Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

AHL

Minor Transactions: 07/15/23

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

As we’re just a month-and-a-half away from the start of the professional hockey season in Europe, (the first games of the Champions Hockey League season are scheduled for the last day of August) many teams are hard at work signing players and finalizing the team they’ll be hoping will bring them to glory in 2023-24. As always, we’ll recap player movement from around the hockey world here, from minor leagues to the European pro hockey circuit.

  • 938-game NHL veteran Anton Strålman has signed a contract with HV71 in his native Sweden, a move that likely marks the conclusion of his North American pro career. Strålman, 36, last played top-division pro hockey in Sweden way back in 2006-07, the second of two seasons he spent manning the blueline for Timra. Although Strålman earned a one-year, $1MM contract from the Boston Bruins last season the depth of Boston’s blueline meant it was extremely difficult for Strålman to earn a place in the NHL lineup. He ultimately played only eight games in Boston, his final one coming in late November. He finished 2022-23 in the AHL, and will now shift his focus to a league he led in average ice time the last time he played there.
  • Ostap Safin, a 2017 Edmonton Oilers fourth-round pick, has signed a tryout contract with Lada Togliatti in the KHL. Now 24 years old, Safin earned an entry-level deal from the Oilers in 2018, nearly a year after he was drafted. He had scored 58 points in 61 games as an import player in the QMJHL, and looked like a promising prospect for Oilers fans to track. Then a significant shoulder injury cost Safin most of his 2018-19 season, and while he managed to return for the postseason he could only muster two points in 23 games. Safin turned pro the following year and played in the ECHL with the Wichita Thunder, earning a spot in the ECHL All-Star game and scoring 35 points in 54 games. Safin failed to find a place in the AHL, though, and by the end of 2021-22 his time in the Oilers organization had clearly concluded. He left for his native Czechia to play in their top league, but only scored 13 points in 41 games for HC Sparta Praha. Now, he’ll look to earn a job in the KHL and translate his tantalizing physical tools into tangible production in a challenging pro league.
  • The AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals have announced the signing of Carson Gicewicz to a one-year AHL contract. The six-foot-three New York native just wrapped up his second full season as a professional hockey player and has logged a total of 117 games in the AHL, almost all with the Rockford IceHogs. An NCAA Men’s Hockey National Champion at UMass Amherst, Gicewicz has carved out a role as a physical depth center in the AHL. The 26-year-old was traded by the IceHogs to the Rochester Americans for their playoff push in the middle of last season, although he only skated in three games for the Amerks. With this one-year deal he latches on with the Admirals and will likely be under consideration for a fourth-line center role, similar to the role he occupied in his brief time in Rochester.
  • After one season playing Canadian University hockey, former QMJHL star Simon Pinard has made the choice to turn pro. According to a team announcement, he’s signed a two-year AHL contract with the Henderson Silver Knights, the affiliate of the Vegas Golden Knights. Pinard, 22, is an undrafted player who spent last season at the University of New Brunswick, scoring 29 points in 29 games. The season before, he scored 91 points in 67 games in the QMJHL splitting time between the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada and Gatineau Olympiques. By signing Pinard to a deal with a two-year term, the Silver Knights are clearly making a bet that the five-foot-eleven Canadian forward can translate some of his USports and QMJHL productivity to the professional level.
