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Archives for August 2022

New Jersey Devils Sign Tyce Thompson

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The Devils and restricted free agent forward Tyce Thompson have struck a deal to avoid arbitration. The team announced today that they’ve signed Thompson to a two-year deal. The financial structure of the deal is as follows:

2022-23: $750K NHL salary, $175K AHL salary (two-way)
2023-24: $775,000 NHL salary (one-way)

Thompson, 23, is the brother of Buffalo Sabres star Tage Thompson and the son of former NHLer Brent Thompson. A 2019 fourth-round pick, Thompson made his professional debut in 2020-21 after a three-year stint at Providence College in the NCAA.

Thompson was a highly productive college forward, scoring 94 points in 101 career games, with time served as team captain in his senior season. Thompson’s time as a pro has been less successful than his collegiate career, although that’s largely for reasons out of his control. Thompson spent most of last season recovering from shoulder surgery, and as a result, only got into 18 games. (two with the Devils, 16 with the AHL’s Utica Comets)

In Utica, Thompson began to show why he was such a strong NCAA scorer. He had six goals and 15 points in 16 games, proving that his collegiate production could translate to the professional game. The Calgary, Alberta native will likely spend the first year of his new deal in the AHL, hoping to repeat his performance from last season in a larger sample size and continue to show Devils management that he’s worthy of NHL opportunities.

If all goes according to plan, 2023-2024 will be the year he becomes a regular NHL-er, as evidenced by the structure of the deal. Thompson was given a one-way contract for that year, meaning he cannot be sent to the minors without clearing waivers, and will not be subject to a significantly reduced minors salary. The Devils clearly believe in Thompson, and should he find his way to the NHL he will join a promising team in New Jersey that could be overflowing with talented youngsters in just a few years.

Minor Transactions: 08/02/22

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It’s been a long, slow grind since the craziness of free agency opening on July 13, with a good number of high-end free agents remaining unsigned. With many other leagues than just the NHL looking to get their rosters set for next season, though, that hasn’t been the case everywhere. Minor-league teams and overseas leagues are making moves and transactions to their squads every day, giving hockey fans something else to look at. We’ll keep track of today’s transactions right here.

  • 2012 first-round pick Jordan Schmaltz is switching leagues. After heading overseas for 2021-22 in order to play for HIFK Helsinki in the Finnish Liiga, and now he’s headed to Switzerland for 2022-23. Per an official team announcement, Swiss club EHC Kloten has signed Schmaltz to a contract for next season. Schmaltz had a successful European debut, leading all HIFK blueliners with 33 points in 55 games last season. His offense-first, pace-pushing style should excite fans in Kloten and help improve their offense. The five-time Swiss champions are making their return to the top-tier of Swiss hockey after being relegated in 2017-18, and their signing of Schmaltz should help them compete next season.
  • After a four-season run in the NHL that saw him suit up for four different NHL teams, Dominik Kahun made the choice to return to Europe to continue his professional career. Kahun signed a deal with SC Bern in Switzerland, and after an extraordinarily successful debut in the Swiss league that saw him score 16 goals and 44 points in just 42 games, Kahun has gotten that deal extended. Kahun’s initial contract ran through 2024, and now Bern has announced that they have extended the contract by three more seasons, through 2026-2027. This is an understandable move for both the team and for Kahun. For Kahun, his experience switching teams every year in order to stick in the NHL may have taken a toll on him, and he could prefer stability at this point in his career, which is what he’s gotten from Bern. For Bern, they keep an in-his-prime player who has shown himself to be an offensive force in their league for many seasons to come.
  • Alexei Lipanov, a 2017 third-round pick of the Tampa Bay Lightning, is headed back to Russia. Per a team announcement, Lipanov has signed a one-year, two-way contract with Spartak Moscow of the KHL. Lipanov spent 2021-22 playing for three teams: the Syracuse Crunch and Texas Stars of the AHL, and the Orlando Solar Bears of the ECHL. He got into 16 total games last season and had one assist. He heads to Russia to jump-start his pro career closer to home.
  • Daniel Sylwander, the captain of MODO Hockey in Ornskoldsvik, is changing teams. Tingsryds IF, a rival Allsvenskan club, has announced the signing of Sylwander to a one-year deal. Sylwander has served as captain of MODO for the past two seasons and brings experience and leadership to a Tingsryds club looking to improve upon a tenth place finish in 2021-22.
  • Former NHLer Mark Flood is hanging up his skates. Flood, who served as captain of French Ligue Magnus side Rouen last season, has made the decision to retire and join the Ottawa Senators organization, per a team announcement. Flood last played in the NHL in 2011-12 and has played across Europe for the past eight seasons, playing in France, Austria, Russia, and Croatia. Flood, a sixth-round pick of the Montreal Canadiens at the 2003 draft, had 32 points in 43 games last season and captained Rouen to a third-place finish in Ligue Magnus.

