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Minor Transactions: 12/30/22

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The NHL is getting back into the swing of things as the holiday break wraps up and the calendar turns to 2023. It also means that activity is heating up at minor and junior levels of the sport, especially as some teams keep their eyes locked on the ongoing World Junior Championships. We’ll keep track of today’s minor transactions right here.

  • The Pittsburgh Penguins reassigned prospect Jordan Frasca to the ECHL’s Wheeling Nailers today. He was up in the AHL with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, where he’s yet to record a point in three games. Frasca signed with the Penguins as an undrafted free agent earlier this year after a 42-goal, 87-point season with the OHL’s Kingston Frontenacs last year.
  • Arizona Coyotes prospect Manix Landry was dealt in the QMJHL today, with the Gatineau Olympiques dealing him to the Drummondville Voltigeurs in exchange for a second-round pick in the 2024 QMJHL draft. Landry, Gatineau’s captain, has been injured since the second game of the season.
  • NHL veteran defenseman Matt Bartkowski has found a permanent home for the rest of the 2022-23 season. The AHL’s Rochester Americans converted his PTO into a full AHL contract for the remainder of the season today. He’d played 20 games for Rochester this year, where he has five points.

Vegas Golden Knights Recall Sheldon Rempal

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The Vegas Golden Knights recalled forward Sheldon Rempal from the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights on Friday, according to a team tweet.

Rempal, 27, is in his first season in the Vegas Golden Knights organization. The undrafted free agent out of Clarkson University began his professional career in 2018-19, signing with the Los Angeles Kings and making his NHL debut.

Since then, he’s spent time in the Carolina Hurricanes and Vancouver Canucks organizations, getting into NHL games with each team. He’s suited up 11 times in the NHL across three seasons but is still looking to record his first NHL point.

He’s been a solid minor-league presence after a sophomore slump in 2019-20. He was among the AHL’s leaders in points per game last season when he tallied 33 goals and 36 assists for 69 points in just 55 games with the Abbotsford Canucks. It led to him signing a two-year contract with Vegas this past offseason, receiving a hefty minors salary of $450,000.

Rempal’s pace in Henderson is still respectable but not quite at last season’s level. He has seven goals and 15 assists for 22 points in 30 games, which still leads the team.

With four forwards (Jonathan Marchessault, Paul Cotter, Jack Eichel, Brett Howden) out due to injury, Vegas is beginning to reach deeper into their system for scoring depth. Expect Rempal to make his season debut on New Year’s Eve tomorrow while Pavel Dorofeyev sits as the 13th forward.

Lawrence Pilut Clears Waivers

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Dec 30, 1:20 pm: Pilut has now cleared waivers, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Buffalo is free to reassign him to the AHL.

Dec 29, 2:49 pm: Buffalo Sabres defenseman Lawrence Pilut has been placed on waivers, according to CapFriendly. If Pilut clears waivers, he’ll be eligible to be assigned to the team’s AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans.

Pilut, 26, has spent most of the season in Buffalo after being originally called up in late October. The Swedish blueliner hasn’t been there for his offensive production — he’s scored just three points — but he’s chipped in sporadically on the penalty kill (he averages just under a minute played per game shorthanded) and given his team over twelve minutes of ice time per night.

The Sabres announced that defenseman Jacob Bryson would be returning to the lineup tonight, meaning Pilut’s placement on waivers cleared the roster spot necessary to facilitate Bryson’s return from injured reserve.

As he costs just $750K and will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year, it’s possible a team in need of some low-cost reinforcement on their back end will place a claim on the former SHL star.

The Sabres are likely hoping he passes through waivers and can be assigned to Rochester, though. Pilut has been extremely successful in Rochester in the past, such as when he scored 26 points in 30 games there as a rookie in 2018-19.

The Americans have had the second-worst power play in their division so far this season, so perhaps if he clears waivers Pilut can be of assistance there.

The Americans’ top-scoring defenseman is Ethan Prow, who has just 13 points in 26 games. Should Pilut clear waivers and spend an extended period in Rochester, he should quickly become their go-to offensive option from the back end.

Calgary Flames Re-Assign Dennis Gilbert, Recall Radim Zohorna

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Dec 30, 11:13 am: Less than 24 hours later, Calgary has brought Zohorna back up to the roster from the Wranglers. Calgary plays tomorrow against the Vancouver Canucks.

Dec 29, 12:54 pm: The Calgary Flames, fresh off a win against the Seattle Kraken and headed home for a game on Saturday against the Vancouver Canucks, have sent two players to the minor leagues. Dennis Gilbert and Radim Zohorna have been assigned to the Calgary Wranglers of the AHL for the time being.

