Philadelphia Flyers Fire Chuck Fletcher
The Philadelphia Flyers have announced this morning that they have released Chuck Fletcher from his duties as President of Hockey Operations and General Manager.
In addition, former Flyer Daniel Briere has been named Interim General Manager while the team begins the process of permanently filling two separate positions: a President of Hockey Operations and a General Manager, indicating that the team is pursuing the split structure that other clubs, such as the Pittsburgh Penguins and Montreal Canadiens, have employed.
Dave Scott, Chairman of Comcast Spectacor and Governor of the Philadelphia Flyers, issued the following statement, that begins:
The Philadelphia Flyers organization has always been defined by grit, determination, and a standard of excellence. Over the past several seasons, our team simply has not lived up to that standard, so today, we will begin to chart a new path forward under a new leadership structure for Hockey Operations.
The full statement can be read in the team’s release. While circumstances outside of the organization’s control have definitely played a part in the Flyers’ struggles in recent seasons, the fact that this change has ultimately been made should not come as a surprise to anyone who has followed Philadelphia recently.
Fletcher was originally hired by the Flyers to replace former general manager Ron Hextall, whose patient, sometimes overly passive approach to team-building was believed to be holding the Flyers back. At that point, led by Claude Giroux, Jakub Voracek, Sean Couturier, and some ascending young players, the club believed that they had all the right ingredients (and the right head coach in Alain Vigneault) to win them hockey glory.
That belief held some merit, as the Flyers nearly made it to the Eastern Conference Final in the “bubble” playoffs in 2019-20 before ultimately falling to the New York Islanders. That belief that their club was on the cusp of true Stanley Cup contention, however reasonable at the time, proved to be the underlying mistake that inspired much of what went wrong in Fletcher’s tenure.
When the wheels fell off in 2020-21 and the team stumbled out of the playoff picture, it was despite their intention on competing, and so although the team had disappointed, the organization remained steadfast in their belief that true contention was not far away. This led to some questionable team-building decisions that, while undoubtedly made as part of a collaborative effort on behalf of multiple decision-makers in the organization, ultimately are Fletcher’s responsibility as he was at the top of hockey operations.
It began in the summer of 2019, when the Flyers signed career second-line center Kevin Hayes to a seven-year, $7.14MM AAV contract.
Hayes had reached the 20-goal mark just once in the five seasons prior to signing the mega-deal, with 25 goals in 2017-18 with the New York Rangers. He had hovered around 2o goals multiple times, but hardly had warranted a long-term contract, but the Flyers were desperate for a scoring center.
Hayes had a solid first season in Philadelphia, with 23 goals and 18 assists for 41 points in 69 games, but did not take the offensive leap the Flyers were hoping for. Hayes has struggled to stay healthy since that first season, appearing in less than 60 games the next two years, but has rebounded a bit with 17 goals and 32 assists for 49 points in 64 games.
With three seasons left on that contract, Hayes is now looking like an odd man out in Philadelphia, although the large hit against the cap will make moving him a difficult task.
In 2021, the Flyers acquired defenseman Ryan Ellis from the Nashville Predators, taking on a contract with a $6.2MM AAV running through the 2026-27 season. Ellis has played just four games for the Flyers, and has missed the entire current season due to injury.
The trade for Ellis saw center Nolan Patrick, the No. 2 overall pick in 2017, shipped out for a quick fix on the blueline. Ellis had been a strong member of a stout Nashville Predators blueline for a few years, and on paper looked to be a strong acquisition for Philadelphia.
Ellis surely would have aided in making the Flyers a more difficult team to play against, and his absence hasn’t made things easier.
Another move that has resulted in a highly paid player not producing as much as the team would like was the trade for forward Cam Atkinson from the Columbus Blue Jackets for forward Jakub Voracek. Atkinson brought a lower cap hit to the Flyers, but has missed the entire season due to injury.
Another move made for a defenseman in the summer of 2021 brought Rasmus Ristolainen from the Buffalo Sabres. The Flyers signed Ristolainen to a five-year contract with an AAV of $5.1MM. Ristolainen has been on the ice for the Flyers, but hasn’t provided much of an impact, especially offensively with just two goals and 12 assists for 14 points this season.
