Minor Transactions: 04/02/23
It’s another busy day across the hockey world as we reach an important stretch of the NHL season with several teams in the thick of tight playoff races, especially in the Western Conference. The New York Islanders take on the Carolina Hurricanes in what could be a first-round playoff preview, while the Los Angeles Kings take on the Vancouver Canucks in a game that could push L.A. ahead of the Edmonton Oilers in the race for the Pacific Division’s second seed.
In Europe, multiple playoff semifinals are underway, and today Frolunda HC captured a crucial victory against Vaxjo in Sweden, tying the SHL’s semifinals at one game apiece. In Germany, Grizzlys Wolfsburg tied their DEL semifinal against EHC Red Bull Munchen 1-1, while an important third-period tie-breaking goal by former New York Rangers prospect Ty Ronning helped ERC Ingolstadt win 6-3 over Adler Mannheim and tie their side of the DEL semifinals. As fans take in all of the hockey on offer today, teams around the world are making tweaks to their roster or preparing for next season. We’ll keep track of those moves here.
- Stanley Cup champion and former NHL top prospect Brett Connolly is among the players leaving Swiss club HC Lugano, according to a team announcement. Connolly signed in Switzerland over the summer after spending most of last season with the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs. The Canadian forward, who is still just 30 years old and was a decent NHL goal-scorer as recently as 2019-20, did well in his first year overseas, scoring 12 goals and 38 points in 45 games. He was sandwiched between two other former NHLers, Markus Granlund and Mirco Mueller, in Lugano’s scoring rankings, and he helped his side reach the Swiss playoffs.
- Former Pittsburgh Penguins prospect Philip Samuelsson, the son of two-time Stanley Cup champion Ulf Samuelsson, is among the players announced not to be returning to the DEL’s Fischtown Pinguins. Samuelsson, 31, has 13 NHL games on his resume, the last few coming in 2015-16 with the Arizona Coyotes. Samuelsson played three straight seasons exclusively as an AHLer before heading overseas in 2019-20 to play most of the year in his native Sweden. He split the last three seasons between Leksands IF and IK Oskarshamn in the SHL before signing last summer in the DEL. He scored 31 points in 47 games for Fischtown, helping lead them to a playoff series win over the Nurnburg Ice Tigers.
- 2008 Minnesota Wild first-round pick Tyler Cuma has signed a two-year contract with Austria’s EK Zell am See, a club in the AlpsHL, a league with many second-tier Austrian clubs as well as teams in Italy and Slovenia. The 33-year-old blueliner has played in one career NHL game, which took place in 2011-12 with the Wild. Since then, he spent two more seasons in the AHL before deciding to head to Austria, and has now played nearly 300 games at the highest level of Austrian pro hockey. He’ll be moving down a level with this move after a season spent with Innsbruck HC, where he scored nine points in 43 games.
- Former New York Rangers prospect Andrew Yogan will not continue his career with the IceHL’s Graz99ers, per a team announcement. The 31-year-old has been a star in the ICEHL since leaving North America, with 247 points in 236 career games. Yogan made the choice to leave Austria in 2021 to play with HC Slovan Bratislava in the Slovak league, and the 52 points in 48 games he scored propelled the team to a Slovak Extraliga championship. Yogan split 2022-23 between Slovakia and Austria, scoring 15 points in 16 games for Poprad before transferring and scoring 13 goals and 20 points for Graz.
- Dylan St. Cyr‘s tryout with the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins is over, per the team. The 23-year-old former Michigan State Spartan appeared in one game with the Griffins, saving seven shots in relief of Jon Lethemon during a March 31st loss to the Milwaukee Admirals. The son of famous women’s hockey goaltender Manon Rheaume, St. Cyr will now look for his next chance in professional hockey with some valuable first experience under his belt.
