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Snapshots: Batherson, Krebs, Soderstrom

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The Ottawa Senators won’t be making the playoffs so some of their young players are already getting calls about the upcoming IIHF World Championship. Joshua Norris told reporters that he’d been contacted by USA Hockey recently and today Drake Batherson told Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia that Hockey Canada has reached out to him as well and he is interested in playing.

Interestingly enough, Batherson was actually born in the U.S. when his dad was playing for the Fort Wayne Komets (then of the IHL). The young forward has always competed for Canada internationally though, including a World Junior gold medal in 2018. If he does end up going to the World Championship, Canada is getting quite the player. Batherson broke out this season with 17 goals and 32 points in 51 games, establishing himself as a legitimate top-six option for the Senators moving forward. The 23-year-old will also be a restricted free agent this offseason, making it quite the busy summer even if he’s not in the NHL playoffs.

  • First-round pick Peyton Krebs has joined the Vegas Golden Knights in Minnesota and could be making his NHL debut at some point down the stretch. Still just 20, Krebs won’t burn the first year of his entry-level contract unless he plays in seven games this season, which, given the Golden Knights have just six regular season games left, would require him suiting up in the playoffs. Selected 17th overall in 2019, Krebs dominated the shortened WHL season this year and has five points in five games for the Henderson Silver Knights of the AHL.
  • Speaking of prospects getting the call, the Arizona Coyotes have added Victor Soderstrom to the taxi squad. The 20-year-old Soderstrom is one of the top defensive prospects in the league, selected 11th overall in 2019. He has recorded nine points in 30 games for the Tucson Roadrunners this season but went scoreless in his first two NHL appearances. The Coyotes still technically have a shot at the playoffs, but it will be quite difficult to catch the St. Louis Blues, who sit three points ahead with three games in hand.

Michael Houser To Make NHL Debut

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The Buffalo Sabres will have an unfamiliar face in net tonight when they take on the New York Islanders. Michael Houser will make his NHL debut after nearly a decade in the minor leagues, playing mostly in the ECHL.

The undrafted goaltender spent three seasons with the London Knights of the OHL and made his professional debut with the Cincinnati Cyclones in 2012. Since then he has been shipped around, suiting up for the San Antonio Rampage, Ontario Reign, Manchester Monarchs, Cleveland Monsters, Fort Wayne Komets, and Tucson Roadrunners. He has spent basically this whole season as a practice goaltender, not even seeing any action for the Rochester Americans. Houser’s last appearance was in March 2020 with the ECHL’s Cyclones.

Coming into the season, an NHL debut wasn’t even a possibility for Houser. The minor league veteran had signed an AHL deal meaning he couldn’t even serve as the taxi squad netminder. But after injuries started to pile up, the Sabres signed Houser to his first NHL deal on March 19 and kept him as the third goaltender while the rest of his position peers were coming in and out with various injuries. Now, after the latest Sabres netminder, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen suffered a lower-body injury on Saturday, Houser will get the chance of a lifetime.

Grinding in the ECHL isn’t glamourous, but Houser has managed to make 255 appearances there over his long minor league career. He was named Goaltender of the Year in 2019 after posting a .922 save percentage, going 29-7-5 in the process. Excellence isn’t anything new to Houser, who was once named not only goalie of the year in the OHL but won the Red Tilson Trophy as the most outstanding player. It’s been a very long road since then, but the 28-year-old will now be in an NHL net for the first time.

The Sabres have also been given an exemption from the league in order to sign Stefanos Lekkas to a professional tryout. The 25-year-old undrafted netminder is in his first professional season after four years at the University of Vermont. He could serve as backup for Houser tonight, but won’t actually get an entry-level deal.

