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Minor Transactions: 08/18/21

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While we wait for news on some of the big trade targets still on the market, the NHL hot stove has cooled significantly. Still, European and minor leagues continue to fill their rosters and tweak lineups in preparation for a full season. As always, we’ll keep track of the notable minor moves right here.

  • The Rochester Americans have signed Dominic Franco, Mitch Eliot, Nick Boka, and Matthews Cairns to one-year AHL contracts for the upcoming season. If you recognize Cairns name, it might be because he was a third-round pick of the Edmonton Oilers in 2016 whose draft rights expired this month. The 23-year-old defenseman never did develop any offense while in college, scoring just three goals and 12 points in his four seasons.
  • Josh Wilkins, who played most of last season with the Tucson Roadrunners, is heading to Sweden after signing with Vasterviks IK. He did not receive a qualifying offer from the Nashville Predators at the end of the year, making him an unrestricted free agent. In 25 games with Tucson, he scored five points.
  • This season, Keegan Lowe is off to Italy to play for HC Bolzano after a long career in the minor leagues. The son of six-time Stanley Cup champion and Hockey Hall of Fame inductee Kevin Lowe, Keegan managed just four appearances at the NHL level. He played this season with the San Diego Gulls, recording six points in 44 games.
  • The Toronto Marlies have signed former Chicago Steel captain Matteo Pietroniro to a one-year AHL contract. The 22-year-old defenseman spent last season in the ICEHL with HC Bolzano, recording four points in 31 games. Toronto happens to have just hired Ryan Hardy as senior director of minor league operations, who was GM of the Steel in 2018-19 when Pietroniro wore the “C.”

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Marc Michaelis Signs AHL Contract

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Last offseason, one of the interesting undrafted college free agents on the market was Marc Michaelis. He was coming off an outstanding career at Minnesota State-Mankato, which ended with him as a top-ten finalist for the Hobey Baker Award. The German-born forward is second on the school’s all-time career scoring list with 162 points in 148 games, including an outstanding 20 goals and 44 points in his 31-game senior season.

When the Canucks signed him, it appeared as though they had a pro-ready bottom-six talent who could help on the penalty kill and add some secondary scoring. After all, Michaelis had set a school record with ten career short-handed goals and had even played well at the 2019 IIHF World Championship for Germany. Instead, the college star failed to score a single point in 15 games with Vancouver, registering only three shots on goal. He averaged nine minutes a night and was never used on the penalty kill.

This offseason Michaelis, now 26, was not issued a qualifying offer when his one-year deal expired. That made him an unrestricted free agent once again, but came with a much more unsuccessful recent history. He’ll get a chance to rebuild his stock in the minor leagues, as the Toronto Marlies have signed Michaelis to a one-year AHL contract.

This isn’t a prospect that the Marlies are signing, but it is still one with an uncertain ceiling. After 15 games playing limited minutes, most often skating with Jayce Hawryluk and Tyler Graovac, it’s still not entirely clear that Michaelis can’t handle the NHL. If he can show an ability to dominate the minor leagues like he did the college ranks, there could very well be another NHL contract in his future.

Mikael Hakkarainen Placed On Unconditional Waivers

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The Vegas Golden Knights have placed Mikael Hakkarainen on unconditional waivers for the purpose of a mutual contract termination, according to CapFriendly. Hakkarainen was the sole return for Marc-Andre Fleury in a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks earlier this summer, though even the press release at the time indicated that he would remain with the Rockford IceHogs instead of joining the Henderson Silver Knights. Now he won’t even be under contract with the Golden Knights, becoming an unrestricted free agent when the termination goes through tomorrow.

Hakkarainen, 23, had one year left on his entry-level contract but had struggled to find playing time in the Blackhawks minor league system. This season he split the year between the Indy Fuel of the ECHL and Rockford, playing six games for each. In those contests, the fifth-round pick recorded just a single assist. His time in the AHL could be over, as he failed to score a single point in 14 games for the IceHogs since joining them in 2019.

He will be free to sign anywhere, though it’s unclear where his professional future lies at this point. A return to Finland perhaps, though he hasn’t played there since the 2014-15 campaign. Hakkarainen was the 139th overall pick in 2018, after spending two seasons in the USHL.

