Michael Pezzetta Clears Waivers, Assigned To AHL
Saturday: As expected, Pezzetta has cleared waivers as the team announced that he has been assigned to AHL Toronto. The Marlies enter the weekend with an outside shot at the third seed in the North Division which would allow them to avoid the opening round of the postseason. Pezzetta becomes the seventh player sent down by the big club this week.
Friday: The Toronto Maple Leafs placed forward Michael Pezzetta on waivers on Friday, per PuckPedia. This move would allow Pezzetta to join the Toronto Marlies for the Calder Cup Playoffs if he clears the waiver wire. He was in the minor leagues until mid-March and filled a depth role for Toronto through the last few weeks of the season.
Pezzetta played in 37 games with the Marlies before a March 12th call-up. His season was limited by injuries in November and January. He finished the year with four goals, 10 points, and 52 penalty minutes. It was a quiet year in Pezzetta’s return to the AHL, after he spent the last three seasons in a full-time role with the Montreal Canadiens. He was a nightly fixture of Montreal’s 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons and combined 27 points and 136 penalty minutes in 124 games. That low-scoring fell to zero in 25 games of the 2024-25 season.
That bumped Pezzetta to free agency this summer, where he signed a two-year, $1.6MM contract with the Maple Leafs. He began the year in the AHL and quickly stood out as a bruiser. Pezzetta recorded 37 penalty minutes in the first 17 games of the Marlies season. He will return to that role on a Marlies team that clinched the last playoff spot from the AHL’s North Division. The Marlies split their games without Pezzetta this season – 26 wins and 25 losses.
Former Predators’ Winger Andreas Thuresson Retires
A prolific career in international hockey has come to an end for Sweden’s Andreas Thuresson. The 38 year old has announced his retirement per the NHL Alumni Association after five seasons in the AHL, six in the SHL and DEL, and two in the KHL and NHL. Thuresson has played at a professional level for the last 20 years, making his debut in Sweden’s HockeyAllsvenskan in the 2005-06 season.
Thuresson’s breakout came in his second professional season. He scored 15 points in 48 games of the 2006-07 Sweden Elitserien – a predecessor to the SHL – season. That production convinced the Nashville Predators to draft Thuresson in the fifth round of the 2007 NHL Draft. He joined the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals and quickly proved he could fill a nightly role. Thuresson appeared in 151 games and scored 47 points in his first two AHL seasons. With his footing established, Thuresson put together a career-year in the 2009-10 season, marked by routine call-ups to the Predators roster. He finished the year with 33 points in 50 AHL games and three points in the first 22 games of his NHL career. Thuresson played three more NHL games in the 2010-11 season – but with no scoring, his career in North America ended with two more AHL seasons and 59 points in his final 149 games.
Thuresson moved back to the Elitserien to play with Brynas IF in 2012. He scored 19 points in 48 games upon his return, then jumped up to 37 points in 52 games of the 2013-14 season – the year the Elitserien became the SHL. A hot year prompted more exploring outside of Sweden. Thuresson moved to the KHL for the 2014-15 season and split the year between Sibir Novosibirsk and Severstal Cherepovets, combining for 25 points in 47 games. He returned to the SHL for the next two seasons – marked by continued production: 57 points in 93 games – then split the 2017-18 campaign between the KHL’s sole Chinese team, the Kunlun Red Star, and a stint with the National League’s SCL Tigers in Switzerland. Just like his previous KHL season, Thuresson followed the move with another productive return to Sweden – 19 points in 43 games of the 2018-19 SHL season.
On the other side of so many moves, Thuresson sought out a league where he could stick in 2019. He moved to Germany’s DEL – effectively completing a globetrot around the hockey world. Thuresson began what would turn into a five-year career in the DEL with the Schwenninger Wild Wings. He scored 56 points in 66 games, including a team-leading 37 points in 38 games of the 2020-21 season. Thuresson moved to Kolner Haie for the final three seasons of his career. His first season in Kolner was marked by 34 points in 50 games, then Thuresson jumped to a career-high and league-leading 60 points in 51 games of 2022-23. He continued to score in his final year, with 22 points in 28 games – but suffered an injury that would limit both his season and, now, his career.