Taxi Squad Shuffle: 05/03/21

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There has been plenty of roster movement between NHL teams and the taxi squad on a daily basis this season. Although some major names may be highlighted in separate articles, this is where you’ll find the majority of that shuffle news each day:

West Division

North Division

Central Division

  • The Tampa Bay Lightning have reassigned Spencer Martin to the Syracuse Crunch, moving him off the taxi squad. The Lightning have Christopher Gibson on the roster still so have the three required goaltenders covered, meaning Martin can get some more playing time in the AHL.
  • The Detroit Red Wings have completed their daily goalie swap, sending Kaden Fulcher to the AHL and recalling Kevin Boyle to the taxi squad. Neither one is expected to play in the NHL unless there is an emergency.
  • The Florida Panthers will give Philippe Desrosiers a chance in net tonight and have recalled him to the active roster. The team has a rotating cast of successful goaltenders and will now give Desrosiers his NHL debut.
  • Matiss Kivlenieks has been recalled under emergency conditions by the Columbus Blue Jackets, giving them another healthy netminder with Joonas Korpisalo out for the year. Kivlenieks, 24, has a .926 save percentage in seven AHL appearances this season.

East Division

  • The New Jersey Devils have recalled A.J. Greer from the AHL and appear to be inserting him into the lineup for his season debut. The 24-year-old hasn’t seen the NHL since playing 15 games for the Colorado Avalanche in 2018-19, spending the time since exclusively in the minor leagues. In 10 minor league games since joining the Devils organization, Greer has nine points.

This page will be updated throughout the day

North Notes: Andersen, Holl, Koskinen, Lerby

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The Toronto Maple Leafs might be getting back a familiar face in net as goaltender Frederik Andersen, who has been on the ice for more than a week now saw his practice routine ramped up Sunday. Head coach Sheldon Keefe, who said today was a “good step” in his recovery from a knee injury he suffered in mid-March, according to TSN’s Mark Masters.

He is not expected to join the team on their road trip to Montreal, but is expected to participate in Wednesday’s practice as they build up his workload.

TSN’s Kristen Shilton reports that Justin Holl, who left Saturday’s game in the third period after being hit in the face with a puck, was not at practice Sunday. He was replaced in the lineup by Timothy Liljegren. Keefe said that Holl “is doing well,” but will not be travelling to Montreal with the team, according to NHL.com’s Mike Zeisberger. However, Holl is not expected to be out for a significant amount of time.

  • Sportnet’s Mark Spector reports that the Edmonton Oilers are expected to give some starts to goaltender Mikko Koskinen over the team’s final seven games. Koskinen, who lost his job as the team’s starting netminder, got his first start Wednesday since April 7 and fared quite well, stopping 29 of 30 shots against Winnipeg. Despite the impressive play of veteran Mike Smith, the team might want to kick the tires on Koskinen and see what he has to offer after struggling earlier this year. He has posted an 11-11 record this season with a 2.99 GAA and a .906 save percentage this season, allowing Smith to overtake him as the team’s No. 1 option.
  • The Calgary Flames may be losing a prospect as defenseman Carl-Johan Lerby is close to signing a new contract with Malmo of the SHL after his two-year deal with Calgary expires this offseason, according to Johan Svensson of KvallsPosten (translation required). Of course, nothing has been confirmed, but the 23-year-old Lerby, who signed with the Flames as an undrafted free agent in 2019, has yet to make his NHL debut and doesn’t look on track to do it this season. He spent the first season of the contract on loan to Malmo and has spent this season with the Stockton Heat of the AHL where he has seven assists in 22 games.

Taxi Squad Shuffle: 05/02/21

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There has been plenty of roster movement between NHL teams and the taxi squad on a daily basis this season. Although some major names may be highlighted in separate articles, this is where you’ll find the majority of that shuffle news each day:

Central Division

North Division

  • The Montreal Canadiens announced they have assigned forward Ryan Poehling and Alex Belzile from the taxi squad to the Laval Rocket of the AHL. Poehling, who played 21 games for the Canadiens last season, has yet to make his season-debut with Montreal this year. He has 11 goals and 25 points in 28 games with Laval.
  • The Vancouver Canucks have recalled forward Jonah Gadjovic from the Utica Comets of the AHL, according to the AHL transactions page. The 22-year-old has had a breakout season in the AHL with a career-high 15 goals in just 19 games.
  • The Toronto Maple Leafs have assigned forward Denis Malgin from the taxi squad to the Toronto Marlies of the AHL, according to CapFriendly. Malgin has spent the entire season on loan in the NL where he has posted 19 goals and 42 points in 45 games there. With the season over in Switzerland, he will now join the Marlies until needed.

