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Minor Transactions: 08/04/21

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The offseason has reached a slow crawl as we wait for arbitration hearings later this month, but minor league teams are still filling out rosters. As always, we’ll keep track of the notable minor signings right here.

  • The Rochester Americans have signed Michael Mersch to a two-year AHL contract. The 28-year-old Mersch has played the last five full seasons in the minor leagues, moving between the Ontario Reign, Texas Stars and Americans. He scored 19 points in 28 games for Rochester this year and will add a strong offensive presence to the lineup again for the next while.
  • The Springfield Thunderbirds have signed Blake Christensen to an AHL deal, bringing him back to where he experienced so much college success. A star for the American International College, Christensen split last season between Norway and the Bakersfield Condors, where he had just two goals in ten games.
  • Jerry D’Amigo, who actually played 31 games in the NHL a few years ago, is returning to Germany to sign with Dusseldorfer EG for the 2021-22 season. Now 30, D’Amigo was once a World Junior star, part of the U.S. team that took home the 2010 gold medal, but has let his hockey career take him all over the world in recent years. The last time he suited up in the DEL, he had 22 points in 41 games.
  • Skyler McKenzie, who spent the last three seasons with the Manitoba Moose, is heading to Sweden to play for Vasterviks IK of the second tier. The 23-year-old forward did not receive a qualifying offer from the Winnipeg Jets this summer, making him an unrestricted free agent.
  • The Texas Stars have signed Josh Melnick to an AHL contract, bringing him back after parts of three seasons with the club. The 26-year-old forward was first signed out of Miami University (Ohio) and scored 22 points in 38 games last season for Texas.
  • Ryan Stanton is on his way back to the Rockford IceHogs, signing a one-year AHL contract. Stanton has played a decade in the minor leagues, including 35 games for the Bakersfield Condors last season. The 32-year-old defenseman will add some experience and leadership to the Blackhawks’ affiliate, something they lost when Cody Franson signed with the Hershey Bears.

Coaching Notes: Condon, Kowalsky, Guite

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The Northeastern Huskies have added former NHL goaltender Mike Condon as a voluntary assistant coach for the upcoming season, giving the 31-year-old netminder a chance to start a new chapter of his hockey career. Condon last played professional hockey during the 2019-20 season, when he split time between the Syracuse Crunch, Charlotte Checkers, and Orlando Solar Bears.

A veteran of 129 regular season appearances, Condon actually signed a three-year $7.2MM contract with the Ottawa Senators in 2017 after he burst onto the NHL scene. After playing in 55 games as a rookie during the 2015-16 campaign with the Montreal Canadiens, he appeared in 40 for the Senators the following season and recorded a .914 save percentage. Things would quickly go downhill in Ottawa, with Condon finding himself in the minor leagues before the end of the second year, and he will now give coaching a go.

  • The Bridgeport Islanders have hired Rick Kowalsky as an assistant coach, bringing him over from the New Jersey Devils staff. Kowalsky had previously been the head coach of the Trenton, Albany, and Binghamton Devils, spending more than a decade in the organization. A recipient of both the ECHL and AHL coach of the year awards, he’ll join Bridgeport head coach Brent Thompson as an experienced voice behind the Islanders bench.
  • The Maine Mariners are now the ECHL affiliate of the Boston Bruins, and they’ll be led by a man who once suited up for the NHL squad. Ben Guite, who played nearly 200 games in the NHL (including one for the Bruins), has been named the second head coach in Mariners history. Guite spent the last eight seasons with the University of Maine, serving as associate head coach the last four.

Minor Transactions: 08/03/21

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The free agent frenzy is over and now the slow grind of the offseason is upon us. Though the wait for next season will be shorter than normal, hockey fans will have to cling to any kind of news for the next month. Luckily, the minor leagues still have rosters to fill, meaning we’ll still have some notable AHL signings to cover. As always, we’ll keep track of those right here.

