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Archives for March 2023

Buffalo Sabres Reassign Lukas Rousek

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03/26/23: The Sabres announced this morning that Rousek has been sent back down to AHL Rochester.

It’s a tough break for one of Rochester’s top scorers, as Rousek didn’t draw into the lineup for the Sabres’ win over the New York Islanders yesterday. Having spent the day a healthy scratch, he’ll now head back to the AHL where he’ll resume playing a major role in the Americans’ playoff push.

03/25/23: Lukas Rousek’s first full professional season has been a strong one and he was rewarded for his efforts on Saturday as the Sabres announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled the forward from Rochester of the AHL.

The 23-year-old was a sixth-round pick by Buffalo back in 2019 and this is his first NHL promotion.  After an ACL injury cost him the bulk of last season, Rousek has been productive this year with the Americans, notching 15 goals and 33 assists in 61 games; his assist and point totals are good for second on the team in scoring.  If Rousek suits up for the Sabres, he’ll be the third player from their 2019 draft class to see NHL action.

Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News clarifies (Twitter link) that the move has been classified as an emergency recall.  Tage Thompson was injured last night while Jordan Greenway has missed the last week with an upper-body injury.  Meanwhile, Vinnie Hinostroza is away from the team for personal reasons so Buffalo certainly needed to bring a forward up.  Rousek will get that opportunity but as soon as one of those players is able to return, he’ll need to be sent back to the minors or have his recall converted to a regular one which would then count against the post-deadline limit of four.

New Jersey Devils Send Down Akira Schmid

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As Mackenzie Blackwood makes his way back into the lineup for the New Jersey Devils, the team had a difficult choice to make in the net. The team announced today that goaltender Akira Schmid will be sent down to their AHL affiliate Utica Comets. With nine games remaining in their regular season, the Comets are coming close to making the playoffs in the AHL’s North Division with a record of 31-23-6.

After a difficult start to his NHL career last season, Schmid has rebounded significantly this year. Playing on a top team in New Jersey, the goaltender has a record of 8-5-2, with a .918 SV% and a 2.24 GAA, including one shutout as well. Even the underlying numbers bode well for Schmid, with a Goals Against Percentage Minus of 86, and a High-Danger Scoring Chance Save Percentage of .855, Schmid has improved a considerable amount in his second year.

Drafted in the fifth round of the 2018 NHL Draft, Schmid will be able to log important minutes for a competitive team in Utica. As the Devils have now clinched a playoff spot, they will now have the luxury of all three top goalies on their depth chart playing important hockey into late April.

Vancouver Canucks Sign Max Sasson

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The Vancouver Canucks have announced this morning that they have agreed to terms on a 2-year, entry-level contract with forward Max Sasson. Sasson, who just finished his sophomore year at Western Michigan University, will be joining the team’s AHL affiliate Abbotsford Canucks for their playoff push. Sasson’s contract will begin next season, as he will finish out this year on an amateur tryout contract.

In his second season with the Broncos, Sasson scored 15 goals and 27 assists in 38 games played. Helping Western reach the NCAA DI Men’s Ice Hockey Tournament, the team lost in round one to Boston University, where Sasson was unable to put any points on the board.

The GM of the Canucks, Patrik Allvin, expressed his excitement about the deal, saying:

“He is coming off a very strong year with Western Michigan and has shown continual improvement in his game each of the last few seasons. We look forward to watching him develop at the professional level with our staff in Vancouver and Abbotsford.”

Montreal Canadiens Sign Sean Farrell

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After speculation yesterday that a deal would be coming soon, the Montreal Canadiens have made it official, announcing that they have signed forward Sean Farrell to a 3-year, entry-level contract. At this time, the financial details of the deal are unknown, but Farrell will be joining the team on their trip to play the Buffalo Sabres and Philadelphia Flyers.

A fourth-round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, Farrell easily transitioned from the USHL to the NCAA. After his draft year, Farrel scored 101 points in 53 games played for the USHL Chicago Steel. As he started his career at Harvard University for the 2021-22 season, Farrell once again scored over a point per game, putting up 28 points in 24 contests. This year, on a very good Harvard team, the young forward scored 20 goals and 33 assists in only 34 games played.

On March 24th, Harvard took on the Big Ten’s Ohio State University in the first round of the NCAA DI Men’s Ice Hockey Tournament, losing by a final score of 8-1. In the contest, Farrell was able to put up one point, assisting on the team’s lone goal for the night. Farrell will now join up with a struggling Canadiens team, likely playing in their final nine games of this season.

College Notes: Farrell, Boston University, Minnesota, Gibson

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John Buccigross of ESPN reports Sean Farrell is going to sign with the Montreal Canadiens in the next few days. The skilled left-winger was a fourth-round draft pick of the Canadiens in 2020, and could add some scoring punch to a struggling offence in the near future.

