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Archives for March 2023

Minor Transactions: 03/20/23

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It’s been a busy day across the hockey world, with multiple top European professional leagues in the thick of their playoffs. In Sweden, Djurgardens IF took a step towards promotion back to the SHL with a 4-1 victory over BIK Karlskoga, while both Skelleftea and Vaxjo completed dominant wins in their own playoff contests. In Finland, eight teams did battle in playoff matchups with highlights including a 1-0 overtime victory for HIFK Helsinki thanks to a goal from former Edmonton Oiler Iiro Pakarinen. As hockey fans across the globe enjoy all the action from Europe to the NHL, teams are still making adjustments to their rosters. We’ll keep track of those transactions here.

  • Montreal Canadiens prospect Alexander Gordin had his contract terminated by his KHL club, HK Sochi. The 2020 sixth-round pick spent most of the season at the second-tier VHL level, scoring eight goals and 12 points for HK Rostov. He notched two points in six KHL games for Sochi, although he didn’t see a whole lot of ice time, including one game where he played just 25 seconds. The Canadiens have the exclusive rights to sign Gordin indefinitely, and although there is no word on whether he’s planning on heading to North America, this contract termination does give him options for where to continue his development.
  • Five-year NCAA veteran Michael Underwood, 24, signed a PTO agreement with the AHL’s Colorado Eagles today. Underwood spent this season with Michigan State University in the Big 10, scoring five points in 38 games. The six-foot-one stay-at-home defenseman won the ECAC with Clarkson University in 2018-19, and will get his first taste of pro action with the Eagles, who are currently trying to lock up a Calder Cup playoff spot.
  • The ECHL’s Florida Everblades signed Chayse Primeau, who is the son of former NHLer Keith Primeau and the brother of Montreal Canadiens AHL netminder Cayden Primeau. The 25-year-old has spent the past five seasons with playing college hockey, spending four years with the University of Nebraska-Omaha before transferring to Notre Dame for his final year. He has amassed 95 points in 154 career games, and was named an NCHC Second-Team All-Star in his senior season at Nebraska. He’ll now join the Everblades, who are right in the thick of a competitive race for the ECHL’s South Division title.
  • After four seasons as a regular contributor at the SHL level for Vaxjo, netminder Viktor Andren struggled after signing a two-year deal with Brynas IF. He was eventually loaned down a level, to HockeyAllsvenskan, and has spent most of his time there over the past few seasons, save for brief cameos with the top division. This season, though, Andren has thoroughly impressed, posting a 2.04 goals-against-average and .921 save percentage for Almtuna IS. While he was unable to earn his club promotion to the SHL, his strong performance could pave his way back to Sweden’s top league. SportExpressen’s Johan Svensson reports that Andren has decided to play for Djurgardens next season. As previously mentioned, Djurgardens is currently in the race to be promoted back to the SHL, and should they make it there Andren would see time in their crease, potentially in a tandem arrangement with Vegas Golden Knights prospect Carl Lindblom.
  • HockeyAllsvenskan’s IF Bjorkloven has signed two key players to contract extensions: 2018 Buffalo Sabres fourth-round pick Linus Cronholm, and two-time Champions Hockey League winner Mattias Norstebo. Both blueliners have played regular minutes for Bjorkloven and are currently attempting to defeat Vasteras IK in the chase for promotion to the SHL. The Sabres let Cronholm’s rights expire this past summer, choosing not to sign him to an entry-level contract, but he nonetheless seems to be fashioning himself a solid pro career in Sweden.
  • Patrick Obrist is extending his playing relationship with Swiss club EHC Kloten for a ninth season. The 30-year-old Austrian was on hand when the team suffered relegation from Switzerland’s top league in 2017-18, and helped lead them to promotion last season. This season, he scored five goals and nine points in 47 games and helped Kloten avoid relegation.
  • After spending the last year with the Atlanta Gladiators of the ECHL, forward Tyler Kobryn has been released, according to the ECHL’s official transactions wire. The 26-year-old has scored 26 points in 120 career ECHL games, including six goals and nine points in 39 games this season. The former NCAA Division III forward’s release could be motivated in part by the recent signing of college free agent Mitch Walinski, who has scored three points in his first five games in the ECHL.
  • The ECHL’s Wichita Thunder have released forward Brett Van Os, a player they acquired in a January trade from the Norfolk Admirals. The former Western Michigan University forward scored 12 points in 25 games for Wichita, but may be ceding his spot on the team to recent signing Jason Pineo and trade acquisition Brett Boeing.

