AHL Shuffle: 12/20/21
The NHL holiday roster freeze went into effect last night, meaning only players recalled since December 11 can be assigned to the minor leagues over the next few days. Things will come to a complete freeze on Friday, but for now, there will still be some movement between the NHL and AHL. As always, we’ll keep track of all that minor league shuffling right here.
Atlantic Division
- The Toronto Maple Leafs have returned Alex Biega, Kyle Clifford, and Carl Dahlstrom back to the minor leagues, after their games were postponed for this week. The team is going through a COVID situation of their own and put two more members of the support staff in the protocol today.
- The Detroit Red Wings have sent Riley Barber, Kyle Criscuolo, Taro Hirose, and Calvin Pickard back to the Grand Rapids Griffins. The Red Wings won’t play again until after the holiday break.
Metropolitan Division
- The Philadelphia Flyers have sent Felix Sandstrom back to the AHL, suggesting that Carter Hart will be back with the team after missing a game due to illness. Sandstrom, 24, has an .896 save percentage in 15 games with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms this season and has yet to make his NHL debut.
- Brett Leason and Beck Malenstyn have been returned to the AHL by the Washington Capitals, potentially suggesting that Tom Wilson is ready to return to the lineup tomorrow. The Capitals are one of the few teams still playing and have two games scheduled before the holiday break.
Central Division
- The St. Louis Blues have recalled Klim Kostin from his conditioning assignment, sending Matthew Peca and Alexei Toropchenko back to the minor leagues. The Blues won’t play again until next week, meaning they have some time to reassess the roster and see how everything will fit into their tight salary cap picture when the season resumes.
Pacific Division
- The San Jose Sharks have sent Jasper Weatherby and Jayden Halbgewachs back to the AHL, saving some money as they don’t play again for a week. Weatherby, a first-year pro out of the University of North Dakota, has six points in 29 games with the Sharks this season. Halbgewachs meanwhile made his NHL debut this season as well, but has played in just that one contest to this point.
- The Los Angeles Kings made several roster moves last night, sending Christian Wolanin, Sean Durzi, and Jacob Moverare to the minor leagues while calling up Quinton Byfield, Samuel Fagemo, and Alex Turcotte. Turcotte, 20, has yet to make his NHL debut after being the fifth-overall pick in 2019. Through 18 games this season for the Ontario Reign, he has 10 points.
- The Edmonton Oilers have sent Cooper Marody and Seth Griffith, two recent recalls, back to the minor leagues. The Oilers don’t play again until after the holiday break, but announced more COVID cases today as Darnell Nurse and William Lagesson are now unavailable.
This page will be updated throughout the day
AHL Shuffle: 12/19/21
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.
Fredrik Claesson Clears Waivers
Saturday: Claesson has cleared waivers, Friedman reports.
Friday: The Tampa Bay Lightning have placed Fredrik Claesson on waivers according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. The veteran defenseman cleared waivers earlier this season but has spent enough time on the NHL roster that he needed to again before being assigned to the AHL.
Claesson, 29, has really never been much more than an injury replacement at the NHL level, but seems to find his way into a handful of games each season. He’s suited up four times for Tampa Bay this year after splitting last season between the Lightning and San Jose Sharks. In his career, he has 165 NHL games and 28 points.
It seems unlikely he’ll be claimed this time around, though teams are desperate for roster players given some of the COVID situations. The fact that he makes just $750K against the cap is important for that kind of situation, and could lead to a desperation grab.
AHL Shuffle: 12/18/21
Saturday was originally set to be a busy day on the NHL schedule with ten games on the docket but COVID-related postponements have dropped that to six for the time being with more postponements appearing to be coming. Nevertheless, there still will be some roster activity around the league which we’ll keep track of here.
Atlantic Division
- The Bruins have returned forward Jack Studnicka and goaltender Kyle Keyser to AHL Providence, per the AHL’s transactions log. With Boston now off through the holiday break, they can be sent down to allow the team to bank some much-needed cap space. Later in the day, the Bruins announced that winger Jesper Froden was also sent back to Providence.
Metropolitan Division
- With the Panthers now off until after the holiday break, they’ve assigned defensemen Chase Priskie and Matt Kiersted plus forwards Cole Schwindt, Grigori Denisenko, and Aleksi Heponiemi to AHL Charlotte, per an announcement from the Checkers. The move allows Florida to get out of LTIR and bank some cap space while allowing their prospects to play before the AHL has their pause.
- The Capitals announced that they’ve sent goaltender Zach Fucale back to Hershey of the AHL. He had been recalled on Friday but was not in uniform for their game against Winnipeg. Fucale made his NHL debut last month, posting a 21-save shutout versus Detroit and has a 2.80 GAA with a .889 SV% in eight games with the Bears this season.
Central Division
- The Blackhawks have recalled defenseman Ian Mitchell from AHL Rockford, relays Scott Powers of The Athletic (Twitter link). After being a regular for the bulk of last season, the 22-year-old has been limited to just six games with Chicago so far and has instead spent most of the year with the IceHogs where he has 12 points in 19 games.
