Minor Transactions: 07/13/21
The NHL offseason exploded into action over the past few days, with a Duncan Keith trade, Pekka Rinne‘s retirement and the buyout of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter. While those headlines are certainly attention-grabbing, other leagues are also doing their best to fill out rosters and prepare for the upcoming season. As always, we’ll keep track of any notable minor moves right here:
- The Rockford IceHogs and Bakersfield Condors completed a trade yesterday, which very well could be connected to the Keith deal. The move sees minor league forward Liam Folkes head to the IceHogs in exchange for future considerations, giving the team a replacement for the outgoing Tim Soderlund. Because Folkes is signed to an AHL contract, he couldn’t be officially included in the NHL trade.
- The Manitoba Moose have signed forward Todd Burgess to a one-year AHL contract. Now 25, Burgess is actually still on the Ottawa Senators reserve list through August 15, but obviously wasn’t going to sign with the team. A fourth-round selection in 2016, Burgess never could replicate the success he had in the NAHL in college, and scored just 14 points in 25 games this season for Minnesota State.
- Tory Dello has signed a one-year AHL contract with the Laval Rocket after spending last season with the Grand Rapids Griffins. The 24-year-old defenseman played four years at Notre Dame before joining the Griffins and was once a Clark Cup champion with the Tri-City Storm of the USHL. Undrafted, Dello recorded two points in 19 games for Grand Rapids in 2020-21.
San Jose Sharks Re-Sign Josef Korenar
The San Jose Sharks have re-signed goaltender Josef Korenar to a one-year contract, keeping him in North America after making his NHL debut this season. Curtis Pashelka of the Mercury News reports that the two-way contract carries a $750K salary at the NHL level, an $85K salary at the AHL level and a minor league guarantee of $125K. Sharks GM Doug Wilson released a statement explaining the move:
Josef took a big step in his development last season, showing his athleticism and awareness in net while appearing in the NHL for the first time. He also delivered a strong performance in the AHL’s Pacific Division playoffs, leading AHL goaltenders in goals-against average and helped the Barracuda to the semifinals.
Korenar, 23, was an undrafted free agent signing in 2017 and has become an interesting NHL prospect for the Sharks. The Czech goaltender posted an .899 save percentage in ten NHL appearances this season, while also spending time in the AHL and overseas. While he may not be ready to take over the net full-time, he does have an interesting case to be the backup this season, especially if the team doesn’t add another goaltender through free agency. The Sharks still have Martin Jones on the books for now, but the 31-year-old is a prime buyout candidate after three terrible seasons.
Getting Korenar under contract at least keeps him in the organization instead of allowing him to return to Europe, meaning at worst he’ll be with the San Jose Barracuda in 2021-22. Still waiver-exempt, he can come up and down whenever necessary to help the goaltending group at the NHL level while continuing his development by getting starts whenever possible in the AHL.
In the expansion draft later this month, it seems likely that the Sharks protect Korenar over Jones if the latter isn’t bought out. If he is though, the team needed a goalie under contract for 2021-22 to leave exposed in order to meet the requirements–Korenar can now be that goalie.
Calgary Flames Hire Mitch Love As AHL Coach
The Calgary Flames have decided on a new AHL coach, hiring Mitch Love from the WHL. He replaces Cail MacLean, who will be making the jump to the NHL as an assistant this season.
Love, 37, has led the Saskatoon Blades for the last three seasons and has served as an assistant with Hockey Canada’s World Junior team for the last two years. A physical minor league defenseman, he racked up more than 1,000 penalty minutes in 365 career AHL games. In his three years with Saskatoon, the team put up a 95-44-16 record.
The Heat will add another assistant coach in the coming weeks, according to the team, joining Love and assistant Joe Cirella. MacLean and Ryan Huska, the team’s previous two head coaches, have both graduated to the NHL team, carving out a clear path for Love to follow.
Minor Transactions: 07/11/21
Things are rolling along in the NHL offseason, with protection lists due in less than a week. The rest of the hockey world is also preparing for the upcoming season, with minor, junior, and European leagues all filling out their rosters. As always, we’ll keep track of any notable minor moves right here.
- The Toronto Marlies will bring back captain Rich Clune for another season, signing the minor league tough guy to a one-year AHL deal. Clune hasn’t scored more than four points in a single season since 2016-17 and is basically a player-coach at this point for the Marlies. The 34-year-old is beloved in the organization and could very well stay with the Marlies even after his playing career is over.
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Joel Bouchard Hired By Anaheim Ducks
The Anaheim Ducks have announced a new AHL coach, hiring Joel Bouchard to lead the San Diego Gulls. Bouchard replaces the outgoing Kevin Dineen, who took over as Gulls head coach when Dallas Eakins was promoted to the NHL club. Ducks GM Bob Murray released a statement on the change:
We want to thank Kevin Dineen for all he contributed the last two seasons. He was key in maintaining a winning environment in San Diego, including a difficult season during the pandemic.
The opportunity to bring in Joel Bouchard as head coach of our American Hockey League club was something that we could not pass up. Joel has a strong track record coaching and developing players at the professional, junior and international level. This is the primary focus for us, and Joel fits the bill perfectly.
