Minor Transactions: 12/12/23

It’s been a busy period around the world of professional hockey, both in the NHL and in Europe. In the NHL, teams continue to jockey for position in the standings while also assessing the state of their roster as we inch closer to true trade season.

Over in Europe, the ups and downs of the regular season have prompted significant movement. That movement applies to both players and also leadership figures, such as in the SHL where Rögle BK yesterday dismissed head coach Cam Abbott and sporting director Chris Abbott. The duo had been in charge of Rögle since the middle of 2017-18, and took the club on multiple playoff runs including one to the SHL final in 2020-21.

Moving back to player movement, we’ll keep track of notable player transactions here:

• 2014 Dallas Stars first-round pick Julius Honka was loaned from his Swiss National League club Genève-Servette HC to HC Ambrì-Piotta, in order to play for the club during the Spengler Cup tournament. He joins Swiss blueliner Benoit Jecker, who was loaned from HC Fribourg-Gottéron for the same purpose. Honka originally signed with SC Bern over the summer after a strong campaign in the SHL with Luleå, but eventually was loaned from Bern to Genève-Servette. Jecker, 29, has played in 30 games this year for Fribourg-Gottéron and scored six points.
• Another 2014 first-round draft pick joins a Swiss National League team, as two-time AHL All-Star forward John Quenneville has signed with HC Lugano on a one-year contract. The 27-year-old split last season between the SHL’s Leksands IF and AHL’s Belleville Senators, scoring 15 points in 25 games for the latter club. He does have some Swiss NL experience to boast, having spent 2021-22 with the ZSC Lions in a campaign where he potted 20 goals and 37 points in just 46 games.
• Former five-year college hockey defenseman Seamus Donohue has signed with the ICEHL’s Vienna Capitals, leaving the ECHL’s Idaho Steelheads in the process. Donohue replaces defenseman Stefan Warg on the Capitals’ roster, as the team amicably terminated its contractual relationship with the 33-year-old veteran and alternate captain. Warg had struggled in 11 games with the Capitals, and is now replaced by Donohue. The 27-year-old Minnesota native already has experience playing European pro hockey, as he spent 2022-23 with SaiPa in Liiga. It’s somewhat unconventional for a player to jump straight from college hockey into Liiga, but Donohue remained a regular member of SaiPa’s defensive group for the full season. His departure from Idaho is a major loss for the Steelheads, as he’s currently tied for the team lead in defensive scoring with 18 points in 22 games. That being said, the Steelheads are strongly positioned to absorb the loss as they are currently the top team in the ECHL with a 17-4-1 record.
• 22-year-old Eetu Randelin has had his trial contract with Liiga’s Tappara Tampere converted into a full one-year contract with the club. The rookie netminder has taken Tampere by storm, registering a .938 save percentage in eight games played. Originally slated to be the starter for IPK in second-tier Mestis, Randelin has now earned a full-time role with Tappara. He’ll likely get to back up starter Christian Heljanko moving forward.

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