- 2013 San Jose Sharks fourth-round pick Fredrik Bergvik will not be returning to HockeyAllsvenskan’s Sodertalje SK for next season. The 28-year-old has been a tandem netminder for the second-tier Swedish side for the past four seasons, spending the last two as the backup for Nikita Tolopilo, who signed with the Canucks on Friday. Bergvik posted 2 shutouts and a 5-2 record in 10 total games played, with a .902 save percentage, and will now hit the open market for the first time in several years.
- Michal Jordan is leaving the Lakers. The former Carolina Hurricanes defenseman is among the players not returning to Switzerland’s SC Rapperswil-Jona Lakers, per a team announcement. The 32-year-old spent 19 games in Switzerland after transferring there in December. Before that point, he had captained the KHL’s Amur Khabarovsk, playing over 250 games there. Jordan last appeared in the NHL in 2015-16 and will now look elsewhere to continue his pro career.
This page will be updated throughout the day.
Brad Hunt Clears Waivers
Saturday: As expected, Hunt has cleared for the third time, Friedman reports. That allows him to return to the Eagles.
Friday: For the third time this season, Colorado Avalanche defenseman Brad Hunt finds himself on waivers, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Should Hunt clear waivers, as he has done twice already this season, he will return to the Avalanche’s AHL affiliate, the Colorado Eagles.
Hunt, 34, has split time between the AHL and NHL this season, playing 43 games with the Avalanche and 24 with the Eagles. In the AHL, Hunt is a difference-making offensive defenseman. He has scored 21 points in the AHL this season, and his contributions have helped the Eagles clinch a spot in the Calder Cup playoffs. In the NHL, Hunt’s impact has been more limited, and he has registered just eight points in his 43 games played.
With the once injury-ravaged Avalanche blueline now getting markedly healthier, Colorado has made the decision that Hunt is better served to play a top-pairing, top-scoring role in the AHL rather than spending time in the press box as coach Jared Bednar’s ninth defenseman.
So while he last saw extended AHL time in December, Hunt heads back to the Eagles with the likely possibility that he’ll remain there for the rest of their season, unless any new injuries hit the Avalanche’s blueline. If that ends up being the case, the addition of Hunt will give the Eagles a significant boost in their chase of higher seeding for the AHL’s playoffs.
In order to get that boost, though, Hunt will need to clear waivers first. Seeing as he went unclaimed his prior two go-arounds on the waiver wire, one would assume Hunt will clear once again. But since he has nearly 300 games of NHL experience and has just a $762k cap hit, it’s not a total impossibility that a team desperate for defensive help puts in a claim. But that does seem unlikely, though, seeing as Hunt’s contract does stretch for another season, meaning he wouldn’t quite be a short-term stopgap option.
Minor Transactions: 03/31/23
It’s been a busy day across the hockey world, despite just four NHL games on the schedule. Today’s news cycle featured major headlines such as a season-ending surgery for William Eklund and the announcement of Jonathan Toews‘ return to the Chicago Blackhawks lineup. Over in Europe, some big games have been played, including two contests in the DEL Semifinals in Germany, and the first game of the SHL semifinals: a 6-2 win for Vaxjo over Frolunda. Two thrilling overtime contests were completed in Finland’s Liiga semifinals, including a double-overtime victory by Champions Hockey League winners Tappara Tampere.
As fans across the hockey world enjoy all the action on offer this Friday, teams in both minor leagues and foreign leagues are completing transactions and either making changes for this season or preparing for 2023-24. We’ll keep track of those moves here.
- Earlier this month, we covered reports that former NHL defenseman Juuso Riikola would be headed to Switzerland for next season. Today, those reports were made official as Swiss club SCL Tigers have announced that they have signed Riikola to a one-year contract for 2023-24. Riikola, 29, has 80 career NHL games on his resume and last played in North America last season, when he scored 35 points in 53 games for the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins. This season Riikola scored 19 points in 42 games as an alternate captain for the SHL’s IK Oskarshamn, helping them reach the first round of the SHL’s playoffs. Now, he’ll continue his pro career with the Tigers, hoping to keep them in Switzerland’s top league after the team just barely avoided relegation this season.
