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Archives for September 2024

Guillaume Brisebois, Jett Woo Clear Waivers

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9/27: The Canucks announced that both Brisebois and Woo cleared waivers and they will be assigned to AHL Abbotsford.

9/26: The Canucks placed defensemen Guillaume Brisebois and Jett Woo on waivers Thursday, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports. They’re the first training camp cuts from across the league this season who are not waiver-exempt.

Teams now have 24 hours to place claims for either player. If none are placed, both players can be assigned to the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks on Friday. Waiver priority is still decided by the reverse order of last season’s standings until Nov. 1.

Brisebois, 27, is entering his eighth professional season. All of them have come with the Canucks organization. A third-round pick in 2015, Brisebois was limited to just eight games last season with an upper-body injury that delayed his season debut until March. He posted zeros across the board in eight games with Abbotsford after clearing waivers.

The Quebec native has made 27 NHL appearances, a career-high 17 of which came in the 2022-23 campaign. He’s scored once and added two assists, posting a -7 rating and 38 blocks while averaging 14:15 per game.

A serviceable stay-at-home defender at the AHL level with good skating ability, Brisebois will almost certainly clear waivers and look to re-establish himself as a regular in Abbotsford. He’s made 249 career AHL appearances for Vancouver’s affiliates in Abbotsford and Utica, posting 60 points and a +31 rating. He’s in the second season of a two-year, $1.55MM extension he signed in 2023 that carries a one-way salary structure this year, so he’ll be well-compensated with a $775K salary even if he spends the entire year in the minors.

Woo, 24, lands on pre-season waivers for the second year in a row. The 2018 second-round pick was recalled on a few occasions last season for injury insurance but didn’t manage to get into a game. He’s still yet to make his NHL debut, playing all four of his professional seasons thus far entirely for Abbotsford or Utica. He’s logged 19 goals, 46 assists, 65 points, and a +18 rating in 200 games on the farm. He is coming off a career-high 31 points in 2023-24, so he may be a name to watch for a mid-season recall if injuries strike in Vancouver.

Flyers Sign Spencer Gill To Entry-Level Contract

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The Philadelphia Flyers announced they have signed defenseman Spencer Gill to a three-year entry-level contract. Gill played in the Flyers’ development, rookie, and main training camp this summer after being selected by the team with the 59th overall pick of the 2024 NHL Draft.

Gill only managed one preseason contest for the Flyers before being returned to his junior team, the QMJHL’s Rimouski Océanic a few days ago. He accrued the third-highest ice time for all Philadelphia defensemen in their game against the Washington Capitals and blocked two shots.

He’s a solid two-way defenseman combining physicality and puck mobility from the blue line. He finished last season with 12 goals and 46 points for the Océanic in 65 contests with another five assists in five playoff contests. The Flyers will be looking for Gill to expand his offensive output from the 2023-24 QMJHL season and become more mature after earning 62 PIMs.

There is a strong possibility Gill will join Canada’s U20 team for the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championships after playing for the country’s U18 team last year. He tallied two assists in seven tournament games, finishing with a -1 rating. Gill skated in nearly 19 minutes of the gold medal game despite staying off the score sheet as Canada defeated the United States to end the tournament.

Capitals Sign Eriks Mateiko To Entry-Level Contract

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A strong training camp by forward Eriks Mateiko has earned him an entry-level contract as announced by the Washington Capitals. The deal will carry an $889K cap over the three-year term, a signing bonus of $97.5K each year, a games played bonus of $102.5K in the first year, and a $77.5K bonus in years two and three (X Link).

Mateiko was drafted in the third round of the 2024 NHL Draft going to the Capitals with the 90th overall selection. He’s spent the last two years with the QMJHL’s Saint John Sea Dogs and he will suit up for them again in the 2024-25 season.

He’s a big forward standing at 6’5″ and carries all the usual tools of a power forward. He’s known for causing a lot of traffic in front of the net for the Sea Dogs and is coming off a season in which he scored 23 goals and 43 points in 49 games.

The Jelgava, Latvia native also suited up for his home country in the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championships scoring one goal over five tournament contests. He should still be a few years away from being a regular forward at the NHL level but Washington was impressed enough this preseason to make him a part of their future.

