Sharks Place Vincent Iorio On Waivers
The San Jose Sharks have placed defenseman Vincent Iorio on waivers per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. If he clears, Iorio will become eligible for assignment to the AHL, after spending the last six games as a healthy scratch. San Jose claimed Iorio off of waivers from the Washington Capitals in the second week of the NHL season. The Sharks wielded one of the top claim spots in the league at the time and will now face the risk of allowing the rest of the league a chance at claiming the young, two-way defender.
Iorio has had an up-and-down year since joining the Sharks’ depth chart. He has appeared in 21 NHL games – more than the nine games he combined for over the last two seasons – but only has three points and a minus-four to show for it. He’s failed to find a true groove near the bottom of a beat-up blue-line, but showed his prowess on a brief AHL conditioning stint earlier this season. Iorio was loaned to the minors for six games in November, after recovering from an injury that held him out of the first week of the month. He scored in five of those games, ultimately totaling seven assists and a plus-seven on the assignment.
Those numbers haven’t translated to the top flight yet, though Iorio did have a string of strong appearances at the turn of the new year. An assignment to the minors will allow the 23 year old to get back into a productive groove. It will also give the Sharks a bit more freedom to ice bruising veteran Vincent Desharnais, who has played in five of the six games that Iorio has been scratched. Desharnais has three points and 38 penalty minutes in 25 games this season.
Blackhawks Recall Sam Rinzel
The Chicago Blackhawks have made a move to fortify their blue-line. Top prospect Sam Rinzel has been recalled to the NHL, putting him on the Blackhawks roster for the first time in 2026. This move comes amid a quiet spell for fellow top youngster Artyom Levshunov, who was on the ice for five goals against in Thursday’s loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Attention will hone in on which young defender Chicago decides to roll out with three games left on their schedule before the Olympic break. Levshunov has struggled through much of January. In 15 games since the new year, he has been on the ice for 16 goals-against, while only posting three points of his own. The only Blackhawk to see more goals is Levshunov’s defense partner, Wyatt Kaiser, who has been on the ice for 17 goals-against.
Levshunov has recorded 21 points and a minus-27 in 52 games on the year. His scoring is up, but his plus-minus is down, from the six points and minus-13 that Levshunov recorded in 18 games last season. Even with the pit he’s in, Levshunov has still averaged 19 minutes of ice time each game, emphasizing that Chicago hasn’t lost faith in their former second-overall talent.
With this move, Chicago will open the door to potentially resting Levshunov for the short-term, while giving Rinzel another chance to stamp his spot in the NHL lineup. The Blackhawks assigned Rinzel to the AHL after he scored just eight points in 28 games to start the season. His first stint in the minors got off to a roaring start – with Rinzel scoring seven points in his first four AHL games – but it has quieted down as of late. Rinzel has scored only three points in his last 15 games, bringing his totals with the Rockford IceHogs up to 10 points and a minus-10 in 19 games. It’s another cold spell that Chicago is hoping to snap with this roster move. Rinzel scored five points in the first nine games of his NHL career at the end of the 2024-25 season. He has shown strong sparks that could help lift Chicago out of their recent four-game losing streak.
Golden Knights Recall Dylan Coghlan, Jonas Rondbjerg
The Vegas Golden Knights have brought two players up to the NHL club with four games remaining before the Winter Olympics break. Forward Jonas Rondbjerg and defenseman Dylan Coghlan have both been recalled, while forward Tanner Laczynski has been reassigned.
Coghlan was assigned to the AHL just hours before the Henderson Silver Knights’ Wednesday game. The defenseman went on to score both goals in the team’s 2-1 overtime win. He has alternated between the NHL and AHL lineups over his last four games, after earning his first call-up of the season earlier this month. He ranks third on the Silver Knights’ blue-line in scoring with 18 points in 30 games. Coghlan hasn’t scored yet in two NHL games this season. The pair of games were his first with Vegas since the 2021-22 season, when he scored 13 points in 59 games with the Golden Knights. Coghlan spent the last three seasons with the Carolina Hurricanes and Winnipeg Jets, where he combined for three points in 24 NHL games.
Rondbjerg has also rotated between lineups throughout the season. He ranks second on Henderson in scoring with 12 goals and 23 points in 36 games. He has also scored one assist in two NHL games this season. Rondbjerg has served as one of Vegas’ go-to call-ups for the last five seasons. He has notched 11 points and eight penalty minutes in 78 NHL games in that span, to go with 142 points and 54 PIMs in 269 AHL games.
