Daniel Walcott Signs With Tampa Bay Lightning
The Tampa Bay Lightning have handed out a one-year, one-way contract extension to Daniel Walcott, who was set to become a Group VI unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. The team did not announce the financial details.
The minor league defenseman has still yet to play a game in the NHL, instead spending the entire 2019-20 season once again with the Syracuse Crunch of the AHL. That’s where Walcott has played since the Lightning acquired him in 2015 from the New York Rangers in exchange for a seventh-round pick, and where he’s likely ticketed once again next season.
In 55 games the 26-year old registered seven goals, 19 points and 86 penalty minutes, all career-highs.
Jets Notes: Woodcroft, Moose, Heinola
The Winnipeg Jets will likely be looking for a new assistant coach next season, as John Buccigross of ESPN reports that Todd Woodcroft has been offered the head coaching position at the University of Vermont. Murat Ates of The Athletic believes Woodcroft will take the position and notes how much time the coach spent practicing with the younger Jets players.
Woodcroft has been part of several organizations around the NHL, spending time as a video coach, scout, director of scouting and assistant coach. He has also been part of several different World Championship coaching staffs, but will now get his chance to lead a college program.
- The Manitoba Moose, AHL affiliate of the Jets, have signed two forwards to minor league deals for 2021-22. Westin Michaud and Biagio Lerario have both agreed to AHL contracts, giving them a chance to move to the professional ranks. Michaud recently finished his fourth NCAA season and first at the University of North Dakota, where he recorded 28 points in 35 games. The 24-year old had previously transferred from Colorado College. Lerario meanwhile played four seasons at Northeastern University, occupying a bottom-six role to support the more flashy offensive players the program has seen come and go. In 122 NCAA games, the 24-year old Lerario scored 29 points and recorded 173 PIM.
- When you look at the Jets depth chart for next season it’s easy to pencil in Ville Heinola as a full-time roster player, given the fact that Dmitry Kulikov, Nathan Beaulieu, Dylan DeMelo, Luca Sbisa and Anthony Bitetto are all headed for unrestricted free agency. Heinola was impressive in his debut at the beginning of the season before returning to Finland, but GM Kevin Cheveldayoff cautioned against making any assumptions when speaking with Ken Wiebe of The Athletic (subscription required). The then-18-year-old defenseman recorded five points in eight games with the Jets at the beginning of the year, before starring once again for Finland at the World Juniors. He’ll have to perform just as well at next season’s training camp to secure his spot. Selected 20th overall in 2019, even if they have to wait another year, it seems as though the Jets found another steal in the latter part of the first round.
Prospect Notes: Tychonick, Stockton, Senators
When Johnny Tychonick was selected 48th overall by the Ottawa Senators in 2018 he was a high-flying defenseman that had just put up 47 points in 48 games for the Penticton Vees of the BCHL and was ticketed for stardom at the collegiate level. Unfortunately that stardom never came in two seasons at the University of North Dakota, where Tychonick was buried on the depth chart of one of the nation’s strongest programs.
Now, Tychonick has entered the transfer portal and will take his talents to the University of Nebraska-Omaha according to Brad Elliott Schlossman of the Grand Forks Herald. The 20-year old defenseman told Schlossman that the UND coaching staff is helping him try to be eligible to play for Omaha next season, where he would be starting his junior year. The Senators will continue to hold his exclusive draft rights while he remains in college.
- The Stockton Heat have signed three undrafted free agents to AHL contracts, inking Greg Moro to a two-year deal, Noah King to a one-year deal and Koletrane Wilson to a one-year deal. Moro, 25, just finished his senior season at Clarkson University, recording seven points in 32 games. The 6’4″ defenseman is an Alberta native who played in the SJHL and AJHL before going the college route. King, 20, broke out this season for the Spokane Chiefs of the WHL, scoring 40 points in 64 games. That total was more than double the combined amount King had registered in his other three CHL seasons. Wilson, another 20-year old defenseman, registered 33 points in 62 games for the Lethbridge Hurricanes of the WHL, while racking up penalty minutes as a tough, physical presence. All three players will bring a healthy dose of size and strength to the Heat blueline next season.
