Snapshots: Petruzzelli, Lowe, Kimball
When the signing deadline came and went for college draft picks without a deal for Keith Petruzzelli, it wasn’t clear what the plan was for the towering goaltender. The Detroit Red Wings had picked him 88th overall in 2017 and he had played four seasons at Quinnipiac University. Normally that would mean he would be forced to turn pro, but he actually could have returned to school for a fifth NCAA season because of the extra year of availability granted after COVID-19 caused many schools to pause their programs.
That’s exactly what the Red Wings wanted Petruzzelli to do, according to a report from Scott Wheeler of The Athletic, but the 22-year-old was ready to test himself at the next level. He signed a two-year AHL contract with the Toronto Marlies, joining a Maple Leafs’ organization that is still searching for its “goaltender of the future.” The 2021 Hobey Baker finalist explained to Wheeler exactly why he chose Toronto to start his pro career and went in-depth on the struggles he has had to add weight to his 6’6″ frame in the past. There’s still a long way to go for the young netminder, but an NHL deal at some point down the road seems likely.
- Kevin Lowe, a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame class of 2020 will have his No. 4 retired by the Edmonton Oilers on November 4. It’s fitting that the New York Rangers are in town on that night, as that’s the only other NHL team Lowe played for during his 19-year career. A veteran of 1,254 regular season games, Lowe was a core member of the Oilers teams that won five Stanley Cup championships in seven years and was still effective enough to help the Rangers take home the 1994 title at age-35. Lowe now serves as alternate governor for the Oilers after previously serving as head coach, general manager, and president of hockey operations for the club.
- The Washington Capitals have named Dr. Aimee Kimball as the senior director of team and organizational development. Kimball has spent the last 15 years in the NHL, including the last four years with the New Jersey Devils as director of player development. The Capitals explain that in her role, Kimball will provide “skilled direction and support in the areas of player development falling outside the standard skills (strength, and on-ice training).” As a mental training consultant, Kimball spent a decade with the Pittsburgh Penguins, including during their championship seasons of 2009 and 2016. She also currently serves as a mental performance coach for the U.S. Women’s National Team as the prepare for the upcoming 2022 Olympics.
New York Islanders Sign Otto Koivula, Cole Bardreau
Sep 20: The Islanders have officially announced that they’ve agreed to terms with Andreoff, Bardreau, Koivula, Timashov and Paul LaDue, all players whose deals had been previously reported. The team did not confirm any of the contract details.
Sep 16: Just following the news that Andy Andreoff and Dmytro Timashov are signing with the New York Islanders, CapFriendly reported two other players that are now under contract with the team. Otto Koivula, one of the teams remaining restricted free agents, has signed a one-year, two-way contract worth $750K in the NHL, $125K in the AHL and carries a $175K minor league guarantee. Cole Bardreau meanwhile has inked a two-year, two-way contract that carries an average annual value of $750K at the NHL level, pays him an average of $170K in the AHL and contains minor league guarantees of at least $205K.
Koivula, 23, split last season between Finland and the AHL, suiting up 20 times for the Bridgeport Sond Tigers. He had just two goals and nine points in those games, but has been a very strong contributor in the past. In fact, he played well enough to earn 12 games at the NHL level in 2019-20, though he failed to record a single point during them. The 6’5″ forward was a fourth-round pick by the Islanders in 2016 and is coming off his entry-level contract.
Bardreau, 28, is a little bit of a different story. The undrafted center has been a long-time minor league staple, first playing five years for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms before joining Bridgeport in 2019. He scored ten goals and 16 points for them in 24 games last season and shouldn’t be expected to have much of an impact in the NHL. Bardreau did get ten games with the big club in 2019-20, but is likely getting locked up to be a key part of the Sound Tigers attack for the next two seasons.
Like all of the other reported deals, the Islanders have not yet officially confirmed either Koivula or Bardreau.
