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Buffalo Sabres Sign Josh Bloom

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The Buffalo Sabres will have another prospect under contract next season, as they have signed Josh Bloom to a three-year, entry-level contract. The deal will start in 2022-23, and for now, Bloom will report to the Rochester Americans on an amateur tryout.

Still just 18, Bloom was the 95th overall selection in the 2021 draft and one of the younger players selected. That pick was something of a shot in the dark, given how little he had actually played at the OHL level. As a rookie in 2019-20, the Oakville native played a depth role on the Saginaw Spirit, scoring just six goals and 14 points in 54 games. The following season, 2020-21, he didn’t play anywhere because of the canceled OHL season. That means the Sabres were spending a third-round pick on a forward with just 14 points at the major junior level, though he has quickly rewarded that faith.

This season, still with Saginaw, Bloom has 30 goals and 61 points in 67 games, showing off his blazing speed on a regular basis. Given that he won’t turn 19 until June, the young forward will not be eligible to play in the AHL next season. That means this handful of games on an ATO will be his only professional experience for a while–unless he somehow makes the Sabres out of camp in 2022-23.

Danil Gushchin Assigned To AHL

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With the OHL regular season coming to an end today, several players signed to entry-level contracts will soon be joining their AHL affiliates to get a taste of professional hockey. Because the Niagara IceDogs failed to qualify for the postseason, that exodus has begun with Danil Gushchin, assigned today to the San Jose Barracuda.

Gushchin, 20, was selected in the third round of the 2020 draft by the San Jose Sharks, picked out of the USHL where he was playing with the Muskegon Lumberjacks. The Russian-born forward moved to the OHL this season to play for Niagara, where he exploded onto the scene with 41 goals in just 51 games. That tied him for tenth in the entire league, despite the IceDogs having a brutal season overall. In fact, the next closest player to Gushchin in terms of goal scoring in Niagara was Liam Van Loon, who had just 19 tallies.

A Hlinka-Gretzky gold medal winner, a USHL All-Star, and now a standout in the OHL, Gushchin has never really shown any signs of slowing his development. He’ll now face the biggest test of his hockey career, transitioning to professional hockey. Unfortunately, the Barracuda only have a handful of games left themselves, as they will miss the playoffs after a tough season. He’ll have to wait until 2022-23 to really get a full slate of game action.

AHL Shuffle: 04/17/22

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It’s another busy Sunday for the NHL, with six games on the schedule including an afternoon tilt between the Florida Panthers and Detroit Red Wings. Later, the St. Louis Blues and Nashville Predators do battle in an important Central Division matchup, while Auston Matthews continues his chase for 60 goals against the New York Islanders. As those teams and others prepare for action, we’ll keep track of all the minor league shuffling.

Atlantic Division

  • The Ottawa Senators have recalled Zachary Senyshyn from the AHL, one of their interesting deadline pickups. The 25-year-old forward was the 15th overall selection in 2015 but has just 14 NHL appearances to his name. In 13 games so far with the Belleville Senators, Senyshyn has just two points.

Metropolitan Division

  • With Frederik Andersen’s status still questionable after an injury last night, the Carolina Hurricanes have made a move to shore up their crease. Goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov has been recalled from the AHL’s Chicago Wolves on an emergency basis, presumably to back up incumbent number-two netminder Antti Raanta. Kotchetkov, 22, was the 36th overall pick in the 2019 draft and has been brilliant this season. He has a .921 save percentage in 15 AHL games and a .923 in 23 KHL games this year.

Central Division

  • The Winnipeg Jets have reassigned Mikey Eyssimont back to the AHL, where the Manitoba Moose are set to battle for the Calder Cup. Eyssimont has played just a single game in the NHL so far, recording fewer than six minutes of action last week. The 25-year-old forward has been good for Manitoba though, with 15 goals and 35 points in 53 appearances.

Pacific Division

  • The San Jose Sharks have recalled Santeri Hatakka from the AHL, giving the young defenseman another chance in the AHL. Hatakka has played in eight games with the Sharks this season, recording two points.
  • Jiri Patera has been reassigned to the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights, Vegas announced. The move is a likely precursor to Robin Lehner’s return to the Golden Knights lineup. Patera has played in 20 AHL games and 15 ECHL games this season, but has yet to make his NHL debut.

