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New York Islanders Recall Simon Holmstrom

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The New York Islanders have recalled forward Simon Holmstrom from the AHL’s Bridgeport Islanders, a team release states Thursday.

New York assigned Holmstrom, 22, to the minors on Monday in order to submit a cap-compliant opening night roster. While most expected he would make the team, he does not need waivers to head to AHL Bridgeport and sending him down was the easiest course of action until the Islanders could make corresponding moves to free up space.

That corresponding move was waiving veteran enforcer Ross Johnston, who was claimed by the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday. Johnston, 29, was signed for three more seasons at a $1.1MM cap hit and had registered 283 penalty minutes in 134 NHL contests with the Islanders since joining the team in 2015.

With Johnston off the books, the Islanders now have enough cap space to recall Holmstrom, the 23rd overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft. Last season was his first in the NHL, and it wasn’t what anyone hoped. He registered just nine points in 50 contests, and his production also took a major hit in the AHL, notching just five points in 16 games for Bridgeport.

After a strong showing in camp, however, the Islanders are expecting bigger things out of the Swedish winger this season. The team doesn’t kick off their 2023-24 schedule until Saturday against the Buffalo Sabres, but Holmstrom is expected to slot in on the team’s top line alongside Mathew Barzal and Bo Horvat. It’s quite the opportunity for Holmstrom, who averaged just 11:05 per game last season under head coach Lane Lambert.

Holmstrom is beginning the final season of his entry-level contract, which carries a $863.3K cap hit. He will not have arbitration rights if he reaches restricted free agency next summer.

AHL’s Colorado Eagles Sign Joel Kiviranta, Peter Holland

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After attending Colorado Avalanche training camp on professional tryouts, forwards Joel Kiviranta and Peter Holland have inked one-year contracts with their AHL affiliate, the Colorado Eagles. Both players have significant NHL experience, although Kiviranta’s is more recent, logging 70 games for the Dallas Stars last season.

Kiviranta, 27, had high hopes of securing a fourth-line job in the NHL, but he was passed over in favor of a Dallas teammate last season, Fredrik Olofsson. The Finnish winger notched a career-high eight goals last season but only registered one assist for nine points – poor production given his games played total and ice time (12:09 per game). He’ll now try and earn his way back to the sport’s highest level by taking on a significant role in the minors with Colorado. Kiviranta’s lone stint in the AHL came in 2019-20, recording 12 goals, 11 assists and 23 points in 48 games with the Texas Stars.

Holland was much less likely to earn an NHL job, so it’s fair to call this a successful tryout for the 32-year-old center who retired from hockey after the 2021-22 campaign. A 2009 first-round pick of the Anaheim Ducks, Holland last played in the AHL in 2018-19 before departing for overseas play the following season. He was always a strong producer in the minors, recording 222 points in 252 AHL contests across seven seasons, but couldn’t lock down a full-time NHL role outside of a three-year period with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Arizona Coyotes in the mid-2010s. Holland and Kiviranta will play vital roles to begin the season with the Eagles, who are without three projected regulars (Alex Beaucage, Jean-Luc Foudy, and Chris Wagner) due to injuries.

Minor Transactions: 10/10/23

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The start of the NHL regular season has finally come, with three games on the schedule including the highly anticipated NHL debut of generational prospect Connor Bedard. But while the NHL season is just beginning, top leagues across the hockey world are already several weeks into their regular season. As a result, player movement remains active and as always we’ll keep track of notable transactions here.