The moves will allow the Flames to bank a little more cap space over the next few days, as they continue to prepare for a trade deadline without much wiggle room.

Gilbert was only activated from injured reserve yesterday and has played just a single game for the Flames over the last month. The 26-year-old has one point in eight NHL appearances this season, averaging just over ten minutes a game.

Zohorna, meanwhile, went scoreless in his five games with the team earlier this month – all five of which the Flames ended up losing. The 26-year-old was nabbed off waivers at the beginning of the season from the Pittsburgh Penguins but hasn’t quite made the impact some expected.

It is very likely that at least one if not both will be back up when the Flames go on the road again next week.

Snapshots: Hajek, Manninen, Nosek

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It’s been a tough stretch for defenseman Libor Hajek with the New York Rangers. After being one of the two rather intriguing prospects acquired from the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Ryan McDonagh/J.T. Miller trade nearly five years ago, he hasn’t panned out as a regular on Broadway (much like the other acquired prospect, Brett Howden).

Hajek’s now been scratched for a seventh straight game and has been leapfrogged on the depth chart by younger players and AHL veterans alike, notes The New York Post’s Larry Brooks. Head coach Gerard Gallant called out Hajek’s consistency as the reason for his consistent benching. The 24-year-old has a lone goal in 16 appearances this season, playing below 14 minutes per game.

  • With injuries beginning to pile up again for the Vegas Golden Knights, some wondered about European free agent signing Sakari Manninen as a potential call-up option for the minors. However, The Athletic’s Jesse Granger said today that Manninen is week-to-week with a lower-body injury and hasn’t played for the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights in nearly a month. The internationally successful Finn has 12 points in 20 games with Henderson this year, his first in North America.
  • After missing yesterday’s game, the Boston Bruins said Tomas Nosek’s absence was more precautionary as he works through “maintenance.” However, the issue may be a bit more severe than that, as he wasn’t a full participant in practice this morning. Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald did note that Nosek skated on his own before practice.

New York Islanders Place Oliver Wahlstrom, Simon Holmstrom On IR

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New York Islanders wingers Simon Holmstrom and Oliver Wahlstrom have been moved to injured reserve, according to a team tweet Friday morning. Both are out with lower-body injuries, although Wahlstrom is out indefinitely while Holmstrom is day-to-day.

Wahlstrom’s IR placement, which is retroactive to December 27, is a bit different than anticipated. Newsday’s Andrew Gross reported Wednesday that the team believed Wahlstrom had sustained a head injury in their game against the Pittsburgh Penguins the night before. While Wahlstrom still figures to be out of the lineup long-term, it’s not with the head injury that was reported initially.

Meanwhile, Holmstrom could return at any time, given the shorter-term nature of his injury. His IR placement is retroactive to December 23, so his seven-day minimum stay on injured reserve ends today.

Wahlstrom is putting up respectable numbers this season, especially given his paltry usage of 12:10 per game. His 16 points in 35 games are tied for seventh on the team, and he’s easily within striking distance of his career-high 24 points.

The 21-year-old Holmstrom has played in his first 14 NHL games this season after the team drafted him 23rd overall in 2019. He scored his first NHL goal earlier this month against the Vegas Golden Knights and has two points on the season. If other injured Islanders forwards return to the lineup before he does, he could likely be returned to the AHL’s Bridgeport Islanders after coming off injured reserve.

Calgary Flames Activate Dennis Gilbert

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Dec 28: It appears the Flames have activated Gilbert off of IR this evening, per CapFriendly. A closer look at the Flames’ roster page shows Gilbert listed on the roster among the other healthy players.

Dec 21: DeSimone could be staying on the Flames roster for a few days, at least. Calgary today converted his emergency call-up into a full-time one, per CapFriendly.

Dec 20: The Calgary Flames have lost Dennis Gilbert for at least a week, as the defenseman was placed on injured reserve today after leaving Sunday’s game early. Nick DeSimone was elevated from the AHL to take his place on the roster.

Gilbert left the game after a fight with Jonah Gadjovich of the San Jose Sharks just nine shifts into his night. It’s tough timing for a player who was only recalled that day and was playing in his eighth game of the season.

His cap hit now will stay on the books for Calgary, a tough break for a team that needs every dollar. The team could have sent him back down and buried his entire $750K contract otherwise.

DeSimone, another minor league veteran, will potentially get the chance to suit up against his old organization, should he enter the lineup tonight in a rematch against the Sharks. The undrafted defenseman spent parts of five seasons with the San Jose Barracuda, wearing an “A” as an alternate captain in the last two.

