West Notes: Oilers Defense, Yamamoto, Chechelev
It has been speculated over the past few weeks that the Oilers are likely to bring a right-shot defenseman on a tryout basis for training camp. It appears they have a couple of targets in mind as Postmedia’s Jim Matheson pegs veterans Michael Stone and Jason Demers as the likeliest candidates to sign one of those deals with Edmonton. Stone is no stranger to the PTO route having been on one with Calgary last year before ultimately signing a two-way deal where he got into 21 games with the Flames and four more with AHL Stockton. Demers hasn’t been in that situation before but after a tough year with Arizona that saw him dropped to a third pairing and reserve role, he may have to settle for a tryout at this stage of free agency.
More from Western Canada:
- In an interview with 630CHED (audio link), Oilers GM Ken Holland provided a small update on negotiations for RFA winger Kailer Yamamoto. He indicated that both sides took a break from discussions for most of August but recently resumed discussions with more scheduled for early next week. With Edmonton’s cap space being limited, a short-term bridge deal is likely all they’ll be able to afford barring a trade that opens up some extra room.
- The Flames announced that 2020 fourth-round pick Daniil Chechelev has signed a one-year AHL deal. The 20-year-old goaltender spent last season split between the VHL and MHL in Russia, suiting up in 40 games along the way. He joins Dustin Wolf, Adam Werner, and Tyler Parsons as those that will be battling for time with AHL Stockton next season and as a result of that battle, Chechelev may find himself with ECHL Kansas City if they want to give him ample playing time.
Minor Transactions: 09/09/21
September keeps creeping along, inching closer to official training camps across the NHL. Minor league players are taking part in pre-camp skates and others are still finding homes for the 2021-22 season. As always, we’ll keep track of all the notable minor contracts right here.
- The Stockton Heat have signed four players to AHL contracts. Alex Gallant, Reid Perepeluk, Mark Simpson and Koletrane Wilson will all be with the club this season. Gallant, 28, played with the heat in each of the last two years, racking up 171 penalty minutes in 61 games. The undrafted forward certainly isn’t known for his offense, which has produced just 18 points in 202 AHL games, but has still been invited to Calgary Flames training camp later this month.
- The Iowa Wild have signed Nate Sucese to a one-year AHL contract, bringing him over from the Tucson Roadrunners where he spent last season. The former Penn State standout had 13 points in 36 games during his first professional season in Tucson, but was not given a qualifying offer by the Arizona Coyotes this offseason.
- After being non-tendered by the Kings this summer, forward Drake Rymsha has inked a one-year contract with Fort Wayne of the ECHL. This will be Rymsha’s second stint with the Komets as he notched 17 points in 24 games with them back in 2019-20. The 23-year-old was limited to just two games last season but one of them came with Los Angeles as he logged more than 13 minutes in their final game of the year.
This page will be updated with any further transactions.
Minor Transactions: 09/08/21
NHL hockey is almost back, with training camp just around the corner and the regular season a month away. While the focus for many fans will be on the last few remaining free agents, we’ll keep track of all the notable minor moves right here.
- Patrick Bajkov, who was not given a qualifying offer by the Florida Panthers this offseason, has signed with the Reading Royals of the ECHL. The 23-year-old forward earned an NHL entry-level deal after his outstanding 100-point season for the Everett Silvertips, but managed just 18 games in the AHL before being demoted to the low minors. It’s a good signing for the Royals though, as Bajkov had 39 points in 53 games last season for the Greenville Swamp Rabbits.
- Speaking of Panthers players who didn’t receive qualifying offers, Brad Morrison has signed with HC Pustertal of the ICEHL. Morrison was a fourth-round pick by the New York Rangers in 2015 and has had quite the ride to this point. He eventually signed with the Los Angeles Kings in 2018, was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks for Olli Maatta in 2020, and then flipped for Vinnie Hinostroza a few months ago. The 24-year-old forward had five points in six AHL games this season.