- The Coachella Valley Firebirds, the AHL affiliate of the Seattle Kraken, have signed NCAA free agent Max Andreev to an ATO agreement, one that will become a standard AHL player contract next season. The Cornell University product, 23, has scored 65 points in 77 games over the last three seasons he’s played. He made the ECAC’s Third All-Star team last season and served as an alternate captain this season, helping lead Cornell to an upset victory over the defending national champions the University of Denver. He’ll now join one of the AHL’s top teams with the hope of fashioning a professional career for himself and potentially even earning an NHL contract down the line.
- The AHL’s Iowa Wild have signed CHL free agent defenseman Landon Kosior to an ATO agreement for the rest of this season. Kosior, 20, is an undrafted blueliner who spent his major junior career with the WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders. Kosior served as an alternate captain for the team this season and scored 63 points in 60 games, his first WHL campaign above the point-per-game threshold. As is generally expected for junior players who gain more experience, Kosior’s numbers took major jumps as he got older, and he went from 23 points in his first season with Prince Albert to the aforementioned 63 this season. With this ATO, Kosior will get his first taste of pro hockey with Iowa, and will likely get to follow along as the team prepares for the Calder Cup playoffs.
- 2022 Anaheim Ducks fifth-round pick Connor Hvidston has been signed to an ATO agreement by the Ducks’ AHL affiliate, the San Diego Gulls. The deal allows Hvidston to dip his toes into the waters of professional hockey now that his WHL season with the Swift Current Broncos is over. Hvidston was one of the youngest prospects available at the 2022 draft, just days from being in the 2023 class. He’s scored 21 goals and 65 points in 59 games this season, which ranks him third in team scoring. Seeing as he’ll have to wait until next September to turn 19, he’s still a ways away from turning pro full-time, but with this ATO agreement, he’ll at least get a firsthand look at what it takes to play professional hockey in the Ducks organization.
- Another Cornell University player has signed his first pro contract: defenseman Sebastien Dirven. The 24-year-old teammate of Andreev signed with the ECHL’s Wheeling Nailers after playing three seasons with the Big Red. The big six-foot-three, 200-pound blueliner doesn’t have much of an offensive game (just 15 points in 93 career NCAA games) but will add some size and snarl to the Nailers’ blueline as they conclude what has been a difficult 2022-23 season.
- 2016 Carolina Hurricanes draft pick Noah Carroll has signed his first professional contract, landing with the ECHL’s Savannah Ghost Pirates. Carroll has spent the last four years with the University of New Brunswick on the Canadian university circuit, playing 59 games there. Before that point, the six-foot-one defenseman played for the Soo Greyhounds and Guelph Storm in the OHL, a major junior career highlighted by a 37-point final season during which he was an alternate captain.
- Cade Borchardt, the captain of one of college hockey’s better programs at Minnesota State, has signed with the ECHL’s Kansas City Mavericks. The 24-year-old’s production took a hit this season, going from 41 points to 20. But despite that decline in numbers, Borchardt earned the honor of captaining his team and finishes his collegiate career with a respectable 85 points in 121 games. In signing Borchardt, the Mavericks, who currently rank second in the ECHL’s Mountain Division, infuse some energetic young talent to their roster as they continue to grapple for playoff position.
- The ECHL’s Kalamazoo Wings have signed two players out of St. Cloud State University: Aidan Spellacy and Brendan Bushy. Spellacy, 24, is a forward who scored 12 points in 35 games this season. He’s served as an alternate captain for St. Cloud State and Robert Morris University, and he also captained his high school team, meaning he could bring some off-ice value to the Wings beyond his on-ice utility. Bushy, 24, is a six-foot-two blueliner who scored 11 points in 41 games this season playing in a top-four role.