Thuresson shared that his career came to an unexpectedly-early end, but spanned some of his dreams including playing in the NHL and joining Team Sweden at the 2015 World Championship, in a personal Instragram post announcing his retirement. He was long regarded as a skillful, power-forward who played a team-first game. Pro Hockey Rumors wishes Thuresson luck in his post-playing career.
Pacific Notes: Karlsson, McCann, Bahl
Vegas Golden Knights center William Karlsson has been out since November with a lower-body injury, but isn’t particularly close to returning according to Golden Knights GM Kelly McCrimmon. McCrimmon told the media, including Jesse Granger of The Athletic, that Karlsson won’t be able to start the team’s playoff series against the Utah Mammoth and would likely need Vegas to make a deep playoff run to have a chance at returning to the lineup in 2025-26.
Karlsson, 33, already lost the chance to compete at the Winter Olympics for his native Sweden as a result of his injury, and could now end up missing a Golden Knights playoff run as well. Vegas has been in fine form under new head coach John Tortorella, and would surely get a boost from adding one of the team’s best original expansion draft selections. Karlsson scored 30 goals and 60 points in 2023-24, his most recent healthy campaign, and had 29 points in 53 games last year. This season, he scored seven points in 14 games before suffering his injury.
Other notes from around the Pacific Division:
- Seattle Kraken winger Jared McCann told the media today at the team’s exit day that he had a surgical procedure yesterday to “clean some things up” and address the injury that he had been managing over the course of the 2025-26 season. He added that the surgery was related to something he has been also dealt with last offseason, and noted that he expects to be available for the start of next season. Injury took its toll on McCann, who is typically Seattle’s top scorer. The 29-year-old was still productive, scoring 40 points, but was limited to playing in just 52 games. Next season is the final year of his $5MM AAV contract, placing greater stakes on his recovery and ability to author a healthy, productive platform season before potentially hitting unrestricted free agency.
- Calgary Flames defenseman Kevin Bahl told the media, including Sportsnet 960’s Pat Steinberg, that he sustained an MCL injury during the team’s overtime loss to the Dallas Stars on April 7, an injury that cost him the last five games of Calgary’s season. According to Bahl, he won’t need to undergo surgery to recover from the injury. The 25-year-old recently concluded the first season of his six-year, $5.35MM AAV contract extension. He was a top-four defenseman for Calgary this season, averaging 21:56 time on ice per game, including 2:35 per game on the penalty kill.
Minor Transactions: 4/16/2026
The wave of minor-league assignments is continuing with the NHL regular season nearly completed. Pro Hockey Rumors will continue to track the movement around the AHL in the latest minor transactions tracker:
- The Philadelphia Flyers have recalled goalie prospect Carson Bjarnason in preperation for their first round matchup against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Bjarnason will serve as a black ace with the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms eliminated from playoff contention. Bjarnason recorded 14 wins and a .887 save percentage in 32 AHL games this season. He also split results, and recorded a .881 save percentage, in two ECHL games. This was Bjarnason’s first year of professional hockey after four seasons with the WHL’s Brandon Wheat Kings. The 20 year old recorded a .903 save percentage across 156 career games in the WHL.
- The Colorado Avalanche are also padding their room of black aces, recalling forwards Alex Barre-Boulet and Jason Polin. Both players spent the bulk of their year in the AHL. Barre-Boulet led the Colorado Eagles with 26 goals and 70 points in 69 games – and added one assist in the only NHL game of his season. Polin was slightly less productive, with 21 points in 45 AHL games and no scoring in three NHL games. The duo will offer forward depth behind an Avalanche squad that has rotated through injuries this season.
- Forward Cole O’Hara could make his NHL debut in the Nashville Predators’ season finale. The 23 year old has been called up after leading the Milwaukee Admirals in goals (19) and ranking fourth in points (44) through 65 games this season. This was also O’Hara’s first pro season after three years at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. He had a breakout season last year, netting 22 goals and 51 points in 40 games – 33 more points than he managed in 37 games of the 2023-24 season. O’Hara kept that scoring up through his rookie season in the AHL and could now get a chance to score against NHL talent.
