Afternoon Notes: Sheary, Talbot, Celebrini, Hughes
The Tampa Bay Lightning have reassigned Conor Sheary. He was called up on Saturday to serve as the 11th forward in Tampa’s 5-3 loss to Toronto. He managed no scoring, three shots, and one hit in 12:18 of ice time. Sheary’s was on his first call-up since passing through waivers and being assigned to the minors on October 24th.
This season has awarded Sheary his first AHL games since 2015-16. He’s made 11 appearances with the Syracuse Crunch, recording three goals and seven points – good for seventh on the team in scoring. He’s fallen a long way over the last two seasons, recording just 15 points in 57 games with Tampa Bay last season – and not managing any scoring in four NHL games this year. That scoring skid has pulled the rug from under him, defaulting Sheary to a minor-league role just two seasons after he played in all 82 games for the Washington Capitals. He scored 15 goals and 37 points in that season – one year after a 19-goal, 43-point year. That production is more than enough to uphold an NHL roster spot, but it’s yet to translate to Tampa Bay. Sheary will look to continue his hot scoring in Syracuse, and take better advantage of his next shot at the Lightning lineup.
Other notes from around the league:
- Detroit Red Wings goaltender Cam Talbot left the team’s Sunday game early with a lower-body injury, shares Helene St. James of The Detroit Free Press. Talbot was relieved by Ville Husso, marking his first NHL game sine November 9th. Husso went on to save 15 of the 18 shots he faced. Head coach Derek Lalonde didn’t have any updates on Talbot after the game, though he did mention that Talbot pulled himself from the game. St. James went on to mention that Detroit would be down both of their top-two goalies, should Talbot miss extended time, with backup Alex Lyon missing the last three games with an undisclosed injury. The pair of injuries would push Husso back into the starting role that he lost at the beginning of the season, but Detroit would still need to recall a body to fill-in as backup. Top goalie prospect Sebastian Cossa has earned the lion’s share of AHL starts, recording eight wins and a .929 through 13 games this season. He would be a great, high-upside recall – but Detroit could also turn towards veteran Jack Campbell for spot starts. Campbell has yet to make his season debut after starting the year in the NHL Player’s Assistance program
- Star San Jose Sharks rookie Macklin Celebrini has won November’s ‘Rookie of the Month’ after scoring seven goals and 12 points in 14 games. He becomes the first Sharks rookie to win the award since Tomas Hertl in 2013-14. Celebrini has bounced back incredibly well from a string of nagging lower-body injuries holding him out of 11 games earlier in the year. He has eight goals and 14 points in 15 games this season, on pace to score 38 goals and 66 points through 71 games. Achieving that scoring would make Celebrini the highest-scoring rookie in Sharks history, beating out Pat Falloon’s 59 points in 1991-92, and Logan Couture’s 56 points in 2010-11.
- Superstar Vancouver Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes has achieved a more notable milestone out West, setting Vancouver’s record for all-time assist from a defenseman. Hughes clinched the superlative with the lone assist on a Jake DeBrusk’s first goal on Sunday. He’d go on to assist DeBrusk’s next two goals as well, in the latter’s first hat-trick as a Canuck. The scoring brought Hughes up to 313 assists in 388 games, pushing him past the 310 assists that Alexander Edler recorded in 925 games with Vancouver; nearly three-times as long as it took Hughes. At his current rate of 0.81 assists-per-game, Hughes would need 1,025 career games to pass Henrik Sedin’s franchise record of 830 assists.
Wild Recall David Jiricek, Assign Travis Boyd
Top defense prospect David Jiricek has officially joined the Minnesota Wild, receiving an official call-up after a trade from the Columbus Blue Jackets placed him on the AHL Iowa Wild roster. Minnesota made room for Jiricek’s recall by re-assigning fowrard Travis Boyd to the minors. Jiricek will head to the NHL while Daemon Hunt, who went the other way in the trade alongside four draft picks, has been assigned to the AHL by Columbus.
Wild head coach John Hynes told reporters, including Dylan Loucks of The Hockey News, that Jiricek is expected to join the team’s practices on Monday.