This page will be updated throughout the day.

Rangers Sign C.J. Smith

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August 2: The New York Rangers have made the signing of Smith official.

August 1: The Rangers have added some forward depth as PuckPedia reports (Twitter link) that they’ve inked C.J. Smith to a one-year, two-way deal.  The contract is worth $750K in the NHL, $275K in the minors, and contains a total guarantee of $300K.

The 27-year-old has 15 career NHL contests under his belt over parts of four seasons where he has two goals and an assist.  One of those appearances came in 2021-22 with Carolina.  Smith has spent most of his professional career in the minors where he has been much more productive.  Last season, he played in 60 games with AHL Chicago, notching 24 goals and 34 assists, good for third on the Wolves in scoring.  He also collected nine points in 16 playoff contests to help Chicago win the Calder Cup.

While Smith will undoubtedly see some action with New York in the preseason, it’s safe to say that their intention with this signing is to have him start with AHL Hartford where he’ll help replace Anthony Greco, last year’s leading scorer who remains unsigned and Nick Merkley, who went to the KHL earlier today.  The Rangers are now up to 48 NHL contracts with this signing out of the limit of 50 although they have a couple of junior-aged players who will come off the books if they’re sent back to that level.

Blackhawks Sign Jalen Luypen

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August 2nd: The Blackhawks have now made the signing of Luypen official.

August 1st: The Blackhawks have agreed to terms with one of their prospects as John Matisz of The Score reports (Twitter link) that they’ve signed forward Jalen Luypen to a three-year, entry-level contract.  PuckPedia reports (via Twitter) that the deal will carry an AAV of $925K including signing and performance bonuses.

The 20-year-old was a seventh-round pick by Chicago (216th overall) in 2021 following a pandemic-shortened season that saw him put up more than a point per game with WHL Edmonton.  While he didn’t quite get back to that level in 2021-22, Luypen collected 29 goals and 35 assists in 66 games with the Oil Kings, the WHL champions; his 64 points ranked fourth on the team.

Chicago will now have a decision to make with Luypen.  He’s eligible to return to Edmonton for his overage season where he’d stand to play a bigger role in the lineup with two of the three scorers that were ahead of him last year now moving on; he’d still burn the first year of his contract if that happened.  However, he can also go to the minors with AHL Rockford where he’d have a limited role but could begin making adjustments to adapt to the professional game.  Either way, he has an NHL contract under his belt which is a good outcome for someone who originally went undrafted in his first year of eligibility before being snagged by the Blackhawks a year later.

Frederik Gauthier Signs In Switzerland

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Yesterday, former NHLer Nick Shore signed in Switzerland. Today, the Swiss league adds another former NHL-er: Frederik Gauthier. Per a team announcement, Gauthier has signed a one-year deal with HC Ajoie.

Gauthier, 27, was the Toronto Maple Leafs’ first-round pick at the 2013 NHL draft, getting selected 21st overall. His choice came off the back of a successful debut campaign for the Rimouski Oceanic, a season where he scored 60 points in 62 games. Gauthier’s big six-foot-five frame intrigued scouts, and they believed that his polished defensive game would provide a solid base for the Maple Leafs development staff to work off of and hope to develop a two-way force.

