St. Louis Blues Name Kevin Maxwell GM Of AHL Springfield
A few days ago, we covered how the St. Louis Blues were expected to hire former New York Rangers director of pro scouting director Kevin Maxwell to an at-the-time undisclosed role. The move is now official, and Maxwell’s responsibilities have been made clear. Per a team announcement, Maxwell has been named general manager of the Blues’ AHL affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds. The team has also announced that as part of Maxwell’s responsibilities, he will serve as a pro scout as well.
As previously mentioned, Maxwell had served as the Rangers’ director of professional scouting, operating in that role from 2011-12 to 2020-21. Maxwell has been a director of pro scouting for two other organizations as well, including the now-relocated Hartford Whalers. He is a highly experienced talent evaluator who managed the Rangers’ pro scouting operation at a time of significant team success. With Maxwell on staff, the Rangers made numerous deep playoff runs, including a run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2014 and runs to the Eastern Conference Final in 2012, 2015, and 2021.
Maxwell joins a Blues organization that is, like the Rangers, interested in competing in the near-term, perhaps heightening the importance of his professional scouting abilities compared to, say, an executive with an amateur scouting background. Not only are the Blues in “win-now mode,” the Thunderbirds are as well. Springfield made a run to the Calder Cup Final this spring, storming past the league’s Eastern Conference before falling to the Chicago Wolves.
Maxwell will be tasked with not only keeping the Thunderbirds competitive but also maintaining the team’s status as a quality developer of NHL-bound talent. Standout Thunderbirds from 2021-22 such as Charlie Lindgren, Dakota Joshua, and Calle Rosen each earned NHL contracts this summer, with Lindgren getting a relatively sizeable $1.1MM AAV on his deal as well as the chance to enter the fall penciled into the team’s backup goalie role. As their new general manager, Maxwell will be responsible for maintaining the Thunderbirds’ status as a premier developer of NHL talent as well as continuing the historic legacy of minor league hockey in Springfield, Massachusetts.
It’s a major responsibility for Maxwell, but it’s also a great opportunity. With former Springfield GM Kevin McDonald moving on to a post as assistant GM of the Colorado Avalanche, the Blues organization has tapped an extraordinarily experienced executive for this important role. Maxwell is a two-time Calder Cup champion from his time as a player, and perhaps there will be another Calder Cup in his future.
Looking Back At The First Round Of The 2005 NHL Entry Draft
On this date 17 years ago, the first round of the 2005 NHL Entry Draft was held at the Westin Hotel in Ottawa. It was the league’s first major event since the lockout that cost them the entire 2004-05 season ended just over a week prior, and considering the draft’s top prize, there was added intrigue.
With the lack of regular-season standings to determine the draft order, the league implemented a snake draft system to make things more equitable for teams in later rounds that didn’t fare so well in the draft lottery. One team that did fare well that night, though, was the Pittsburgh Penguins, who cemented a 15-plus year run of success by drafting future captain Sidney Crosby with the first overall pick.
Five players selected that night went on to appear in at least 1,000 NHL games, including Crosby. One was 2022 Stanley Cup Champion Jack Johnson, taken third overall by the Carolina Hurricanes. Johnson never played a single game for Carolina, though, as he was traded the following offseason to the Los Angeles Kings along with defenseman Oleg Tverdovsky in exchange for defenseman Tim Gleason and center Eric Belanger.
Johnson wasn’t the only player from the first round to play meaningful games for the Kings, though. The team selected two-time Stanley Cup champion and future captain Anze Kopitar with the 11th overall selection. Another thousand-gamer was selected directly after him when the New York Rangers picked defenseman Marc Staal 12th overall, while Johnson’s teammate on the 2022 Avalanche, forward Andrew Cogliano, was selected 25th by the Edmonton Oilers.
One name from that night who could still join the 1,000-game club was St. Louis Blues selection and current Washington Capitals forward T.J. Oshie. Taken 24th overall, he only needs 100 more appearances to hit the mark.
Future Stanley Cup-winning skaters weren’t the only future legends drafted that night, though. Two of the greatest goalies in recent memory were drafted that night, with the Montreal Canadiens selecting Carey Price with the fifth overall pick and the Toronto Maple Leafs selecting Tuukka Rask with the 21st overall pick, of course prior to trading him to the Boston Bruins the following season.