  • Russian center Marat Khusnutdinov, the 37th overall pick in 2020 and the number-six prospect in the Minnesota Wild system per EP Rinkside was traded in the KHL today. (subscription link) He was sent to HK Sochi alongside monetary compensation, with his former club receiving Croatian forward Borna Rendulic in return. It’s a major swing for Sochi, who are trading their leading scorer to SKA in order to acquire Khusnutdinov. The 21-year-old center had an extremely impressive 2022-23, scoring 41 points in 63 games in a league notoriously difficult for young players to succeed in. He’s gone scoreless through six games this season, though, and has been receiving below 10 minutes of ice time in some games. Now, he’ll have the chance to potentially play with superstar prospect Matvei Michkov, a player who also began this season with SKA, and who has scored 12 points in 11 games to start the season.
  • In a somewhat surprising move, Ottawa Senators goalie prospect Leevi Merilainen, 22, was assigned to the ECHL’s Allen Americans. This is likely a result of Mads Søgaard and Kevin Mandolese earning the right to serve as the Belleville Senators’ AHL tandem, though it could also be that the Senators would prefer Merilainen get some ECHL experience under his belt before he’s exposed to the rigors of the AHL full-time. Merilainen is one of the Senators’ best goalie prospects, and he spent 2022-23 mostly with Kärpät in Liiga, posting a .917 save percentage and 2.05 goals-against-average in 42 games played.
  • According to a report from SportExpressen’s Johan Svensson, Carolina Hurricanes prospect Noel Gunler will return to Sweden for the 2023-24 season. Gunler was loaned to the ECHL’s Norfolk Admirals earlier this week, but could end up instead loaned overseas where he has played most of his pro career. Seeing as Gunler scored eight goals and 18 points in just 31 AHL games last season, there has been some belief that his development would not be best served by playing in the ECHL. Since the Hurricanes do not have an AHL affiliate of their own, the only option for Gunler to play in the AHL would be on loan to another AHL franchise. Since premium offensive roles in the AHL are typically reserved for proven AHL veterans or prized prospects of a team’s NHL affiliate, it would be no surprise if the Hurricanes struggled to find a suitable landing spot for Gunler. As a result, if this report out of Sweden is to be believed, Gunler will end up playing 2023-24 in the SHL rather than the ECHL.
  • AHL enforcer Brandon Baddock has found a new team, signing a one-year AHL contract with the Rockford IceHogs. The 28-year-old spent last season with the Iowa Wild, scoring seven points in 67 games to go along with 130 penalty minutes. Baddock brings grit and physicality to the table, something the IceHogs might have prioritized due to the number of young prospects still relatively new to pro hockey slated to play on their roster.
  • Montreal Canadiens 2022 seventh-round pick Miguël Tourigny is slated to make his North American pro debut with the ECHL’s Trois-Rivières Lions. The five-foot-eight blueliner was assigned to Montreal’s ECHL affiliate today. Tourigny’s development has been somewhat unconventional thus far, as the 21-year-old spent his first professional season in Slovakia, where he scored 26 points in 44 games. Tourigny does not yet have an entry-level contract with the Canadiens but did sign a one-year, one-way AHL contract with the Laval Rocket this summer.
  • Goalie prospect Tomáš Suchánek, 20, has signed a one-year AHL contract with the San Diego Gulls, according to a team announcement. Suchánek made a name for himself at the 2023 World Juniors, leading the tournament in save percentage (.939) and earning a silver medal for Czechia. He was a WHL Second-Team All-Star as the starter for the Tri-City Americans as he posted a .912 save percentage in 46 games played. Now, he has a definite landing spot in pro hockey after a successful tryout with the Ducks organization.
  • 23-year-old Swiss defenseman David Aebischer (not to be confused with the former NHL netminder) will be changing clubs this summer, as he’s signed a five-year contract with HC Lugano. Aebischer is currently in his third season as a regular blueliner with SC Rapperswil-Jona Lakers, another National League team. Aebischer routinely plays over 20 minutes per night with the Lakers is off to a fast start with the club, scoring eight points in 10 games. He’s slated to become a long-term anchor for Lugano, and if he can keep up something close to his current scoring pace he may even draw NHL interest down the line, though being undersized (he’s five-foot-ten) by NHL standards will work against him.
  • Columbus Blue Jackets prospect goalie Nolan Lalonde was traded to the OHL’s Sarnia Sting today alongside three draft picks, with former San Jose Sharks prospect Benjamin Gaudreau headed to the Erie Otters in return. Lalonde, 19, posted a grisly .868 save percentage with the Otters last season and has struggled to the tune of a .837 mark in four games this season. Perhaps a fresh start with the Sting will help reverse his OHL fortunes.
  • Former ECHL star Brady Ferguson has carved out a solid career for himself in the SHL as a middle-six forward with Rögle BK, and he even earned the honor of wearing an “A” on his jersey starting last season. He won the 2021-22 Champions Hockey League with the club, and has now decided to extend his contract with the club by another season. As has teammate Michael Kapla, a defenseman who also played with Ferguson in the ECHL. Kapla, 29, is the former captain of UMass-Lowell and actually has five NHL games on his resume. He scored 28 points in 44 games last season for Rögle.
  • Former Norwegian rookie of the year Eskil Wold impressed by playing 49 games in the Finnish Liiga at the age of 20. But he only scored one goal and two points for HPK Hämeenlinna, and this season he has decided to transfer to a lower level of competition. He’s signed with the Nybro Vikings of HockeyAllsvenskan, the second tier of Swedish pro hockey, and will likely have a chance to be more productive there than he was able to be in Liiga.