  • 2022-23 was longtime Cleveland Monsters center Justin Scott’s first away from Cleveland, the only pro team he’s suited up for. Now, the 2023-24 campaign is set to be Scott’s first away from North America. The 27-year-old has signed with the Straubing Tigers of the DEL. Scott parlayed a successful final season with the Barrie Colts in the OHL and an exceptional 17 goals in 15 games playoff run into a an entry-level contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets. Scott was solid in his first season in the AHL, scoring 13 goals and 23 points in 53 games. While he endured a difficult sophomore slump, Scott quickly grew into a reliable regular for the Monsters and by his finals season there he was wearing a letter on his jersey and scoring 16 goals and 34 points in 76 games. Scott didn’t fare nearly as well in his one season with a different AHL club, the Colorado Eagles, scoring just 11 points in 53 games. Now he’s off to Germany, where he could end up an important all-around player for a club looking to make a deep playoff run after losing in Game Seven of the DEL Quarterfinals to Wolfsburg.
  • While the Tigers bring in one import player in Scott, they lose another as Canadian defenseman Trent Bourque signed a contract with Tingsryds AIF of HockeyAllsvenskan, the second tier of Swedish pro hockey. The former St. Louis Blues draft pick has spent parts of the last two seasons in the DEL with the Tigers, though he didn’t feature in the team’s playoff push or series against Wolfsburg. The six-foot-two 25-year-old former OHL mainstay began his pro career in the ECHL but couldn’t quite find his footing during AHL call-ups, leading to a move to Europe. With this new contract, Bourque is set to help Tingsryds in their attempt to avoid relegation to third-tier HockeyEttan after only narrowly avoiding that fate in 2022-23.
  • Tikhon Chayka is beginning his pro career after two seasons as the number-one goalie for the Prince Albert Raiders in the WHL. Chayka, who turns 20 in August, signed with Dynamo Minsk in his native Belarus. While Chayka is highly unlikely to feature in the KHL immediately, he was decent in his two seasons in the WHL. While his numbers declined in 2022-23, he had a solid .904 save percentage in 51 games in 2021-22. He could be in line to see time in the crease in Minsk once the incumbent starting goalie, Philadelphia Flyers prospect Alexei Kolosov, heads to North America to begin his recently-signed entry-level deal.
  • After four seasons at Canisius College, 24-year-old defenseman Lincoln Erne is turning pro. He’s signed a one-year ECHL contract with the Tulsa Oilers, and heads to Oklahoma after a strong senior collegiate campaign. Erne led Canisius to the NCAA Tournament and an AHA conference championship. The minutes-eating defensive defenseman doesn’t have much of an offensive game but will hope to bring his trademark physicality, size, and defensive responsibility to Tulsa and begin to climb the ladder of North American pro hockey.
  • After three seasons in the ECHL, former Boston College defenseman Luke McInnis is changing teams for the first time. The 24-year-old blueliner signed a contract with the Indy Fuel, confirming his exit from the Orlando Solar Bears, his club of the last three years. The Fuel acquired McInnis’ rights from Orlando in a trade last month, targeting the undersized defenseman after he ranked second among Solar Bears blueliners with 25 points in just 45 games. While the Solar Bears endured a difficult campaign, the Fuel made the ECHL playoffs and have now added some defensive reinforcements for next season.
  • Former Minnesota Wild prospect Gustav Bouramman has signed a one-year contract extension with his current club, the Graz99ers of the ICEHL. The deal lands Bouramman a second campaign in Austria, marking the first time in his professional career that he’s spent consecutive campaigns with the same organization. Bouramman overcame some early injuries to score 18 points in 31 ICEHL games, helping Graz reach the postseason. Before he landed in the ICEHL Bouramman spent three years playing in the HockeyAllsvenskan, and before that point he began his pro career as a regular on the blueline of the Rapid City Rush in the ECHL.
  • The EIHL’s Guildford Flames have secured the services of bruising defenseman Kyle Locke for a third campaign, inking him to a one-year extension. Called “probably the most significant physical presence” on the Flames’ roster by his head coach, Locke has logged 133 total games for Guildford and helped them to the EIHL playoffs in back-to-back years. He’s combined for 147 career penalty minutes in his career in the EIHL, and will now continue his career in England as the most menacing player on the Guildford defense.