Just three players selected that night, all taken within four picks of each other, would never make an NHL appearance. Slovak forward Marek Zagrapan, drafted 13th overall by the Buffalo Sabres, played just three years in the organization with two different AHL affiliates, scoring 20 goals there just once. At 35 years old, Zagrapan is still active, playing the 2022-23 season in the French Ligue Magnus.
Directly after him, the Washington Capitals took Canadian defenseman Sasha Pokulok with the 14th overall pick. The first overage player taken in the draft, he’s arguably the biggest bust of the night. He never spent a full season in the AHL, bouncing up and down between there and the ECHL for four seasons after turning pro in 2006. He failed to make a notable impact in Europe, too, only lasting one season in the DEL (2010-11) before floating around various lower-level leagues in Eastern Europe and Quebec.
Lastly, there’s Canadian winger Alex Bourret, taken by the Atlanta Thrashers at 16th overall. A short but strong power winger, Bourret had a very successful junior career in the QMJHL that just didn’t translate. His North American career fizzled out quickly after a strong start in the AHL, but after being traded twice (first to the Rangers, then to the Coyotes), he had just 14 points in 48 AHL games during his final season there in 2008-09.
Dallas Stars Sign Ben Gleason
The Dallas Stars have signed Ben Gleason to a one-year, two-way contract for the 2022-23 season. The young defenseman was a restricted free agent after his previous one-year deal had expired this summer.
Gleason, 24, experienced an outstanding season this year with the Texas Stars, racking up 44 points in 70 games to finish fifth among all AHL defensemen in scoring. Undrafted, he was signed out of the OHL in 2018 and has been an excellent performer for Texas ever since, even getting into four games with Dallas during his first professional season.
While he won’t likely play a big role at the NHL level this year, he certainly warranted bringing back on a two-way contract as he’s an integral part of the minor league depth chart. Perhaps he’ll receive a chance to play a few games but mostly, Texas fans should be ready to watch Gleason rack up points once again in 2022-23.
Sami Niku Signs In Finland
There was a point, a few years ago, when Sami Niku seemed destined for NHL success. The Finn had dominated the minor leagues in his first season in North America, earning the AHL’s Eddie Shore Award as the best defenseman in the league, after putting up 54 points in 76 games for the Manitoba Moose. He was a smooth skater with plenty of offensive upside that didn’t suffer from a lack of size.
Now, before he even turns 26, he’s back in Europe. Niku has signed a one-year contract with JYP, the Liiga program that developed him in Finland.
Niku, 25, spent last season with the Montreal Canadiens organization, playing 13 games in the NHL and recording six points. His play in the minor leagues was still strong (especially in the playoffs) but because he didn’t reach a certain number of games with the Canadiens, he qualified for Group VI unrestricted free agency this summer.
In 67 career games in the NHL, spread over parts of five seasons, Niku registered 16 points. Whether he ever gets another chance at that level remains to be seen but his name shouldn’t be entirely forgotten, given his relative youth.
Minor Transactions: 07/27/22
It’s been a long, slow grind since the craziness of free agency opening on July 13, with a good number of high-end free agents remaining unsigned. With many other leagues than just the NHL looking to get their rosters set for next season, though, that hasn’t been the case everywhere. Minor-league teams and overseas leagues are making moves and transactions to their squads every day, giving hockey fans something else to look at. We’ll keep track of today’s transactions right here.
- Over in Germany, Wolfsburg in the DEL could look to add a major name with some NHL experience, per the German-language publication Wolfsburger Nachrichten. 34-year-old Kaspars Daugavins is still floating around in the European leagues after a brief NHL career between 2009 and 2013, where he’s been an all-star caliber player in both the KHL and Swiss NL. It appears SC Bern, his NL club for 2021-22, however, has bought him out after he registered 25 points in 34 games.
- The AHL’s Ontario Reign today announced a one-year extension for defenseman Cameron Gaunce. A second-round pick back in 2008, the 32-year-old is a veteran of 731 AHL games but has seen just 37 games of NHL action in that timeframe. This will be his third straight season in the Los Angeles Kings organization, helping mentor their pack of young defenders that come up through Ontario. Gaunce had seven goals, 20 assists, and 27 points in 61 AHL games last season.
- The Colorado Eagles have signed forwards Tarun Fizer and Cameron Wright to one-year, two-way AHL contracts. Fizer, 21, was the captain of the WHL’s Victoria Royals in 2021-22, scoring 17 goals, 34 assists, and 51 points in just 35 games. He had an impressive transition to pro hockey, suiting up for the ECHL’s Utah Grizzlies after the conclusion of his junior campaign, and had 15 points in 18 games during their Kelly Cup Playoffs run. Wright, 23, joins the Eagles after a five-year NCAA career, the last season of which was spent with the University of Denver. A member of this year’s national championship team, Wright had 23 goals and 34 points in 41 games.