This page may be updated throughout the day. 

Columbus Blue Jackets Assign David Jiricek To AHL, Make Other Roster Moves

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The Columbus Blue Jackets have their final 23-man roster in place to start the season, making a flurry of camp cuts today to do so. Those cuts are headlined by defenseman David Jiricek, who’s been assigned to the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters for the second straight season after the club selected him sixth overall in the 2022 NHL Draft. Defenseman Nick Blankenburg and forward Dmitri Voronkov were also assigned to the AHL, while their other top pick in 2022, defenseman Denton Mateychuk, has been returned to the WHL’s Moose Jaw Warriors. Lastly, Columbus placed forwards Yegor Chinakhov and Jordan Dumais, as well as goaltender Daniil Tarasov on the season-opening injured/non-roster list. Forward Mathieu Olivier was also placed on injured reserve.

Many believed Jiricek, 19, would make Columbus out of camp thanks to a strong showing in his rookie season with the Monsters. However, after Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen added a pair of veteran bodies to his blueline this summer in Ivan Provorov and Damon Severson, the path to a roster spot muddied significantly for the Blue Jackets’ many young defense prospects. Jiricek is still looking for his first NHL point after skating in four NHL contests with Columbus last season. With Cleveland, he recorded six goals, 32 assists, 38 points, and a -11 rating in 55 games.

Blankenburg and Voronkov were also both strong candidates to make Columbus’ opening-night roster. Blankenburg, a 5-foot-9, 174-pound right-shot defenseman, joined the Blue Jackets in 2022 via free agency after captaining a star-studded University of Michigan squad. The 25-year-old immediately stuck in the NHL, thanks partially in part to the Blue Jackets’ rash of injuries on the blue line last season, but he didn’t look out of place at all. While injuries affected Blankenburg too, limiting him to 36 contests, the diminutive defender recorded four goals and ten assists for 14 points – an impressive 32-point pace over 82 games. He’s destined for a major role in Cleveland to start the season and will be one of Columbus’ first call-up options aside from Jiricek.

Voronkov, 23, will get his first taste of North American hockey in the minors. The 2019 fourth-round pick was expected to make a push for a roster spot after breaking out for 18 goals and 31 points in 54 contests with the KHL’s Ak Bars Kazan last season. Like the two others mentioned before him, expect a recall for Voronkov at some point during the 2023-24 campaign.

Mateychuk, however, will likely have to wait until 2024-25 (or at least the very end of 2023-24) to get his first taste of NHL hockey. The 12th-overall selection in 2022 returns to Moose Jaw, where he will reclaim his role as the team’s captain after registering 129 points in 128 games over the past two campaigns.

There’s nothing new regarding the injuries to the four players destined for IR. All injuries were previously reported and were expected to keep them out through at least opening night. These are paper moves to get the team’s roster compliant before tonight’s deadline.

West Notes: Coyotes, Blueger, Beauvillier

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After sending them down to AHL Tucson earlier in the week, the Arizona Coyotes announced Sunday they’ve recalled defensemen Michael Kesselring and Vladislav Kolyachonok. The 23-year-old and 22-year-old defensemen, respectively, combined for 11 games played in the NHL last season.

