Calgary Flames Sign Ilya Solovyov
The Calgary Flames have signed prospect Ilya Solovyov to a three-year entry-level contract according to his agent Dan Milstein of Gold Star Hockey. Solovyov recently finished his KHL season with Dinamo Minsk. Milstein did not clarify whether or not the contract starts this season or in 2021-22, or whether Solovyov will be joining the AHL down the stretch like many other recently-signed prospects. The Flames release, which came a few minutes later, also does not clarify, but PuckPedia reports that the deal will start in 2021-22 and carry an average annual value of $828K.
The 20-year-old defenseman was a seventh-round pick in 2020, his third year of draft eligibility. It took an impressive season with the Saginaw Spirit of the OHL for the scouts to take notice, as previously the Belarusian defenseman had gone undrafted. In 53 games last year with Saginaw, he recorded 40 points while finishing ninth in the entire league with a +43 rating.
If you’re a Calgary fan looking for a late-round pick to dream on, the 6’3″ Solovyov may be the one to choose, after he stepped directly into the KHL and secured a regular spot on the Dinamo blueline. In 41 games he had just nine points but managed to average nearly 17 minutes a night as a 20-year-old rookie, not an easy task in the veteran-heavy KHL. In five playoff games, that ice time increased to more than 19 minutes a night, another strong indication of how far Solovyov’s game has come in the last few years.
There’s certainly work to be done, but a draft class that was bookended by Connor Zary (24th overall) and Solovyov (205th) already looks like a win for the Flames. If the young defenseman can even sniff the NHL, he’ll have already outplayed his draft position.
Montreal Canadiens Sign Jan Mysak
The Montreal Canadiens have reached a deal with another one of their top prospects, agreeing to terms with Jan Mysak on a three-year entry-level contract. The deal will start in 2020-21 and carry an average annual value of $850,833. Mysak is currently playing with the Laval Rocket on an amateur tryout.
The 18-year-old Mysak was the 48th overall pick in last year’s draft after a short run with the Hamilton Bulldogs of the OHL. The Czech forward played 22 games for the junior team but managed 15 goals and 25 points, showing off the scoring ability that had been stifled at the professional level in his home country. The fact that Mysak was playing in the top Czech league as a teenager should be enough, but it was hard to know just how high his offensive ceiling was before seeing him dominate against players his own age.
A two-time representative at the World Juniors, Mysak has generally shown that when given room to get an impressive shot off, he can be an offensive catalyst. He still has work to do on his skating if he wants to be able to generate those scoring chances at the NHL level, but the fact that he’s already playing at the AHL level will only help push that development quickly. In 13 games for the Rocket he has just two goals but is gaining valuable experience in the faster and tougher North American style.
College Notes: Galajda, Pelton-Byce, Becker
When the Ivy League announced that they would not allow winter sports competition this year, college hockey lost out on one its best goaltenders and Matthew Galajda lost out on his fourth and final season at Cornell University. As Ivy League schools do not permit graduate student-athletes, the senior netminder knew he would have to depart Cornell to continue his NCAA career. This worked out to the benefit of Notre Dame University though, who announced today that Galajda has decided to join the Fighting Irish next season. While a year away from the game has quieted the buzz around Galajda’s game, there is no arguing that he has been one of the NCAA’s very best goaltenders in recent years. In three seasons at Cornell, Galadja was consistently outstanding. The 23-year-old has a stunning .930 save percentage and 1.60 GAA in his NCAA career to go along with a 60-15-9 record. With those numbers, Galajda will likely take on a workhorse role for Notre Dame and should be an upgrade to the departing Dylan St. Cyr. If the 2019-20 Mike Richter Award finalist can return to that same level of play after a year off and facing a more difficult Big Ten schedule, he will have plenty of NHL suitors this time next year.
