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Minor Transactions: 08/14/23

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NHL signings are slowing to a grinding halt as we enter the middle of August, but there’s still a handful of notable AHL and European transactions to sift through as rookie camps draw closer. Here’s a listing of noteworthy minor transactions for August 14, 2023:

  • 2013 Columbus Blue Jackets fourth-round pick Nick Moutrey is on the move in Europe for a third straight season, signing a one-year deal with French club Angers in the Ligue Magnus, according to an Instagram post from the team. Moutrey never did make his NHL debut but played six seasons and over 250 games in the AHL, last suiting up in North America for the Texas Stars in 2020-21. Since then, he’s played in Finland and Denmark, where he recorded seven goals, nine assists and 16 points in 18 games for Rungsted Seier Capital in 2022-23. In France, he joins a name Montreal Canadiens fans will recognize – 2014 first-round pick Nikita Scherbak is suiting up for Angers next season after splitting the last two campaigns between Czechia and Slovakia.
  • The AHL’s San Diego Gulls signed a pair of players to minor-league deals today, per a team release. The first is defenseman Andy Carroll, who spent the last five games of 2022-23 on a tryout with the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks, recording one assist. He just wrapped up a five-year tenure with Minnesota State University Mankato, where he recorded 25 points in 39 games last season. The 26-year-old is a likely candidate for an ECHL assignment with the Tulsa Oilers, given the multitude of Ducks prospects slated for ice time in San Diego next season.
  • San Diego also signed forward Kyle Crnkovic, who was a member of last season’s Seattle Thunderbirds team that won the WHL championship. The 21-year-old undrafted free agent actually saw his stock dip significantly last season on a deep Thunderbirds team, posting 68 points in 67 games after exploding for 94 points in 68 games with the Saskatoon Blades the year before. He’ll need to try and build out his 5-foot-7, 165-pound frame if he wants to make a mark in the pros.
  • The Buffalo Sabres’ minor-league affiliate added some forward depth today as the Rochester Americans signed center Christopher Brown to a minor-league deal. The son of long-time NHL forward Doug Brown and the brother of Boston Bruins center Patrick Brown, the 27-year-old has secured his first AHL contract since 2019-20 after spending the last three seasons primarily in the ECHL with the Jacksonville Icemen. He led the team in scoring last season with 24 goals, 40 assists and 64 points in 72 games. If he fails to crack the Rochester roster, he’ll be assigned back to Jacksonville, as they’ve entered a new affiliation agreement with Buffalo and Rochester this season.

This page will be updated throughout the day.

Minor Transactions: 08/11/23

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There’s nothing much expected in terms of big news at the NHL level on a Friday in August. That being said, there’s still a fair amount of notable minor-league transactions trickling in today. As always, we’re keeping a running list of today’s deals here:

  • The AHL’s San Jose Barracuda have signed goaltender Beck Warm to a one-year contract, per a team release today. Warm joins the San Jose Sharks’ minor-league affiliate after bouncing around between the Carolina Hurricanes and Buffalo Sabres organizations the past three seasons. Warm, 24, went undrafted but signed a two-year entry-level contract with the Hurricanes in 2020 after a five-season WHL career with the Tri-City Americans and Edmonton Oil Kings which saw him post a .908 save percentage and five shutouts over the course of 150 games. He didn’t look bad by any means during his time in Carolina with the AHL’s Chicago Wolves and ECHL’s Norfolk Admirals, posting a save percentage above .910 with both teams. However, he fell victim to a deep goalie depth chart in Carolina, and the Hurricanes opted not to issue him a qualifying offer in the summer of 2022. He then signed an AHL contract with the Rochester Americans, Buffalo’s affiliate, but spent the season in the starting role for the ECHL’s Cincinnati Cyclones, where he posted a 28-9-4 record, one shutout, and a .899 save percentage in 43 regular-season contests. He’ll now look to leverage a strong ECHL performance into consideration for more playing time in the AHL with the Barracuda. He’ll compete for playing time with a trio of Sharks goalies likely headed for minor-league assignments next season: Eetu Mäkiniemi, Magnus Chrona and Georgi Romanov.

This page will be updated throughout the day.

Minor League Notes: Branch, Bjork, Stromwall

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Per an official statement from the Commissioner, David Branch will be stepping down as Commissioner of the Ontario Hockey League at the conclusion of the 2023-24 season. It will be the 45th and last year that Branch has served in that role, initially starting his term in 1979.

Branch has seen the league grow from 12 to 20 teams during his time serving as Commissioner and has seen such players ranging from Steve Yzerman and Eric Lindros to John Tavares and Connor McDavid graduate to the NHL level. However, per his letter to the public, it appeared as if Branch was more concerned with achievements off the ice, rather than on the ice, stating, “Countless players have gone on to become doctors, lawyers, teachers, emergency service workers, skilled tradespeople or other professionals that make tremendous contributions in our society, including participating in minor hockey as volunteer coaches and officials”.