Arizona makes the recalls as they battle injury uncertainty with some of their defensemen. Head coach André Tourigny told PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan earlier Sunday that multiple defenders were “dinged” up in Saturday’s 7-1 preseason drubbing of the Anaheim Ducks. Carrying Kesselring and Kolyachonok on the active roster for now gives the Coyotes some flexibility as they make their final roster choices ahead of Monday’s opening night roster deadline. Arizona must submit a cap-compliant roster of no more than 23 players before 4 p.m. CT tomorrow. That roster limit may have precipitated today’s choice to send forward Dylan Guenther, who does not require waivers, to AHL Tucson. While the team has not issued a comment, it may be that the Coyotes plan on carrying 12 forwards and nine defensemen when they submit their roster tomorrow to account for the uncertainty surrounding some of their defenders’ availability for Friday’s season opener against the New Jersey Devils. With Kesselring and Kolyachonok in the ranks, the Coyotes are now carrying ten defenders, so it’s likely one of them will return to Tucson within the next 24 hours.

Elsewhere in the Western Conference this weekend:

  • Vancouver Canucks forward Teddy Blueger is sidelined on a day-to-day basis with an undisclosed bruise, which left him off the ice today for practice. That wasn’t Blueger’s idea, however, as head coach Rick Tocchet told Sportsnet’s Randip Janda that he didn’t want to risk exacerbating the Latvian pivot’s injury. The Canucks’ regular season opener is in three days against the Edmonton Oilers, and the offseason free-agent addition is expected to make his Vancouver debut centering the fourth line. Blueger, 29, recorded 16 points in 63 contests last year split between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Vegas Golden Knights, for whom Blueger was the 13th forward en route to their first Stanley Cup championship.
  • Sticking with Vancouver, winger Anthony Beauvillier is also currently absent from the team’s practice ranks thanks to a bout with the flu. He is day-to-day and, as it stands, could miss the season opener Wednesday. The Canucks, who are currently roster juggling to maximize the potential LTIR relief from defenseman Tucker Poolman’s contract, will need clarity on Beauvillier’s status after tomorrow’s roster deadline to make any corresponding recalls from AHL Abbotsford.

Minor Transactions: 10/4/23

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With play overseas in several leagues already underway and AHL camps just getting going, there continue to be plenty of signings across the hockey world.  We run through some of the NHL-related ones here.

  • UFA center Nate Schnarr has signed a one-year deal with Pelicans in Finland, per a team release.  The 24-year-old started the season in Montreal’s system before being moved at the trade deadline to Los Angeles but was non-tendered this summer after putting up just nine points in 45 AHL contests.  He had attended training camp this year with Columbus but was cut late month.
  • Another player who was cut by the Blue Jackets in camp is also heading overseas, defenseman Nicolas Meloche. Salavat Yulaev of the KHL announced that they’ve inked the 26-year-old to a one-year deal.  Meloche played 50 NHL contests with San Jose in 2021-22 but cleared waivers early in camp last year with Calgary, resulting in him spending all of last season at the AHL level where he had 21 points in 64 games.
  • Former NHL blueliner Yohann Auvitu is on the move again as he has inked a one-year deal plus an option with Vitkovice in Czechia, per a club release. The 34-year-old saw time at the NHL level with both Edmonton and New Jersey but has moved around frequently since then, spending time in Russia, Sweden, Finland, and Switzerland.
  • Kings prospect Kaleb Lawrence is on the move in the OHL as Ottawa announced that they’ve acquired the 20-year-old forward from Owen Sound. Standing 6’7, Lawrence was a seventh-round pick in 2022 (215th overall) after a season in which he played just two games.  Last year, he was much healthier, putting up 37 points in 50 games with the Attack.  Los Angeles has until June 1, 2024, to sign Lawrence to an entry-level deal so there will be some extra pressure on him as he enters his overage year.
  • Anaheim’s AHL affiliate in San Diego announced the signing of Ben King to a one-year deal. The 21-year-old was a fourth-round pick by the Ducks in 2022 (107th overall) but has exhausted his WHL eligibility.  After putting up 105 points in 2021-22, King’s production dipped to just 35 points in 30 games last season with Red Deer.  Anaheim has until June 1, 2024, to ink him to an NHL contract.