AHL Transactions Ledger: 07/14/23

at CDT | by 1 Comment

Welcome to today’s edition of the AHL Transactions Ledger as we continue to summarize all the off-season player movements in the NHL’s primary feeder league. As affiliates gear up for the upcoming season, front offices across the league are hard at work, fine-tuning their rosters and adding supplemental pieces to the nucleus of each team – their NHL parent’s top prospects. As always, here’s a full list of today’s noteworthy signings, trades, and other transactions in the AHL:

  • Czech defenseman Filip Kral has signed a one-year contract with the Pelicans in the Finnish Liiga, departing the Toronto Marlies after the Maple Leafs did not issue him a qualifying offer last month. The 23-year-old now heads to one of the top teams in Finland after playing a total of 92 games with the Marlies across the past three seasons, recording seven goals and 22 assists. Kral made his NHL debut last season after injuries decimated Toronto’s defense early on, playing a very limited role in two games on the team’s West Coast road trip in late October 2022. A two-way defenseman who excels in playing the puck in tight spaces, Kral was Toronto’s fifth-round selection in the 2018 NHL Draft.

While they did lose Kral, the Marlies went a long way toward filling out next year’s depth, signing six players out of the junior and college ranks to one-year deals:

  • Diminutive forward Jackson Berezowski, 21, turns pro after playing his entire junior career with the WHL’s Everett Silvertips, amassing 232 goals and 102 assists in 273 games. He leaves as the franchise’s all-time leading goal scorer and served as team captain since 2021. Last season, he recorded career highs with 48 goals and 81 points, tying for the WHL lead in power-play goals with 22.
  • 24-year-old Brock Caufield, the older brother of Montreal Canadiens star sniper Cole Caufield, heads to the Marlies after appearing in 172 games for the University of Wisconsin over five seasons, totaling 33 goals and 41 assists. Born in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, Caufield was part of the Wisconsin team that won the Big Ten regular-season championship in the 2020-21 season. A winger like his brother, Caufield will look to leverage a strong finish to his collegiate career into a full-time AHL role with the Marlies in 2023-24.
  • Forward Neil Shea, 23, spent last season with Sacred Heart University, recording 30 points in 37 games. The Marshfield, Massachusetts-born Shea earned a spot on the Atlantic Hockey First All-Star Team and also appeared in six games with the AHL’s Chicago Wolves on a tryout after his collegiate season concluded. Shea split his NCAA career between Sacred Heart and Northeastern University, collecting a total of 27 goals and 40 assists in 123 games.
  • 5-foot-9 forward Tate Singleton, 24, recently completed his college career at Ohio State University, playing 140 games and contributing 33 goals and 37 assists. In the 2022-23 season, Singleton achieved career highs with 11 goals and 16 assists. Like the others, he’ll look to leverage a strong finish to his collegiate career to win one of the limited spots available on the Marlies and avoid assignment to the ECHL’s Newfoundland Growlers.
  • The only NHL-drafted player on this list is 23-year-old left wing Tyler Weiss, whose signing rights with the Colorado Avalanche are set to lapse by August 15 if he doesn’t sign an entry-level contract. The 109th overall pick in the 2018 NHL Draft played 159 games during his collegiate career with the University of Nebraska-Omaha, amassing 116 points over five seasons.
  • Last but not least is 21-year-old right-shot defender Nolan Dillingham, who spent the past season with the OHL’s Sarnia Sting, recording six goals and eight assists in 45 games. The Ontario-born defender has good size at 6-foot-1 and 201 pounds and served as Sarnia’s captain last season. He’ll aim to embark on a pro career with his hometown Marlies, but given their deep blueline, Dillingham is the most likely player on this list to play out next year in the ECHL.

This page will be updated throughout the day.

Minor Transactions: 07/13/23

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

While activity on the NHL free agent market has slowed to a crawl, as most notable free agents have found their team for next season, there’s still quite a bit of player movement outside the world’s top league. As always, we’ll keep track of notable transactions made by teams in minor and foreign professional leagues here.