- Ty Pelton-Byce of the University of Wisconsin was expected to be one of the top college free agents available to NHL teams this spring, but the Winnipeg Jets have been able to secure the talented forward on a minor league deal. The Jets’ affiliate, the Manitoba Moose, have announced that Pelton-Byce has signed an AHL contract for the 2021-22 season and will join the club on an amateur tryout agreement for the remainder of the year. The 23-year-old forward, who split his college career between the Badgers and the Harvard Crimson, is coming off a career year in which he recorded 31 points in 24 games. He helped to lead Wisconsin to the Big Ten regular season title and to a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament this year. With good size and a well-developed game, Pelton-Byce should adjust well to the pro game and could be pushing for an NHL deal in no time.
- It was expected that Boston Bruins prospect Jack Becker would return to school for a somewhat unprecedented fifth season of college hockey and now the move is official. Craig Morgan of AZ Coyotes Insider reports that Becker has committed as a graduate transfer to Arizona State University. The Sun Devils add an experienced two-way forward who captained the University of Michigan this season and has 124 NCAA games under his belt. Whether Becker will try to turn pro – and whether the Bruins will still want him – after a fifth college season remains to be seen. The 2015 draft pick will turn 25 years old before the 2022-23 season begins.
Anaheim Ducks Demote Trevor Zegras
No matter how it’s viewed, the Anaheim Ducks have made a unique move. The team has announced that rookie phenom Trevor Zegras has been re-assigned to the AHL. But there’s a catch; Zegras’ demotion is not being viewed as a punishment by the organization, but rather a reward. The team is actually so impressed with the 20-year-old forward’s development that they are shifting him from the wing to his natural center position and simply want to start him in that role with the San Diego Gulls before bringing him back to the NHL squad. The club’s press release stated as follows:
Our goal was to help Trevor transition more smoothly into the NHL, so we started him out on the wing. He’s ahead of our scheduled progression, and as a result we are moving him to center ice effective immediately. He will need some experience in the AHL first, but our expectation is that he will be back with us in the near future and play center for the Ducks for years to come.
On it’s face alone, it is a stunning move to see Zegras demoted amid a strong first pro season. The 2019 ninth overall pick recorded nine points in eight games in the minors before he was swiftly promoted to the NHL and has added seven points in 17 games with Anaheim since (not to mention 18 points in seven games at the World Juniors before the season.) The cerebral forward looks like a potential first-line center for the Ducks moving forward, as the team acknowledged, so fans assuredly would have been shocked to see him demoted if not for the context. Especially in the midst of another poor season, some may have turned on the team for removing their most exciting young player from the lineup without reason.
Fortunately, the club did make clear their reasons for the move. It is very rare and very refreshing for an NHL team to be so transparent with their developmental path for a player. Whether or not this specific move is needed given Zegras’ ability is beside the point, as the team’s justification is at least logical. As they noted, Zegras may not need much time in San Diego to get comfortable down the middle either. The Boston University product has previously excelled at the position given his elite vision and passing ability. Zegras should be flying with the Ducks again soon.
Snapshots: Hall, Schedule, Kolyachonok
The Buffalo Sabres could be getting closer to a trade of Taylor Hall, as Darren Dreger of TSN tweets that “there’s a sense talks have escalated.” Dreger doesn’t believe a move is “imminent” but after the New Jersey Devils pulled Kyle Palmieri over the weekend, the precautionary pull is something to watch for.
Hall is one of the top rental targets on the open market and the Sabres need to make sure they get the best package possible before the deadline. Risking him to injury in a lost season doesn’t seem to make much sense.
- The NHL has issued a schedule update, but it will likely be followed by a further announcement this evening. The change has the Calgary Flames playing against the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday April 10, when they are still technically scheduled to meet the Vancouver Canucks. With so many positive test results for the Canucks over the past week—a 17th player was added to the COVID Protocol today—their games on Thursday and Saturday were always unlikely to be played.