- The Ottawa Senators are focused on the NHL Entry Draft, whenever it happens, and the three first-round picks they own this year. GM Pierre Dorion spoke with reporters including Wayne Scanlan of Sportsnet, explaining that just like fans of his team he too is using a lottery simulator daily to fantasize about where his top two selections will land. The Senators of course own San Jose’s first-round pick, which means they could potentially pick first and second overall, but Scanlan writes that the executive believes the top-20 will all be “strong NHL players.”
Jonathan Aspirot Signs With Ottawa Senators
After an up-and-down rookie season, undrafted defenseman Jonathan Aspirot has done enough to earn an NHL contract. The Ottawa Senators have signed Aspirot to a three-year, entry-level deal, following his rookie campaign with the Belleville Senators of the AHL. Senators GM Pierre Dorion explained the signing:
Jonathan is a player, with credit to our amateur scouting staff, that we’ve kept tabs on since he was a development camp invitee in 2018. He’s long demonstrated great hockey sense and exceptional determination to the point where he became a regular among Belleville’s defence corps last season. His progression has collectively indicated to our hockey staff that he has become a legitimate NHL prospect.
The 20-year old Aspirot was never drafted out of the QMJHL after struggling to even find a consistent position at the junior level. Playing both defense and forward for the Moncton Wildcats, he has seemingly made the transition full-time to the blue line in Belleville and that’s where his potential future lies in Ottawa. That led to 16 points in 44 games for the baby-Sens, clearly enough—when paired with his defensive awareness and tenacity—to earn a contract. The second season of his two-year deal with Belleville will be voided in favor of this entry-level NHL contract.
For a rebuilding club like the Senators, lottery tickets like Aspirot are worthwhile investments as they try to find inexpensive NHL talent. While stars like the ones the team drafts this year will lead the next window of competition in Ottawa, Aspirot and others will have to fill in the depth chart.
Prospect Notes: Draft Rankings, 2021 Memorial Cup, McKay
If you were perusing the NHL Central Scouting draft lists when they came out yesterday and wondered how exactly the North American and International skaters compared, Sam Cosentino of Sportsnet has you covered. The draft analyst released his latest ranking of the top prospects eligible for selection in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, led as always by Alexis Lafreniere.
Some of the other rankings, however, differ significantly from the Central Scouting lists. Of note is Jake Sanderson, who while fourth among North American skaters on one list, comes in seventh among the same group on Cosentino’s. If you want a riser, how about Dylan Holloway, who Cosentino believes is a top-10 talent despite his ranking of #12 among North American skaters by Central Scouting.
- Many of the players drafted this year will be competing in the CHL’s 2020-21 season, trying to earn their way to the Memorial Cup tournament. They may have to wait a little longer, as Bob McKenzie of TSN reports that the CHL is considering pushing back the schedule for the 2021 Memorial Cup into June of next year to give them a little bit of wiggle room should the start of the season be delayed. McKenzie notes that the tournament will be held in either Oshawa or Sault Ste. Marie, though that decision has not yet been made.
- Kirby Dach will have a familiar face at Chicago Blackhawks training camp after the Rockford IceHogs signed Riley McKay to an AHL contract for 2020-21. McKay, 21, played with Dach on the Saskatoon Blades in 2018-19, racking up 149 penalty minutes as one of the toughest players in the Western Hockey League. Undrafted, he’ll try to carve out a role for himself in the minor leagues, while still surely watching his teammates’ backs.
Snapshots: Denisenko, Gerard, Olympics
The Florida Panthers are expected to sign prospect Grigori Denisenko on May 1 after his KHL contract expires, according to Igor Eronko of Sport-Express. The young forward apparently “refused” to sign an extension with his KHL club and will instead be coming to North America. That’s not a huge surprise after the Panthers used the 15th-overall pick on Denisenko in 2018, but it should create some excitement in Florida as they wait for hockey to return.
