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Minnesota Wild Recall Sammy Walker

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The Minnesota Wild have announced that forward Sammy Walker has been recalled from the team’s AHL affiliate, the Iowa Wild. In a corresponding move, forward Joseph Cramarossa has been sent down.

Walker, 23, has been in the midst of an extremely impressive professional debut this season. After a four-year collegiate career at the University of Minnesota, Walker signed an entry-level contract with the Wild in August.

A 2017 seventh-round pick of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Walker leads AHL Iowa in scoring with 22 points in 21 games, seven points clear of the next-highest scorer, defenseman Joe Hicketts. Walker’s recall puts him in a position to make his NHL debut after just over 20 games of professional action.

It’s a recall that indicates that coach Dean Evason wants to inject some more offensive flair into his team than what Cramarossa is able to provide.

The 30-year-old veteran depth player has scored a goal in four games so far this season but has just 13 points in 68 career NHL games. He’ll head back to Iowa where he has seven points in 15 games.

As the Wild look to increase their separation in the standings from the Colorado Avalanche, Nashville Predators, and St. Louis Blues, they’ll hope that Walker can add to an offense that has been on fire in recent games.

Calgary Flames Recall Radim Zohorna

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Moments after Kevin Rooney cleared waivers, the Calgary Flames announced a recall of another minor league forward. This time it’s Radim Zohorna coming up, with Rooney assigned to the AHL to make room.

Zohorna, 26, follows linemate Matthew Phillips to the NHL, who was recalled yesterday after an incredible start to the year. While the 6’6″ Zorhorna hasn’t been quite as effective, his 16 points in 20 games with the Calgary Wranglers were also impressive enough to earn a chance with the Flames. Claimed off waivers from the Pittsburgh Penguins in October, the Flames managed to sneak him through a few days later when teams were finishing their final roster cuts. That was rather surprising, given the big Czech’s encouraging performance with Pittsburgh last season, which resulted in six points during his 17 NHL games.

Head coach Darryl Sutter has always employed size on his fourth line, and while Phillips is the opposite of that, Zohorna can more than make up for his 5’7″ teammate. The more diminutive of the two was skating with Milan Lucic and Trevor Lewis today, but it remains to be seen whether Sutter will insert Zohorna into that group should they continue to struggle.

Lucic has yet to score a single goal this season and is averaging just over ten minutes a game, while Rooney had just one point in 17 appearances. With a back-to-back situation (and three road games in four nights) starting this evening against the Columbus Blue Jackets, there may be a chance to move pieces in and out, trying different combinations.

Colorado Avalanche Recall Brad Hunt

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The Colorado Avalanche continue their daily roster changes, recalling Brad Hunt from the minor leagues. The veteran defenseman (who is no relation to Avalanche forward Dryden Hunt) will slot in on defense while Jacob MacDonald moves back to forward. After clearing waivers, Martin Kaut was sent down to make room.

Hunt, 34, has shown he’s still too good for the minor leagues this year, racking up six goals and 20 points in 22 games. This is his first time playing in the AHL since 2016-17, when he forced his way up to the NHL despite being an undersized, undrafted defenseman. There was no stopping Hunt in the minors; he has 229 career points in 309 AHL games, including 63 goals. Last season with the Vancouver Canucks, he added 17 points in 50 games, showing he could still be a capable offensive piece at the highest level.

This likely won’t be a long-term fix, though, as the Avalanche are close to getting two impact forwards back. Artturi Lehkonen and Valeri Nichushkin are both very close to getting back into the lineup, with the latter even being a game-time decision this evening. The defending champs are just 13-10-1 this season thanks to a huge number of injuries, and will try to start turning the corner as they get players back.

Alexandar Georgiev will get the start against his former team.

Toronto Maple Leafs Recall Joey Anderson

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With Nick Robertson out with a shoulder injury and Pierre Engvall facing a potential suspension, the Toronto Maple Leafs have recalled Joey Anderson from the minor leagues. It’s the first call-up of the season for the minor league forward, who cleared waivers at the start of the year.

Anderson, 24, does have 58 games of NHL experience under his belt, but only six of those have come since he was acquired by Toronto in 2020. A third-round selection of the New Jersey Devils, he has spent most of his time with the Toronto Marlies the last three seasons, where he continues to produce as a top-end AHL player. In 21 games this season, Anderson has 11 goals and 19 points.

A great example of a player who appears to be good enough to provide some value at the NHL level but who hasn’t received much of an opportunity, injury issues will likely be the only way Anderson finds his way into the Toronto lineup on a regular basis.

While these situations usually at least mean a bit of a pay raise for the recalled player, Anderson doesn’t have to worry about that. He is on a one-way deal, meaning he’ll earn $800K no matter which level he plays. The Maple Leafs are known for enticing a few players with the promise of NHL salaries in the minor leagues; Kyle Clifford and Adam Gaudette are two others on one-way deals in the AHL.