Minor Transactions: 10/01/23

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Not only are NHL clubs hard at work preparing for the start of their regular seasons via the training camp and preseason process, but so are clubs in the various North American minor leagues, such as the AHL and ECHL, who also have a regular season to prepare for.

As a result, the transaction wire is expected to be active in those leagues, just as it is in overseas leagues, where the regular season has begun in most top leagues. Teams have injuries to respond to, underperforming squads in dire need of reinforcement, and other events occurring that prompt player movement. As always, we’ll keep track of the resulting transactions here.

  • Former NHL defenseman Madison Bowey was traded in the KHL, shipped away from the struggling Dinamo Minsk to a middle-of-the-pack Traktor Chelyabinsk side. In exchange for Bowey, former AHL blueliner Robert Hamilton was sent to Minsk. This has been Bowey’s first KHL season, and he finishes his time in Belarus with eight games played and two points. Hamilton, 29, was beginning his second season with Chelyabinsk after scoring 18 points in 32 games last season. He has scored one point in nine games so far this year and will now receive a fresh start in Minsk.
  • The AHL’s San Diego Gulls have signed prospect forward Davis Codd to a one-year contract, just in time for the early portion of the club’s training camp process. Codd hasn’t played very much over the last two seasons, skating in a total of just 36 games. His development was further impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting shutdown of the 2020-21 OHL season. He likely is chomping at the bit to get some games under his belt so he can continue his development, and that’s exactly what he’ll get in California thanks to this one-year deal.
  • Former ECHL Playoff MVP Stephen Harper has signed in Slovakia, joining HK Nitra after a strong first season overseas. The former Tucson Roadrunner scored 31 points in 54 games for Düsseldorfer EG in the German DEL, helping the club reach the postseason, where he scored six points in seven games. Nitra are in need of urgent assistance as they currently are mired at the bottom of the Slovak league’s standings and have not yet registered a regulation victory, so the hope is likely that Harper can make an instant impact.
  • The ECHL’s Greenville Swamp Rabbits have signed defenseman Max Coyle, who was an invite to the Los Angeles Kings’ 2023 prospect tournament roster, to an ECHL contract. Coyle, 25, dipped his toes into the waters of pro hockey last season by playing in three games for the ECHL’s Indy Fuel. Before those three games, Coyle was a steady blueliner for Bowling Green State University, skating in a total of 127 games for the program. The 2018-19 BCHL champion will get his first chance as a full-time pro hockey player in Greenville.
  • Former NHLer Brandon McMillan has signed a one-year contract to play in China with the KHL’s Kunlun Red Star. A longtime KHLer, McMillan has spent the last two seasons HC Ambrì-Piotta in the Swiss National League. He struggled immensely last year, scoring just 10 points in 40 games. But the 33-year-old did score three goals in 4 games to help his team win the Spengler Cup last December, and has had success in the KHL before, so there’s reason for optimism that this signing could work for the Red Star.

This page will be updated throughout the day. 

Minor Transactions: 09/29/23

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It’s another busy day for player movement in the world of hockey. Not only are more reductions to the size of NHL training camp rosters expected, but numerous teams in both top European leagues and North American minor leagues are expected to add and/or subtract players for the 2023-24 campaign. As always, we’ll keep track of those moves here.