NCAA Notes: Farrell, Coronato, Transfer Portal

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While the emergence of Montreal Canadiens 2022 second-round pick Lane Hutson has attracted a significant amount of attention in the Montreal market (no doubt helped by the fact that it was his overtime goal that won Boston University the Hockey East title), 2020 fourth-round pick Sean Farrell has had an incredible season in his own right. The Harvard forward was recently named the ECAC’s player of the year after scoring 52 points in 33 games, and this comes after he scored six points in four games representing the United States at last year’s Winter Olympics. This has led to many wondering if the NHL could be just around the corner for Farrell, or if he would choose to play until graduation and potentially test the open market once his rights expire.

Based on recent reporting, it seems Canadiens fans may not have much to worry about. The Athletic’s Marc Antoine Godin and Arpon Basu reported in a recent column (subscription link) that Farrell’s advisors at CAA have assured them that the scenario of Farrell graduating and testing free agency is “not one worth mentioning” because Farrell “has every intention of signing with the Canadiens.” This means that should Harvard be upset in their first-round matchup against Ohio State on Friday, “Farrell could be available as early as this Saturday,” and his signing would certainly add some excitement to what has been a rollercoaster Canadiens season.

Some other notes from college hockey:

  • Farrell’s teammate Matt Coronato, a 2021 lottery pick, is also a highly-regarded prospect who could be nearing an NHL debut. Sportsnet’s Eric Francis reports that Flames general manager Brad Treliving is traveling to Bridgeport, Connecticut, to Harvard’s aforementioned game against Ohio State with the goal of getting Coronato “signed and into an NHL game” whenever his season ends. Coronato just completed a second-straight point-per-game season, and is widely regarded to be the Flames’ best skater prospect.
  • New England Hockey Journal’s Mark Divver has reported that three NHL prospects are hitting the transfer portal, meaning they are exploring the possibility of transferring to another NCAA program. The first is Los Angeles Kings prospect Jack Hughes, a 2022 second-round pick who scored 16 points in 32 games for Northeastern. The next is Detroit Red Wings 2021 fourth-rounder Redmond Savage, who scored 14 points in 32 games for Miami University (Ohio) and made the United States World Juniors team the past two tournaments. The final player is Anaheim Ducks prospect Sam Colangelo, the 36th overall pick at the 2020 draft. Colangelo’s production declined from last season when he scored nearly at a point-per-game rate, and he could be looking for a fresh start for his age-22 campaign.

Seattle Kraken Sign Ville Ottavainen

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7:17 PM: The Kraken have now officially announced Ottavainen’s signing.

5:22 PM: According to CapFriendly, the Seattle Kraken have signed 2021 99th-overall pick Ville Ottavainen to a three-year entry-level deal set to begin next season. The contract reportedly carries a $876k cap hit with up to $57.5k in yearly performance bonuses. The contract also allocates Ottavainen minor-league salaries of $80k in the first year of the deal and $75k in the following two seasons.

Ottavainen had spent much of his younger days developing as a member of Karpat’s youth system, before choosing to spend his draft season in the OHL with the Kitchener Rangers. Scoring just 15 points in 53 games, the OHL wasn’t the best fit for Ottavainen’s development and he ultimately went undrafted in his first year of eligibility at the 2020 draft.

As an August birthdate, though, there was always the possibility that Ottavainen was simply somewhat of a late bloomer, and upon his return to Finland with JYP he began to take some steps forward.

He was chosen in his second go-around at the draft, landing inside the 2021 class’ top-100 selections, in large part thanks to his big six-foot-five frame and the fact that he got into games with JYP at the Liiga level, a major step up from Kitchener.

Ottavainen established himself as a regular for JYP last season, and scored 14 points in 44 games, averaging just under 16 minutes of ice time per game. This season, he played in he scored 16 points in 51 games and averaged a similar amount of minutes per game.

