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AHL Shuffle: 03/16/22

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The NHL has just four games on the schedule tonight, including one between the Boston Bruins and Minnesota Wild that could have important playoff implications in both conferences. The Bruins find themselves just two points behind the Toronto Maple Leafs and three points behind the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Atlantic Division playoff race after their recent hot streak, while Minnesota has lost seven of their last ten and has slipped down into a wild card position. As those teams prepare for action, we’ll keep track of all the minor league shuffling:

Atlantic Division

  • The Boston Bruins have recalled Jack Studnicka from the AHL, while assigning newly signed Marc McLaughlin to the Providence Bruins to start his pro career. Studnicka has played in ten games for the Bruins this season, registering two points, but has been nearly a point-per-game player in the minor leagues.

Metropolitan Division

  • Maxwell Willman has been recalled by the Philadelphia Flyers, giving them another forward for tomorrow’s matchup against the Nashville Predators. The Flyers have lost three in a row, seven of their last ten, and appear poised to trade their long-time captain in the coming days. The 27-year-old Willman has earned plenty of NHL action in this disappointing Flyers season, making his debut and playing in 34 games.
  • Morgan Barron has been returned to the AHL, after the New York Rangers acquired Frank Vatrano earlier today. Barron, a sixth-round pick from 2017, has one assist in 13 games for the Rangers but remains a bottom-six option because of his size, physicality and ability to play center.

Central Division

  • The Winnipeg Jets have assigned Ville Heinola to the minor leagues once again. The 21-year-old defenseman continues to be left out of the NHL lineup, and has played just eight games this season for the Jets. The 2019 first-round pick has 18 points in 31 games for the Manitoba Moose, where he’s headed now.

Pacific Division

  • Christian Wolanin has been sent back to the AHL, his third transaction in as many days. The depth defenseman continues to be bounced up and down between leagues while his waiver status allows it, this time as Alex Edler returned to practice for the Los Angeles Kings. Wolanin, 26, has been all over the place this season, playing 24 games with the Ontario Reight, eight with the Kings, and one with the Buffalo Sabres during a short period between waiver claims.
  • Sheldon Rempal and Noah Juulsen have been loaned to the Abbotsford Canucks, as the Canucks continue a homestand that will last through the weekend. Juulsen hasn’t played in over a month and has just seven games for Vancouver on the year, while Rempal played just his first game of the season a few days ago.
  • With Kris Russell nearing a return, the Edmonton Oilers have sent Philip Broberg back to the AHL. The top prospect played just 11:48 last night in the win over Detroit and has averaged just over 13 minutes in 22 appearances this season.

This page will be updated throughout the day

AHL Shuffle: 03/15/22

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After the NHL had just one game on the schedule last night, it’s back to a full slate of games on Tuesday with 22 teams in action. That includes a battle between two up-and-comers in the Anaheim Ducks and New York Rangers, both of which could be Stanley Cup contenders in the next few years. The Ducks, after some early season success, have fallen back to the pack and now look like sellers at the deadline, while the Rangers remain in the mix thanks to some outstanding goaltending and timely goal scoring. As those teams and others prepare for action, we’ll keep track of all the minor league shuffling.

Atlantic Division

  • With Ryan Poehling out indefinitely, the young forward has been moved to injured reserve. In his place, the Montreal Canadiens have recalled Jesse Ylonen from the AHL. Ylonen, 22, has two points in eight career NHL games since being drafted 35th overall in 2018.

Metropolitan Division

  • The Washington Capitals, without the services of Lars Eller as he deals with a positive COVID test result, have recalled Mike Vecchione from the AHL. The 29-year-old Vecchione was once a highly sought-after college free agent but hasn’t played in the NHL since 2017 when he signed with the Philadelphia Flyers. This season he has taken his minor league game to a new level, scoring 36 points in 43 games for the Hershey Bears.

Central Division

Pacific Division

  • The Calgary Flames have sent Connor Mackey back to the AHL, while recalling Adam Ruzicka. The swap of a defenseman for a forward suggests that Oliver Kylington could be ready to return after missing the last two games due to injury. Ruzicka, 22, has five goals and nine points in 23 games this season for the Flames.
  • As expected, the Los Angeles Kings have made several recalls, bringing Martin Frk, Austin Strand and Christian Wolanin back from the AHL. Frk, a minor league superstar, actually has two goals in three games with the Kings this season.
  • With Jason Dickinson being placed on injured reseve, the Vancouver Canucks have recalled Nic Petan from the AHL. Petan, 26, is having another outstanding season in the minors, with 44 points in 37 games for the Abbotsford Canucks.