This page is updated throughout the day

Winnipeg Jets Sign Wyatt Bongiovanni

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The Winnipeg Jets announced that they have signed forward Wyatt Bongiovanni to a two-year, entry-level contract that is set to begin next season. According to Sportsnet’s Ken Wiebe, Bongiovanni has also agreed to an amateur tryout with the Manitoba Moose, Winnipeg’s AHL affiliate, for the remainder of this season (link). The contract carries an average-annual value of $802.5K.

The 22-year-old Bongiovanni recently finished up his fourth season at Quinnipiac University, where he put up 16 goals and 18 assists in 42 games for the Bobcats. Before college, Bongiovanni played three seasons in the USHL, spending a season each with the Des Moines Buccaneers, the Tri-City Storm, and the Muskegon Lumberjacks, totaling 32 goals and 47 assists in 152 games over that span. Bongiovanni then began with Quinnipiac in 2018-19, where he would play four seasons. Not previously drafted in the NHL, the forward then chose the Jets as his destination.

One key detail for the Jets in Bongiovanni is his leadership, as he spent the 2021-22 season as Quinnipiac’s captain, a team that would go to the final eight of the Men’s College Hockey playoffs before being eliminated by Michigan.

AHL Shuffle: 04/16/22

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Today features a major slate of games on the docket, highlighted by some quality contests between playoff teams. The Colorado Avalanche are taking on the Carolina Hurricanes in what very well could be a Stanley Cup Final preview, and in addition, the schedule features other matchups between quality teams such as Minnesota vs. St. Louis, Boston vs. Pittsburgh, and Edmonton vs. Vegas. As there always is in the NHL, there will be shuffling between the NHL and AHL, and we’ll keep track of that here.

Atlantic Division

  • The Ottawa Senators have made a swap of backup goalies. The team announced that goaltender Mads Sogaard has been sent down to the AHL’s Belleville Senators, and in his place netminder Filip Gustavsson has been recalled. Sogaard, 21, returns to Belleville where has been for the majority of this season. He has a .906 in 31 games in the AHL and a .889 in two games for the big club. Gustavsson, 23, has been up and down from the NHL and AHL more often this season than Sogaard has, as he has appeared in 15 games for Ottawa and 18 games for Belleville. Gustavsson has a .913 save percentage this year for Belleville and an .886 mark for Ottawa.
  • The Boston Bruins have returned defenseman Jack Ahcan to the Providence Bruins of the AHL. Ahcan has played in five NHL games this season for Boston, but did not play in this latest call-up, last playing March 10th. The 24-year-old has played more regularly for Providence, posting 22 points in 42 games this season in the AHL.

Metropolitan Division

  • The Philadelphia Flyers have recalled goaltender Felix Sandstrom from the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms on an emergency basis. Sandstrom, 25, has appeared in 42 games for the Phantoms this season and has a .901 save percentage. He has also appeared in two NHL games this season and has a .924 save percentage there. Flyers coach Mike Yeo recently signaled that starting goalie Carter Hart may be out for the rest of the Flyers’ season, which would make Sandstrom’s recall necessary.
  • The New York Islanders have sent goaltender Ken Appleby back to the Worcester Railers of the ECHL. It was a confusing call-up for some, selecting a goaltender from the ECHL, with the Islanders announcing that goaltender Semyon Varlamov would not be able to play or back-up last night in Montreal due to a non-COVID illness, however as the team explained, Appleby and the Railers were geographically close to the Islanders, playing in Trois-Rivieres, Quebec.

Central Division

Pacific Division

  • The San Jose Sharks have brought up winger Jasper Weatherby from the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda.  This will be the 24-year-old’s third stint with the Sharks this season. He has 14 points in 45 NHL games so far while being a bit more productive in the minors with 15 points in 25 games.

This page is updated throughout the day.

AHL Shuffle: 04/15/22

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All eyes will be on Montreal this evening, where two emotional moments will be held. Carey Price is expected to return to the Canadiens lineup for the first time this season and for the first time since losing game five of the Stanley Cup Final 1-0 to the Tampa Bay Lightning. His return, even for just a few games at the end of the year, should give the Canadiens fans something to cheer for as they undergo the next stage in a rebuild.

