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San Jose Sharks Reassign Adam Raska

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April 11: San Jose reassigned Raska to the Barracuda today, per the team, ending his five-day stint with the team. The 21-year-old recorded blanks across the board in three games, including an even plus/minus rating, while registering just one shot on goal and 13 hits.

April 6: The San Jose Sharks have added another young forward to their group, recalling Adam Raska from the AHL. He’ll join them ahead of tonight’s game against the Colorado Avalanche, with four more matches following it before the end of the season.

Raska, 21, is not your standard late-season call-up. While these games are often filled with high-scoring youngsters, trying to get their feet wet at the professional level, Raska is an in-your-face bottom-sixer that has shown very little offensive upside in the AHL.

Through 53 games for the San Jose Barracuda this season, he has just four goals and 11 points, while racking up 121 penalty minutes. That includes six fighting majors, as the young forward never backs down from a confrontation.

An easy player to root for, Raska was a seventh-round pick in 2020 that plays with unlimited energy. During his five-game stint with the Sharks last season, he racked up 15 hits and fought veteran defenseman, Mark Giordano.

While the likes of William Eklund and Thomas Bordeleau may be the future of the team’s offense, Raska could have a role as a fourth-liner soon.

East Notes: Samoskevich, Kulikov, Maple Leafs

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Another star player from the University of Michigan will be joining the AHL, as Colby Guy of Florida Hockey Now reports that Mackie Samoskevich will be joining the Charlotte Checkers on an amateur tryout agreement for the rest of the season. Samoskevich was drafted 24th overall by the Florida Panthers in the Michigan-loaded 2021 NHL Draft.

Featuring such players as Matthew Beniers, Owen Power, Kent Johnson, and Luke Hughes, among others, Samoskevich was a part of one of the most star-studded NCAA teams of all time. In the 2021 NHL Draft, four of the top five picks were products of the University of Michigan, and Samoskevich would make five total players drafted in the first round altogether.

Helping the team to two straight Frozen Four appearances, Samoskevich’s freshman season included 40 games played, tallying 10 goals and 19 assists. This season, showing steady progression, Samoskevich played in 39 games, scoring a total of 20 goals and 23 assists.

In joining the Checkers, Samoskevich will continue his run in the postseason, as the team has already clinched a spot in the Calder Cup playoffs. If the season ended today, the team would play the St.Louis Blues AHL affiliate Springfield Thunderbirds in a best-of-three opening round.

Other notes from the Eastern Conference:

  • Before tonight’s important game against the Chicago Blackhawks, a trade deadline acquisition of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Dmitry Kulikov, is expected to be in the lineup. After 14 games on the long-term injured reserve, Seth Rorabaugh of Tribune-Review Sports reports that after dealing with a suspected foot injury, Kulikov will be returning to the Penguins. Kulikov has only managed four games in Pittsburgh since being acquired from the Anaheim Ducks, and now currently on the outside looking in for the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs, the Penguins could certainly use all the help they can get to win their final two games.
  • In the last 48 hours, the Toronto Maple Leafs have had one of the most interesting goaltending carousels of all season. After recently signing both Jett Alexander and Nick Chenard for one game each to be backup goaltender, Chris Johnston of TSN reported that two new unknown goalies were seen at Toronto’s practice this morning. Later on, Jeff Marek of Sportsnet mentioned that one of the mystery goaltenders may be Windsor Spitfires product Matt Onuska. Fortunately for the Maple Leafs, the dust has completely settled, as Jonas Siegel from The Athletic reports that Toronto has been able to emergency recall goaltender Joseph Woll, and he is on the active roster for tonight’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Philadelphia Flyers Recall Adam Ginning

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The Philadelphia Flyers have nothing much to play for in the last few days of the season, so another prospect will get his first chance in the NHL. Adam Ginning has been recalled from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms for the first time in his career.

Ginning, 23, has played the stable stay-at-home role for years now, both in Sweden and now in the minor leagues. The 6’3″ defenseman entered professional hockey as a teenager, and played an incredibly simple, physical game in his own end. That pleased coaches and kept him rising draft boards, despite only scoring 29 points in a 216-game SHL career.

This year, in the AHL, he’s done much of the same. Acting as the defensive balance to Ronnie Attard’s offensive game, Ginning has been outstanding, adding 19 points and 61 penalty minutes. His +25 rating easily leads the club, and while that is partly due to the talent around him, Ginning’s defensive play has warranted attention.

He’ll get it, in the form of an NHL call-up and potential debut. For a head coach like John Tortorella, who values effort over everything, Ginning’s game should fit in well. Whether he can keep up with the NHL speed and skill, however, remains to be seen.

