San Jose Sharks Activate, Re-Assign Nikolai Knyzhov
The San Jose Sharks have announced that defenseman Nikolai Knyzhov has been activated from his long-term injury conditioning loan, and re-assigned to the Sharks’ AHL affiliate, the San Jose Barracuda.
This return is a long time coming for Knyzhov, 24, who has been recovering from an Achilles injury for over a year. Before his conditioning stint began in January, Knyzhov had last played competitive hockey in May 2021, when he skated in over 21 minutes of a Sharks 6-0 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights.
Before his injury, Knyzhov had steadily developed for the Sharks, going from a depth defenseman in 2019-20 to a candidate for top-four ice time in 2020-21. He’d taken a bit of a wild road to that point, with stops in the WHL, his native Russia, and the NAHL.
Now, Knyzhov has worked his way back to full health and has re-entered the Sharks’ defensive picture. He’s largely skated in a top-four role during his three-game conditioning stint with the Barracuda and will head back there to in all likelihood play a major role for the squad.
The Sharks currently carry seven defenseman, five of whom either have significant NHL experience or have been leaned on by coach David Quinn. It’s possible that Knyzhov unseats Scott Harrington or Jacob MacDonald for a role in the NHL lineup, although he’ll likely need to spend some time in the AHL getting back up to speed first.
Nashville Predators Recall Tommy Novak, Kevin Gravel
02/05/23: Both Gravel and Novak have been recalled from the AHL, in advance of the Predators’ return to the ice after the All-Star break. The move leaves the Predators with 22 out of 23 spots filled on their active roster.
01/27/23: With the Nashville Predators finished their pre-All-Star break schedule, they’ve sent a couple of bodies back to the minor leagues for the time being. Kevin Gravel and Tommy Novak, neither of whom need waivers at the moment, have been reassigned to the Milwaukee Admirals.
Gravel only came up this week when Alexandre Carrier was ruled out, and will likely be right back with the NHL club following the break. The big defenseman played 11:12 last night, recording four shots on goal, two hits, and three blocks. With Carrier missing for at least a month, the Predators defensive depth will be tested, and even more responsibility placed on the top few names.
Novak, meanwhile has been a semi-regular this year, playing in 19 games for the Predators so far. His performance in those games has been excellent, racking up four goals and 11 points despite playing just over 11 minutes a game.
The 25-year-old forward has been an excellent offensive player in the minor leagues for the last few years, but only has 46 NHL appearances to his name. He’ll also qualify for Group VI unrestricted free agency this summer unless he plays in every single remaining game for the Predators this season.
He’ll be back next week when the Predators return to action.
Calgary Flames Recall Jakob Pelletier, Dennis Gilbert
The Calgary Flames have announced that forward Jakob Pelletier and defenseman Dennis Gilbert have been recalled from the team’s AHL affiliate, the Calgary Wranglers. The two recalls fill two vacant spots on the Flames’ roster, leaving them with 22 out of 23 used spaces on their active roster.
Pelletier, 21, is the bigger name in this duo. He’s a 2019 first-round pick who is among the Flames’ top prospects, recently ranked third in their system by The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler. (subscription link) Pelletier was first called up to the NHL in January and ended up playing four games for coach Darryl Sutter’s side.
Sutter’s cold evaluation of Pelletier’s NHL debut to the media made headlines, and in his first two games, Pelletier got just 6:50 and 7:36 time on the ice, respectively. His ice time ticked up in his final two games, though he didn’t manage to register his first NHL point.
Pelletier is a talented offensive player who has scored very well at the junior and AHL levels. He has 36 points in 33 games for the Wranglers this season and has been a point-per-game player in his 99-game AHL career. He’ll be able to provide an offensive spark to the Flames’ lineup as they prepare for a road trip.
Gilbert, 26, is not nearly as flashy of a recall but does have more NHL experience than Pelletier. The American blueliner has played in 34 career NHL games, nine of which have come this season. He last played in the NHL on January 27th, logging just over 13 minutes in a 5-2 victory over the Seattle Kraken.