Fletcher’s legacy with the Flyers is the construction of an expensive roster that has performed nowhere near expectations. The Flyers are in a tough spot, as they stare down the abyss of a potential rebuild while also boasting some solid talent depth on the roster, although much of that depth is signed to long-term contracts that would be difficult to part with.
It will be interesting to see how Briere moves into the role, as he is likely auditioning for a chance to be involved with the Flyers’ hockey operations decision-making moving forward.
Minor Transactions: 03/08/23
It’s a relatively thin night on the NHL schedule, with just three games on the docket. One of those games, though, features two Central Division rivals hungry to get two major points in a tight battle for playoff position. The Minnesota Wild are taking on the Winnipeg Jets in a game that holds quite a bit of significance for each club, and as fans enjoy all the action on offer tonight teams in minor and foreign leagues are completing transactions. We’ll keep track of those moves here.
- With the DEL’s Bietigheim Steelers relegated to the second-division DEL2, former Colorado Avalanche netminder Sami Aittokallio is rumored to be headed elsewhere, according to Andreas Eberle of Bietigheimer Zeitung. Rival DEL club Frankfurt Lions are specifically named as a possibility, as the team needs to replace former Michigan State Spartan Jake Hildebrand, who was reported to be heading to Berlin after helping Frankfurt achieve promotion to and then survival in the DEL.
- Former Edmonton Oilers prospect Kale Kessy, who was once traded for 478-game NHL veteran Tobias Rieder, has been traded to the AHL’s Colorado Eagles from the Hershey Bears, in exchange for future considerations. Kessy, who has registered over 1,300 penalty minutes in his pro career, will add some muscle to the Eagles’ lineup as they look to potentially make a Calder Cup playoff run.
- The Calgary Flames’ AHL affiliate, the Calgary Wranglers, have signed netminder Connor Murphy to an ATO agreement. The deal will give Murphy the chance to make his professional debut after four years spent playing college hockey. The six-foot-four goalie’s numbers weren’t incredible this season (just an .889 save percentage in 31 games) but last season they were more impressive, as he posted a .919 save percentage in 37 games.
- The ECHL’s Indy Fuel have signed two defensemen who are at the end of their collegiate careers: Zach Vinnell and Trevor Zins. Vinnell, 24, has scored 20 points in 36 games for Bowling Green this season, and played in 35 games for Merrimack College last season. Zins, who is also 24, has played the last two seasons at the University of St. Thomas and both will help reinforce the Fuel as they prepare for a three-game weekend.
- The ECHL’s Atlanta Gladiators have also signed a player out of college, inking Division III forward Mitchell Walinski. Walinski scored 26 points in 22 games this season for Salve Regina University and joins a Gladiators squad nearing the final stretch of what has been an uneven campaign.
- The Allen Americans have acquired 27-year-old defenseman Eric Williams, a 168-game ECHL veteran, from the Norfolk Admirals in exchange for future considerations. This trade puts the former Northeastern University Husky on the sixth ECHL club of his season. He’s scored 24 points in 45 games this season for the Admirals, and has earned nine AHL games this year, them all coming with the Laval Rocket in January. The Americans get Williams in the midst of a hot stretch, as he has three assists in his last five games.
- The Admirals have made another move, signing Gueorgui Feduoulov from Mercyhurst College. The 24-year-old scored six goals and 12 points this season, and will get his first opportunity in a professional environment after spending four seasons playing college hockey.
- The ECHL’s Savannah Ghost Pirates have plucked two players from the college ranks, per the ECHL’s official transactions report: Aurora University’s Jack Jaunich and Bemidji State University captain Ross Armour. Jaunich, 24, has scored 74 points in 55 games over the past two seasons, while Armour, 25, is the cousin of Belleville Senators star Jake Lucchini and 14 goals and 22 points this season.
- Denmark’s Herning Blue Fox have signed former OHL defenseman Christian Mieritz to a two-year contract extension. While Mieritz scored just three points in 46 games this season, he has helped Herning have a highly successful season and per the team release, the club is optimistic about his development and future in their lineup.
