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Blackhawks Officially Hire Michael Peca, Retain Anders Sorensen And Jimmy Waite

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New Chicago Blackhawks head coach Jeff Blashill had his introductory press conference early on Tuesday. During interviews, he shared with media that the Blackhawks will retain Anders Sorensen as an assistant coach and Jimmy Waite as a goalie coach, per Charlie Roumeliotis of WGN Radio. Blashill also shared that Chicago has hired former NHL forward Michael Peca as an assistant coach. The team later confirmed Sorensen and Peca’s roles in a press release.

This news most notably captures the next step in Peca’s growing coaching career. The 51-year-old spent nine of his 14 pro seasons in New York – captaining the Buffalo Sabres for four seasons and New York Islanders for two. He returned to the Empire State after retiring from the NHL, and took up the mantle as the general manager and head coach of the Buffalo Jr. Sabres in 2011-12. Peca stayed in that role for eight years before deciding to return to the pros in the 2020-21 season. His first step was a Development Coach role with the Washington Capitals, but Peca moved to an assistant role with the AHL’s Rochester Americans in 2021-22. He spent two years with Rochester, then stepped up to an assistant role with the New York Rangers over the last two seasons. Now, Peca will take his coaching talents away from the East coast for the first time in his career by joining a budding coaching staff in Chicago.

Peca will join like company in Anders Sorensen, who spent the better part of a decade coaching dominant rosters around Chicago youth hockey. Sorensen intercut those AAA-coaching roles with four years as an assistant coach in the HockeyAllsvenskan, Sweden’s second-tier pro league, and joined the Blackhawks’ staff as a Development Coach in the 2014-15 season. He stuck in the role for four seasons before stepping up to an assistant role with the Rockford IceHogs in 2018-19. Sorensen was promoted to the head coach role two seasons later, then earned another promotion to the NHL head coaching role last year. He led the Blackhawks to a 17-30-9 record – but showed enough strength to earn an assistant coach role with Team Sweden at this year’s World Championship, and retain an assistant role in Chicago.

Through the mix of two assistant coaching hires, fans shouldn’t forget about the continued impact of former Blackhawks goaltender Jimmy Waite – who will retain his role through a third coaching change. Waite just wrapped up his 10th season as Chicago’s goaltending coach. His tenure started off with star Corey Crawford, and will continue a decade later with budding star Spencer Knight. Waite was originally drafted eighth-overall in the 1987 NHL Draft. He played in 106 games and 11 seasons in the NHL, and recorded a career-long .871 save percentage and 28-41-12 record. He also spent 233 games and eight seasons in the IHL, where he set a .909 save percentage. Waite will be in welcome company serving under Blashill – a former NCAA Division-1 goaltender who started his career as a goalie coach.

Hurricanes Sign Nikita Quapp To Entry-Level Contract

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The Carolina Hurricanes have signed German goaltender Nikita Quapp to a two-year, entry-level contract. Carolina originally drafted Quapp in the sixth-round of the 2021 NHL Draft. He was the 17th goaltender off the board that year, and becomes the 12th to sign his entry-level contract with this move.

Quapp was drafted just a few months after making his debut in the DEL – Germany’s top pro league. He recorded a .871 save percentage and 2-6-0 record in his first 11 professional games – but regained some ground with an .888 Sv% in two games at the 2021 World Junior Championship. He spent an entire season in the DEL following his draft selection, and was able to inch his stat-line up to a .875 Sv% and 3-6-0 record. Quapp also returned for the 2022 World Juniors, and managed an impressive .893 Sv% despite facing a daunting 75 shots in losses to Team USA and Team Sweden.

Quapp’s difficult pro role was lightened a bit when he was assigned to the DEL-2 in the 2022-23 season. He performed far better in the minor-pro league, recording a .917 Sv% and 6-6-0 record in 12 games played. Quapp also earned the starting role outright at the 2023 World Juniors, and managed an impressive .901 Sv% and 1-3-0 record while averaging 30 shots against per game. He continued to grow with a .920 Sv% and 11-14-0 record in 26 DEL-2 games last season – but returned to Earth with an .870 Sv% and no wins in nine DEL games this year.