Minor Transactions: 09/20/21
Training camps open in just a few days, and though there are still several restricted free agents to sign, the focus for many organizations is filling out their minor league depth charts. With that in mind, we’ll keep track of all the notable minor moves right here.
- The Hartford Wolf Pack have signed a pair of players, inking Zach Berzolla and Zach Giuttari to one-year AHL contracts. Giuttari is returning to the Wolf Pack after playing 22 games for the club in 2020-21. The 25-year-old defenseman registered six points in his first season of professional hockey. Berzolla, 23, played his senior season with Colorado College before suiting up for the Florida Everblades down the stretch. A Howell, New Jersey native, he’s back on the east coast.
- Luke Moncada, who played last season with the Cleveland Monsters, is on his way overseas to play for the Vienna Capitals. The former North Bay Battalion star had just three points in 17 games for Cleveland, but will add a powerful presence to the ICEHL team as he continues his hockey career in Europe.
This page will be updated with further transactions as they are reported.
Seattle Signs Aaron Ness, Brent Gates To PTOs
Without a minor league squad to draw from, the Seattle Kraken would have a relatively thin group to take part in training camp this season. That explains why they’ve added another two players on professional tryouts today, signing Aaron Ness and Brent Gates according to CapFriendly. The pair join Scott Wilson and Ryan Lohin who had already been reported on tryout contracts.
Ness, 31, is a top minor league defenseman who has continually registered huge point totals over a long career. In 2018-19 with the Hershey Bears, he hit a career-high of 55 in 71 games and has 260 overall in his 536-game AHL career. Last season, he was stuck almost exclusively on the taxi squad of the Arizona Coyotes, playing in just a single game at any level. Ness does have 72 games of NHL experience, and is exactly the kind of defenseman that seemed necessary for the Kraken earlier this summer–one who could clear waivers without much issue but still be a useful call-up if necessary.
Gates meanwhile has still never played in an NHL game, despite being the 80th overall pick in 2015. The 24-year-old center split last season between the Tulsa Oilers, Indy Fuel, San Diego Gulls, and Rochester Americans. He has found some success at the ECHL level, but it seems very unlikely that Gates will earn an NHL contract with the Kraken. Instead, he’ll just be another body to help fill out the camp and get a chance to showcase himself to other organizations around the league.
Boston Bruins Sign Zach Senyshyn
The Boston Bruins have reached an agreement with their final restricted free agent, signing Zach Senyshyn to a one-year, two-way deal. The contract will carry an NHL salary of $750K. Of note, the young forward will be 25 at its expiry, meaning he could become a Group VI unrestricted free agent if he fails to land a regular spot in the Bruins lineup this season.
Now 24, Senyshyn was the 15th overall pick in 2015, the last of the infamous three consecutive picks the Bruins held. Jakub Zboril, Jake DeBrusk and Senyshyn have combined for just 146 NHL points, while each of the three picks that followed–Mathew Barzal, Kyle Connor, and Thomas Chabot, have eclipsed 150.
He’ll never escape that label, and in Senyshyn’s case, it is deserved. The winger hasn’t even had a ton of success at the minor league level, reaching a career-high of 26 points in 2017-18 with the Providence Bruins. His per-game production did take a jump in 2020-21 with seven goals and 13 points in just 18 AHL games, but he still seems very far from making an impact at the NHL level.
In 14 career games with Boston, Senyshyn has just one goal and three points. To be sent to the minor leagues this season he would need to clear waivers, but that wasn’t a problem at the beginning of 2020-21. He passed through in January without a claim.