The game will also feature the New York Islanders, a fitting opponent following Mike Bossy’s passing. The Montreal-born Bossy spent his entire NHL career with the Islanders and joined TVA Sports as a broadcaster after his retirement. There isn’t a better match to be held in his honor. As those teams and others prepare, we’ll keep track of all the minor shuffling.

Atlantic Division

  • The Toronto Maple Leafs have recalled Kristians Rubins from the Toronto Marlies on an emergency basis, giving them an extra defenseman. Rubins, 24, has played in three games with the Maple Leafs this season and is still looking for his first NHL point.
  • With Carey Price being activated today, the Montreal Canadiens have sent Cayden Primeau back to the Laval Rocket. Primeau was recalled on an emergency basis when Jake Allen was injured on the weekend but with Price returning, Primeau either had to be sent back down or converted to a regular recall; Montreal only has one of those remaining.
  • The Boston Bruins have recalled Troy Grosenick from Providence of the AHL on an emergency basis, per CapFriendly. The 32-year-old has a 2.02 GAA with a .931 SV% in 28 AHL games this season and will serve as Jeremy Swayman’s backup with Linus Ullmark injured and listed as day-to-day.

Metropolitan Division

Central Division

Pacific Division

  • The Vegas Golden Knights have recalled goaltender Jiri Patera from the Henderson Silver Knights. The 23-year-old has split the season between Henderson and Fort Wayne of the ECHL. Robin Lehner has returned to Vegas due to a health issue for a family member. To stay cap-compliant, forward Jonas Rondbjerg was sent down to Henderson.
  • The Calgary Flames have returned center Adam Ruzicka to Abbotsford, per CapFriendly. He had been up on emergency loan but now with those emergency conditions no longer existing, he had to be sent down or converted to a regular recall. The 22-year-old has nine points in 25 games with Calgary this season.

This page is updated throughout the day.

Snapshots: Nash, Predators, Deslauriers

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The oft-overlooked IIHF Men’s World Championship is drawing near, and Hockey Canada has added another former player and budding management star to the fold. TSN’s Darren Dreger reports that the organization has added Rick Nash as an assistant general manager, supplementing Shane Doan. Nash has three seasons of managerial experience now, all in his former stomping grounds in Columbus. After serving two seasons (2019-20 and 2020-21) as a special assistant to the general manager, he was named director of player development this season in addition to having his number retired by the organization. The tournament begins on May 13th.

Elsewhere from the NHL tonight:

  • Injury trouble continues for the Nashville Predators as they try to solidify a Wild Card spot. Defenseman Mark Borowiecki is again marred by injury, with an upper-body ailment holding him out tonight, as well as Matt Luff, who sits with a non-COVID illness. Both have been used sparingly when in the lineup this season, but Borowiecki is still a valuable role player who’s still managed to get into 47 games this year despite injury. Luff, after tearing up the AHL with 31 points in 30 games, has six points in 21 games with the Predators.
  • Instant fan-favorite Nicolas Deslauriers returns to the Minnesota Wild tonight after missing the team’s last two games. Deslauriers is averaging a penalty minute per game during his 10-game tenure in Minnesota, and he’s contributed two goals as well. The 31-year-old has looked like a natural fit in the team’s bottom-six forward group, adding a physical edge to an already gritty group of forwards.

Julian Napravnik Signs In AHL

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The NCAA scoring race this season was won by Philadelphia Flyers prospect Bobby Brink, who outpaced Arizona Coyotes prospect Nathan Smith’s 50-point campaign with 56 of his own. Two undrafted free agents were tied for third at 49–Bobby Trivigno, who signed an entry-level contract with the New York Rangers, and Julian Napravnik, who has now found his own home for the 2022-23 season. Napravnik has signed an AHL contract with the Hershey Bears for next year, while also agreeing to an amateur tryout agreement for the rest of this season.

Napravnik, 24, is a German winger who came to North America in 2016 to join the USHL’s Des Moines Buccanneers, where he quickly found success. By 2018 he was joining Minnesota State-Mankato, and as a junior had developed enough to score at a better than a point-per-game pace. This season, his 49 points came in just 40 games, coming in just behind Smith for the team lead.