  • Former NHLer and original Vegas Golden Knights expansion draft choice Teemu Pulkkinen signed a one-year contract to return to the KHL, landing with the Kunlun Red Star. The 31-year-old has an exceptional track record outside the NHL, honored as an AHL All-Star twice and named the Liiga rookie of the year. He’s been solid in the KHL as well, with 159 career points in 258 games. Pulkkinen spent last season with Traktor Chelyabinsk, scoring 15 goals and 27 points in 63 games. Kunlun have gotten off to a decent 6-6 start so far in KHL play, and are likely hoping Pulkkinen’s scoring can give their offense the boost it needs to help the club reach the playoffs for just the second time in franchise history.
  • After impressing with the Ottawa Senators’ prospect tournament team, 22-year-old undrafted free agent Tarun Fizer has signed a one-year, one-way AHL contract with the Belleville Senators. The signing is a big opportunity for the former Victoria Royals center, as it’s a chance for him to become a full-time AHLer after spending most of his pro career thus far in the ECHL. Fizer scored 27 goals and 50 points in 62 games for the ECHL’s Utah Grizzlies last season, and has now earned a spot in one of the best leagues in the world.
  • Former OHL star Shawn Lalonde made his NHL debut in 2012-13, capping off three consecutive years of hard work and development in the AHL. That offseason, though, rather than stay another year in North America Lalonde made the choice to continue his career overseas, and since that point he’s become an accomplished, well-traveled veteran of the European pro circuit. Two days ago, HC Slovan Bratislava of the Slovak top league terminated its contract with defender Matt Murphy with just one game played, and today the club has announced the addition of Lalonde as his replacement. In Lalonde, Slovan is receiving a player who was once a top offensive defenseman in the DEL and a stable offensive contributor in the KHL. After spending all of last season with the KHL’s Dynamo Minsk (scoring 14 points in 48 games) Lalonde should be able to make a positive impact at a bit of a lower level of competition with Slovan.
  • Yesterday, former ECHL MVP Shawn Szydlowski returned to his old stomping grounds, signing a contract with the Fort Wayne Komets. The former Erie Otters star, 33, has had an exceptional ECHL career, taking home numerous awards (such as an MVP and multiple All-Star honors) as well as a Kelly Cup championship. He has scored 519 points in 528 career ECHL games, which ranks him inside the all-time top-40 of players with the most career points in North America’s third-tier league. Szydlowski took home a Kelly Cup with Fort Wayne in 2021, and now after a season away in Orlando he’s returned with the goal of taking home another one.
  • Defenseman Rinat Valiev, who once played for the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens, has reached a contract termination agreement with his club Neftyanik Almetievsk of Russia’s second-tier VHL. Valiev, 28, has struggled in recent seasons, bouncing between three clubs across the top two levels of Russian pro hockey. Last season, he played in 18 KHL games with Dinamo Minsk, and now he will look for another opportunity after playing in four games for Neftyanik.

This page may be updated throughout the day. 

Minor Transactions: 09/26/23

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It’s another busy day across the world of hockey, both in the NHL and in Europe. In the NHL, the slate of preseason games today is highlighted by a rivalry contest in New York between the Islanders and Rangers.

Overseas, there are a few intriguing contests including a Liiga matchup between Ilves Tampere and KalPa Kuopio where NHL second-rounders Jani Nyman and Oliver Kapanen will do battle, as well as some quality games in Switzerland such as a battle between two top teams, Patrik Nemeth’s SC Bern and Derek Grant’s ZSC Lions.

As the schedule becomes more and more packed with hockey, player movement across the hockey world remains as active as ever. We’ll keep track of notable moves here:

