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Chicago Blackhawks Loan Brandon Hagel To Switzerland

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Chicago Blackhawks forward Brandon Hagel is headed to Switzerland to get his season started. The team announced that they have loaned the young winger to HC Thurgau of the Swiss NLB, the country’s second-tier league. Hagel will be recalled for NHL training camp, where he will look to earn a spot with Chicago.

Hagel, 22, made his Blackhawks debut this season as a first-year pro. However, he appeared in just the one game versus 59 games with the AHL’s Rockford Ice Hogs. Yet, Hagel’s decent production in the minors last year combined with his 100+ point season in the WHL the year before makes him an exciting possibility to crack the NHL roster. Getting a head start in Switzerland will only help his odds of making the opening night roster.

In Thurgau, Hagel will be one of just six players without Swiss citizenship and the only one with NHL experience. He should play a major role for the team and against NLB competition he could produce at a high rate. Regardless of the quality of play, Hagel will simply benefit from playing big minutes in a key offensive role.

Trade Rumors: Ekman-Larsson, Mrazek, Virtanen, Tampa Bay

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Name a top trade target or impending free agent and they seem to be linked to the Edmonton Oilers. While the team clearly needs to help superstars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, they have cap constraints because of those players as well and holes to fill all over the roster. The team must be confident that they can perform some cap magic, as they have their sights set on making a big splash this off-season. TSN’s Darren Dreger backed up previous rumors today that the Oilers have been talking to the Arizona Coyotes about elite defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson. In fact, Dreger notes that discussions have been preliminary, but the interest is serious. It’s a complex situation given the cap situations in both Edmonton and Arizona, but the teams appear to be working through their options when it comes to moving Ekman-Larsson, a proven top-pair commodity. Of course, it’s worth noting that Ekman-Larsson has a full No-Movement Clause and could nix a deal to Edmonton if he chooses. Dreger adds that the Boston Bruins also remain interested; Ekman-Larsson may very well prefer landing alongside Charlie McAvoy on the top pair of a perennial contender.

  • The Oilers are also known to be eyeing an addition in goal and have kicked the tires on a number of netminders on the trade block. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that the latest name on that list is the Carolina Hurricanes’ Petr Mrazek. LeBrun believes that Mrazek could be more of a fallback option if Edmonton cannot add Pittsburgh’s Matt Murray or Arizona’s Darcy Kuemper or can’t woo Jacob Markstrom in free agency. Of course, if Mrazek is even available for trade, it may mean that Carolina has already landed one of those three Oilers targets for themselves. Mrazek had a fine season for the ’Canes, but the team is looking to upgrade at starter. Unfortunately for Edmonton, Carolina’s castoff would still be an upgrade for them.
  • From GM Jim Benning’s comments since his Vancouver Canucks were eliminated from the postseason, it should come as no surprise that he is listening to offers for restricted free agent forward Jake Virtanen, according to Dreger. Virtanen has failed to live up to the expectations of being the 2014 sixth overall pick, but is still due a significant upgrade over his expiring $1.25MM AAV. The cap-strapped Canucks have greater needs than Virtanen’s third-line scoring totals and may be able to put his cap space to greater use via trade. Dreger reports that there is plenty of interest in the 24-year-old power forward, who could still grow into the dangerous scorer that he was in junior.
  • The Tampa Bay Lightning are less than a day removed from taking home the 2020 Stanley Cup title, but GM Julien BriseBois is already back at work. LeBrun speculates that Tampa must clear at least $10MM in cap space in order to re-sign RFA’s Anthony Cirelli, Mikhail Sergachev, and Erik Cernak and to rebuild a defense with numerous pending UFA’s. As such,  BriseBois can’t afford to waste any time with free agency approaching. LeBrun notes that the two most talked-about names on the Lightning roster right now are forwards Tyler Johnson and Yanni Gourde. However, he notes that both players have full No-Trade Clauses and would have to accept any trade. As a result, LeBrun believes there is a growing suspicion that the Bolts may trade a player or two that no one is suspecting in order to clear cap space. That could mean one of the RFA’s themselves is dealt, or perhaps it could be a player lacking trade protection, such as Brayden Point or Andrei Vasilevskiy. One way or another, the Cup-winning roster will look very different next season.