- The Florida Panthers have reassigned Vladislav Kolyachonok from the KHL to the AHL for the rest of the season. The 19-year-old defenseman was a second-round pick in 2019 and became a regular for Dynamo Minsk this season, recording six points in 46 games. He’ll get his first chance of pro hockey in North America, but isn’t a stranger to these parts; Kolyachonok played two years in the OHL for the Flint Firebirds before returning to the KHL this season.
Alexander Alexeyev Assigned To AHL
Now that his KHL season has come to an end, Alexander Alexeyev is coming to join the Hershey Bears once again. The Washington Capitals have assigned the young defenseman to the AHL club, returning him to the place where he played so well last season.
Alexeyev, 21, recorded 16 points in 55 games for Ufa Salavat Yulayev this season in the KHL, averaging nearly 18 minutes a night. The 6’4″ defenseman was selected 31st overall by the Capitals in 2018 and had 21 points in 58 games for Hershey last season. Those are both strong campaigns for the mobile Alexeyev, especially given he was drafted more for his polished, calm defensive game than his offensive upside.
So good in fact that just today, Max Bultman of The Athletic included Alexeyev as a reserve in his projected 2022 Russian Olympic roster. While that may still be an optimistic take on a young defender that hasn’t proven anything against NHL talent, it speaks to just how much positive momentum Alexeyev has built since his draft. If he continues to show that he has taken another development step, perhaps he can even push for playing time in Washington this season.
Signed to an entry-level deal just after his draft, the 2020-21 campaign will be his first of three years under contract for the Capitals regardless of where he finishes the season. He’ll be in the mix for a role right out of training camp next season if he doesn’t earn one down the stretch.
Taxi Squad Shuffle: 04/05/21
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
- The Los Angeles Kings have moved Matthew Villalta back to the AHL, recalling Troy Grosenick and Sean Durzi to the taxi squad once again. Durzi looked poised to make his NHL debut over the weekend but instead had to watch again and wait patiently while the Kings move players in and out. The 22-year-old defenseman has 13 points in 24 games for the Ontario Reign this season.
North Division
- The Ottawa Senators have recalled Alex Formenton and Filip Gustavsson from the taxi squad as they prepare for action tonight in Winnipeg. The team is coming off an impressive win in Montreal on Saturday night and now actually sit just five points out of fifth in the North.
Central Division
- The Columbus Blue Jackets have moved Liam Foudy back to the taxi squad after their listless performance against the Panthers last night. There were high hopes for the 21-year-old Foudy this season, but he has just three points in 16 games and is still looking for his first NHL (regular season) goal.
- After a huge win over the Lightning yesterday, the Detroit Red Wings have moved Frans Nielsen, Michael Rasmussen, and Givani Smith to the taxi squad. The Red Wings always do this on off days to save some cap and cash with players that have cleared or are ineligible for waivers. Several, if not all three, will be back up tomorrow.
- The Dallas Stars have moved Landon Bow, Nicholas Caamano and Ty Dellandrea to the taxi squad, while sending Colton Point to the AHL. Point is no longer needed because Anton Khudobin has been activated from the COVID protocol.
East Division
- The Pittsburgh Penguins have re-assigned Radim Zohorna and Drew O’Connor to the taxi squad, pushing Maxime Lagace to the AHL to make room. Zohorna, 24, was a great story last month when he scored his first NHL goal in his first NHL game, but has just one other appearance.
- The Philadelphia Flyers have recalled Samuel Morin and Shayne Gostisbehere from the taxi squad. When Gostisbehere cleared waivers recently, the Flyers explained that it was more about roster flexibility than punishing him for poor play. He’ll make his return to the lineup tonight against the Bruins.
- The Buffalo Sabres have added Arttu Ruotsalainen to the taxi squad, sending Jean-Sebastien Dea to the Rochester Americans. Ruotsalainen has 13 points in 13 games with the Amerks this season, his first in North America after several outstanding years in Finland.
This page will be updated throughout the day.