  • Former Arizona Coyotes prospect David Tendeck has signed a one-year ECHL contract with the Wheeling Nailers. Tendeck played in 32 games last season for the ECHL’s Atlanta Gladiators, posting a 12-12-5 record with an .892 save percentage. The 25-year-old 2018 sixth-round pick has posted strong numbers in the AHL (.914 save percentage in nine games) but hasn’t gotten an extended shot in the American League. He’ll look to change that by having a strong season backstopping the Nailers.
  • Anthony Beauregard outscored three future NHLers in his final season with the Val d’Or Foreurs in the QMJHL, (Julien Gauthier, Nicolas Aube-Kubel, Anthony Richard) but his first foray into pro hockey was a short one. The undersized scorer ended up in the Canadian University circuit before finally turning pro full-time in 2018-19 with the ECHL’s Brampton Beast. He wasn’t great in Brampton, though, and ended up signing in England with the EIHL’s Nottingham Panthers. Beauregard starred in Nottingham, starting a span of three seasons where he went from England to Wichita, Kansas to Switzerland, posting star scoring numbers at each stop. He was especially prolific in Wichita, winning ECHL MVP with 71 points scored. Last season, Beauregard scored 49 points for the ECHL’s Trois-Rivières Lions, and now he’s earned himself a shot to make the AHL on more than a call-up basis. He’s earned a PTO with the Springfield Thunderbirds, per his representation, and will look to earn a spot on the Blues’ affiliate’s roster to finally become a full-time AHL player.
  • Former Tri-City Americans captain Tyler Sandhu has signed a one-year ECHL contract with the South Carolina Stingrays. The 27-year-old made his professional debut this past season after playing four seasons with the University of British Columbia. He began his pro career overseas in Central Europe, skating in 32 games for the ICEHL’s Vorarlberg Pioneers. He scored 19 points in 32 games, earning himself a chance to play full-time in North America’s third tier of pro hockey.
  • After a half-decade of NCAA hockey with the Arizona State University Sun Devils, former Calgary Flames prospect Demetrios Koumontzis seems to have found a place to truly begin his professional career. The 23-year-old blueliner signed a one-year ECHL contract with the Idaho Steelheads, a deal that allows Koumontzis to remain with the club he finished 2022-23 with. Koumontzis appeared in ten regular-season games in Idaho, scoring 10 points, and added three playoff games as well, a solid first step into the world of professional hockey.
  • Veteran Liiga center and one-time Hershey Bears forward Juuso Ikonen has signed a one-year contract with Liiga’s Ässät Pori. Although Ikonen, a former 39-point scorer in Liiga, ended up winning a Liiga title and Champions Hockey League championship last season, he actually only played in 18 games for Tampere. Now he’ll get a chance in Pori, hoping to shore up a spot on a scoring line to help the club reach the postseason, something they have only done once since their championship season in 2012-13.
  • After four strong campaigns in HockeyAllsvenskan with Västerås IK, forward William Wikman finally earned an extended SHL shot with Leo Carlsson’s Örebro HK last season. Wikman’s play in the bottom six and 12 points in 52 games helped Örebro make a run to the SHL semifinals, and now Örebro has extended their relationship with Wikman by two additional seasons.
  • Despite having not even turned 25, Swiss forward Sven Leuenberger has already won two National League titles with his club, EV Zug, a team whose academy he first joined when he was 14. Now, he’s extended his relationship with Zug even longer, signing an extension through 2028 with the team. Never a high-scoring player, Leuenberger has a knack for seeing his production tick up in the postseason and has represented both his club and country in some big moments. He’s been on many deep playoff runs with Zug and also represented Switzerland at two IIHF Men’s World Junior Championships. Now confirmed to play for Zug through 2028, the hope will be that more National League titles will follow.
  • Former Winnipeg Jets prospect Ryan Olsen is returning once again from Germany in order to play in the ECHL. Olsen has signed with the Tulsa Oilers, a team he played three games for in 2016-17. The 29-year-old 2012 Jets draft pick was the DEL’s most penalized player in 2022-23 despite playing in just 39 games, as he racked up 91 PIMs to go alongside 15 points. Olsen’s ECHL experience is strong, as he has 65 points in 81 career games as well as a Kelly Cup championship on his resume. In Tulsa, Olsen will be tasked with bringing his signature combination of grit and offensive touch to the table to help the Oilers have a bounce-back season after a poor 2022-23.

This page may be updated throughout the day.

Minor Transactions: 09/18/23

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Minor transactions are beginning to heat up on this side of the Atlantic once again as rookie camps come to a close, leading to the resolution of situations for many players in NHL camps on tryouts. We’re keeping tabs on those, as well as any notable minor transactions from other leagues, right here.

  • Philadelphia Flyers rookie camp invite Matt Brown has signed a two-year deal with their AHL affiliate in Lehigh Valley, reports PHLY Sports’ Charlie O’Connor. O’Connor reported a few days ago that the Flyers were potentially considering an entry-level contract for Brown after a standout performance during rookie camp. Brown, 24, is coming off a spectacular senior season at Boston University in which he led the team’s forwards in scoring, notching 47 points in 39 games. He sat only behind Montreal Canadiens defense prospect Lane Hutson, who notched 48. While undersized at 5-foot-9, he does carry some offensive upside after solid totals in college and will look to make a smooth transition to pro hockey this fall. O’Connor also said AHL Lehigh Valley has signed another of the Flyers’ camp invites, Brendan Furry, to a one-year deal. Furry, 25, captained Minnesota State University last season and registered three points in three games with Lehigh Valley to finish off last season on a tryout.

This page will be updated throughout the day.

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