With Hakkarainen now set for release, the Golden Knights officially have nothing but cap space to show for the Fleury trade.

Mason Shaw Signs With Minnesota Wild

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The Minnesota Wild have signed minor league forward Mason Shaw to a two-year, two-way contract. The deal will pay him $750K at the NHL level in both years. His AHL salary in 2021-22 will be $100K, while it increases to $125K in 2022-23.

Shaw, 22, was a restricted free agent this offseason but ineligible for salary arbitration. His entry-level contract, originally signed in 2018 after being the 97th overall pick in 2017, came and went without a single NHL game to his name. The former WHL star initially struggled to make the transition to the AHL, but came on this season, posting 22 points in 30 games for the Iowa Wild. Standing 5’9″ it will be hard for him to ever really make it as an impact player in the NHL, but that’s not for lack of effort. The undersized forward is usually the first on the puck in the offensive zone, relentlessly creating turnovers and trying to make a play for his linemates.

It’s going to be difficult to find many opportunities in Minnesota this season, given how many depth pieces they have, but perhaps another strong start with Iowa will allow Shaw to climb up the chart a bit. If the NHL club runs into several injuries, he could potentially earn a call-up. It’s the second year of the deal that’s likely Shaw’s best chance at making it though, given how many players in the system are on expiring deals. Victor Rask, Nick Bjugstad, Kyle Rau and Nico Sturm are all pending UFAs, meaning someone will have to fill those spots. A big season in the AHL could put Shaw on the radar, all you can ask for as a minor league player.

Minor Transactions: 08/17/21

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We’re headed into the quietest part of the year for the NHL, as rosters are mostly set and general managers aren’t looking to make splashy trades. That’s not necessarily the case for the AHL and other professional leagues though, as they continue to try and work through free agent negotiations. As always, we’ll keep track of the notable minor moves right here.

  • The Manitoba Moose have signed Evan Polei to a two-year AHL contract, while also inking Philippe Desrosiers, Tristan Pomerleau and Dean Stewart to one-year AHL deals. The quartet gives the Moose quite a bit of a depth upgrade, especially in net where Desrosiers brings starter-level talent. The 26-year-old goaltender spent the entire 2020-21 season on the Florida Panthers taxi squad after posting a .916 save percentage in 29 games for the Springfield Thunderbirds in 2019-20.
  • The Toronto Marlies have signed Matt Hellickson to a one-year AHL contract, following his senior season with the University of Notre Dame. The 23-year-old defenseman was drafted by the New Jersey Devils in 2017 and actually played five games for their AHL affiliate this spring. Since the Devils failed to reach a contract with him this summer, he was a free agent that could sign anywhere.
  • Christopher Merisier-Ortiz has signed a two-year AHL contract with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, now that he has aged out of the junior level. The 20-year-old defenseman split this season between the Baie-Comeau Drakkar and Blainville-Boisbriand Armada of the QMJHL, racking up 36 points in 39 games.
  • The Abbotsford Canucks have signed defenseman Alex Kannok Leipert to a one-year AHL deal.  The 21-year-old was a sixth-round pick by Washington back in 2018 but didn’t sign with the Capitals.  Kannok Leipert spent his entire junior career with the WHL’s Vancouver Giants, captaining that team for the past two years.  He had 18 points in 22 games last season.

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Ottawa Senators Sign Scott Sabourin

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The Ottawa Senators are bringing back a familiar face, signing Scott Sabourin to a one-year, two-way contract. Sabourin will earn $750K at the NHL level (despite the press release indicating $700K, the league minimum is $750K for 2021-22) and $200K in the AHL. Senators GM Pierre Dorion released a short statement on the deal:

Scott is a player and person with whom the organization has familiarity. He plays hard, has a physical presence, is respected on the ice and maintains strong leadership qualities. We’ll look to him to help guide our younger players and prospects.

Sabourin, 29, played 35 of his 36 career NHL games with the Senators in 2019-20, working his way up to the big leagues after a long career in the minors. The undrafted forward has never been known for his scoring ability, but is a well-respected teammate and physical presence. His role with the organization will be to help protect the young players with the Belleville Senators, with the odd appearance in the NHL if the team feels like it needs some extra toughness.