This page will be updated throughout the day

AHL Shuffle: 03/14/22

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There is just one game on the schedule for this evening, and not one that will garner a ton of interest given their respective seasons. The Arizona Coyotes travel to the Ottawa Senators in a match of two teams without any playoff hopes, though the former is at least showing a little fight down the stretch. The Coyotes are 6-4 in their last ten and have actually climbed within two points of the Seattle Kraken in the battle for last place in the west. As they and others prepare for action, we’ll keep track of all the minor league shuffling.

Atlantic Division

  • The Tampa Bay Lightning have recalled Boris Katchouk from his AHL conditioning stint, where he suited up three times for the Syracuse Crunch. Katchouk is coming off a period on the COVID list and has only played in two NHL games since the start of February. The young forward has six points in 37 games.

Metropolitan Division

  • Depth defenseman Jalen Chatfield has been returned to the AHL by the Carolina Hurricanes. Chatfield is one of the leaders for the Chicago Wolves and only really sees NHL time as an injury replacement. In 30 minor league games this season, he has five goals and 11 points.
  • Trey Fix-Wolansky has been loaned back to the AHL by the Columbus Blue Jackets, after playing his sixth NHL game last night. The 22-year-old forward has two points in those contests, with even that being an impressive number for a player selected 204th overall in 2018. In fact, Fix-Wolansky is the only seventh-round pick from that draft to score an NHL goal to this point.

Central Division

  • The Coyotes have made a move before their game, recalling Michael Carcone and Cam Dineen from the AHL. Hudson Fasching has been sent back down to make room. Carcone, 25, has just one game under his belt at the NHL level but has been outstanding for the Tucson Roadrunners this season.

Pacific Division

  • The Los Angeles Kings have loaned Martin Frk, Austin Strand, and Christian Wolanin back to the AHL, a move that may be undone tomorrow when the team is back in action. The Kings often send eligible players down between games to save some salary, though they are not accruing cap space while in long-term injured reserve relief.
  • Not only has John Leonard been recalled from the AHL but he was practicing on the top line with Tomas Hertl and Alexander Barabanov according to Curtis Pashelka of the Bay Area News Group. Leonard, 23, has 17 goals and 32 points in 45 games with the San Jose Barracuda but is still looking for his first NHL point of the season.
  • The Vegas Golden Knights have recalled Paul Cotter and Brayden Pachal, giving them an extra few bodies as they travel to Winnipeg for tomorrow’s game. Cotter, 22, is welcomed back after making his NHL debut earlier this season and playing in six games, scoring twice. Pachal meanwhile has yet to see any NHL action.

This page will be updated throughout the day

AHL Shuffle: 03/13/22

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The 2022 NHL Heritage Classic at Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton, Ontario is the highlight of Sunday’s slate, even if the Buffalo Sabres are not appointment television and the Toronto Maple Leafs have five wins in their past 11 games. An outdoor game between these regional yet cross-national Atlantic Division opponents should be an excellent event to watch and will certainly be memorable if the Sabres complete the unlikely upset and continue the Leafs’ slide. Elsewhere around the league, 18 other teams are in play, including some heavy-hitting match-ups. The Carolina Hurricanes face the Pittsburgh Penguins in a matinee battle between Metropolitan foes, the Nashville Predators and Minnesota Wild square off in a Central collision with playoff position implications, and the top two teams in the West meet again as the Colorado Avalanche host the Calgary Flames. Despite plenty of action today and just one game on the docket on Monday, keep an eye out for any and all shuffling right here:

Atlantic Division

  • The Montreal Canadiens have recalled defenseman Corey Schueneman from the Laval Rocket, and he’s on his way to join the team in Philadelphia for their game tonight. Defenseman Joel Edmundson made his season debut last night against Seattle after returning from injury, but the team is taking his return to the lineup slowly by not playing him in back-to-back games. Schueneman has two points in eight games with the Habs this year.

Metropolitan Division

  • As announced by the team, the New York Rangers have assigned forward Tim Gettinger to the Hartford Wolf Pack. He was one of the team’s three extra forwards as they opted for 11 forwards and seven defensemen last night against the Stars, and he has no points in eight NHL games this season. While nothing has been confirmed, it could potentially be a sign that Kaapo Kakko is close to a return to the lineup after missing roughly six weeks with an upper-body injury.