His commitment to the game of hockey at the minor league level, as well as an appreciation for the personhood of the entirety of the league, will have a lasting impact on the OHL and junior hockey for the foreseeable future. The OHL Board of Governors thanked Branch for his time serving as Commissioner and organized Commissioner Search Committee to replace Branch.

Other notes:

  • Even after an impressive end to the 2022-23 regular season with the Chicago Blackhawks, forward Anders Bjork has settled on a one-year AHL contract with the Rockford IceHogs according to Charlie Roumeliotis of NBC Sports Chicago. Bjork is no stranger to AHL hockey, as he spent most of last season playing for the Buffalo Sabres AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans. Nevertheless, it is surprising to see Bjork not land at least a two-way NHL contract after scoring eight points in 13 games for the Blackhawks year.
  • According to a team release, forward Malte Stromwall has agreed to a contract with Frolunda HC of the SHL. Last season, Stromwall played for the AHL affiliate of the Carolina Hurricanes, the Chicago Wolves, and had a solid season. Playing in 68 games, Stromwall scored 18 goals and 33 assists, leading the team in scoring. Now returning back to his native Sweden, Stromwall will look to grow his value overseas.

 

Minor Transactions: 08/09/23

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There were a few small moves around the NHL today and that was also the case around the hockey world.  Here’s a rundown of some of the latest minor transactions.

  • Boston’s farm team in Providence announced the signing of forward Jimmy Lambert to a one-year deal. The 26-year-old wrapped his college career at Michigan in 2021-22 and spent last season on an AHL deal with the Islanders’ affiliate.  Lambert had seven points in 33 games with AHL Bridgeport but was much more productive with Worcester of the ECHL, collecting 24 points in just 27 contests.
  • Seattle’s AHL affiliate in Coachella Valley announced that they’ve re-signed defenseman Jake McLaughlin to a one-year contract. The 27-year-old spent the bulk of last season in the ECHL, notching 19 points in 32 games with Kansas City but did get into two games with the Firebirds.  McLaughlin has seen AHL action in each of his four professional seasons after going undrafted out of UMass.
  • Former NHL center Eric O’Dell is extending his stay overseas as he inked a one-year extension with Dynamo Moskva, per a team release. The 33-year-old has 41 career NHL appearances under his belt with Winnipeg along with six seasons of AHL experience, spanning nearly 250 games.  However, O’Dell has been in the KHL since 2016-17 and has been fairly productive, notching 178 points in 295 games.  Last season, the middleman had 16 goals and 15 assists in 33 appearances.

East Notes: Lauzon, Sabres, Lambert, DiGiacinto

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In an announcement from General Manager Kyle Dubas this morning, the Pittsburgh Penguins have announced the hiring of Marty Lauzon as the team’s new Director of High Performance. Lauzon will now oversee the team’s strength and condition, nutrition, mental fitness, injury prevention, and injury rehabilitation.

Although this will be his first stop with an NHL organization, Lauzon has accrued over 25 years of experience in similar roles with both professional and collegiate athletes. His career initially began back in 1997, spending three years with the University of California – Los Angeles as the Director of Rehabilitation for all of the school’s athletic programs. Garnering some eyes during his time at UCLA, he would then spend the next 10 years working for the Cleveland Browns of the NFL, originally working as the team’s Assistant Athletic Trainer, and finally getting promoted to the Head Athletic Trainer in 2005.

After his time with the Browns, Lauzon embarked on an 11-year stretch with the Atlanta Falcons, also of the NFL, transferring from the team’s Head Athletic Trainer to the team’s Director of Sports Medicine and Performance. During his time with the Falcons, the team would reach Super Bowl LI in 2017, eventually losing to the New England Patriots. His last stop before finally joining the Penguins organization was a two-year stint with the Atlanta Hawks of the NBA.

  • A little over a month ago, former-NHL defenseman, Zach Redmond, terminated his contract with EHC Red Bull Munich of the DEL. At the time, it was thought that Redmond would be making his way back to North American hockey, but not in the way that many thought. In an official team announcement, the Buffalo Sabres have added Redmond as one of their new Player Development coaches for the 2023-24 season. In the same announcement, Buffalo states they have added former Princeton University Associate Coach, Brad Dexter, as a scout.
  • University of Michigan alumni, Jimmy Lambert, has agreed to a one-year contract with the Providence Bruins of the American Hockey League. Last season, Lambert split time between the Bridgeport Islanders of the AHL and the Worcester Railers of the ECHL. His most successful stint came in Worcester, scoring 11 goals and 13 assists in 27 games.
  • The Hartford Wolf Pack have extended forward Cristiano DiGiacinto for the 2023-24 AHL season. Over the last two years, DiGiacinto has split time between both the Wolf Pack and the Jacksonville Icemen of the ECHL. This season, if DiGiacinto is once again a bubble player for Hartford, he will be playing for the Cincinnati Cyclones as opposed to Jacksonville.