Now that Ottavainen has more thoroughly filled out his big frame, he’s become a viable two-way defenseman in Liiga with some physicality to boot. While Ottavainen’s presence hasn’t stopped JYP from struggling considerably as a whole over the past few years, he has made himself into a legitimate NHL prospect for the Kraken.

Armed with this entry-level deal, Ottavainen could be in the mix to play for head coach Dan Bylsma’s AHL juggernaut Coachella Valley Firebirds and would give Kraken fans a big, interesting six-foot-five right-shot blueliner to pay attention to.

Injury Updates: Golden Knights Goalies, Makar, Aho

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While the Vegas Golden Knights have maintained their place in contention for the Pacific Division title this season, it hasn’t been an easy road for them, especially in the crease. Injuries to the team’s stable of goaltenders (starting way back over the summer when Robin Lehner underwent hip surgery) forced them to acquire the legendary Jonathan Quick from the Columbus Blue Jackets and has also forced Jiri Patera, who spent time in the ECHL last season, to make two starts. Thankfully for Vegas, though, it seems there could be a light at the end of the tunnel when it comes to the health of their goaltenders.

As relayed by Ben Gotz of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Golden Knights head coach Bruce Cassidy has revealed that all three of Quick,  Logan Thompson, and Laurent Brossoit are traveling with the team on their three-game road trip. As a result of that trio nearing a return to the ice, the team sent Patera back to their AHL affiliate, the Henderson Silver Knights. The return of Thompson in particular would come as a major boost to Vegas, as he had been the team’s number-one goalie before going down with an injury. He has posted a .914 save percentage in 36 games, and should he hit the ground running upon his return to the ice is in pole position to be the team’s playoff starter.

  • While he remains a player widely considered the best defenseman in the NHL, injuries have proved to be a roadblock for the Colorado Avalanche’s Cale Makar, and have caused him to fall behind in the Norris Trophy race when compared to players such as the San Jose Sharks’ Erik Karlsson. While he has thankfully seemed to put the concussion issues that sidelined him earlier this year behind him, there’s a new injury for him to deal with. Per the Denver Post’s Bennett Durando, Makar is out day-to-day with a lower-body injury. Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar said that the injury is “nothing too serious,” and that he is being held out for tonight’s game against the Chicago Blackhawks as a precautionary measure. Makar has scored 61 points in 55 games this season and leads all NHLers in time-on-ice per game, averaging 26:36 TOI per game.
  • New York Islanders defenseman Sebastian Aho left last night’s New York Islanders game with an injury, prompting the team to recall defenseman Samuel Bolduc to fill Aho’s spot in the lineup. Newsday’s Andrew Gross has more details on Aho’s injury, reporting that the Swede is out day-to-day with an upper-body injury. This season has been a breakout one of sorts for Aho, who has flown past his career-high in games played with 66 so far and seen his average time-on-ice tick upwards. He has scored 21 points this season and will hope to return to the lineup quickly to help New York clinch a return to the playoffs.

Columbus Blue Jackets Sign Hunter McKown

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The Columbus Blue Jackets have moved to bolster their prospect pool, signing college free agent center Hunter McKown to a three-year, entry-level contract, per the team. Financial terms are undisclosed.

McKown will report directly to the Blue Jackets later this week, the team said. The news comes after reports this morning suggested the Chicago Blackhawks had an interest in acquiring McKown’s services.

General manager Jarmo Kekalainen had the following statement on McKown’s signing:

We are very excited to welcome Hunter to the Blue Jackets family. He is a big, skilled center who is a powerful skater and possesses an elite shot, and we believe he has a chance to be a very productive player as he continues to develop. He was a highly sought after college free agent and we are thrilled to have him join our club and embark on his professional career with the Blue Jackets.

McKown, 20, was a breakout player for Colorado College the last two seasons, scoring 21 goals and seven assists in 38 games during his junior year. He also led the entire NCAA in power-play goals with 14.

Given his defensive prowess and good size, McKown projects as a capable bottom-six center who could potentially slot into a role similar to the injured Sean Kuraly as the season winds down. His booming shot made him an appealing signing for many teams, and McKown will join a young, rising team in Columbus, where he could get plenty of opportunity next season with the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters.

