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Blues Recall Hugh McGing

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The St. Louis Blues have recalled center Hugh McGing with their open roster spot. He will join the Blues with three games ahead of them this week. McGing has six points, 25 penalty minutes, and a minus-seven in 18 games with the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds this season.

McGing has been near the top of St. Louis’ call-up sheet since 2022. He has appearead in six NHL games in that span, with no scoring, no penalties, and a minus-five. He brings a hard-working energy to the bottom of the lineup. Despite his 5-foot-8 frame, McGing isn’t afraid to get involved with puck battles in the corners or in front of the net. That grit has earned him a key role as Springfield’s third-line center. He has also appeared on the team’s penalty-kill.

The Blues will be looking for any help they can to keep their recent hot streak going. They have won their last two games by a combined score of 6-4 – after losing eight of their previous 11 games. The Blues face two of the top 15 offenses in the league through their next five games in Boston (ranked seventh in goals-for) and Chicago (ranked 14th). They’ll get a bit of respite with two matches against the Nashville Predators, who are one of only five teams with fewer goals than the Blues this season.

McGing will offer an alternative for Matt Luff, who made his Blues debut on Suunday. Luff recorded one hit, two shot blocks, and a minus-one in eight minutes of ice time.

Avalance Reassign Trent Miner, Scott Wedgewood Expected To Return

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The Colorado Avalanche reassigned goaltender Trent Miner after Sunday’s win over New York. The move clears way for Scott Wedgewood to return from injury in Tuesday’s game against the Nashville Predators per Corey Masisak of the Denver Post.
Wedgewood missed Colorado’s last three games with a back injury. He sustained the injury in the second period of Colorado’s December 2nd win over the Vancouver Canucks.
The Avalanche have leaned heavily on Wedgewood this season. He has appeared in 19 games to starter Mackenzie Blackwood’s – who missed the start of the season with injury – 10 games. Both goalies have a .920 save percentage, tying them for third-highest in the league among goalies with double-digit appearances.
Blackwood has been stellar as of late. He has five wins, two shutouts, and a .944 save percentage in his last six games. That performance – including back-to-back wins this weekend – should be enough to hang onto Colorado’s starting role. That will default Wedgewood to the backup spot, though Colorado will again relish in the chance to have two of the league’s hottest hands in their goaltending room.
Meanwhile, Miner will return to the minors, where he’s already posted four wins and a .908 save percentage in six games. He has also posted a .909 save percentage in two NHL games this season. His return to the AHL will challenge Isak Posch for the starting role. Posch – an AHL rookie – has 10 wins and a .917 save percentage in 14 games this year.

Wild Reassign Hunter Haight

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The Minnesota Wild reassigned forward Hunter Haight to the AHL’s Iowa Wild with center Danila Yurov back to full health. Haight was recalled on December 1st and didn’t see any game time on this call-up. His last action was with Iowa on November 30th. He has scored four goals and five points in 14 AHL games.
Haight has rotated between rosters as Minnesota’s extra forward all season long. That role earned him the first two games of his NHL career, though he wasn’t able to find the score sheet in either. He scored 20 goals and 34 points in 67 games of his rookie AHL season last year. His scoring totals haven’t jumped off the page just yet but Haight has earned Minnesota’s attention with responsible two-way play from the center role.
Yurov returned from injury with a minus-two in Saturday night’s game. The rookie has slowly worked up the lineup over the year, even appearing on the top-line  as the Wild addressed early season injuries. He hasn’t yet capitalized on the growing role, with seven points and a minus-five in 22 games. Yurov is two seasons removed from 49 points in 62 games of the 2023-24 KHL season, though he fell to 25 points in 46 KHL games last year. The 21-year-old will remain a breakout candidate in his return from injury.

Sabres Recall Zach Metsa, Reassign Noah Ostlund

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The Buffalo Sabres have recalled defenseman Zach Metsa from the AHL’s Rochester Americans. Metsa was reassigned last Monday. He played in three games with Rochester last week and recorded two points, one penalty, and a plus-two.

Metsa played in the first four NHL games of his career earlier this season. He hasn’t found a scoresheet yet, other than one penalty, but has recorded a plus-three. Metsa has been a much more electric piece for Rochester. He has 13 points in 14 games with the Americans, good for second on the blue-line in scoring behind Zac Jones’ 20 points in 20 games.

Metsa, 27, is emerging as a potential NHL option after two strong AHL seasons to start his career. He joined Rochester as an undrafted free agent in 2022-23, after five years at Quinnipiac University, where he won one NCAA National Championship. Metsa had a quiet first year – with just 28 points in his first 72 AHL games. That preluded a true breakout last season. He recorded 49 points in 77 games, including playoffs, last season. That led Rochester’s defense in scoring and ranked third on the team overall. He has kept up the hot scoring through this season, helping to cement his spot on top of Buffalo’s call-up sheet over the more experienced Jones.