It’s the fourth one-year, two-way deal that Sabourin has signed in his career, but this one is actually coming with a slightly lower minor league salary than what he earned with the Toronto Maple Leafs last season. That’s the one that matters most, as it’s unlikely Sabourin will get more than a handful of days at the NHL level if any at all.

Columbus Blue Jackets Sign Ole Julian Bjorgvik-Holm

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The Columbus Blue Jackets have signed one of their 2020 draft picks, inking Ole Julian Bjorgvik-Holm to a three-year entry-level contract. Bjorgvik-Holm spent part of this season with the Cleveland Monsters of the AHL on an amateur tryout contract. PuckPedia reports the breakdown of the deal, which has a cap hit of $845,000, is as follows:

  • 2021-22: $750,000 NHL salary, $85,000 SB, $15,000 games played bonus, $80,000 minor league salary
  • 2022-23: $750,000 NHL salary, $87,500 SB, $37,500 games played bonus, $80,000 minor league salary
  • 2023-24: $775,000 NHL salary, $90,000 SB, $35,000 games played bonus, $80,000 minor league salary

Selected 145th overall in last year’s draft, Bjorgvik-Holm has had quite an interesting hockey career to this point. After playing in his native Norway through 2017-18, he came to North America to join the Colorado Thunderbirds, a AAA U16 team. He also played two games during the 2018-19 season with the Tri-City Storm and that’s where it seemed like his next step would be. But in the 2019 CHL Import Draft, the young defenseman was selected 32nd overall by the Mississauga Steelheads and less than two weeks later he was committed to the OHL club.

With 19 points in 57 games for the Steelheads, he earned that fifth-round selection and likely would have been back in the OHL this season. Unfortunately, the junior league didn’t have a season thanks to COVID restrictions, meaning Bjorgvik-Holm had to find somewhere else to play. Back to Norway he went, where this time he suited up at the professional level. He had an impressive 10 points in 22 games for Manglerud, before coming back to North America to play for the Monsters. At the end of the season, he was back on an airplane to Latvia to compete for Norway at the IIHF World Championship, lining up against NHL talent.

It’s not often that fifth-round picks make an impact, but there is real hope that Bjorgvik-Holm can quickly climb the ladder and be an NHL option for the Blue Jackets. He held his own in the minor leagues even at just 18 years old and is already physically mature. The interesting thing about him is that since he established himself in North America and was selected out of the OHL, the Blue Jackets actually only held his rights until June of next year. Another interesting situation will come in the next few months, as that draft status also should make him ineligible for the AHL. He may need to go back to the CHL (or play overseas again), though there have been exceptions made for European players in the past.

Minor Notes: Royals, Thomson, Klimovich

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The Reading Royals and Philadelphia Flyers have announced an extension to their affiliation agreement, continuing a partnership that began in 2014. Along with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the AHL, Reading and Philadelphia form the “closest geographical chain of affiliates in professional hockey,” giving the organizations some obvious benefits. The agreement, which covers just 2021-22 also includes an option for the 2022-23 season.

Reading is set to enter their 20th season in the ECHL and has been one of the most consistent franchises in the low minors, qualifying for the playoffs nine straight years between 2010-18. They took home the Kelly Cup as league champions in 2013.

  • The Henderson Silver Knights have signed Ben Thomson to a one-year AHL contract, bringing in the veteran minor league forward to fill out the depth chart. Thomson, 28, was a fourth-round pick of the New Jersey Devils in 2012 and played three NHL games in the 2016-17 season, but has spent the vast majority of his career in the minor leagues. In 31 games with the Binghamton Devils last season, he registered six goals and seven points.
  • The Vancouver Canucks expect top draft pick Danila Klimovich to play in the QMJHL next season, according to Harman Dayal of The Athletic. The 41st overall pick in last month’s draft played for Belarus at the recent IIHF World Championship and is expected to take part in Olympic qualifiers at the end of the month. Klimovich was the 29th overall pick in the 2020 CHL Import Draft, and will play for the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies if he does end up in the QMJHL.

Colorado Avalanche, Dennis Gilbert Avoid Arbitration

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The Colorado Avalanche won’t be going to arbitration this season after settling their one case with Dennis Gilbert. The two sides have agreed to a one-year, two-way contract worth $750K at the NHL level, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. The deal will come with an AHL salary of $160K and means the hearing scheduled for August 21 will no longer be needed.