Snapshots: Lindgren, Lightning, Canucks

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Ryan Lindgren has grown into an important top-four fixture for the New York Rangers, and he’s undoubtedly a player the team would like to retain for quite a while after this season. He’s currently eligible for a contract extension ahead of hitting restricted free agency next summer, but it could be an all-or-nothing situation, says The Athletic’s Arthur Staple. He posits the Rangers likely won’t go short-term with Lindgren, instead trying to work out a long-term, low-AAV extension or look to move him if they aren’t close on a deal.

The 2016 second-round pick has had some truly great defensive performances since turning into a full-timer with the Rangers, giving the team a dependable partner for star defender Adam Fox. While he’s shown the ability to log 20-plus minutes per game consistently, he’s yet to play a full 82 games in a season and is quickly becoming no stranger to injuries. He missed significant time at the tail end of 2022-23 with a shoulder issue.

More from around the NHL today:

  • The Tampa Bay Lightning have added a new face to their pro coaching staff, appointing 26-year-old Jacob Wheeler as the video coach of the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch today, per a team release. He replaces the outgoing Joe Palmer, who had served as a dual goalie coach/video coach since 2019-20 but was part of a complete staff overhaul in Syracuse this offseason. Wheeler joins the staff of new Crunch head coach Joël Bouchard, now on his third AHL organization after head coaching stints with the Laval Rocket and San Diego Gulls. Wheeler had spent the last two seasons as the video coordinator for the ECHL’s Jacksonville Icemen.
  • The AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks added four players today on one-year deals for next season: forward Josh Passolt, defensemen Derek Daschke and Michael Joyaux, and goaltender Jonathan Lemieux. They’re all likely destined for ECHL assignment next season, although Passolt could try and carve out a bottom-six role in Abbotsford after appearing in five playoff games for the Rochester Americans en route to their run to the AHL’s Eastern Conference Final last year.

AHL Notes: Teasdale, Ivan, Reilly, Khodorenko

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A now-former veteran of the AHL’s Laval Rocket, forward Joel Teasdale is in a confirmed minor-league contract with the Iowa Wild. Teasdale had spent the past four seasons on the Rocket, also suiting up for the Montreal Canadiens for a few games last season.

Joining the Canadiens system as an undrafted free agent, Teasdale joined Laval towards the end of the 2019-20 season, but would not play for the club until the following season due to a knee injury. In his rookie campaign in the AHL, Teasdale provided some solid depth scoring, putting up eight goals and 10 assists in 26 games.

Last season, in what has been his best season to date, Teasdale would score 23 goals and 15 assists in 58 games for the Rocket but failed to chip in any in two playoff games. This ranked Teasdale as the fourth-highest scorer in Laval, and he should finish around the same in Iowa next season.

Other notes:

  • The highest-scoring member of the Cape Breton Eagles last year, Ivan Ivan, has agreed to an AHL contract with the Colorado Eagles for the 2023-24 season. Last season for the Eagles, Ivan put up 33 goals and 57 assists in only 64 games, showing some significant offensive prowess from the center position. Already carrying solid depth down the middle of the ice, there is a real chance that Ivan starts the year with the team’s ECHL affiliate, the Utah Grizzles, but if Ivan continues his offensive development, he may turn into a solid prospect for the Colorado Avalanche organization.
  • The Charlotte Checkers have added some roster depth this morning, announcing separate one-year, two-way contracts for defenseman Will Reilly, and forward Patrick Khodorenko. Both players should be considered on the bubble for the upcoming season, either appearing in the AHL for the Checkers or the Florida Everblades of the ECHL. Reilly likely has the best shot to make the team, playing in 30 games for the Tucson Roadrunners last year, scoring five points in total.

AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack Sign Matej Pekar

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The AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack, the primary minor-league affiliate of the New York Rangers, are in agreement with former Buffalo Sabres forward prospect Matej Pekar on a one-year contract, according to a team release. While now a member of the Rangers organization, Pekar is still eligible to sign an NHL contract with any team.