The Minnesota defense has been firing on all cylinders this season. Half of the blue-line has recorded 10-or-more points on the season, with Jacob Middleton and Brock Faber each tied for the scoring lead with 12 points in 24 games. The bunch has supported Minnesota to the best goals-against per-game of any team in the NHL. They allow just 2.33 goals-against on average, well ahead of the second-place Winnipeg Jets’ 2.50 average. That standing could make ice time hard to find for Jiricek, who only has one assist in six NHL games this season. Jiricek is an incredibly talented puck-carrier, and earned a commendable 10 points in 43 games as a rookie last season. But Jiricek’s impact off of the puck, and overall agility, have left a lot to be desired – part of why he’s totaled a -10 through 53 career games.
Jiricek won’t support Minnesota’s pursuit of top defensive metrics, but his uspide as an offensive asset is sky-high. He was drafted sixth overall in the 2022 NHL Draft after earning an everyday role in the Czechia Extraliga at 16. He played through 67 games, and scored 20 points, with Plzen HC between 2019 and 2022 – but suffered a long-term, lower-body injury at the 2022 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. The injury would deprive Jiricek of five months of action in his draft year, though he returned with two points in four World Championship games – just enough to convince Columbus that he was still worthy of a top-10 pick.
Jiricek followed the draft with four points in seven games at the rescheduled 2022 World Junior Championships, and joined the Cleveland Monsters one month later. He was productive as a rookie, netting 38 points in his first 55 AHL games – but not managing any scoring through his first four NHL games, waiting until 2023-24 to record his first NHL point. Jiricek has continued to perform well in the minors, with 19 points in 29 AHL games last year and three points in four games this year, but hasn’t yet translated that production to the top flight. Minnesota will represent a change of scenery, so long as he can beat out Zach Bogosian, Jonathon Merrill, or Declan Chisholm for minutes.
Meanwhile, Travis Boyd will return to the minors after two scoreless games for Minnesota. He’s scored two goals and 11 points in 13 games with the Iowa Wild this season, which still stands as second on the team in scoring behind Ben Jones‘ 12 points in 14 games. Boyd is a top, veteran presence for Iowa – and should return to a top role with this assignment.
Blue Jackets Recall Mikael Pyyhtia
11:30 AM: Chinakhov will indeed sit out on Sunday, with NHL.com’s Jeff Svoboda confirming the winger didn’t travel with the team to Chicago. The Blue Jackets will continue their road trip with a four-game trip into Western Canada, potentially hindering Chinkahov’s ability to return soon – though he could join the team partway through their trip.
10:30 AM: The Columbus Blue Jackets have recalled Mikael Pyyhtia. He was sent to the minor leagues on November 20th after making the Blue Jackets roster out of training camp. Pyyhtia’s call-up could suggest that Columbus winger Yegor Chinakhov won’t be healthy for the team’s Sunday game. Chinakhov is day-to-day with an upper-body injury, and sat out of the team’s Friday win over Calgary.
Pyyhtia played in four games during his AHL stint. He scored in three of those outings for five points total – including a three-assist night in an overtime win over Milwaukee. That’s a welcome bout of scoring after Pyyhtia managed just one goal through 17 games to start his NHL season. Pyyhtia was similarly snakebit last season, recording just two assists in 17 games – after earning a midseason call-up from the AHL. The 2024-25 season marks Pyyhtia’s second full year in North America, having made the move to Ohio at the end of the Liiga’s 2022-23 campaign. He played in parts of four seasons with TPS prior to coming over, recording 63 points in 140 games.
Pyyhtia has never been known as a top-scorer, but this call-up gives him a chance to return to the NHL lineup with wind in his sails. Chinakhov was replaced on Friday by the return of top-six forward Cole Sillinger, though Columbus’ bottom-six could use a spark in scoring. Pyyhtia could step in for any of Zach Aston-Reese, James van Riemsdyk, or Kevin Labanc – with the latter the favorite to step out of the lineup recently.
Snapshots: Kucherov, Pageau, Red Wings, Ehlers, Hinds
Prior to their game against Toronto tonight, the Lightning found themselves without their top scorer. Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times relayed (Twitter link) that winger Nikita Kucherov is listed as day-to-day with an undisclosed injury. The 31-year-old led the league in scoring last season, notching 44 goals and 100 assists, both career highs, in 81 games. While Kucherov isn’t producing at quite that level this year, he came into the night tied for fifth in scoring with 12 goals and 22 assists in 34 games, a 127-point pace.
