AHL

The recent string of postponements in the NHL due to COVID-19 has slowed transactions across the league, but with most of those teams still playing also dealing with COVID absences, along with normal recalls and reassignments, there is still plenty going on. Keep up with the shuffle right here:

Atlantic Division

• The Detroit Red Wings have reassigned defenseman Dan Renouf to the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins. The 27-year-old has split his season between the two clubs, and while he has been held scoreless in four games with Detroit, Renouf is actually averaging a career high in time on ice per game. The experienced defender, who plays a reliable defensive game, will continue to be a recall option for the Wings this year.
• A trio of forwards have been promoted to the Montreal Canadiens, the club announced. Alex Belzile, Rafael Harvey-Pinard, and Lukas Vejdemo will serve as reinforcements for a forward corps that is inundated with injuries. Belzile has played in eight games this season, though held scoreless, while Vejdemo played in seven games last year. This would be the NHL debut for Harvey-Pinard should he draw into the lineup on this recall.

Metropolitan Division

• The Washington Capitals are bringing in a homegrown product for the first time. The team announced that forward Joe Snively has been recalled from the AHL’s Hersey Bears. A Herndon, VA native and former member of the Washington Little Caps program, Snively was a standout at Yale and has improved offensively in each of his three pro seasons, highlighted by a red hot start to the current AHL campaign with 22 points in 21 games. If Snively can find a permanent role on the Capitals roster, he could be a fan favorite in the making.
• Jake Christiansen’s first stint with the Columbus Blue Jackets is over, and without having made his NHL debut. The team has announced that the young defenseman has been reassigned to the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters. Despite a strong start to the season with 18 points in 21 games, Christiansen served only as an (unused) depth option during his recall rather than actually playing. With continued results, it would be hard to imagine that Christiansen doesn’t get a second chance soon.
  • He’s getting his chance, brought back up later in the day on an emergency recall from Cleveland.
• The Carolina Hurricanes have returned a trio of forwards to the AHL’s Chicago Wolves. Veterans Josh Leivo, Andrew Poturalski, and C.J. Smith will head back to the minors, but each has NHL experience, including at least one game with the ’Canes this season, and will continue to be top recall options for Carolina. Later in the day, the team also reassigned Jack Drury to Chicago after scoring his first NHL goal during his call-up.
• With Jesper Bratt out of the lineup due to an undisclosed illness, the New Jersey Devils recalled forward Chase De Leo from the Utica Comets today. De Leo has no points in two games with the big club this season but has been spectacular with three goals and 13 assists in 16 games with Utica. It’s his first season in the Devils organization.

Central Division

• With their next game postponed, the Chicago Blackhawks don’t play again until Thursday. As a result, a pair of young players will head back to the AHL to get in some game action. NBC Sports’ Charlie Roumeliotis reports that Josiah Slavin and Ian Mitchell have been reassigned to the Rockford IceHogs. Mitchell has played in six NHL games this season, while Slavin has suited up for nine.
• Forwards Jan Jenik and Blake Speers are on their way up to the NHL level, recalled by the Arizona Coyotes. The pair have seen a combined three NHL games this season but with zero points in extremely limited roles. Jenik is having a solid but unspectacular season in the AHL, while Speers has struggled with the Tuscon Roadrunners as well. Yet, both will get a second chance with the ’Yotes.
• After placing captain Blake Wheeler on long-term injured reserve this morning, the Winnipeg Jets recalled forwards Kristian Reichel and C.J. Suess from the Manitoba Moose. If Reichel gets into a game during his call-up, it will be his NHL debut. The undrafted Reichel is in his fourth season with the Jets organization, and he has five goals and seven assists in 25 games with Manitoba this year. Suess, a fifth-round pick back in 2014, has four goals and eight assists in 23 games with the Moose.

Pacific Division

• The Los Angeles Kings are making a swap in net. With Calvin Petersen currently in the NHL COVID Protocol, the Kings had been using Jacob Ingham as the backup to Jonathan Quick. However, L.A. has made a change before Ingham could even see any action. The team announced that the 21-year-old has been reassigned to the AHL’s Ontario Reign, with veteran Garret Sparks being recalled in his place.

This post will be updated throughout the day.

There are six games scheduled for this evening, but once again that could change at any moment given the league’s widespread COVID absences. If they do all go through, it’ll be Dave Lowry’s first game behind the bench as head coach of the Winnipeg Jets, and a chance for the Anaheim Ducks to extend their Pacific Division lead by taking on the last-place Arizona Coyotes. As those teams and others prepare for action, we’ll keep track of all the minor shuffling right here.