Bouchard’s path to the NHL was blocked in Montreal, where he had served as head coach of the Laval Rocket the last three years. Dominique Ducharme took over the Canadiens midseason and led them to the Stanley Cup Finals, while even assistants Luke Richardson and Alexandre Burrows look like potential future head coaches (in fact, Eric Engels of Sportsnet suggests that Burrows could even be the next head coach of the Rocket).
That path isn’t so crowded in the Ducks organization, given how little success Eakins has had so far. The Ducks are 46-63-18 under his watch, which could lead to a potential opportunity for a minor league coach like Bouchard at some point. The 47-year-old was the head coach of the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada of the QMJHL for four seasons before arriving in Laval, taking the junior squad to the league championship twice in a row (but losing both). A veteran of 364 NHL games as a player, Bouchard is still waiting for his first opportunity as a coach at that level.
Minor Transactions: 07/08/21
The 2021 Stanley Cup champions have been crowned. The Tampa Bay Lightning are back on top of the mountain, sealing their victory with another Andrei Vasilevskiy shutout. With that now in the past, teams and leagues all around the world can continue their preparations for the next season. As always we will keep track of all the notable minor moves right here.
- The Utica Comets have announced three contracts, their first signings affiliated with the New Jersey Devils. Mareks Mitens, Tyler Irvine and Patrick Grasso have all signed AHL deals for 2021-22. The first two already spent some time with the Devils’ previous AHL affiliate, but Grasso is fresh off a season with the University of New Hampshire. The 25-year-old was actually granted an extra year of NCAA eligibility thanks to a shoulder injury as a sophomore, meaning he spent five seasons with the program.
- Chay Genoway, who was once a highly sought-after college free agent, has signed a new deal to continue his hockey career in Sweden. The 34-year-old defenseman has been overseas since the 2014-15 season and actually suited up for Canada at the 2018 Olympic Games. Genoway’s deal is for one year plus an option for 2022-23.
- Former NHL goaltender Karri Ramo has signed a new contract with ERC Ingolstadt of the German DEL, after being the runner-up in Liiga last season. Ramo posted a .929 save percentage in seven postseason games for TPS, though his regular season numbers weren’t quite as strong. The 35-year-old last played in the NHL during the 2015-16 season.
Jay Varady Returns To Tucson Roadrunners
After spending the 2020-21 season on the Arizona Coyotes bench, Jay Varady will return to the AHL. The organization announced today that Varady has signed a new three-year contract as head coach of the Tucson Roadrunners. Bill Armstrong, GM of the Coyotes, released a short statement:
Jay is an excellent coach who led the Roadrunners to a Pacific Division title. Over the past three years, he has done a tremendous job developing our prospects and we are thrilled to have him back as our head coach in Tucson.
The Coyotes of course have a new head coach in Andre Tourigny, who replaces the outgoing Rick Tocchet who parted ways with the team at the end of the season. Tourigny will be able to bring in his staff but the team will not lose Varady as an asset, moving him back to the AHL to continue working with the team’s prospects.
Now 43, Varady has had plenty of success as a head coach, starting in France where he led the Ducs d’Angers to a 21-2-3 record in 2012-13. He then joined the Sioux City Musketeers, eventually taking the USHL program to the finals. One year in the OHL with the Kingston Frontenacs finished with a third-round berth, while the Roadrunners have a 70-45-11 record under Varady’s watch.
Slowly, it seems, the Coyotes are sorting out their organizational structure under Armstrong. Just yesterday they brought in a new director of pro scouting and have made several other hires over the last few months.
Minor Transactions: 07/07/21
The Montreal Canadiens lived to fight another day, but they’ll need that same level of desperation to win game five and continue the series tonight. While all eyes are on Tampa to see what happens, the rest of the hockey world prepares for next season. As always, we’ll keep track of any notable minor moves right here.
- Phil Varone has signed a one-year contract with Lausanne HC in Switzerland, continuing his overseas career after playing with Barys Nur-Sultan of the KHL last season. The 30-year-old forward suited up 97 times in the NHL and won the AHL MVP in 2018. In 42 games last season, he scored 25 points.
- Martin Gernat, once a fifth-round pick of the Edmonton Oilers, will also be heading to Lausanne, after spending the last few seasons in the Czech Republic. The 28-year-old defenseman hasn’t played in North America since the 2015-16 season, but did impress for Slovakia at this year’s World Championship.
- Michael Krutil will sign another AHL contract with the Rockford IceHogs after spending the 2020-21 season with them. The 19-year-old defenseman was a fourth-round pick last fall, but ended up going straight to the AHL where he recorded three points in 21 games. He has still not signed his entry-level contract but there is no rush, as the Blackhawks will hold his rights until 2024.
- The AHL’s Iowa Wild have lost a pair of players to Europe. Forwards Tyler Sheehy and Jarrett Burton are each leaving North America behind for the first time in their careers after combining for just 14 AHL points this season. Sheehy, 25, has signed with the Nurnberg Ice Tigers of Germany’s DEL on a one-year deal with an option for second year. Burton, 30, will join Norway’s Stavanger Oilers on a one-year deal.
