey. As captain for the Sun Devils program for two seasons under Arizona State Head Coach Greg Powers, he is a great teammate and proven leader. We are happy to have him join our organization.

Pasichnuk, 22, recently finished his senior season at Arizona State, recording 37 points in 36 games. The undrafted free agent defenseman had drawn interest from as many as 20 NHL organizations, but will officially join the Sharks at some point in the next few months.

The question now becomes whether Pasichnuk can make the jump directly from the NCAA ranks to the NHL. Not only has he shown the ability to skate the puck out of trouble, but the 6’0″ 205-lbs defenseman can also dart long stretch passes or quickly set up his teammates for an easy exit. Those abilities are always in high demand at the professional level, but he’ll have to adapt to the different speed and strength from NHL opponents.

Pittsburgh Penguins Player Tests Positive For COVID-19

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The Pittsburgh Penguins have announced that one of their players has tested positive for COVID-19. He is not in Pittsburgh and has been in isolation since experiencing symptoms, but has already recovered. Those who came in close contact with him have been notified. The identity of the player has not been revealed.

This is the ninth NHL player who has tested positive (at least publicly revealed to have tested positive) following five members of the Ottawa Senators and three members of the Colorado Avalanche that were diagnosed months ago.

NHL Releases More Playoff Details

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The NHL had previously released most of the details regarding the upcoming playoff format including qualifying round matchups, but there were still some points being negotiated with the NHLPA. Today, reports emerged all at once from several reporters including Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet and Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic on several other points of interest.

First, the two sides have agreed that the four playoff rounds that follow the qualification round will be best-of-seven. The qualification round, played between seeds 5-12, will still be a best-of-five series.

Second, the playoffs will be re-seeded after each round instead of using a bracket format. That will allow the top four teams in each conference to retain their advantage, though it also puts more importance on the round-robin they will play to determine final seeding. Those teams will play three games each, with the winner of the round-robin receiving the top seed. Ties will be resolved by regular season points percentage.

This means a team will still need 16 wins for a Stanley Cup, even if those playing qualification games will need a few extra just to actually join the official playoff tournament. The hope from both sides is to maintain as much “integrity” as possible in this unique season.

LeBrun does caution that these are just format agreements. The two sides still need to negotiate Phase 3 and 4, and there have only been preliminary talks so far.

Snapshots: Sorokin, Phase 3, Future Schedule

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The New York Islanders have been waiting years for goaltending prospect Ilya Sorokin to come to North America, since drafting him in 2014. The KHL star seemed poised to finally cross the pond before the coronavirus put things on hold, and now may be reconsidering his options.

As KHL reporter Gillian Kemmerer translates, the president of CSKA Moscow tweeted today that Sorokin is in “early talks” with the club to return to the KHL. This doesn’t mean Sorokin isn’t coming to the Islanders (take these kinds of statements with a grain of salt), but the NHL’s decision to not allow new contracts for the 2019-20 season, combined with the fact that next season may not start until January 2021 has certainly complicated things for top KHL players. As Kemmerer notes, CSKA admits that Kirill Kaprizov does intend to come to North America.

  • Even though the NHL has released the format for a return to play, there is still a lot of work to be done before teams actually take the ice. Eric Francis of Sportsnet tweets that the talk around hockey circles last night was that the Phase 3 target start date to open training camps will be pushed to August 1st. Commissioner Gary Bettman had explained previously that camps would open no sooner than July 10th, but that may turn out to be quite an optimistic threshold.
  • James Mirtle of The Athletic (subscription required) explains that hockey fans may want to get used to this kind of a summer schedule, as there are conversations happening about keeping an altered league calendar moving forward. There have been rumblings about shifting the season in the past to avoid some of the other top sports, including the NFL.

Cameron MacDonald Headed To QMJHL

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The 2020 NHL Entry Draft still doesn’t have a date, but some are already looking forward to next year and the crop of talent that will be eligible in 2021. One of those names, Cameron MacDonald, will be showcasing his skills in a different league than expected this season.

The 17-year old forward played the 2019-20 season in the USHL, given his commitment to Boston College for 2021. Those plans have changed dramatically today, as the Saint John Sea Dogs announced they have signed MacDonald and will have him in their lineup for the 2020-21 season. Given the NCAA eligibility rules, that means MacDonald won’t be able to head to BC either.

Already standing “nearly 6’2″ and 190-lbs” despite having turned 17 just last month, MacDonald is an exciting prospect for the Sea Dogs and hockey in general. He absolutely dominated the competition at the midget level (72 goals and 126 points in 52 games) and held his own in the USHL this season despite being much younger than the competition.

The QMJHL is hoping to start a full season at the beginning of October.

College Notes: UAH, LIU, Holloway

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The University of Alabama Huntsville recently saved their hockey program with a $500,000 fundraising campaign after it has been cancelled the week prior. However, but the Chargers will not be complete when they return to action. Head coach Mike Corbett has resigned from his position with the team, as first reported by WAFF in Alabama. He was not alone either, as assistant Gavin Morgan will also depart. Remaining assistant Lance West has been named acting head coach for the time being. The staff has clearly opted to go out on their own terms, as the school has been transparent that they have not committed to the program beyond next season. And with the Chargers playing in their final WCHA season next year before becoming independent if they cannot find a new home, the future is certainly in doubt. Corbett and company went 2-26-2 this season, so there is only room to improve in 2020-21. However, Alabama Huntsville is now left scrambling to rebuild their staff before the season is scheduled to begin in October.