Central Division

  • NBC Sports’ Charlie Roumeliotis reports that the Chicago Blackhawks have reassigned young defenseman Alec Regula to the AHL. Regula has played in six games with Chicago this season, doubling up his rookie season total from last year. Just a second-year pro, Regula has not looked out of place in limited NHL action nor in the AHL, where he has 17 points in 27 games for the Rockford IceHogs. The big defender will be one of the pieces that Chicago builds around as they begin their rebuild, but for now he does not have a permanent NHL role.
  • The Dallas Stars have recalled recent waiver claim Marian Studenic from a conditioning loan to AHL Texas. The 23-year-old forward has only three points in 25 NHL games, but the Stars saw enough to warrant a claim. It remains to be seen though just how long the leash is for Studenic. With little cap space and roster flexibility to go around in Dallas, Studenic will need to show he belongs ahead of the deadline or he could hit the wire once again.

Pacific Division

  • The Vegas Golden Knights have recalled Daniil Miromanov from the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights, the team announced. The rookie defenseman was demoted yesterday, but this has proven to be no more than a paper transaction given his immediate recall today. Miromanov has bounced around the junior and pro ranks in North America and Europe but at 24 has finally received NHL action this year, skating in seven games already with Vegas.
  • There’s an internal roster overhaul ongoing in Los Angeles, per a team release. The Kings have placed veteran leaders Drew Doughty and Dustin Brown on injured reserve and demoted young Jaret Anderson-Dolan to the AHL’s Ontario Reign. In their place, forwards Gabriel Vilardi and Martin Frk and defenseman Austin Strand have been recalled. All three have played for L.A. this season, albeit in limited action, and now face the tall task of helping the injury-depleted roster stay on track in their postseason pursuit.
  • The Calgary Flames have made a man-for-man swap, assigning forward Adam Ruzicka to the Stockton Heat and calling up defenseman Connor Mackey. Ruzicka, often an extra this season, was nearing the end of his waiver ineligibility. Mackey, who scored three points in six Flames games at the tail end of last season, gets a chance to get into the NHL lineup for the first time this season.

West Notes: Sharks, Kylington, Bowey, Drysdale

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The San Jose Sharks announced that they have activated goaltender Adin Hill off of IR today. In a corresponding move, goaltender Alex Stalock has been assigned to the San Jose Barracuda of the AHL. Additionally, forward Ryan Dzingel, who cleared waivers, has been assigned to the Barracuda as well.

Hill last played on January 22nd when he was injured in a game against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Stalock had been brought in through a March 2nd trade with the Edmonton Oilers, but had only played in one game for the Sharks, where he gave up six goals to the Nashville Predators in a losing effort. For Dzingel, it’s has been  a strange few weeks, having been traded from the Arizona Coyotes to the Toronto Maple Leafs on February 19th and immediately placed on waivers, then claimed by the Sharks. Dzingel played in six games for the Sharks, scoring a goal, before being placed on waivers yesterday, and clearing today.

  • The Calgary Flames announced that defenseman Oliver Kylington is day-to-day and would not play in today’s game against the Detroit Red Wings. Kylington has been enjoying a breakout season with Calgary, recording 25 points in 56 games for the Pacific Division leading Calgary Flames. Instead of Kylington, defenseman Michael Stone has drawn into Calgary’s lineup, his first game since December 5th, and only his third game this season.
  • The Vancouver Canucks announced that they have assigned defenseman Madison Bowey to the Abbotsford Canucks of the AHL. Bowey only played in two games with Vancouver after being recalled on February 21st, but has been having a solid season for Abbotsford, providing 16 points in 33 games.
  • Elliott Teaford of the Orange County Register reported that Jamie Drysdale’s absence from the Anaheim Ducks’ lineup tonight is due to a healthy scratch and not an injury. Drysdale is expected to be a future cornerstone defenseman for the Ducks, however he has struggled recently, registering a plus/minus of -7 over his last two games. With Josh Manson returning to the lineup, replacing forward Sam Steel on the roster, a defenseman was likely to come out of the lineup.

AHL Shuffle: 03/12/22

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It’s another busy Saturday in the NHL with 20 teams set to play so there should be plenty of roster movement throughout the day.  We’ll keep track of those moves here.

Atlantic Division

  • The Red Wings announced that they’ve recalled defenseman Luke Witkowski from Grand Rapids of the AHL. The 31-year-old has seven points and 62 penalty minutes in 43 games with the Griffins.  He has been used on the wing in his last few NHL stints and with Robby Fabbri (injury) and Tyler Bertuzzi (unable to cross the border) unavailable for the next three games, it’s likely that Witkowski will have to play up front if he’s going to see his first NHL action since 2019-20.