- Former Owen Sound Attack star and OHL Champion Cameron Brace is transferring to Germany, per an announcement from his new team, the DEL’s Frankfurt Lions. The 29-year-old has spent the last two seasons in the SHL with IK Oskarshamn, scoring 52 points in 99 games there. Brace earned his shot at the SHL level after a proving himself as a professional in Denmark’s top league, where he scored 110 points in 78 games for Herning Blue Fox. Brace has fashioned himself a solid overseas professional career in the last few years, and now that career will continue in Germany.
- Longtime DEL veteran Max Renner has signed a contract for next season with the Augsburg Panthers. The 31-year-old has nearly 300 DEL games on his resume with most coming with the Straubing Tigers, save for the last two seasons spent with the Bietigheim Steelers. Renner scored nine points in 56 games last season and brings an established veteran presence to the Panthers’ defense corps.
- The ICEHL’s Black Wings Linz have signed forward Nico Feldner to a two-year contract, per a team announcement. Feldner has played the past two seasons entirely with HC Innsbruck, save for a six-game stretch with the EIHL’s Sheffield Steelers in England. Feldner scored 17 points in 43 games for Innsbruck this season and should be counted on to bolster Linz’s forward corps for the next two years as they look to return to the ICEHL’s playoffs next season.
- Matus Spodniak, a top scorer at the NCAA Division-III level with Adrian College, has signed an amateur tryout agreement with the ECHL’s Indy Fuel. The 25-year-old native of Kosice, Slovakia scored 94 points in 60 games across two seasons with Adrian College, and now the Fuel are looking to roll the dice on him to see if he can translate his game to professional hockey. This tryout will represent a significant jump in competition level for Spodniak, and he’ll have a relatively short period of time to make an impression with one of the East Coast league’s top teams.
- Spodniak’s teammate, Ty Enns, also signed an amateur tryout agreement with an ECHL club: the Toledo Walleye. Enns, 24, scored 50 points in 31 games this season and scored a total of 140 points in 106 games at the Division-III level. As mentioned with Spodniak, this jump to the ECHL will be a significant increase in difficulty for Enns, but at the very least it should be encouraging that the ECHL’s third-best team is willing to give him a tryout opportunity.
- The ECHL’s Maine Mariners are another club to dip into the pool of college free agents, signing University of Windsor forward Sean Olson. The 24-year-old scored 40 points in his 54-game career for Windsor, and standing six-foot-three 203 pounds as some size down the middle to the Mariners’ group of pivots.
Ottawa Senators Recall Jacob Bernard-Docker
The Ottawa Senators have recalled defenseman Jacob Bernard-Docker from their AHL affiliate, the Belleville Senators, per a team announcement. The 2018 first-round pick last played in the NHL in January, and in total has played in 13 games for Ottawa this season.
Bernard-Docker’s last stretch of NHL action came between January 16th and 21st, when he played in four games and got between 21 and 14 and a half minutes per game.
He’s registered just one point in his 13 games this year, but it’s important to note with Bernard-Docker that offense isn’t the priority. He’s more of a stay-at-home defender who earns his keep by playing a positionally sound crease-clearing game.
He’s done that to this point in the AHL, playing as a top-pairing defenseman for Belleville. What he hasn’t been able to do, though, is find a way to stick in the NHL consistently.
He was afforded an extended developmental runway at the University of North Dakota and performed well there, but as the Senators have been in need of capable NHL defensemen Bernard-Docker has been passed over in favor of other options in the past.
Eligible for restricted free agency in the offseason, this recall is an important opportunity for Bernard-Docker to leave a lasting, positive impression on the Senators organization.
Bernard-Docker will be eligible for waivers next season, meaning the time when the Senators need to make a choice as to whether he’s in their NHL plans is rapidly approaching. However many NHL games this recall earns Bernard-Docker will be his chance to make that choice a lot easier.