Now back on the NHL roster, it’s likely that Gilbert will serve as the team’s seventh defenseman for the duration of their road trip, if not longer. He seems to have settled nicely into his role as a priority call-up and number-eight or nine blueliner on the Flames’ depth chart and gives the organization top-four play in the AHL as well as competence in limited minutes in the NHL.
Ottawa Senators Change AHL Coaching Staff
Troy Mann is no longer the head coach of the Belleville Senators, after being relieved of his duties last night. Assistant coach David Bell will assume interim head coaching duties for the rest of the season.
Ottawa Senators general manager Pierre Dorion released the following:
While a change at the head coach position during the season is not an ideal scenario, we felt it was necessary to deliver improved team performance. We are confident that David and his staff will make the most of this opportunity.
The interesting part of this story comes from Claire Hanna of TSN, who reports that trust issues had emerged between the organization and Mann, with a recent incident pushing it over the edge. Mann apparently gave some of Ottawa’s (note: not Belleville’s) pre-scouting information to another NHL team.
Trent Mann, his brother, currently serves as assistant general manager for Ottawa, after being director of amateur scouting for the five seasons prior.
Belleville, meanwhile, has struggled this season to the tune of a 17-22-4 record. Bell’s last head coaching experience came with the Niagara Ice Dogs in the OHL, where he led them to the playoffs and lost in the first round.
Minor Transactions: 02/01/23
Today is the last day of NHL games before the 2023 All-Star break, signaling an upcoming four-day streak without regular-season action. While roster movement will slow down on the NHL front over this time, there are still a few notable tidbits to keep track of. As always, we’ll report a comprehensive list of today’s pertinent minor hockey transactions right here.
- Just days ahead of the event, four roster spots have been swapped for the AHL’s All-Star Classic in Laval, Québec. Forwards Vinni Lettieri (Boston/Providence), Will Cuylle (NY Rangers/Hartford), Andrew Poturalski (Seattle/Coachella Valley), and defenseman Justin Barron (Montreal/Laval) are all unable to participate because of injuries, or NHL recalls. Defenseman Jack Ahcan (Boston/Providence) and forward Ruslan Iskhakov (NY Islanders/Bridgeport) were named to replace Lettieri and Cuylle, forward Max McCormick (Seattle/Coachella Valley) will replace Poturalski, and forward Alex Belzile (Montreal/Laval) replaces Barron, according to an AHL press release.
This page will be updated throughout the day.
Los Angeles Kings Loan Three Players To AHL
All around the league we’re seeing players sent back to the AHL for the upcoming break, to save money for their NHL club and stay fresh with minor league action. For the Los Angeles Kings, that means Tobias Bjornfot, Samuel Fagemo, and Alex Turcotte are all on their way back to the Ontario Reign.
Despite still having one of the deepest prospect pools in the league, it’s not development that the Kings are focused on these days. The club is tied for first place in the Pacific Division and is looking to avenge its first-round loss from last year’s playoffs.
They have moved young players on and off the roster all year, with these three, in particular, totaling just 19 appearances. Fagemo leads the trio in scoring with three points in nine games, while Turcotte continues to look for his first NHL point.
It has been a struggle for the fifth-overall pick, whose career so far has been disrupted by injury and inconsistent play. He’s suited up just 23 times this season at any level, and has 12 points to show for it.
Senators Notes: Talbot, Greig, Kastelic
The Ottawa Senators are expecting Cam Talbot to resume skating next Thursday after the break, according to Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia. Talbot last played on January 25 and there is no clear timeline for his return to action, so getting on the ice is a good sign.
Ottawa has received nearly identical goaltending performances from Talbot and Anton Forsberg, but will need a little boost if they are going to try and ride their recent hot streak to a playoff spot in the second half. The team has won four in a row and is now just six points behind the Pittsburgh Penguins for the second wildcard spot.