  • 2010 Florida Panthers first-round pick Quinton Howden is set to play for Vasterviks IK in HockeyAllsvenskan, according to a report from Expressen’s Johan Svensson. The 31-year-old has had quite the journey since leaving the North American pro circuit for the 2017-18 season. He’s played in Belarus, Russia, Germany, Finland, France, and now returns to Sweden to play there for a second time. He finished last season with Grenoble in France’s Ligue Magnus, managing just three points in 12 playoff games for the club. Now he’ll look to help Vasterviks compete in a highly competitive league full of clubs vying for promotion to the SHL.
  • Liam Finlay, an ECHL All-Star as a rookie, has signed a contract extension to remain with the Allen Americans. Finlay, 26, is an undersized forward who has had a successful pro career since leaving the University of Denver. Finlay has been a productive contributor in the DEL2, Slovak league, and Finnish Mestis, and scored 33 goals and 70 points in his 54-game ECHL rookie season. Now, he’ll remain with the Americans and will look to take home a Kelly Cup championship next season.
  • The DEL2’s leading scorer, former Toronto Maple Leaf Marcel Muller, has signed a contract with the DEL’s Straubing Tigers. He’ll return to Germany’s top division after scoring 70 points in 50 games for the Krefeld Pinguine in the second division. While he couldn’t lead his club to promotion he himself made his way back to the league where he’s scored 352 points in 541 career games.
  • Former Tucson Roadrunner Trevor Cheek has left HockeyAllvenskan after two seasons to join the ICEHL’s Vienna Capitals. The 30-year-old Canadian forward racked up the most penalty minutes in HockeyAllsvenskan in 2021-22 and scored 59 points in 85 games across two seasons. Cheek was a productive player at the ECHL level and now heads to the Austrian capital looking to bring some grit and scoring ability to the ICEHL semifinalists.
  • After a productive ECHL rookie season, longtime Ohio State Buckeye Quinn Preston has made the choice to cross the Atlantic and sign with the EIHL’s Belfast Giants. Preston, 25, heads to Northern Ireland after his first full season as a professional. He scored 23 goals and 61 points in just 62 games for the Wichita Thunder, and he brings leadership value having served as an alternate captain for his final two seasons as a Buckeye. He’ll bring those positive qualities to the reigning EIHL champions with the hope of helping them defend their title next season.
  • Two-time NCAA Men’s Hockey national champion Louie Roehl has signed a one-year contract extension with the ECHL’s Wheeling Nailers. 2022-23 was Roehl’s first campaign as a professional hockey player, and he got into 60 games for the Nailers and scored 24 points. The five-foot-ten right-shot blueliner was a steady presence on head coach Derek Army’s blueline and his quality play has secured him another year on the squad.
  • The ECHL’s Fort Wayne Komets have signed two players to one-year ECHL contracts: forwards Parker Saretsky and Kamerin Nault. For Saretsky, 24, this deal is his first professional contract and finalizes where he’ll be beginning his career as a professional hockey player. Saretsky just concluded a four-year NCAA career at Michigan Tech, setting a career-high with 20 points in 39 games as a senior. As for Nault, 27, he’s already got 108 ECHL games under his belt and arrives with the Comets after finishing last season in Scotland with the EIHL’s Fife Flyers.
  • Former Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Andrew Nielsen has signed with the ECHL’s Trois-Rivieres Lions. The 65th overall pick at the 2015 NHL draft, Nielsen never quite lived up to the hype he generated after his rookie season in the AHL. The hefty six-foot-four, 230 pound Western Canadian blueliner scored 14 goals and 39 points in 74 games as an AHL rookie, and added 82 penalty minutes on top of that. Although he won a Calder Cup the following season Nielsen has gone from promising young AHLer to ECHLer and AHL call-up option. Nielsen did have a strong season last year with the Utah Grizzlies, though, reaching the ECHL All-Star Game and registering 41 points and 166 PIMs in 47 games. He earned three AHL call-ups and 10 AHL games last season and will look to lead the blueline in Trois-Rivieres next season.

This page may be updated throughout the day. 

New York Islanders Name Rick Kowalsky Head Coach Of AHL Affiliate

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The New York Islanders have promoted Rick Kowalsky to the role of head coach of the Bridgeport Islanders, their AHL affiliate.

Kowalsky has served as an assistant coach in Bridgeport for the last two seasons, and now with former Bridgeport bench boss Brent Thompson off to the Anaheim Ducks, Kowalsky has been tapped to lead the Islanders’ AHL development efforts.

Kowalsky, 51, has prior experience as a head coach in the AHL. He led the New Jersey Devils’ AHL affiliate for eight seasons. In that span, Kowalsky’s teams posted a combined 281-249-82 record.

Although he only made the AHL playoffs three times with the Devils and won just one playoff series in eight seasons, Kowalsky’s teams produced some players who would go on to establish themselves in the NHL. Players such as Adam Henrique, Blake Coleman, Mackenzie Blackwood, Kevin Rooney, and Scott Wedgewood each spent time developing under Kowalsky and went on to become legitimate NHLers.

After a difficult 2017-18 season, Kowalsky moved to a role as an assistant coach with the Devils’ NHL squad, and helped shepherd them through some rebuilding seasons. Now, after two seasons spent as an assistant in Bridgeport, Kowalsky will have a second chance to lead an AHL team and will look to deliver NHL talent to Long Island.