Coghlan and Rondbjerg will bring some assured depth to the Golden Knights’ roster in their last slate before an extended break. Vegas is currently facing injuries to William Karlsson, Brett Howden, Brandon Saad, and Colton Sissons – leaving notable holes in the forward group. That should be enough to earn Rondbjerg a fourth-line role in place of Laczynski, while Coghlan will likely serve as the team’s extra defenseman. Meanwhile, Henderson will welcome the return of top-scorer Laczynski, who has 35 points in 32 AHL games this season.
Transaction Notes: Chrona, Makiniemi, Senyshyn
Nashville Predators AHL goalie Magnus Chrona will head overseas to the SHL next season, according to a report from Aftonbladet’s Simon Eld. Per the report, Chrona has signed a contract with Swedish club Brynäs, and will join the team starting in the 2026-27. The 25-year-old is currently playing out a one-year, two-way contract with Nashville, and is set to become a Group VI unrestricted free agent unless he plays in 19 NHL games this season. Getting into that many NHL games at this point appears to be almost impossible for Chrona, as veteran Matt Murray appears to be clearly ahead of him in terms of who would receive a recall to Nashville in the event of an injury to Juuse Saros or Justus Annunen.
An NCAA national champion and former NCHC Goalie of the Year, Chrona has had an up-and-down pro career to this point. He was forced into some difficult on-ice situations in his rookie season as a member of the Sharks, and was dealt to Nashville in the summer of 2024 as part of the trade that sent Yaroslav Askarov to San Jose. He’s been the No. 2 goalie for the AHL Milwaukee Admirals since the deal, playing behind Murray. He posted a .903 save percentage in 30 games last season, and has duplicated that mark in 13 AHL games this season. Looking ahead to next season, one wonders if either goalie playing for the Predators’ ECHL affiliate, the Atlanta Gladiators, might get a shot to earn a regular role in Milwaukee. 2019 fifth-rounder Ethan Haider has a .926 save percentage in 16 ECHL games this season, and won his lone AHL start of the year. 23-year-old T.J. Semptimphelter, a former Hobey Baker nominee, has a .942 save percentage through the first 18 games of his ECHL career. Both players are playing out one-year contracts this season.
Other notable recent transactions from around the hockey world:
- Another former Sharks netminder signed a contract this week, with Finland’s Eetu Makiniemi signing a one-year contract extension with his current club, Liiga’s TPS Turku. Makiniemi played in two NHL games for the Sharks in 2022-23 before playing through the 2024-25 season at the AHL level. He elected to leave the AHL after playing just five games for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms last season, and has been solid for TPS. Playing in a tandem with 20-year-old Noa Vali, Makiniemi has a .903 save percentage in 22 games. He’s been the more reliable netminder in the tandem for TPS this season, as Vali has an .887 save percentage through 20 games this year.
- 2015 Boston Bruins first-round pick Zachary Senyshyn has agreed to a contract termination with his DEL club, the Schwenninger Wild Wings. Senyshyn was in the middle of a third consecutive DEL campaign with the club, where he has been a reliable top-six goal scorer. Senyshyn, who has over 300 games of AHL experience, left North America at the end of 2022-23 to sign in the DEL, and he has helped the Wild Wings reach at least the playoff qualifiers in both of his prior seasons in Germany. He’ll now look to continue his career elsewhere, and there is no word at this point as to where he might end up signing. He had 10 goals and 15 points in 31 DEL games this season.
Minnesota Wild Open To Trading Jesper Wallstedt
The Minnesota Wild “would be open to dealing” top young netminder Jesper Wallstedt “if the right deal comes along,” The Athletic’s Michael Russo reported today. On Sportsnet’s 32 Thoughts podcast today, Elliotte Friedman echoed Russo’s report, adding that Wild GM Bill Guerin may have already attempted to deal Wallstedt as part of his longstanding efforts to acquire a top-six center.
As part of Russo’s report, he indicated that “the right deal” to include Wallstedt, from the Wild’s perspective, would be one that brings a pivot capable of filling the No. 1 center role to Minnesota. The Wild are, according to Russo, “aggressively looking” to add a top-six center to their lineup. 
That isn’t exactly fresh news, nor is it something that would come as any real surprise to anyone who takes a look at the Wild’s current depth chart at the position. But what is new are these concrete reports that the Wild are willing to include Wallstedt in a deal that fills their longstanding need.