Atlantic Notes: Mermis, Toronto Injuries, Lundell

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Depth defenseman Dakota Mermis’ first few weeks with the Toronto Maple Leafs organization is not going as planned. The team announced Mermis had jaw surgery yesterday and would miss the next couple of weeks effectively ending his training camp and preseason.

Mermis was hoping to make Toronto’s opening night roster albeit as a depth defenseman after signing with the organization this summer on a one-year, $775K contract. The surgery will squash any hopes of Mermis making the Maple Leafs and he will instead likely start the season with the team’s AHL affiliate, the Toronto Marlies.

He will now join defenseman Philippe Myers as the two ’next-men-up’ in AHL Toronto should there be injuries at the NHL level. The Alton, IL native is coming off a season with the Minnesota Wild in which he scored three goals and eight points in 47 contests.

Other Atlantic notes:

  • The injuries don’t stop at Mermis for the Maple Leafs as the organization announced John Tavares, Calle Jarnkrok, and Alex Steeves are all considered day-to-day with lower-body injuries. None of the trio practiced with the team earlier this morning but there has been no indication whether they will suit up in tomorrow night’s preseason action against the Montreal Canadiens. Toronto will prioritize each player starting the regular season on time so they will continue to be careful with all three.
  • According to Colby Guy of The Associated Press, Florida Panthers forward Anton Lundell was back at practice today after missing yesterday’s due to a lower-body injury. Lundell was originally listed as day-to-day but there was no harm no foul as head coach Paul Maurice shared he wasn’t planning on Lundell playing against the Carolina Hurricanes tomorrow regardless.

Logan Stanley Out Four Weeks After Knee Surgery

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The Winnipeg Jets’ worst fears regarding their defensive core are coming to fruition.  There was some speculation yesterday that Logan Stanley may be out longer than day-to-day which is now confirmed to be accurate. Mike McIntyre of the Winnipeg Free Press reports Stanley will be out for the next four weeks due to knee surgery.

Stanley becomes the second Winnipeg defenseman to get surgery within the last week joining Ville Heinola who underwent surgery to remove an infection from his ankle. McIntyre gave a follow-up report indicating Stanley tweaked his meniscus during an off-ice warm-up routine.

The former-18th overall pick of the 2016 NHL Draft was hoping for a larger role with the Jets this year after being sparingly used over the last few seasons. He was often used as the team’s seventh defenseman since 2022 despite scoring one goal and 14 points in 58 games during the 2021-22 NHL season. Stanley has scored two goals and five points in 44 games from 2022 to 2024 while averaging 13:45 of ice time per night.

Standing at 6’7″ Stanley should be an effective shutdown defenseman carrying an uncommon reach with his stick. He’s managed a solid on-ice save percentage in all situations throughout his career at 91.7% but most of that can be attributed to his linemates and the goaltending behind him. He’s mustered a +17 rating over 139 regular season contests but Hockey Reference shows an E +/- of -5.7 indicating Stanley is not living up to his shutdown role when he is on the ice.

The injury news almost assures defensemen Dylan Coghlan and Haydn Fleury will make the Jets opening night roster out of training camp unless the team seeks help from outside the organization. Stanley should still be destined for a more regular role in Winnipeg this season upon his return as their defensive depth continues to be tested.

Bryan Little Announces Retirement

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Longtime center for the Atlanta Thrashers and Winnipeg Jets, Bryan Little, will retire on October 20th after signing a one-day contract with the Jets organization as the team announced. Little spent the first four years of his career with the Thrashers before spending the last nine in Winnipeg after the team relocated for the 2011-12 season.

Little was selected with the 12th overall pick of the 2006 NHL Draft by the Thrashers after a tremendous season with the OHL’s Barrie Colts. In his draft season and the year following, Little scored a whopping 83 goals and 216 points in 121 games and quickly became a top prospect for Atlanta. He finally debuted for the team in the 2007-08 season scoring six goals and 16 points in 48 games in his rookie campaign.