- The Calgary Flames announced that Daniil Chechelev has signed an AHL contract for 2021-22, meaning he will be playing in North America for the first time. The 20-year-old goaltender was selected 96th overall in 2020 and split last season between the VHL and MHL. He hasn’t yet signed his entry-level deal, but this is a good sign that he will eventually join the Flames depth chart.
- It doesn’t happen very often that a player splits his season between the NHL and AHL only to sign in the ECHL, but that is the current predicament of forward Drake Rymsha. Of course, it worth noting that Rymsha played only two games in 2020-21, one with the Los Angeles Kings and the other with the Ontario Reign. When the young center’s entry-level contract expired and he was not extended a qualifying offer, it seemed that his time in L.A. was likely over. However, one would think that a prospect the Kings felt was worth an NHL look this season might fare better on the open market. Instead, he has returned to the ECHL’s Fort Wayne Komets on a one-year deal, the team announced. Rymsha spent the majority of his 2019-20 campaign with the Komets.
- Chaz Reddekop is yet another player moving from an NHL contract with the Kings to and ECHL contract. Having not received a qualifying offer, Reddekop has signed a one-year deal on the other side of the country, as the South Carolina Stingrays announced a pact with the young defenseman. A seventh-round pick that was always more project than prospect, Reddekop has shown little so far in his pro career but has earned another shot nevertheless.
Minor Transactions: 09/07/21
The shortened offseason is almost over as NHL training camps are just a few weeks away, with the regular season following close behind. European leagues have gotten underway and the minor league season is just around the corner. With that in mind, we’ll keep track of all the notable minor moves right here as teams attempt to round out their rosters.
- Patrick Sieloff, who spent last season with the Hartford Wolf Pack, has signed with Kolner Haie of the German DEL for the upcoming season. The 27-year-old defenseman has bounced around to several teams in the AHL over the years, suiting up in Abbotsford, Adirondack, Stockton, Binghamton, Belleville, San Diego, Syracuse, and Hartford, while only receiving two games at the NHL level.
- The Utica Comets have added some toughness, signing Patrick McGrath to an AHL deal for 2021-22. The 28-year-old McGrath split last season between the ECHL’s Indy Fuel and the AHL’s Rochester Americans, being his normally in-your-face self no matter where he was playing. The undrafted forward has carved out a role as a fourth-line agitator and has just nine points in 106 AHL games. Even at the ECHL level, there isn’t much difference, as McGrath has just 15 points in 162 games at the low minors.
- After a short but stellar appearance in the AHL last season, goaltender Parker Gahagen is hoping to make it a whole season. The Milwaukee Admirals have announced a one-year deal with the veteran keeper, who has had a journeyman career to say the least but may be on the cusp of sustained success. Gahagen played in 17 games with the ECHL’s Utah Grizzlies last year, recording a stunning .929 save percentage and 2.02 GAA, but was even better on loan with the AHL’s Colorado Eagles, logging a .939 save percentage and 2.09 GAA for a 2-0-0 record in three appearances. While previous AHL outings have not been as successful for the West Point grad, he hopes to build on his recent results and find a role for himself in Milwaukee behind Connor Ingram.
- Trades in the ECHL are not common, but even more rare is a trade involving names familiar to NHL fans. Such a deal occurred today, as a pair of 2017 NHL Draft selections were swapped for one another. Defenseman Luke Martin was acquired by the Utah Grizzlies in exchange for forward Cedric Pare heading to the Greenville Swamp Rabbits. Martin was a second-round pick of the Carolina Hurricanes who played four seasons at the University of Michigan but was not signed by the team when he turned pro last season. Pare was a sixth-round pick of the Boston Bruins who was never signed, but made headlines anyway as the center for Alexis Lafreniere with the QMJHL’s Rimouski Oceanic in 2019-20.
Toronto Marlies Hire Hannu Toivonen, Troy Paquette
The Toronto Marlies have made a duo of coaching hires today. Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun reports that the team will bring on Hannu Toivonen as their goalie coach and Troy Paquette as their video coach.
