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Snapshots: CHL/NTDP, Brind’Amour, Bruins

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The Canadian Hockey League’s top draft-eligible players will take on the U.S. National Development Team’s U-18 tier for the first time this November, the junior league announced Tuesday (via TSN). The pair of contests, which will take place in London and Oshawa, Ontario, on Nov. 26 and Nov. 27, will be the first installment in an annual “CHL-USA Prospects Challenge.”

It’ll run for at least three years, with sites rotating between OHL, QMJHL, and WHL hosts. The CHL and NTDP will have the opportunity to re-up the initial deal securing the event in 2027.

It will serve the purpose of an early-season showcase for draft-eligible talent, so don’t expect to see CHL superstars coming back for their post-draft seasons or beyond. The NHL’s Central Scouting Bureau will select most of the CHL’s roster for the series, Darren Dreger of TSN reports.

Thus, this year’s event will be headlined by 2025 draft-eligible talent. The rosters will likely include forwards Porter Martone, Michael Misa, and Roger McQueen as the CHL’s most notable names, and center William Moore and defensemen Logan Hensler and Charlie Trethewey should highlight the U.S. squad.

Other notes from around the league:

  • Forward Skyler Brind’Amour is reportedly planning to terminate his AHL contract with the Charlotte Checkers and sign a deal with the Carolina Hurricanes. The move – which is not yet official – was first reported by AHL.com’s Tony Androckitis and seconded by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Brind’Amour played in his rookie AHL season with the Checkers last year, netting eight points in 54 games. He took the step to the pros after four years with Quinnipiac University, where he supported the school’s 2023 National Championship win. He ended his collegiate career with 76 points in 145 games. He’ll look to rediscover that production in the Hurricanes organization, likely set on a role with the Chicago Wolves – who Carolina announced an affiliation agreement with in May.
  • The Boston Bruins have scheduled a press conference for 12 P.M ET tomorrow, where both head coach Jim Montgomery and general manager Don Sweeney will speak with media. They’ll most likely be speaking on the team’s first day of training camp, though Ty Anderson of Boston radio outlet 98.5 The Sports Hub reports that contract talks are picking up with RFA goaltender Jeremy Swayman. Swayman was left off of Boston’s initial training camp roster as he continues a contract standoff. He’ll be in for a major role when he does sign, with Boston dealing Vezina Trophy winner Linus Ullmark to the Ottawa Senators earlier this summer.

Oilers Mutually Part Ways With Assistant GM Brad Holland

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The Edmonton Oilers won’t bring assistant general manager Brad Holland into the 2024-25 season, announcing the two sides have mutually parted ways. Holland was promoted to assistant GM in 2022, joining Keith Gretzky and Bill Scott in supporting Oilers GM Ken Holland, Brad’s father. Edmonton chose not to extend Ken’s contract at the end of the season, ending his five-year tenure as the team’s GM and President of Hockey Operations. They’ve since replaced him with longtime Chicago Blackhawks’ GM Stan Bowman, making his return to the NHL.

Brad started his career in hockey in 2006, joining NHL.com as a writer and video editor while attending Fordham University of Law. He left that role in 2013, briefly practicing law before Toronto Maple Leafs’ president Branden Shanahan convinced him to join the Leafs as a team manager in 2015. Holland signed a two-year deal, using the time to build up a strong understanding of hockey analytics and scouting. He’d go on to work with NHL Central Scouting registry, before ultimately reuniting with his father in 2019, when he joined Edmonton as a pro scout. He continued to support Edmonton’s pro and amateur scouting throughout this season, becoming known for his in-depth, analytical approach to scouting, earning him credit as Edmonton used trades to build up their forward depth and prospect pool.

Holland will now join his father in looking for a new role. Brad offers eight years of experience in front offices, where his unique approach to scouting and team-building left an impact. He’s likely to find a new home soon – and could even be enticed to join Edmonton’s Western Conference foe, the Dallas Stars, where his uncle Dennis serves as an amateur scout.

Five Key Stories: 9/9/24 – 9/15/24

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With training camps on the horizon, PTO agreements were the theme of the week with many veterans taking one to get a landing spot for training camp.  In the meantime, there was some other notable news across the NHL which is recapped in our key stories.