On one hand, the Wild’s reported willingness to deal Wallstedt is somewhat surprising. That’s largely because of how excellent he’s been this season, which has supercharged his stock league wide. Wallstedt has a .914 save percentage through 21 games this season, and while he’s slowed down a little bit, he earned some votes in NHL.com’s midseason poll of Vezina Trophy candidates.
This breakout season has been a long time coming for Wallstedt, who has long been considered one of the game’s best prospects at the position. The 2021 first-round pick had a tough 2024-25 campaign, but impressed in his first two seasons in the AHL, posting .908 and .910 save percentages in 2022-23 and 2023-24, respectively. Under contract through next year at a $2.2MM cap hit, Wallstedt looks to be an emerging starting goalie, and one that could provide a significant amount of surplus value if given the right workload.
But what makes Wallstedt’s name surfacing in trade rumors less of a surprise is the wider situation Minnesota finds itself in at the goalie position. While Wallstedt could indeed provide a considerable amount of surplus value due to his $2.2MM cap hit, Minnesota isn’t positioned to truly take advantage of that. Wallstedt currently operates in a tandem with 27-year-old Filip Gustavsson, who has been one of the league’s better goalies since arriving in the Twin Cities. He has a .908 save percentage in 33 games this season, and is likely to be Minnesota’s go-to option in the playoffs, even if Wallstedt isn’t dealt.
Not only is Gustavsson Minnesota’s No. 1 netminder at this moment, his contract positions him to occupy that role for the foreseeable future, without much room for that to change. The $6.8MM AAV contract extension Gustavsson signed in October 2025 carries a full no-move clause for the first two years of its duration, before morphing into a 15-team no-trade clause. That NMC means the Wild are essentially locked into keeping Gustavsson as their starter for the next few years, a reality that makes trading Wallstedt all the more logical.
Wallstedt has long been projected to eventually become an impactful NHL goalie; As a result, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Gustavsson’s agent, Kurt Overhardt, negotiated the NMC into the first two years of Gustavsson’s deal with an eye towards warding against the possibility that his client could be dealt in order to pave the way for Wallstedt to take the reins as an undisputed No. 1 goalie in Minnesota.
Considering all of those factors, it becomes clear why the Wild are considering dealing Wallstedt, even though they likely know they’d be trading away a player who could be one of the league’s top goalies through the 2030s. The logic behind trading Wallstedt becomes even clearer when one considers how singularly focused the Wild are on maximizing their window to win as long as Quinn Hughes remains a Wild player.
Hughes’ contract is set to expire at the end of the 2026-27 season, and he has not given Minnesota any assurances that he’ll extend his deal and remain there. Consequently, it is in Minnesota’s best interests to not only maximize their chances of winning for the two playoff runs they have Hughes under team control for, but also to try to win as much as possible with Hughes in order to help convince him to sign an extension to remain in Minnesota.
Hughes had to play through some lean years as a member of the Vancouver Canucks, something he acknowledged weighed on him considerably. It’s likely, therefore, that whether or not a team is positioned to legitimately compete for a Stanley Cup will hold a great degree of influence over their odds of signing Hughes. And with Kirill Kaprizov now 28 years old, it’s clear the Wild’s competitive aspirations lie in players more around Gustavsson’s age (late twenties) than Wallstedt’s (early-to-mid twenties.)
As for who the Wild might target in any Wallstedt deal, that becomes more difficult to ascertain. The team is reportedly very interested in New York Rangers pivot Vincent Trocheck. But it’d be surprising to see New York trade Trocheck for a goalie seeing as the team already has star Igor Shesterkin locked into their starting role for the rest of the decade and beyond.
A hypothetical three-team trade could land Trocheck in Minnesota and send Wallstedt to a goalie-needy team, with that third team sending skater prospects to New York. But including a third team is a major hurdle to clear, and one that makes it so Minnesota is likely to need to leverage other assets if they want to acquire Trocheck.
Considering teams that might covet Wallstedt, or at least have a more pressing need in net, a few other potential candidates emerge. On the most recent trade board made by The Athletic’s Chris Johnston, there were five centers listed that most would reasonably consider to be of the top-six caliber Guerin is seeking: Nazem Kadri, Elias Pettersson, Robert Thomas, Ryan O’Reilly, and Trocheck.