Calgary Flames Loan Juuso Valimaki To Ilves

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While many players and prospects have been loaned overseas ahead of the unknown start date of the 2020-21 NHL season, few need the the head start as much as the Calgary Flames’ Juuso Valimaki. The promising young defenseman missed the entire 2019-20 season and postseason after suffering a torn ACL last fall. Yet, with five veteran defensemen about to hit the free agent market, the Flames are trusting that Valimaki can return to form and take on a top role on the blue line right away next season. After so much time away from the game, it will take more than just training camp to get Valimaki up to speed ahead of the new year.

Cue Tampereen Ilves of the Finnish Liiga. Calgary announced that they have loaned Valimaki to Ilves to get him game action before he returns to North America. Valimaki is familiar with the club, having played in their youth system, including a year with the U20 team in the top Finnish junior league, before making the jump to the WHL and eventually the NHL.

With Ilves, Valimaki will be able to get used to playing the major minutes that the Flames may expect of him this coming season. A relatively young team, Ilves has just a handful of players that are considerably older than 21-year-old Valimaki. They have also not received anyone on loan from the NHL prior to Valimaki outside of a trio of prospects – Lassi Thomson, Arrtu Ruotsalainen, and Lukas Dostal – who were on loan all of last season as well. Valimaki will have a chance to take on a key role for the team and should be ready to go once he is recalled by Calgary.

 

Snapshots: Ryan, Soucy, USHL

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The Ottawa Senators bought out Bobby Ryan over the weekend, but that doesn’t mean his playing career is over. Interest has already started to emerge, with Kevin Kurz of The Athletic tweeting that the San Jose Sharks are one of “many teams” that have checked in on the free agent winger.

Ryan, 33, will be making more than $1.8MM in each of the next four years regardless of what his next contract is, meaning he may be willing to take a cheap deal to get back on the ice with a new organization.

  • The Minnesota Wild are still negotiating with Carson Soucy according to Michael Russo of The Athletic, one of their pending unrestricted free agents. Russo reports they are also speaking with Kyle Rau and Matt Bartkowski, and will be signing Hunter Warner to an AHL deal instead of issuing him a qualifying offer. With the Stanley Cup now awarded, front offices will be in overdrive trying to get new deals in place before free agency opens on October 9.
  • The USHL has released its schedule for the 2020-21 season, expected to start on November 5. Each team will be scheduled for 54 games over the 24-week season, which ends on April 24. The junior league is an important development step for many prospects and will try to navigate the season with a regional schedule.

Islanders Notes: Injuries, RFAs, Barzal

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New York Islanders GM Lou Lamoriello spoke to the media today, giving his thoughts on several topics. As Andrew Gross of Newsday tweets, that included an update on several injured players. Casey Cizikas, Adam Pelech, and Tom Kuhnhackl have all undergone successful surgeries and are expected to be ready for the start of the 2020-21 training camp (whenever that takes place).

While Cizikas and Pelech are heading into the last year of their respective contracts, Kuhnhackl will actually become an unrestricted free agent next month. The 28-year-old forward suited up in three postseason games for the Islanders and could potentially be brought back as a depth option next season.

  • While Kuhnhackl is one of several unrestricted free agent decisions the team has, there are even more to be made on restricted free agents. While players like Mathew Barzal and Ryan Pulock are obviously going to get qualifying offers, that may not be the case for some of the Islanders minor league players. In fact, Lamoriello expects that there will be one or two RFAs not qualified. That may be the case in many organizations around the league as teams navigate their new financial situations.
  • For Barzal though, Lamoriello isn’t worried about the upcoming negotiation. When asked about the danger of an offer sheet, Lamoriello told Gross that he is confident the team will get their players signed. The 23-year-old center is coming off another excellent season and showed he could be a postseason performer as well with 17 points in 22 games.

