Snapshots: Wild, Perets, Edvinsson, Rasmussen
The Minnesota Wild have assigned forwards Liam Ohgren and Michael Milne, and defender Daemon Hunt, to the AHL as they anticipate the return of Jonas Brodin and Joel Eriksson Ek. Michael Russo of The Athletic points out that, even with the two veterans returning, the team will likely call another forward up in the coming days.
Ohgren made his return to the lineup, and Milne his NHL debut, in Saturday’s loss to the Dallas Stars. Neither had much to show for their minutes, with Ohgren recording two shots in 12:10 and Milne recording three hits in 6:34. Another scoreless night pulled Ohgren through his eighth game this season with no points. Hunt hasn’t stepped into the lineup since being recalled on November 12th, though he did play one NHL game in October. All three have been far more productive with the AHL’s Iowa Wild – where Ohgren has four goals in four games; Hunt has two assists in six games; and Milne has eight points in 10 games. Ohgren and Milne will be the top options to be quickly recalled, though Minnesota could also turn towards veteran pros like Ben Jones, Travis Boyd, or Devin Shore.
Other notes from around the league:
- The Carolina Hurricanes have sent goaltender Yaniv Perets back to the minor leagues with Pyotr Kochetkov set to return from injury per NHL.com’s Walt Ruff. Kochetkov missed Carolina’s Saturday win over Ottawa with an undisclosed injury. Head coach Rod Brind’Amour describing Kochetkov as “banged up” to postgame media including NHL.com’s Matt Komma was the closest indication of Kochetkov’s hold up. Whatever the issue was, the young netminder is set to reassume his familiar role as de facto starter with Frederik Andersen out long-term. Kochetkov has eight wins and a .897 save percentage through 10 games this season. Meanwhile, Perets has only served as backup in his NHL call-ups this season. He’s posted a .825 save percentage in three AHL games this year, and will return to a crowded Chicago Wolves goaltender room beside Spencer Martin and Ruslan Khazheyev.
- Forward Michael Rasmussen (upper-body) and defenseman Simon Edvinsson (lower-body) are both expected to return to the lineup on Monday per the Detroit Free Press’ Helene St. James. Both players sat out of the team’s Saturday night loss to the Los Angeles Kings. Rasmussen has found a role in Detroit’s bottom-six, recording four points through 16 games this season. Edvinsson has proven far more impactful, usually serving as the go-to partner for star Wings defender Moritz Seider. Edvinsson has six points in 16 games this season, putting him on pace for 30 points in his rookie year.
Avalanche Place Alexandar Georgiev On IR, Recall Two
The Colorado Avalanche have placed starting goaltender Alexandar Georgiev (upper-body) on injured reserve, retroactive to November 13th. Georgiev sat out of the team’s Friday loss to Washington. This move rules Georgiev out of the team’s Monday match against Philadelphia, though head coach Jared Bednar told Colleen Flynn of Colorado Hockey Now that the netminder will join the team on their upcoming four-game road trip. He’ll be eligible to return as soon as Thursday.
This move downgrades Georgiev to an extended absence after he received a day-to-day designation on Saturday. He’s started 10 games this season, setting a bleak 4-5-0 record, .863 save percentage, and 3.56 goals-against-average. It’s a continuation of the skid that he hit last season and the prolonged struggles are starting to cost Georgiev ice time. Backup Justus Annunen has played in nine games this year, posting an improved .881 save percentage and 5-3-0 record.
In a corresponding move, Colorado has also recalled forward T.J. Tynan and goaltender Kevin Mandolese. Mandolese will become the fifth goaltender to take to the Avalanche bench this season, earning the chance after posting a 4-2-0 record and .905 save percentage in six AHL games this season – one more win, but the same save percentage, as goalie partner Trent Miner in the same number of games. Mandolese has built a hardy career in the minors, posting 32 wins and a .897 save percentage across 72 games, and five seasons, in the AHL. He’s proven even stronger in 15 ECHL games, and even boasts a .916 save percentage through three career appearances in the NHL. With Georgiev’s return likely just around the corner, Mandolese should be confined to a backup role on this recall.
