Arizona Coyotes Loan Liam Kirk To Finland’s Jukurit
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
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
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.
Columbus Blue Jackets Announce Several Roster Moves
The Columbus Blue Jackets will be back in action tomorrow (hopefully) after their first game out of the holiday break was postponed. In preparation for their return, the team has announced several roster moves today. Cole Sillinger has been activated from injured reserve, Emil Bemstrom was recalled from the AHL under emergency conditions, and Jake Christiansen was returned to the Cleveland Monsters.
Sillinger will be the headliner here, after missing a few games with an upper-body injury. The 19-year-old forward is experiencing a sophomore slump in his second year, with just two goals and six points through 30 games. That follows an excellent rookie season when he put up 16 goals and 31 points.
Struggles like that happen for a lot of young players who jump directly into the league, as they try to adapt to the grind of the league. Sillinger is seeing less and less ice time of late, and now had to battle through an injury. He’ll be tested in the second half, as the Blue Jackets look to try and build some confidence for next season.
Bemstrom, 23, has shown exactly why he hadn’t really needed the AHL in the past by dominating the minor leagues this year. After being sent down, he has 14 goals and 31 points in 21 games for Cleveland, his first lengthy experience in the minors. The young forward made the jump directly from Sweden to the NHL in 2019 and had a great rookie season, but – just like Sillinger – struggled to repeat it. In seven games with the Blue Jackets this season he does have four points, and will likely get another chance to stick with the big club in the second half.
John Marino, Ryan Graves Placed On Injured Reserve
The New Jersey Devils have come out of the break with some unfortunate news, moving John Marino and Ryan Graves to injured reserve. The transaction allows them to recall Tyce Thompson and Tyler Wotherspoon from the AHL while their two defensemen continue to recover. Ondrej Palat has also been moved to long-term injured reserve to make the cap work.
Marino was ruled out week-to-week just before the Christmas break, his second stint on the shelf this season. The 25-year-old has been a nice pickup through 32 appearances, playing more than 21 minutes a night and recording nine points.
Graves, meanwhile, will be out on a similar week-to-week timeline, though not much information has been released about his injury. The 27-year-old left a game against the Florida Panthers on December 21 during his second shift. While he doesn’t carry quite the same level of responsibility, Graves is still an important piece of the Devils’ back end, averaging over 18 minutes and scoring nine points in 33 games so far.
Wotherspoon, 29, hasn’t played in the NHL since the 2016-17 season but has been good for the Utica Comets the last couple of years. It remains to be seen whether he will get into the lineup.
The more interesting recall, perhaps, is Thompson, who played a handful of games for the Devils in each of the last two seasons. The fourth-round winger has 13 points in 22 games for Utica this season and would be looking for his first NHL goal should he get into the lineup. The 23-year-old has just one point in nine career games at the NHL level.
AHL Shuffle: 12/27/22
With the NHL’s roster freeze coming to an end today, a number of teams made immediate call-ups after sending a number of players, even some of their regulars, down to the AHL for salary cap purposes before the break. While most of those recalls were formally announced by their teams today, a few players appear to have been recalled, absent an announcement. According to the AHL’s Transactions page, the following players have been recalled from the AHL by their NHL squads.
Of note, both Raty and Fasching are playing in tonight’s game, and though Drury is not playing tonight, he is listed on the Hurricanes’ roster. Vegas faces off against the Los Angeles Kings later tonight at 7:30 pm PT/10:30 pm ET, so more may be known on their players at that time.
Carolina Hurricanes:
New York Islanders:
Vegas Golden Knights:
Evening Notes: Dermott, Zaitsev, Duchene
There’s a few things the Vancouver Canucks could use right now to help turn their season, and even with the addition of Ethan Bear, another defenseman would be among those needs. One defenseman the team has been without all season, Travis Dermott, appeared fairly close to returning, having been sent to the Abbotsford Canucks, Vancouver’s AHL affiliate, for a conditioning loan.
Dermott was able to get into a game with Abbotsford, failing to record a point but registering a +2 rating, however it doesn’t appear things went too well otherwise. According to Canucks General Manager Patrik Allvin, Dermott has been recalled from his conditioning loan and now remains on LTIR. Generally one would expect a recall from a condoning loan to line-up with being activated off of IR, however this combined with the fact that Dermott played just the one game points to something else being amiss, though Allvin did not specifically clarify anything further.
- The Ottawa Senators returned from their Christmas break tonight at home against the Boston Bruins, but found themselves playing a man short pretty early on. The team announced that veteran defenseman Nikita Zaitsev suffered a lower-body injury during the first period of the game, which will keep him from returning. The 31-year-old hasn’t had his best season so far, even being placed on waivers back in November and sent to the AHL, however he has received consistent playing time since being recalled back on December 1st. Through 16 games, Zaitsev has three points, all assists, as well as 32 blocks and 39 hits. No update is available just yet on the injury going forward.
- The Nashville Predators are without forward Matt Duchene this evening as they take on the Dallas Stars at home, though fortunately it’s for good reason and not injury related. The team announced it was the birth of Duchene’s child that is keeping the star away from the rink. The Predators next play on Friday against the Ducks in Anaheim.
Calgary Flames Recall Radim Zohorna
The Calgary Flames have recalled forward Radim Zohorna, per a team announcement. In a corresponding move, forward Matthew Phillips and defenseman Nick DeSimone were assigned to the team’s AHL affiliate, the Calgary Wranglers.