- The Milwaukee Admirals have signed right wing Todd Burgess to an AHL deal for the 2022-23 season, per a team tweet. Burgess was drafted in the fourth round in 2016 by the Ottawa Senators, but the team let his rights expire after a disappointing college career and he’s yet to land an NHL contract. In 2021-22, his first professional season, Burgess had seven goals and six assists for 13 points in 35 games with the AHL’s Manitoba Moose.
- Per The Athletic’s Jesse Granger, the Henderson Silver Knights have signed 25-year-old defenseman Darian Skeoch to an AHL contract for the 2022-23 season. Skeoch, a rare breed of enforcer, had a whopping 135 penalty minutes in 52 games with the ECHL’s Allen Americans last season, registering just eight points in the process. He can play both defense and right wing, but the 6’4″, 220-pound defenseman’s main focus is on physical play.
This page will be updated throughout the day.
Edmonton Oilers Announce ECHL Affiliation
For the last few seasons, the Edmonton Oilers had been partnered with the Wichita Thunder for their ECHL affiliation, using the minor league team to help develop their prospects. That will change after the team announced a new agreement with the Fort Wayne Komets. The two teams had been previously affiliated between 1988 and 1990.
Oilers assistant general manager Bill Scott released the following statement:
On behalf of Ken Holland, Keith Gretzky and the entire Edmonton Oilers organization, we are thrilled to announce our new affiliation with the Fort Wayne Komets of the ECHL. As one of the premiere clubs in the ECHL with a rich history of professional hockey in Indiana, we are very excited to have our future Oilers in Fort Wayne.
One of the most notable connections with the two organizations will be Colin Chaulk, who had his number retired by the Komets in 2017 after a long outstanding career with the team. Chaulk was named the new head coach of the Bakersfield Condors, Edmonton’s AHL affiliate, last month after serving on an interim basis after Jay Woodcroft’s promotion last season.
The Komets won the Kelly Cup as ECHL champions as recently as 2021, while partnered with the Vegas Golden Knights.
Alexander Khovanov Clears Unconditional Waivers
July 27: Khovanov’s contract has been terminated and he will play with the Ak Bars program this season, starting in the VHL.
July 24: The Minnesota Wild announced that they have placed forward Alexander Khovanov on unconditional waivers today. A third-round pick of the Wild in 2018, Khovanov made his North American professional debut in 2021-22, but struggled to make a real impact, putting up six points in eight games with the Iowa Heartlanders of the ECHL and just five points in 22 games with the AHL’s Iowa Wild. Khovanov had one year remaining on the ELC he signed with Minnesota in the spring of 2019.
Once an intriguing prospect for the Wild as a dynamic offensive weapon, Khovanov hasn’t lived up to the promise he had shown in the junior levels in both Canada and Russia. A standout in the Ak Bars development program, Khovanov came to North America prior to the 2017-18 season, spending three seasons with the Moncton Wildcats of the QMJHL. Khovanov’s best performance came in 2019-20, where he scored 32 goals to go with 67 assists in just 51 games for Moncton. With questions about who would play and when due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Khovanov headed home for the 2020-21 season, once again playing in the Ak Bars organization. The forward spent the majority of that season in the VHL where he again impressed with 24 points in 30 games and was even able to finally make his KHL debut, getting into seven games.
After the 2020-21 season, Khovanov announced he was heading back to North America, splitting this season between the AHL and ECHL in the Wild organization. It’s unclear what the plan is for Khovanov now that he has been placed on unconditional waivers, though a return to the KHL could be likely given his production in the VHL and Ak Bars’ willingness to have him play games at the KHL level just two years ago.
Roman Ahcan, Cole Fonstad Land Professional Tryouts
The number of professional tryouts for Columbus Blue Jackets training camp continues to grow, with CapFriendly reporting that Roman Ahcan and Cole Fonstad will both be invited. They join three other players who had previously signed PTOs as the team gets to work early on their camp roster.
