David Rundblad, Kevin Czuczman Among Those Signing In Finland
Several players with links to the NHL signed in Finland today, including Stanley Cup champion David Rundblad. The veteran defenseman has signed with Karpat, while Kevin Czuczman, Jyrki Jokipakka, and Eetu Tuulola are among the players joining Ilves.
Rundblad, 31, won the Cup in 2015 with the Chicago Blackhawks, just a year before departing for Europe. A 2009 first-round pick by the St. Louis Blues, his time in North America equated to 121 NHL games, including just eight in the postseason. After winning a Swiss title with the ZSC Lions, he spent several seasons in the KHL, playing for SKA St. Petersburg and HK Sochi. Now his journey will take him to Finland.
The other three, meanwhile, have much more recent ties to North America. Czuczman spent this season with the Iowa Wild of the AHL, and is just over a year removed from suiting up for two NHL games with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Those were his first NHL games since 2013-14 with the New York Islanders, as he became a full-time minor league player, spending time with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, Manitoba Moose, and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins over the years.
Jokipakka, a seventh-round pick of the Dallas Stars in 2011, has 150 NHL games under his belt, including 41 of them in 2016-17. He’s been in the KHL since but now returns home to play for the club that developed him in the first place.
While Czuczman and Jokipakka may be in the back half of their careers, Tuulola only just turned 24 and was still a depth option for the Calgary Flames. He played with the Stockton Heat this season, scoring 25 points in 61 games. Coming off his entry-level contract, the Flames will be able to retain his exclusive negotiating rights if they extend a qualifying offer. Notably, his contract in Finland is for just one year.
Daniil Miromanov Signs Extension With Golden Knights
Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Daniil Miromanov has signed a two-year extension to stay in the desert, according to a team announcement Tuesday afternoon. Miromanov’s extension will carry him through 2024 and has an average annual value of $762,500.
The Golden Knights acquired the 1997-born Miromanov as an undrafted free agent in March of 2021, signing him to a one-year entry-level contract after he had 10 goals, 19 assists, and 29 points in 58 games with HK Sochi in the KHL during the 2020-21 campaign. Miromanov, 24, spent his first full professional campaign in North America this season, playing well with the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights for 40 points in 53 games. He played his first 11 NHL games this season as well, notching an assist.
The versatile defenseman can also play right wing, as he did on limited occasions for Vegas this season due to injuries. While he likely won’t be a full-time member of the team come next October, he’ll be high up on the list of recall options from Henderson. Long-term, the NHL upside is still there.
Minor Notes: Warsofsky, Comets, Wilkins
The AHL Calder Cup Playoffs are an important scouting event for clubs all across the league, who want to see how their young players respond in high-pressure situations. But it can also be a proving ground for someone else: coaches. Ryan Warsofsky, for one of the youngest coaches in the league, it’s been exactly that. Patrick Williams of NHL.com writes that Warsofsky, who has led the Chicago Wolves to the finals, could soon start to receive interest from higher up after experiencing so much success.
Under Warsofsky, who took control of the Wolves when the Carolina Hurricanes switched their affiliate in 2020, Chicago has won 71 of their 109 games, posting an overall record of 71-25-13. Given his previous success in the ECHL, where he led the South Carolina Stingrays to the Kelly Cup Finals in his first year and then posted a .722 winning percentage in year two, it seems Warsofsky is on the fast track to becoming a staple in the NHL coaching community. The Wolves will continue their quest for the Calder Cup tomorrow night.
- The Utica Comets have announced several AHL contracts today, retaining captain Ryan Schmelzer along with two others. Samuel Laberge and Mareks Mitens have both agreed to terms in order to return, while Schmelzer has locked in for two seasons. Utica was one of the best teams in the league this season, posting a 43-20-9 record but were eliminated in the North Division Semifinals by the upstart Rochester Americans.
- Josh Wilkins, who left the AHL after the 2020-21 season to pursue a contract in Sweden is coming back to North America, agreeing to terms with South Carolina in the ECHL. The 25-year-old Providence College star actually signed a two-year entry-level contract with the Nashville Predators when he turned pro but wasn’t issued a qualifying offer in 2021 when it expired and is now an unrestricted free agent.
Adam Mascherin Signs In Italy
The last time Adam Mascherin played in North America, he scored 34 points in 37 games and wore an “A” as an alternate captain for the Texas Stars. For now, that will remain his most recent campaign, as the young forward has signed a multi-year contract with Asiago, who has joined the ICEHL for 2022-23.
