AHL Shuffle: 03/02/22
The Buffalo Sabres and Toronto Maple Leafs square off this evening in one of the four games on the NHL schedule, less than two weeks before they will meet again outdoors. The Sabres are going in a very different direction than the Maple Leafs right now, losing six in a row, but have always posed a tough test for the team from Toronto. On March 13, the two will meet for the Heritage Classic at Tim Horton’s Field in Hamilton, Ontario, meaning this is a tune-up of sorts for that exterior affair. As they and other teams around the league prepare for action, we’ll keep track of all the minor league shuffling.
Atlantic Division
Metropolitan Division
Central Division
Pacific Division
- The Vegas Golden Knights have returned Jake Leschyshyn to the minor leagues, just a day after he came up. The 22-year-old forward has played 20 games for the Golden Knights this season, recording four points.
- With the San Jose Sharks now off until Saturday, they’ve returned Santeri Hatakka to the minor leagues for the time being. The 21-year-old defenseman hasn’t played in the NHL since November, but could end up seeing some time as the Sharks deal with several injuries in the coming weeks.
This page will be updated throughout the day
AHL Shuffle: 03/01/22
It’s a new month and a busy one for the NHL, which will hold the trade deadline in three weeks. Today is also the first day that teams can sign players from their reserve list or undrafted prospects to entry-level contracts that begin in 2022-23. That likely means several deals will be inked this week, but there are also games to play and minor league shuffling to focus on. As always, we’ll keep track of it right here.
Atlantic Division
- With some Ottawa Senators dealing with the flu, the team has recalled Dillon Heatherington from the minor leagues. Heatherington, 26, has played in nine games for the Senators this season but is still looking for his first career goal. The big 6’4″ defenseman had 18 hits in those nine games, despite playing just a handful of minutes in each.
- The Buffalo Sabres have assigned Jack Quinn to the Rochester Americans, despite listing him as day-to-day in this morning’s injury update. The young forward has played in just two games at the NHL level but has two points, both in his most recent appearance January 20.
Metropolitan Division
- The New York Rangers have recalled forward Jonny Brodzinski from the AHL’s Hartford Wolfpack, and have sent down defender Zac Jones in a corresponding move. Brodzinski recently signed a two-year extension with the Rangers and leads the Wolf Pack with 18 goals and 39 points this season. Jones, 21, is one of the Rangers’ top defensive prospects and returns to the AHL where he has 18 points in 27 games.
Central Division
- The Nashville Predators have assigned Matt Tennyson to the Milwaukee Admirals, where he is having a nice season. In 40 games, the veteran defenseman has 14 points and is a perfect depth option to fill in whenever Nashville has injury issues.
Pacific Division
- The Vegas Golden Knights have recalled Jake Leschyshyn from the minor leagues, as Mattias Janmark hits injured reserve. Leschyshyn has 24 points in 31 games for the Henderson Silver Knights this season and has played in 20 games for Vegas.
- The Edmonton Oilers have activated Duncan Keith off injured reserve, while sending both Brendan Perlini–who cleared waivers today–and Philip Broberg to the AHL. Broberg, one of the team’s top prospects, has split the year between Edmonton and Bakersfield, logging a combined 43 games between the two levels.
This page will be updated throughout the day.
AHL Shuffle: 02/27/22
After an exciting Saturday of hockey featuring an outdoor game, a 1-0 nail-biter, and a 10-7 thriller, the NHL is back in action Sunday with an eight-game slate, featuring what should be an exciting Edmonton Oilers vs. Carolina Hurricanes matinee. We can still expect plenty of player movement throughout the day:
Atlantic Division
Metropolitan Division
Central Division
Pacific Division
- The Vegas Golden Knights announced that they have recalled forward Jonas Rondbjerg from the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights (Twitter link). In a corresponding move, Vegas assigned forward Jake Leschyshyn to Henderson. Leschyshyn has just one goal and three assists in 20 games this season for Vegas, but has put up a strong 12 goals and 12 assists in 31 games for Henderson this season. Rondbjerg, on the other hand, has had a remarkably similar season, tallying two goals and two assists in 16 games for Vegas, while putting up 11 goals and 12 assists in 31 games for Henderson this season. The team has also reassigned goaltender Logan Thompson to the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights.
- The Edmonton Oilers have shifted veteran defenseman Kris Russell to long-term injured reserve, the team announced. Russell has been on IR since February 7 with an undisclosed injury, but with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Kailer Yamamoto now sidelined, the team needed additional cap space to field a full roster, necessitating Russell’s transition. Brad Malone has received the call to fill that newfound space; the 32-year-old forward is in his fifth season with the Oilers organization, but hasn’t played in an NHL game since 2018-19.