Metropolitan Division

  • The Hurricanes have sent goaltender Alex Lyon to Chicago of the AHL, per a team release. The 29-year-old has been shuffled back and forth in recent days with Frederik Andersen dealing with an undisclosed injury, one that it appears he’s ready to return from.  Lyon has played in two games with Carolina this season but has spent most of the campaign with the Wolves, posting a league-leading 2.14 GAA in 23 games.
  • The Pittsburgh Penguins announced that they have recalled forward Radim Zohorna from the AHL’s Scranton-Wilkes Barre Penguins, and have assigned forward Valtteri Puustinen to Scranton. This will not be Zohorna’s first trip to the NHL this season, as he already has two points in eight games, last playing for Pittsburgh back on February 10th. Despite being sent down, Pusstinen is an intriguing name for Pittsburgh. The 22-year-old, who was taken in the 7th round by Pittsburgh in 2019, made his NHL debut Friday night, tallying an assist, and has 34 points over 53 games with Scranton this season.

Central Division

  • The Wild announced (Twitter link) that they’ve returned defenseman Calen Addison back to Iowa of the AHL. The 21-year-old was brought up three weeks ago and got into six games with Minnesota in that stretch, averaging just under 14 minutes.  However, with eight blueliners on the active roster, they’ve decided that playing top minutes in the minors makes more sense for Addison at this time.
  • The Stars announced (Twitter link) that they’ve assigned winger Riley Tufte to Texas of the AHL while recalling goaltender Adam Scheel.  Tufte has been seeing regular action on the fourth line as of late but with Braden Holtby dealing with a lower-body injury, they needed to clear a roster spot and enough cap space to bring Scheel up to serve as Jake Oettinger’s backup tonight.  Tufte makes more than their other waiver-exempt forwards so he had to be the one to go down.

Pacific Division

  • The Kings announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled defenseman Christian Wolanin from AHL Ontario.  The 26-year-old started off the season in the NHL but has spent most of the year with the Reign where he has 11 assists in 24 games.  To make room for Wolanin on the roster, the team placed winger Andreas Athanasiou on IR retroactive to March 10th.
  • The Golden Knights have sent blueliner Daniil Miromanov back to Henderson of the AHL per a team announcement (Twitter link).  The 24-year-old was recalled on Monday as injury insurance but hasn’t played since then.  Miromanov has played in seven games with Vegas this season plus 41 with the Silver Knights where he has six goals and 24 assists.
  • The Sharks have returned goaltender Alex Stalock to San Jose of the AHL, per the AHL’s transactions log.  The veteran was acquired from Edmonton to serve as goalie depth with both Adin Hill and James Reimer injured.  Hill is set to return tonight so Stalock will head to the Barracuda.  The 34-year-old was expected to miss the entire season due to a heart condition but returned to action last month.

This post will be updated throughout the day.

Kings AHL Head Coach John Wroblewski Resigns

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Back in December, John Wroblewski took a leave of absence for personal reasons as head coach of the AHL’s Ontario Reign, the top affiliate of the Kings.  Today, the team announced that Wroblewski’s absence would be a permanent one as it was mutually determined that he would not return.  Wroblewski released the following statement:

Thank you to the Ontario Reign and everyone with the LA Kings organization for all of their support during my leave of absence. After discussions with the team, we have come to an amicable agreement that will allow me to go in a different direction. I’m looking forward to returning to coaching at the appropriate time.

The 40-year-old joined the Kings organization in 2020 after leading the U.S. National Team Development Program for four seasons where he worked with many top prospects, several of which have already moved into top roles in the NHL.  Wroblewski has been coaching since 2007-08 and has clearly indicated a willingness to return behind the bench down the road.

In the meantime, Reign assistant coaches Chris Hajt and Craig Johnson had been running the team and that will continue, per the team’s release.  A search for a full-time head coach will likely need to wait until the offseason now.

AHL Shuffle: 03/11/22

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Just four games on the Friday night schedule in the NHL, though that does include the red-hot Vancouver Canucks with another chance to keep chasing down the Pacific Division playoff spots. Vancouver will take on the rollercoaster ride that is the Washington Capitals, who oscillate between crushing playoff teams and losing to those outside the postseason. Given the Edmonton Oilers beat them earlier this week, the Canucks will need to do the same to keep pace. As they and others prepare for action, we’ll keep track of all the minor league shuffling.

Atlantic Division

  • The Boston Bruins have returned Jesper Froden to the AHL after just a couple of days and no game action. The 27-year-old forward has played in five contests, his last coming on March 3, but has failed to record a single point.
  • The Florida Panthers have recalled Spencer Knight while loaning Jonas Johansson to Charlotte of the AHL on a conditioning assignment.  Johansson is certainly in need of some playing time as the goaltender has made just one appearance since December 8th.  Meanwhile, Knight has been doing well with the Checkers and picked up a 29-save victory in a spot start back on Monday.