Unfortunately for Gauthier, though, his game in one half of the ice never really took off. In all three years he spent in the QMJHL, Gauthier’s numbers remained remarkably consistent, which isn’t ideal for a first-rounder in junior hockey. His .97 points-per-game as a QMJHL rookie became a .96 mark as a sophomore, and .86 mark in his shortened final junior season. Whereas some highly-drafted prospects take off as they get older and more experienced in junior hockey, Gauthier’s offense stagnated. This fact was made especially worrying due to the fact that Gauthier was bigger and stronger than most junior players, and was still unable to use that size to overpower younger QMJHL talent as other bigger prospects have typically been able to do.

Along with his defensive game, Gauthier’s lack of progression on offense translated to the professional game. Gauthier was a fast riser, getting into seven NHL games in his first pro season, but he only got time as an NHL regular in 2018-19, after three seasons playing mostly with the Toronto Marlies. Gauthier’s AHL production always left much to be desired. In his final extended AHL stint in Toronto, Gauthier had just 18 points in 57 games. But he still got minutes with the Marlies and NHL opportunities thanks to his defensive game.

As the hopes of a long-awaited offensive breakout from Gauthier have faded, his true professional role has become clearer, and the honesty about what Gauthier is at this point in his career has led to NHL opportunities since his exit from the Maple Leafs organization.

Seeking safe, defense-first depth at the start of last season, the New Jersey Devils signed Gauthier to a two-way contract after a strong training camp playing on a PTO. He did exactly what was asked of him in the Devils organization. He had 32 points in 51 AHL games and also served as a crucial defensive forward. He was head coach Kevin Dineen’s most trusted penalty-killing forward, and his willingness to shoulder much of the team’s defensive burden up front freed top prospects such as Alexander Holtz to focus on the offensive side of the game. Gauthier also got eight NHL games in last season and averaged a whopping 2:49 time on ice per game on their penalty kill in that stretch, showcasing himself as a forward with a well-defined role.

While some might be unable to look past his status as an underwhelming first-round choice, what Gauthier provided to the Devils organization last season was legitimately valuable, especially at a league-minimum, two-way cost. In Switzerland, he’ll likely be a valuable contributor to Ajoie as well.

Ajoie are making a push this offseason after a nightmarish 2021-22 campaign that saw them win just nine games. Earlier this offseason they signed another former NHLer, T.J. Brennan, to bolster their blueline. Ajoie let in 224 goals last season, the most in the Swiss league and nearly 70 more than the third-worst club. Gauthier is a defensive specialist and should be able to help them in that area.

The Swiss league is a strong league with quite a few former NHLers. If Gauthier can continue his strong defensive play, make strides in the offensive side of the ice, and help Ajoie have an improved season from last year, 2022-23 will be a success for him. If he can get to that point, a chance at an NHL training camp in the fall of 2023 won’t be out of the question.

Petteri Lindbohm Signs In SHL

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August 2: Lindbohm’s choice to head back to Europe is now official. Frolunda HC has signed Lindbohm, per a team announcement.

August 1: Petteri Lindbohm’s return to the NHL appears as if it will be a short-lived one.  SportExpressen’s Johan Svensson reports that the 28-year-old has been fielding interest from teams overseas and is believed to have a verbal agreement in place to sign with Frolunda of the SHL.

Lindbohm started last season with Jokerit of the KHL and did well enough to join Finland at the Olympics back in February.  When Jokerit ceased operations, he was let out of his contract and signed with Florida for the rest of the season, giving the Panthers some extra defensive depth down the stretch.

Lindbohm got into nine games with Florida, picking up an assist while averaging a little over 14 minutes per game.  However, he was a healthy scratch in all ten of their playoff contests and it appears as if there wasn’t enough of a market for him in free agency to secure another one-way contract.  Instead, he’ll head overseas where he’ll have a chance to play a big role and perhaps play his way into a third NHL opportunity down the road.