- Headed back to the minors is goaltender Brandon Halverson, who recently helped the Tampa Bay Lightning respond to Jonas Johansson‘s short-term injury. Halverson recorded one loss and a .810 save percentage in 57 minutes – and two games – of NHL action this season. He started for the Syracuse Crunch for much of the year and recorded 24 wins and a .906 save percentage in 42 AHL games. He’ll now return to his post to help Syracuse keep up their strong play into the Calder Cup Playoffs.
- The Calgar Flames have also called up a goaltender. Prospect Arsenii Sergeev is on the NHL roster under emergency conditions with Devin Cooley set to miss Calgary’s season finale due to illness. Sergeev will make his NHL debut in game 82. The 24 year old recorded five wins and a .898 save percentage in 28 AHL games this season. He also split results, and recorded a .922 save percentage, in 12 ECHL games. Sergeev was a strong starter in college, recording save percentages north of .910 in two seasons with the University of Connecticut and one season at Pennsylvania State University. Thursday could be the bright side to a quiet season for the first-year pro.
- Top Edmonton Oilers prospect Isaac Howard has been loaned to the AHL. He will support the Bakersfield Condors’ push in the Calder Cup Playoffs. Howard scored 22 goals and 47 points in 45 AHL games this season. He ranked second in goals on Bakersfield and was the only Condor to score above a point-per-game pace this season. Howard also scored five points in the first 29 games of his NHL career this season. The 2025 Hobey Baker Award winner is also a first-year pro and should fill a substantial role in the AHL postseason.
- The Washington Capitals have assigned 2025 second-round pick Milton Gastrin to the AHL following the end of his season in Sweden’s HockeyAllsvenskan. Gastrin racked up 10 goals and 24 points in 39 games in Sweden’s second-tier pro league and added four more points in 13 playoff games. He scored 42 points in 40 games in Sweden’s U20 league in the 2024-25 season. The bulky Gastrin should bring a boost of forechecking pressure and playmaking ability to the Hershey Bears lineup just in time for their perennial run into the postseason.
- A cohort of top prospects is headed to the Grand Rapids Griffins. The Detroit Red Wings have assigned Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, Carter Mazur, Axel Sandin Pellikka, and Dominik Shine to the minor leagues. Brandsegg-Nygard finished the year third on the Griffins in scoring with 44 points in 58 games. He added one assist in 14 NHL games. Shine finished the year with 37 points in 38 AHL games and three points in 18 NHL games. Mazur was also a point-per-game player in the minors, with 15 points in 14 AHL games – but no scoring in eight NHL appearances. Of the bunch, Sandin-Pellikka was the only to play the bulk of his year in the NHL. He scored 21 points in 68 games of his first season in North America. The quartet should each assume top-end roles on a Griffins lineup that has added a substantial amount of talent late in the season.
Jets Sign Garrett Brown To Two-Year Deal
The Winnipeg Jets have added a collegiate national champion to their ranks. Defenseman Garrett Brown has signed a two-year contract with the Jets following the end of his junior year at the University of Denver. Winnipeg drafted Brown in the 2022 fourth-round after his first season with the USHL’s Sioux City Musketeers.
Brown, 22, has long been regarded as a mobile, two-way defenseman. He grew up through the San Jose Sharks AAA program, where he played alongside fellow NHL prospects including Calgary Flames forward Cade Littler and Vancouver Canucks defenseman Aiden Celebrini. Brown was a third-round selection in the 2020 USHL Futures Draft and debuted with the Musketeers at the end of the following season. He joined Sioux City full-time in the 2021-22 season and left his rookie USHL year with 17 points in 72 games. More notably, he left his rookie season with a USHL championship, filling a third-pair role on a Sioux City squad that featured seven other NHL prospects. Brown took on an assistant captain role with Sioux City, before a mid-year move to the Waterloo Black Hawks, in his second USHL season. He finished the year with 18 points in 54 games.