East Division

  • The Philadelphia Flyers have reassigned goaltender Felix Sandstrom from the taxi squad to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the AHL, according to CapFriendly. The 24-year-old has yet to make his NHL debut.

West Division

This page will be updated throughout the day.

Taxi Squad Shuffle: 05/01/21

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There has been plenty of roster movement between NHL teams and the taxi squad on a daily basis this season. Although some major names may be highlighted in separate articles, this is where you’ll find the majority of that shuffle news each day:

North Division

  • The Montreal Canadiens have reassigned forwards Ryan Poehling and Alex Belzile to the taxi squad. Poehling, a 2017 first-rounder, is still looking for his first NHL game this season after skating in 27 with the Habs last year. Poehling has seemingly outgrown the AHL’s Laval Rocket, recording 25 points in 28 games this season. As for Belzile, the veteran forward made his NHL debut in the playoffs last year but has still never played in a regular season game.
  • C.J. Suess will head back to the AHL, as the Winnipeg Jets have announced his demotion from the taxi squad to the Manitoba Moose. Suess has played in 24 AHL games this season, but in no NHL games. He still has just one game with Winnipeg under his belt through three seasons with the club.
  • The Toronto Maple Leafs have sent Martin Marincin and Veini Vehvilainen to the AHL, per the AHL’s transactions log.  Marincin has been on the taxi squad a few times this season but has yet to suit up while Vehvilainen has played just twice this season – once in relief duty with Columbus and once with their farm team two months ago before he was traded to Toronto for Mikko Lehtonen.

East Division

  • The Philadelphia Flyers have swapped out young defensemen, sending Yegor Zamula to the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms and recalling Wyatte Wylie to the taxi squad. Both in their first pro seasons, Zamula has played in a pair of games with the Flyers while Wylie is still looking for his NHL debut.
  • The Pittsburgh Penguins have re-assigned Josh Maniscalco to the taxi squad, sending Maxime Lagace to the AHL in the process. The 22-year-old Maniscalco was an undrafted free agent signing out of Arizona State University that has yet to register a point in seven AHL games.

Central Division

  • Joe Veleno is back up with the Detroit Red Wings again today, as the team has announced his recall from the taxi squad. After spending the season on loan in Sweden with the Malmo Redhawks, the top prospect returned to Detroit after his SHL season came to an end and made his NHL debut. Veleno has been held scoreless through two games so far, but will get another chance today.
  • The St. Louis Blues have announced a coming taxi squad addition, as Gagarin Cup champion Klim Kostin will re-join the team on Tuesday now that his KHL season is over. Kostin played with Avangard Omsk on loan this season and recorded 18 points in 43 regular season games plus another nine points in 24 postseason game en route to a title. Now he is ready to join another playoff push.
  • The Chicago Blackhawks have brought up John Quenneville to the taxi squad, per the AHL’s transactions log.  The 2014 first-round pick last saw NHL action in the bubble last summer when he played in two games but his performance this season hasn’t helped his cause as he has just a goal and an assist in 16 games with Rockford.