Unfortunately for the Wild, nobody in that group appears to be a real candidate to be traded in a deal involving Wallstedt. The Calgary Flames and Nashville Predators (employers of Kadri and O’Reilly, respectively) each have goalies (Dustin Wolf for Calgary, Juuse Saros for Nashville) whose presence would likely limit their interest in Wallstedt. The goalie situation of the Vancouver Canucks and St. Louis Blues are more up in the air, but Minnesota may not want to take on Pettersson’s hefty $11.6MM cap hit, and the Blues are unlikely to have much interest in dealing their No. 1 center to a divisional rival.
Among teams who would stand to benefit most from adding Wallstedt, the New Jersey Devils are a clear candidate. While backup Jake Allen has performed admirably, starter Jacob Markstrom has endured a brutal campaign. Adding Wallstedt might stabilize the Devils at a position that has caused them so much trouble in recent years, but it’s not a clean fit. Markstrom signed a two-year, $6.5MM extension in October, and has a full NMC through the end of the season. Allen has a full NTC through 2026-27, and is under contract (at an affordable $1.8MM AAV) through 2029-30. Fitting Wallstedt into that picture might not be realistic.
The Ottawa Senators have a clear need in net, but trading away a key center such as Shane Pinto or Dylan Cozens may be a less optimal route for the team to improve than simply attempting to get incumbent starter Linus Ullmark‘s game back on track.
The Montreal Canadiens have a clear immediate need in net due to the struggles of Sam Montembeault and Jakub Dobes, but the looming presence of top prospect Jacob Fowler could scuttle the possibility of a deal. While Montreal would certainly benefit from adding Wallstedt, trading away the kind of center Minnesota would demand in return (such as promising rookie Oliver Kapanen) might not be in the team’s best interests with Fowler so close to being NHL-ready.
This is all to say that as things currently stand, Wallstedt is one of the most interesting trade candidates heading into this year’s deadline. They have many different factors to contend with when deciding not only whether or not to trade him, but also what kind of deal to construct if he’s indeed traded. The numerous different considerations the club will need to navigate are fascinating, and make Wallstedt a clear player to watch moving forward.
Photos courtesy of John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
St. Louis Blues Reassign Otto Stenberg
The St. Louis Blues have reassigned forward Otto Stenberg to their AHL affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds, according to a team announcement.
Stenberg’s reassignment clears an open spot on St. Louis’ 23-man roster, one that could soon be claimed by winger Dylan Holloway. The 24-year-old is currently on IR with an ankle injury, but skated this morning. That could be a sign that his return is imminent. Holloway, who is an arbitration-eligible pending RFA, scored 63 points in 77 games last season and has 17 points in 34 contests this season.
Holloway’s impending return spells the end of Stenberg’s lengthy first recall to the NHL level. Originally recalled on Dec. 15, Stenberg ended up skating in a total of 18 contests for the Blues. He averaged 14:00 time on ice per game, earning an increased level of trust as his recall progressed. Last week was a significant one for Stenberg, as he earned considerable time on both special teams units in the final few games of his recall.
Being sent down at this point paves the way for Stenberg to be eligible to play in the AHL during the Olympic break. That’s likely the best move for his development, as he still has room to produce more consistently at that level. He began the season with just eight points in 21 games in Springfield, and figures to be a key player for the Blues’ affiliate for as long as he remains in the AHL.
Stenberg is widely considered to be one of St. Louis’ better prospects, earning a preseason rank of No. 5 in the team’s prospect pool by The Athletic’s Corey Pronman and No. 8 by Elite Prospects. Both project Stenberg as a future middle-six NHLer. Finding a way to score more consistently at the AHL would go a long way towards helping Stenberg maintain that projection moving forward.
Chicago Blackhawks Reassign Nick Lardis
The Chicago Blackhawks announced today that forward Nick Lardis has been reassigned to the club’s AHL affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs.
While Lardis has performed admirably in his first two months as an NHL player, he finds himself returning to the AHL as a result of the wider numbers game that gets played when planning an NHL roster.
Lardis, 20, has been able to maintain his spot on Chicago’s NHL roster, in part, because of how many injuries the Blackhawks were facing up front. But with veteran Teuvo Teravainen set to return to the lineup tomorrow after a six-game absence, Lardis found himself the odd one out in Chicago’s forward picture.
While one could certainly make the argument that Lardis has played better than some of the forwards who remain on the Blackhawks’ roster, the fact of the matter is he’s a rookie still navigating his first year in the pro ranks.