Colorado Avalanche Recall Ben Meyers
After spending most of this month with the AHL’s Colorado Eagles, center Ben Meyers is getting another chance in the NHL with the Colorado Avalanche. The 24-year-old has been recalled to the NHL roster, per a team announcement.
As mentioned, Myers has been with the Eagles since March 6th, when he was reassigned from the Avalanche’s roster. Meyers has been extraordinarily productive in this recent stretch of AHL games, with a total of 14 points in 11 contests, a run that includes a nine-game point streak.
It’s this prolific run of production that has likely earned him this additional chance with the Avalanche, as his first stretch with the team this year did not go as planned.
From a December 7th game against the Boston Bruins until he was sent down on January 28th, Meyers played in 25 NHL games for the Avalanche and did not register a single point.
His ice time declined from a high of 18:32 on December 9th to a stretch of 11 games in January where he got above 10 minutes of ice time just once, including a game against the Seattle Kraken that despite stretching into a shootout saw Meyers play only four minutes and five seconds.
A college hockey star and coveted NCAA free agent, Meyers’ young NHL career has been underwhelming to this point. He was a Hobey Baker Award finalist, Big 10 Player of the Year, and above-point-per-game scorer as a Minnesota Gopher.
But as an Avalanche, he has faded into the background of most games he’s played. His recent run of strong production in the AHL serves as a reminder of just how impactful he can be, though, and now he’ll get another chance to show what he can do against NHL competition.
Columbus Blue Jackets Recall Josh Dunne On Emergency Basis
The Columbus Blue Jackets have recalled center Josh Dunne from their AHL affiliate, the Cleveland Monsters.
The move is on an emergency basis, and is meant to reward someone who Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen said, per team reporter Jeff Svoboda, deserves a look in NHL games during what remains of this 2022-23 season.
Dunne, 24, is a rangy six-foot-four center who signed with Columbus two seasons ago as an undrafted college free agent. Dunne played three seasons at Clarkson University, captaining the squad in his final season there.
Dunne was an impact player for the program, tallying 55 points in 78 games. His solid freshman performance (14 goals, 23 points in 32 games) helped Clarkson win the ECAC championship in 2018-19, and the following season he was named to the ECAC’s Third All-Star team and named the conference’s best defensive forward.
As a professional, Dunne quickly acclimated himself to the AHL game by scoring eight goals and 10 points in his first 15 games in the league.
Last season was more of a struggle as he posted just 11 points in 29 games, but this season he has taken some positive strides.
Dunne has been a consistent force down the middle of Cleveland’s lineup this season, providing steady production as the team faced the fallout of their parent club’s significant injury losses.
He has tallied 20 goals and 36 points in 59 games this season, and that career-high production has earned Dunne this call-up. With Columbus in the NHL’s basement, the remaining games of this season don’t serve any major purpose from a wins-and-losses perspective.
Instead, these games can hold the most value from an evaluation perspective, giving their front office the chance to see what they have in certain players against NHL competition. With this recall, the organization will get a chance to look at Dunne, and Dunne will get the opportunity to impress just as he did in college and as he has this year in the AHL.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
New Jersey Devils Reassign Nolan Foote
Nolan Foote‘s most recent NHL run with the New Jersey Devils will end at three games, as the team has reassigned him to their AHL affiliate, the Utica Comets. Foote registered one goal in that three-game stretch, playing under 10 minutes in each contest.
Foote, 22, is a 2019 first-round pick who was acquired by the Devils in the 2020 trade of Blake Coleman to the Tampa Bay Lightning. At that point, Foote was serving as captain of the WHL’s Kelowna Rockets, and he would make his professional debut the next season with the then-Binghamton Devils. Foote has always been a difference-maker at the AHL level, and this season is no different as he has posted 18 goals and 30 points in 48 games.
His career total is a healthy 79 points in 128 career AHL games, but despite that AHL production NHL success has eluded Foote.