- Cole Schneider will spend another season without an NHL contract despite strong returns in the minors. The former Buffalo Sabre, who has also spent time under contract with the Ottawa Senators and New York Rangers, was impressive again this season in the AHL, recording 28 points in 36 games with the Texas Stars and earning the club’s captaincy. It was Schneider’s second consecutive season on an AHL deal even after recording 46 points in 54 games with the Milwaukee Admirals in 2019-20. Schneider will not wait for the NHL market to open later this month and has instead opted to return to Milwaukee, as the team announced a one-year-deal for the 30-year-old forward.
Seattle Kraken To Hire Jay Leach As Assistant Coach
Seattle Kraken head coach Dave Hakstol is not wasting any time with filling out his staff. Less than two weeks since he was named the expansion team’s first ever head coach, Hakstol has reportedly decided on who will become Seattle’s first assistant coach. Mark Divver of the New England Hockey Journal reports that Jay Leach has accepted the assistant position with the Kraken, leaving behind his post as head coach of the AHL’s Providence Bruins.
Although this will be Leach’s first experience at the NHL level, he is far from an outside-the-box hire. Leach, 41, is in fact considered one of the top up-and-coming coaches in the pro game and just recently was a finalist for the Arizona Coyotes’ head coach vacancy. The head coach for Providence for the past four seasons and an assistant with the AHL Bruins and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins prior, Leach has learned under the likes of Mike Sullivan, Bruce Cassidy, and Kevin Dean. A former pro defensemen with 70 NHL games played over 12 seasons, Leach also brings that playing experience and a deft knowledge of the defensive aspects of the game to his coaching resume.
In his time leading Providence, Leach has helped to develop current Bruins such as Matt Grzelcyk, Jeremy Lauzon, Jakub Zboril, Connor Clifton, Trent Frederic, Karson Kuhlman, Jack Studnicka, Jeremy Swayman and more, as well as other NHLers like Jordan Binnington, Anders Bjork, Danton Heinen, Ryan Donato, and Gemel Smith. With the upcoming Expansion Draft likely to yield a number of young, fringe NHLers among those exposed, Seattle could very well end up selecting more than a few players with high potential but room to grow. Having a coach experienced in winning with young players while improving those individuals could prove to be invaluable. Leach’s connection to Lauzon, Zboril, Clifton, and Kuhlman, all of whom are expected to exposed by the Bruins, makes it even more likely that Seattle selects a young player off the Boston roster.
As for the Bruins, this is their second major coaching loss in less than a week. Assistant coach Jay Pandolfo was announced as the new Associate Head Coach at Boston University on Friday and now Leach is gone just a few days later. Leach had been an ideal candidate to replace Pandolfo on Boston’s bench alongside mentors Cassidy and Dean, but the organization will have to look elsewhere. Even though former players-turned-staffers Trent Whitfield, Chris Kelly, and P.J. Axelsson are also internal candidates for one job or the other, the Bruins now seem very likely to go outside of the organization to address at least one of their two key vacancies.
Steven Kampfer Signs With KHL’s Ak Bars Kazan
Steven Kampfer‘s NHL playing days may very well be over. The veteran defenseman has decided not to wait for the NHL market to open later this month, opting to make the move overseas. The KHL’s Ak Bars Kazan have announced a one-year contract with Kampfer, who will be playing outside of North America for the first time. Kampfer, who is set to turn 33 in September, has served as a depth player for much of his career and may find it difficult to earn another NHL contract following this move.
Kampfer is best known for his two stints with the Boston Bruins, both to begin his NHL career and now likely to end it as well. The University of Michigan product played nine years in the league with four teams, but was never better than in his rookie season with Boston in 2010-11, when he recorded career highs in points and time on ice in 38 games. Kampfer was traded to the Minnesota Wild the following season, the first of five trades in his career that led to stints with the Florida Panthers and New York Rangers (twice) as well. The most recent trade came in 2018, when he returned to Boston from the Rangers as part of a package for former teammate Adam McQuaid. Kampfer played well in his depth role over the last three years, proving leadership in the AHL but performing when called upon in the NHL as well.
However, Kampfer’s departure from the Bruins is not at all unexpected. It was in the midst of Boston’s playoff run this season that it was first leaked that Kampfer was negotiating with Ak Bars and seemed likely to sign with the team. Ironically (or perhaps not so ironically), just a few days later the team announced that Kampfer would undergo season-ending hand surgery. With Kampfer missing his second consecutive postseason, when Boston has needed blue line depth both years, combined with his early planning to depart, it all but guaranteed that he would not return to the Bruins.
Joining Kazan, Kampfer will undoubtedly play in a greater role than he did with Boston and perhaps at any time in his NHL career. However, it is unknown if he will be able to top his expiring two-year, one-way 1.6MM contract. Nevertheless, he joins a talented roster that includes recent Bruins teammate Par Lindholm and other former NHLers and NHL prospects, while Montreal Canadiens forward Jordan Weal is also expected to officially sign once his season is over. Ak Bars has Gagarin Cup hopes this season and could look to Kampfer as their veteran leader to show them the way.