Toivonen’s a name that will likely ring a bell for some. Drafted by the Boston Bruins in the first round in 2002, Toivonen could never stick around at the NHL level despite strong showings early in his career in the AHL. Toivonen’s NHL career lasted just three seasons between 2005 and 2008, but he continued playing overseas and in minor leagues until his retirement just recently in 2019. After taking 2019-20 off, Toivonen got his first coaching gig as a goalie coach with the University of New England last season. He’ll now join the Marlies as his first professional coaching job, looking to make an impact with prospects such as Joseph Woll, Ian Scott, and Erik Kallgren.
The hire of Toivonen comes after the Marlies quickly announced and renounced the hiring of Dusty Imoo last month after social media backlash.
Paquette is somewhat of an early bloomer in the coaching world at just 25 years old. A former goalie, Paquette never played at a level higher than junior hockey with his last game action in 2015-16. However, this will be Paquette’s fourth season already as a video coach. He’s been with the OHL’s Kingston Frontenacs for the past three years, as well as serving as the goalie coach for Queen’s University the past two seasons.
Minor Transactions: 09/02/21
The KHL season is underway and hockey in North America is right around the corner. As always, well keep track of all the notable minor moves as they come in.
- The Toronto Marlies have signed Zach O’Brien and Marcus Power to AHL contracts, bringing back two members of the Kelly Cup-winning Newfoundland Growlers group from 2019. Both forwards took their talents to Germany in 2020-21, lighting up the second tier of the DEL with EV Landshut. O’Brien recorded 40 goals and 83 points in 49 games, while Power had 29 goals and 69 points.
- Mitch Reinke, who actually played a single game in the playoffs earlier this year for the St. Louis Blues, has signed an AHL contract with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins for 2021-22. The 25-year-old defenseman became a Group VI unrestricted free agent this summer after suiting up just twice for the Blues since starting his professional career. In 18 games for the Utica Comets in 2020-21, Reinke scored 12 points.
This page will be updated with further transactions
Buffalo Sabres Sign Casey Mittelstadt
The Buffalo Sabres have reached an agreement with one of their restricted free agents, signing Casey Mittelstadt to a three-year deal. The contract comes with an average annual value of $2.5MM, a nice boost for a player that still hasn’t quite lived up to his high draft pedigree.
Mittelstadt, 22, was the eighth overall pick in 2017, selected a few spots ahead of young players like Martin Necas and Nick Suzuki who have already established themselves as key parts with their respective teams. In Buffalo, Mittelstadt has experienced the same struggles that almost everyone else on the roster has, posting just 61 points in 155 games. In 2019-20 he was sent to the Rochester Americans for half the season to work on his game, as it was not quite consistent enough to help the NHL squad.
The encouraging part about Mittelstadt, and why this three-year contract may look like quite a bargain very quickly, is his performance under head coach Don Granato. When Granato took over partway through last season, Mittelstadt had just one goal and five points in 13 games. He was seeing inconsistent minutes and not regularly lining up at center. That changed under the new head coach, and the young forward took a huge step forward, scoring nine goals and 17 points in 28 games through the end of the season. In those matches, he averaged more than 17 minutes a night and played center full-time.
If Mittelstadt can continue to play up to his draft pedigree under Granato, the Sabres have a true building block to help turn things around. The young forward has outstanding puck skills and playmaking ability, but seemed completely lost at times under the previous regimes. The team is obviously not giving up on him, investing in a multi-year deal ahead of what could be a breakout season.
The $2.5MM cap charge brings the Sabres a little closer to the cap floor, with Rasmus Dahlin and Henri Jokiharju still to sign. The big question is Jack Eichel though, as a trade would leave the Sabres scrambling to add salary if a similar number–$10MM–didn’t come back the other way.
Alan Quine Signs AHL Contract
Alan Quine may be known more for his scoring prowess in the AHL than for anything else, but the veteran forward has played on an NHL contract in each of his nine pro seasons. That streak will come to an end this year, as Quine has signed a one-year deal with the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights, the team announced.