West Notes: Kaprizov, Klingberg, Cooley, Kawaguchi

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While there was some concern expressed last month about Kirill Kaprizov’s ability to return to North America after being denied entry, the winger has successfully returned to the United States, reports Michael Russo of The Athletic (subscription link).  It’s unknown at this time whether or not the Wild managed to secure a U.S. work visa for the 25-year-old or if he was able to secure another deferment to his mandatory Russian military service.  Meanwhile, Russo adds that Kaprizov recently underwent surgery but has been cleared to resume skating and his full workout routine so while it has been an adventurous few weeks, Minnesota should have their star available to them on opening night in October.

More from the Western Conference:

  • Anaheim defenseman John Klingberg met the media, including Matt Weller of the Ducks’ team site, for the first time since signing with the team last week. He indicated that he had similar one-year offers from other teams that he was considering while reiterating his desire to secure a long-term agreement next summer.  Klingberg had 47 points in 74 games with Dallas last season and will have a chance to play a big role with Anaheim next season.  His full trade protection expires in January so if the Ducks are out of the mix near the trade deadline, he could be on the move in late February as well.
  • Coyotes prospect Logan Cooley is expected to return to practice tomorrow as he looks to ensure he’ll have a spot on Team USA’s entry for the World Juniors, relays NHL.com’s Mike Morreale (Twitter link). The third-overall pick was listed on their 27-player roster earlier today but there are two cuts that still need to be made.  The fact that Cooley will be able to return to practice bodes well for his availability for the tournament which gets underway next week.
  • After non-tendering him last month, the Stars have brought back Jordan Kawaguchi on a minor-league deal, their AHL team announced. Dallas signed the 25-year-old winger as an undrafted college free agent in March of 2021 and he had a decent season, collecting 23 points in 49 games.  While that wasn’t enough to garner a qualifying offer, Kawaguchi will stick around with Texas for another year.

Canada Names Roster For The 2022 World Juniors

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With the tournament now a little more than a week away, Hockey Canada is the latest to reveal its roster for the upcoming World Juniors.  Their team is as follows:

Goalies

Brett Brochu
Sebastian Cossa (DET)
Dylan Garand (NYR)

Defense

Lukas Cormier (VGK)
Daemon Hunt (MIN)
Carson Lambos (MIN)
Ryan O’Rourke (MIN)
Donovan Sebrango (DET)
Ronan Seeley (CAR)
Jack Thompson (TB)
Olen Zellweger (ANA)

Forwards

Connor Bedard
Will Cuylle (NYR)
Elliot Desnoyers (PHI)
William Dufour (NYI)
Tyson Foerster (PHI)
Nathan Gaucher (ANA)
Ridly Greig (OTT)
Kent Johnson (CBJ)
Riley Kidney (MTL)
Mason McTavish (ANA)
Zack Ostapchuk (OTT)
Brennan Othmann (NYR)
Joshua Roy (MTL)
Logan Stankoven (DAL)

As is the case with other countries, there are some notable absentees from Canada’s squad.  On the back end, Owen Power and Kaiden Guhle aren’t returning while up front, Cole Perfetti, Jake Neighbours, and Shane Wright are among the seven forwards that won’t be back after playing briefly in the original tournament last December.

However, there are still some notable players to watch for.  Johnson and McTavish both got their feet wet in the NHL last season while Bedard is widely expected to be the first-overall selection in 2023.  He had four goals in two games before the tournament was canceled.  On the back end, there are six returnees while Canada’s goalie tandem from the December tourney remains intact.

The tournament will run from August 9th through the 20th with pre-tournament games getting underway later this week.