The story of Quapp’s journey through Germany’s ranks takes its twists and turns – but his career-long .919 Sv% in 38 DEL-2 games is the third-highest from a goaltender before their 21st birthday. The 6-foot-4, 200-pound netminder plays with impressive athleticism and sharp awareness of loose pucks, but could struggle to adjust to the full speed of North American pros right away. He’ll enter the Hurricanes organization blazing down a long road to the AHL starter’s crease, and could find a boost of upside if and when he earns the role.

Kraken Sign Tyson Jugnauth To Entry-Level Contract

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The Seattle Kraken have signed 2022 fourth-round pick Tyson Jugnauth to a three-year, entry-level contract. Jugnauth recently concluded his second season with the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks. He was expected to move to Michigan State University this summer, but will instead turn pro in the Kraken organization with this deal.

Jugnauth took home the BCHL’s ’Top Defender’ award in his draft year of 2021-22, after posting 41 assists and 50 points in 52 games with the West Kelowna Warriors. He showed plenty of talent as a 200-foot playmaker, and carried his talents to the University of Wisconsin following his #100th-overall selection in the draft. The Badgers awarded Jugnauth with third-pairing minutes as a freshman and the dwindle in role seemed to impact him. He recorded a measly 15 points and minus-20 through 32 games. Those underclass struggles continued through 13 games of his sophomore season, marked by just two points in his first 13 games. That decrease sparked Jugnauth to make a rare mid-season move from college to the WHL.

That decision paid off almost instantly – as Jugnauth quickly rediscovered his two-way impact and won out a premier lineup role in the return to juniors. He recorded 41 points and a plus-40 through 41 games of his first WHL season, while backing lineup stars like Nate Danielson and Luca Cagnoni. Jugnauth took on a heap of responsibility when both players opted to turn pro last summer – and he matched the bill well. He scored 13 goals and 89 points in 65 games this season, good for second on Portland in scoring and enough to earn Jugnauth the WHL’s ’Defenseman of the Year’ award.

Jugnauth will now try to use the momentum of an award-winning year to ramp his jump to the pro flight. He’s a nimble, speedy, and deceptive defender with the awareness to make smart plays on both sides of the puck. But a 5-foot-11, 170-pound frame could be a bit frail for the AHL – and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Jugnauth take a bit before he’s fully adjusted to pros. Current NCAA bylaws would restrict his ability to continue on to college this summer – though his eligibility will be worth monitoring as the NHL continues to flesh out a budding relationship between the CHL and college hockey.

Atlantic Notes: Peterka, Woodcroft, Panthers

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In his new trade board entering the offseason, Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff opines that Buffalo Sabres forward JJ Peterka is the top trade target. Peterka tied for second in scoring among Sabres players this season and will become a restricted free agent on July 1st.

Seravalli writes that several teams put together offers at the trade deadline for Peterka, but Buffalo General Manager Kevyn Adams had no interest in trading him. Despite Seravalli’s claim that a ’change of scenery’ is in order, it’s difficult to imagine the Sabres moving on from one of their top forwards this summer.

Still, Peterka has come into his own over the last two years, scoring 55 goals and 118 points in 159 games, with 93 of those points coming at even strength. It is reasonable to assume that Buffalo would receive a generous offer for Peterka, but he seems like a player the team should want to keep around for the long term. According to PuckPedia, the Sabres will have more than $23MM entering the offseason, giving them plenty of flexibility to seek a long-term contract with Peterka.