Winning tendencies followed Brown to the college level. He was an extra defenseman for much of the 2023-24 season but did manage four points in the eight games he stepped into. More than that, he helped spread some luck on a Denver Pioneers squad that went on to win the 2024 National Championship. Brown earned a full-time role in 2024-25 and scored eight points in 42 games, a mark that grew to 14 points in 34 games in another Championship-winning year this season.
Through it all, Brown has stood out for his fundamental defense and active stick. He has never finished a season with a negative plus-minus and found his way into routine minutes with the Pioneers. Brown will now push into the pro flight hoping that his strong stick and ability to defend tempo will be enough to cement a role in the AHL. The Manitoba Moose are headed for the Calder Cup Playoffs and have already added late-year additions Alfons Freij and Lukas Gustafsson to the blue-line. Brown will be the right-handed compliment to those lefty additions, and should compete with bruiser Tyrel Bauer for minutes.
Penguins Assign Five To AHL
Wednesday: The Penguins announced (Twitter link) that they’ve returned McGroarty, Koivunen, and Koppanen, along with wingers Avery Hayes and Rafael Harvey-Pinard, back to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. All five got into at least one game in recent days.
Saturday: With the Penguins now having secured a playoff spot, they’re electing to get some players with nagging injuries some rest. That means that several players needed to be recalled to have a full roster available for their game today against Washington. Those promotions have been made as the team announced (Twitter link) that forwards Rutger McGroarty, Ville Koivunen, and Joona Koppanen have been recalled on an emergency basis from AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. With the emergency designation, none of them will count toward their post-deadline recall limit of five.
McGroarty is up with Pittsburgh for the fourth time this season. He has suited up in 21 games so far in a bottom-six role, picking up two goals and three assists while averaging 11:46 per night. The 2022 first-round pick has been much more productive in the minors, however, with eight goals and 22 assists in 28 games. With many key players out of the lineup today, McGroarty should have a chance to play in more of an offensive role than he has had most nights with Pittsburgh this season.
Koivunen, meanwhile, is also up for his fourth stint of the season. But unlike McGroarty, he has spent more time with Pittsburgh than in the minors. In 36 games at the top level, the 22-year-old has two goals and five assists while averaging 12:29 per night. Unsurprisingly, he has been a much better producer in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, tallying 11 goals and 25 assists in 32 appearances.
As for Koppanen, he’s also getting his fourth promotion of the year. While he hasn’t played a lot with Pittsburgh, he has had to clear waivers twice already this season. In 10 NHL outings, the 28-year-old has just one assist. In the minors, he has fared better, picking up eight goals and 15 assists in 42 contests. A pending unrestricted free agent, a report surfaced last month that suggested he’s likely to sign in Sweden for next season.
For their game today, the team announced (Twitter link) that numerous players are unavailable due to day-to-day injuries. Those include forwards Sidney Crosby (lower body), Benjamin Kindel (upper body), Evgeni Malkin (upper body), and Bryan Rust (lower body). On the back end, Erik Karlsson (lower body), Kris Letang (upper body), and Parker Wotherspoon (upper body) are all sidelined. Additionally, center Connor Dewar is listed as week-to-week with a lower-body injury of his own, putting his availability to start the playoffs in jeopardy.
Evening Notes: Canucks, Ducks, Psenicka
The Vancouver Canucks will need to reconsider much of their roster after a last-place finish this season. Winger Evander Kane and defenseman Pierre-Olivier Joseph are not expected to be a part of the plans moving forward per Thomas Drance of The Athletic. Both players will enter unrestricted free agency on July 1st.
Kane played a full season after missing the entirety of the 2024-25 campaign. He recorded 13 goals, 31 points, and 92 penalty minutes in 71 games. He proved capable of filling an every-night role in the NHL but still underperformed his $5.125MM cap hit. The silver lining of Kane’s season was the 1,000th game of his NHL career, played on March 30th. He has 339 goals and 648 points in 1,001 career NHL games.