Atlantic Notes: Portillo, Red Wings, Smith

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While the Sabres still have another year and a bit to sign goaltending prospect Erik Portillo, Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News notes that there are doubts both internally and league-wide that the netminder will actually sign with Buffalo.  The 21-year-old was a third-round pick back in 2019 (67th overall) and was quite impressive with Michigan last season, posting a 2.14 GAA along with a .926 SV% in 42 games.  While Portillo has two years of college eligibility remaining, he will be eligible to opt for free agency next August since it will be four years since he has been drafted.  If Buffalo isn’t able to sign him after the 2022-23 college season, it wouldn’t be surprising to see them try to trade his rights to a team he’d be willing to sign with.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic:

  • While the Red Wings had the cap space to get involved in the chase for John Klingberg, Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press outlines why they didn’t. Such a move would have forced them to trade Filip Hronek and with the trade market being as weak as it is right now, GM Steve Yzerman would have been hard-pressed to get full value in return, even with Hronek being on a team-friendly deal for two more years.  They have over $10MM in cap space, per CapFriendly, and while that amount will go down once Filip Zadina and Jake Walman re-sign, they’re well-positioned financially to try to add someone as the offseason progresses.
  • If the Bruins are forced to make a cap-shedding trade to accompany Pavel Zacha’s eventual deal plus the potential returns of UFAs Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci, Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe suggests that winger Craig Smith is the likely candidate to be moved. The 32-year-old has one year left on his contract with a $3.1MM cap hit.  He has been pretty consistent in recent years, notching at least 13 goals and 31 points in each of the last four seasons and is coming off a 36-point campaign.  Unlike some teams that are trying to shed negative-value contracts, Smith’s isn’t in that category but with so few squads looking to take on money, Boston would be hard-pressed to get a quality return for the veteran if they have to go that route.

Minor Transactions: 08/01/22

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It’s been a long, slow grind since the craziness of free agency opening on July 13, with a good number of high-end free agents remaining unsigned. With many other leagues than just the NHL looking to get their rosters set for next season, though, that hasn’t been the case everywhere. Minor-league teams and overseas leagues are making moves and transactions to their squads every day, giving hockey fans something else to look at. We’ll keep track of today’s transactions right here.