The Islanders have some promising prospects set to play in the AHL, such as William Dufour, Ruslan Iskhakov, and Matt Maggio. The hope will be that Kowalsky can help those players develop and build towards NHL readiness.

AHL Transactions Ledger: 07/13/23

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

A busy summer in the minors continues with AHL teams loading up on talent to supplement their players on loan from their NHL parents. We’re keeping a list of today’s moves across the second-best league this side of the Atlantic here:

  • The Hartford Wolf Pack have agreed to terms with defenseman Zach Berzolla on a one-year deal, the team announced Thursday. The move marks his second stint as a member of the Wolf Pack, where he played eight games in 2021-22 and scored one goal. He spent last season mainly with the ECHL’s Cincinnati Cyclones while on an AHL contract with the Rochester Americans, finishing second among Cyclones defenders in scoring with six goals and 19 assists for 25 points in 56 games. The 6-foot-2, 196-pound defenseman is likely destined for ECHL assignment again, heading back to Cincinnati after the Cyclones entered an affiliation agreement with the Wolf Pack and New York Rangers earlier this summer.
  • The Rochester Americans signed former Minnesota Wild prospect Damien Giroux to a one-year contract today. The 2018 fifth-round pick made his NHL debut last season, notching an assist in an April 13th overtime loss to the Nashville Predators. After scoring just three goals in 67 AHL games, however, the Wild opted not to issue him a qualifying offer with his contract expiring this summer, making him an unrestricted free agent. The former captain of the OHL’s Saginaw Spirit still managed 22 points in the minors this season, though, placing him eighth on the Iowa Wild.
  • The Rockford IceHogs have signed center Seamus Malone to a one-year, AHL contract, according to a team announcement. Malone, 27, is a former Wisconsin Badger who has spent the last three seasons with the Indy Fuel of the ECHL. Malone has scored 97 points in 110 games over the last two seasons and made his first ECHL All-Star game last year. While Malone hasn’t yet had much success at the AHL level (he has eight points in 41 career games in the American League) the IceHogs are hoping Malone’s recent exceptional ECHL performance will translate to the next level.
  • The Henderson Silver Knights signed 27-year-old defenseman Peter Tischke to a one-year AHL contract, according to a team announcement. Tischke spent last season with the Rochester Americans, skating in 24 games and notching four points. He’s played 78 career games at the AHL level and has 56 career games in the ECHL, almost entirely from 2019-20, his first campaign as a professional hockey player. The four-year Wisconsin Badger will now compete for a role on new head coach Ryan Craig’s Silver Knights blueline.
  • The Milwaukee Admirals have added defenseman Griffin Luce from the Springfield Thunderbirds on a one-year AHL contract. The 25-year-old is a six-foot-three physical presence who played four seasons at the University of Michigan before working his way into the AHL after starting in the East Coast league. Luce only played in 19 games last season but managed 45 games in 2021-22, and he even played in two playoff games as the Thunderbirds made a run to the Calder Cup Finals.
  • Former Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Eric Hjorth is reportedly signing a contract with the AHL’s Laval Rocket, according to Uffe Bodin of Hockeysverige. Hjorth, 22, was a fourth-round pick of Columbus at the 2019 draft, and the team allowed their exclusive rights to sign him elapse rather than sign him to an entry-level deal. Hjorth is a six-foot-one right-shot blueliner who has played the last two seasons in HockeyAllsvenskan, Sweden’s second division. The Canadiens could have a relatively crowded AHL blueline due to prospects graduating from junior leagues, so Hjorth could be more likely to play with their ECHL affiliate in Trois-Rivieres than in Laval itself.

This page will be updated throughout the day.

Montreal Canadiens Sign Nicolas Beaudin, Lucas Condotta

at CDT | by 1 Comment

The Montreal Canadiens have signed a pair of depth players this morning, inking defenseman Nicolas Beaudin to a one-year, two-way contract and forward Lucas Condotta to a two-year, two-way contract.

CapFriendly reports Beaudin’s contract has an NHL salary of $775K, an AHL salary of $90K, and a minimum guaranteed salary of $110K. Condotta’s compensation hasn’t been reported yet.

A 2018 first-round pick, Beaudin found himself in the Canadiens organization this season after they acquired him from the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for minor-league forward Cameron Hillis just weeks into the campaign. The move has since panned out extremely well for both Beaudin and the Habs.