Given the changes expected in Philadelphia this offseason, there could be a lot more playing time coming for young talents like Ginning. A showcase over the last few days of the season could go a long way to securing him some time on the roster in 2023-24.

Ottawa Senators Recall Max Guenette

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The average seventh-round pick doesn’t even earn a contract, let alone sniff the NHL. That’s why the performance this season from Max Guenette has been so impressive. The young defenseman has been rewarded for his play with a recall to the Ottawa Senators and a potential NHL debut in the next few days.

Guenette, 21, was the 187th overall pick in 2019, and less than two years into his professional career, is already up with the big club. The right-shot defenseman scored 38 points in 69 games in the AHL, leading all Belleville Senators defensemen.

Ottawa has reassigned Jacob Bernard-Docker to make room on the NHL roster, a move that suggests Guenette will make his debut at some point. When he does, it will mean the entire 2019 Senators draft class will have played at least once in the league.

Lassi Thomson, Shane Pinto, Mads Sogaard—the team’s first three picks that year—all look like significant building blocks. Viktor Lodin and Mark Kastelic, the next two, are organizational depth. The future for Guenette is a little more unclear after his strong performance this season. He’ll get a chance to show he’s more than just a seventh-rounder.

Simon Edvinsson Returned To AHL

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After playing nine games with the Detroit Red Wings, Simon Edvinsson returns to the minor leagues. By sending him down now, the team will avoid burning the first year of his entry-level contract. In his place, the team has recalled Danny O’Regan under emergency conditions.

Edvinsson, 20, is in his first year of North American hockey, spending most of the season with the Grand Rapids Griffins. In 51 AHL contests, the 2021 sixth-overall pick recorded 27 points, and generally showed off the top-pairing potential many have tabbed him with.

In nine games with Detroit, the young defender managed to score two goals but was caught behind the speed of the NHL at times, resulting in six minor penalties. He has plenty of time to adjust to that transition as he prepares to battle for a full-time spot next fall.

The Red Wings’ season has not gone according to plan, as they find themselves seventh in the Atlantic Division, well out of a playoff spot. It appeared at times like they were turning a corner on the rebuild, but ended up selling some key pieces at the deadline.

Now, after giving Edvinsson and other young players like Marco Kasper a taste of the NHL, they’ll try to position themselves as a playoff contender for 2023-24.

Predators Reassign Kevin Gravel

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Apr 10: The Nashville Predators announced Kevin Gravel has once again been reassigned to the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals after serving as a healthy scratch in Saturday night’s game.

Apr 8: Defenseman Kevin Gravel has been no stranger to being recalled this season and he is once again rejoining the Predators as Nashville has recalled him from AHL Milwaukee, per the AHL’s transactions log.

It is the seventh promotion of the season for the 31-year-old, all of which have been on an emergency basis.  The recall is needed with four blueliners – Roman Josi, Alexandre Carrier, Jeremy Lauzon, and Mark Borowiecki – all banged up and the team hesitating to play college free agent signing Jake Livingstone in a regular role while the Predators remain in the hunt for a playoff spot; they’re one point out of the final Wild Card spot with four games left in their season.

Gravel has played in 23 games with Nashville this season, picking up an assist along with 36 blocked shots and 23 hits while averaging a little over 14 minutes on the back end.  It has been his first taste of NHL action since getting into three games with Toronto back in 2019-20.  Gravel will likely reprise his typical third pairing role in what is basically a must-win game against Winnipeg tonight.

Minor Goalie Notes: Portillo, Boyko, Chenard

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The Los Angeles Kings’ top minor league affiliate, the Ontario Reign, has announced the signing of Erik Portillo to an amateur tryout agreement. Portillo just finished his junior season at the University of Michigan, losing to the eventual champions, Quinnipiac University, in the Frozen Four Tournament.

Portillo was originally a draftee of the Buffalo Sabres, getting selected 67th overall in the 2019 NHL Draft. Once it became clear that Portillo would not be signing a contract in Buffalo, the team traded his rights to the Kings this season for a third-round pick in 2023.

Being the primary starter in his last two seasons at Michigan, Portillo was exceptional between the pipes for the historical Big 10 organization. Last year, Portillo played in 42 contests, posting a record of 31-10-1, carrying a SV% of .926 and a GAA of 2.14. This season, posting slightly worse numbers, he had a record of 25-11-2, securing a SV% of .908 and a GAA of 3.00.