Pekar, 23, has played in parts of three AHL seasons for Buffalo’s affiliate, the Rochester Americans, accumulating 86 games of experience. He wasn’t able to crack the code and stand out among a deep Sabres prospect pool, though, and was sent down a level further to the ECHL’s Cincinnati Cyclones last season for a consistent spot in the lineup, where he did well with 24 points in 28 games. Without any NHL looks under his belt since Buffalo drafted him in the fourth round of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, the team opted not to issue him a qualifying offer this summer after his entry-level contract expired, making him an unrestricted free agent.

The Czech forward played junior hockey in North America, heading to the OHL’s Barrie Colts after being drafted and doing quite well there. He averaged well over a point per game in two OHL seasons with Barrie and Sudbury, and his career totals of 99 points in 84 games generated some optimism about his ceiling and potential NHL viability as a bottom-six checking forward. Unfortunately for Pekar, COVID hit just as he was about to begin his pro career, and it may have caused him to lose most of the forward momentum he’d gained in his development. He went on to notch just four goals, 12 assists, 16 points and a -17 rating during his time in Rochester.

Signing with the Wolf Pack gives Pekar a unique opportunity to return to an environment he’s familiar with in ECHL Cincinnati if he can’t crack the AHL roster. The Sabres and Rangers swapped ECHL affiliates this offseason, as Buffalo and Rochester now partner with the Jacksonville Icemen. It’ll be tough for him to show he deserves a roster spot ahead of some of the Rangers’ NHL-contracted crew, though, as CapFriendly currently lists 14 AHL-eligible forwards assigned to the minors in their depth chart projection for New York. 2022 draft selection Bryce McConnell-Barker is listed among the minors crew for the Rangers, but he’s still too young for AHL assignment per the NHL-CHL transfer agreement. It’s likely Pekar will look to light up the ECHL this season in hopes of getting a more extensive AHL look down the stretch. There’s still time for him to turn things around and earn another NHL contract down the line.

Minor Transactions: 08/05/23

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While there hasn’t been much activity on the transactions front around the NHL in recent days, there continues to be activity at other levels.  Here’s a rundown of some of the recent activity around the hockey world:

  • Defenseman Tommy Cross announced his retirement, his AHL team in Springfield announced (Twitter link). The 33-year-old was limited to just 18 games last season due to injury.  Cross, a former Boston prospect, hangs up his skates with nearly 600 appearances in the AHL while also getting into a total of four NHL contests, including one playoff game.
  • Former NHL center Roman Cervenka has inked a one-year extension with Rapperswil-Jona in Switzerland, per a team release. The 37-year-old had 17 points in 39 games with Calgary a decade ago but opted to return to playing overseas the following season.  Cervenka led the NL in scoring in 2022-23, notching 16 goals and 43 assists in just 43 contests.
  • Former Coyotes prospect Alexander Ruuttu is on the move as Krefeld in Germany announced that they’ve signed the forward to a one-year contract. Ruuttu was a second-round pick by Arizona back in 2011 (51st overall) but never signed an NHL deal.  Instead, he has spent the majority of his career in Finland and had six goals and two assists with Assat in the top division last season.

This post will be updated throughout the day.

Central Notes: Bichsel, Kiiskinen, Stapley

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While Stars prospect Lian Bichsel has his sights set on trying to crack the NHL roster in training camp after signing his entry-level contract back in May, it appears he’ll have a new team to play for if he goes back to Sweden.  Hans Abrahamsson and Tomas Ros of Aftonbladet report that the blueliner wouldn’t return to Leksands of the SHL; instead, he’d suit up in Rogle if loaned back overseas.  The 19-year-old was the 18th overall pick in 2022 and played a regular role with Leksands last season, collecting six points in 42 games while also suiting up for his native Switzerland at the World Juniors.  Dallas also has the right to send Bichsel to the AHL if they so desire which would give them an opportunity to have more influence on his playing time.

More from the Central:

  • Predators prospect Jesse Kiiskinen sustained a jaw injury on Monday and was held out of Finland’s final contest on Wednesday as well at the World Junior Summer Showcase. However, NHL.com’s Adam Kimelman notes that the injury isn’t believed to be serious but given that this is a summer event, they’re opting for caution with the 17-year-old.  Kiiskinen was a third-round pick by Nashville back in June (68th overall) and will be looking to land a full-time spot with Pelicans in Finland’s top level next season after getting seven Liiga games under his belt in 2022-23.
  • Colorado’s AHL affiliate announced the signing of forward Brett Stapley to a one-year, two-way AHL deal. The 24-year-old was a seventh-round pick by Montreal back in 2018 (190th overall) but didn’t receive an NHL contract from them.  He did, however, spend last season in their farm system, suiting up in 52 games with ECHL Trois-Rivieres, recording 52 points to lead the team in scoring.  Stapley will have some familiarity with the area having played his four-year college career with Denver.

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