The 23-year-old defenseman had gone through some troubles adjusting to the pro game while in Chicago, issues undoubtedly exacerbated by the inconsistencies of playing time during the COVID-19 pandemic. He’s also got a rather slight frame, standing at just 5-foot-11 and 168 pounds.

But things took off for the left-shot defender with the AHL’s Laval Rocket, where he scored twice and added 23 assists for 25 points in 39 games after the trade, trouncing last season’s offensive production. He saw some limited minutes at even strength, but he dominated them defensively – per data from Pick224, he was on the ice for just 16 goals at even strength in 42 total AHL games last year. He’s not expected to earn a spot with the Canadiens out of camp, but do look for him to take on an increased role in Laval next year.

The 25-year-old Condotta, meanwhile, made his NHL debut last April against the Boston Bruins, scoring a goal in the process. An undrafted free agent signing out of the University of Massachusetts-Lowell, Condotta scored 16 goals and 15 assists for 31 points in 72 games with the Rocket in his first full pro season in 2022-23. He did so largely in a bottom-six role in the minors, where he’ll likely stick around as some younger and higher-ceiling Canadiens prospects take precedence.

Beaudin will be a restricted free agent again at the end of his deal, while Condotta’s extension walks him to unrestricted free agency in 2025.

AHL Transactions Ledger: 07/12/23

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The AHL remains a hotbed of activity as teams actively maneuver during this bustling offseason. From signing intriguing prospects passed over by NHL teams to adding seasoned veterans, AHL organizations are diligently fortifying their rosters, providing crucial support to their NHL affiliates. Today marks yet another day of action across the league, building upon the flurry of acquisitions witnessed in recent days. Here’s a compilation of all the notable moves that unfolded today as teams shape their squads in preparation for the upcoming season.

  • Forward Gabriel Bourque has reached an agreement with the Laval Rocket, the affiliate of the Montreal Canadiens, on a one-year, one-way contract for the 2023-24 season. The 32-year-old, standing at 5-foot-9 and weighing 200 pounds, tied for ninth on Laval in scoring last season, notching 14 goals and 17 assists in 66 games. Given his status as the oldest and most experienced skater on the roster, Bourque assumed the role of captain for the Rocket from February 2023 through the Calder Cup playoffs after Montreal recalled then-captain Alex Belzile to finish the season in the NHL. With 413 NHL games and 321 AHL games under his belt in his career, the seasoned winger is set to embark on his third consecutive season with the Rocket after not suiting up during the 2020-21 campaign.
  • The Hartford Wolf Pack, the affiliate of the New York Rangers, has announced the signing of defenseman Seth Barton and forward Drew Worrad to one-year contracts. Both players spent last season in the Detroit Red Wings organization, mainly with the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins. Barton, 23, recorded two goals and three assists in 36 AHL games and two goals and six assists in ten games for the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye. He shone through in Toledo in the 2023 Kelly Cup Playoffs, impressing with 13 points (one goal, 12 assists) in 13 games. Selected 81st overall in the third round of the 2018 NHL Draft by the Red Wings, Barton has now amassed 12 career points (three goals, nine assists) in 60 AHL games over the past three seasons.
  • Meanwhile, Worrad, 26, also split his time between the Griffins and the Walleye in the 2022-23 season. In 47 AHL games, he contributed just two goals and two assists but excelled in the ECHL with 25 points (10 goals, 15 assists) in 25 games. Like Barton, Worrad continued to post solid numbers with Toledo in the Kelly Cup Playoffs, amassing five goals and three assists in 13 games.

This page will be updated throughout the day. 