Minor Transactions: 09/18/21
Crunch time has arrived for unsigned free agents as training camps begin to open across the league. Time has likely run out to earn an NHL contract outright and the PTO run has already begun. For some, there is even the risk that AHL roster spots will begin to dry up. Decisions must be made to sign in the minors before it is too late, or else make the jump to Europe. Follow along with these transactions right here:
- The AHL’s Colorado Eagles have announced a trio of signings, two of whom come from their ECHL affiliate, the Utah Grizzlies. Forward Trey Bradley, who spent all of last season in Utah, recorded 47 points in 65 games and led the team with 37 assists. His ties to Colorado extend beyond familiarity with the Avalanche organization, as Bradley starred at Colorado College prior to his pro career. Defenseman Luke Martin, a former top prospect of the Carolina Hurricanes, failed to impress in his first pro season last year, but clearly the team organization saw enough to not only acquire his ECHL contract but then elevate him to the AHL before he stepped on the ice. The third new addition is in fact the most experienced, as defenseman Andrew Nielsen has played parts of six seasons in the AHL, collecting 79 points in 232 games, and also performed well in a brief stint in Austria early last season. Nielsen was a third-round pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2015 and played three years with the organization on his entry-level contract.
- Not to be outdone, the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms have announced four signings of their own, including a one-year extension for Ralph Cuddemi. After four years in the ECHL, Cuddemi earned an AHL deal last season and recorded two points in eight games as a bottom-six depth option. The newcomers are veteran goaltender Pat Nagle, recent NCAA standout forward Charlie Gerard, and defenseman Ryan MacKinnon. Nagle should be a familiar name to hockey fans; the 33-year-old has spent a decade playing professionally in North America and has suited up for a dozen different farm teams. Nagle has had an up-and-down career in the minors, but is still a nice depth pickup for a Philadelphia Flyers organization with a number of young names in net in need of veteran guidance. Gerard, who recorded 30 points in back-to-back seasons to complete his college career at Minnesota State, kept it going in his first pro season last year by notching 34 points for the ECHL’s Utah Grizzlies. The skilled right wing looks ready for the AHL. MacKinnon, a hard-working defenseman with experience in the QMJHL, USports, ECHL, and some in the AHL, is a depth option for the Phantoms.
- Dylan Blujus will be back in the AHL for an eighth straight year, inking a contract for 2021-22 with the Milwaukee Admirals. Although Blujus hasn’t been on an NHL contract since his entry-level deal with the Tampa Bay Lightning expired in 2017, he has managed to be a starting defenseman in the AHL every year all the same. A big, balanced, right-handed defender, Blujus has the makings of a player who could have value as an NHL depth asset and at 27 still has time to prove as much.
This page will be updated throughout the day
Reid Duke Signs AHL Contract
The first player in Vegas Golden Knights history is staying with the organization, though it’s no longer under an NHL contract. Reid Duke has signed an AHL contract with the Henderson Silver Knights for the 2021-22 season.
The 25-year-old forward reached Group VI unrestricted free agency this summer after failing to play in any NHL games to this point in his career. Signed to an entry-level contract on March 6, 2017, just a few days after the Golden Knights gained official standing, he will always be the answer to an interesting piece of trivia. Unfortunately, that entry-level deal and the one-year contract that followed never really resulted in much, as Duke registered just 39 points in 114 AHL games.
Originally a sixth-round pick of Minnesota Wild, Duke never signed with that organization and instead ended up inking a deal with his former junior coach/GM Kelly McCrimmon, now GM of the Golden Knights. That WHL connection will continue, as new GM of the Silver Knights Tim Speltz should know Duke very well from his time with the Spokane Chiefs.
Minor Transactions: 09/17/21
Hockey is coming. The NHL season is coming quickly, with real preseason action just around the corner. As we keep an eye on those RFA contract negotiations, there is still more happening in the minor and European leagues. As always, this is where you’ll find information on all the notable minor moves of the day.
- The Grand Rapids Griffins have signed Dennis Yan to a one-year contract after he spent last season with the Black Wings 1992 of the ICEHL. Yan, 24, was a third-round pick of the Tampa Bay Lightning when Steve Yzerman was running that organization, and a valuable contributor at the AHL level. In 13 games overseas last season he scored just five points, but will get a chance to resume his professional career in North America this year.