The Blackhawks’ interest in maximizing Lardis’ development likely outweighs their interest in making marginal improvements to the bottom half of their NHL lineup at this point. Lardis’ development is almost certainly better served playing a key role in the AHL rather than a role as a fourth-liner or even spare forward at the NHL level. A veteran such as Sam Lafferty (who has been a recent healthy scratch) or even an older prospect with more pro experience like Colton Dach are better fits for that kind of role.
Consequently, Lardis finds himself back in Rockford after a solid first stint in the NHL. The former OHL star was able to flash his signature qualities (competitiveness, fearlessness, instincts as a goal-scorer) at times during his first recall, finishing with five goals and seven points in 21 games. With Rockford mired near the bottom of the AHL league standings, Lardis will get the chance to lead a turnaround and try to help spark a push for an AHL playoff spot.
Vancouver Canucks Recall Victor Mancini, Jonathan Lekkerimaki
The Vancouver Canucks announced today that defenseman Victor Mancini and forward Jonathan Lekkerimaki have been recalled from the team’s AHL affiliate, the Abbotsford Canucks. In a pair of corresponding moves, the Canucks placed forward Brock Boeser and defenseman Zeev Buium on injured reserve. Both IR placements were made retroactive to Jan. 25.
In the Canucks’ loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday, Boeser took a high hit from Penguins forward Bryan Rust, which appears to have left Boeser with an injury. The NHL Department of Player Safety announced that Rust will have a hearing tomorrow for the hit, while Boeser now figures to miss at least three games. The earliest Boeser can return is for Vancouver’s contest against the Utah Mammoth on Feb. 2. There also appears to be a chance Boeser will not return until after the league’s Olympic break, though a more detailed recovery timeline for the forward was not disclosed by the club.
Buium was struck with a puck to the face early in Vancouver’s contest against the Canucks, and after missing some time in the game, returned wearing a bubble cage for the rest of the contest. A more detailed recovery timeline for Buium was also not made available, but like Boeser, he will miss at least three games due to his injury.
While the Canucks’ season, as far as playoff contention is concerned, is all but over already, the loss of both Buium and Boeser for these few games is nonetheless unfortunate.
Buium was the centerpiece of the Quinn Hughes trade from the Canucks’ perspective, as one of the game’s top blueliner prospects. The 20-year-old former college hockey star has averaged 20:24 time on ice per game as a Canuck and has six points in 20 contests. Boeser, 28, is one of Vancouver’s core players, signed through 2031-32 at a $7.25MM AAV. While his 25 points in 50 games certainly represents a scoring decline compared to prior years, his presence in Vancouver’s forward lineup nonetheless helps give some of the team’s younger, developing players an experienced, accomplished veteran to line up next to. Because of this injury, the Canucks lose that presence for the next few games.
Replacing Boeser in the lineup is Lekkerimaki, who was the 15th overall pick at the 2022 draft and is among the club’s top prospects. The 21-year-old has scored 16 points in 16 AHL games this season, and added two points in his eight games of NHL experience in 2025-26. There’s a chance he could slot directly into Boeser’s vacated spot on the Canucks’ second line, putting him in a trio with Filip Chytil and Drew O’Connor. That would be a significant opportunity for a forward who has thus far averaged 10:53 time on ice per game this season.
Taking Buium’s spot on the Canucks roster is another young player: Mancini. The 23-year-old was acquired from the New York Rangers last season as part of the J.T. Miller trade, and has had an up-and-down stint in the Canucks organization thus far.
He’s excelled at times, both in spurts at the NHL level and more consistently at the AHL level, where he helped Abbotsford win the Calder Cup last spring. So far this season, he’s only skated in nine games at the NHL level, averaging just 13:12 time on ice per game with little usage on special teams.
This recall places Mancini in a position to push young blueliner Tom Willander, who missed Sunday’s game with an illness, for a regular spot on the right side of the Canucks defense. Filip Hronek and Tyler Myers, the two veterans on that side of the blueline, are unlikely to be going anywhere, meaning Willander, the 11th overall pick at the 2023 draft, represents the clearest candidate from whom Mancini might try to win a lineup spot.
While it’s likely Willander has a clear leg up in terms of his chances of dressing in head coach Adam Foote’s nightly lineup, this recall is still a significant opportunity for Mancini as he tries to stake his claim to a spot in the Canucks’ future plans. At this point, Mancini’s place in Vancouver’s long-term strategy is unclear.
Three days ago, The Athletic’s Harman Dayal wrote that “the lack of improvement in his NHL play is becoming a bit concerning,” adding that “the clock is ticking for Mancini to make meaningful strides and prove he’s still an important piece of the organization’s future.” While he might not receive a significant amount of NHL time on this current recall, making the most out of whatever opportunities he receives will be imperative for the pending RFA.