- One of the players that have been key in this recent run is prospect Ridly Greig, who is still undefeated at the NHL level. The 20-year-old has two points in four games so far and has brought new excitement to the group. He was sent down to the AHL last night, but Garrioch notes that Greig will only practice with the Belleville Senators, not play, and then the organization will reassess.
- Mads Sogaard and Mark Kastelic have also been reassigned to Belleville, but it’s not clear if the latter will return immediately following the break. Kastelic hasn’t played since January 21 and will likely need some time to get back into game form.
Tim Berni, Marcus Bjork Assigned To AHL
It really says something about how the Columbus Blue Jackets season is going, that two of their regular defensemen are being sent to the minor leagues over the All-Star break. Tim Berni and Marcus Bjork have both been assigned to the Cleveland Monsters for the time being.
The Blue Jackets roster has been ravaged by injuries this season, forcing players into unexpected roles. That’s true for the 22-year-old Berni, who has played 28 games for the Blue Jackets so far.
The sixth-round pick from 2018 has only one full season of North American professional hockey under his belt, and at times he has looked completely overmatched in the NHL. Still, the Swiss-born defender has improved throughout his time with the Blue Jackets, and even logged more than 21 minutes last night in an overtime loss to the Washington Capitals.
Bjork, meanwhile, has less experience on North American ice but quite a bit at the professional level in Sweden. The 25-year-old has 11 points in 27 games for the Blue Jackets this season, incredibly leading all Columbus defenders in scoring.
Both players will likely play roles on the club down the stretch, especially if Columbus ends up trading Vladislav Gavrikov or others. The Blue Jackets are back in action on February 10.
Aliaksei Protas Reassigned To AHL
After an overtime win last night, the Washington Capitals are now on break for the next ten days. Aliaksei Protas, however, won’t get quite as much rest. The young forward has been reassigned to the minor leagues, where the Hershey Bears play three games in the next few days.
Protas, 22, has played 42 games for the Capitals this season but only one in the last few weeks as the team started to get back some veteran forwards. With ten points in those games he has surpassed his total from last season but hasn’t taken quite the step some expected after a good rookie showing.
The massive, 6’6″ forward still doesn’t use his frame as effectively as he could and fails to get on the inside of the defense very often. There’s a belief that big power forwards take a little longer to develop, though, so any experience that Protas can get is valuable.
In the minor leagues this season, Protas has three points in five games. He’ll get a chance to score his first AHL goal of the year while the rest of the Capitals enjoy some rest and relaxation.
Vancouver Canucks Reassign Aatu Raty
After acquiring him yesterday, the Vancouver Canucks have officially loaned Aatu Raty to the Abbotsford Canucks of the AHL, where he’ll acclimate himself to the organization.
Raty, 20, is one of only 12 players from the 2021 draft class to have played in the NHL, suiting up 12 times for the Islanders this season. Those games actually mean the first year of his entry-level contract will be burned even if the Canucks keep him in the minor leagues the rest of the season, and have him on schedule to reach restricted free agency in the summer of 2025.
With the addition of Anthony Beauvillier, to essentially fill Bo Horvat‘s roster spot, Vancouver doesn’t need Raty in the NHL just yet. But should they make any more subtractions over the next few weeks, he could potentially get some time in down the stretch. The second-round pick had 15 points in 27 games with the Bridgeport Islanders and two goals during his time with New York, but has shown flashes of even more offensive upside in an excellent post-draft career so far.
Harman Dayal of The Athletic wrote today about Raty’s journey from top prospect to a falling draft asset but noted that he’s now viewed by scouts across the league as a “near-lock” to play on an NHL third line, with a ceiling even higher than that. While some expect him to play more wing at the next level, Vancouver is still hoping to keep him in the middle for now.
Vancouver is off until February 6, but Abbotsford has three games before then. Given the NHL squad is carrying just 20 players as they head into the break, there could even be a recall even sooner than expected.