Mascherin, 24, will be with the club through 2025, a deal that means his NHL rights–still currently owned by the Dallas Stars after they issued him a qualifying offer in 2021–will expire and he will be an unrestricted free agent when this deal is complete.
Originally selected 38th overall by the Florida Panthers in 2016, Mascherin never signed with them and re-entered the draft two years later. This time he was picked 100th overall by the Dallas Stars, and quickly signed his entry-level contract. In his three years with the organization, he played exclusively in the AHL with Texas, racking up 40 goals and 89 points in 142 games.
Last season, he decided to head to Europe where he played for Skelleftea AIK in the SHL, scoring seven goals in 15 games. Those offensive skills will now be taken to a league that is even less competitive, which could very well result in Mascherin being one of the top scorers in the ICEHL. As for the Stars, his rights will be lost when he turns 27, which he will do on June 6, 2025, a few weeks before free agency opens.
Dan Bylsma Named Head Coach Of Coachella Valley Firebirds
The first head coach in the history of the Coachella Valley Firebirds has been announced, and he comes with quite a bit of NHL experience. Dan Bylsma— Stanley Cup and Jack Adams Award winner Dan Bylsma–will take over the new AHL franchise, which will serve as the Seattle Kraken AHL affiliate next season.
Firebirds president Steve Fraser released a short statement:
We are thrilled to welcome Dan Bylsma to the Firebirds family and look forward to his leadership in building a unified roster of players as well as creating a championship product on the ice.
Bylsma had already been working with the Kraken organization as part of their player development staff and as an assistant with the Charlotte Checkers, already working with a number of prospects that will be with the Firebirds next season. The 2009 cup-winning coach has been behind the bench for 565 NHL games, posting an outstanding 320-190-55 record. Unfortunately, those numbers saw a significant downturn at his last stop, where he was put in charge of the struggling Buffalo Sabres and was unable to get them into the playoffs.
Since his time in Buffalo ended, he has been an assistant with the Detroit Red Wings and at the World Championships with Team USA. As far as minor league coaches go, his resume is exquisite, even if his last go-round in the NHL didn’t go so well.
For Coachella Valley, hiring an experienced coach will help them immediately get started as they try to build a new fanbase and support the Kraken’s NHL exploits. Seattle shared Charlotte this season as they didn’t have enough players to fill out their own AHL affiliate but now will be on their own to provide Bylsma with a competitive group.
Johannes Kinnvall Signs In SHL
Another European free agent has decided to take his talents back home, as Johannes Kinnvall has signed a new two-year deal with Brynas in the SHL.
Kinnvall, 24, is coming off a two-year entry-level contract that he signed with the Calgary Flames in 2020, and was scheduled to become a restricted free agent this summer. The depth defenseman never did see the NHL, spending the first year of the contract back in Sweden on loan and this year with the Stockton Heat of the AHL.
With just 19 games under his belt for the Heat, Kinnvall will return to the SHL without much to show for his North American sojourn. He now heads back to a league he has dominated in recent years, recording 62 points over 83 games in his last two seasons as one of the most reliable puck-moving defensemen in the league.
Calgary will be able to retain his RFA rights by issuing him a qualifying offer, though at this point that isn’t a guarantee, given how little action he saw for their organization.
Washington Capitals Extend Beck Malenstyn
A few minutes after announcing a contract for Brett Leason, the Washington Capitals have wrapped up another negotiation. This time it’s Beck Malenstyn signing a two-year extension. His deal will come in at a slightly lower average annual value of $762.5K, as Malenstyn will receive $750K in 2022-23 and $775K in 2023-24 at the NHL level. The other difference is that the first year of this contract is a two-way deal, which carries an AHL salary of $110K.
Malenstyn, 24, played 12 games for the Capitals this season, scoring his first NHL goal in the process. The 2016 fifth-round pick has 15 games total at that level and has spent the majority of his pro career to this point with the Hershey Bears. In 65 games there this season, he had ten goals and 16 points.
With a new contract in hand, Malenstyn will be another young forward fighting for minutes at training camp, while the Capitals try to sort out their lineup without Tom Wilson and Nicklas Backstrom. The 6’3″ winger represents a big, physical presence for the bottom six but lacks much offensive upside, meaning his role with Washington will likely remain as a depth option.
Still, Capitals’ general manager Brian MacLellan is getting some offseason work done ahead of time and now has just five pending restricted free agents in the whole organization. Malenstyn would not have been eligible for arbitration and had basically no leverage, though landing some security in a two-year deal is a nice reward for the Hershey favorite.