Joseph has fought to move out of an extra defender role for much of the last three seasons. He recorded six points and a minus-16 in 31 games this season. That is a slight boost from three points and a minus-23 in 47 games, split between the St. Louis Blues and Pittsburgh Penguins, last season. He will eye a cheap contract, and promise of NHL minutes, should he hit free agency this summer.
Other notes from the Western Conference:
- The Anaheim Ducks have signed San Diego Gulls head coach Matt McIlvane to a multi-year extension per Patrick Present of The Hockey News. McIlvane posted his best record in three years as San Diego’s head coach with a 33-24-12 finish this season. That performance has pushed the Gulls into their first Calder Cup Playoff appearance since 2022. McIlvane, an Illinois native, coached five seasons with EHC Salzburg, in Austria’s IceHL, before being hired by San Diego in 2023. He led the team to two IceHL championships. He also won three DEL championships as an assistant coach with EHC Munchen from 2014 to 2019. That role also earned McIlvane an assistant coach role on Germany’s Men’s Hockey team at the 2018 Winter Olympics. He helped lead the country to a Silver medal finish, their first men’s hockey medal in modern Olympic history.
- Utah Mammoth defense prospect Max Psenicka has signed an amateur try-out contract with the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners. Psenicka is coming off his second season with the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks. He recorded eight goals, 30 points, and 67 penalty minutes in 53 games – and no scoring and a minus-10 in four playoff games. He brings some pro experience to the AHL level, having played 16 games and scored two goals in Czechia’s Extraliga at the start of last season. Psenicka should bring an impactful, defensive presence to Tucson’s lineup as they approach the final three games of their season.
Avalanche Assign Jack Ahcan To AHL
Wednesday: The Avalanche announced that Ahcan has been sent back to the Eagles. He played in two games while on recall, playing just shy of 24 minutes between the two games.
Sunday: The Colorado Avalanche announced today that defenseman Jack Ahcan has been recalled from the team’s AHL affiliate, the Colorado Eagles.
Veteran defenseman Josh Manson left last night’s game against the Vegas Golden Knights with an upper-body injury. His injury left the Avalanche with just five healthy defensemen on their NHL roster, as Cale Makar has been sidelined with an injury of his own. This recall brings the number of healthy blueliners the Avalanche have at their disposal to six.
Ahcan, 28, has already played in nine NHL games this season. He’s been one of the top offensive defensemen in the AHL this season. His 50 points in 60 games for the Eagles places him second in scoring by defensemen in the AHL, behind only Rochester Americans blueliner Zac Jones.
As a 5’8″ left-shot defenseman, he’s far from a one-to-one replacement for Manson, a 6’4″ right-shot blueliner. If they wanted to recall someone more stylistically similar to Manson, they could have recalled 6’3″ right-shot defenseman Ronnie Attard, who has played in 29 career NHL games.
Attard hasn’t played in the NHL since 2023-24 though. More importantly, the Avalanche don’t actually have a pressing need to recall someone that is a direct stylistic comparable to Manson. The Avalanche acquired blueliner Nick Blankenburg from the Nashville Predators at the deadline, a move that was designed to protect the team’s defensive depth in advance of what it hopes will be a long playoff run.
So far, the move has done exactly that: provided the Avalanche with an increased measure of flexibility in the face of injuries on its blueline. Yesterday, they played Blankenburg, who is a right shot, on the left side. Blankenburg has experience playing on both sides, a factor the team no doubt considered when they decided to acquire him.
Even still, the Avalanche have only two healthy lefties in their lineup at this point. By recalling Ahcan, the Avalanche can now shift Blankenburg back to his natural right side, and easily plug Ahcan onto the left side of one of their pairings.
At this stage, there is no word on the extent of Manson’s injury. Colorado has just three games remaining on their regular season schedule, and have already locked up the Presidents’ Trophy. The team has every reason to be patient with Manson’s recovery and has zero reason to rush him back into their lineup. As a result, it appears entirely possible Ahcan could get into these three final games of the season as a result of this recall, which would be a very positive development for him, as he’s just a few months from needing a new contract as an unrestricted free agent.