Quine, 28, played exclusively in the minors this past season while under contract with the Edmonton Oilers, the first time he had gone without an NHL appearance since 2014-15. A perennial depth asset, apart from one 61-game season with the New York Islanders, Quine is a prototypical “AAAA” player, to steal a baseball term. He possesses the skill to produce in a major way in the AHL, with a career mark of .84 points per game in 285 games, but it doesn’t translate to the NHL. Quine has just ten goals and 28 points to his credit in over 100 career NHL games for a career mark of .26 points per game, over three times less than his AHL pace. All but ten of these points also came in his one season as an NHL regular, meaning his spot starts ever since have produced few results. Quine also lacks the defensive ability to contribute in a bottom-six role, further limiting his use. The result is an offensive depth option whose lack of actual production over the years has progressively limited his opportunity to the point that he is now in the AHL full-time.
With that said, Quine’s days as an impact player are far from over. Quine spent all but seven AHL games on the Oilers taxi squad last season and never saw one game; he is surely ready to get back to work. Playing on an AHL contract, without wasting time as an NHL scratch or taxi squad member, will allow the veteran forward to focus solely on his play in the minors and helping to develop his teammates. Filling a leadership vacuum in Henderson, who saw Danny O’Regan and Dylan Sikura depart this off-season, Quine will take on a top role for the Silver Knights and will very likely return to scoring at better than a point-per-game pace. Who knows, perhaps Quine may even do enough to get another NHL look next summer. The opportunity is there to show that he is still a talented offensive asset that could bring value to an NHL club.
Daniel Brickley Signs In AHL
When the 2020-21 season ended, Daniel Brickley became a Group VI unrestricted free agent. His two-year contract with the Los Angeles Kings was over, this time without a single NHL game to show for it. Now, he’s headed back to the AHL on a one-year deal with the Chicago Wolves.
Brickley, 26, was a highly sought-after undrafted college free agent in 2018 and visited with several teams including the Detroit Red Wings and San Jose Sharks before eventually signing his entry-level deal with Los Angeles. He had already suited up for an IIHF World Championship with Team USA and was considered a polished two-way defenseman that could step directly into the NHL after an outstanding career at Minnesota State-Mankato.
He actually did step right into the league too, playing one game for the Kings before the end of the 2017-18 season and recording his first NHL point. Things started trending down from there, however, as Brickley would play in just four games for Los Angeles the following season, spending almost the entire year at the AHL level instead. Still, it was enough to earn him another contract, this time a two-year, two-way deal with the Kings in the summer of 2019.
Since then he has only played in 36 games at the AHL level, spending a good chunk of this season on the Kings’ taxi squad instead. He cleared waivers at the beginning of the year and now has accepted an AHL contract, meaning there isn’t another NHL job waiting out there for him. It’s certainly not time to rule Brickley out entirely given his age, but his NHL future doesn’t look promising at this point.
Alec Rauhauser Signs ECHL Contract
Every year, teams and fans fall over themselves trying to find the next undrafted college free agent that can make an impact in the NHL. More often than not, those players struggle at the next level and are quickly out of the league. That’s exactly the case for Alec Rauhauser, who was not issued a qualifying offer by the Florida Panthers this offseason after his entry-level contract expired. The defenseman has now signed a contract with the ECHL’s Greenville Swamp Rabbits for 2021-22.
In March 2020 when he was signed, the Panthers general manager was still Dale Tallon. At the time, Tallon called Rauhauser a “skilled two-way defenseman” who had proven himself at the college level. Unfortunately for him, it seemed that Bill Zito, who took over the Panthers a few months later, didn’t see it the same way. Rauhauser would be loaned to Slovakia before being stashed in the ECHL for nearly the entire season, where he played 57 games with the Swamp Rabbits.
Now 26, it seems likely that Rauhauser will not receive another NHL contract. That doesn’t mean he won’t work his way up to the AHL level, but for now, he’s heading for the low minors to spend his second professional season.