AHL Transaction Ledger: 07/11/23

at CDT | by 1 Comment

The AHL continues making moves in one of its busiest periods of the year. These signings include both promising young players and experienced veterans, as AHL teams aim to bolster their rosters and provide valuable support to their NHL affiliated-players. Today continues to be a flurry of activity in the league, adding to the numerous acquisitions made over the past few days. Here’s a comprehensive list of all the moves that took place today as teams continue to shape their squads for the upcoming season:

  • The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins have signed hulking 6-foot-7 center Austin Rueschhoff for the 2023-24 season. Rueschhoff has played 134 AHL games thus far in his pro career, accumulating 24 goals and 28 assists for 52 points. Starting out with the Hartford Wolf Pack in 2020-21 after signing an entry-level deal with the New York Rangers, he then led the team’s rookies with 14 goals in 2021-22 and then joined the Milwaukee Admirals late this season as part of a minor swap between the Rangers and Nashville Predators. In the Calder Cup Playoffs, Rueschhoff contributed five points (three goals, two assists) in 15 games for Milwaukee.
  • While the Penguins organization gained one player today, they also lost one to the Rockford IceHogs, as they’ve signed defenseman Josh Maniscalco to a one-year contract. The 24-year-old from Perkiomenville, Pennsylvania, set a career-high in games played with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton last season, recording four points (two goals, two assists) and a +4 rating. He spent most of the season with the Wheeling Nailers in the ECHL, though, where he’s truly excelled the past two seasons. In 2021-22, Maniscalco earned ECHL All-Rookie Team and ECHL Second All-Star Team honors after tallying 53 points (17 goals, 36 assists) in 64 games and contributing seven points (three goals, four assists) en route to a Division Final loss in the Kelly Cup Playoffs.

This page will be updated throughout the day.

AHL Transaction Ledger: 07/10/23

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

With NHL rosters quickly getting filled up after free agency opened at the beginning of the month, we’re entering one of the busiest times of the year for the AHL. Players are now flocking to the minors for playing security next season, allowing AHL teams to snap up promising young talents and veteran players alike as they round out their complementary players to their NHL affiliate’s prospects and farmhands. AHL teams have been busy acquiring talent this morning, so we’re listing all of today’s moves in the league:

  • After getting his NHL contract with the New York Islanders mutually terminated, reigning AHL goal-scoring leader Andy Andreoff has officially left the North American pro circuit for KHL club Sibir Novosibirsk, signing a one-year contract. An alternate captain for the Bridgeport Islanders during his two seasons there, Andreoff’s 37 goals in 69 games were good enough to capture the league’s Willie Marshall Award for the first time in his career. This will be the 32-year-old’s first overseas experience, as the Canadian-born center developed through the OHL before beginning his pro career with the Los Angeles Kings organization in 2012.
  • Czech defenseman Andrej Sustr is joining Andreoff in heading overseas, signing a contract for 2023-24 with DEL side Kolner Haie. The veteran of 362 NHL games spent all of 2022-23 in the minors, posting three goals, 11 assists, 14 points, and a +8 rating in 51 games split between the Iowa Wild and San Diego Gulls. His NHL negotiating rights were temporarily dealt from the Anaheim Ducks to the San Jose Sharks at the end of last month, but the UFA has opted to return to Europe for his first overseas experience since spending two years in China with Kunlun Red Star from 2019 to 2021.
  • KHL club Dinamo Minsk joins Novosibirsk in nabbing some AHL talent today, inking forward Sam Anas and defenseman Yanni Kaldis to one-year deals. The 30-year-old Anas has played the last seven seasons exclusively in the AHL, accumulating 398 games of experience without ever receiving an NHL chance. The 2019-20 league leader in assists is fresh off a Calder Cup victory with the Hershey Bears, where he notched 12 points in 20 games of postseason play. Kaldis, 27, had spent the last three seasons with the Bakersfield Condors, where he registered 13 goals, 51 assists, 64 points, and a -2 rating in 132 games.
  • The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins have signed one of their parent club’s unsigned prospects to a one-year deal for 2023-24, getting Austrian defender Thimo Nickl under contract. A 2020 fourth-round selection of the Anaheim Ducks, Pittsburgh acquired the 21-year-old defender’s signing rights in a minor swap at the end of March 2023. Nickl spent the last two seasons with AIK in the Swedish HockeyAllsvenskan, amassing 18 points and a -14 rating in 85 games. He’s a likely candidate for ECHL assignment and could spend a large portion of next season with the Wheeling Nailers.
  • The Hartford Wolf Pack have signed Canadian free agent forward Sahil Panwar to a one-year contract after he concluded his junior career in 2022-23. The 21-year-old exploded offensively after a mid-season move in the OHL to the Hamilton Bulldogs, where he would finish third on the team in scoring with 21 goals and 52 points despite playing just 34 games. A very late bloomer, Panwar also attended the New York Rangers’ recent development camp on an invitation basis.
  • Canadian defenseman Devante Stephens is returning to the Syracuse Crunch on a one-year contract. The 26-year-old registered 17 points in 64 appearances for the Crunch between 2019 and 2021, but spent the last two seasons with the Abbotsford Canucks and Tucson Roadrunners. A responsible bottom-of-the-lineup defender, he should compete for an everyday role in Syracuse among the Tampa Bay Lightning’s thin organizational defensive depth.
  • Nine players are heading to the AHL’s Chicago Wolves, who are filling out their roster completely by themselves as they will not have an NHL affiliate next season. Forwards Peter Abbandonato, Hudson Elynuik, Kyle Marino, Cole Schneider, and Chris Terry, defensemen Tory Dello and Tyson Feist, and goaltender Adam Scheel have all signed one-year deals. The headliners here are Marino, who will rejoin the team in a bottom-six role after appearing in their 2022 Calder Cup championship run, and a pair of forwards with some limited NHL experience in Schneider and Terry. The Wolves now have 12 forwards, four defensemen, and one goalie signed to their roster for next season, so they still have a fair bit of work to do until their full complement of players is set.
  • A former second-round pick, Tyler Benson, has signed a one-year agreement with the AHL affiliate of the Vegas Golden Knights, the Henderson Silver Knights. The Silver Knights are getting an above-average player in Benson, as he scored 176 points in 217 career games with the Bakersfield Condors. During the 2020-21 season, although there were no Calder Cup playoffs due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the AHL’s Pacific Division did have playoffs, and Benson was on the Condors team that defeated the Silver Knights in the finals.
  • The Utica Comets, an AHL affiliate of the New Jersey Devils, announced a trio of signings today, adding Ryan Fitzgerald, Yushiroh Hirano, and Eric Cooley to AHL contracts today. Fitzgerald is the most recognizable of the group, spending the last three seasons with the Philadelphia Flyers AHL affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. In 45 games played over the last three years, Fitzgerald has 13 goals and 10 assists. Fitzgerald is the son of the Devils’ General Manager, Tom Fitzgerald.
  • The Manitoba Moose have signed forward C.J. Suess to a two-year contract, giving him playing security through 2025. Once a prospect of Manitoba’s parent club, the Winnipeg Jets, Suess spent last season in the San Jose Sharks organization, where he tallied 10 goals and 12 assists for 22 points in 46 games with the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda and made one NHL appearance for the Sharks. The 2014 fifth-round pick previously amassed 166 games with the Moose during his time in the Jets organization, recording 45 goals and 83 points.

