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Florida Panthers Agree To Terms With Henry Bowlby

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The Florida Panthers have taken advantage of the college hockey exodus, agreeing to terms with Henry Bowlby on a two-year entry-level contract. The deal will begin with the 2020-21 season, when Bowlby will be making the transition to pro hockey. For the last three years, he has been playing for Harvard but with no hockey season scheduled many of the school’s top players are heading elsewhere.

Bowlby, 23, is signing as an undrafted free agent and will quickly enter the conversation for the Panthers as a depth forward. His offensive game isn’t what got him onto the radar of the Panthers—his career-high at Harvard was just 16 points—instead, it’s his ability to play the middle of the ice and contribute defensively that has earned him this deal.

He’s not eligible to participate in this season, but you can bet that Bowlby will be trying to prove himself when training camp opens in November. The likeliest scenario has him heading to the AHL to start his pro career, but what happens after that is something of a mystery.

Jets Forward Andrei Chibisov Signs In KHL

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Last offseason, the Jets brought in forward Andrei Chibisov to give them some depth down the middle with the hopes that he could compete for a roster spot.  That didn’t really happen as he spent most of the year in the minors and as a result, he is heading back overseas as Metallurg Magnitogorsk of the KHL announced that they’ve signed him to a three-year contract.

The 27-year-old returns to an organization that he’s quite familiar with as his best KHL campaign came with Magnitogorsk back in 2018-19 where he had 20 points in 50 games.  That helped him get on Winnipeg’s radar as he signed soon after that season came to an end.

Unfortunately for them, the deal didn’t quite pan out as well as they hoped.  Chibisov only played in two games for Winnipeg this season and was left off of their postseason roster.  While he had a respectable 25 points in 53 games with AHL Manitoba, that type of production wasn’t going to generate much interest in NHL free agency so going back home and getting some term on his deal in the process certainly makes sense from his perspective.

Snapshots: Schedule, AHL All-Star, Spacek

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The NHL has released game times for Thursday, though at least one of them may not even be needed. The New York Rangers and Carolina Hurricanes will open things with game four of their series if the underdogs can extend it tomorrow. The full schedule is as follows (all times central):

Carolina Hurricanes vs New York Rangers – Game 4, 11:00am
Minnesota Wild vs Vancouver Canucks – Game 3, 1:30pm
Philadelphia Flyers vs Washington Capitals – Round-robin, 3:00pm
St. Louis Blues vs Vegas Golden Knights – Round-robin, 5:30pm
Columbus Blue Jackets vs Toronto Maple Leafs – Game 3, 7:00pm
Winnipeg Jets vs Calgary Flames – Game 4, 9:30pm

Another few notes from around the hockey world:

  • The AHL has already canceled the 2021 All-Star Game because of its truncated calendar. The league is hoping to start the season at the beginning of December, meaning there won’t be a ton of extra time to fit in events like this. Laval, which was supposed to host the event, will instead receive the 2022 All-Star festivities.
  • Minor league forward Michael Spacek has signed a one-year contract in Finland for the upcoming 2020-21 season. The 23-year old is currently under contract with the Winnipeg Jets, but is scheduled to become a restricted free agent after the season and has yet to receive an NHL opportunity. In fact, Spacek had his worst AHL season this year as well, recording just nine goals an 20 points with the Manitoba Moose. Winnipeg will be able to retain Spacek’s rights with a qualifying offer.

Injury Notes: Stamkos, Schmaltz, Rask

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According to Joe Smith of The Athletic, the Tampa Bay Lightning will still be without captain Steven Stamkos for their round-robin game tomorrow, but he was back on the ice at practice today. The 30-year old continues to deal with a lower-body issue and missed yesterday’s game against the Washington Capitals (which Tampa Bay won anyway).

Stamkos’ return will be a huge boost for the Lightning, given how successful he was when healthy this season. The superstar forward had 29 goals and 66 points in 57 games, a pace that would have had him over 40 goals and 90 points once again had it been a full season.

  • The rest of the Lightning will have to try and carry the offense against the Boston Bruins tomorrow, and it’ll be against that team’s top goaltender. Tuukka Rask is back in the net for Boston after spending a few days away from the team with a cough. He has tested negative for COVID-19 multiple times and will be back leading the Bruins on their quest for a top seed. In his absence, Jaroslav Halak allowed four goals to the Philadelphia Flyers.
  • Nick Schmaltz is still out of the Arizona Coyotes lineup as he recovers from a hit in the exhibition game. The team’s top scorer in the regular season, Schmaltz didn’t seem to be missed in their first game against the Nashville Predators as the Coyotes scored four goals. They’ll try to turn on the goal light behind Juuse Saros again today as the Predators will stick with their young goaltender for the time being.

Nico Gross To Play In Switzerland

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He didn’t sign his entry-level contract, but Nico Gross will still be playing professional hockey this season. The New York Rangers draft pick is headed to Switzerland to play for EV Sug of the NLA following a successful OHL career.

The 20-year old Gross was selected 101st overall in 2018 by the Rangers, but since he was coming out of the CHL they owned his exclusive rights for just two years. In June, those rights expired without the team signing him, giving him a chance to re-enter the draft whenever it is held this fall.