USA Hockey Invites 39 Players To World Junior Evaluation Camp

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The NHL season is over and it’s not clear when professional hockey will return. In the meantime, fans can look forward to the World Junior Championship, scheduled to begin December 25 in Edmonton, Alberta. The tournament will be held in a bubble similar to the one used in the NHL playoffs and extends through January 5.

Today, USA Hockey announced the 39 players that have been invited to the evaluation camp that will help determine the roster for the event. The list of invitees is as follows:

G Drew Commesso (2020 draft eligible)
G Spencer Knight (FLA)
G Logan Stein (2020 draft eligible)
G Dustin Wolf (CGY)

D Brock Faber (2020 draft eligible)
D Domenick Fensore (CAR)
D Drew Helleson (COL)
D Ryan Johnson (BUF)
D Jackson LaCombe (ANA)
D Case McCarthy (NJD)
D Mitchell Miller (2020 draft eligible)
D Jake Sanderson (2020 draft eligible)
D Hunter Skinner (NYR)
D Jayden Struble (MTL)
D Henry Thrun (ANA)
D Alex Vlasic (CHI)
D Marshall Warren (MIN)
D Cam York (PHI)

F John Beecher (BOS)
F Matthew Beniers (2021 draft eligible)
F Brett Berard (2020 draft eligible)
F Matthew Boldy (MIN)
F Thomas Bordeleau (2020 draft eligible)
F Bobby Brink (PHI)
F Brendan Brisson (2020 draft eligible)
F Cole Caufield (MTL)
F Sam Colangelo (2020 draft eligible)
F John Farinacci (ARI)
F Sean Farrell (2020 draft eligible)
F Michael Gildon (2020 draft eligible)
F Owen Lindmark (FLA)
F Robert Mastrosimone (DET)
F Patrick Moynihan (NJD)
F Josh Nodler (CGY)
F Dylan Peterson (2020 draft eligible)
F Landon Slaggert (2020 draft eligible)
F Sam Stange (2020 draft eligible)
F Lukas Svejkovsky (2020 draft eligible)
F Luke Tuch (2020 draft eligible)

It is important to note that there will be many more players eligible for the tournament that could make the final roster depending on the status of the 2020-21 NHL season. This evaluation camp will be held on October 8-13 and includes only a handful of returning players from the last tournament.

Draft Pick Breakdown By Team

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The NHL released the full order of selection earlier this afternoon following Tampa Bay’s Stanley Cup victory last night. To see the full order in its entirety, click here. Below is a breakdown for each team heading into the draft on Tuesday, Oct 6.

Anaheim Ducks

1st round – 6th overall
1st round – 27th overall
2nd round – 36th overall
3rd round – 67th overall
4th round – 104th overall
5th round – 129th overall
6th round – 160th overall

Arizona Coyotes

4th round – 111th overall
5th round – 142nd overall
6th round – 173rd overall
7th round – 204th overall

Boston Bruins

2nd round – 58th overall
3rd round – 89th overall
5th round – 151st overall
6th round – 182nd overall
7th round – 213th overall

Buffalo Sabres

1st round – 8th overall
2nd round – 38th overall
4th round – 100th overall
5th round – 131st overall
7th round – 193rd overall
7th round – 216th overall

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NHL Announces Official 2020 Draft Order

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Now that the Stanley Cup has been awarded the order of selection has been finalized for next week’s draft. The first round will take place on Tuesday, Oct 6 and will be followed by rounds 2-7 the next afternoon. The entire draft will be held virtually this year.