Other notes from the Atlantic Division:

  • Despite Washington Capitals assistant coach Mitch Love and Ontario Reign head coach Marco Sturm being labelled as the finalists for the Boston Bruins head coaching vacancy, Jimmy Murphy of RG has heard otherwise. Murphy posited that the Bruins have already begun ’talking money’ with coaching candidate Jay Woodcroft, but admits that Love and Sturm are still in the mix. There have not been other specific indications that the Bruins are negotiating a deal with Woodcroft, as the situation regarding the Bruins’ head coaching remains very uncertain.
  • In a humorous and candid quote, Florida Panthers head coach Paul Maurice describes the contrast between his team’s behaviour on the ice and off the ice. Giving most of the credit to captain Aleksander Barkov, Michael Russo of The Athletic writes about the Panthers’ tenacity, and sometimes dirty play during games, and their stout humility and respect in between puck drops. Recognizing this, Russo quoted Maurice, saying, “Have you ever shotgunned a beer? Have you ever been to church? Would you shotgun a beer in church? That doesn’t make you a hypocrite. There’s a context and a place for all things.“

Oilers Notes: Bowman, Ekholm, Hyman

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In an interview with Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, Edmonton Oilers General Manager Stan Bowman, spoke highly of the Oilers’ two defensive additions throughout the regular season, John Klingberg and Jake Walman. Bowman had always believed that the Oilers’ defense was the most glaring issue, saying, “That was something that struck me early in the season.”

The relationship between the Oilers and Klingberg began in November. Bowman articulated that Edmonton needed a capable puck-moving defenseman to play behind Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, and that was the reason the team went after Klingberg. Bowman said, “We started talking to him in November, knowing he wouldn’t be back (from injury) for a while. But that was the style of player that I thought would really complement our group. Of course, you think of the defensive side, but I thought we defended well as a team.”

That was largely the same reasoning he used for pursuing Walman at the trade deadline. LeBrun quoted Bowman saying, “Walman is along the same lines, because I believed in the group we had on the defensive side. I felt if we could add to it, this was sort of the look that I was hoping would come to be.” The two have been instrumental in the Oilers’ run to the Western Conference Finals, combining for seven points in 27 games with a +19 rating, averaging more than 19 minutes of ice time per game.

More notes from the Oilers:

  • Staying on Edmonton’s blue line, Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic recognized the strong play of defenseman Troy Stecher and the harsh reality eventually coming his way. In five games this postseason, Stecher has averaged an exceptional 100.0% on-ice save percentage at even strength, allowing Edmonton to play him without hesitation. Unfortunately, given the other pieces on the blue, Stecher will be the one removed from the blue line once Mattias Ekholm returns. Still, thanks to his play over the last several games, the Oilers won’t hesitate to put him back in the lineup should there be another defensive injury.
  • As noted in a new article from Mike Zeisberger of NHL.com, one player who’s stepped up his game in the postseason after a difficult regular season is Zach Hyman. In the article, which our readers are encouraged to read in its entirety, he blamed concussion issues and the fact that he wasn’t considered for Team Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off as the reason he scored half as many goals as he did during the 2023-24 campaign. Still, he’s been phenomenal in the postseason, scoring five goals and 11 points in 14 games with 109 hits.

Lukas Rousek Signs Two-Year Deal With HV71

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May 27: HV71 finalized Rousek’s signing today, per a team release. It’s a two-year contract.

May 24: Sabres center Lukas Rousek’s season was extended by at least one more game following AHL Rochester’s victory on Friday in Laval but it appears his time in North America will soon be coming to an end.  Expressen’s Johan Svensson reports (subscription link) that Rousek will be joining HV71 of the SHL next season.

The 25-year-old was a sixth-round pick by Buffalo back in 2019, going 160th overall.  After spending the following two years in the Czech Extraliga, Rousek came to North America and has spent the last four seasons in Buffalo’s system, primarily at the AHL level.

This season, Rousek played in all 72 games with AHL Rochester, notching seven goals and 35 assists, seeing his per-game numbers dip for the second straight year.  He has been more productive in the playoffs though, collecting two goals and six helpers through six games thus far.