The 19-year old Denisenko has twice suited up for the Russians at the World Juniors, earning bronze and silver medals while leading the 2019 tournament in scoring and captaining the 2020 squad. In 38 games with Lokomotiv this season he recorded just 12 points, but even playing regularly at his age is an accomplishment. Even though they already have a formidable forward group in the NHL, there is a lot to look forward to in the Florida prospect system with names like Denisenko, Serron Noel, Owen Tippett, Henrik Borgstrom, and others upfront.
- The Colorado Eagles have added a prospect of their own, signing Charlie Gerard to a two-way AHL contract for 2020-21. The 24-year old forward recently finished his senior season at Minnesota State-Mankato, where he recorded 30 points in 37 games. The undersized Gerard will be joining an organization that was one of the strongest in the AHL before the season shut down and has routinely rewarded their minor league players with solid salary guarantees.
- Usually when NHL commissioner speaks about the Olympics he is referring to the winter variety, but today he spoke to NBC Sports Network’s Mike Tirico about how the postponement of the upcoming Tokyo summer games could potentially be beneficial to hockey. Frank Seravalli of TSN examined the league boss’s comments, and explained how without the Olympics taking up several weeks in the summer there is now a “broader window” for the NHL to resume play. There are no firm plans at this point as Bettman and the league plays the wait-and-see game, but he did confirm that they could play “well into the summer” if need be.
AHL Notes: Man Of The Year, Hayes, Aubrun
The AHL has announced the recipients of their Man of the Year awards, given to one player on each team for their “outstanding contributions to the local community and charitable organizations during the 2019-20 season.” From the group one player is selected for the Yanick Dupre Memorial Award, which was won by Landon Ferraro of the Iowa Wild a year ago.
Nathan Paetsch of the Rochester Americans has been given the individual team award for the fourth time in his career, as he continues his tireless work organizing events and appearances for him and his teammates to give back to the community. You can see the full list of winners here.
- The Vegas Golden Knights have signed undrafted defenseman Zach Hayes to an AHL contract, giving him a chance to transition to the professional ranks after four years with the Prince Albert Raiders of the WHL. Hayes, 20, scored 23 points in 60 games for the Raiders this season while serving as captain.
- The Rockford IceHogs have added a prospect of their own, signing Tom Aubrun to a two-year AHL contract. Aubrun, 24, recently finished his senior season at Norwich University where he posted a 23-2-2 record and .967 save percentage in 27 appearances. It’s not often you see a Division III goaltender earn a pro contract so quickly, but after such a dominant college career the IceHogs obviously believe he can be an asset to the organization.
Snapshots: Laviolette, Darling, AHL Signings
It’s been quite a while since former Nashville Predators head coach Peter Laviolette has coached a game. The 55-year-old coach was fired by Nashville on Jan. 6 and was later hired to coach the U.S. at the World Championships which was cancelled on Mar. 21. However, the head coach has made it clear that he wants to return to the NHL coaching ranks as soon as possible, according to Adam Kimmelman of NHL.com.
The coach has gone back and looked at his successes behind the bench in hopes of improving as a coach.
“Right now, I think I’m just focused on going back to what I found has worked for me as a coach and go back to that,” Laviolette said. “I don’t have a team, I don’t have any players, but what I can focus on is what happens when I can go to a team and I can start to get involved with the players and the identity of the team and building that team, building the organization.”
- Former NHL goaltender Scott Darling spent the 2019-20 season in Austria, quite a step down from the NHL after he was bought out by the Florida Panthers at the start of the season. While his team Innsbruck struggled last season, his numbers didn’t project those of a former NHL player as he finished with a 3.34 GAA and a .898 save percentage in 33 games. However, the 31-year-old, who played with the Chicago Blackhawks and Carolina Hurricanes, made it clear that his primary goal is to return to North America and resume his career there, even if that means signing an AHL deal and working his way up from there, according to John Dietz of the Daily Herald. “This pandemic has kind of sidetracked everything,” Darling said. “I was talking to some teams here. Ideally I’m going to try and play here next year, whether it be starting in the (AHL) or whatever.”