He quickly became the top center for the struggling Thrashers organization at a young age. He struggled to produce points similarly to his time in the OHL but Little still scored 62 goals and 133 points in 234 games to close out his tenure in Atlanta. The team failed to make the playoffs in each of Little’s four seasons despite making it the year before his debut and moved on from talented teammates Ilya Kovalchuk and Marian Hossa during his tenure.

Little became a stable presence for the new rendition of the Jets after the team struggled early on. The team failed to produce a winning record in its first three years back in Winnipeg, but Little stayed consistent with 54 goals and 142 points in 204 games while averaging a 49.0% success rate in the faceoff dot. The organization committed to Little down the middle with a five-year, $23.5MM contract in 2013.

The Jets became much more competitive starting in the 2014-15 season making the playoffs four out of Little’s last six seasons with the organization including a trip to the Western Conference Finals in 2018. He maintained his scoring pace down the stretch with 93 goals and 225 points in 350 games with another four goals and 12 points in 27 postseason contests. During this window, the organization signed Little to his second long-term deal by inking a six-year, $31.75MM contract.

Unfortunately Little would not see the end of this contract with the Jets organization. He sustained a concussion in a preseason game before the 2019-20 season but started the season on time. On November 5th against the New Jersey Devils, Little took a shot to his ear and missed the remainder of the season. He received surgery in February to repair a perforated eardrum but he had already played his last NHL contest.

Winnipeg finally traded Little’s contract to the Arizona Coyotes in 2022 after keeping him on LTIR for some time. The Coyotes continued to hold Little on LTIR as it became apparent he wouldn’t be able to suit up in the NHL again. Little’s contract finally ran its course this offseason technically making him a free agent for the first time.

Little will now retire with the only organization he has ever known. His 13-year career will end with 217 goals and 521 points in 843 contests between the Thrashers and Jets’ organizations. In a statement, Little said, “It’s a great honour that I can retire as a member of the Winnipeg Jets and end my playing career with the organization where I was drafted and played my entire NHL career. I had the privilege to play in Winnipeg and in front of the amazing fans for nine seasons, so I’m grateful for the opportunity to thank the Jets, their fans and the city of Winnipeg. It will truly be a full circle moment for my family and I to celebrate my retirement in the building where I have so many special memories“.

Richard Pánik Signs In Slovakia

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For the first time since his teenage years, former NHL winger Richard Pánik will play in his native Slovakia. Slovak Extraliga club HC Slovan Bratislava announced Friday that they’ve signed the 33-year-old to a contract through the league’s international break in November.

Pánik hasn’t played in the NHL since the 2021-22 campaign, when he had just one assist in four appearances for the Islanders. The four-time 10-goal scorer spent most of that season in the minors, his first AHL action in six years, before the Isles loaned him to Switzerland’s Lausanne HC for the final year of his contract in 2022-23.

A free agent last offseason, Pánik didn’t have mutual interest in an NHL return and opted to stay in Europe, signing a one-year deal with HC Oceláři Třinec in the neighboring Czech Extraliga. He seemed to rediscover his game there, posting 14 goals and 24 points in 36 games. He was traded to HC Dynamo Pardubice mid-season, finishing the campaign with six goals and 10 points in 15 games.

It took until after European regular seasons began for Pánik to find his next home, but he’ll return now to his home country’s capital. His 521 games of NHL experience will be the only ones on Bratislava’s roster this year.

Pánik was a second-round pick of the Lightning back in 2009. With an NHL return unlikely, he played in parts of 10 seasons for Tampa Bay, Chicago, Arizona, Washington, Toronto, and Detroit in addition to his short final stint with the Islanders. A strong-bodied winger, he managed 88 goals and 107 assists for 195 points with a +8 rating, often playing a top-nine role.

Training Camp Cuts: 9/27/24

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As we finish out the first week of the preseason schedule, teams are beginning to get more aggressive with their training camp cuts. We’ll see more on Friday after seven teams trimmed their rosters on Thursday. With most junior-eligible players returned to their CHL clubs, we should see more AHL assignments and waiver placements in the coming days. As always, we’ll update this article with all of today’s cuts.

Last updated 4:49 p.m.