  • The Manitoba Moose have signed Jimmy Oligny and Trent Bourque to minor league contracts. Oligny has signed a two-year AHL contract, while Bourque will continue with the organization on a one-year deal. The 28-year-old Oligny served as an alternate captain this season in Manitoba, while scoring just three points in 21 games. Though not an imposing figure at 5’10”, the veteran defenseman is one of the more physical players in the league and has racked up 32 fighting majors in his minor league career.
  • Jake McLaughlin has signed an AHL contract with the Milwaukee Admirals, following his first professional season in 2020-21. The UMass alum played in 28 games for the Henderson Silver Knights, registering two goals and three points. Undrafted, McLaughlin spent four years with the Minutemen, playing 138 games at the college level and racking up 42 points.
  • After failing to receive a qualifying offer from the Edmonton Oilers, Theodor Lennstrom is heading back overseas. This time, he has signed a one-year contract with Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod of the KHL. Lennstrom, 26, played one season with the Bakersfield condors, scoring seven points in 19 games and was always just a lottery ticket for the Oilers coming out of the SHL.
  • At least the Bridgeport Islanders know how to announce contracts. The AHL team has signed Jeff Kubiak, Erik Brown, Felix Bibeau, Cole Coskey, Kyle MacLean and Chris Terry to AHL contracts for the 2021-22 season. The group includes relative newcomers to the professional scene and veteran minor leaguers like Terry, who has played more than 600 games in the AHL. The 32-year-old spent last season in the KHL, but attended the AHL All-Star game in both 2018-19 and 2019-20.

Rochester Americans Hire Mike Peca

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The Rochester Americans are bringing in a face that’s familiar to many Buffalo Sabres fans, hiring Michael Peca as an assistant coach for the AHL club. Peca will replace Adam Mair, who has been named director of player development for the Sabres. Jason Karmanos, GM of the Americans, released a short statement on the hire:

Michael brings a wealth of experience as both a player and coach and will be a tremendous addition to our coaching staff in Rochester. He will play an integral role in the development of our prospects, and we look forward to him making an immediate impact for our organization.

Peca, 47, spent last season with the Washington Capitals as a development coach, but before that was part of the Buffalo Jr. Sabres program. A veteran of nearly 1,000 NHL games, he served as captain of the Sabres for four years, leading them to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1999. An Olympic gold medalist and two-time Selke Trophy winner, there’s plenty of knowledge and experience that Peca can impact on the young Sabres prospects.

That player development is key for a Sabres team that needs more than just the top picks to become NHL players. If they want to reach a level of contention, some of the team’s mid-round or even undrafted prospects will have to start providing value at the highest level. Peca’s job will now be to help guide those young players along the pipeline, showing them the path he took from the second round to the NHL.

Minor Transactions: 08/02/21

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After a number of busy days on the free agent market, NHL transactions are starting to show signs of cooling down. Those big-league deals will continue throughout the summer, but now the minor deals will increase in frequency as some NHL hopefuls settle for minor league deals or make the jump overseas. Follow along with those contracts here:

  • The San Jose Barracuda announced that they have signed veteran defenseman Mark Alt to a one-year AHL contract. Alt, 29, is entering his ninth NHL season, having previously spent time with the Philadelphia Flyers, Colorado Avalanche, and Los Angeles Kings, as well as their respective affiliates. Alt has logged over 400 AHL games and 20 NHL games. What he may lack in high-end ability, Alt makes up for in dependability as a big, defensively sound blue liner. The former Colorado Eagles captain and Ontario Reign alternate also brings leadership and experience to the AHL ranks, something that the San Jose Sharks will value as they groom their prospects.
  • Goaltender Evan Fitzpatrick has inked a two-year deal with the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers, the team announced. The St. Louis Blues opted not to extend a qualifying offer to the 23-year-old Fitzpatrick, a somewhat surprising move for a formerly well-regarded second-round prospect. It is equally strange to see him settle for a minor league deal. While Fitzpatrick had struggled in the pros leading up to this past season, he did nothing to damage his stock in a brief 2020-21 showing. In three appearances, Fitzpatrick recorded a 2-0-0 record with a 1.65 GAA and .930 save percentage. While a very small sample size, it also could have marked the beginning of Fitzpatrick meeting his potential. If so, the Checkers stand to gain for not one but two years, unless an NHL competitor swoops in. Charlotte also signed former Florida Panthers prospect Karch Bachman, who spent his first pro season in the ECHL after a standout career at Miami University.
  • Overage forward Simon Knak was drafted in his second go-round this year after another stellar year with the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks, picked up by the Nashville Predators in the sixth round. However, he won’t make his pro debut in North America any time soon. The 19-year-old Swiss winger signed a two-year deal back home with the NLA’s HC Davos, the team he spent 25 games with on loan this past season. Knak will be under contract through the 2022-23 season, after which time the Predators hope he will be ready to return.