Ahcan, the brother of Boston Bruins defenseman Jack Ahcan, played 24 games with the Cleveland Monsters this year after finishing his career at the University of Wisconsin and will now try to land an NHL entry-level contract. The 23-year-old forward went undrafted and is actually already signed to an AHL deal with the Monsters for the upcoming season, though that wouldn’t pose a problem if Columbus wanted to put him on an NHL deal. In his short AHL stint last season, he scored three goals and seven points.
Fonstad, meanwhile, was a fifth-round pick of the Montreal Canadiens in 2018 and saw his rights expire with them in 2020 after failing to sign an entry-level deal. The 22-year-old forward played this season with the Cleveland Monsters, scoring nine goals and 20 points in 45 games, and will now try to earn a new deal with the Blue Jackets.
Minor Transactions: 07/26/22
It may not seem like it but we’re now just about six weeks away from players starting to gather in their respective cities to prepare for the season, with training camps opening just a little while after that. That’s despite several top free agents still being unsigned, now nearly two weeks into free agency. Meanwhile, minor league teams are starting to fill out their rosters and players who aren’t going to get a good NHL offer are accepting deals overseas. As always, we’ll keep track of all those minor moves right here.
- The Tucson Roadrunners have signed Adam Cracknell to a one-year, AHL contract, bringing in the veteran minor league forward after he spent the last two seasons with the Bakersfield Condors. Cracknell has long been one of the most consistent players in the AHL, and showed it again with 21 goals and 47 points in 58 games this year, while also suiting up for Canada at the Olympics. Now 37, he isn’t ready to hang it up just yet.
- Alexei Emelin is staying in the KHL, after signing a new one-year contract with Dinamo Minsk for 2022-23. The 36-year-old is a three-time Gagarin Cup champion, and has been back in Russia since 2018, when he decided to leave his NHL career behind. In 456 regular season games, mostly with the Montreal Canadiens, Emelin has 81 points.
- Former top prospect Justin Pogge has signed a deal with a new DEL team, going from Kolner Haie to Grizzlys Wolfsburg for the upcoming season. The 36-year-old netminder is replacing Chet Pickard, another former top NHL prospect, who has decided to retire after spending the last seven seasons in Germany. Pogge, selected 90th overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2004, appeared in seven NHL games. Pickard, 18th overall in 2008 by the Nashville Predators, never hit the ice for an NHL match.
- Cam Morrison has signed a one-year two-way minor league contract with the Charlotte Checkers, after failing to receive a qualifying offer from the Chicago Blackhawks. The 23-year-old forward was a second-round pick by the Colorado Avalanche back in 2016 but never signed with them, instead becoming a free agent after a four-year career at Notre Dame. In 43 games with the Rockford IceHogs this year, he recorded 14 points.
- The Chicago Wolves announced they’ve signed three players, including two players who failed to receive NHL qualifying offers a few weeks ago. Most notable out of those players is former Nashville Predators defense prospect David Farrance, whose strong offensive game failed to translate from college to the pros with just 14 points in 50 games with the Milwaukee Admirals last season. He is still just 23 years old though, and it’s a nice get for the Carolina Hurricanes organization on an AHL deal. They also signed former Chicago Blackhawks goalie prospect Cale Morris and undrafted free agent forward Eric Cooley, the older brother of top 2022 draft pick Logan Cooley.
This page will be updated throughout the day
Minor Transactions: 07/25/22
We’re now a few weeks into the offseason and some big-name free agents are still unsigned. While we wait on those players to choose their next team, there are plenty of minor moves happening around the hockey world. As always, we’ll keep track of those right here.
- The Syracuse Crunch have signed Jack LaFontaine to an AHL contract, following the Carolina Hurricanes cutting ties with the free agent goaltender. LaFontaine, who left the University of Minnesota midseason to join the Hurricanes, wasn’t issued a qualifying offer at the end of the year.
- Joey Keane has decided to head overseas following his Calder Cup championship, signing with Spartak Moscow in the KHL. The Hurricanes will retain his exclusive rights after issuing him a qualifying offer this summer. The 23-year-old had 45 points in 80 total games for the Chicago Wolves this season.
- The Calgary Flames’ AHL affiliate, a team that haas yet to be named, has signed forward Mitch McLain to an AHL contract, confirms Ryan Pike of Flames Nation (link). McLain spent four years at Bowling Green State University before turning pro in the spring of 2018, signing with the Iowa Wild. The 28-year-old spent parts of four seasons in Iowa before heading to the Milwaukee Admirals for the 2021-22 season, where he scored 17 goals to go with six assists in 76 AHL contests.
This page will be updated throughout the day