Metropolitan Division

  • With Zdeno Chara being activated from injured reserve, the New York Islanders have returned Otto Koivula to the AHL. The 23-year-old Koivula has played in five games this season (and 12 in 2019-20) but is still looking for his first NHL goal. That’s not the case in Bridgeport, where he has 36 points in 43 games.
  • Morgan Frost has been recalled to the Philadelphia Flyers, after Scott Laughton suffered an injury last night. To make room, Max Willman has been loaned back to the AHL. Frost, 22, continues to be bounced back and forth between the AHL and NHL, splitting his season almost directly in half this year. In 30 games with the Flyers, he has two goals and seven points.

Central Division

Pacific Division

  • Rasmus Kupari has been recalled by the Los Angeles Kings, his first recall since going down at the beginning of February. Kupari has played in 37 games for the Kings this season, but registered just three goals and nine points in that span. Set to turn 22 next week, the young forward is still trying to establish himself as a regular at the NHL level.
  • The San Jose Sharks have returned Ryan Merkley to the AHL, now that they’re getting back some healthy bodies on defense. Erik Karlsson was back yesterday and played nearly 26 minutes in the win, recording two assists. Merkley, the team’s 2018 first-round pick, has just three points in 23 appearances with the Sharks this season.

This page will be updated throughout the day

Penguins Notes: Forward Depth, Big Three, Drozg

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Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Ron Hextall spoke with the media today and touched on several subjects, including his trade deadline plans. While he feels “pretty good” about the team overall, he did mention that he would like to add to his forward group if possible. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic chimes in to specify that the Penguins are looking for a top-six scoring winger, one that comes with some term and is not an expiring contract.

There will be countless players linked to the Penguins in the coming days and it is important to note that the team has their first-round pick still, something the franchise has been notorious for dangling whenever they want to add talent. In fact, the Penguins have selected a player in the first round just twice since 2013, and one of those–Kasperi Kapanen–was traded before he ever played a game for the team, then bought back in another deal that included a first.

  • Hextall also touched on the big three pending free agents in Pittsburgh, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, and Bryan Rust. “Geno” and “Tanger” are two of the team’s top priorities according to the front office executive, who hopes that they can work out a deal that works for both sides in all three cases. Just yesterday a report emerged on Letang’s negotiations, but things are much less clear with a player like Rust, who is in line for a huge raise over the $3.5MM cap hit he has carried the last four seasons. For quite some time now he’s been much more than the quality middle-six depth that signed that contract but there are still concerns over his durability that has limited him to just 36 games this year, and how the team will fit in all three with a salary cap that isn’t set to substantially increase for a little while longer.
  • Jan Drozg, in the final season of his three-year entry-level contract, has been loaned from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins to the Grand Rapids Griffins, AHL affiliate of the Detroit Red Wings. The 22-year-old has ten points in 23 games for the AHL Penguins this season but has played just once in the past month. At this point in his career, Drozg seems like a prime candidate to go unqualified in the offseason or head back to Europe to continue his development elsewhere. For now, his career takes him to Grand Rapids where he will hopefully get a bigger opportunity.

Roman Ahcan Signs AHL Contract

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On a Wisconsin Badgers team filled with NHL draft picks, there were a few surnames that stood out among those undrafted. One was Brock Caufield, older brother of the Montreal Canadiens young sniper, and one of the others was Roman Ahcan. The latter has made the jump to professional hockey, signing an AHL contract with the Cleveland Monsters for the 2022-23 season and joining them on a professional tryout for the rest of this year.

Ahcan, 22, is the younger brother of Boston Bruins defenseman Jack Ahcan, who just so happened to have a big night of his own yesterday. Jack Ahcan recorded his first NHL goal in a win against the Chicago Blackhawks, just his eighth NHL game since signing in Boston in 2020. He too was an undrafted talent that spent four years at college–St. Cloud State, not Wisconsin–and earned a two-year entry-level deal.

It won’t be a family reunion in the Bruins organization though, as Roman Ahcan joins the AHL affiliate of the Columbus Blue Jackets and tries to show that he too is worthy of an NHL deal down the road. Undersized like his brother, the young forward put up 34 goals and 74 points in 130 college contests.

Interestingly enough, there’s a third brother that could be chasing the same dream in a few years. Nineteen-year-old Grant Ahcan is set to start at St. Cloud State next season, after playing for the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders of the USHL this year.

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