Sabres Notes: Free Agency, Wahlberg, Amerks

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

While Buffalo was active on the opening day of free agency, their NHL signings were on the back end with the pickups of Erik Johnson and Connor Clifton.  However, GM Kevyn Adams told reporters including Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald that they were also looking to make an addition up front and even got close to one before it fell through.  With Jack Quinn tearing his Achilles tendon in offseason training which will keep him out for a couple of months in-season at least, there’s now an open spot on the wing that they could have been looking to fill on a short-term deal.  With that in mind, the Sabres are a team to keep an eye out on as the UFA market slows down; perhaps a bargain option will present itself later in the summer.  Alternatively, Quinn’s injury could also put a possible Victor Olofsson swap on hold.

More from Buffalo:

  • Last month, the Sabres selected center Anton Wahlberg with the 39th selection in the draft.  Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News relays that Buffalo tried to trade for a second first-round pick without success and then tried to trade up in the second round (also without success) to secure Wahlberg, who was clearly rated much higher on their list.  Wahlberg was close to a point-per-game player in Sweden’s junior level last season and is poised to have a full-time spot with Malmo of the SHL in 2023-24.
  • Buffalo’s AHL affiliate in Rochester brought back three veterans yesterday, announcing the re-signings of forwards Mason Jobst and Brendan Warren along with goaltender Michael Houser on minor-league deals. Jobst had a career-best 38 points in 63 games for the Amerks last season while Warren chipped in with seven in 43 contests before putting up five in seven playoff appearances.  As for Houser, he had a 2.80 GAA with a .906 SV% in 21 appearances while having his contract converted to an NHL one for the third year in a row back in February.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

scroll to top