Atlantic Division

• The Montreal Canadiens have sent Cayden Primeau back to the minor leagues after winning last night’s game against the Philadelphia Flyers. Primeau stopped 37 of 39 shots in regular play and then all three attempts in the shootout to secure the victory.

Metropolitan Division

• The Washington Capitals have recalled Zachary Fucale from the minor leagues as a precaution, as they travel to Canada for a game against the Jets. The Capitals, like most teams in the league right now, are dealing with several COVID absences and are likely trying to avoid a situation like the one that played out for Colorado last night.

Central Division

• The Minnesota Wild have recalled Kevin Czuczman from the AHL, after Jared Spurgeon reaggravated an injury last night. Czuczman, 30, has just 15 NHL games in his long professional career but has been a successful minor league option for years. He last played for the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2020-21.
• Klim Kostin has been sent to the AHL on a conditioning loan, an understandable decision given he hasn’t played a game for the St. Louis Blues since November 24. The 22-year-old forward was expected to grab hold of a full-time roster spot this season but has been plagued by injury and inconsistency so far.
• The Dallas Stars have recalled Riley Tufte and Thomas Harley from the AHL. As head coach Rick Bowness told team reporter Mike Heika, Harley is up to replace Miro Heiskanen’s play and Tufte’s size will be needed against the Blues. The team recently had Ty Dellandrea and Riley Damiani, but those weren’t the right fit for the upcoming game.
• With the Colorado Avalanche now off until after the holiday break, they have assigned forward Mikhail Maltsev and defenseman Justin Barron back to the AHL.  Maltsev has been held without a point in six games this season while Barron made his NHL debut on Tuesday.

Pacific Division

• The Los Angeles Kings have brought up a pair of defensemen, recalling Jacob Moverare and Jordan Spence from Ontario of the AHL.  Moverare is in his second season in North America and has eight points in 19 games for the Reign this season while Spence is in his first professional season and has eight assists in 18 contests.

This page will be updated throughout the day

The NHL schedule is a precarious thing these days, as dozens of players find themselves in the COVID protocol across the league. There have been individual postponements and full team shutdowns of late, with seemingly new news breaking every hour. For now, there are ten games on the docket, including a chance for the Stanley Cup champions to get some revenge. Over the weekend, the Ottawa Senators defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-0, and the two teams will do battle again this evening. As they and other teams prepare, we’ll keep track of all the minor league shuffling.

Atlantic Division

• The Montreal Canadiens have recalled Cayden Primeau from the minor leagues, sending Corey Schueneman back to make room. Primeau will start in goal this evening for Montreal, while Samuel Montembeault is expected to play at some point on the upcoming road trip. Primeau, 22, has made two appearances for the Canadiens this season, losing both games and posting an .877 save percentage.

Metropolitan Division

• As expected, the Washington Capitals have recalled Brett Leason for their road trip to Canada. Nic Dowd and Trevor van Riemsdyk cannot travel with the team due to their COVID status, meaning they’ve been moved back to the non-roster list for the time being.
• With Mathew Barzal in the COVID protocol, the New York Islanders have recalled Austin Czarnik from the minor leagues. Czarnik has very rarely been a full-time NHL option in his professional career, but does have 129 regular season games under his belt. In the four he’s played this year with New York, he has three points.

Central Division

• The Winnipeg Jets have recalled David Gustafsson from the minor leagues, giving him an NHL opportunity after another great start with the Manitoba Moose. The 2018 second-round pick has done nothing but score whenever he’s in the AHL, with 16 points in 23 games this time around. Now 21, it’s time for him to start pushing for NHL minutes if he’s going to become a legitimate part of the Jets’ future.
• The Dallas Stars have sent Riley Damiani and Ty Dellandrea back to the minor leagues, though that may be for a short period of time depending on the health of the Stars forwards for tomorrow’s game. Roope Hintz and Alexander Radulov were back at practice today according to Saad Yousuf of The Athletic, suggesting they’ll be ready in time to battle the Blues.

Pacific Division

• Defenseman Guillaume Brisebois is back up with the Vancouver Canucks on an emergency recall after the team placed multiple defensemen in COVID protocol over the past few days. He has no points in nine career NHL games.

This page will be updated throughout the day

The NHL has three games on the schedule for this evening, but those certainly haven’t felt very secure given the situation around the league. Teams are announcing COVID cases seemingly hour-by-hour right now, with players becoming unavailable every day. With that, minor league depth will be even more important and we’ll keep track of all the shuffling right here.