  • Tim Schaller, a veteran of nearly 300 NHL games, has found a new AHL club for next season. Per a team announcement, the Milwaukee Admirals have signed Schaller to a one-year AHL contract. Schaller was, just a few years ago, a capable bottom-six center for the Boston Bruins. He scored 12 goals and 22 points in 82 games in 2017-18 and looked to have established himself in the NHL. But injury issues and underperformance relegated him to part-time duty with the Vancouver Canucks, and he’s spent the past two full seasons in the AHL. Last year with the Bakersfield Condors, Schaller posted 10 goals and 25 points in 67 games, playing in a similar defense-first bottom-six role to the one he played in the NHL. There is a leadership component to Schaller’s game, as he’s worn letters in both professional and collegiate hockey settings, and he should help an Admirals team looking to graduate its young talent and send them to Nashville.
  • Former QMJHL star, captain of the Quebec Ramparts, and longtime DEL fixture Brent Aubin is headed to France. After a disappointing 17-point season with the Iserlohn Roosters of the DEL, Aubin has signed a contract with Grenoble of the French Ligue Magnus. Aubin is a capable forward who has a long resume of productive seasons in Europe. He should help Grenoble defend their Ligue Magnus title next season and chip in as they attempt to make a run in the Champions Hockey League.
  • 2015 third-round pick Blake Speers is headed overseas. The 25-year-old center, who was traded to the Arizona Coyotes as part of the Taylor Hall trade, has signed a one-year deal with Vasteras IK of Swedish second-tier league HockeyAllsvenskan. Speers was an accomplished scorer for the OHL’s Soo Greyhounds, forming a deadly partnership with Boston Bruins 2015 first-rounder Zachary Senyshyn. But since he ended his OHL days, Speers has struggled to make much of an impact in the professional game. Speers has just 42 points in 203 NHL games and will look to help Vasteras achieve promotion to the SHL.
  • Swedish winger Jakob Lilja, who played 37 games for the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2019-20, is changing KHL teams. The forward, who has spent the past two seasons with KHL side Nur-Sultan Barys, has signed a two-year, one-way contract with HC Dynamo Moscow. Lilja has been productive in his KHL career thus far, with 62 points in 106 games. He’ll join a Dynamo squad eager to return to the KHL playoffs after a run to the conference semifinals last season.
  • KHL club Amur Khabarovsk announced the signings of two North American pro players today: Cam Lee and Andrew Calof. Lee, 25, was a star defenseman for Western Michigan University and became a regular with the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins after turning pro, playing as a bottom-pairing defenseman under coach J.D. Forrest. Calof, 31, was, like Lee, a star in the NCAA. Calof was a top scorer for Princeton University for four seasons, finishing his collegiate career with 123 points in 117 games. After graduating, Calof immediately signed a contract with SHL side Skelleftea AIK, and became an important contributor there. After a poor final season in Skelleftea and a bounce-back year for the Vaxjo Lakers, Calof left for the KHL, where he was similarly productive. He spent last season back with Vaxjo and now heads back to the KHL once again. Both Lee and Calof are capable professionals who should be able to help Amur recover from what was a difficult 2021-22 season that saw them languish near the bottom of the KHL standings.
  • Former NHL-er Brian Gibbons, a veteran of over 200 NHL games, is changing leagues once again. The two-way forward signed with Swiss club HC Lausanne after leaving North America and spent last season  SHL club HC Linkoping. Now, he’s heading to the DEL, signing with German club ERC Ingolstadt, per a team announcement. Gibbons has brought his reliable all-arond game to Europe, although while he was productive in Switzerland he struggled in the SHL. A move to the DEL should benefit him, and be a strong addition for Ingolstadt in their climb up the DEL.
  • Forward Benjamin Baumgartner, a 2020 sixth-round pick of the New Jersey Devils, is switching teams. The forward, who spent 2021-22 with HC Lausanne, has signed a two-year contract with fellow Swiss club HC Bern. Baumgartner has 71 points in 149 career games in the Swiss National League and is part of a growing movement of young Austrian hockey talent that boasts recently-drafted prospects in Minnesota Wild first-rounder Marco Rossi and Montreal Canadiens third-rounder Vinzenz Rohrer.
  • Matt Tugnutt, the son of longtime NHL goalie Ron Tugnutt, is headed for Europe. The 26-year-old spent last season in the ECHL, splitting time between the Greenville Swamp Rabbits and the Idaho Steelheads. The 26-year-old is a center and had 25 points in 53 ECHL games last season. He’s joining the Chamonix Pioneers of Ligue Magnus, with the goal of helping them secure their place in the top division of French hockey for another season.
  • After a long NCAA career, Seamus Donohue has chosen to continue his pro career overseas. The defenseman got seven games with the ECHL’s South Carolina Stingrays last season, and now heads to Liiga club SaiPa. Donohue is a crease-clearing defenseman who lacks experience in professional hockey. He joins a SaiPa squad that has abundant opportunities to excel, seeking new faces to help them bounce back from a 2021-22 campaign that saw them finish second-to-last in Liiga. Per the team announcement, Donohue’s contract with SaiPa is a one-year deal with an option for 2023-24.
  • The AHL’s Utica Comets announced today that they’ve signed rough-and-tumble forward Noah Corson to a one-year, two-way AHL/ECHL deal. Corson turned pro in the Southern Professional Hockey League and parlayed that strong production (16 points in 19 games) into a shot with the ECHL’s Norfolk Admirals. Corson’s ECHL debut was impressive, as he posted 24 goals and 55 points in 57 games to go along with 162 PIM’s. He got a brief call-up with the Chicago Wolves and heads to Utica hoping to make their AHL squad and continue his climb up the pro hockey ladder.
  • The Minnesota Wild’s AHL affiliate, the Iowa Wild, announced the signing of defenseman Matt Murphy to a one-year, two-way AHL/ECHL deal. Murphy spent time with three teams last season, getting into 21 games with the ECHL’s Fort Wayne Komets and the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks and Providence Bruins. Murphy had 14 points in 21 ECHL games and should serve as dependable depth for the Iowa Wild.

This page will be updated throughout the day.

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