- Two junior players signed their first professional contracts as the Toronto Marlies announced they have signed defenseman Noel Hoefenmayer and forward Jeremy McKenna to two-year AHL contracts. the 21-year-old Hoefenmayer was the biggest prize after leading all OHL defensemen in scoring last season with 26 goals and 82 points last season for the Ottawa 67s. Hoefenmayer was originally a fourth-round pick in 2017 by the Arizona Coyotes, but was never offered a contract by the Coyotes. McKenna scored 40 goals and 82 points with the Moncton Wildcats of the QMJHL this season. Both will join the Marlies next season, a team well-known for developing their minor league players.
Montreal Canadiens Extend Laurent Dauphin
The Montreal Canadiens will be bringing back another one of their minor league forwards, agreeing to a one-year, two-way contract extension with Laurent Dauphin. The deal will carry a salary of $700K in the NHL, $175K in the AHL and a $200K guarantee. Dauphin was scheduled to become a Group VI unrestricted free agent at the end of the season after playing in just 35 NHL games through his first several professional seasons.
Dauphin, 25, was originally selected in the second round of the 2013 draft, but never did really become the offensive weapon in the pros that he was at the junior level. After a number of years in the Arizona Coyotes minor league system, peppered with 35 NHL games across four different seasons and a trade to the Chicago Blackhawks that lasted just six months before he was returned, Dauphin found himself on the move last February to the Nashville Predators organization.
Even with his new home, there wasn’t much of an NHL opportunity, so Dauphin found himself on the move again a few months ago. He arrived in his native Quebec and ended up suiting up for 25 games with the Laval Rocket, scoring 15 points. He apparently has done enough to prove he deserves another shot next season, though it’s still unlikely he ever becomes an impact player in the NHL.
Snapshots: Palve, Nakladal, Christensen
The venture into North American hockey appears as if it will be short-lived for veteran Finnish forward Oula Palve. Palve initially signed a one-year deal with the Pittsburgh Penguins this summer, finally making the jump after a career year in the Liiga. However, he never made it to Pittsburgh, recording a paltry eight points through 37 games with AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. The Penguins opted to move him to the Dallas Stars in January for defenseman John Nyberg, after which he recorded just five points through 23 games with AHL Texas. Palve’s time in the minors has indicated that it is unlikely he will make it to the NHL, so the speculation is now that he will return to Europe. Only this time, he is set to sign in the Swedish Hockey League, reports national news source Expressen Sport. Palve is expected to be a hot recruit for SHL teams, with Rogle and Farjestad expected to be the top suitors. At 28, Palve’s first season in North America is likely to be his last, especially if he signs a long-term deal in Sweden.
- Former NHL defenseman Jakub Nakladal is making a career change. Nakladal, 32, spent parts of two seasons in the NHL with the Calgary Flames and Carolina Hurricanes and was considered by some to be underappreciated in his time. Nakladal joined the KHL’s Lokomotiv Yaroslavl midway through the 2016-17 campaign and has been one of their top defensemen ever since. He also shined at the 2018 Olympic Games with the Czech Republic. Despite this success, Nakladal has decided to return home to continue his playing career. Lokomotiv issued a press release thanking the free agent while acknowledging that he has decided to return to the Czech Extraliga, where he last played in 2011-12. There is no indication yet exactly where Nakladal might be headed, but the safe bet is that he will return to HC Pardubice, the organization he grew up in.
- Over the past few years, American International College has emerged as the star of Atlantic Hockey, which is otherwise the weakest conference in the NCAA. Their leader through this climb has been forward Blake Christensen, who has been nothing if not consistent with 20+ points in each of his four years. Last season, Christensen was a Hobey Baker candidate with 47 points in 41 games. Now that his college career is over, Christensen will look to prove that he can continue to produce in the pros despite what some may think about his Atlantic competition over the past four years. The AHL’s Bakersfield Condors will give him that chance, announcing a one-year deal for the undersized but skilled winger. Christensen could be an intriguing player to watch next season in the minors.