Elsewhere around the NHL:
- The Islanders didn’t have center Jean-Gabriel Pageau in their lineup tonight against Buffalo. Ethan Sears of the New York Post notes (Twitter link) that the veteran is listed as day-to-day with an undisclosed injury. The 32-year-old has five goals and five assists in 23 games so far this season while averaging 17:47 per game, his highest ATOI since the 2019-20 season. A specialist at the faceoff dot, Pageau is winning just over 60% of his draws early on, a mark that would be his best if he can maintain it.
- Red Wings goaltender Alex Lyon won’t accompany the team on their two-game road trip, mentions Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press (Twitter link). He’s dealing with a lower-body injury with no timeline for his return. Lyon has a 2.74 GAA and a .911 SV% in nine appearances so far. Meanwhile, St. James notes that winger Patrick Kane will miss his fourth straight game on Sunday due to an upper-body injury but there is a chance he’ll be available to return on Tuesday in Boston. The veteran is off to a quiet start by his standards, collecting just three goals and seven assists in 20 games.
- Though he left Friday’s game with a lower-body injury, Jets winger Nikolaj Ehlers is listed as questionable for Sunday’s contest in Dallas, per team reporter Mitchell Clinton. The 28-year-old is off to a solid start in the final year of his contract, with nine goals and 16 assists in 24 games. With 25 points, Ehlers sits third on Winnipeg in scoring.
- The Ducks announced that they’ve re-assigned defenseman Tyson Hinds back to AHL San Diego. The 21-year-old was brought up twice by Anaheim over the last couple of weeks but didn’t see any game action. Hinds, a third-round pick in 2021, has two goals in 13 games so far this season for the Gulls.
Kraken Recall Mitchell Stephens, Activate Vince Dunn Off LTIR
Prior to their game tonight against San Jose, the Kraken announced (Twitter link) that forward Mitchell Stephens was recalled from AHL Coachella Valley. Additionally, defenseman Vince Dunn has been activated off LTIR according to the NHL’s media site.
Stephens is in his first season with Seattle after signing a two-year, two-way deal with them early in free agency back in July. The 27-year-old is a veteran of 95 career NHL appearances between Tampa Bay, Detroit, and Montreal. Stephens got into 23 appearances with the latter last season, notching three points while winning over 55% of his faceoffs in a little over nine minutes a night of playing time.
It’s his first recall of the season and it comes following somewhat of a slow start to his season. Stephens has three goals and an assist in 11 games so far with the Firebirds. By comparison, he had 35 points in 49 games with AHL Laval just last season.
Meanwhile, the return of Dunn is a welcome one for the Kraken. He has been one of the more impactful blueliners league-wide in recent years, especially on the offensive side of things after putting up 110 points in 140 games between 2022-23 and 2023-24 while logging over 23 minutes of ice time each night. Prior to suffering an upper-body injury that kept him out for nearly six weeks, Dunn was off to a good start on that front this season as well, notching three points in his first four outings.
Dunn’s return gives Seattle now three above-average threats from the back end which will help an offense that’s near the middle of the pack in terms of goals scored. Brandon Montour is off to a solid start in his first season with the Kraken while Ryker Evans has helped pick up the offensive slack in Dunn’s absence. Both players enter tonight’s action with 15 points, good for a tie for third in team scoring.
While there has been no announcement from the team, the only way that Seattle could have activated Dunn and recalled Stephens was by transferring winger Jordan Eberle to LTIR. The captain is expected to be out for at least the next three months after undergoing pelvic surgery a little more than a week ago.
Avalanche Recall Nikita Prishchepov, Assign Chase Bradley
The Colorado Avalanche have recalled forward Nikita Prishchepov to the NHL. It’s already Prishchepov’s fifth call-up of the season, with his last stint on the Avalanche roster ending on November 14th. In a corresponding move, Colorado has assigned forward Chase Bradley to the AHL, ending the first call-up of his NHL career after just three days.
Bradley stepped into the first two NHL games of his career on the short recall, but failed to record any notable stat changes while averaging just 5:35 in ice time. It’s Bradley’s first year of professional hockey, after spending the last three seasons climbing the University of Connecticut lineup. He recorded 51 points in 95 games with the Huskies, including 22 points in 31 games last season – good for second on the team in scoring behind Nashville Predators prospect Matthew Wood. While his NHL scoring is yet to come, Bradley has found a bit more production in the minors – posting three goals and four points through his first 17 AHL games.