The 21 year old just wrapped up his second college season and it was an impressive showing. Though his Harvard squad bowed out rather meekly in a 8-1 drubbing at the hands of Ohio State, Farrell was phenomenal all season. He had an assist in that NCAA Regional Semi-Final, and it gave him 53 points in 34 games, a big improvement from his 28 points in 24 games in 2021-22.

Farrell is a smart player with incredible vision, who had 33 assists in 34 games this season. Add in his 20 goals and he has the second best points-per-game average in college hockey, trailing only Adam Fantilli of Michigan.

Though it is just his second actual college season, it counted as Farell’s junior campaign because the 2020-21 counted as his freshman season even though Harvard did not play due to Covid restrictions. So, Farrell could choose to return for one more season and then become a free agent in August of 2024, but it sounds like we will not get that far as Buccigross suggests the Canadiens could get his name on an entry-level contract soon.

  • Also in college hockey, Boston University punched its ticket to the Frozen Four national semi-final with a 2-1 win over Cornell. Wilmer Skoog scored his 16th goal of the season to give BU a second period lead and Ethan Phillips scored the game’s winning goal in the third period on his own rebound. Dalton Bancroft scored in the final minute for Cornell, but BU was able to hold them off and advance to the Frozen Four in Tampa Bay on April 6.
  • BU will face Minnesota who also advanced to the Frozen Four today. Minnesota was led by Logan Cooley, the Arizona Coyotes third overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, who had a goal and an assist in a 4-1 win over St. Cloud State. Jackson Lacombe, an Anaheim Ducks prospect also had a goal and an assist, as did undrafted Jaxon Nelson who sealed the game with an empty net goal.
  • Tarik El-Bashir of The Athletic reports one of Farrell’s teammates is close to signing as well. Goaltender Mitchell Gibson was drafted by the Washington Capitals in the fourth round of the 2018 NHL Draft and just saw his Harvard hockey career come to a close. The 23 year old’s final NCAA game was not flattering as he allowed seven goals before being pulled in that blowout loss, but he had a stellar college career. He finished this season with a 2.25 GAA and a .919 SV% in 27 games. He would add some youth to the Capitals goaltending pipeline as they have been relying on 27 year old goalies Zach Fucale and Hunter Shepard at the AHL level.

Pittsburgh Penguins Reassign Dustin Tokarski

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The Pittsburgh Penguins announced goaltender Dustin Tokarski has been reassigned to the Wilkes Barre/Scranton Penguins of the AHL. Tokarski had been called up on March 23 on an emergency basis to fill in as the team’s backup when Tristan Jarry missed a game with a lower-body injury.

Jarry was able to return, at least as the backup, for tonight’s game against the Washington Capitals, so Tokarski needed to be sent down. With Jarry back and Casey DeSmith healthy as well, the Penguins have two healthy goaltenders and are no longer eligible to keep Tokarski up on an emergency loan.

The 33 -year-old goaltender has split this season between the NHL and AHL, though he has spent most of the season in the minors. He has appeared in four NHL game for the Penguins, with a 3.44 GAA and a .897 SV%. Meanwhile, he has put up a 2.47 GAA and a .917 SV% in the AHL.

The most interesting note here is that Jarry is healthy enough to suit up. He has battled injuries on numerous occasions this season, and while he is not starting tonight, he would not be sitting on the bench if the team still had questions about his injury status. That is good news for the Penguins who are hanging on to the final widlcard spot in the Eastern Conference.

Chicago Blackhawks Send Down Anton Khudobin

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Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times reports the Chicago Blackhawks have sent down goaltender Anton Khudobin to the Rockford Ice Hogs of the AHL. Khudobin was called up last week with Blackhawks goaltender Petr Mrazek dealing with a groin injury, but Mrazek was full recovered today and took a spot as the team’s backup with Alex Stalock starting against the Minnesota Wild.

Khudobin becomes the odd man out once again and will head back to the minors where he has spent most of this season. The Russian goalie has played 23 AHL game, all with the Texas Stars, before a trade deadline deal sent him to the Blackhawks organization. His inclusion in the deal was mostly to make the financials work and keep the Dallas Stars under the salary cap when they acquired Max Domi for Khudobin and a second-round draft pick.

Khudobin suited up for one game with the Blackhawks, allowing six goals to the Washington Capitals, including a stickhandling gaffe by Khudobin that gave Conor Sheary an empty net to put the puck in.

While Khudobin helped the Stars reach the Stanley Cup Final in 2020, and signed a three-year contract with a $3.33MM cap hit that offseason, he has struggled in the past two seasons and only played ten NHL games in that time. He could very well be playing out his final pro season in North America after 16 seasons, including many as one of the most trusted backup goaltenders in the NHL.