West Division

  • The Colorado Avalanche have sent Jonas Johansson from the taxi squad to the AHL, per the AHL’s transactions log.  With Philipp Grubauer having returned, Johansson is back to third-string status so this move will give him a chance to get some game action.  Daniel Renouf was also recalled directly to the NHL roster while Adam Werner and Hunter Miska were both brought up to the taxi squad.
  • The San Jose Sharks have recalled Jacob Middleton to the taxi squad, per the AHL’s transactions log.  The blueliner has played just once in the NHL this season and was sent down to the Barracuda earlier in the week to get him some playing time.
  • The Anaheim Ducks have once again shuffled things up, assigning Jacob Perreault and Olle Eriksson Ek back to the minors from the taxi squad, per the AHL’s transactions log.  Maxim Golod and Lukas Dostal were recalled to Anaheim’s taxi squad in corresponding moves.
  • The Arizona Coyotes have recalled Michael Chaput from the taxi squad, giving them another option for tonight’s game against the Golden Knights. Chaput wasn’t in the lineup when the Coyotes won yesterday in the first half of the back-to-back.

This page will be updated throughout the day.

KHL Off-Season Opening Day Round-Up

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The KHL off-season opened today and the league did not waste any time in making moves that have meaning to NHL fans. A number of familiar names have hit free agency today and some are already agreeing to new deals. Meanwhile, others are being traded on the first day to do so, including the rights to some players currently in North America. Keep up with all of today’s action as the KHL’s clubs get their summers started early with significant moves:

  •  One of the first players to sign with a new team early this morning was former NHL forward Teemu Pulkkinen. A Detroit Red Wings draft pick who also spent time with the Minnesota Wild, Arizona Coyotes, and most recently the Chicago Blackhawks in 2017-18, Pulkkinen will be entering his fourth season in the KHL and is already on to his fourth different team. After splitting this season between Dynamo Moscow and Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, collecting 30 points in 46 games, Pulkkinen has signed a two-year deal with Traktor Chelyabinsk. The 29-year-old has scored at a .67 per-game clip in his KHL career and shows no signs of slowing down.
  • SKA St. Petersberg and Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod have made an interesting futures swap, trading the rights of two current NHLers. Torpedo received the rights to Edmonton Oilers winger Jesse Puljujarvi (as well as minor league forward Danil Voyevodin) while SKA landed the rights to young San Jose Sharks goalie Alexei Melnichuk. The deal is tricky on a number of levels; while Puljujarvi is undoubtedly the biggest name in the trade, it is Melnichuk who commanded the larger side of the return. It was also KHL powerhouse SKA who received the prospect netminder and gave up the established scorer. This could be a simple case of different likelihoods of those player rights having any value. While Puljujarvi previously left the Oilers for Europe, he has finally found his NHL stride in his return this season and is unlikely to leave again. Even if he does, Puljujarvi may just return home to the Finnish Liiga as well. On the other hand, Melnichuk was born and bred in the SKA system and the team may have some insight into his future plans. The 22-year-old keeper is valued by the Sharks and even made his NHL debut this year in his first season in North America, however his AHL play has underwhelmed and he doesn’t look like a realistic full-time NHL option for San Jose next season. If the young goalie grows tired of playing in the minors in North America, he would probably be happy to jump back to his old team and take on a starting role in the KHL.
  • Former Boston Bruins forward Joonas Kemppainen has signed a one-year extension to remain with SKA. The Finnish power forward didn’t work out in his lone NHL season back in 2015-16, recording five points in eleven games with Boston, but has been a productive player in the KHL for five years now. That includes a 15-goal, 29-point campaign with St. Petersberg this year that earned him an extension. The 33-year-old veteran is not a candidate to ever return to North America, but still has plenty to offer in Russia.
  • Vladimir Zharkov feels like ancient New Jersey Devils history at this point, but the former top prospect continues to produce in the KHL. Zharkov, 33, spent four seasons with the Devils early in his career and was a nice fringe piece, but lacked starting upside. In the KHL since 2012-13, Zharkov has become a reliable two-way forward and locker room leader, spending many years with top programs like CSKA Moscow and Salavat Yulaev Ufa. Now he’s off to the top team in the league, signing a two-year deal with recently-crowned Gagarin Cup champions Avangard Omsk, replacing the veteran presence of the departed Ilya Kovalchuk.
  • Torpedo jumped right back into the action, signing an exciting forward to a one-year deal. Marek Hrivik gave his all to a career in North America, developing in the QMJHL and spending six seasons primarily in the AHL for the New York Rangers and Calgary Flames. However, he never could earn a full-time opportunity and returned home to Europe in 2018. Even then, his first go-round in the KHL did not go all that well. However, after back-to-back stellar season in Sweden, he is ready to give it another try with Torpedo. Hrivik totaled 81 points in 90 games with the SHL’s Leksands IF these past two years and if that can translate to the KHL then the 29-year-old could become a star in Russia.
  • Another trade involving NHL property has landed, but this one could have more immediate dividends. Defending champions Omsk have acquired the rights to Boston Bruins prospect forward Peter Cehlarik from Yaroslavl in exchange for the rights to Anaheim Ducks defenseman Kodie Curran. Cehlarik, 25, is already in Europe, having left Boston this past off-season to join Leksands IF in Sweden. Cehlarik always showed great promise in the AHL, but couldn’t translate it to the NHL for the Bruins. After recording 20 goals and 40 points in 45 SHL games this season, Cehlarik may want to return to Boston, who continues to hold his rights, in an attempt to prove himself once more. However, the talented winger could be tempted to join the KHL’s current kings this off-season instead. As for Curran, 31, he already did his stint in Europe and made his return to North America. The Calgary native spent the previous four seasons in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden before earning his first NHL contract with the Ducks this past off-season. While he hasn’t see any action in Anaheim just yet, he has 11 points in 17 AHL games this season and his one-way, $1MM contract still has another year remaining. However, if Curran is still not being utilized by the Ducks after next season and doesn’t draw any other NHL offers as a result, he has a new home to return to in Europe in Yarolslavl.
  • After signing his entry-level contract with the Carolina Hurricanes, Pyotr Kochetkov has inked another deal – a one-year extension with Torpedo. The 21-year-old landed in Novgorod late in the season, but excelled down the stretch and in the postseason with save percentages of .931 and .932, respectively. Kochetkov could very well be in line for the starting role for Torpedo next season while playing on loan from Carolina.