Anaheim Ducks (per team announcement)

F Carey Terrance (assigned to OHL Erie)

Calgary Flames (per team announcement)

F Alex Gallant (to AHL Calgary)
F Trevor Janicke (to AHL Calgary)
F Rory Kerins (to AHL Calgary)
G Connor Murphy (to AHL Calgary)
F Ilya Nikolayev (to AHL Calgary)
D Zayne Parekh (assigned to OHL Saginaw)
G Matt Radomsky (to AHL Calgary)
F David Silye (to AHL Calgary)

Columbus Blue Jackets (per team announcement)

F Jake Gaudet (to AHL Cleveland)
F Stefan Matteau (to AHL Cleveland)
F Justin Pearson (to AHL Cleveland)
D Stanislav Svozil (loaned to AHL Cleveland)

Florida Panthers (per team announcement)

G Kenneth Appleby (released from PTO to AHL Charlotte)
G Evan Cormier (released from PTO to AHL Charlotte)

New York Rangers (per team announcement)

G Talyn Boyko (to AHL Hartford)

Ottawa Senators (per team announcement)

F Wyatt Bongiovanni (to AHL Belleville)
F Tyler Boucher (to AHL Belleville)
F Xavier Bourgault (to AHL Belleville)
F Jake Chiasson (to AHL Belleville)
F Angus Crookshank (to AHL Belleville)
F Phillippe Daoust (to AHL Belleville)
D Jorian Donovan (to AHL Belleville)
F Stephen Halliday (to AHL Belleville)
D Tomas Hamara (to AHL Belleville)
F Oskar Pettersson (to AHL Belleville)
G Michael Simpson (to AHL Belleville)
D Djibril Toure (to AHL Belleville)
F Keean Washkurak (released from PTO to AHL Belleville)

Philadelphia Flyers (per team announcement)

F Jon-Randall Avon (to AHL Lehigh Valley)
F Elliot Desnoyers (to AHL Lehigh Valley)
F Brendan Furry (to AHL Lehigh Valley)
F Jacob Gaucher (to AHL Lehigh Valley)
F Massimo Rizzo (to AHL Lehigh Valley)

Pittsburgh Penguins (per team announcement)

D Nikolai Knyzhov (released from PTO)

San Jose Sharks (per a team announcement)

D Artem Guryev (to AHL San Jose)
D Braden Haché (to AHL San Jose)
D Valtteri Pulli (to AHL San Jose)
D Joey Keane (to AHL San Jose)
F Mitchell Russell (to AHL San Jose)
F Lucas Vanroboys (to AHL San Jose)
F Anthony Vincent (to AHL San Jose)

Seattle Kraken (per a team announcement)

F Jagger Firkus (to AHL Coachella Valley)
F David Goyette (to AHL Coachella Valley)
G Jack LaFontaine (to AHL Coachella Valley)
F Ian McKinnon (to AHL Coachella Valley)
F Logan Morrison (to AHL Coachella Valley)
D Ty Nelson (to AHL Coachella Valley)
G Victor Ostman (to AHL Coachella Valley)
F Tucker Robertson (to AHL Coachella Valley)

Utah Hockey Club (per a team announcement)

D Tomas Lavoie (assigned to QMJHL Cape Breton)
F Gabe Smith (assigned to QMJHL Moncton)
D Veeti Vaisanen (assigned to WHL Medicine Hat)

East Notes: Michkov, Marchand, Sillinger, Giles

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If preseason is any indication, there won’t be many growing pains for Flyers prospect Matvei Michkov as he adjusts to playing in North America. The 2023 seventh overall pick put his stamp all over the Flyers’ first home win of the exhibition schedule last night, recording a secondary assist and scoring an empty-net insurance marker in a 2-0 victory over the Islanders, quite literally making all the game’s offense go through him one way or another.

“He’s been working really hard,” assistant coach Rocky Thompson said Thursday (via The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz). “You can tell within our practices and with our skating, he’s made a diligent effort. So, that’s good. He’s backchecking hard, he’s doing all those things. But, you can see his ability to make plays. He generated opportunities for his teammates, he scores himself tonight with a goal and an assist. Played good.”