Meanwhile, Tynan will return to offering offensive depth behind Parker Kelly and Joel Kiviranta. Tynan was assigned to the AHL ahead of this weekend, and recorded three assists in the Colorado Eagles’ Saturday win over Ontario. That scoring brought him to seven points – all assists – in eight AHL games this season. He’s also recorded one assist in seven NHL games. Tynan is still searching for his first NHL goal – with just two assists through 28 career games in the NHL. He’s likely headed for the press box on this recall, unless Bednar chooses to rotate out fourth-line pieces.
Morning Notes: Peeke, Pionk, Goncalves, Kastelic, Tufte
The Boston Bruins will soon receive some relief on the blue-line, with defenseman Andrew Peeke returning to the team’s practices per Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald. Peeke hasn’t played since leaving Boston’s November 5th match against Toronto following a hit from Max Pacioretty that seemed to bounce Peeke’s shoulder awkwardly off the boards. He was ruled out week-to-week with an upper-body injury soon after, though participating in practice marks a big step in his path back to the lineup. Peeke isn’t expected to play in Boston’s Monday game against Columbus but could suit up when the team hosts Utah on Thursday.
Peeke was joined on the shelf by Hampus Lindholm, who’s week-to-week with a lower-body injury. The pair of absences quickly drained Boston’s top-four of its impactful, defensive stalwarts. Peeke rotated through the lineup when healthy, serving anywhere from 13 minutes in a sheltered role to 20 minutes on the top pair. He’s recorded two assists, 18 hits, and 21 blocked shots in 13 games. While not a thrilling stat line, Boston has felt every bit of Peeke’s absence – averaging the fifth-highest goals-against per-game (3.60 in five games) since he left the lineup. Upcoming matchups against Columbus, Utah, and Detroit should give Boston a chance to ease Peeke back into the lineup.
Other notes from around the NHL:
- Winnipeg Jets defenseman Neal Pionk has been fined $5K, the maximum allowed under the collective bargaining agreement, for “clipping” Florida Panthers forward Jesper Boqvist on Saturday. Pionk went in for a hip-check but caught more of Boqvist’s knee than anything else. No penalty was issued for the hit. Boqvist nursed his left-knee for a while, but didn’t need helped off the ice. Pionk played 20 minutes in the 5-0 loss, going without any major stat changes – but still boasting 17 points in 18 games this season. He’ll continue to be a main fixture of the Jets lineup – and likely continue delivering heavy hip-checks – after avoiding suspension here.
- The Tampa Bay Lightning have once again assigned forward Gage Goncalves to the minor leagues, after he stepped into a third-line role in the team’s Saturday night win over New Jersey. Goncalves played a career-high 15:32 worth of ice time in the outing, though he only put up two hits and one shot. Goncalves has yet to record his first NHL point, despite four appearances this year and two last year. He’ll return to the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch, where he’s already posted six assists in five games – the only Crunch still scoring above a point-per-game pace.
- The Boston Bruins received a couple more updates at Sunday’s practice, with forwards Mark Kastelic designated as day-to-day with a lower-body injury and Riley Tufte expected to be sent to the minor leagues per Steve Conroy. Tufte played in 7:46 of Boston’s Saturday overtime-loss to St. Louis, with a -2 his only stat change. Tufte has yet to record a point in three games this year, though he’s managed three points in 21 career NHL games while serving as a go-to call-up since 2021. Kastelic has been much more productive – posting seven points in 19 games this season – while still serving a fourth-line role.
Metropolitan Notes: Chytil, Andersen, Jarvis, Erne, Letang
Rangers center Filip Chytil will not accompany the team on its upcoming four-game road trip, relays Vince Z. Mercogliano of the Rockland/Westchester Journal News. The 25-year-old suffered an upper-body injury on Thursday versus San Jose with the team declining to provide further specifics. Chytil, who has missed considerable time with concussions in the past (including the final 72 games of last season), is off to a good start this year for New York, notching four goals and five assists in 15 appearances despite an ATOI of just 13:40, his lowest since his rookie season. It’s possible that Chytil could be cleared to join the Rangers partway through the trip if the injury winds up being a minor one.
More from the Metro:
- Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen’s injury is not related to the blood clots that kept him out for a significant chunk of last season, notes Cory Lavalette of the North State Journal (Twitter link). After initially being listed as out week-to-week, he’s now out for considerably longer than that. Lavalette adds that the team is weighing the possibility of Andersen having surgery although no decision has been made on that front yet.