Gilbert, 24, played just three games at the NHL level this season, spending more time with the Colorado Eagles than the Colorado Avalanche. Acquired as part of the Brandon Saad–Nikita Zadorov trade from last fall, Gilbert has just 25 NHL games under his belt to this point. A third-round pick of the Chicago Blackhawks in 2015, it’s hard to really project him getting much time with the big club this season thanks to a long depth chart in Colorado.

Even in terms of an injury call-up, Gilbert could be behind names like Jacob MacDonald and Roland McKeown, meaning he’ll be playing a lot in the minor leagues this season. The deal they settled on comes with a nice AHL salary, likely something his camp was pushing for knowing that he may spend the year there. What a one-year contract also does is take Gilbert to Group VI unrestricted free agency next summer, unless he somehow works his way into a full-time lineup spot this season.

There are of course also waivers, which Gilbert will need to clear in order to play in the minor leagues. That wasn’t an issue last year as he bounced up and down untethered, moving from the taxi squad to the minor leagues without issue. There is certainly a chance someone takes a flier on him if he is exposed to waivers, though claims at the end of training camp are still relatively rare.

Metropolitan Notes: Capitals, Clarke, Brylin

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While the awkward silence from the New York Islanders, who are presumed to have unannounced deals in place with a number of free agents, has drawn headlines this summer, it is the inactivity from the Washington Capitals that should perhaps be gaining more attention. It seems that the oddsmakers have taken notice, even if the national media have not. The current odds from BetMGM, adjusted following the Expansion Draft, NHL Draft, and free agency rush, have the Capitals at 25-1 to win the Stanley Cup in 2021-22. While this may not seem so bad, as Washington is tied with reigning Cup finalist Montreal, they are also tied with the New York Rangers – for the fourth-best mark in the Metropolitan Division. While the Capitals are just outside the top ten league-wide in terms of championship expectations, they first need to make the playoffs to get there. The Carolina Hurricanes (14-1), Pittsburgh Penguins (18-1), and New York Islanders (20-1) top the division’s best bets, which implies that MGM believes that they will receive the automatic bids from the Metropolitan Division.

This isn’t unreasonable; this past season the ’Canes won the Central Division, the Penguins won the East Division, and the Isles advanced to league semifinals. Meanwhile, the Capitals were easily dispatched in the first round by the Boston Bruins. The real surprise, though maybe it shouldn’t be, is that MGM feels the Rangers have drawn even with the Capitals. New York is a young, up-and-coming team while the Capitals are an older team that has lost Brenden Dillon and Michael Raffl and is listening to offers for Evgeny Kuznetsov. Yet, many would still say there is a gap between the two clubs. The oddsmakers feel differently. With three bids from the division and two wild card spots, with four Atlantic Division teams holding better odds than Washington and the Canadiens holding even, it will not be easy this season for the Capitals to even reach the postseason out of the Eastern Conference, nevertheless take home another Stanley Cup. It doesn’t help that they have made no improvements this summer.

  • Capitals prospect goaltender Chase Clark has made his college commitment. The 2021 sixth-round pick out of the NCDC’s Jersey Hitmen has signed on with Quinnipiac University, the Hitmen announced. Clark will join the Bobcats for the 2022-23 season after suiting up in the USHL this year. Clark will return to the Tri-City Storm this season, where he played three games last year, before heading off to college. While the NCDC is usually more of a feeder league for the USHL, NAHL, and prep school level rather than a direct source of NHL talent, Clark did enough this season with a .935 save percentage and 1.92 GAA to earn a flier from the Capitals late in the draft. He will be a long-term project for Washington, but developing at a strong program like Quinnipiac, Clark could turn out to be a solid prospect.
  • The New Jersey Devils re-located their AHL affiliate from Binghamton to Utica and now coach Sergei Brylin will make the move as well. The Utica Comets have announced that Brylin will join head coach Kevin Dineen’s staff as an assistant, transitioning from his role as associate coach with the Binghamton Devils. Brylin, who played exclusively with the Devils in his 13-year NHL career, has been with the organization as a minor league coach since 2012, joining the former Albany Devils immediately after retiring from playing, then in the KHL. The 47-year-old is likely in line for a promotion to AHL head coach or NHL assistant coach the next time a spot opens up.

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