Photos courtesy of Chris Jones-Imagn Images
Oilers Recall Josh Samanski, Assign Isaac Howard
The Edmonton Oilers have swapped forward prospects on the NHL roster. Winger Isaac Howard has been assigned to the minors and, in his place, Edmonton has awarded forward Josh Samanski with the first call-up of his career. Samanski is in his first AHL season after joining the Oilers as an undrafted free-agent this summer. He spent the last four seasons in the DEL, Germany’s top league.
Samanski has been a quick revelation down the Oilers’ depth chart. He ranks fourth on the Bakersfield Condors in scoring with seven goals and 28 points in 39 games. He is also tied for third on the offense in plus-minus with a plus-eight. After a standout start to his career in Germany, Samanski is proving his responsible, two-way presence can stick on North American ice.
Samanski was born in Germany and emerged as a star youth player in the Jungadler Mannheim program. He scored 106 points in 36 games of his age-14 season, while playing on Mannheim’s U16 club. After that breakout, Samanski and family moved to Canada, where he was able to pursue one year of youth hockey and one year in the OHL.
After that, Samanski returned to Germany and made a quick splash in the DEL-2. He scored 22 points in 41 games as a 17-year-old rookie. That performance, and four points in seven DEL-2 games to start the next year, earned Samanski a spot on the Straubing Tigers’ DEL roster in 2021-22. He only scored eight points in 42 games as a rookie, but has seen his scoring rise in every season since. He climbed all the way to 14 goals and 40 points in 52 games last season, while serving as one of Straubing’s alternate captains.
Samanski made a return to North America to test his chance in an NHL depth chart this summer. In the midst of his rise to prominence in the AHL, he was also named to Team Germany’s roster for the 2026 Winter Olympics. The 23 year old will have to try and put that tournament in the back of his mind for the short term, with his NHL debut set for Monday night. He will step onto the third-line wing previously occupied by Howard.
Meanwhile, Howard will return to the minors having recorded two assists in 11 games on his latest recall. He is now up to five points and a minus-six in 28 NHL games this season. He’s struggled to emerge at the NHL level but has proven to be a conduit of offense for the Condors. His 23 points in 16 games leads the team in points-per-game while his plus-12 leads in plus-minus. Howard will be an exciting addition to the AHL lineup, where he’ll look to rediscover a scoring touch before his next call-up to Edmonton.
Penguins Recall Melvin Ferstrom From Loan, Assign To AHL
The Pittsburgh Penguins have opted for a change of scenery for a recent acquisition. Forward Melvin Fernstrom has been recalled from his loan to the SHL’s Orebro HK and assigned to the AHL, per a team release from Orebro and Tony Androckitis of Inside AHL Hockey.
Fernstrom had recently been assigned from the SHL to AIK of the HockeyAllsvenskan, Sweden’s second-tier league. He grew up playing in AIK’s youth hockey program before shifting to Orebro, and debuting with their U18 squad, at the age of 15. Now, Fernstrom will change teams once more, before he has a chance to debut with AIK’s top club.
Fernstrom racked up three goals, four points, and a minus-10 in 36 appearances with Orebro’s SHL lineup. This was his second season in the top league, after posting 17 points and a minus-10 in 48 games as a rookie last year. He settled into a third-line role this season and often faced a barrage of shots against on an Orebro club that’s allowed the fourth-most goals-against in the SHL. Fernstrom’s impact was often limited to shutting play down on one end and creating fastbreak chances on the other – though that posed an uphill battle for the pass-first center.
He was lauded ahead of the 2024 NHL Draft as a nimble playmaker capable of controlling the middle of the ice. That claim was enough to convince the Vancouver Canucks to draft Fernstrom in the third round, though his rights were traded in a package to Pittsburgh in exchange for Marcus Pettersson and Drew O’Connor last year. The Penguins signed Fernstrom to his entry-level contract this summer and will now take advantage of the AHL elgibility it grants him.
The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins currently rank second in the AHL’s Atlantic Division. They are tied for the fifth-most goals in the league, largely thanks to hot performances from Penguins prospects Tristan Broz and Avery Hayes. Fernstrom will add a responsible, two-way touch to shore up Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s center depth. He is likely to be eased into the lineup and sits on the outside of NHL hopes this season, pending a quick breakout in North American minors.