Columbus Adds A Veteran: On Saturday, Blue Jackets GM Don Waddell indicated that he would be looking to add a forward or two heading into training camp.  He wasted little time getting one of them as the team signed veteran winger James van Riemsdyk to a one-year, $900K contract.  The 35-year-old is coming off a decent season in Boston, one that saw him record 11 goals and 27 assists in 71 games despite averaging just 13:30 per night, his lowest ATOI since his rookie campaign in 2009-10.  Columbus is certainly on the lookout for some scoring help following the trade of Patrik Laine and the tragic death of Johnny Gaudreau while forward Justin Danforth is also now injured so it wouldn’t be surprising to see them do something else fairly quickly.

Surgery For Kane: For months now, it has been expected that Oilers winger Evander Kane was going to miss time with the injury that sidelined him late in the playoffs.  We now know the nature of the injury as it was revealed that the veteran will undergo sports hernia surgery within the next week.  Kane played through the injury for a good chunk of the regular season and most of the playoffs but was only able to dress in two games in the Stanley Cup Final.  There’s no word on exactly how long the procedure will keep Kane out for but assuming it’s for more than 10 games and 24 days, Edmonton will be able to place him on LTIR if they need to in order to keep cap-compliant.

Four For Larsson: Veteran defenseman Adam Larsson was picked by Seattle in expansion despite being a pending unrestricted free agent although he was quickly signed to a four-year deal.  The 31-year-old has been a solid defender in his first three seasons with them while even managing a career year offensively in 2022-23.  He was rewarded for his efforts earlier in the week as the Kraken signed him to a four-year, $21MM contract extension which begins in the 2025-26 season.  The deal represents a $1.1MM per season raise from his current deal and carries full trade protection for the first two years before it drops to a 15-team no-trade clause.

Shoulder Injury For Hughes: With this being a contract year for Devils defenseman Luke Hughes, it’s safe to say he was hoping to get off to a strong start to his season.  That won’t be the case now as the team announced that he suffered a left shoulder injury while training, one that will keep him out for six to eight weeks.  That means the 21-year-old will miss all of training camp, the preseason, and the start of the regular season.  Hughes had a promising rookie year, recording 47 points in 82 games last season which helped make him a finalist for the Calder Trophy.  He’ll now have to wait a little longer to try to build off that performance.

Toronto Signs Three: The Maple Leafs were busy finalizing their roster heading into training camp.  First, they took care of their last remaining restricted free agent, re-signing Nicholas Robertson to a one-year, $875K contract.  The 23-year-old had 27 points in 56 games last season but had made it known his preference was to get a change of scenery.  Now, he’ll look to make an impression under new head coach Craig Berube and establish himself higher in the lineup.

Meanwhile, they added two new players to the team as well.  Veteran Max Pacioretty signed a PTO agreement although his agent, Octagon’s Allan Walsh, quickly noted that they expect to have a contract in place by the start of the regular season.  The 35-year-old has battled injuries the last three seasons but still managed to record 23 points in 47 games with Washington in 2023-24.  Lastly, the team finally inked defenseman Jani Hakanpaa, who they had agreed to terms with on the opening day of free agency.  However, the terms are slightly different.  Instead of a two-year, $3MM agreement, he received a one-year, $1.47MM contract with an eight-team no-trade clause.  Hakanpaa was a physical presence on the back end in Dallas last season but there are concerns over his knee after missing the end of the season and the playoffs due to injury.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Devils Expected To Sign Kevin Labanc To PTO

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The New Jersey Devils are expected to sign longtime San Jose Sharks winger Kevin Labanc to a professional try-out agreement. The deal was first reported by Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now.

Labanc – a native of Brooklyn, New York – has spent the entirety of his eight-year NHL career with the Sharks. He made his NHL debut in 2016, just two years after his sixth-round selection in the 2014 NHL Draft. Labanc was effective out of the gates, recording eight goals and 20 points in 55 rookie games. His scoring climbed over the next two seasons, peaking with a career-high 17 goals and 56 points in the 2018-19 season – the only year that Labanc played in all 82 games. But he’s been on the down-slope ever since, with a pair of 33-point seasons the closest he’s come to matching his career year.

Labanc finally fell out of the lineup last season. He scored just two goals and nine points in 46 appearances, ultimately ceding ice time to the likes of Givani Smith and Daniil Gushchin. That’s a heavy blow to take on an offense as poor as the 2024 Sharks – but Labanc can’t be written off just yet. He’s still managed 225 points across 478 games, and could offer stout third-line scoring for a team in need. New Jersey certainly fits that bill, looking for consistent lineup pieces to surround Erik Haula and Curtis Lazar in the bottom-six. Labanc will step into competition for minutes with wingers like Nathan Bastian, Stefan Noesen, and Paul Cotter when New Jersey opens their training camp on September 18th.