Prishchepov is in a very similar spot, playing through his first year of professional hockey with a strong start in the minors – six points in 12 games – but so far no scoring through six NHL games. Prishchepov became the third player drafted in the 2024 NHL Draft – and the first selected outside of the top-15 picks – to make his NHL debut. Recording a point would make him just the second 2024 draftee to score, behind first-overall pick Macklin Celebrini.
Lightning Recall Conor Sheary, Assign Matt Tomkins
The Tampa Bay Lightning have recalled forward Conor Sheary from, and re-assigned goaltender Matt Tomkins to, the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch. Sheary was assigned to the minor leagues on October 24th, setting him up to play his first 11 AHL games since the 2015-16 season. He scored three goals and seven points, good for fifth on the Crunch in scoring on a point-per-game basis (0.64).
Sheary’s last stint in the minor leagues came during the first two years of his professional career, after signing a three-year entry-level contract with the Penguins as an undrafted college free agent in 2014. He scored 20 goals and 45 points in 58 games as an AHL rookie, and earned an NHL call-up as a sophomore after 36 points in 30 games. Sheary didn’t breakout as an NHL scorer right away, but excelled at handling the intangibles and making impactful plays away from the puck. That earned him a hardy spot in Pittsburgh’s bottom-six as they approached the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs, where Sheary’s 10 points in 23 games were a major piece of the team’s eventual championship-win. That level of success in his rookie year gave Sheary plenty of momentum headed into 2016-17, where he solidified an everyday role with 23 goals and 53 points in 61 games – an 82-game pace of 71 points – and tallied another seven points in 22 playoff games as Pittsburgh chased their second-straight Cup win.
Sheary’s 53-point season stands as a career-high, but he’s been an impactful third-liner ever since – continuing to provide valuable depth through stints with the Buffalo Sabres, Washington Capitals, and as of last season, the Tampa Bay Lightning. Now, eight seasons since his last Cup-win, the wheels finally seem to be slowing for the 32-year-old Sheary. He scored just 15 points in 57 games with Tampa Bay last season, and went without any points in their first three games this year. Sheary signed a three-year, $6MM contract with the Lightning in 2023, but has so far failed to find the spark that led him to 102 points in 206 games with Washington in the three years prior. He’ll get another chance to find that spark now, hoping that a pass through waivers and productive stint in the minors will be enough fuel. Sheary will step into a Bolts offense in need of help, and could bump Cam Atkinson or Darren Raddysh out of the lineup.
Meanwhile, Tomkins will return to the minors just one day after being called up. He served as an emergency third-string option in Tampa’s trip to Nashville on Friday, but has yet to step into the lineup at any point this season. His only playing time this season stands as eight games in the AHL, where Tomkins has managed three wins and a .890 save percentage. He’s a career depth-goaltender, setting a 29-37-6 record and .898 save percentage in 73 games and six seasons in the AHL. Tomkins also took a brief, two-season trip to Sweden’s SHL, where he posted a .910 in 65 games split between Frolunda HC and Farjestad BK. His return to the AHL will provide some support to Syracuse starter Brandon Halverson, who has a .938 in 10 games this season – second-highest in the AHL.
Golden Knights Recall Victor Olofsson From Conditioning Loan, Assign Two To AHL
The Golden Knights have made a trio of roster moves heading into tonight’s game against Winnipeg. The team announced (Twitter link) that winger Victor Olofsson has been recalled from AHL Henderson with his conditioning loan now complete. Meanwhile, winger Mason Morelli and blueliner Robert Hagg have been re-assigned to the Silver Knights.
Olofsson signed with Vegas in free agency over the summer, inking a one-year, $1.075MM deal in the hopes of rebuilding his value after a tough final couple of years in Buffalo. The 29-year-old got off to an impressive start with two goals in the season opener while adding another tally in his fourth outing. However, that was his last appearance with them thanks to a lower-body injury that landed him on LTIR.
Olofsson was sent down on November 18th but didn’t see any game action with Henderson. That trend will continue for the time being as he’s not expected to suit up against the Jets.