He has just 19 NHL games on his resume, and has scored seven points. A lack of foot speed has hurt Foote’s ability to separate himself in an NHL that is getting quicker and quicker.
Foote’s return to the AHL will certainly help the Comets, who are currently second in the AHL’s North Division and looking to lock up their spot in the Calder Cup playoffs.
But heading back to the AHL after again failing to latch on in the NHL for an extended period has to come as a disappointment for Foote.
As numerous other 2019 draft picks are breaking out and establishing themselves as NHL options, Foote is getting closer to a crucial point in his development. He’ll be waivers-eligible next season, so the Devils will have to make the choice next fall whether to finally include Foote in their NHL plans or risk losing him to another NHL team.
Foote could see the possibility of being exposed to and potentially claimed off of waivers next fall as an opportunity rather than a risk, though, as he could be in line to receive more NHL opportunities in an organization without the type of embarrassment of riches along the wings that the Devils can boast.
Regardless, with this reassignment Foote can’t focus on the possibility of waivers next fall. The priority has to be putting together a strong finish to his regular season and helping Utica go on a long Calder Cup playoff run. Doing those two things would likely improve Foote’s standing within the Devils organizational plans, and perhaps inspire more confidence in the team that he’ll be ready to earn a spot on the 23-man roster next season.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Montreal Canadiens Sign Jakub Dobes
The Montreal Canadiens have announced the signing of NCAA netminder Jakub Dobes to a two-year, $925k AAV entry-level deal, set to begin next season. Dobes has also signed an AHL contract allowing him to be with the AHL’s Laval Rocket for the rest of this season.
By signing with Montreal, the 21-year-old Dobes leaves Ohio State University after just two years there. The 2020 fifth-round pick has seen his stock rise rapidly since being drafted, going from a .908 save percentage in his final season in the USHL to a .934 save percentage in his first season as a Buckeye.
In total, Dobes’ 35-game freshman season was a resounding success. He took home a multitude of conference honors, including winning Big 10 Goalie of the Year, All-Rookie Team, and First All-Star team honors.
His 21-12-2 record, .934 save percentage, and 2.26 goals-against-average were each major improvements from his numbers in the USHL, and provided hope for Canadiens fans that they might have something in Dobes to lead a relatively thin set of goalies in their prospect pool.
This past season, Dobes’ numbers took a step back, but remained strong overall. He posted a 21-16-3 record, a .918 save percentage, and a 2.31 goals-against-average. While it wasn’t quite as good as the elite performance he posted as a freshman, Dobes’ sophomore season reinforced his status as a legitimate NHL prospect.
With the backing of those solid numbers the kind of six-foot-five, 200-pound frame NHL teams covet in their netminders, Dobes earns his entry-level deal and a chance to play professional hockey.
With Jake Allen and Samuel Montembeault entrenched in the Canadiens’ crease in the NHL and Cayden Primeau holding down the fort as Laval’s starting goalie, Dobes will likely either see time with the Canadiens’ ECHL affiliate next season or split time in the AHL in a tandem with Primeau.
After seeing his save percentage decline from .920 last season to .888 this season, veteran minor league netminder Kevin Poulin‘s spot behind Primeau is likely there for Dobes to seize, and this entry-level deal puts him in a prime position to do so.
And while Primeau is penciled in as Laval’s number-one for next season, his uneven performances this year (3.13 goals-against-average, .906 save percentage) leave the door open for Dobes to grab a greater role than expected if he can hit the ground running as a professional just like he did to start his collegiate career.
William Eklund Undergoes Surgery To Repair Torn Labrum
The San Jose Sharks have announced that 2021 seventh-overall pick and team top prospect William Eklund underwent successful shoulder surgery yesterday to repair a torn labrum.
No other details, such as a recovery timeline, were included in the announcement, but since the timeline for torn labrums in the past has been in the four-to-six-month range, Eklund’s season is unfortunately over. The Athletic’s Corey Masisiak does note, though, that the Sharks expect Eklund to be ready for training camp in the fall.