In the meantime, a return to Switzerland makes plenty of sense for a player that is still one of the top Swiss-born prospects in the world, especially given the uncertainty of the 2020-21 AHL season.

A member of the Swiss World Junior squad on three different occasions, Gross was a strong two-way presence for the Oshawa Generals, even wearing an “A” as an alternate captain this season. He recorded 33 points in 53 games, and while that may not put him on an NHL track he’s still a name to keep an eye on moving forward.

Washington Capitals Loan Damien Riat, Tobias Geisser To NLA

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The Washington Capitals have found some playing time for a pair of prospects, loaning Damien Riat and Tobias Geisser to the NLA for the 2020-21 season. Riat will play for Geneve-Servette HC, while Geiser will suit up for EV Zug. Both players will continue in Switzerland until NHL training camps open, likely sometime in November.

It’s not like these two will be unfamiliar with the league, as both played in the NLA this season and in the past. Riat spent 2019-20 with Biel HC, scoring 22 points in 36 games, but played three seasons with Geneve-Servette between 2015-2018. The fourth-round pick will have to wait to come over to North America after signing his two-year entry-level contract in March.

Geisser meanwhile has a little different of a story. The 21-year old signed his entry-level deal in 2018 and played the entire 2018-19 season with the Hershey Bears. That’s where he started 2019-20 as well, but he ended up loaned back to Switzerland (EV Zug in particular) after just seven games. Geisser has just a single point in 54 career AHL games, but has always been known more for his play in the defensive end.

Brendan Leipsic Signs In KHL

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CSKA Moscow of the KHL has decided to take a chance on a recent free agent, signing Brendan Leipsic to a one-year contract for the 2020-21 season. The 26-year old Leipsic saw his contract with the Washington Capitals terminated in May after private messages from Instagram came to light. At the time, the NHL released this statement:

The National Hockey League strongly condemns the misogynistic and reprehensible remarks made by players Brendan Leipsic and (Florida Panthers prospect) Jack Rodewald in a private group chat that has surfaced on social media. There is no place in our League for such statements, attitudes and behavior, no matter the forum. We will address this inexcusable conduct with the clubs and players involved.

Immediately, it became clear that Leipsic would no longer be welcome on the Capitals, who placed him on unconditional waivers and then terminated his contract. He’ll now get an opportunity to continue his career, though it will be overseas.

Leipsic scored 11 points in 61 games for the Capitals this season and has 59 in his 187-game career. The third-round pick has suited up for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Vegas Golden Knights, Vancouver Canucks, Los Angeles Kings, and Capitals, never staying in one place for very long.

Kirill Maksimov Assigned To KHL

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The Edmonton Oilers continue to find places for their minor league prospects to play for the next several months, this time assigning Kirill Maksimov to CSKA Moscow in the KHL.

Maksimov, 21, played in 53 games for the Bakersfield Condors this season, registering 13 points in limited minutes. Interestingly enough, though Maksimov was born in Russia he has played in North America since he was a young teenager, first in the GTHL and then the OHL. The fifth-round pick has plenty of offensive skill but found himself relatively low on the depth chart as a rookie.

That may be a trend, given how talented the CSKA squad normally is. A KHL powerhouse almost every season, they may be losing top names like Kirill Kaprizov and Mikhail Grigorenko, but still have loads of skill that Maksimov will have to compete with for playing time.

Like many other prospects, Maksimov will likely get a chance to return for NHL training camp in November, but getting him back on the ice and into game action is obviously the most important goal here.

Minor Transactions: 08/03/20

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The NHL is back and we’re well into the qualification round. As the hockey world focuses on those playoff matchups, minor league and European teams continue to build their depth for an upcoming season. As minor signings roll in, we’ll keep track of them right here.

  • The Iowa Wild have signed Jarrett Burton to a one-year AHL contract, bringing him over from the Rochester Americans. Burton had a dreadful season in 2019-20, scoring just one goal and recording two points in 39 games. The 29-year old went undrafted and has had to grind his way up from the ECHL.
  • Ben Freeman has started his professional career, signing with the Maine Mariners of the ECHL after four years at the University of Connecticut. Freeman captained the Huskies in 2019-20, recording 28 points in 33 games.
  • The Colorado Eagles have re-signed Kevin Davis and Peter Tischke, bringing both young defensemen back to give them some extra depth. Combined, Davis and Tischke played 18 games for the Eagles last season, spending most of the year in the ECHL with the Utah Grizzlies.

NHL Issues Update On COVID-19 Testing

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Games are underway and they don’t appear to be stopping anytime soon. The NHL has given another weekly update on their COVID-19 testing, indicating once again that they have had zero positive results inside the bubble. The league administered more than 7,000 tests to all members of the teams’ 52-member traveling parties.

The playoffs have already gotten off to a fiery start with several fines and suspensions along with buzzer-beating goals and overtime heroics. While the lack of fans is disconcerting at times, the NHL has done well to get their players into the bubble safely and securely.

Obviously there are still thousands of tests to go, but things are off to a (relatively) smooth start.

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