- With starter John Gibson likely to miss some time with an illness, the Anaheim Ducks have recalled young netminder Lukas Dostal from the AHL’s San Diego Gulls. Dostal, 21, has been very impressive in three appearances with the Ducks this season and certainly appears to have the makings of an NHL regular in the near future.
- Rudolfs Balcers has been placed on injured reserve by the San Jose Sharks. Replacing him on the roster is Scott Reedy, the team announced. Reedy, 22, has played in five NHL games in his first pro season but has yet to record a point. However, the big center has 18 goals and 27 points in 38 games with the AHL Barracuda in an impressive rookie campaign.
This post will be updated throughout the day.
Washington Capitals Activate Vitek Vanecek And Loan To AHL
The Washington Capitals announced Sunday morning that they have assigned goaltenders Vitek Vanecek and Pheonix Copley to the AHL’s Hershey Bears. Vanecek, the Capitals announced, will only be with Hershey on a conditioning loan after spending time on injured reserve. Copley, meanwhile, will remain in Hershey.
The Capitals had been without the steady Vanecek since he was injured in a game February 1st against the Pittsburgh Penguins. While Vanecek has been strong in net for the Capitals this season with a .915 save percentage and 2.39 goals-against average, his net-partner Ilya Samsonov has struggled to a .905 save percentage and 2.85 goals-against average. Vanecek’s return should provide a more reliable presence in net for the Capitals, while allowing them to put Samsonov in for favorable matchups.
The Washington Post’s Samantha Pell suggests that Vanecek will likely play tonight for Hershey and if all goes well, he could be recalled to Washington in time for their game tomorrow night against Toronto.
Also sent down to Hershey is Copley, who had only played in two games after being recalled in the wake of Vanecek’s injury. Copley had not played in the NHL before this season since he suited up for 27 games with the Capitals back in the 2018-19 season. Since he does not need waivers, Copley should join Hershey immediately and remain available to the Capitals should they need him down the stretch.
AHL Shuffle: 02/26/22
It’s another busy Saturday in the NHL with 20 teams in action including Tampa Bay and Nashville who face off in the latest installment of the Stadium Series. There should be plenty of roster movement throughout the day which we’ll keep track of here.
Atlantic Division
TBD
Metropolitan Division
- The Blue Jackets announced (Twitter link) that they’ve sent defenseman Jake Christiansen back to AHL Cleveland. The 22-year-old was recently brought up as extra depth with Zach Werenski injured although he didn’t see any NHL action on this recall. He has 26 points in 38 AHL contests this season.
Central Division
- Just one day after being recalled, the Blackhawks have sent defenseman Jakub Galvas back to Rockford of the AHL, reports Charlie Roumeliotis of NBC Sports Chicago (Twitter link). The 22-year-old has played in six NHL contests this season plus 32 more in the minors. Also rejoining the IceHogs is forward Lukas Reichel as Chicago continues to manage his games played to not burn the first year of his entry-level deal. Taking their place on Chicago’s roster will be winger Josiah Slavin and defenseman Isaak Phillips, per the AHL’s transactions log.
Pacific Division
TBD
This post will be updated throughout the day.
AHL Shuffle: 02/25/22
Six games are on the NHL schedule this evening, including a big tilt between the Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks, two teams that look like they may be contenders in the Pacific Division for years to come. In the entire league, there is no race as tight as the one in the Pacific, where first and fifth are separated by just seven points. It’s Anaheim currently sitting in that seventh spot, meaning a win tonight could help them climb up the standings. As they and others prepare for action, we’ll keep track of all the minor league shuffling.
Atlantic Division
- The Toronto Maple Leafs have recalled top prospect Nick Robertson after Ilya Mikheyev left last night’s game with a non-COVID illness. Robertson, 20, has been limited by injury again this season but has eight points in his nine minor league contests. If he gets into the lineup tomorrow, it would be his first NHL game of the year.
- The Buffalo Sabres have sent down winger Brandon Biro after he made his NHL debut versus the Montreal Canadiens. Biro skated 13:30 of ice time in his debut, registering one hit in the Sabres’ shutout loss. Biro, 23, is a former Penn State Nittany Lion and has nine goals and 36 points in 39 AHL games this year.
Metropolitan Division
- The Pittsburgh Penguins have recalled Mark Friedman from his conditioning stint, where he played two games with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Friedman has played in 12 games for Pittsburgh this season, recording four points in the process.