Taxi Squad Shuffle: 04/04/21
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
- Currently in a 3-7-0 slide in their past ten games, the Chicago Blackhawks are looking to shake things up. Today, that means demoting a large group of players who aren’t getting the job done. The Blackhawks announced that forwards Reese Johnson and Mackenzie Entwistle and defensemen Nicolas Beaudin, Ian Mitchell, and Lucas Carlsson were re-assigned to the taxi squad, while forwards Brandon Pirri and Mikael Hakkarainen and defenseman Alec Regula were returned to the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs. The move also served to accommodate recent additions like Vinnie Hinostroza and Mike Hardman.
- The Columbus Blue Jackets have made one small taxi squad swap, announcing that veteran AHLer Zac Dalpe has been assigned to the squad while off-season KHL import Mikhail Grigorenko has been recalled to the active roster. Grigorenko has seven points in 18 games so far, but Columbus would like to see more as they battle for a playoff spot.
- The Dallas Stars have moved Jason Dickinson to injured reserve, recalling Nicholas Caamano and Joel L’Esperance in the process. Dickinson played just yesterday for the Stars but will miss the next few games at least with a lower-body injury. L’Esperance was later assigned back to the taxi squad.
- The Detroit Red Wings assigned Frans Nielsen, Givani Smith, and Michael Rasmussen to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly. The three have been shuffled back and forth routinely in recent days.
- The Tampa Bay Lightning recalled Christopher Gibson and Ben Thomas from the taxi squad in advance of their game against Detroit, per CapFriendly, with Andreas Borgman being sent down. Following the game, Gibson and Luke Schenn were sent back to the taxi squad.
North Division
- With their NHL goaltenders finally getting healthy, the Ottawa Senators have demoted young keeper Filip Gustavsson to the taxi squad. Forward Alex Formenton was also re-assigned to the squad. Even in just a small four-game sample size, Gustavsson has clearly been the Senators’ best goalie this season and it is hard to imagine that he will spend much more time off the active roster moving forward.
- The Toronto Maple Leafs have recalled Veini Vehvilainen from the taxi squad, reports David Alter of The Hockey News. He was acquired from Columbus last month and immediately went to the taxi squad after clearing quarantine; he’ll serve as Toronto’s backup goalie tonight. Alex Galchenyuk was also recalled from the taxi squad with Timothy Liljegren being sent to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly.
- The Montreal Canadiens have assigned Gustav Olofsson to Laval of the AHL from the taxi squad while recalling Brandon Baddock, per the AHL’s transactions log. Olofsson has 59 career NHL games under his belt but has yet to play with Montreal this season while Baddock was recently injured in the minors and is simply up to keep their taxi squad at the minimum number of players.
East Division
- The Pittsburgh Penguins have re-assigned Anthony Angello and Frederick Gaudreau to the taxi squad, moving Justin Almeida and Will Reilly to the AHL to make room.
- The Boston Bruins returned Zach Senyshyn and Steven Kampfer to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly, as they try to bank a little bit more cap room before next week’s trade deadline. Both will likely be recalled for Monday’s game against Philadelphia.
- The Buffalo Sabres assigned Jean-Sebastien Dea to Rochester of the AHL while sending down Dustin Tokarski, Rasmus Asplund, and Jacob Bryson to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly.
- The New Jersey Devils recalled Jesper Boqvist from the taxi squad prior to their game today, per CapFriendly. Tyce Thompson was sent to the taxi squad in a corresponding move.
- The New York Islanders aren’t in action today which means Oliver Wahlstrom is back on the taxi squad, per CapFriendly. Austin Czarnik was also sent down to the taxi squad.
- The New York Rangers assigned Kaapo Kakko to the taxi squad in their usual off-day move, per CapFriendly. Joining him is Vitali Kravtsov who made his NHL debut on Saturday.
- The Philadelphia Flyers returned defensemen Shayne Gostisbehere and Samuel Morin to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly. Gostisbehere cleared waivers this week and figures to move back and forth on this list regularly over the next few weeks.