Born in San Jose, California, McKown was passed over in the 2020 NHL Draft. Across his three-year career at Colorado College, McKown totaled 36 goals and 19 assists in 96 games.

Injury Notes: Canadiens, Greenway, Johnson

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The Montreal Canadiens have been absolutely ravaged by injuries yet again this season, missing key players for long stretches. While they have no playoff aspirations at this point in the season, there is still some promising news for the team health-wise. The Athletic’s Marc Antoine Godin reports that forwards Kirby Dach, Jake Evans, and Brendan Gallagher were all at practice today, albeit in non-contact jerseys.

All three have missed significant stretches of time this season, especially Gallagher, who’s played just 25 games with intermittent lower-body injuries. His latest absence has kept him out since January 3 and is past his original estimated return timeline of six weeks. Evans exited the lineup a few weeks later and was issued a 10-week recovery timeline from a knee injury. Dach has been out since the end of last month with a lower-body injury and has no timeline for a return.

All are important players to Montreal in their own right, but Dach has especially been impressive in his first season in Montreal. The third overall pick in 2019 has taken a significant step in his offensive development since being acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks, adding an even brighter star to an already bright future for the Canadiens.

  • Buffalo Sabres winger Jordan Greenway is out day-to-day with an upper-body injury, according to Bleacher Report contributor Joe Yerdon, adding to a bumpy season for him. The 26-year-old has just one goal in eight games since the Sabres acquired him at the trade deadline, and the team is quickly plummeting out of the Wild Card race.
  • On a positive note, The Denver Post’s Bennett Durando reports that Colorado Avalanche defenseman Erik Johnson practiced in a regular jersey today, signaling he’s close to a return. Johnson has missed over a month with a foot injury but could draw back into the lineup soon ahead of the playoffs. The 34-year-old has seven assists in 51 games this season.

Leafs Notes: Brodie, Samsonov, Acciari

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A common theme of the Toronto Maple Leafs season has been injuries to defensemen, and unfortunately, this week has brought more of the same. Head coach Sheldon Keefe told reporters today that T.J. Brodie is day-to-day after blocking a shot against the Ottawa Senators last Saturday, calling him questionable for tomorrow’s game against the New York Islanders.

If there’s one position where Toronto is built to withstand injuries, though, it’s defense. A flurry of deadline adds and already formidable depth has left the Leafs with a bevy of NHL-capable options to step in, and it’s likely that Mark Giordano will return to the lineup in Brodie’s place. It’s not a small absence for the Leafs, though, as Brodie ranks second among Leafs defenders this season in ice time per game.

  • Netminder Ilya Samsonov told reporters today that he’s been playing with a minor injury for the past number of games. The Hockey News’ David Alter reports that it dates back to a win late last month against the Seattle Kraken. It hasn’t seemed to impact Samsonov’s play that much, and although he’s only made four appearances since then, he’s maintained a 2-1-1 record and .914 save percentage since, in line with his season average.
  • Trade deadline acquisition Noel Acciari gave reporters an update on his condition, saying he’s feeling good and ready to play tomorrow after missing Saturday’s game for precautionary reasons. Acciari played just 5:36 in last Friday’s game against Carolina before a collision with Jesse Puljujarvi that involved a head impact sidelined him for the rest of the game. Since joining the Leafs, Acciari has three goals in 13 games and is averaging 12:51 per game.

 

Snapshots: Tychonick, Ruotsalainen, Brink

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An interesting signing took place this morning, permitted only by a technicality. Ottawa Senators 2018 second-round pick Jonny Tychonick signed a two-year AHL contract with the Toronto Marlies, beginning this season, according to the team.

While he’s signing with a team in the Maple Leafs organization, his NHL rights are still held by Ottawa, albeit for what will likely be a short period of time. Tychonick’s exclusive signing rights will expire on August 15, 2023, standard procedure for collegiate players who have exhausted their college eligibility and have not yet signed an NHL contract.

The move signals it’s unlikely Tychonick will sign an NHL deal with Ottawa by that time. After a pair of disappointing seasons at the University of North Dakota, Tychonick transferred to the University of Nebraska-Omaha in 2020, where he finally saw an offensive breakout this season as a fifth-year player, recording eight goals and 18 assists in 35 games.