The full draft order:

Round 1

1. NY Rangers
2. Los Angeles
3. Ottawa (from SJS)
4. Detroit
5. Ottawa
6. Anaheim
7. New Jersey
8. Buffalo
9. Minnesota
10. Winnipeg
11. Nashville
12. Florida
13. Carolina (from TOR)
14. Edmonton
15. Toronto (from PIT)
16. Montreal
17. Chicago
18. New Jersey (from ARI)
19. Calgary
20. New Jersey (from VAN via TBL)
21. Columbus
22. NY Rangers (from CAR)
23. Philadelphia
24. Washington
25. Colorado
26. St. Louis
27. Anaheim (from BOS)
28. Ottawa (from NYI)
29. Vegas
30. Dallas
31. San Jose (from TBL)

Round 2

32. Detroit
33. Ottawa
34. San Jose
35. Los Angeles
36. Anaheim
37. Nashville (from NJD)
38. Buffalo
39. Minnesota
40. Winnipeg
41. Carolina (from NYR)
42. Nashville
43. Florida
44. Toronto
45. Detroit (from EDM)
46. Chicago (from PIT via VGK)
47. Montreal
48. Montreal (from CHI)
49. No selection
50. Calgary
51. Los Angeles (from VAN)
52. Ottawa (from CBJ)
53. Carolina
54. Philadelphia
55. Detroit (from WSH)
56. San Jose (from COL via WSH)
57. Montreal (from STL)
58. Boston
59. Ottawa (from NYI)
60. Los Angeles (from VGK)
61. Ottawa (from DAL via VGK)
62. Tampa Bay

Pick 49 – The NHL directed the forfeiture of this pick in sanctions against the Arizona Coyotes announced Aug. 26, 2020.

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Alexei Toropchenko Assigned To HC Kunlun Red Star

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The St. Louis Blues have sent another one of their prospects overseas, loaning Alexei Toropchenko to HC Kunlun Red Star in the KHL. The young forward will be available to return when training camps open for the 2020-21 season.

Toropchenko, 21, is coming off his first season of professional hockey, playing 59 games for the San Antonio Rampage. The 6’3″ winger scored just nine points during those games but is still an interesting prospect to keep an eye on given his mix of size and skill. Toropchenko did record 30 goals in 86 games during his final season of junior hockey but hasn’t yet been able to bring that level of offense to the next level.

If you wanted to learn from someone with offensive skill, it’s hard to find a better place than Kunlun. The team is coached by former NHL star Alexei Kovalev, one of the most skilled forwards to ever play the game.

Nashville Predators Sign Devin Cooley

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The Nashville Predators have added some goaltending depth to the organization, signing Devin Cooley to a two-year entry-level contract. Cooley went undrafted and spent the last three years netminding at the University of Denver. Instead of returning for his senior year, he’ll be turning pro and jumping into the Predators minor league system.

Now 23, Cooley is a shot in the dark for the Predators given how little he has actually played during his collegiate career. As a freshman in 2017-18 he appeared in just three games as Tanner Jaillet was in the senior season of an excellent run at DU. Jaillet would win NCHC Goaltender of the Year that season, making it difficult for a young Cooley to see any game action. The next year, Denver happened to convince Detroit Red Wings draft pick, Filip Larsson, to play a year of college hockey, just after winning the USHL Goaltender of the Year award. Cooley would play in 20 games to Larsson’s 22, actually posting better numbers than the one-and-done goaltender.

You would think that after such a strong outing that Cooley’s junior season would be when he took over the full-time starting duties, but a lower-body injury just five games into the season opened the door for freshman goaltender Magnus Chrona to take over. Chrona, a Tampa Bay Lightning draft pick, posted a .920 save percentage in 27 games and never gave back the net. Since he is expected to return for his sophomore season (assuming DU has a season), it makes sense for Cooley to take this opportunity in the Predators system.

He enters it though with just 32 appearances under his belt over three years in college. The minor leagues will be quite the test physically, even if Cooley proves he has enough talent to stick.

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