Minor Transactions: 6/18/22
We’re just a couple hours away from the start of Game Two of the 2022 Stanley Cup Finals, the eyes of the hockey world shifting to Denver, Colorado to watch the Tampa Bay Lightning take on the Colorado Avalanche, Colorado up 1-0 in the series. Amidst the excitement the NHL’s biggest stage, followed by some early offseason rumblings around the league, there is still plenty of action going on around the hockey world, including in the AHL. We’ll keep track of that action here throughout the day.
- The Toronto Marlies announced the signings of three forwards to one-year, AHL contracts today: Orrin Centazzo, Marc Johnstone, and Keenan Suthers. Centazzo, 22, just completed his rookie season in the ECHL with the Newfoundland Growlers who, like the Marlies, are an affiliate of the Toronto Maple Leafs. As a rookie, Centazzo recorded 51 points in 51 regular season games, followed up by another 15 points in 18 playoff games. Johnstone, 25, also spent a majority of last season with Newfoundland, putting up 21 points in 58 games. The Sacred Heart University alumni also appeared in four AHL games with the Marlies, but failed to record a point. The 6’8″, 245-pound Suthers just wrapped up a four-year NCAA career, split between St. Lawrence University and the University of Maine, tallying 13 points in 30 games in 2021-22, his lone season at Maine.
Washington Capitals Announce Nicklas Backstrom, Alexander Alexeyev Had Surgery
This afternoon, the Washington Capitals announced that star center Nicklas Backstrom and prospect Alexander Alexeyev both had surgery recently, with both expected to miss significant time. Backstrom had hip resurfacing surgery on Friday in Belgium, Washington confirmed, his recovery process beginning immediately, though a recovery timetable was not given (link). Alexeyev had a surgical labral repair to his left shoulder and is expected to mis four to five months (link).
The news on Backstrom is not surprising, his previous hip issues well documented, and his playing future seemingly uncertain at the conclusion of Washington’s season (link). At that point, Capitals GM Brian MacLellan said Backstrom continuing to play with his hip as is was not sustainable and that the veteran forward would be looking at his options. Frank Seravalli of The Daily Faceoff points out that forward Ryan Kesler had the same hip resurfacing surgery that Backstrom had back in 2019 and of course, did not play again after (link). He also points to Ed Jovanovski, who had the same procedure in 2013, taking a full year to rehab, but came back to play 37 games before retiring.
Faced with a lengthy recovery and a checkered history of continued NHL play after having this surgery, Backstrom’s NHL future is up in the air. If Backstrom takes roughly the same year Jovanovski needed for recovery, he would find himself aiming to return at the start of the 2023-24 season, just ahead of his 36th birthday, but still with two years at a $9.2MM AAV remaining on his contract. Speaking of his contract, the injury does provide the Capitals with some flexibility to replace the production they will miss, allowing them to place the veteran on LTIR, adding another $9.2MM in cap space, more than doubling their current figure of just under $9MM of free space. This should add another wrinkle into the offseason, as a still-competitive Capitals team would presumably look to replace that production, jumping into a crowded market of teams looking to add from an also fairly crowded market of talented forwards both in free agency and on the trade block.
Alexeyev’s surgery, unlike Backstrom’s, does provide clarity on his situation and appears to give him a path to return without missing too much time, the four to five months timeline giving a late October or early November return date. The defenseman’s absence shouldn’t be a huge blow to the Capitals immediately, having played just one NHL game back in December. But, for the former first-round pick, who has been excellent in his time with the AHL’s Hershey Bears, he may have had a chance to push for a roster spot with the Capitals out of training camp. Now, the 22-year-old will now have to focus on recovering, likely beginning his season in the AHL.
Kings Name Marco Sturm Head Coach Of Ontario Reign
While not quite on the same level, the Los Angeles Kings have decided to join in on this week’s coaching announcement fun. The team has appointed Marco Sturm as the head coach of their AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign.
Sturm has been a member of the Kings organization since 2018-19, serving as an assistant coach in that timeframe. The NHL veteran of 14 seasons and 938 games got into coaching just two years after his playing career ended in 2013, joining the German national team as a head coach and manager in various capacities. Sturm coached the Germans to an upset silver medal at the 2018 Winter Olympics.
While a good portion of the Kings’ stacked prospect pool has now graduated to NHL ice, there are still some important names slated to play next season in Ontario. Sturm will be in charge of managing the development of forward prospects like Akil Thomas, Alex Turcotte, Samuel Fagemo, and Tyler Madden. Defenseman Jordan Spence could also re-join the Reign after seeing a lot of NHL action at the end of 2021-22 due to injuries.
With Sturm’s emerging track record of success, it’s hard to imagine he’ll be in Ontario for too long before getting calls for NHL head coaching vacancies.