- CapFriendly reports that Ryan Lohin has signed a professional tryout with the Seattle Kraken after failing to receive a qualifying offer from the Lightning this summer. Lohin, a seventh-round pick in 2016, split last season between the AHL and ECHL, scoring seven goals and 15 points in 25 games with the Syracuse Crunch.
- Stuart Percy, a first-round pick in 2015, has signed with Motor Ceske Budejovice in the Czech Republic for the season that has already started. Now 28, Percy actually played 12 games with the Toronto Maple Leafs, but never did live up to his billing as a future top-four NHL defenseman. He spent last season in Finland, where he recorded 17 points in 50 games with Vaasan Sport.
- The Laval Rocket have agreed to terms with Kevin Roy on an AHL contract for the upcoming season, bringing him over from the Tucson Roadrunners where he scored 11 goals and 30 points in 35 games. The 28-year-old winger hasn’t seen the NHL since the 2018-19 season but does have a pretty lengthy history in the minor leagues now, suiting up for the San Diego Gulls, Springfield Thunderbirds, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, Roadrunners and soon the Rocket.
This page will be further updated as transactions are reported
Minor Transactions: 09/16/21
Prospect tournaments are underway and NHL training camp is right around the corner. Though there won’t be huge changes to the rosters at the highest level for a few weeks, minor league teams are still working to find the right mix. As always, we’ll keep track of all the notable minor moves right here.
- Cameron Gaunce will be in Los Angeles Kings camp on a professional tryout according to John Hoven of SiriusXM NHL, though that’s more of a showcase for the Ontario Reign than anything else. Gaunce, 31, has just 37 NHL games under his belt and just five since the end of the 2016-17 season. He is however one of the best defensemen in the minor leagues, meaning he could very well land another two-way NHL contract but spend the majority of the season in the AHL.
- Greg Meireles, who played three games for the Syracuse Crunch last season but spent most of his time in the ECHL, has signed a one-year deal with the Manitoba Moose. The 22-year-old forward was a sixth-round pick by the Florida Panthers in 2019 but became a free agent earlier this year when he failed to sign his entry-level contract. He’ll now take his talents back to Canada to play for the Moose and try to establish himself as an AHL player.
This page will be updated as further transactions are reported
Minor Transactions: 09/15/21
There’s not a lot going on in the NHL as we await training camp and the last few RFA contracts, but the minor leagues are still busy filling out their rosters in preparation for the 2021-22 season. As always, we’ll keep track of all the notable minor moves right here.
- The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins have re-signed Dylan MacPherson, bringing him back on an AHL contract. The 23-year-old defenseman split last season between the Wheeling Nailers and AHL Penguins, scoring just one point in ten games at the higher level. Undrafted out of the WHL, MacPherson was never a big offensive weapon but brings some useful size to the back end.
- Cedrick Andree, who played two games for the Belleville Senators last season, has signed with the ECHL’s South Carolina Stingrays for the upcoming campaign. The 21-year-old goaltender had a ton of success at the junior level, posting a 67-21-4 record for the Ottawa 67’s, but is undersized and went undrafted.
- Chris Nell, another goaltender who had a few games in the AHL last season, has signed with the Atlanta Gladiators of the ECHL once again. The 27-year-old has been in that league for several years now, with an .895 save percentage over 80 games.
- Sometimes it’s just not worth trying to return to North America. Mat Robinson has signed a new deal with SKA St. Petersburg in the KHL, meaning he’ll play his ninth consecutive season there after some previous experience in the AHL, ECHL, Norway and Sweden. The 35-year-old also suited up for Canada at the 2018 Olympics, winning a bronze medal in the process.
- Tanner Fritz has signed a one-year AHL contract with the Hartford Wolf Pack after spending the last several seasons with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. The 30-year-old forward had six points in 30 games last season.
This page will be updated as further transactions are announced