Minor College Signings: Zimmer, Lodermeier, Giuttari
While some college players will step right out of the NCAA and into professional organizations under NHL contracts, many others will have to go another route. Those who aren’t able to secure an NHL deal right away can jump into the minor leagues under amateur tryout (ATO) contracts, trying to prove they can produce at the higher level. There have been several of those today:
- Max Zimmer from the University of Wisconsin has signed an ATO with the Charlotte Checkers, now that his NCAA career is over. In four years with the Badgers, Zimmer totaled 45 points in 115 games. A 2016 fourth-round pick of the Carolina Hurricanes, his draft rights will expire in August.
- Derek Lodermeier has inked his ATO with the Manitoba Moose, following four years at the University of Vermont. The 25-year old forward had just 11 points in his senior season but has served as captain since 2018.
- Zach Giuttari from Brown University has signed an ATO with the Hartford Wolf Pack, giving him a chance to play in the AHL after four years in the NCAA. The undrafted defenseman served as captain for the team this season, scoring 15 points in 31 games.
- Sometimes it isn’t even the AHL, as Matt Alvaro and Nick Hutchison have found out. The two collegiate forwards have signed with the Orlando Solar Bears and Adirondack Thunder of the ECHL respectively. Alvaro is coming off four years at the University of Vermont, while Hutchison recently completed his senior season at Canisius College.
Jerad Rosburg Signs With Dallas Stars
The Dallas Stars have dipped into the college free agent market, signing Jerad Rosburg to a one-year entry-level contract. The deal will kick in next season and Rosburg will join the Texas Stars of the AHL on an amateur tryout.
A four-year constant at Michigan State University, the 23-year old defenseman played 141 games for the Spartans and scored 55 points. A former USHL player, he failed to get picked by anyone in the NHL draft. That professional interest has obviously changed, with the Stars signing him just two days after his senior season ended.
The 6’1″ left-handed shot joins an organization that already has plenty of depth on defense, but at least some of it will be departing at the end of the year. Both Gavin Bayreuther and Dillon Heatherington are scheduled for Group VI unrestricted free agency, while Roman Polak and Andrej Sekera are both on expiring deals in the NHL. There is obviously no clear path for Rosburg to the NHL right away, but he’ll certainly provide some more experience to what could be a very young minor league blue line next season.
Minor Transactions: 3/8/20
With 20 teams in action Saturday, there was plenty of playoff implications, which included a big win for the Tampa Bay Lightning over the Boston Bruins in a rough, physical matchup. However, many other teams furthered their quest to get into the playoffs or pick up a higher seed with Carolina, Washington, Nashville, Florida, Philadelphia and Edmonton all picking up key wins. Several teams have made roster moves as teams juggle their lineups. We’ll keep track of all minor moves right here:
- Late last night, the Anaheim Ducks announced they have assigned defenseman Brendan Guhle to the San Diego Gulls of the AHL. Guhle didn’t see much time in the second half of Friday’s game against Toronto, playing just 14:43. The 22-year-old has four goals and eight points in 30 games for the Ducks this year. The Ducks have also recalled goalie Anthony Stolarz from San Diego, reports Elliott Teaford of the Orange County Register. John Gibson is unavailable after suffering a groin injury against Toronto on Friday.
- The New York Islanders sent defenseman Thomas Hickey to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers of the AHL, according to the AHL transaction page. The Islanders brought up Hickey on an emergency loan Saturday due to the injury to Johnny Boychuk, but have opted to return Hickey after just one game.
- The Buffalo Sabres announced they have assigned defenseman John Gilmour to the Rochester Americans of the AHL. Gilmour was recalled Saturday as a seventh defenseman after the team learned that Lawrence Pilut would not be able to play Saturday night.
- The Columbus Blue Jackets have assigned goaltender Matiss Kivlenieks to the Cleveland Monsters of the AHL, according to Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch. Kivlenieks has served as the backup to Joonas Korpisalo recently with Elvis Merzlikins injured. However, Merzlikins served as the backup Saturday, which allows the Blue Jackets to give Kivlenieks more playing time in Cleveland.
- CapFriendly reports that after recalling Janne Kuokkanen from Binghamton Saturday, the New Jersey Devils have already assigned the forward back to his AHL affiliate. The team did not use him in their game on Saturday against the New York Rangers.
- The Ottawa Senators announced they have assigned goaltender Filip Gustavsson to the Belleville Senators of the AHL. With Anders Nilsson and Marcus Hogberg both out, the Senators recalled Gustavsson last Monday, but he never got into a game. However, Hogberg is back at practice, meaning he will take over backup duties for Craig Anderson.
