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Vancouver Canucks Activate Jack Studnicka

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Earlier this evening, the Vancouver Canucks announced they have activated forward Jack Studnicka off of IR. No corresponding move was announced, and with Studnicka bringing the roster to a complete 23 players, no move was needed. Vancouver will host the Arizona Coyotes this evening.

Although the Canucks seem to have some other big pictures issues to deal with when it comes to turning their season around, such as Brock Boeser’s production and Thatcher Demko’s performance, and now injury, getting Studnicka back to health and rounding out the team’s depth is surely welcomed. The forward has just a goal and an assist so far this season in eight games, seven of which have come with Vancouver, but the once highly-touted prospect does have a knack for offense, turning in 35 points in 41 games at the AHL level last year. Getting some level of that production out of the winger at the NHL level would be much welcomed at this point in the season.

The 23-year-old was originally a second-round draft pick of the Boston Bruins back in 2017 and while he had played in parts of four seasons with Boston, he was never able to settle in as a regular contributor. Boston dealt him to Vancouver back in late October for goaltender Michael DiPietro and defenseman Jonathan Myrenberg.

St. Louis Blues Recall William Bitten

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The St. Louis Blues announced this afternoon that they’ve recalled forward William Bitten from the Springfield Thunderbirds, their AHL affiliate. No corresponding moves were announced, though Jake Neighbours’ assignment to the AHL yesterday did open a spot on the roster. Bitten’s recall brings the Blues to a complete 23-man roster.

The 24-year-old Bitten has had a solid season thus far, tied for the team lead with eight goals for Springfield through 20 games after spending time in training camp with St. Louis earlier this year. This is not Bitten’s first season in the Blues organization, getting into 45 games with the Thunderbirds last year as well after a midseason trade. Should he play while recalled, it would mark his NHL debut.

A third-round pick of the Montreal Canadiens in 2016, Bitten bounced around in his OHL career, spending time with the Plymouth Whalers, Flint Firebirds, and Hamilton Bulldogs. Just before he was set to make his professional debut, Montreal dealt him to the Minnesota Wild, where he spent parts of four seasons in the AHL before being dealt to St. Louis nearly a year ago.

Rangers Assign Zac Jones To AHL, Recall Jonny Brodzinski And Ben Harpur

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December 4: Just a day after they recalled him, the Rangers announced they’ve re-assigned Brodzinski to the Hartford Wolf Pack, their AHL affiliate. While the Rangers did play last night, hosting the Chicago Blackhawks, Brodzinski did not play in the game.

December 3: The Rangers have decided to make a few roster moves in advance of their game tonight against Chicago as the team announced (Twitter link) that they have assigned defenseman Zac Jones to Hartford of the AHL while recalling winger Jonny Brodzinski and defenseman Ben Harpur from the Wolf Pack.

Jones has been regarded as one of New York’s better defensive prospects and has played somewhat of a regular role this season, suiting up in 16 games with the Rangers.  He has just a goal and an assist in those contests while logging 15:37 per game, good for fifth on the team among their blueliners.  This move will give him a chance to play a much bigger role with Hartford which they’re hoping will be better for his development in the long run.

Replacing him on the depth chart in New York is Harpur, a veteran who is no stranger to being an extra on an NHL roster.  The 27-year-old had his AHL deal converted to an NHL contract back in late October and has five points and 24 penalty minutes in 17 games with the Wolf Pack this season.  Harpur has played in 53 games with Nashville over the past two seasons in a role that’s similar to the one that Jones has held this year.

As for Brodzinski, his recall is to cover for an undisclosed forward whose presence is uncertain for tonight’s game, relays Arthur Staple of The Athletic (Twitter link).  The 29-year-old played in 22 games for the Rangers last season and has seen NHL action in each of the last six years.  He has played exclusively with Hartford so far in 2022-23, picking up nine points in 17 contests.

Lightning Assign Cole Koepke To AHL

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With Anthony Cirelli close to returning, the Lightning need to open up both salary cap and roster space to bring him back onto the active roster.  They made one of those moves this morning as they announced that they’ve sent winger Cole Koepke to AHL Syracuse.

The 24-year-old didn’t have any NHL experience heading into this season but made the roster out of training camp and has played close to a full-time role to this point.  Koepke has suited up in 17 games for Tampa Bay this season, logging a little over nine minutes a game on the fourth line while chipping in with a goal and 22 hits.

Last season, Koepke was a productive forward with the Crunch, notching 20 goals and 19 helpers in 69 contests and at this stage of his development, a chance to play a much more prominent role in the minors will likely be beneficial.

Tampa Bay will have to wait to find out the fate of defenseman Philippe Myers for a few more hours.  He was placed on waivers yesterday and his potential demotion coupled with Koepke’s return will give the Lightning just enough cap space to be able to activate Cirelli.

Minnesota Wild Recall Joseph Cramarossa

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The Minnesota Wild have announced that forward Joseph Cramarossa has been recalled from the team’s AHL affiliate, the Iowa Wild.

The move fills a lone vacant spot on the team’s roster, giving them some additional reinforcements as they prepare for a four-game road trip that begins Sunday in Dallas.

Cramarossa, 30, has played in four games for the Wild so far this year and spent most of the season in Iowa. The winger bounced around a bit after a 2017 waiver claim but seems to have found a home in the Wild organization. This will be Cramarossa’s third straight season as a depth forward in Minnesota/Iowa, and he’s clearly valued for that role by Wild brass.