Carolina Signs Goaltenders Pyotr Kochetkov, Eetu Makiniemi

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Saturday: The Hurricanes have now confirmed the signings, adding that each young keeper has inked a two-year entry-level contract. The two contracts are financially identical except for one detail: Kochetkov’s deal will carry and $842.5K NHL salary in both seasons, as well as an $185K signing bonus and a $70K AHL salary, while Makiniemi’s is structured the same but includes a raise to $892.5K in the second year. This makes the AAV on Makiniemi’s contract $867.5K.

Perhaps the more important update comes from the KHL’s Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod, who have announced a one-year extension with Kochetkov. This presumably means that the young keeper will spend the first season of his entry-level deal on loan to the KHL. Makiniemi is still expected to make the jump to North America for next season, which could give him an edge in the competition to determine which prospect keeper is the first in line for NHL starts.

Friday: There is about to be a total overhaul in the Carolina net. With Hurricanes goaltenders Petr Mrazek, James Reimer, and Antoine Bibeau all slated for unrestricted free agency this summer, the team is set to sign two talented prospects to join Alex Nedeljkovic in goal. Salary resources CapFriendly and PuckPedia are each reporting that young goalies Pyotr Kochetkov and Eetu Makiniemi have agreed to terms on entry-level contracts with Carolina. The duo are likely slated for the AHL for a season or two, but could challenge for NHL opportunities before too long.

Kochetkov, 21, was a highly-touted overage netminder in the 2019 NHL Draft, selected early in the second round by the ’Canes. After years of dominating the junior and minor league ranks in Russia, as well impressing on the international stage at the 2019 World Juniors, Kochetkov finally found some success at the top level in the KHL this season. Splitting his season between Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod and Vityaz Podolsk, Kochetkov was a serviceable backup with a sub-2.70 GAA for both teams and a .931 save percentage in the regular season and postseason for Torpedo. Looking to take the next step in his development, Kochetkov appears ready for the AHL and hopes that he can follow a recent influx of elite young Russian netminders and find success in his move to North America.