Detroit Red Wings Activate, Re-Assign Elmer Soderblom

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One of the interesting storylines for the Detroit Red Wings this season has been the emergence of Elmer Soderblom, who went directly from the SHL to the NHL and didn’t look out of place. After suffering an injury, though, he has missed the last several weeks, and will now have to face the grind of the AHL to get back on track. After activating him from injured reserve, the Red Wings have loaned Soderblom to the Grand Rapids Griffins to get back into game action.

Standing 6’8″ and towering over most of his opponents, the 21-year-old forward was part of the biggest line in the NHL earlier this year, along with Michael Rasmussen and Oskar Sundqvist. It was an impressive trio to see move around the ice, even if it failed to result in a ton of offensive production. The Swedish rookie scored just two goals in his 13 games before going down and is still looking for his first NHL assist.

Now healthy again, he’ll get his first taste of the AHL and try to replicate the scoring touch he had for Frolunda last year. In 52 games, Soderblom managed to score 21 goals at the SHL level, good enough for seventh in the league. As the rest of the hockey world marvels at a hulking, lanky forward in Buffalo that relies more on skill than physicality and is setting the NHL on fire, Red Wings fans can only dream about the flashes of potential that Soderblom has shown. While he will likely never match the kind of all-world production that Tage Thompson is providing, there should be a lesson of patience to be learned from the Sabres superstar.

Often, very large players take a little while longer to develop, as they figure out how to best utilize their massive frame against NHL opponents. Soderblom is just at the very beginning of his professional journey, and will be back with the Red Wings before long.

Evening Notes: Robertson, Maenalanen, Cotton

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Just after getting an important veteran defenseman back from injury, the Toronto Maple Leafs may have lost another player due to injury. The Maple Leafs have announced that forward Nicholas Robertson will not return to tonight’s contest against the Los Angeles Kings due to a shoulder injury. Robertson sustained the injury after taking a hit from Kings defenseman Michael Anderson. Anderson’s hit drove Robertson into the corner, and Robertson remained on the ice for some time before heading straight to the dressing room.

Robertson has dealt with significant injury troubles recently, injuries that limited him to just 38 games played last season. Robertson has five points in 14 games so far this season, and ideally his being taken out of this game would be more of a precautionary measure than anything else. But until we get more details on the injury, any speculation on a timeline is just that, speculation. At this point, all Toronto can do is hope that Robertson’s injury is less severe than it initially seemed to be.

Some other notes from across the hockey world:

  • The Winnipeg Jets announced that forward Saku Maenalanen would not return to tonight’s contest against the St. Louis Blues. Maenalanen was driven into the boards taking a hit from Blues defenseman Niko Mikkola and immediately went to the locker room with a shoulder that appeared to be in discomfort. Maenalanen, 28, returned to the NHL with the Jets this season after a successful year in 2021-22 for Karpat in Liiga, and has six points in 24 games so far.
  • The San Diego Gulls, the AHL affiliate of the Anaheim Ducks, announced that they have acquired forward David Cotton from the Coachella Valley Firebirds, the Seattle Kraken’s AHL affiliate, in exchange for future considerations. Cotton was signed by Coachella Valley in September, and heads to San Diego having played two games for the club. Cotton is a former captain of the Boston College Eagles who scored 21 points in his first 26 AHL games with the Chicago Wolves in 2020-21.

Snapshots: Guenther, Barkov, Toporowski

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With World Junior camps opening, many expected a handful of NHLers such as Shane Wright, Brandt Clarke and Dylan Guenther to leave their NHL teams for a short time to compete for gold. All three of those players will join their native Canada, making an already formidable squad just that much better. Although Wright and Clarke struggled to find consistent playing time and production with their NHL teams, both ultimately sent to the AHL on conditioning loans, the same cannot be said for Guenther. The 19-year-old, who was selected by the Arizona Coyotes ninth-overall in 2021, has 11 points in 21 games already, playing just over 12 minutes per game.

While Guenther’s loan to Team Canada wasn’t exactly shocking news, it also wasn’t the lock that Clarke and Wright’s loans appeared to be. PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan had a chance to discuss Guenther with Coyotes GM Bill Armstrong, who said he wanted to see how prospects performed “under fire.” Armstrong continued, “[y]ou like to see them in those pressure situations because you find out a lot about them and they really tend to grow for them.” The GM cited two of his former St. Louis Blues players, Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou, who were sent to the World Juniors, and the impact the experience had on their development.

  • After it was reported yesterday that Aleksander Barkov was expected to return today from a bout with pneumonia, the Florida Panthers confirmed their captain would play tonight against the Detroit Red Wings. Adding the superstar back into the lineup will no doubt give Florida, who went 2-3-2 in his absence, a big boost. Still, illness will continue to hold them back. The team announced that goaltender Spencer Knight and forward Anton Lundell are both missing tonight’s game with non-COVID illnesses.
  • NHL.com’s Mark Divver wonders if the Boston Bruins termination of Victor Berglund’s contract could pave the way to an NHL contract for forward Luke Toporowski. As Divver points out, this will leave the Bruins with 47 contracts, perhaps enough flexibility to add one back in that of Toporowski. NHL teams are allowed to carry a maximum of 50 contracts within the organization, but generally prefer to stay away from having 50, or even 49, in order to give them flexibility in certain situations. Divver adds there is interest from other teams in Toporowski, but Boston has exclusive rights with him until January 1st, and even thereafter can match any other offer Toporowski accepts. A product of both the WHL and USHL, Toporowski went undrafted but signed on with the Providence Bruins this offseason after scoring 35 goals in just 49 games between the Spokane Chiefs and Kamloops Blazers last season. The 21-year-old has 17 points in 21 AHL games so far this season.