In 15 AHL games so far this year Cramarossa has seven points to go along with 47 penalty minutes. Overall, he has 68 NHL games on his resume and 13 points. While it’s unlikely that Cramarossa sees any major minutes for the Wild, his recall underscores the team’s desire to play with more physicality and grit.

The Wild added some major muscle when they acquired Ryan Reaves from the New York Rangers, and Cramarossa’s recall helps the Wild in the same areas Reaves was acquired to address.

New Jersey Devils Recall Andreas Johnsson

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The New Jersey Devils have announced that forward Andreas Johnsson has been recalled from the team’s AHL affiliate, the Utica Comets.

The move puts Johnsson, 28, in the position to make his season debut in New Jersey. Despite scoring 13 goals and 35 points in the NHL last season, the former Toronto Maple Leafs forward didn’t make the Devils’ roster out of camp and was placed on waivers near the start of the season.

His placement on waivers may have been partially financially motivated, though, as it’s likely that Johnsson’s $3.4MM cap hit played a role in the Devils making him available for every other NHL team to claim.

Likely due to his contract, Johnsson went unclaimed on waivers, something that has greatly benefitted the Comets. In 12 AHL games, Johnsson has 13 points, production that supports the idea that despite losing his NHL job in New Jersey he’s still a capable offensive producer.

With Ondrej Palat, Nathan Bastian, and Miles Wood all dealing with injuries, the Devils’ recall of Johnsson gives them a spare forward to work with on their roster. While we don’t yet know if head coach Lindy Ruff will dress Johnsson for games, this recall is certainly an opportunity for Johnsson to re-establish himself as an NHL talent.

Vancouver Canucks Recall Collin Delia

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Things are going from bad to worse for the Vancouver Canucks. After Thatcher Demko suffered an injury in last night’s game, the team recalled Collin Delia from the AHL. The recall is under emergency conditions, meaning there is an injury of some sort preventing the team from icing two healthy goaltenders.

So far, no update has been given on Demko’s status. But he was helped off the ice last night holding his right leg and was ruled out soon after.

While Demko hasn’t been good this season, losing him won’t help the Canucks turn things around. Spencer Martin hasn’t been much better and Delia has an .884 save percentage in the minor leagues this season.

The Canucks are now 9-12-3 on the year and it’s hard to imagine them getting back into the race without elite goaltending. Demko is their best chance at that, even with his struggles so far.

St. Louis Blues Return Jake Neighbours To AHL

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The St. Louis Blues have sent Jake Neighbours back to the AHL after his most recent call-up. The young forward played in two games, recording two shots, two blocks, and a hit while failing to record a point.

Neighbours, 20, like so many other prospects, needs to play. He wasn’t going to see much ice time with the big club, getting just 13 shifts in last night’s loss to the Carolina Hurricanes. At the AHL level, he can touch the puck a lot more and get his confidence up, something that must be waning after so many scoreless appearances as a pro. Neighbours has two goals and three points in 22 career NHL games and has yet to score an AHL goal in seven games.

There’s still plenty of optimism about the 2020 first-round pick, but it’s hard to see how playing fewer than ten minutes a night on an NHL fourth line is the right development path. He may be up again at some point but the focus should be on getting him rolling in the minor leagues.

The struggle of course is that the Blues aren’t winning, either, so head coach Craig Berube needs to do anything he can to turn the ship around. The club is 11-12 on the year and has lost their last two after a strong stretch. Balancing Neighbours’ long-term development with the short-term team needs is a difficult task, especially if they believe he is one of the 12 best forwards in the organization.

David Farrance Traded In AHL

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The Chicago Wolves have completed a pair of minor league trades, sending David Farrance to the Colorado Eagles and acquiring Alex Green from the Laval Rocket. Both deals are for future considerations.

Farrance, 23, was a third-round pick of the Nashville Predators in 2017 and a Hobey Baker candidate at one point in college, but has fallen nearly completely off the map in the years since. He signed a two-year contract with the Predators in 2021, with the first year burning at the end of the 2020-21 season, and spent all of last year with the Milwaukee Admirals.

At the end of his entry-level deal, the Predators decided to leave him unqualified, making him a free agent. An AHL deal with the Wolves followed, but after 14 games he’s on his way out of that organization too.

That said, the Eagles do have a reputation for reclamation projects, especially defensemen. Perhaps they will be able to turn around his career and get it back on a track that one day leads to the NHL.

In 14 games this season, he had five points.

Magnus Hellberg Sent On AHL Conditioning Assignment

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It’s been a whirlwind season for Magnus Hellberg, who started the year with the Seattle Kraken, was claimed by the Ottawa Senators, reclaimed by the Kraken, and then nabbed by the Detroit Red Wings a little over a week ago. At the time, it was something of a curious move, given the Red Wings already had two goaltenders – Ville Husso and Alex Nedeljkovic – at the NHL level, but Detroit had shown interest in Hellberg since bringing him back to North America last season.

A few days ago, Sean Shapiro of EP Rinkside posited a theory about what the Red Wings could do with their three-headed goaltending monster. It included conditioning stints in the minor leagues for Hellberg and Nedeljkovic, which has now partly come true. The former has been sent to the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins for conditioning, allowing him to be assigned to the AHL without clearing waivers.

This doesn’t completely solve the issue, as a conditioning stint can only be two weeks in length. The idea, perhaps, is to basically swap the two by sending Nedeljkovic for a stint when that two weeks is up. The trick is that a conditioning stint does not remove a player from the NHL roster, meaning the Red Wings would be dedicating three spots to goaltenders either way.

At the very least, this should allow Hellberg to actually see some game action. The 31-year-old has played only once all season, a start for the Senators in which he stopped 29 of 31 shots.

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