Makiniemi, 22, was a fourth-round puck by Carolina back in 2017. After years spent in the junior ranks in Finland, Makiniemi finally found a starting role in the Liiiga late last season. He was stellar in seven games down the stretch for Ilves, recording a .936 save percentage and 1.53 GAA. That was enough to earn him the top job for the team this year and while his numbers regressed somewhat, they did so in 34 games plus a playoff run. Having finally honed his ability at the pro level, Makiniemi also seems ready for the AHL. He may begin next season as the backup to Kochetkov, but is a legitimate threat to outplay his counterpart.

 

Taxi Squad Shuffle: 04/30/21

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There has been plenty of roster movement between NHL teams and the taxi squad on a daily basis this season. Although some major names may be highlighted in separate articles, this is where you’ll find the majority of that shuffle news each day:

West Division

North Division

  • The Toronto Maple Leafs have sent Nicholas Robertson and Martin Marincin to the AHL, moving them off the taxi squad for the time being. Though Robertson has a bright future, Toronto increased their forward depth at the deadline, limiting his opportunity to contribute this season.
  • The Ottawa Senators have recalled Filip Gustavsson from the taxi squad as expected, bringing in Kevin Mandolese to fill his spot on the taxi squad. The Senators are dealing with injuries in net once again, meaning Gustavsson may have to keep flipping back and forth until at least one of them returns.

Central Division

  • Once again, the Detroit Red Wings have bumped Joseph Veleno back to the taxi squad, moving Hayden Verbeek to the AHL. The team continues to flip young waiver-exempt players off the active roster between games in order to save salary, with Veleno being the most recent victim. He will be back for the team’s next game.

East Division

  • The New Jersey Devils have returned Nolan Foote and A.J. Greer to the AHL, giving them a chance to play for the Binghamton Devils. Foote, 20, is one of the team’s top forward prospects but wasn’t receiving regular ice time with the big club, averaging just under nine minutes in the three games he has played this season.

This page will be updated throughout the day

AHL Announces Plan For 2021 Playoffs

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6:30 PM: Larry Landon, Executive Director of the Professional Hockey Players’ Association (which represents AHL and ECHL players), released a statement on the PHPA’s Twitter account today criticizing the decision to go ahead with a divisional playoff in the Pacific Division, suggesting that it goes against the wishes of the majority of the players in that division.  Clearly, the decision to go ahead with the playoffs for the Pacific was not a unanimous one.

2:11 PM: There will not be a traditional Calder Cup playoffs in 2021, but that doesn’t mean the AHL won’t be holding postseason contests. Each of the four divisions were given the opportunity to decide a postseason format and while the Atlantic, North, Canadian, and Central will all simply award the divisional champion based on regular season points percentage, the Pacific Division is going to have a playoff tournament.

In an announcement, it was revealed that the Atlantic winner will be awarded the Emile Francis Trophy, the North winner will receive the F.G. (Teddy) Oke Trophy, the Canadian division winner will receive the Frank S. Mathers Trophy and the Central winner will get the Sam Pollock Trophy.

The Pacific, which will announce the format of its postseason tournament at a later date, will battle for the John D. Chick Trophy, not the Calder. That group includes the Henderson Silver Knights, who currently lead with a 21-11 record, the San Diego Gulls, Bakersfield Condors, San Jose Barracuda, Colorado Eagles, Tucson Roadrunners, and Ontario Reign.

Also in the announcement comes news on the 2021-22 season, which is set to begin on October 15, 2021 and conclude on April 24, 2022. The divisions will likely be put back to normal, but an announcement will come later this summer.

The Pacific division finishes its regular season schedule on May 16.

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