Now joining the Kings organization, Portillo has a legitimate shot at becoming a regular goaltender in Los Angeles. Trading away franchise-legend Jonathan Quick to the Columbus Blue Jackets this year (Quick was subsequently moved to the Vegas Golden Knights), the team is now carrying a tandem of Joonas Korpisalo and Pheonix Copley. The tandem has been good enough since the trade deadline to help the Kings secure a playoff spot, but Korpisalo is headed for unrestricted free agency this summer.

Other goalie notes:

  • Finishing off a five-season career in the WHL, goaltender Talyn Boyko has signed an amateur tryout agreement with the Hartford Wolf Pack of the AHL. Drafted 112th overall by the New York Rangers in the 2021 NHL Draft, Boyko, unfortunately, produced subpar numbers split between the Tri-City Americans and the Kelowna Rockets. Playing in 142 career games in major junior, he carried a record of 56-67-9, and a total SV% of .899. He did get some playoff starts as well, leading the Rockets to the WHL playoffs in 2022, losing 4-1 to the Seattle Thunderbirds in the opening round.
  • Fresh off the signing of Jett Alexander to an amateur tryout agreement, the Toronto Maple Leafs have signed Nick Chenard from the Owen Sound Attack to an amateur tryout agreement, and he will be a backup tonight for the Maple Leafs. This season, Chenard played in 35 games for the Attack, accruing a record of 14-16-2, carrying a GAA of 3.96 and a SV% of .873.

Minors Notes: Krebs, Maggio, Carroll, Biakabutuka

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The Washington Capitals AHL affiliate Hershey Bears poached the WHL today as they announced the signing of Dru Krebs from the Medicine Hat Tigers to an amateur tryout agreement. This will be the second time the young blue liner has signed an ATO with Hershey, signing in April of last year but never receiving any playing time.

Krebs has spent the last four seasons for the Tigers, getting drafted 176th overall in the 2021 NHL Draft by the Capitals after his first season in major junior. This season, by far his best, saw Krebs rack up 41 points, 33 of those assists, in a total of 67 games played. He helped the Tigers secure a playoff spot for the first time throughout his junior career, but they were quickly swept in the opening round by the Winnipeg ICE.

In total, Krebs accrued a total of 211 games played in the WHL, scoring 15 goals and 69 assists. Joining the Bears, he joins a team currently in first place in the AHL’s Atlantic Division, battling the Providence Bruins for the division title.

Other minor league notes:

  • Another signing from the CHL today, this time from the Ontario Hockey League, Matthew Maggio has signed an amateur tryout agreement with the New York Islander’s AHL affiliate Bridgeport Islanders. Originally drafted 142nd overall in the 2022 NHL Draft by the Islanders, Maggio has become one of the best young players in Ontario. In his draft year, Maggio scored 38 goals and 47 assists in 66 games, and followed that up this year with a 54-goal and 57-assist performance. He led the Windsor Spitfires to the OHL Finals last year, eventually losing to the Hamilton Bulldogs.
  •  The Henderson Silver Knights, an affiliate of the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights, announced the signing of defenseman Noah Carroll to a professional tryout agreement. Carroll spent five seasons with the University of New Brunswick of the USports League, winning championships in 2019 and 2023. Included in his resume is another five-year stretch in the OHL, playing for the Soo Greyhounds and the Guelph Storm from 2014-2018. In 88 games played for Canada’s top collegiate league, Carroll scored one goal and 17 assists.
  • The minor league affiliate of the Detroit Red Wings, Grand Rapids Griffins, has also joined the fray of signing CHL products, announcing the signing of defenseman Jérémie Biakabutuka to an amateur tryout agreement. Biakabutuka has spent the last five seasons in the QMJHL, split between the Val-d’Or Foreurs, Rimouski Océanic, and the Charlottetown Islanders. In 266 career games in major junior, Biakabutuka scored a total of 40 goals and 78 assists.

Boston Bruins Reassign Five Players

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April 10: All five have been returned to the AHL today.

April 9: The Boston Bruins have announced that five players have been recalled from their AHL affiliate, the Providence Bruins, on an emergency basis. The players are: Vinni Lettieri, Oskar Steen, Jack Ahcan, Connor Carrick, and Brandon Bussi.

The moves come as the Bruins deal with some lingering injury issues while having already clinched the President’s Trophy. While former Hart Trophy winner Taylor Hall has been activated off of LTIR and back on the ice, the Bruins placed two players on Long-Term Injured Reserve yesterday and have contributors such as David Krejci still on their active roster but out of the lineup.