Rookie Notes: Clarke, Cristall, Barkey, Tuomaala

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The start of NHL rookie camps is bringing a boost of motivation out of the league’s next-up, felt most by top Los Angeles Kings prospect Brandt Clarke, who shared with Dennis Bernstein of The Fourth Period that he’s pushing for more than an NHL spot. Clarke told Bernstein, “[My own] expectations are higher than anyone could put on me. I expect the best of myself…..I want to be great. I want to be a key contributor on the team….. I told my dad this year, my goal isn’t just to make the NHL, it’s to excel in the NHL.”

Those are proud words from one of the top defensive prospects across the NHL. Clarke played through his first pro season last year, recording 46 points in 50 AHL appearances, and adding six points in his first 16 NHL games. He posted the highest production from a rookie AHL defender since Kings teammate Jordan Spence posted 42 points in 46 games in 2021. But Clarke’s ability to command the #1-lineup role in the midst of that scoring is what’s made him stand out. He should get a chance to work into a top-line and special-teams with L.A. this season, and seems ready to take the chance in stride.

Other notes from the prospect world:

  • Top Washington Capitals prospect Andrew Cristall has his eyes similarly set on the NHL roster, telling Sammi Silber of The Hockey News that his goal is, “obviously to make the team… I’m checking the boxes pretty well.” Cristall played through his final year of juniors hockey last year, finally breaking the century-scoring mark (111 points in 62 games, to be exact) after years of chasing it. He finishes his four-year WHL career with 280 points in 191 games, though many have criticized his chances of translating that scoring to the pro flight. He’ll stand a chance to prove his doubters wrong by earning a spot on the opening day lineup.
  • Philadelphia Flyers winger Denver Barkey is sitting out of camp activities to start this week, with Jordan Hall of NBCS Philly sharing the prospect is dealing with illness. Barkey – whose position was swapped from LW to RW this camp – skated through the early part of rookie camp, and isn’t expected to miss a large chunk of time. He’s coming off a premier year in the OHL, recording 35 goals and 102 points in 64 games with the OHL-champions London Knights. Barkey is a high-energy, undersized winger who’s shown the drive to jump to the next level. He’ll continue fighting to take that step when he’s healthy again, though Barkey does have one more year of OHL eligibility available.
  • Fellow Flyers wing prospect Samu Tuomaala is also out of action, described as “just a little banged up” by Jordan Hall. He’s also been an early standout of rookie camp, playing in both games so far and scoring the OT-winner in Philadelphia’s Saturday matchup. Hall adds that Tuomaala seemed fine in postgame interviews, suggesting that Philadelphia could be taking an abundance of caution with their up-and-comers. Tuomaala played through an impactful AHL rookie season last year, netting 43 points in 69 games. That should position him as one of the top minor-league options headed into the new year.

Flames’ Starting Role Up For Grabs In Training Camp

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The Calgary Flames traded former Vezina Trophy runner-up Jacob Markstrom to the New Jersey Devils this summer, leaving a glaring hole in one of the most important positions in the lineup. General manager Craig Conroy expects that to elicit the biggest competition of training camp, telling Sportsnet’s Eric Francis that all of the team’s goaltenders will have a chance at the starting role. Conroy laid it out clearly, saying, “With Marky gone, the job is wide open, and these guys know this is as good an opportunity as they’re ever going to have to show what they can do and become an NHL starter.”

The competition will be fought between de facto NHL backup Daniel Vladar, top AHL goalie Dustin Wolf, and emerging prospect Devin Cooley. It’s hard to determine a favorite among the three. Vladar boasts significantly more NHL experience than the rest, recording 70 games over the last three seasons while backing up Markstrom. But his performances haven’t proven very convincing – with Vladar managing 35 wins and a .894 save percentage with the Flames. To make matters worse, Vladar is coming off a hip surgery in March, leaving him as a shaky bet to suddenly improve his performances, even in the face of opportunity.

Wolf has already bested Vladar’s stat line on a per-game basis, with eight wins and a .896 save percentage in 18 career games. Those numbers certainly aren’t convincing, but suggest some upside – especially against Devin Cooley’s meager .870 save percentage in six games with the San Jose Sharks last year.