Atlantic Division

• The Boston Bruins have recalled both Jack Studnicka and Oskar Steen, sending John Moore to the AHL to make some room. The team is down Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron, and Craig Smith due to COVID, so won’t be quite as potent upfront when they take on the Islanders tomorrow night.
• With Michael Rasmussen and Robby Fabbri entering the COVID protocol, the Detroit Red Wings have recalled Kyle Criscuolo and Taro Hirose from the minor leagues. Both players have been outstanding for the Grand Rapids Griffins so far, scoring 17 and 19 points respectively.

Metropolitan Division

• Andrew Poturalski was returned to the AHL by the Carolina Hurricanes, as they prepare to get back on the ice tomorrow night. The Hurricanes avoided any other COVID placements today and will take on Detroit tomorrow if all goes well.
• The Philadelphia Flyers have recalled Jackson Cates from the AHL under emergency conditions after Morgan Frost was put in the protocol last night. Cates, 24, has six points in 19 games for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, but did make his NHL debut last season.
• After activating Nicklas Backstrom, Nic Dowd, and Trevor van Riemsdyk, the Washington Capitals have sent Brett Leason back to the AHL. The young forward scored four points in 20 games with the Capitals this season, his first in the NHL.

Central Division

• The Chicago Blackhawks have officially loaned Michael Krutil to the Czech World Junior team, though he hasn’t played for the Rockford IceHogs since the middle of November anyway. Krutil, a fourth-round pick from 2020, hasn’t recorded a point this season in seven games but will be in his second go-round at the WJC.
• The Colorado Avalanche have brought up defenseman Jordan Gross from Colorado of the AHL. The 26-year-old signed a one-year, two-way deal with the Avs in the summer and has impressed offensively with the Eagles, notching 18 points in 21 games so far this season.

Pacific Division

• The Anaheim Ducks have recalled Jacob Larsson from the AHL, his first call-up since clearing waivers at the beginning of the season. Larsson, who signed a two-year, $2.4MM deal in 2020, has seven points in 19 games for the San Diego Gulls this year.
• With Blake Lizotte activated from the COVID list, Jaret Anderson-Dolan has been sent back to the AHL by the Los Angeles Kings. The team has also officially loaned Helge Grans to Team Sweden for the upcoming World Junior Championship. Grans, 19, could very well be on the top pairing for Sweden after playing well in the minor leagues so far this season.

This page will continue to be updated throughout the evening. 

It’s an extremely busy Tuesday in the NHL with 13 games on the schedule. Even while teams deal with COVID absences–including some pretty important ones–the league will soldier on with games as it tries to battle through this season. With injuries and illnesses building up, there will be several recalls and reassignments across the NHL today. We’ll keep track of all the minor shuffling right here.

Atlantic Division

• The Florida Panthers have recalled Aleksi Heponiemi once again, as they deal with the loss of Ryan Lomberg to the COVID protocol. Heponiemi, a second-round pick from 2017, played in nine games last season for the Panthers but has yet to make his 2021-22 debut. In 21 games for the Charlotte Checkers, he has 13 points.
• With Brad Marchand and Craig Smith placed in the COVID protocol, the Boston Bruins have made a pair of recalls from the minor leagues. Jack Studnicka and Oskar Steen are back up to help out the big squad for the time being.

Metropolitan Division

• The Carolina Hurricanes, missing Sebastian Aho and Seth Jarvis, have recalled the AHL scoring leader Andrew Poturalski from the Chicago Wolves. The 27-year-old forward has 34 points in 23 games this season and can slide into an offensive role for the Hurricanes right away. Undrafted, Poturalski has played just two games at the NHL level, both coming with Carolina back in the 2016-17 season.

Central Division

• After Anton Khudobin cleared waivers, he has been assigned to the Texas Stars of the AHL. Dallas has recalled Riley Damiani and Ty Dellandrea in his place, while moving Roope Hintz to injured reserve. Damiani, 21, has been great since entering the AHL last season, scoring 54 points in 57 games. The fifth-round pick would be making his NHL debut if he’s gets into the lineup.
• Janis Moser has been recalled by the Arizona Coyotes, a nice reward for a 21-year-old defenseman that has made an excellent transition to North American hockey. Selected 60th overall in 2021, Moser has 12 points in 18 games for the Tucson Roadrunners and appears to have been completely overlooked when he went undrafted during his first two years of eligibility.

Pacific Division

• The Seattle Kraken have recalled Max McCormick from the Charlotte Checkers, giving them another forward to plug into the lineup tonight against San Jose. McCormick has played five games so far this season, held scoreless throughout.

This page will be updated throughout the day.