Since the Bruins are taking on the Philadelphia Flyers on the second half of a back-to-back set of games today, these recalls give coach Jim Montgomery the breathing room he needs to rest certain veterans or at the very least avoid overworking certain players in order to cope with the injury-related absences.

For these recalls, only one has suited up in a game for the Bruins this season, Steen. The other four have played the whole season in Providence. Steen, 25, has already played for the Bruins twice this month and has played in three total NHL games this season, scoring one goal. The speedy Swedish forward has scored 14 goals and 31 points in 63 games for Providence.

The other forward to be recalled is the 28-year-old minor league veteran Lettieri. Lettieri scored 10 points in 31 games for the Anaheim Ducks last season and is an accomplished AHL scorer, with 225 career points in 264 games. This season, he’s leading all Providence regulars with 45 points in 45 games, and now has a chance to make his NHL debut this season on one of the winningest teams in league history.

The first of two defensemen to be recalled is the 25-year-old Ahcan, an undersized offensive defenseman who the Bruins signed as an undrafted free agent out of the NCAA’s St. Cloud State in 2020. Ahcan got off to a fast start to his pro career, scoring 10 points in 19 AHL games and earning three games in Boston with the Bruins.

The following season, 2021-22, Ahcan’s AHL performance was less consistent. But although he finished with an underwhelming 23 points in 46 games, he did manage to earn six NHL games.

Ahcan has taken a step forward this season and become Providence’s number-two scoring option from the back end, producing 31 points in 65 games.

Despite that increase in production, though, Ahcan hasn’t earned time on the Bruins’ roster until today.

The other defenseman to be recalled is Carrick, a veteran of nearly 250 NHL games. The 28-year-old was once seen as a promising up-and-coming blueliner in the Washington Capitals and Toronto Maple Leafs organizations, but a mix of major injuries and inconsistent performance scuttled his hopes of delivering on that promise in his early-to-mid twenties.

Despite that disappointment, Carrick has over the past two years established himself as a difference-making minor-league blueliner who can contribute on both ends of the ice and help his team make the playoffs. Last season he scored 32 points in 59 games for the Charlotte Checkers, and this season he leads all Providence defensemen with 41 points in 60 games.

Of this group of five players that has been recalled, Carrick is the one who possesses the most NHL experience. The opportunity for him to get NHL minutes is a  significant one, as Carrick is on an expiring league-minimum two-way deal and getting some solid NHL shifts on tape before he hits the market in a few months could be extremely useful.

The final player recalled is a goalie, Bussi. Unlike the four skaters recalled with him, the 24-year-old hasn’t yet suited up for an NHL game. In fact, Bussi only made his professional debut last season. He has had a strong 31-game season in Providence, though, and his 21-5-4 record and .925 save percentage are highly respectable figures.

It’s unclear whether Bussi will get any time in the Bruins’ crease as they close out their regular season, but given Vezina Trophy contender Linus Ullmark’s injury history over the course of his career, it seems logical that the Bruins would want to add another name to the mix in their crease to ensure their two established netminders are able to get the rest they might need before the playoffs.

Seeing as Providence doesn’t play until Saturday whereas Boston has a game today (after playing yesterday) and two more this week, it seems these recalls were made to help add some fresh legs to the Bruins’ roster with their regular-season fate already decided.

Since these moves likely won’t impact their AHL team’s chase of an Atlantic Division title, bringing them to the active roster to possibly allow some Bruins veterans to take a game off seems like a wise decision for a squad looking to make a deep run in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Los Angeles Kings Recall Tobias Bjornfot

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It is not yet a foregone conclusion that the Los Angeles Kings will finish third in the Pacific Division, as the red-hot Seattle Kraken are nipping at their heels. The Kings will need to end their losing streak and put up some points over the last two games of the season, starting tonight against the Vancouver Canucks.

Ahead of the game, the team has recalled Tobias Bjornfot from the AHL, giving them another defense option. The young defenseman has been up and down several times over the last few weeks and recently played a season-high 20:22 in a loss to the Vegas Golden Knights.

After turning 22 a few days ago, it’s starting to get to the point where Bjornfot will be expected to make the NHL team full-time. Since debuting as an 18-year-old in 2019, he’s moved in and out of the lineup, suiting up 116 times across parts of four seasons.

This year he has just ten appearances with the Kings, playing most of the season with the Ontario Reign. Given that his waiver-exempt status will expire before the 2023-24 campaign begins, Bjornfot must make an impression and secure his place soon. These last few games, and any potential playoff action he receives, will be an excellent test for the 2019 first-round pick.

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