West Notes: Kaprizov, Nalimov, Ferraro, Dugan
In his most recent mailbag series, The Athletic’s Micheal Russo (subscription required) writes even though prized prospect Kirill Kaprizov could finish his KHL season early, don’t expect him to be in a Minnesota Wild uniform before the season ends. The scribe writes that Kaprizov’s contract with CSKA Moscow doesn’t expire until Apr. 30, which means the soonest that Minnesota could sign the 22-year-old will be on May 1 to a two-year deal. While nothing is set in stone, it is believed that Kaprizov, who will be a free agent, will sign with the Wild this summer.
Minnesota also expects Kaprizov to play for Russia at the World Championships this summer (assuming it isn’t cancelled due to the coronavirus), before reporting the Minnesota this summer, according to Russo, who spoke to general manager Bill Guerin. It’s expected that he will attend development camp between June 28 to July 3 and would be expected to play in one of the rookie games in September.
Kaprizov is wrapping up his best season yet in the KHL as he has tallied 33 goals and 62 points in 57 games and should be one of the top rookies in the NHL next season.
- The Athletic’s Scott Powers (subscription required) writes that Chicago Blackhawks goaltending prospect Ivan Nalimov is expected to sign a professional tryout agreement with their AHL affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs in the next few days. After playing with Sochi this season in the KHL, Nalimov has become a free-agent and is allowed to negotiate with the Blackhawks. Nalimov’s play over the years has been inconsistent, so the idea of signing him to an AHL PTO is a low-risk maneuver and will allow the team a chance to evaluate him up close before deciding whether to sign him to a NHL contract. The 25-year-old finished his season with Sochi with a 7-14-1 record in 24 appearances with a 2.50 GAA and a .911 save percentage. The Blackhawks have a number of decisions to make in net throughout the organization with just Collin Delia and Matt Tompkins signed. The team will have to make decisions on Corey Crawford, Malcolm Subban, Kevin Lankinen and now Nalimov this summer.
- The San Jose Sharks will be without defenseman Mario Ferraro all weekend. The rookie defenseman has been trying to play through a lower-body injury for a week and a half, but finally requires a break as he will sit out Saturday’s game against Ottawa and against Colorado on Sunday, according to The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz. Head coach Bob Boughner hopes Ferraro will be available by Wednesday, the start of the team’s four-game road trip. Ferraro, the college defensive partner of Colorado’s Cale Makar, has two goals and 11 points in 61 games in his first season with the Sharks.
- David Schoen of the Las Vegas Review-Journal notes that the Vegas Golden Knights might get a depth addition as soon as next weekend (assuming they don’t get into the NCAA tournament) as Jack Dugan, who currently leads college hockey with 52 points, could sign with Vegas. Dugan, the Golden Knights’ fifth-round pick in 2017, has dominated in college and could add provide some depth, especially after the team learned that Cody Glass will miss the rest of the season.
Atlantic Notes: Kotkaniemi, Zadina, Sabres
Jesperi Kotkaniemi hasn’t had the sophomore campaign that he had hoped for. After an impressive rookie season in which the Montreal Candaien scored 11 goals and 34 points, the 19-year-old was hoping to improve on those numbers. Instead it’s been one disappointment after another, which includes a slow start, demotion to the AHL and now a spleen injury.
The Laval Rocket, the Canadiens’ AHL affiliate, announced (translation required) that Kotkaniemi suffered a spleen injury and spent Friday night in the hospital. He has been released, but there is no word on how long the young center will be out.
Kotkaniemi started the 2019-20 season with just six goals and eight points in 36 games, prompting the team to send him to Laval in hopes of getting increased playing time there as well as to find his confidence. So far through 13 games, Kotkaniemi has one goals and 13 points.
- While the playoffs are out of reach for the Detroit Red Wings, the team’s main focus will be on developing their youth. That’s expected to include forward Filip Zadina, who has been out since Feb. 1 with a fractured ankle. MLive’s Ansar Khan reports that Zadina returned to practice Saturday and should be ready to return soon. “I just want to get stronger and get better and get back in the lineup,” Zadina said. “I just need to be a little more patient and get healthy 100 percent, get myself in shape and feel ready to go. Right now, I just want to (spend) most of the time on the ice and in the gym to get stronger.” Head coach Jeff Blashill said it won’t be Sunday, however.