- Still with the Hurricanes, the team announced that winger Seth Jarvis has been placed on injured reserve retroactive to November 10th. He has missed the last two games with an upper-body injury and the team hopes he can return to practice next week. Because of the retroactive placement, he’s eligible to be reactivated as soon as Sunday. The move creates a roster spot for recently-recalled goaltender Yaniv Perets with the team also quietly recalling Ty Smith late Thursday.
- The Rangers’ farm team in Hartford has released winger Adam Erne from his PTO, per the AHL’s transactions log. The veteran was previously listed as out week-to-week with a lower-body injury. Erne had just one assist in ten games with the Wolf Pack prior to getting hurt. A veteran of 379 career NHL games over parts of eight seasons (including 24 last year in Edmonton), Erne will now try to catch on elsewhere, presumably when he has recovered from the injury.
- Before tonight’s game between the San Jose Sharks and Pittsburgh Penguins, the latter announced Kris Letang would miss his second straight game due to illness. When healthy this year, Letang has gotten off to one of the worst scoring paces of his career since his early days in Pittsburgh with two goals and six points in 18 games.
Kings Activate Alex Turcotte, Assign Andre Lee To AHL
The Kings have made a pair of roster moves in advance of their game today against Detroit. The team announced that they’ve activated forward Alex Turcotte off injured reserve. To make room for him on the roster, winger Andre Lee was assigned to AHL Ontario.
Turcotte was placed on IR a week ago today after sustaining an upper-body injury early in the month. The 23-year-old is in his first full NHL season and has held his own in a limited role. Turcotte has played in 13 games so far this season, picking up a goal and four assists while averaging just under 12 minutes a night in their bottom six. For his career, he’s up to 45 appearances at the top level, tallying two goals and seven helpers.
As for Lee, he was an early-season recall and had been up with Los Angeles since then, spanning more than five weeks in total. Along the way, he played a regular role in the lineup, collecting two assists and 32 hits in 15 games in 9:26 of playing time per game. Those games were the 24-year-old’s first taste of NHL action. Lee had eight goals and five assists in 38 games with the Reign last season, resulting in a one-year, two-way contract worth the league minimum of $775K with the Kings and $100K in the minors.
Notably, Lee’s assignment means that Samuel Helenius will remain with Los Angeles for now, at least. He was brought up when Turcotte landed on injured reserve and it would have made sense for him to be the one who lost his spot with Turcotte returning. Helenius has an assist, nine hits, and a 60% faceoff success rate in his first three games, earning himself a longer look in the process.
Kraken Recall Ben Meyers
With Jordan Eberle out for the weekend, the Kraken needed some extra forward depth up front. That will be forward Ben Meyers, as the Kraken announced (Twitter link) that he has been recalled from AHL Coachella Valley.
Meyers is in his first season with Seattle after signing a one-year, one-way contract worth $775K on the opening day of free agency this past summer. The 26-year-old had a strong preseason showing, leading the Kraken in scoring with two goals and three assists in four games but it wasn’t good enough for him to break camp with the big club. After clearing waivers, Meyers has played exclusively with the Firebirds so far and is off to a good start to his season, collecting two goals and six assists in 11 games.
Meyers is a veteran of 67 career NHL appearances between Colorado and Anaheim and has seen action at the top level in each of the last three seasons. All told, he has six goals and two assists to his name while logging just shy of ten minutes per game.
While the Kraken got Meyers as an unrestricted free agent, they can actually gain his RFA rights if he plays in 13 games or more with them as that would take him off the Group Six UFA list back to Group Two RFA status. Seattle had two open roster spots before calling Meyers up so no corresponding moves needed to be made to add him to the active roster.
Prospect Notes: Halttunen, Port, Pridham
Despite a solid start in the AHL, the Sharks have decided that prospect Kasper Halttunen is best served playing in junior. The team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve loaned the winger to OHL London. The 19-year-old was the 36th overall selection back in June following a strong first junior season with the Knights, one that saw him record 61 points in 57 regular season games plus 26 more in 18 playoff contests. Halttunen played in six games in the minors with the Barracuda, collecting two goals and two assists and will now go back to a top junior program.