Rousek didn’t see any NHL action this season but does have 17 games at the top level with the Sabres during his time with them.  In those outings, he has a goal and three assists in 10:42 of ice time per game.  Between his age and lack of experience in the NHL, Rousek qualifies for Group Six unrestricted free agency this summer.

Instead of looking to try his hand in another organization to see if he could land a little higher on the depth chart to get another NHL chance, Rousek instead will try his hand with HV71 where he should have a chance to play a prominent role and a good showing with them could boost his stock in North America should he decide to give playing there another push.

Flyers Retain Ian Laperriere As Hockey Operations Advisor

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The Flyers announced today that Ian Laperriere will rejoin the organization as an advisor to the club’s hockey operations department.

For the last four seasons, Laperriere, 51, had served as the head coach of Philadelphia’s AHL affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. NHL.com’s Bill Meltzer reported last week that he wouldn’t be back in the role next season, although at the time it seemed he would look elsewhere for coaching roles with an easier pathway to an NHL job.

That changed over the weekend when Anthony Di Marco of The Fourth Period said Laperriere would remain with the Flyers in an off-ice capacity. The Montreal native previously served in Philly’s front office as their director of player development in the 2012-13 and 2013-14 seasons before transitioning to coaching roles for the next decade.

Regardless, Laperriere extends his stay in the organization he’s called home since signing his last contract as a player with the Flyers in 2009. He retired in 2012 after spending his final two seasons under contract on long-term injured reserve due to lingering concussion symptoms and immediately transitioned into a front office role.

The Flyers have yet to name a replacement for Laperriere as Lehigh Valley’s head coach, but they said in today’s release that one will begin immediately.

“I want to thank Ian for his tireless work in Lehigh Valley for the last four seasons,” said general manager Daniel Brière. “He not only led the Phantoms in a return to the playoffs, but provided crucial development to several of our prospects. I am excited to welcome him back to the Flyers so he can continue to provide his insight in helping our team as we enter the next phase of the rebuild.”

Devils Hire Brad Shaw As Assistant Coach

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May 27: The Devils confirmed Shaw’s hiring this morning. He’ll join the club officially on July 1 after his contract with the Flyers expires.

May 21: The Devils are expected to hire former Flyers associate/interim head coach Brad Shaw in some capacity, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports. He’ll likely serve as Sheldon Keefe’s top assistant instead of landing any of the four remaining head coach vacancies around the league.

Shaw, 61, nearly had his interim tag removed after taking over for John Tortorella in the final weeks of the regular season but fell to second in the pecking order when former Canucks bench boss Rick Tocchet became available. The possibility of Shaw remaining on Tocchet’s staff remained open for a couple of days after the latter signed a five-year contract, but the club confirmed last week that he wasn’t going to return.

Long regarded as one of the better defensive-minded coaches in the league, he’ll now head to a New Jersey club that already fared well in that department at even strength last season. In the Devils’ first year under Keefe, they ranked highly in limiting shot attempts against (7th), expected goals against (6th) and scoring chances against (9th). New Jersey also had the league’s second-best penalty kill in the regular season at 82.7%. Less impressive was their ability to limit high-danger chances, ranking 13th in the league at 5-on-5 in HDCA – one spot below Shaw’s Flyers.

That will likely be Shaw’s main area of focus in the Garden State, along with helping youngsters like Seamus Casey, Luke Hughes, and Simon Nemec emerge with more well-rounded skillsets defensively. But with few on-ice personnel changes expected and another strong season from starting goaltender Jacob Markström, Shaw’s addition to the ranks should only boost New Jersey’s already well-tuned team defense that had the club rank fifth in the league with 2.68 goals against per game in 2024-25.

It won’t be Shaw’s first time coaching in the New York metro area. He spent one year on the Islanders’ bench as an assistant and even took over as their interim head coach when the club fired Steve Stirling midway through the 2005-06 campaign.