- The Athletic’s John Vogl (subscription required) looks into the future possibilities this summer when the Buffalo Sabres hit free agency. The scribe breaks down the team’s potential salary cap situation, cautiously estimating that Buffalo should have $21.5MM in available cap room. The team is in need of a second-line center, two right wingers and a left wing. With the right wing market likely to be the strongest at free agency, the team could focus on a player like Mike Hoffman or Tyler Toffoli to fill a need, but the team is unlikely to find help at the other two positions without making trades.
St. Louis Blues Announce New AHL Affiliation
When the Vegas Golden Knights decided to purchase the San Antonio Rampage and relocate them, the St. Louis Blues were left without an AHL affiliation. No longer, as the team has signed a five-year agreement with the Springfield Thunderbirds beginning with the 2020-21 season. That will leave the Florida Panthers looking for a new affiliation. AHL reporter Mark Divver tweets that the rumor is that the Panthers will move their AHL affiliate to Charlotte, while Carolina will make a partnership with the Chicago Wolves.
The Rampage will be turning into the Henderson Silver Knights for next season, throwing the Blues’ plans into chaos once again. The team previously spent a season without an AHL affiliate when the Golden Knights came into the league, but will at least not have to go through that situation again.
GM Doug Armstrong released a statement on the new partnership:
We are excited to announce our deal with Springfield and close our search for a new affiliate. Springfield is a strong franchise in a city with a rich hockey history. Our partnership will allow us to continue to develop our players and further strengthen our franchise as a whole.
The Thunderbirds are 30-26-2 this season and sit in fifth place in the Atlantic Division.
Minor Transactions: 03/06/20
The hockey world is in mourning today after Henri Richard‘s death, but the league unfortunately must march on even while grieving. As always, we’ll keep track of the minor moves right here.
- The Ottawa Senators have recalled Christian Wolanin from the minor leagues, sending Christian Jaros back to take his place. The swap gives them a different option for their trip to the west coast, which starts tomorrow with a game against the San Jose Sharks.
- The New Jersey Devils have sent both Jesper Boqvist and Josh Jacobs back to the AHL. Boqvist, 21, has played 35 games this season but has just four goals and zero assists. He’ll need to find his game again in the minors if he ever wants to be an impact player for the Devils.
- Jonas Johansson has been assigned to the Rochester Americans once again, leaving the Buffalo Sabres after two weeks. The big goaltender now has six games under his belt at the NHL level, with many more likely coming in the future.
- The Anaheim Ducks have returned goaltender Anthony Stolarz to AHL San Diego. He was recalled earlier this week to serve as the backup while Ryan Miller dealt with the flu but now that he has returned, Stolarz can return to his role as the starter for the Gulls. Anaheim has also returned defenseman Simon Benoit to San Diego, per the AHL’s Transactions Page. He was recalled for the second time this season on Wednesday but has yet to see NHL action.
- With Cody Ceci being activated off IR, the Maple Leafs have loaned defenseman Timothy Liljegren to the AHL’s Marlies. The 20-year-old got into 11 NHL games with Toronto, recording an assist while logging just over 10 minutes a night in ice time.
Minor Transactions: 03/05/20
Ten more games are on the schedule for this evening, with another pair of prime Metropolitan match-ups. The Washington Capitals and Philadelphia Flyers are both in action again after their battle last night, against the New York Rangers and Carolina Hurricanes respectively. Carolina and New York are still within striking distance of a playoff spot, but will need to win games like these down the stretch. As the Metro and the rest of the league prepare, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves.
- The Colorado Avalanche have recalled Sheldon Dries and Kevin Connauton, sending Martin Kaut back to the minor leagues in the meantime. Dries and Connauton have combined for just four games in the NHL this season, but have both been important contributors for the Colorado Eagles of the AHL.
- As expected, Thomas Hickey has been recalled under emergency conditions by the New York Islanders as they deal with Johnny Boychuk‘s eye injury. Hickey, a veteran of more than 400 NHL games, hasn’t played for the Islanders yet this season, instead dressing with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers.
- Jalen Chatfield has been reassigned to the AHL by the Vancouver Canucks. Fellow rookie defenseman Guillaume Brisebois was also sent down briefly, but only to be recalled under emergency conditions. Neither player has actually suited up for Vancouver this season.
Prospect Notes: Draft Rankings, AHL Affiliates, Angello
As more and more teams fall out of the playoff race, focus will be turned to the upcoming draft where another class of talented youngsters will be snapped up by professional organizations. Alexis Lafreniere once again leads the pack in Sam Cosentino’s new ranking for Sportsnet, to absolutely no one’s surprise. It’s the rest of the list that may raise some eyebrows.