Carolina Hurricanes Sign Stefan Noesen

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The Carolina Hurricanes continue to add to their depth, this time agreeing to terms with free agent forward Stefan Noesen. The one-year, two-way deal will pay Noesen $750K at the NHL level, $250K at the AHL level and comes with a $300K minor league guarantee.

Noesen, 28, split last season between the San Jose Sharks and Toronto Maple Leafs, spending more time in the AHL for both organizations. He suited up just once for Toronto and five times for San Jose this year, the fewest NHL games he has played since 2015-16. At that point he was a struggling first-round talent that couldn’t seem to break through, now he’s a veteran depth player that rarely receives a full-time role.

In his 205-game career, Noesen has scored 31 goals and 54 points. None of those came in his six 2020-21 NHL contests, and it’s been several years since he recorded his career-high of 13 goals and 27 points. In Carolina, he’ll likely be used as minor league depth or injury replacement should the NHL roster go through some difficult times. The Hurricanes have added plenty of depth this summer as they hope to go on another long playoff run in 2022.

Golden Knights Sign Derrick Pouliot To AHL Contract

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A few years ago, Derrick Pouliot was basically a regular on Vancouver’s defense corps but his stock has slipped since then.  Now, the 27-year-old has opted to settle for a minor league contract as Henderson, Vegas’ affiliate, announced that they’ve inked him to a one-year deal.

It’s a bit surprising that Pouliot had to settle for a contract that doesn’t have an NHL portion as he was able to secure two-way pacts the last two seasons with a $425K guarantee.  While financial terms of this contract weren’t disclosed, AHL-only contracts don’t typically approach that high of a price tag.

Pouliot spent last season in Philadelphia’s system, playing in 25 games with AHL Lehigh Valley where he recorded three goals and 11 assists, decent numbers for a defenseman.  That helped earn him four separate recalls to the taxi squad during the year but it didn’t materialize into any NHL action, nor did it evidently help him to earn a two-way deal this time around in free agency.

Pouliot, the eighth-overall pick in 2012 to Pittsburgh, has played in 202 career NHL contests between the Penguins, Canucks, and Blues, notching eight goals and 40 assists.  But if he wants to make it back to the top level, he’ll have to have his contract first converted to an NHL deal.  Considering Vegas already has 47 out of 50 contracts on the books with Dylan Coghlan needing a deal as a restricted free agent, they will likely need to move out a player or two first to give themselves some wiggle room on that front.  Accordingly, Pouliot’s stay with the Silver Knights may be a long one while Vegas adds a capable veteran defender on a no-risk contract.

Minor Transactions: 07/31/21

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As the pace of NHL signings starts to slow down after a hectic start to free agency, there will start to be a higher number of minor signings as players look for AHL contracts or deals overseas.  We’ll keep tabs on today’s moves like that here.

  • Unrestricted free agent Zach Magwood has signed a one-year deal with HC Innsbruck in Austria, per a team announcement. The 23-year-old played in nine games with AHL Belleville last season after being acquired from Nashville but Ottawa declined to tender him a qualifying offer earlier this week.
  • Quinton Howden’s international tour will continue. The 2010 first-round pick left North America in 2017, making stops in Belarus, Russia, and Sweden since then.  Now he’s off to Germany as Kolner Haie of the DEL in Germany announced that they’ve signed the 29-year-old.  He takes the place of former NHLer James Sheppard who requested and was granted his release.
  • The Kings’ AHL affiliate in Ontario, California announced that they have signed a trio of players to minor-league deals in forwards Brett Kemp and Nikita Pavlychev plus goaltender John Lethemon. Kemp had 31 points in 23 games with WHL Medicine Hat in his overage junior season while Pavlychev made his pro debut last season, splitting time between AHL Syracuse (eight games) and ECHL Orlando (28 games).  As for Lethemon, he was under contract with Ontario last season but didn’t play for them, instead suiting up in 25 games with ECHL Greenville.
  • Turner Elson is returning to Grand Rapids of the AHL but not on an NHL contract this time around as the Griffins announced (Twitter link) that the 28-year-old has signed a minor-league deal. Elson, who had been on NHL two-way deals with Detroit since 2017, had 17 points in 31 games last season.
  • Columbus inked a trio of players to AHL deals per an announcement from their affiliate in Cleveland. Forward Cole Cassels and defenseman Olivier LeBlanc each signed one-year deals while goaltender Jet Greaves inked a two-year pact.  Cassels had 17 points in 31 games with AHL Belleville last season while Leblanc played a dozen contests with Belleville.  As for Greaves, he didn’t play at all last year with the OHL being shut down but played in 60 career games with OHL Barrie, posting a 3.99 GAA with a SV% of .899.