This injury ends what has been an important season for Eklund. As mentioned in our piece covering his recall earlier this month, Eklund has taken significant strides in his development this season.
Last season playing in Sweden Eklund often looked deferential with the puck on his stick, and finished with just one goal to his name. This season, though, he has revamped his toolkit as a shooting threat and made himself a one-timer option on the San Jose Barracuda’s powerplay.
In his debut season on North American ice Eklund finishes with 17 goals and 41 points in 54 games, as well as three points in eight NHL games, including an impressive first NHL goal.
Eklund’s abilities as an attacker in transition have made him the Sharks’ top prospect, and his development is crucially important to the future of the Sharks organization.
While this injury is certainly a setback, at the very least the Sharks can be thankful that the bulk of Eklund’s recovery process will take place in the offseason, meaning his 2022-23 season has been left largely unaffected.
The loss of Eklund for the rest of the season comes as a major blow to the Barracuda, who need to win most of their remaining games to make the Calder Cup Playoffs. While it’s not impossible that they find a way to get those wins, the loss of their second-highest scorer will make winning most of their final set of games a significantly taller task.
But for the Sharks organization as a whole, getting Eklund back to full health is likely a far more pressing priority than the rest of what has been a disappointing AHL campaign.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Pittsburgh Penguins, Anaheim Ducks Swap Prospects
The Pittsburgh Penguins have completed a trade of prospects with the Anaheim Ducks, per a team announcement. The Penguins are receiving the rights to 2020 fourth-round pick Thimo Nickl and are sending the rights to NCAA winger Judd Caulfield in return.
In Nickl, 21, the Penguins are acquiring a 21-year-old defenseman who was a 2020 fourth-round pick. In his draft year, the Austrian blueliner moved from the second team of Klagenfurter Athletiksport Club in his home country, where he had played parts of three seasons, to Quebec to play junior hockey with the QMJHL’s Drummondville Voltigeurs.
At that point in his career, Nickl had already played 55 games in the AlpsHL, a professional league where he was competing against men. As a result, playing junior hockey in the QMJHL proved to be a less challenging task for Nickl, who ranked second among Voltigeurs blueliners in scoring with 39 points in 58 games.
After being drafted, Nickl joined the SHL’s Rogle BK’s youth system, and managed to play 15 games in Sweden’s top division with the club. Nickl was then loaned to AIK in September of 2021, a club in the second-tier HockeyAllsvenskan, and scored 10 points in 38 games there.
In early 2022 Nickl’s move to AIK was made permanent, and this season he played a regular role for the club, scoring eight points in 47 games to go alongside 69 penalty minutes. AIK failed to make a promotion push but Nickl ultimately further established himself as a professional player.
By acquiring Nickl’s rights, the Penguins now have until June 1st, 2024 to decide whether to give Nickl an entry-level deal before his rights expire, according to CapFriendly. It’s a more extended timeframe compared to the one they had with Caulfield, who can hit the open market on August 15th.
It’s definitely possible that the Penguins had an indication from Caulfield that he would not be signing with them before that date, prompting this trade, or it’s also possible that the team simply wasn’t interested in signing Caulfield and chose to leverage the remaining months of exclusivity they had with him in order to acquire a prospect they were more interested in.
For the Ducks, this trade is similarly a potential indication that they were not interested in signing Nickl to an entry-level deal before next summer, although it could also be a sign that they are simply more interested in adding Caulfield than they were of signing Nickl.
Caulfield, 22, is a 2019 fifth-round pick who has played the last four seasons at the University of North Dakota. The big six-foot-three winger is a product of the U.S. National Team Development Program and has scored 39 points over the last two seasons.
With his rights now acquired, the Ducks will likely get to work on trying to negotiate an entry-level deal with the winger, who would likely begin his professional career developing his game in the minors.