Colorado Avalanche Make Several Roster Moves

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December 8: The Avalanche announced this afternoon that Ranta has been reassigned to the AHL. No other corresponding move was announced. The forward played 11:50 in last night’s loss to the Bruins, getting a shot off but not recording a point.

December 7: With Nathan MacKinnon added to the list of injuries for the Colorado Avalanche, the team has made several transactions today to reshape the roster. Sampo Ranta, Ben Meyers, Cal Burke, and Andreas Englund have all been recalled. Alex Galchenyuk, who cleared waivers yesterday, has been loaned to the AHL.

Ranta has played in 16 total games for the Avalanche over the last three seasons but is still looking for his first NHL point. The 22-year-old forward was a third-round pick in 2018 and has received just a handful of minutes in most of his appearances, something that could change now that the team is so banged up. MacKinnon joins nearly a dozen other regulars that are out of the lineup at the moment.

Meyers, meanwhile, is still in his first full season of professional hockey after signing with the Avalanche last spring. The 24-year-old undrafted forward was a star at the University of Minnesota, and made his NHL debut down the stretch, scoring one goal in five games. He’s been up with the big club for three appearances this year, recording another goal. A responsible two-way player in college, he could be asked to play the middle of the ice, depending on how the lineup card shakes out.

Burke, 25, would be making his NHL debut should he enter the lineup, after signing with the club in 2021. He too was an undrafted college free agent, and has 11 points in 21 games for the Colorado Eagles this season. The team appears to be going with older, more polished two-way players to fill out the bottom of the roster instead of turning to prospects with higher upside like Oskar Olausson.

Englund was always going to be recalled, given the team’s lack of defensive options at the moment. With Josh Manson, Kurtis MacDermid, and Bowen Byram all out, the team had just five defensemen on the roster going into today.

Unfortunately, the team lost Jayson Megna on waivers to the Anaheim Ducks yesterday, forcing them into an additional recall. The depth chart is being tested, as they now have just six forwards assigned to the AHL that are under NHL contracts.

Calgary Flames Recall Matthew Phillips

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After completely dominating the minor leagues through the first two months of the season, Matthew Phillips has finally earned a recall. The Calgary Flames announced the call-up today, bringing up the AHL’s leading scorer ahead of a three-game Eastern Conference road trip through Columbus, Toronto, and Montreal.

Phillips, 24, has 15 goals and 30 points in 20 games so far this season, after posting an outstanding season with the Stockton Heat in 2021-22. Despite the 68 points he recorded, he never did earn a game in the NHL last year, and still sits at just one appearance – in 2020-21 – for his career.

Whether he actually gets into a game remains to be seen, but it’s hard to argue against his production to this point. Through 219 AHL games, Phillips has 191 points. The biggest reason for his lack of opportunity at the NHL level is his size, as the 2016 sixth-round pick is listed at just 5’8″ 160 lbs.

Still, the Flames have had some trouble scoring this year, and have just 81 goals in 26 games. While that has resulted in a decent record thanks to some stingy defensive play (nothing new for a Darryl Sutter-coached squad), there have been times when the club needed an offensive boost and couldn’t find it. Perhaps Phillips, should he get into the lineup on a regular basis, can provide some of that necessary secondary scoring.

Carolina Hurricanes Assign Dylan Coghlan To AHL On Conditioning Stint

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The Carolina Hurricanes announced in a team release today that the team has assigned defenseman Dylan Coghlan to the Chicago Wolves of the AHL on a conditioning stint.

Coghlan has been pushed down the Hurricanes’ defense depth chart this season, although the team hasn’t given him much of a chance. They’ve instead favored more defensively-inclined options like Jalen Chatfield, who’s played in all of Carolina’s 26 games in 2022-23.

Acquired alongside Max Pacioretty from the Vegas Golden Knights in July, Coghlan has played only six games with Carolina this season, averaging just 14:08 per game. In 88 previous NHL games, all with Vegas, the 6′ 3″, 207 lb Coghlan had six goals, 13 assists, and 19 points.

Interestingly enough, this won’t be a new AHL stop for Coghlan. His only AHL experience has come in Chicago, where he played full seasons in 2018-19 and 2019-20. At the time, the team was Vegas’ AHL affiliate before the team purchased the San Antonio Rampage, promptly relocating them to Henderson to become the Silver Knights. Chicago, who has one of the most successful track records of any AHL team (and is the defending Calder Cup champion), then entered an affiliation agreement with Carolina.

While he didn’t nab any awards during his time in the minors, Coghlan was an integral part of the Chicago blueline when he was there. His 2018-19 rookie season as an undrafted free agent saw him lead the team’s defense with 40 points in 66 games.

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