Tomas Tatar Signs Two-Year Deal With Switzerland’s EV Zug

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After 14 years, Tomas Tatar’s NHL career has likely drawn to a close. The pending unrestricted free agent winger has signed a two-year contract with EV Zug of the Swiss National League, the club announced.

Once a consistent 20-goal scorer and one of the game’s better defensive forwards, the Slovakia native’s game declined sharply two years ago. After posting 20 goals, 48 points, and a career-high +41 rating in 82 games for New Jersey in 2022-23, he mustered just 24 points in 70 games split between the Avalanche and Kraken the following year before returning to New Jersey on a one-year, $1.8MM contract last summer.

The return to the Garden State didn’t work out nearly as well as either side would have hoped for. He was limited to a 7-10–17 scoring line in 74 appearances, a career-low 0.23 points per game pace over a full season, and averaged just 11:06 per game. He was a healthy scratch at times throughout the campaign before going pointless with a plus-one rating in the Devils’ first-round elimination at the hands of the Hurricanes.

Tatar’s jump to Europe doesn’t come out of nowhere. There were rumors of him potentially heading overseas in the summer of 2023 when he had trouble finding a fit in free agency. He eventually signed a contract with Colorado just before training camp. This year, Zug made their interest in Tatar clear even before the regular season ended and said he was atop their list of offseason targets.

Zug, which has been more of a middle-of-the-pack club in the NL since winning back-to-back titles in 2021 and 2022, gets their man. While the 34-year-old has exclusively played on the wing since making his NHL debut for the Red Wings back in 2010, he’ll shift to center as he takes his career to Europe, Zug GM Reto Klay said in the team’s announcement of his signing.

Detroit picked up Tatar with the penultimate pick of the second round in the 2009 draft. Among the class, he ranks 13th in games played (927), 11th in goals (227), 14th in assists (269), 15th in points (496), and 12th with a career +43 rating. He’ll easily jump 40 or so spots in any redraft.

As such, teams looking for experienced wing depth on the open market this summer will need to scratch Tatar’s name off their list. Zug’s press release made no mention of an NHL out-clause next summer if the first year of his deal goes quite well, so all indications are he’ll remain in Switzerland through the 2026-27 campaign.

Connor Brown Out For Game 4, Calvin Pickard Questionable

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The Edmonton Oilers are confirmed to be without one forward as they look to take a commanding lead in the Western Conference Final in Game 4. According to TSN’s Ryan Rishaug, head coach Kris Knoblauch shared that Connor Brown won’t be in the lineup tomorrow, but netminder Calvin Pickard may return in a backup role.

Brown left the Oilers’ Game 3 victory on Saturday after being hit by Dallas Stars defenseman Alexander Petrovic in the second period. Edmonton listed Brown as having an upper-body injury, but it was clear from the hit that the injury could be isolated to the head. The 10-year veteran had been enjoying the best playoff run of his career, scoring five goals and eight points through the Oilers’ first 14 games of the postseason.

Luckily, Edmonton has a few effective options to replace Brown in the lineup. One of Viktor Arvidsson or Jeff Skinner could get the call, with the former being the likeliest option. Arvidsson has already appeared in nine games for the Oilers this postseason, scoring one goal and four points while averaging 11:06 of ice time per night.

Meanwhile, Pickard could get his first opportunity since Game 2 of Edmonton’s Round Two matchup against the Vegas Golden Knights. Although he wasn’t great, Pickard was exactly what the Oilers needed when starting netminder Stuart Skinner began to falter, managing a 6-0-0 record in seven games with a .888 SV%.

Still, it’s unlikely the Oilers will need Pickard to hurry back from injury if Skinner’s recent play continues. He’s been exceptional since reprising his role as the team’s starter in Game 3 against the Golden Knights, posting a 4-2-0 record in six games with a .936 SV%, including three shutouts.

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