Carolina Hurricanes Sign Max Letunov, Alex Lyon

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Saturday: The Hurricanes have officially announced Lyon’s deal at the previously-reported terms.  The deal will carry a guaranteed payout of $250K.  Letunov’s deal was later confirmed as well and carries a $140K guarantee.

Friday: The Carolina Hurricanes just keep signing players. Since the free agent market opened on Wednesday, the ’Canes had already signed ten players. Make that a dozen now, as CapFriendly reports two new additions to Carolina’s list of newcomers. Forward Max Letunov and goaltender Alex Lyon have each signed one-year, two-way contracts worth the minimum $750K. Lyon will make $200K in the AHL, while Letunov will make $100K.

Lyon, 28, is entering a Carolina net situation that is completely new and different. Gone is the trio of Petr Mrazek, James Reimer, and Alex Nedeljkovic and arriving are Frederik Andersen, Antti Raanta, and now Lyon as the presumptive No. 3. The former Philadelphia Flyer will have to watch his back though; well-regarded prospects Eetu Makiniemi and Beck Warm are also expected to compete for AHL starts. Lyon brings valuable experience to the depth chart however. In four pro seasons, though never beginning the year on the NHL roster, Lyon played in 22 games with the Flyers, as well as nearly 150 career AHL appearances. Given the age and inconsistency issues of the Hurricanes’ new tandem, Lyon could easily make an NHL appearance for a fifth straight year.

Letunov, 25, is less likely to play a critical depth role for Carolina this season, but is a nice option for the team to call on. A star at the University of Connecticut, Letunov has produced in three AHL seasons as well, but it only earned him three games with the San Jose Sharks. The Russian product was a second-round pick back in 2014 due to his impressive skill, but has yet to show a complete game that will keep him in an NHL lineup. The Hurricanes could do far worse for a short-term top-nine injury replacement though.

Carolina Hurricanes Sign Jalen Chatfield, Sam Miletic

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Though it was reported on the first day of free agency, the Carolina Hurricanes have only just now officially announced a contract for Jalen Chatfield. The free agent defenseman has agreed to terms on a one-year, two-way deal that will pay him $750K at the NHL level. Chatfield was a Group VI unrestricted free agent after spending the first few years of his career with the Vancouver Canucks organization.

The Hurricanes have also signed Sam Miletic to a one-year, two-way contract that carries an NHL salary of $750K. Miletic did not receive a qualifying offer from the Pittsburgh Penguins, making him an unrestricted free agent. Hurricanes GM Don Waddell released statements on both players:

Jalen is a reliable defenseman who can kill penalties. He’s coming off his first NHL season and we’re thrilled to add him to our organization.

Sam is a playmaking forward who has been an All-Star in the AHL. We’re excited for him to take the next steps in his development.

It’s been a long grind for Chatfield, 25, who went undrafted out of the OHL but signed with the Canucks in 2017. He spent three full seasons in the minor leagues, skating for the Utica Comets of the AHL, before receiving his first NHL opportunity this year. With the taxi squad in place, Chatfield didn’t have to go to the minor leagues anymore, but he still wasn’t receiving regular playing time with the Canucks. In 18 games, he recorded one point.

Miletic meanwhile is in a very similar situation, though he hasn’t received any NHL chances. The 24-year-old forward was signed as an undrafted free agent out of the OHL and has played three seasons with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. After registering just five points in 21 games this year, the Penguins cut him loose.

For both players, it seems more likely that they’ll be in the AHL than the NHL this season, but these contracts do still leave the possibility of a call-up open. To play with the Chicago Wolves of the AHL, they’ll both need to clear waivers.

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