  • The newest team to college hockey is Long Island University-Brooklyn. The school surprised many when it announced in April that it would start a men’s program that would compete right away in 2020-21. LIU has been busy lately, hiring inaugural head coach Brett Riley and adding recruits left and right. However, few expect the Sharks to be competitive right away next season. Yet, Mark Divver reports that the program is putting together a strong schedule for their first season. While LIU will be an independent in their inaugural campaign and likely won’t be able to schedule a full Division I slate of games, Divver notes that the team is expected to play their first game against UMass Lowell and square off with Boston College, Boston University, and Wisconsin as well.
  • Speaking of Wisconsin, while almost every member of the 2020 NHL Draft class was negatively impacted by the shortened season, Badgers freshman Dylan Holloway didn’t lose out on any games. His underperforming squad had already been eliminated from the Big Ten Tournament when the college schedule was canceled and were not a candidate to make the NCAA Tournament. Holloway’s season was over and scouts had all the possible data on him, unlike most of his peers. However, Holloway’s season disappointed as his 17 points was just tied for sixth among Wisconsin forwards. Once considered a top-ten pick by many, The Athletic’s draft expert Scott Wheeler ranked Holloway at No. 17 in his final 2020 list. Fortunately for frustrated Badgers fans, Wheeler still believes Holloway is a great talent and should be in line for a breakout next season. He will also undoubtedly be the first college player selected. A top-ten pick? Unlikely.

Snapshots: Williams, Drysdale, Nesterov

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The Carolina Hurricanes are scheduled to play the New York Rangers in a qualifying round if the NHL resumes this summer, meaning they could potentially only have a handful of games remaining in the 2019-20 season. Does that mean that Justin Williams is closing in on retirement? Not so fast says Hurricanes GM Don Waddell, who told Sportsnet radio to not write off his team leader just yet.

Williams, 38, took the first part of this season off to spend with his family but returned to the Hurricanes lineup on January 19th. While he was held pointless in 12 of his first 15 games, Williams was actually on a five-game goal streak when the season was paused in mid-March. The 19-year veteran has 101 points in 155 career playoff games, winning the Stanley Cup three times.

  • If you want to know a little more about the top-rated defenseman in this year’s draft, Craig Button of TSN breaks down Jamie Drysdale’s potential. The smooth-skating Drysdale gets a 5/5 rating in both hockey sense and competitiveness from Button, with a comparison to Hall of Fame defender Sergei Zubov. Drysdale was ranked third among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting and is expected to be off the board in the first few picks.
  • Rick Dhaliwal of TSN is hearing that Nikita Nesterov may actually leave CSKA Moscow after all, despite reports earlier in the year that he was planning on signing a long-term deal with the KHL organization. Back in March, Nesterov reportedly turned down a hefty offer from the Los Angeles Kings, the same team Dhaliwal has heard linked to the free agent defender now. In the three seasons since he left the NHL, Nesterov has recorded 60 points in 136 games for CSKA.

Los Angeles Kings Sign Arthur Kaliyev, Jordan Spence

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The Los Angeles Kings have inked a pair of top prospects, signing Arthur Kaliyev and Jordan Spence to three-year entry-level contracts. Both players are expected to return to the CHL next season.

Kaliyev, 18, was selected 33rd overall by the Kings last year after falling out of the first round. The young forward is one of the most lethal goal-scorers in all of junior hockey, lighting the lamp 126 times over his 192 regular season games for the Hamilton Bulldogs. After scoring 102 points in his draft year, the 6’2″ winger came back with an even better point rate in the shortened 2019-20, recording 98 in just 57 games.

While there is still work to do on several parts of his game, Kaliyev represents a potential top-six option for the Kings that could be lethal on an NHL powerplay. Should he fail to make the Los Angeles roster in 2020-21, he will not be eligible to play in the AHL and would have to return to Hamilton.

Spence meanwhile wasn’t drafted quite as high, picked 95th overall by the Kings last year, but is still making quite an impact. The 19-year old was named QMJHL defenseman of the year after recording 52 points in 60 games for the Moncton Wildcats. Actually born in Australia, Spence is quickly rising up prospect rankings despite being a mid-round pick and could legitimately challenge for an NHL roster spot in the next few years.

Like Kaliyev, Spence will not be eligible for AHL play next season and will likely return to help the Wildcats once again. Both contracts are eligible to slide forward if the players are sent back to junior.

QMJHL Hoping To Start 2020-21 Season In October

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While the hockey world’s focus has been on the NHL and whether or not it will be able to resume the 2019-20 season this summer, other leagues have had to look forward and plan for the future. It was hard to know how a major junior league like the QMJHL would continue given its reliance on ticket sales to generate revenue, but today commissioner Gilles Courteau announced that they are targeting October 1st as a start date for the 2020-21 season.

A statement released by the Halifax Mooseheads (and mirrored by several other organizations) explained:

Although this is a positive announcement for all of us that are looking forward to getting back in the Scotiabank Centre, we fully understand that there are still a number of factors to be determined and approved by our Provincial Government and public health authorities before we can begin selling ticket packages.

The league is hoping for a full 68-game season, which would start just a few weeks after the originally scheduled opening day. Obviously as with any announcements like this, things could change in an instant. But they have at least circled a date to work towards.

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