In four games this season with the Flames, he has yet to register a point.

Arizona Coyotes Loan Liam Kirk To Finland’s Jukurit

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Earlier this afternoon, the Atlanta Gladiators, the ECHL affiliate of the Arizona Coyotes and AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners, caused a bit of a stir when they announced forward Liam Kirk had been recalled by the Coyotes. Though Kirk had been off to a strong start with the Gladiators, registering 11 points in 15 games thus far, a recall by Arizona appeared surprising, given he’s played just one game at the AHL level this season and just eight a season ago.

PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan clarified that transaction, reporting that Kirk had actually been loaned to Jukurit in the Finnish League, which is coached by former Coyotes forward Olli Jokinen. Morgan adds that with the transaction, Arizona will retain Kirk’s rights and chances are he’ll return to North America next season, most likely as a member of the Roadrunners.

The 22-year-old Kirk is an interesting case as a prospect. Born and raised in England, Kirk played the majority of his youth hockey in Sheffield, turning pro at the age of 16. Kirk’s success as a teenager at England’s highest level of hockey got him noticed and he was ultimately drafted in the seventh-round by the Coyotes in 2018.

After being drafted, Kirk came to North America and spent two strong seasons with the Peterborough Petes of the OHL, registering 47 points in 63 games his first season and 50 points in 47 games his second. Following his two-year OHL stint, Kirk returned to England for one season amid the COVID-19 pandemic, playing in just 14 games, but dominating with 20 points. The forward returned to North America last season, but played in just nine AHL contests between last season and this one combined. However, after joining the Gladiators earlier this season, Kirk appeared to find a groove.

The loan to Jukurit isn’t necessarily bad news or a demotion. In fact, this opportunity might be a step forward for Kirk. As talented as the players in the ECHL are, it’s the third league in North America and doesn’t see too many players that are representative of NHL competition. Jukurit, on the other hand, plays in Finland’s top league, where Kirk will face players who fit into one or more categories: stars and veterans of Europe’s top leagues, former NHL and AHLers, and top NHL prospects.

While the European game is different from what he’d see in the NHL, Kirk has had ample exposure to North American hockey in Peterborough and Atlanta, but now he’ll gain more exposure to top competition. Perhaps not as impactful to Arizona’s decision, but helpful to Kirk, the loan will get him closer to home, at least on the same continent.

Beck Malenstyn Loaned To AHL

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After explaining that Beck Malenstyn is close to a return yesterday, the Washington Capitals have loaned the young forward to the AHL today. Malenstyn will join the Hershey Bears, now that he has recovered from a finger injury.

Selected 145th overall in 2016, few would have been surprised if Malenstyn never made it to the NHL. After all, he wasn’t a dynamic offensive player in junior, reaching a career-high of 56 points. But the 6’3″ forward did make it, debuting for the Capitals in the 2019-20 season thanks to a hard-working, physical playstyle.

Now a few years later and the 24-year-old has 20 games under his belt, including five this season with the Capitals. He had two points in those five, before leaving a game at the beginning of November and sitting out ever since. He’ll now have to get back up to speed in the minor leagues but could be a potential call-up down the road for the Capitals.

With Tom Wilson nearing a return, Washington is starting to get healthy again and is already one of the hottest teams in the league. The club has won five straight and nine of ten as they climb up the Metropolitan Division standings.

Carter Hart Placed On Injured Reserve; Max Willman Placed On Waivers

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After saying that Carter Hart was good to go less than 24 hours ago, the Philadelphia Flyers have now placed their starting goaltender on injured reserve, according to Olivia Reiner of the Philadelphia Inquirer. The team has also recalled Olle Lycksell from the AHL, and will place Max Willman on waivers later today.

Despite the IR placement, Hart was a full participant in practice today for the Flyers according to Charlie O’Connor of The Athletic. Even if the team has made the placement retroactive to his last appearance, it means Hart will not be able to play in tomorrow’s game against the San Jose Sharks. He could potentially return in time for Saturday’s match against the Los Angeles Kings, if deemed healthy. Head coach John Tortorella explained that Hart is still in concussion protocol but is expected to play this weekend.

It’s an odd situation but protecting their young starter is critical if the Flyers want to have any success in the second half of the season. The 24-year-old leads the league in appearances from a goaltender with 27, and has posted a 10-11-6 record with a .911 save percentage so far. Given that the team has won just a single game without Hart’s help, he is arguably the most important player on the roster at the moment.

Willman, meanwhile, has played in nine games so far this year and doesn’t have a single point. The 27-year-old last played on December 13, and will likely clear waivers without issue.

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