Many worries about how Michkov might adjust to the NHL centered around a potentially rocky relationship with bench boss John Tortorellaregarding his all-around play. But he’s been complimentary of Michkov’s effort and willingness to go into one-on-one puck battles, calling him “certainly willing to be in the areas to go get the puck.”

More from the Eastern Conference:

  • If Bruins captain Brad Marchand has his way, Morgan Geekie will open the season on his right flank in second-line duties. “I love playing with Geeks,” Marchand told Fluto Shinzawa of The Athletic. “He’s so great in some of the different areas, the way he can hold onto pucks and makes plays. Shoots it. Great in the corners. I think he really complements our line as well. We haven’t had a ton of reps together, so we’ll continue to work on it. But I’ve always really liked his game.” His assessment about not having a ton of reps together is correct – Geekie logged just 25 minutes of ice time last season with Marchand and Charlie Coyle, per MoneyPuck. The 26-year-old is on the upswing after a career-high 17 goals and 39 points for Boston last year but faces competition from 2021 first-round pick Fabian Lysell, whose preseason showing Marchand called “encouraging” but added there’s room for improvement.
  • The Blue Jackets might have a second Sillinger on their opening-night roster. 27-year-old Owen Sillinger, Cole Sillinger’s older brother, is among the leading candidates to snag a spot with Justin Danforth potentially not ready to start the season while recovering from wrist surgery, writes The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline. Sillinger spent the last two seasons with the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters on minor-league deals and finished third on the team in scoring last season with 40 points (11 G, 29 A) in 69 games. That showing earned him a promotion to a two-way deal with Columbus this summer. He could briefly factor into a bottom-six role before likely landing on waivers when Danforth is ready to return.
  • Panthers prospect Patrick Giles finds himself in a similarly unexpected situation. The 24-year-old has been getting reps on Florida’s fourth line over the past couple days with Tomáš Nosek set to miss a few weeks and has a shot to open the campaign in the NHL, David Dwork of The Hockey News relays. An undrafted free agent signing out of Boston College in 2022, Giles stands at 6’4″ and 203 lbs and posted a career-high 13 goals and 23 points in 63 games last season for AHL Charlotte.

Snapshots: Nylander, Dell, Sourdif, Primeau

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Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander left tonight’s game against the Montreal Canadiens about mid-way through the first period and will not return according to a team announcement. The team said that the move was precautionary so there does not appear to be any long-term doubt about Nylander’s status for the rest of the preseason.

The incident in question happened just before eight minutes into the first period. The Maple Leafs were transitioning into the Canadiens’ zone and teammate Nicholas Robertson appeared to push Nylander down with his stick forcing Nylander into a Montreal defenseman’s leg head-first.

Nylander is entering the first year of an eight-year, $92MM extension signed with Toronto earlier this year. He’s expecting again to be an integral part of the Maple Leafs offense after scoring 40 goals and 98 points in 80 games during the 2023-24 NHL season. There haven’t been any further updates this evening but the organization should announce his long-term availability in the upcoming days.

Other snapshots:

  • Goaltender Aaron Dell is headed back to the San Jose Sharks organization only a few days after being released from his professional tryout agreement. The AHL affiliate of the Sharks, the San Jose Barracuda, announced they signed Dell to an AHL contract for the upcoming season. It will be the second time in three years that Dell has suited up for the Barracuda producing a 15-17-4 record in 38 games played for the team in the 2022-23 AHL season with a .898 save percentage.
  • According to Alex Baumgartner of Five Reasons Sports, Florida Panthers prospect Justin Sourdif will be out for the next couple of weeks with an upper-body injury. Despite making his NHL debut last year, Sourdif had an outside chance of cracking the opening night roster for the defending Stanley Cup champions. The team will hope for a bit more production at the NHL level before he becomes a full-time player with Sourdif scoring 12 goals and 38 points in 58 games last season for the Charlotte Checkers.
  • Tony Androckitis of Inside AHL Hockey reports the AHL affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, are signing forward Mason Primeau on a one-year AHL contract. Primeau has spent the last four years split between the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights and the ECHL’s Savannah Ghost Pirates producing tepid results. He already has a strong connection to the Flyers organization with his uncle, Keith Primeau, who played in Philadelphia from 1999 to 2006.

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