Given he will turn 25 next month, it’s not entirely surprising that Napravnik had to settle for an AHL deal, but he’s still a pretty substantial acquisition for the Bears. At the very worst, the team is adding a player that can help on the powerplay and add some offensive punch to the depth chart. At best, he could quickly become a strong contributor at the AHL level and be a name on NHL radars by next season.

AHL Shuffle: 04/14/22

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The NHL schedule is jam-packed with action these days, and tonight is no different. Twenty-four of the league’s teams are in action, including some incredibly important Western Conference matchups. The Dallas Stars welcome in the Minnesota Wild in a game that will break at least one Central Division streak–each of the top six teams in that division are currently on winning streaks–while the Pacific-leading Calgary Flames say hello to the Vegas Golden Knights in a potential first-round preview. As they and others prepare for action, we’ll keep track of all the minor league shuffling:

Atlantic Division

Metropolitan Division

  • The Columbus Blue Jackets have assigned Jake Christiansen to the minor leagues, ending his short run with the team. The 22-year-old defenseman has played in eight games for the team this season, recording his first NHL goal. In his last appearance, he saw just five shifts and 3:45 of ice time.
  • The Philadelphia Flyers have returned Tanner Laczynski and Felix Sandstrom to the minor leagues, following the latter’s strong performance last night. In just his second game at the NHL level, and behind a Flyers team that is now near the very bottom of the league standings, Sandstrom stopped 30 of 33 shots. He now has a

Central Division

  • The Nashville Predators have recalled Cody Glass, adding the young forward for the stretch run. Glass, 23, has been exceptional for the Milwaukee Admirals, scoring 60 points in 63 games this season. Selected sixth overall in 2017, he has played in 70 NHL games to this point.
  • Connor Dewar has been recalled by the Minnesota Wild, giving them another body for tonight’s game. The young forward has five points in 30 games this season with Minnesota–and 17 in 19 games with the Iowa Wild.

Pacific Division

  • Juuso Valimaki is on his way back to the AHL, sent to the Stockton Heat after his short recall. Valimaki has played just nine games at the NHL level this season, and just two since October.

This page is updated throughout the day

Johnny Beecher Signs AHL Tryout Contract

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Another Michigan Wolverine has decided to turn pro. Johnny Beecher has signed an amateur tryout agreement with the Providence Bruins of the AHL for the remainder of this season. Just like his former teammates Thomas Bordeleau and Brendan Brisson, this allows Beecher to play for Providence down the stretch, something that isn’t possible once he signs his entry-level contract with the Boston Bruins. That may not have to wait long though, as general manager Don Sweeney explained:

We are appreciative to Mel Pearson and the Michigan coaching staff as they did a great job with his overall development. The Bruins and Johnny are leaving all options open with regards to his availability for the remainder of this season and playoffs. We will continue to communicate with his agent, Cam Stewart, while Johnny starts to play games and as we work towards finalizing his ELC.

Boston and Beecher can sign an ELC at any point, which would make him eligible to play in the NHL regular season and in the playoffs. If he does sign for 2021-22, it would be a three-year deal and the first season would burn immediately, regardless of how many games he played.

It will be interesting to see if Beecher actually climbs the ranks quicker than Bordeleau and Brisson, given his role with the Michigan team. Despite also being a high draft pick and top prospect when he entered the program, he never really found his way offensively and recorded just 39 points in three seasons. The wonder now is whether his offense will actually improve at the next level, when time and space are compressed even further, or if he is going to top out as another Bruins depth player selected in the first round.

Picked 30th overall in 2019, Beecher was always more of a project, a mixture of raw tools that the Bruins hoped would form a dynamic two-way player. The 6’3″ forward can skate well, lean on opponents and finish around the net–but too often he isn’t the one to get it there. In the right situation, he may thrive, opening room for his linemates with at size and speed, but through three years at Michigan, it didn’t really happen.

You can bet that the Bruins have a plan for him though, and he enters an organization that does have some question marks coming down the middle. Patrice Bergeron will be 37 this summer and an unrestricted free agent, Erik Haula is signed for just one more year, and other young forwards like Trent Frederic and Jack Studnicka haven’t exactly established themselves as dynamic, must-see NHL options to this point. With room to grow in the system, Beecher will have to hope his game translates to the next level quickly.

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