More from around the hockey world this morning:

  • Forward Arttu Ruotsalainen’s time with EHC Kloten of the Swiss National League has ended, according to a team announcement. Ruotsalainen, 25, did not accept his qualifying offer from the Buffalo Sabres last offseason, instead opting for more opportunity in Europe, where he scored 42 points in 52 games with Kloten. If a return to the NHL is in the cards for Ruotsalainen this summer, it will be with Buffalo barring a trade, as the Sabres still hold the undrafted forward’s NHL rights.
  • Sam Carchidi of Philly Hockey Now says the Philadelphia Flyers are expected to give winger Bobby Brink an NHL look soon. After an offseason hip injury cost him the beginning of the 2022-23 season, the 21-year-old Brink has 19 points in 31 games with the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms. The 34th overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft also had four assists in 10 games with the Flyers last year, his first stint in the NHL.

Seattle Kraken Recall Joey Daccord Under Emergency Conditions

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The Seattle Kraken have called up netminder Joey Daccord from the minors under emergency conditions, the team announced Monday midday.

Daccord presumably comes up to the Kraken roster to relieve Philipp Grubauer, who left the Kraken’s Saturday loss to the Edmonton Oilers with an undisclosed illness. Grubauer allowed three goals on 10 shots before leaving the game early in the second period.

With Seattle in a battle for playoff positioning, don’t expect Daccord to see much action during his third recall of the season. Considering that Grubauer’s absence appears to be a short one, Martin Jones should see all of the starts until Grubauer is ready to return.

That’s unless Jones falters mightily, which isn’t out of the picture. He’s made just three appearances in the month of March, recording a .807 save percentage and two losses. However, Daccord has only gotten into game action once for the Kraken this year, saving 36 out of 40 shots in a 5-4 win against the Calgary Flames back on November 1, 2022. It will likely take some serious missteps for the more experienced Jones to sit for Daccord at such a critical point in the season.

With that being said, Daccord’s numbers in the AHL have been strong for a second consecutive season. In 34 appearances with the Coachella Valley Firebirds, the 26-year-old Daccord has a 2.43 goals-against average, a .915 save percentage, three shutouts, and a 24-6-3 record.

New York Islanders Recall Samuel Bolduc

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The New York Islanders have announced a couple of roster moves ahead of tomorrow night’s matchup against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Islanders announced that defenseman Samuel Bolduc has been recalled from Bridgeport and in a subsequent move Otto Koivula has been sent back to Bridgeport on loan.

Bolduc was the Islanders 2019 second round pick and was an AHL all-star this season with 35 points in 56 games. He’s dressed in six games with the Islanders notching a single goal while averaging over 15 minutes of ice time per game. Bolduc will likely replace Sebastian Aho after Aho was injured in Saturday’s 4-1 win over San Jose with an apparent upper body injury.

Bolduc has had quite the bounce back after struggling through most of last season. In 57 games last year he managed only 7 points and looked lost at times. Now a year later the Laval native has found his game and will get another opportunity at the NHL level.

For Otto Koivula he once again finds himself shuttled back to Bridgeport in what is now his fifth season in the AHL. Koivula managed two assists in eight games while with the big club which brings his NHL point total to four assists in 26 career NHL games. Koivula has been a dependable scorer in the AHL in previous seasons but has struggled this year with just 25 points in 45 AHL games. Koivula still hasn’t been able to use his 6’5” frame to turn into the power forward the Islanders hoped he would become when they drafted him in the fourth round of the 2016 NHL entry draft. At 24 years of age time could be running out for the young Finn to establish himself as an everyday NHL forward.

The Islanders currently sit in the first wild card spot in the Eastern Conference two points up on the Pittsburgh Penguins and three points up on the Florida Panthers, although both teams have games in hand on the Islanders. They are still without the services of Mathew Barzal who has been out of their lineup for over a month with a lower body injury. This has further depleted the offense for a team that already struggled to score goals this season. With very little margin for error, Bolduc will likely be expected to come into the Islanders lineup to provide them with sound defensive hockey.

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