- The Nashville Predators, per a team tweet, re-assigned forwards Rocco Grimaldi, Mathieu Olivier, Kole Sherwood, and Cole Smith to the Milwaukee Admirals. As the team is shut down through the holiday break, this gives them some salary cap flexibility and could allow those four to get into game action.
Pacific Division
- Per a news release, the Anaheim Ducks re-assigned defenseman Jacob Larsson and forward Buddy Robinson to the San Diego Gulls. Larsson hasn’t gotten into an NHL game yet this year, but has seven assists in 19 games with San Diego. Robinson has two points in six games with the big club.
This post will be updated throughout the day.
AHL Shuffle: 12/17/21
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
Colorado Avalanche Sign Cal Burke To NHL Deal
The Colorado Avalanche added a contract today, converting Cal Burke‘s AHL deal into a one-year, two-way NHL deal. Financial terms are currently undisclosed.
Burke, a Notre Dame graduate, signed with the AHL’s Colorado Eagles in 2020-21 after going undrafted through his collegiate career. He had a slow start to his professional career with just two goals and nine points in 33 games, but he’s taken a huge step forward this season with 14 points in 19 games.
The 24-year-old Massachusetts native still has to compete with a lot of forward depth in the Avalanche organization before getting an NHL shot, though. There are five forwards with the Eagles who have gotten into NHL action with Colorado this season.
It’s most likely that Burke stays in the AHL this season barring any unforeseen circumstance, but the contract puts him into restricted free agent status with Colorado at the end of the season.
Nashville Predators Make Several Recalls, Add Nick Cousins To Protocol
12:21 pm: Forward Nick Cousins has now entered COVID protocol, making it seven Nashville skaters on the list. Assistant coach Dan Hinote, who was expected to coach tonight, is also now on the list. Taylor will serve as head coach, while assistant general manager Scott Nichol will join him and Ford behind the bench.
10:11 am: The Nashville Predators are pushing forward and expected to take the ice against the Colorado Avalanche tonight despite having several players and coaches enter the COVID protocol yesterday. To ice a full roster, they’ve recalled Cody Glass, Rocco Grimaldi, Mathieu Olivier, and Cole Smith from the Milwaukee Admirals. The Admirals will also be loaning head coach Karl Taylor and assistant Scott Ford, who will be behind the Nashville bench tonight.
Yesterday, Mikael Granlund, Ryan Johansen, Matt Luff, Michael McCarron, Philip Tomasino, and Ben Harpur were all ruled out. The Predators will have to make do without them, inserting several minor league players into the lineup.
Still, the four they have recalled do have quite a bit of NHL experience. Glass, the sixth overall pick from 2017, has played 68 games to this point in his career and still has plenty of potential. He was sent to the minor leagues to get his confidence back up and play in more offensive situations–something that has paid off with 19 points in 21 AHL games.
Grimaldi meanwhile has been a regular for the Predators in each of the last few seasons, playing more than 200 games in his NHL career. The 5’6″ forward has scored eight goals in 14 games with Milwaukee and can obviously handle himself at the NHL level. Olivier and Smith have much less experience, but are certainly capable of filling in. They even might find themselves getting a little extra ice time given the absences upfront.
Spencer Knight Assigned To AHL
The Florida Panthers had a new goaltender at practice today, as recent waiver claim Jonas Johansson hit the ice. Spencer Knight, who would have normally occupied one of the nets, has been loaned to the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL.
While that kind of assignment will turn some heads, there’s not a lot of certainty around the Panthers right now, meaning things could change quickly. The team added five players and one staff member to the COVID protocol yesterday and there is some chatter about whether their game tonight against the Los Angeles Kings will be played. Team reporter Jameson Olive tweets that Aaron Ekblad and Frank Vatrano were “unable to skate” this morning according to interim head coach Andrew Brunette, who called it “chaotic” for the Panthers right now.
For Knight, a stint in the minor leagues is certainly not an indictment of his future with the team. The 20-year-old netminder stepped directly into the NHL last season after an outstanding sophomore year with Boston College, and showed that there’s a chance he was ready for primetime right away. That hasn’t been the case, as through 13 appearances this season he has posted a 6-4-2 record with a .892 save percentage. In his last game–against the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday night–he allowed eight goals on 38 shots, remaining in the net for the whole game despite his poor performance.
Almost every prospect needs seasoning in the minor leagues, especially goaltenders who often don’t hit their true peak performance until their mid-twenties. While there are obviously some outliers able to step directly into the NHL and succeed, some time in the AHL for Knight shouldn’t sour Panthers fans on his upside. The 13th-overall pick from 2019 is still an outstanding talent and should be back with the team at some point in time. For a club trying to contend for a Stanley Cup, that time just can’t be now.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
AHL Shuffle: 12/16/21
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
AHL Shuffle: 12/15/21
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.