- The Columbus Blue Jackets have activated starting goaltender Elvis Merzlikins off of injured reserve, and in a corresponding move assigned goaltender Jet Greaves to the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters. Greaves, 20, has split time between the Monsters and the ECHL’s Kalamazoo Wings this season, and he has a save percentage of .898 in the AHL and .907 in the ECHL.
Central Division
- The Chicago Blackhawks have recalled Jakub Galvas from the minor leagues, according to Charlie Roumeliotis of NBCS Chicago. The 22-year-old defenseman has played in five games this season for Chicago, and 32 for the Rockford IceHogs of the AHL. Selected in the fifth round in 2017, this is his first season in North America.
- The Colorado Avalanche have activated Jacob MacDonald and assigned him to the AHL’s Colorado Eagles. MacDonald, 28, has been out since December 12th with an upper-body injury and has played in seven games for the Avalanche this season.
- The Nashville Predators have recalled veteran depth defenseman Matt Tennyson from the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals. Tennyson has three points in four games for the Predators so far this year and has 14 points in 40 AHL games. Tennyson is a veteran of 169 NHL games, having first appeared in the league with the San Jose Sharks in the 2012-2013 season. In a corresponding move, center Nick Cousins has been placed on injured reserve.
Pacific Division
- The Vancouver Canucks have brought up winger Phillip Di Giuseppe from Abbotsford of the AHL. The 28-year-old didn’t see any AHL action last season but has spent all of this season in the minors, notching 11 goals and 21 assists in 35 games.
- A day after Dmitry Zavgorodny terminated his KHL contract with Sochi, the Flames have assigned the winger to Stockton of the AHL, per CapFriendly. The 21-year-old started the season with the Heat, getting into six games before heading overseas where he got into ten games, picking up three assists.
This page will be updated throughout the day
Snapshots: Blackhawks, Laval, Bunting
The Chicago Blackhawks have concluded the interview phase of their general manager search, with CEO Danny Wirtz announcing that the leadership team will move to the next step in the process. The Blackhawks are known to have interviewed Kyle Davidson, Eric Tulsky, Scott Mellanby, Peter Chiarelli, Jeff Greenberg, and Mathieu Darche for the position, and were also linked to Toronto Raptors executive Teresa Resch.
Davidson has been operating as the team’s interim GM since late October when Stan Bowman left the organization. The team has been transparent throughout the process, though today’s announcement certainly doesn’t provide much of an update on when the next front office leader will actually be hired.
- The AHL will head to Laval for the 2023 All-Star Classic, returning three years after they were supposed to originally host the event. The Rocket were picked to host the 2021 All-Star festivities, which were ultimately canceled. The 2022 event was also going to go back to Laval, before eventually being canceled in December. Hopefully, things will work out this time, and the Rocket will be able to host the best of the minor leagues.
- Toronto Maple Leafs forward Michael Bunting has been fined $2,000 for diving/embellishment, meaning it was the second time he has been flagged this season. The first incident, which the league says occurred on November 16, results in a warning from the league. The latest, February 17 against the Penguins, results in a fine for the player. While embellishment fines never reach more than $5,000 for a player, after the fourth team violation a head coach starts to receive financial penalties. No player wants to be the reason why his coach is out money, meaning Bunting and the rest of the Maple Leafs will have to be a little more cautious when trying to draw penalties down the stretch.
AHL Shuffle: 02/24/22
The NHL has eight games on the schedule for this evening, including a battle between Bill Zito’s Florida Panthers and his former employees from the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Panthers lost their last game but still sit atop the Atlantic Division with a 35-11-5 record, while the Blue Jackets are making some noise in the Metropolitan Division with three straight wins and an 8-2 record over their last ten games. It’ll be hard for Patrik Laine and the Blue Jackets to climb all the way up, but they have passed the Detroit Red Wings and are now the closest team to that final wild card spot in the east.
Atlantic Division
- Now that they have some cap space because of Jake Muzzin‘s long-term injured reserve stint, the Toronto Maple Leafs have recalled Kyle Clifford, and–according to CapFriendly—Rasmus Sandin. The team has sent Brennan Menell and Kristians Rubins, two players that were up solely for cap purposes, back to the AHL.
Metropolitan Division
- By moving Elvis Merzlikins onto injured reserve retroactive to February 17, the Blue Jackets were able to add two players to the roster today. Emil Bemstrom and Jake Christiansen have both been recalled from the minor leagues. The team will not have Zach Werenski on this road trip as he deals with an upper-body injury, meaning Gabriel Carlsson will enter the lineup tonight.