To make room for Metsa’s recall, Buffalo has also loaned center Noah Ostlund back to the AHL. The second-year pro has been Metsa’s counterpart on offense, bouncing between the NHL and AHL lineup for much of the year. He has seven points in six AHL games and six poinst in 20 NHL games. It’s the first scoring of his NHL career, after he failed to produce in the first eight games of his career last season. Ostlund will look to rediscover his offensive production with a return to the Americans, after only posting one assist in his last nine games with Buffalo.

Flyers Recall Ty Murchison

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The Philadelphia Flyers have rewarded a top prospect with the first call-up of his NHL career. Defenseman Ty Murchison has been recalled to the NHL roster in the wake of an injury to top defender Cameron York. Murchison could make his NHL debut on Sunday, if York isn’t able to play.

Murchison is in his first year of pro hockey, after spending the last four years at Arizona State University. He made his AHL debut at the end of last season, and posted two points and a plus-two in his first four games. He’s stayed positive through his first full season this year with four points and 30 penalty minutes in 21 games. He also leads the Lehigh Valley Phantoms with a plus-nine.

Murchison is a hard-nosed, gritty defender. He has posted lofty penalty totals dating back to his days in AAA. He recorded 96 penalty minutes in 92 games, and two seasons, with the U.S. National Team Development Program from 2019 to 2021. That physical presence earned Murchison a fifth-round selection to Philadelphia in 2021. He’s only grown in the years since and now stands at 6-foot-2, 207-pounds. While he may not rack up the scoring, Murchison offers a responsible, two-way game that could gel well at the bottom of Philadelphia’s lineup. He will compete with Emil Andrae for a depth role if he sticks on the roster. Andrae has six points in 16 NHL games – and five points in seven AHL games – this season.

Rangers Recall Jaroslav Chmelar, Reassign Brennan Othmann

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The New York Rangers have rewarded a rookie for a recent hot-streak in the AHL. Winger Jaroslav Chmelar has been recalled to the NHL after posting five points in his last five games for the Hartford Wolf Pack. That scoring brings him up to 11 points in 19 games on the year – fourth-most on Hartford. New York has reassigned wigner Brennan Othmann to make room for Chmelar’s addition.

New York is riding high entering December, witha 5-1-0 recor dacross their last six games. Othmann has served as the team’s extra forward for their last two games, but hasn’t pushed his way into the lineup since making his season debut in New York’s October 26th loss to the Calgary Flames. He posted no scoring and a minus-one in that match. Othmann has also recorded seven points and 29 penalty minutes in 15 games in the AHL. A return to the minors will give him a chance to play in his first game since November 29th.

Meanwhile, Chmelar will return to the NHL to compete with Sam Carrick and Jonny Brodzinski for a spot on the fourth-line. He played in the first two games of his NHL career earlier this season and posted no scoring and one fight. His lineup competition hasn’t been much more productive – with Carrick sat at six points, and Brodzinski at five points, on the year.

Chmelar is in his third pro season, after spending two years at Providence College. In that short span, he has posted 42 points and a minus-33 in 97 AHL games. He’s on the rise this year, and could cement his spot as New York’s go-to rookie, depth forward with a strong return to the lineup.

Avalanche Reassign Tristen Nielsen

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Saturday: It was a short-lived recall for Nielsen.  Following their game this afternoon (in which he didn’t play), the Avs announced (Twitter link) that he has been sent back to the Eagles.

Friday: The Avalanche have added some extra depth up front in advance of their game against the Rangers on Saturday.  The team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled forward Tristen Nielsen from AHL Colorado.

The 25-year-old started the season on a minor league deal but a strong showing early on with the Eagles resulted in the Avs converting him to a two-year, two-way NHL pact that carries a $775K cap charge.  This is now his third recall since signing that contract in late October.

Nielsen has played in four games with the Avalanche, picking up an assist, three shots on goal, and nine hits in 6:18 of playing time per night on their fourth line.  He has been much more productive with the Eagles, tallying 10 goals and five assists in 18 outings in the minors.

Colorado already had a full 23-player roster following Wednesday’s recall of Trent Miner from the Eagles with Scott Wedgewood injured.  Accordingly, another roster move needed to be made before officially adding Nielsen to the roster but that was not announced by the team.  If Wedgewood is going to miss some time, he could land on injured reserve while Gavin Brindley – though returning soon – is eligible to retroactively be placed on IR.