Wolf has seemingly earned a true shot at the NHL starting role, having dominated the AHL for the last three seasons. His list of minor-league accomplishments runs on-and-on. He won the AHL’s Les Bastien ’Goaltender of the Year’ Award in both 2022 and 2023, becoming the first goalie to win in back-to-back years and just the third to win twice. He added even more hardware in the latter year, also winning the Les Cunningham ’MVP’ Award – becoming the youngest to win MVP since Jason Spezza in 2005. Those accolades have studded a career stat line of 97 wins and a .926 in 141 AHL games.

At his peak, Markstrom played a 63-game season with the Flames. That leaves a large chunk of games to be shelled out this season – and while Wolf’s precedent and Vladar’s injury seems to spell an easy decision. But with Conroy’s open-minded approach to the starting role, the duo could end up in a strict 50/50 time share, as Calgary attempts to develop a long-term starter out of one of the two.

Bruins Notes: Swayman, PTOs, Spicer

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The Boston Bruins are planning to enter training camp without a confirmed starter, with general manager Don Sweeney sharing that there are still no updates on a new deal – only telling Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe, “We’ll talk [with Swayman] next week.” Boston begins their training camp on September 18th and will be doing so with Joonas Korpisalo as their top netminder, pending a sudden change.

That’s certainly not what the team could have planned when they traded former Vezina Trophy-winner Linus Ullmark to the Ottawa Senators, clearing a path for Swayman to finally take on the starting role. The two have split time for the last three seasons, with Swayman managing a dazzling .919 save percentage in 132 games over the stretch. He played in a career-high 44 games last season but still sits without a legitimate test in a starting role. That’s likely one of, if not thee, biggest pieces holding up negotiations – though a rumored high asking price and lack of comparable contracts don’t make matters easier.

Other notes out of Boston:

  • Sweeney also shared with NHL.com’s Mark Divver that the team isn’t expecting to sign any more PTOs, though he didn’t rule them out entirely. That would leave former Stanley Cup-winner Tyler Johnson as the team’s only try-out this camp, potentially opening more opportunity for fringe players like Justin Brazeau, John Beecher, and John Farinacci to get noticed. The quartet will are a part of a crowded competition for ice-time in Boston’s bottom-six, after the team lost an endless list of depth pieces this summer.
  • Bruins prospect Cole Spicer took the ice with the USHL’s Dubuque Fighting Saints on Saturday night, making his first appearance since stating that he’d be stepping away from the game indefinitely for personal reasons. Spicer was listed as the Saints’ top-line center in Dubuque’s final game of the pre-season. He’s spent the last two seasons with the University of Minnesota-Duluth, recording a measly 15 points in 49 appearances. A return to the USHL would make Spicer one of the league’s older players, though it could also mark a necessary change of scenery after two down years. The feisty centerman will be one to watch as the season rolls around, as he looks to gather his footing in the hockey world and begin fighting his way up the Bruins organization.

Oilers Sign Travis Dermott To PTO

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Sep. 13: The Oilers made Dermott’s PTO official today.

Sep. 10: The Edmonton Oilers have signed defenseman Travis Dermott to a professional try-out contract, first reported by Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli and later by Sportsnet’s Mark Spector. The deal gives Dermott a chance to earn a deal with his third Canadian club, having previously played five years in Toronto and two in Vancouver.

Dermott signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Arizona Coyotes last summer. He spent the entirety of the deal on the NHL roster, though injuries limited him to just 50 games. He struggled to find the scoresheet, netting just seven points on the year. That wasn’t enough to earn a new deal, leaving Dermott an unrestricted free agent as Arizona moved to Utah.

Dermott now finds himself signing try-outs in what should be his prime years – a long fall for a player originally selected 34th overall in the 2015 NHL Draft. He turned pro one season later, recording 24 points in 59 games and looking stout on the defensive side of the puck as an AHL rookie. Those traits earned him a call-up the following year, where he repeated his showings in the minors with a modest 11 points in 37 games but flashes of strong defense.

He quickly became a focal piece of a bleak Leafs blue line, though a routine NHL role came with routine bouts with injuries. He’s only appeared in four seasons of 50 games or more – every year between 2018 and 2021, and last season. That surge back to routine minutes could be the spark Dermott needs to rediscover his consistency this season. To boot, he boasts an ability to play on either side, potentially filling Edmonton’s need for flexible defensive depth. But he’ll first have to earn a roster spot out of camp before he’s able to  join the reigning Stanley Cup runner-ups.