West Division
- The Colorado Avalanche changed up their taxi squad according to the AHL’s transactions log. Sheldon Dries, Dan Renouf, T.J. Tynan, and Adam Werner were all sent to the AHL with Greg Pateryn, Jayson Megna, Peyton Jones, and Kyle Burroughs all being recalled to the taxi squad. Liam O’Brien was also sent to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly.
- The Los Angeles Kings sent Sean Durzi, Lias Andersson, Troy Grosenick, Matt Luff and Akil Thomas to AHL Ontario, notes Zach Dooley of LA Kings Insider. The last three were sent from the taxi squad with Mark Alt and Matt Villalta being recalled to the taxi squad in a corresponding move.
- The Anaheim Ducks have recalled Sam Carrick to the active roster plus Maxim Golod and Olle Eriksson Ek to the taxi squad, per the AHL’s transactions log. Lukas Dostal was sent back to the AHL with Eriksson Ek’s promotion. Trevor Zegras and David Backes were also recalled from the taxi squad, per CapFriendly, with Anthony Stolarz being sent to the taxi squad.
- The San Jose Sharks recalled Brinson Pasichnuk from AHL San Jose, per the AHL’s transactions log. The 23-year-old was a highly sought after college free agent last year but has yet to make his NHL debut. CapFriendly adds that Antti Suomela and Christian Jaros were also assigned to the taxi squad.
- The Arizona Coyotes recalled Lane Pederson and Jordan Gross from the taxi squad, per CapFriendly. Gross has three assists in four games this season while Pederson scored in his NHL debut on Friday.
- The Minnesota Wild are off today and as a result, they have sent Kyle Rau and Nico Sturm to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly. Both will likely be recalled for tomorrow’s game versus Colorado.
- The Vegas Golden Knights have returned Cody Glass and Dylan Coghlan to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly. Both were recalled under emergency exception exemptions on Saturday.
This page will be updated throughout the day.
Colorado Avalanche Sign Sampo Ranta
The Colorado Avalanche are already one of the most dangerous offensive units in the NHL and now they’re adding another talented forward to the organization. Sampo Ranta has signed his three-year entry-level contract and will immediately report to the Colorado Eagles of the AHL.
Ranta, 20, is coming off an exceptional junior season with the University of Minnesota where he scored 19 goals and 31 points in 31 games. The 2018 third-round pick (78th overall) has developed into an absolute freight train of a player who routinely barrels down the wing with excellent speed and can drive the puck to the net or beat goaltenders clean from distance with his impressive shot.
While there is still a lot of polish needed to his overall game, there’s no doubting Ranta’s ability to put the puck in the net. He may be best used in a bottom-six role in the future, but he’s a legitimate NHL prospect joining an organization filled with talent. After convincing Alex Newhook to turn pro just a few days ago, the pipeline has received quite the boost in young talent recently.
Ottawa Senators Sign Max Guenette
The Ottawa Senators have had quite a busy few days. After inking some top college prospects, the team has added another young player to the mix today, signing Max Guenette to a three-year entry-level contract. The contract will start in the 2021-22 season as the young defenseman is currently playing for the Val-d’Or Foreurs of the QMJHL. Senators GM Pierre Dorion released a statement on the signing:
Maxence is a strong puck moving defenceman who absorbs a lot of ice-time for his team in Val-d’Or, the QMJHL’s top ranked team this season. He maintains good vision, hockey sense and puck skills. We’re especially pleased to already see some significant strides he’s made since being drafted.
Selected 187th overall in 2019, the 19-year-old Guenette has developed nicely over the past two years. While he doesn’t come with the same profile or potential as some of the other top prospects in the Senators system, he’ll join what has become a deep pipeline of talent and try to make his mark next season. As he’ll turn 20 later this month, Guenette will be eligible for the AHL in 2021-22.
Had he not signed by June, the Senators would have lost Guenette’s exclusive draft rights. Given where they are on the rebuild window, they can’t afford to give up any young prospects that could add value to the organization.