Islanders Assign Victor Eklund, Calum Ritchie, Isaiah George, Liam Foudy To AHL
The New York Islanders have loaded up their AHL affiliate with the Stanley Cup Playoffs out of sight. Forwards Victor Eklund , Liam Foudy, and Calum Ritchie, and defensemen Isaiah George have all been assigned to the minor-leagues with the Islanders’ season now over. Eklund made his NHL debut in New York’s season finale. He recorded one assist. Ritchie has spent nearly the full season in the NHL, while Foudy and George spent most of their years in the minors.
Ritchie and Eklund could be X-factor additions for the Bridgeport Islanders’ playoff run. Eklund made his AHL debut in late-March, following the end of his season in Sweden. He has been an immediate impact with nine points in his first seven AHL games. It has been a boom in scoring after Eklund notched six goals and 24 points in 43 games of the SHL regular season and three points in three playoff games. He was a difference-maker for Djugardens in their promotion from the HockeyAllsvenskan last season and finished the 2024-25 season with 31 points in 42 games.
Ritchie began the year in the minors but earned a call-up after just three games, and three points, with Bridgeport. He carved out a middle-six role for much of his rookie season and finished the year with 30 points in 65 games. Ritchie is only one season removed from a 70-point season in the OHL. He was mostly a center at the junior level but played right-wing in his first NHL season. Whether Bridgeport prioritizes Ritchie’s development as a center, or comfort as a pro winger, could add an interesting wrinkle to their playoff push. New York head coach Peter DeBoer said he sees Ritchie as a center moving forward per NHL.com’s Stefen Rosner.
Foudy finished the AHL season second on Bridgeport in goals (25) and points (46). That finish is one point more than he scored in 70 games last year, his first season with Bridgeport. He has rotated between the NHL and AHL level since turning pro in 2020. Foudy’s only full season in the NHL came with the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2022-23. He finished that season with 14 points in 62 games.
George will also have a role carved out for him in the minors. He scored 17 points and a plus-10 in 45 games with Bridgeport this season, in addition to one point and a plus-one in four NHL games. George split last season between the major and minor leagues. He finished the year with five points in 33 NHL games and 14 points in 33 AHL games.
Blue Jackets Sign Joshua Eernisse To One-Year, Entry-Level Contract
The Columbus Blue Jackets have signed college free agent Joshua Eernisse to a one-year, entry-level contract set to begin in the 2026-27 season. The University of Michigan winger will finish the 2025-26 season on a professional try-out contract with the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters.
Eernisse’s senior season in college hockey came to a close with Michigan’s double-overtime loss to the University of Denver in the Frozen Four. He scored one of Michigan’s three goals in the semifinal matchup and totaled 25:48 in ice time, the third-most on Michigan’s offense. Eernisse filled a reliable role for the Wolverines all season long. His high-energy motor and ability to play through contact was invaluable to a Michigan team built around young, skilled forwards.
Eernisse’s quick passing and drive towards the net helped him rack up 19 points in 38 games, the most he’s scored in three years with the Wolverines. He did reach 21 points in 36 games of his freshman season at the University of St. Thomas. That production was an exciting spark after two quiet seasons in the USHL and earned Eernisse a transfer to the Big Ten. There, his 6-foot-3 and 210-pound frame helped cement a checking role in the Wolverines’ middle-six. Eernisse will lean on his ability to stand up to puck battles and win space in the slot as he transitions to the pro flight.
The Cleveland Monsters have clinched a spot in the AHL’s Calder Cup Playoffs. Much of their success has come from a fortified top-six, where Mikael Pyyhtia, Luca Pinelli, and Owen Sillinger have clawed out spots as three of Cleveland’s top-five scorers. Their standing could push Eernisse into a third-line role as he sets up for his pro debut. He will likely step in for hard-nosed winger Tate Singleton, who graduated from Michigan’s rival Ohio State University in 2023. Singleton has 11 points and 54 penalty minutes in 39 AHL games, and 10 points in 10 ECHL games, this season. Eernisse could top Singleton’s scoring and physicality – a potential X-factor addition as the Monsters eye their first championship since 2016.