Prospect Notes: Heidt, Dumais, Dach, Frondell

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Minnesota Wild GM Bill Guerin didn’t rule out the chances of top prospect Riley Heidt making the opening night roster in an interview with The Athletic’s Joe Smith. Guerin said, “We have guys that still don’t need waivers… If Riley plays so well that he pushes himself on the team, then great. That’s what it’s about. It’s about competition.” Smith went on to acknowledge the hefty jump Heidt would need to leapfrog other prospects like Liam Ohgren and Marat Khusnutdinov – with Guerin acknowledging the former as someone Minnesota expects to make the NHL roster.

Heidt is coming off a dazzling season with the WHL’s Prince George Cougars, ranking third in league scoring with 117 points in 66 games. He also ranked eighth with 711 faceoff wins, winning at an effective 51.8 percent. Heidt set career highs across the board but still seems a step behind the NHL lineup. He’d otherwise be bound for a fourth WHL season, though Minnesota could award him up to nine regular-season games to help inform their decision.

Other notes from across the prospect world:

  • Top Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Jordan Dumais won’t be taking part in this weekend’s NHL Prospects Challenge, per The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline, who shares the winger has been designated with a lower-body injury. Dumais isn’t expected to participate in the start of training camp, either. It isn’t clear if this is related to the lower abdominal surgery Dumais underwent in January, which held him out of the entire second half of the season. He’s been as productive as they come in the QMJHL, recording 325 points across 193 games and four seasons with the Halifax Mooseheads. He’ll get a chance to translate that scoring to the pro level this season – that is, when he’s healed from that’s delaying his pre-season start.
  • Chicago Blackhawks prospect Colton Dach shared that he has his sights set on earning an NHL roster spot, telling The Athletic’s Mark Lazerus that he feels he could’ve earned one by now had he not been injured. Dach notably missed extended time with a concussion this season, after a sucker punch from Milwaukee’s Zachary L’Heureux. Small absences cut into Dach’s first pro season, though he still impressed with 27 points in 48 AHL games. Dach has now been heavily limited by injuries in the last two seasons, making a spot on the Opening Day roster a longshot – though Dach could earn his way into an NHL call-up later this year if he continues to stand strong in the minors.
  • Top 2025 NHL Draft prospect Anton Frondell is set to undergo knee surgery, shares Djugardens IF insider Robin Fredriksson. No timeline for a return has been revealed. It’s Frondell’s second major lower-body injury in as many years, after a separate injury limited his 2023-24 campaign to just 42 league games. Frondell impressed when he did play, notably scoring 39 points in 29 U20 games, and adding seven points in seven games at the World U17 Hockey Challenge. His name has appeared near the very top of early 2025 Draft rankings, though another significant injury could make him an early faller.

Flames Sign Tyson Barrie To PTO

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Sep. 10: The Flames made Barrie’s PTO official this morning.

Sep. 3: In a twist of circumstances, the Calgary Flames are now reportedly nearing a professional try-out agreement with veteran defender Tyson Barrie. The move was first reported by PuckPedia and verified by TSN’s Pierre LeBrun, who added that the team hopes this will result in more than just a league-minimum contract. Barrie was previously rumored to be headed to the Edmonton Oilers on a PTO, reuniting with the team after one year away. As pointed out by PuckPedia, Barrie maintains the ability to sign a free-agent contract with any team while on his PTO with Calgary.

Barrie will skate for his fourth Canadian franchise on this PTO – having previously played one year in Toronto and three in Edmonton. They were two stops along Barrie’s journeyman career, spanning 13 seasons and four franchises. He continues to be a productive defender, rivaling 40 points in nearly every season between 2013 and 2023 and boasting a career-high of 59 points set in 2018-19. But Barrie’s defensive consistency has completely fallen away, leaving him hard to trust even on a stout Nashville Predators blue line.

Luckily, Calgary has plenty of holes to patch on defense, after turning over Chris Tanev, Noah Hanifin, and Oliver Kylington last season. The Flames have brought in a heap of new faces to handle the change, adding Jake Bean, Daniil Miromanov, Kevin Bahl, Joel Hanley, and Brayden Pachal. Barrie boasts significantly more NHL experience and scoring upside than any of those options. That could be enough to win out a prominent role with a strong showing at training camp, especially amid competition a decade younger.

Any role on the Flames’ blue-line could come with major responsibility, as the team shops around top defenders MacKenzie Weegar and Rasmus Andersson ahead of training camp. The departure of either player would immediately vacate 20+ minutes a night on Barrie’s right-hand side – making this veteran PTO signing timely insurance. But as it stands, the long-term outcome of Barrie, who managed just 27 points in 65 games over two seasons with the Predators, is still uncertain.

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