West Notes: Kurashev, Kolesar, Johnsson, Knyzhov

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Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times reports that forward Reese Johnson will be replacing Philipp Kurashev in the lineup tonight. Johnson will suit up in his first game since the team’s February 19th win against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

In his report, Pope mentions that Kurashev may be headed toward concussion protocol, but are waiting until the team returns to Chicago to make a better determination. In 70 games played for the struggling Blackhawks so far this season, Kurashev has scored nine goals and 16 assists. Although these may seem like tepid numbers from a forward, he has passed his total production from last season, which must be a welcomed sign from the rebuilding Chicago team.

Other notes:

  • After being out since March 11th, the head of the Vegas Golden Knights, Bruce Cassidy, reports that Keegan Kolesar will be back in the lineup for tonight’s game. Although Kolesar does not usually generate a lot of offensive chances for the Golden Knights, the forward has thrown 240 hits so far this year, good for seventh overall throughout the entire league. As the Golden Knights are making their final push to return to the playoffs, Kolesar’s ability to throw the body is a valuable asset to employ come playoff time.
  • Since being acquired from the New Jersey Devils at the trade deadline, forward Andreas Johnsson has not been able to find his footing in the Bay Area just yet. Tallying just three assists in 13 games for the Sharks, Johnsson has been out since the team’s March 20th game with an injury. Sharks beat writer Curtis Pashelka passes on a note from head coach David Quinn that the new forward will likely be out for some time, with no update on when he will return to the lineup.
  • Continuing on with the Sharks, the team has announced that defenseman Nikolai Knyzhov has been sent down to their AHL affiliate San Jose Barracuda. Spending most of this year on the team’s long-term injured reserve, Knyzhov has suited up in nine games for San Jose, scoring only one goal from the back end.

 

Robert Mastrosimone Unlikely To Sign With Detroit

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Generating the production of an average forward for Boston University, forward Robert Mastrosimone turned things around upon joining the Arizona State Sun Devils. In his first career season at Arizona State, Mastrosimone scored over a point per game, putting up 42 points in 38 games. Unfortunately, for the third straight season, he was unable to help the Sun Devils reach the NCAA tournament.

Mastrosimone was drafted 54th overall in the 2019 NHL Draft by the Detroit Red Wings, hopefully, to become one of the better forwards on the next contending Red Wings’ team. However, Greg Powers, the head coach of Arizona State, relays that Mastrosimone may not be joining the Red Wings altogether.

“He’s playing the waiting game and seeing what’s going to be available as a free agent. There’s a lot of teams that are interested in him, but it doesn’t look like Detroit is going to happen. It’s just a waiting game, but he has the option to come back. It’s a good option and he’s open to it.”

If Detroit and Mastrosimone are unable to come to a contract resolution, the young prospect should nevertheless find his way onto an NHL team. Including his standalone year with Arizona State, Mastrosimone has played in 121 regular season games, scoring 32 goals and 60 assists. Mastrosimone will have one more season of eligibility due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and should he play out his final season with Arizona State, he will likely be joining a new organization around this time next year.

College Notes: Polin, Colangelo, Quillan

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One of the best goal scorers in the NCAA will have his pick of the litter when it comes to finding a home in the NHL. Western Michigan University captain Jason Polin, who scored 30 goals in 37 games for the Broncos this season, is fielding calls from teams in hopes of continuing his hockey career at the professional level.

Mark Divver, a contributor at the NHL, reports that the Boston Bruins will make a big run at the goal-scoring forward. Secondly, Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe also reports that GM Bill Guerin and the Minnesota Wild also have a ton of interest in the Western Michigan product as well. Divver mentions that Polin will be heavily swayed by which team will be able to get him into the lineup right away.

Both the Bruins and the Wild could certainly use a player of Polin’s caliber for the rest of the season and beyond. The Bruins, with eight players projected to become unrestricted free agents at the conclusion of the season, will need to get creative when it comes to building next year’s roster. The Wild, on the other hand, are still handicapped due to the buyout penalties given to them by Zach Parise and Ryan Suter, giving them an even larger need to maximize production from lower costs.

Other notes:

  • Since Anaheim Ducks’ prospect, Sam Colangelo has entered the transfer portal, Mark Divver reports that multiple teams from the Big Ten, NCHC, and Hockey East conferences have interest in the forward. Over the past three seasons at Northeastern University, Colangelo has played in 72 regular season games, scoring 21 goals and 33 assists. Drafted 36th overall in the 2020 NHL Draft, the young forward should find a promising situation for the conclusion of his collegiate career.
  • Lastly, Divver reports that Quinnipiac University forward Jacob Quillan will be attending the Winnipeg Jets’ training camp this summer. As the team prepares for its second-round matchup against the Big Ten’s Ohio State University, Quillan has impressed with 16 goals and 17 assists throughout 38 games this season. The sophomore is currently undrafted and unsigned by any organization within the NHL.

 

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