- The New York Rangers have recalled Zac Jones to the NHL. Larry Brooks of the New York Post reports that Patrik Nemeth is away from the team expecting the birth of a child. Morgan Barron will also enter the lineup in the place of Filip Chytil, who is ill.
Central Division
Pacific Division
This page will be updated throughout the day
AHL Shuffle: 02/23/22
Five games grace the NHL schedule this evening, including a classic matchup between the Colorado Avalanche and Detroit Red Wings. While the rivalry isn’t exactly what it used to be, there’s still a lot of importance for both clubs. The Avalanche are trying to get back in the win column after a disappointing loss to Boston on Monday, and they’ll have to do it without the services of Nathan MacKinnon, who is out with a minor injury. Detroit meanwhile will test their young talent against one of the best teams in the league; Moritz Seider has averaged more than 25 minutes of ice time over his last four games, recording six points in the process. As they and others prepare for action, we’ll keep track of all the minor league shuffling.
Atlantic Division
- The Ottawa Senators have re-assigned Filip Gustavsson to the minor leagues, suggesting that Matt Murray will be rejoining the club soon after his wife gave birth this week. The team won again yesterday, with Anton Forsberg making 40 saves on 43 shots against the Minnesota Wild. Later in the day, the team also re-assigned Mark Kastelic to the AHL.
- The Detroit Red Wings have recalled Joe Veleno from the AHL while also activating Carter Rowney. Veleno got into a couple of games with the Grand Rapids Griffins over the weekend, recording three points.
- David Alter of The Leafs Nation points out on Twitter that on the Toronto Maple Leafs roster page, Jake Muzzin is now listed on injured reserve, while Brennan Menell and Kristians Rubins have been recalled. Rasmus Sandin is also no longer on the roster–likely signaling that the team is getting as close as the salary cap ceiling as possible before moving Muzzin to long-term injured reserve, in order to receive the maximum salary cap relief.
Metropolitan Division
- The Pittsburgh Penguins have recalled Kasper Bjorkqvist from the AHL, though he skated as an extra at practice. The 24-year-old forward has six points in 33 games for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins this season and one goal in six matches with Pittsburgh.
- The Columbus Blue Jackets have activated Emil Bemstrom off the COVID-19 protocol list and leaned him back to the Cleveland Monsters. Bemstrom, 22, has four points in 13 games this season for the Blue Jackets in what has become a nightmare year. The fourth-round pick has just 16 games played between both levels to this point.
- The Carolina Hurricanes have recalled Jalen Chatfield from the minor leagues, after injuries to both Brendan Smith and Tony DeAngelo recently. Chatfield signed a two-year extension with the Hurricanes last month for exactly this reason, serving as strong injury insurance for Carolina.
Central Division
- The Chicago Blackhawks have activated Kevin Lankinen from injured reserve, meaning Arvid Soderblom is on his way back to the minor leagues. Soderblom, 22, has played in three games with the Blackhawks but is still looking for his first win at the NHL level.
- The Minnesota Wild have recalled Mason Shaw, as Michael Russo of The Athletic notes that Jordan Greenway is still doubtful to play tomorrow. Shaw, 23, has played in just two games for Minnesota this season but has 33 points in 41 games at the minor league level.
Pacific Division
This page will be updated throughout the day
Dominik Bokk Loaned To DEL
It hasn’t worked for Dominik Bokk in the Carolina Hurricanes organization, and his time there may be coming to an end. The young forward has been loaned from the Chicago Wolves of the AHL to Eisbaren Berlin of the DEL for the rest of the season. He is expected to join the team tomorrow.
Bokk, 22, was the 25th overall pick in 2018 by the St. Louis Blues and ended up in Carolina as part of the package for Justin Faulk. In two seasons with the Wolves, he has recorded just 12 goals and 28 points in 61 games, finding himself further and further down the lineup. As Scott Wheeler of The Athletic points out on Twitter, this move “feels like it may be the end of the NHL road for him” though he’s obviously still young enough to prove otherwise, should his career turn around in Germany.
The German forward was selected after dominating the Swedish junior level with Vaxjo and has shown ability, if inconsistently, to produce high-end offensive results in the right environment. He was a big reason why his country worked its way back into the top division at the World Juniors, and then dominated at the 2020 event, scoring six goals in seven games.
Still signed for the 2022-23 season under his entry-level contract, it’s not clear where Bokk will spend next year. He would be a restricted free agent in the summer of 2023.