Other prospect news around the NHL:
- Ducks prospect Vojtech Port is on the move as WHL Lethbridge has acquired him from Moose Jaw, per a team release. The 19-year-old blueliner was drafted by Anaheim in the sixth round in 2023. Port had 15 points in 42 games last season between Edmonton and Moose Jaw but is off to a quiet start this season with just three assists in 19 games so far. The Ducks only hold his rights until June 1st, 2025, so Port will need to be an impactful piece for his new team if he wants to earn an entry-level contract in the coming months.
- Blackhawks prospect Jack Pridham is changing teams and leagues as OHL Kitchener announced that they’ve signed the forward for the remainder of the season. Chicago drafted the 18-year-old in the third round (92nd overall) back in June and he started the season with BCHL West Kelowna (collecting 10 points in 12 games) while waiting to go to Boston University next year. However, now that CHL players can play in the NCAA starting next season, Pridham will play the rest of the year with Kitchener and then likely make the jump to college hockey as planned for 2025-26.
Wild Recall Liam Ohgren On Emergency Basis
With winger Mats Zuccarello landing on injured reserve for the next few weeks and center Joel Eriksson Ek’s availability for tomorrow in question after exiting Thursday’s victory over Montreal, the Wild needed an extra forward. They’ve now made that move, announcing the recall of Liam Ohgren from AHL Iowa on an emergency basis.
The 20-year-old broke camp with Minnesota and has played in seven games with them so far this season. However, he was held off the scoresheet and his playing time dwindled quickly; he failed to reach eight minutes of playing time over his last three games. As a result, they elected to send him down to the minors at the end of October in the hopes of getting him more minutes.
Ohgren got into four games with Iowa while on assignment, scoring four goals, three of which came in his last game back on Saturday against Rockford. If he does get into Minnesota’s lineup, it’ll likely be a short-lived recall as they undoubtedly would prefer him playing in a top role in the minors over spot duty with the Wild so once Eriksson Ek is able to play, Ohgren will probably be sent back down soon after.
Hurricanes Recall Yaniv Perets
With Frederik Andersen now out long-term, Carolina’s net belongs to Pyotr Kochetkov for the foreseeable future with Spencer Martin as his backup. However, Kochetkov is day-to-day himself which meant the Hurricanes needed to call up another netminder. That move was made with the team announcing that Yaniv Perets has been recalled from AHL Chicago.
The 24-year-old signed with Carolina as an undrafted free agent in 2023 following a stellar college career at Quinnipiac, capped off by a 34-4-3 record with a 1.49 GAA, a .931 SV%, and 10 shutouts in 41 games that season.
Last year, with the Hurricanes not having their own AHL affiliate, Perets primarily played with ECHL Norfolk where he put up a 2.99 GAA with a .889 SV% in 34 games while also making one relief appearance with Carolina, making one save in nearly 13 minutes of work. This season, Perets has played in three games with the Wolves, putting up a 3.67 GAA with a .825 SV%.
The recall was made after 4:00 PM CT which means it won’t count against the salary cap until Saturday. Even with his addition to the roster, the Hurricanes still have an open spot and can easily create another by moving Andersen to injured reserve.
Golden Knights Assign Akira Schmid And Grigori Denisenko To AHL
The Golden Knights have made a pair of roster moves heading into tonight’s matchup against Utah. The team announced (Twitter link) that goaltender Akira Schmid and winger Grigori Denisenko have been assigned to AHL Henderson.
Schmid was recalled two weeks ago to take the place of Ilya Samsonov, who was dealing with an undisclosed injury. Samsonov returned to practice on Sunday and evidently has been cleared to return but won’t get the start.
Schmid got into one game while on recall, playing 33 minutes earlier this week in relief duty against Carolina, stopping all 12 shots he faced. The 24-year-old has a career 2.85 GAA and a .900 SV% in 44 career NHL appearances and has a 3.56 GAA with a .885 SV% in six appearances with the Silver Knights so far this season.
As for Denisenko, his time with the big club was short-lived as he was only brought up on Wednesday. However, he did suit up that night against Anaheim, receiving a little more than eight minutes of ice time in his first NHL game of the season. The 24-year-old has been productive in Henderson this season, picking up a goal and six assists in ten appearances with them.
With the assignments, Vegas now has two vacancies on its active roster.