Zohorna, 26, was claimed off of waivers from the Pittsburgh Penguins in October, and has spent most of this season with the Wranglers. In 20 games there the hulking Czech winger has posted five goals and 16 points.
While he plays a major role in the NHL, Zohorna has been limited to a very small role in his five NHL contests so far this year. He’s averaging just over eight minutes per night, which ranks last among skaters who have played for the Flames this season. He’ll now head back to the Flames roster hoping to earn more trust from head coach Darryl Sutter and build on his 30-game NHL resume.
Headed down to the AHL is Phillips, who happens to be nearly a full foot shorter than Zohorna. The 24-year-old former WHL star has lit the AHL on fire this year, scoring 30 points in 20 games.
The many calls from fans to give him a genuine shot at the NHL came when he earned his call-up earlier this month, a recall that led to him getting into two NHL games. He struggled in those two contests despite playing in a highly sheltered role. Of the 9:02 minutes he averaged in that two-game stretch, he averaged 2:50 on the power play.
He didn’t manage to get on the scoresheet, though, and after seemingly struggling with the suffocating lack of space and physicality of the NHL, he’s headed back to the Wranglers where he’ll resume his starring role.
Also involved in these transactions is DeSimone, a 28-year-old blueliner. The New York native has carved out a nice career for himself as an undrafted player, scoring 15 points in 20 AHL games, a performance that earned him his first NHL call-up after Dennis Gilbert went down with an injury.
DeSimone didn’t play a ton, getting just over 11 minutes per night, but he got a short look on the team’s penalty kill and does look to be in the midst of his best season since 2018-19.
The two moves give the Flames just 22 players on their roster, meaning they have an extra roster slot at their disposal should they decide to recall a player like Kevin Rooney, who is now in the AHL after arriving this offseason on a two-year, $1.3MM AAV contract.
Also of note regarding the open roster spot is the recent revelation (as reported by Pat Steinberg of Sportsnet 960) that Gilbert has returned to the ice for practice, albeit wearing a full face shield.
Gilbert has been out since December 18th, and its possible that DeSimone’s assignment to the AHL is paving the way for Gilbert’s return to the roster in the near future.
Snapshots: Cossa, Stranges, Clifford
The Detroit Red Wings have returned their top goaltending prospect to the ECHL. Sebastian Cossa is headed back to the Toledo Walleye, per today’s ECHL transactions log.
After turning 20 just last month, Cossa’s been thrown into the fire in his first professional season. His .783 save percentage and 5.57 goals-against average in the AHL may raise some eyebrows, but he’s only gotten three appearances there. His ECHL record of 8-8-1, along with a 2.81 goals-against average and .897 save percentage, is much more respectable for a goalie his age (and of his ceiling). The 15th overall selection in 2021 will likely remain in Toledo full-time this season, barring injuries.
- Conversely, an intriguing prospect is heading up to the AHL from the ECHL. The Texas Stars added Antonio Stranges to their roster over the weekend, according to the ECHL’s transactions log for Christmas Eve. Dallas’ 123rd overall pick in 2020 has seen limited action due to injury but has six points in five games with the Idaho Steelheads in the ECHL and two assists in five games with Texas.
- Toronto Maple Leafs veteran enforcer Kyle Clifford, currently on AHL assignment with the Toronto Marlies, sustained a potential injury in today’s win over the Belleville Senators. The Toronto Sun’s Lance Hornby notes Clifford left the rink with his hand in a wrap, saying he likely suffered a dislocation in a fight during the game. Clifford has made two appearances with the Maple Leafs this season.
Minnesota Wild To Recall Sammy Walker, Adam Beckman
5:39 pm: The Wild made the recall official on Monday night. Walker and Beckman join the team ahead of their game against Winnipeg tomorrow.
3:56 pm: According to The Athletic’s Michael Russo, the Minnesota Wild are expected to recall a pair of forwards in that of Sammy Walker and Adam Beckman from the Iowa Wild, their AHL affiliate. Russo adds that forward Marcus Foligno, who is suffering from a lower-body injury, is not expected to travel with the team tomorrow morning to take on the Winnipeg Jets later that night. In addition to Foligno, the Wild are also going to be without forward Mason Shaw, who is serving a two-game suspension.
Foligno, who was injured in Wednesday’s game in Anaheim against the Ducks, missed Thursday’s game against the San Jose Sharks with the injury and now it appears he’ll be missing tomorrow’s game too. There doesn’t appear to be a timetable for Foligno, however after Thursday’s game, Wild head coach Dean Evason told Russo he expected the forward to be okay after the four-day holiday break. Though the veteran clearly isn’t good-to-go just yet, Evason’s comments show this injury likely isn’t to be anything long-term.
Walker, 23, made his professional debut this season after a four-year stint at the University of Minnesota. The former Tampa Bay Lightning draft pick has been a standout thus far with Iowa, registering 24 points in 23 games, and made his NHL debut back on December 10th, skating in four NHL contests to date.
The 21-year-old Beckman has also skated in just four NHL games this season after making his debut last season. The forward turned pro back in 2020-21 after a stellar WHL career with the Spokane Chiefs. A 2019 third-round selection of the Wild, Beckman is off to a solid start with Iowa this season tallying 15 points in his first 25 AHL games.