One name that could do just that is Justin Barron, the Halifax Mooseheads defenseman who just recently returned to action. Barron was on track to be a lot closer to the top of the first round coming into this season, but after doctors found a blood clot in late-November he spent nearly three months on the sideline. In four contests since returning Barron has looked notably rusty, recording just two points and a -8 rating. Unfortunately he has just eight games left to show what he can do as the Mooseheads aren’t going to be in the QMJHL playoffs.
- Prospects in the Florida Panthers organization may have a different place to play next season, as Andy Strickland of Fox Sports Midwest tweets that there are whispers of the team moving their AHL affiliate to Chicago next season. The Chicago Wolves, who are currently operating as the affiliate of the Vegas Golden Knights, will be looking for a new partner after the pending relocation of the San Antonio Rampage to Las Vegas. Any change for Florida would leave the Springfield Thunderbirds available.
- 23-year old forward Anthony Angello had been filling in for the Pittsburgh Penguins of late, his first opportunity in the NHL. That will come to an end for now however, as Angello suffered an upper-body injury in last night’s game and is ruled out on a “week-to-week” basis. The 6’5″ forward has a single goal in eight NHL games this season.
Canucks Notes: Tanev, Eriksson, Goldobin, Podkolzin
The Vancouver Canucks have finally made that long-awaited return to NHL relevance and look like a team that not only could make the playoffs but possibly make a splash as well. With the spotlight on his squad, Rick Dhaliwal of TSN and The Athletic provided an update on a number of major questions facing the team beyond this season, as they look to keep trending upward. The biggest focus will be how the cap-strapped club handles free agency this summer. The Canucks have $63.5MM tied up in just 15 players for the 2020-21 season and face the tall task of trying to fill out the roster with eight players with around $20MM to work with. The team would like to bring back each of their three primary UFA’s – Jacob Markstrom, Tyler Toffoli, and Chris Tanev – but could find it hard to do so. Dhaliwal reports that Markstrom, who has been invaluable to the Canucks again this season, is the most likely name to return. Toffoli, who has excelled since coming over from the Los Angeles Kings, seems like a top priority for the team as well. That could leave Tanev as the odd man out, even though Dhaliwal states that the team would need to immediately find a replacement. Tanev, a career Canuck, has been effective when healthy during his time in Vancouver, but a thin defense market and the team’s own constraints could make it difficult to keep the two sides together. On the other hand, it may make more sense for the team to move other pieces in order to keep Tanev rather than moving on and hoping they can find an adequate replacement. Even if that means trading RFA defenseman Troy Stecher, the overall Vancouver blue line could benefit from retaining Tanev beyond this season.
- Another potential cost-cutting measure could be the end of veteran Loui Eriksson’s playing days with the team. Although Eriksson still has two years left on his contract at a $6MM, Dhaliwal believes that the Canucks may have reached their limit with Eriksson’s disappointing time with the team. Eriksson has never topped 30 points in three seasons with Vancouver and is on pace for a career-low 16 points after being scratched for many of the Canucks’ early games this season. Eriksson has never found his place with the club and Dhaliwal believes he will be on the move this off-season. He notes that Eriksson will receive a $3MM bonus on July 1st, after which his contract carries only $5MM in actual salary over the final two years. The cap implications are far heavier than the actual dollars and a team with more space than the Canucks could be willing to take Eriksson on, perhaps in exchange for another bad contract or alongside a draft pick. If not, Vancouver could also try to persuade Eriksson to walk away from his contract via mutual termination, which Dhaliwal suggests, or they could simply buy him out. Either way, moving on from Eriksson will open up some more cap space to help the Canucks continue to ice a playoff-caliber roster.
- Nikolay Goldobin is another player who could be on the move this summer. Dhaliwal reports that Goldobin was nearly moved to the Ottawa Senators at the trade deadline and two or three other teams also showed interest. Goldobin has played in the AHL for all but one game this season, but has at least made the most of this relegation with a very productive season. Dhaliwal believes that he will back at the NHL level next season, but will that be in Vancouver? Goldobin is owed a $945K qualifying offer this season for the Canucks to retain his rights, which they are likely to do, but they could still trade his rights away rather than retain him.
- Don’t expect 2019 first-rounder Vasili Podkolzin to be in the NHL or anywhere in North America next season. Dhaliwal does not believe that there is any chance that Podkolzin can get out of the final year of his KHL contract with SKA St. Petersburg, meaning the earliest he could be available to the Canucks is in 2021-22. The wait will be worth it though. After a slow start to the season, Podkolzin’s play picked up in the second half and he has been playing a complete game for months now. Dhaliwal says “the sky is the limit” for Podkolzin’s NHL career, regardless of when it begins.