Morelli, meanwhile, has been recalled three times recently but it hasn’t resulted in much playing time as he has just one appearance with Vegas this season, one that saw him play just 7:31. He has been productive with the Silver Knights though, notching five goals and four assists in 13 games thus far.
As for Hagg, he also has been shuffled back and forth quite frequently over the last week and a half. The veteran has suited up twice for the Golden Knights this season, making it nine straight years with appearances at the top level. However, he’s averaging just over 11 minutes per game while also recording 11 hits in those outings. He has gotten off to a nice start offensively in the minors, however, picking up eight points in 14 games with Henderson.
With the moves, Vegas has once again exited LTIR and is back to banking a small amount of cap room. Ben Hutton is presently on LTIR so if the Golden Knights need to bring anyone up later on, they will have the flexibility to do so by using Hutton’s $975K buffer.
Blues Activate Philip Broberg Off IR, Assign Corey Schueneman
St. Louis Blues defender Philip Broberg has been activated off of injured reserve and is expected to return to the lineup on Saturday. Broberg has missed St. Louis’ last 12 games since suffering a lower-body injury on an awkward collision with Mitch Marner in the team’s November 2nd win over Toronto.
Broberg was the feel-good story of St. Louis’ early season. He was a buzzer-beater addition to the Blues lineup before the start of the season, with general manager Doug Armstrong successfully offer-sheeting both Broberg and forward Dylan Holloway away from the Edmonton Oilers. Broberg instantly stepped up in his new setting, recording a point in each of his first six games with the Blues. That production, and injuries to Nick Leddy and Torey Krug, were enough for Broberg to climb into a top-line role with the Blues – working his way up to averaging 20:25 in ice time before suffering his injury. He now sits with nine points through 12 games – a 70-game pace of 53 points.
It’s new signs of life for the 23-year-old Broberg who, prior to this year, many classified as the defining bust from the 2019 NHL Draft – where Edmonton selected him eighth overall. Broberg followed his draft selection with two seasons for Sweden’s Skelleftea AIK before joining the Oilers in 2021-22. He started that year in the minors, but earned a call-up after scoring 10 points in his first 14 games. Broberg recorded an assist in his NHL debut, but quickly hit a skid that carried through the end of his tenure in Edmonton. He recorded just 13 points across three seasons and 81 games with the Oilers, spending most of his time bouncing between the NHL and AHL rosters. It was a dismal start to his NHL career – making Broberg’s breakout in St. Louis all the more impressive. He’ll look to stay hot after nearly a month away, and under a new head coach – with Drew Bannister being replaced by Jim Montgomery on November 25th. Montgomery has so far led the Blues to a 2-0-0 record and 8-to-2 goal differential.
In a corresponding move, St. Louis has also assigned veteran depth defender Corey Schueneman back to the AHL. Schueneman returns to the minors after no scoring in four games. He recorded four shots on goal and seven blocked shots, but otherwise stayed quiet while rotating into the lineup with Pierre-Olivier Joseph. Schueneman already has five points in 13 games with the Springfield Thunderbirds. He’s a seven-year veteran of the minor leagues, with 95 points and 257 career AHL games – and seven points in 31 appearances with the Montreal Canadiens between 2021 and 2022.
Oilers Recall Drake Caggiula
As expected, Drake Caggiula’s stint in the minors was short-lived. The team announced today (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled the veteran forward from AHL Bakersfield.
Edmonton re-assigned the 30-year-old back to the minors on Monday alongside defenseman Josh Brown (who notably wasn’t brought back up this time around). With the Oilers off until Friday, the demotions allowed them to exit LTIR for a few days and bank a bit of cap space. While Caggiula is on a contract for the league minimum of $775K, his remaining money is still more than the $382K they can afford per PuckPedia which means they’ll be back into using LTIR once the recall officially hits their books on Friday.
Caggiula has played in four games with Edmonton so far this season, all within the last four weeks. He has one assist in those outings while averaging a little over eight minutes a night of playing time while also spending time in a reserve role. He’s likely to still have a limited role on this stint with the Oilers as well. While he was held off the scoresheet on Wednesday, Caggiula has been much more productive with the Condors, recording five goals and four helpers so far.
With the recall, Edmonton’s roster now stands at 22 players, one below the limit. With them now back in LTIR, it wouldn’t be surprising to see that spot get filled in the near future.