Canadiens Reassign Adam Engstrom And Florian Xhekaj To AHL

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Following last night’s victory over Winnipeg, the Canadiens announced a pair of roster moves.  The team has assigned defenseman Adam Engstrom and winger Florian Xhekaj to AHL Laval.

Engstrom, a 2022 third-round pick, got off to a hot start in the minors this season, posting five goals and nine assists in 18 games, the last of which was a five-point effort to earn him the promotion.  The 22-year-old got into a pair of games with Montreal in his first NHL stint, blocking a pair of shots while averaging a little over 12 minutes of ice time.

As for Xhekaj, he also was in his initial NHL stint.  He got into five games with the Canadiens, recording an assist in his NHL debut and added nine hits while logging 9:36 of playing time per contest.  The 21-year-old was a fourth-round pick in 2023 and while he had a promising rookie year in 2024-25 with Laval where he had 24 goals in 69 games, he has been limited to just two goals and two assists in 16 games in the minors this season.

With these moves, Montreal is now at the minimum of 20 players on the active roster.  With a back-to-back set coming up this weekend including a road game in Toronto, it stands to reason that they’ll likely be bringing a player or two up from Laval in the near future.

Boston Bruins Reassign Riley Tufte

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The Boston Bruins announced today that forward Riley Tufte has been reassigned to the team’s AHL affiliate, the Providence Bruins.

Tufte, 27, was originally recalled on Nov. 17. He made an instant impact, scoring a late power play marker to break what would have been a shutout victory for the Carolina Hurricanes. That moment proved to be the high point of this recall for Tufte, as he was a healthy scratch for Boston’s game against Anaheim on Nov. 19. Tufte was in-and-out of the lineup for the next two weeks or so, skating in three additional games and serving as a scratch for four total contests.

The 2016 first-round pick earned this most recent recall on the back of a stellar start to his season with AHL Providence. Tufte scored eight goals and 18 points in just 13 games this season, and his record of solid production dates back to last year as well; Tufte scored 21 goals and 42 points in 58 games for the AHL Bruins in 2024-25.

While Tufte hasn’t been able to translate his scoring success at lower levels of the game to the NHL, the fact that he has been able to develop from low-scoring AHL bottom-sixer to a true top-six AHL scoring threat has at least helped him massively improve his odds of receiving NHL call-ups.

Standing 6’6″, 234 pounds, it’s fair to wonder whether Tufte has more value to give as an NHLer than he’s shown so far. Teams are always searching for players who blend overwhelming size with some scoring touch. But as mentioned, Tufte’s AHL scoring ability has yet to translate to NHL ice, and this most recent recall was no different.

Tufte is playing out a one-year, two-way contract that carries a league-minimum $775K NHL salary and a hefty $450K AHL salary, with a $500K total guarantee. Tufte’s progress as an AHL scorer has him on the cusp of earning a role as a full-time NHL bottom-sixer or spare forward, and his hefty AHL guarantee reflects that.

If he can continue his point-per-game AHL scoring pace and earn some more NHL call-ups, he could position himself to earn a one-way contract once again in his upcoming unrestricted free agency. Tufte played 2024-25 on a one-way $775K deal, and could be aiming to restore at least that level of compensation this summer.

Flyers Activate, Reassign Oliver Bonk

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Earlier today it was announced out of AHL Lehigh Valley that Flyers defenseman Oliver Bonk has been activated from injured reserve, and assigned to Lehigh Valley. The top prospect had a real chance to make the Flyers roster out of camp prior to going down in early October with an upper-body injury. It had been thought to be week-to-week, but finally, he is set to return. 

Selected 22nd overall by Philadelphia in the 2023 draft after a tremendous career with the London Knights (OHL) where he finished as a +82, Bonk is finally set to embark on his professional career. He will join a successful Phantoms squad and provide a major boost to their defense corps headed into December, far and away the blueliner with the highest upside on the team. 

As the Flyers have held their own, surpassing expectations and seemingly solving their question marks on the back end for now, they do not have to feel rushed with Bonk. Especially considering the injury, it is best for him to start out with the Phantoms and ease back gradually. The son of longtime NHLer Radek Bonk, Oliver, 6’2″, has a real chance to become a top pair defender. Although playing a different position, he has the same reliable traits as his father did, steady defensively and suited for any situation. 

Outside of Cam York, Philadelphia has not hit on defensemen in their pipeline in the last few years relative to expectations, so Bonk’s performance in the AHL will be watched closely. As he is a righty, there is a very clear path forward in the organization for Bonk, and thankfully he is finally set to get going with the Phantoms.  

 

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