Snapshots: Konecny, Dubois, Hill
The Philadelphia Flyers have had another extremely disappointing season, and despite the best efforts of veteran head coach John Tortorella to get the most out of his talent-deficient roster, the team currently sits 25th in league standings with just 24 wins in 64 games. The team’s form this season has prompted Flyers management to acknowledge that returning to contention won’t be a quick fix, and that longer-term development is likely needed. This has led many to wonder if the Flyers would consider trading one of the few bright spots of their season, Travis Konecny, over the summer.
The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun wrote in a recent piece that “at least one contender” was “planning on making an aggressive trade offer [for Konecny] before the trade deadline” before Konecny got injured. (subscription link) He adds that his expectation is that the Flyers “will listen on him ahead of the draft” to see what sort of value he holds on the trade market. Despite playing just 52 games due to injury, Konecny remains the Flyers’ leading scorer with 54 points in 52 games. He plays the kind of fast, hard-nosed game that many teams covet, and is on an affordable $5.5MM cap hit through 2024-25. While it’s obviously far from a given that Konecny is traded, he’s possibly the best trade asset the team could cash in on to fast-forward a rebuild.
- LeBrun also touched on the current status of Winnipeg Jets center Pierre-Luc Dubois and his future in Manitoba. Since the Jets are hoping they can put together a lengthy playoff run, the focus has been on the rest of the season rather than on Dubois’ future. But regardless of the team’s current priorities, LeBrun writes that he believes Dubois is “headed toward an offseason trade, just like Matthew Tkachuk a year ago from Calgary.” LeBrun adds that the Montreal Canadiens, who were rumored to be after Dubois last summer, would likely have interest once again. It’d be a shame for Winnipeg to lose Dubois, 24, and his near point-per-game production, but if he does have his heart set on leaving as a free agent in the summer of 2024, perhaps recouping some valuable assets via trade this summer could be the wisest way forward.
- Vegas Golden Knights netminder Adin Hill is dealing with a lower-body injury that could impact his availability for the team’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday, according to AT&T SportsNet’s Ashali Vise. The Golden Knights have dealt with major injury issues in their crease in recent weeks, injuries that led to the team acquiring legendary goaltender Jonathan Quick from the Columbus Blue Jackets. Hill has played well in 27 games for the Golden Knights this season, posting a 16-7-1 record, 2.45 goals-against-average, and .916 save percentage, but injuries have been a lingering issue in the past few seasons. Hill has been extremely impressive as of late, saving a combined 91 shots in his last two starts. Hopefully, for Hill and the Golden Knights, this injury is just a minor setback and not something that has a major impact on his availability moving forward.
Dallas Stars Sign Christian Kyrou
The Dallas Stars have announced that they have signed prospect defenseman Christian Kyrou to a three-year entry-level contract. Per the team announcement, the contract will begin next season.
Kyrou, the brother of St. Louis Blues star Jordan Kyrou, currently plays in the OHL for the Sarnia Sting, having been traded there earlier this year from the Erie Otters. Kyrou was the 50th overall pick in last year’s draft after a draft season where he scored 60 points in 68 games.
This season, Kyrou has scored 67 points in 56 games across both teams. He’s the fifth-ranked prospect in the Stars’ system according to The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler, (subscription link) and has drawn praise for his high skill level and offensive ability.
Kyrou was born September 15th 2003, meaning he missed the cutoff for eligibility for the 2021 draft by just a day. That may have worked quite a bit in his favor, though, as he missed the entire 2020-21 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which wiped out the OHL’s season. Additionally, the NHL-CHL transfer agreement stipulates that CHL prospects aged 20 or older by December 31st are eligible for assignment to the American Hockey League that season.
Since Kyrou will turn 20 in the middle of September next season, the Stars could have the option to send him to their AHL affiliate, the Texas Stars, rather than have him play another season in the OHL.
He could also, of course, make the Stars out of training camp, but that seems relatively unlikely seeing as the Stars already have 2019 first-round pick Thomas Harley eager to claim a spot on the left side of their defense, as well as Miro Heiskanen, Esa Lindell, and Ryan Suter already on the roster as established left-shot options.
The Stars had a two-year window to sign Kyrou to an entry-level deal before he would be eligible to re-enter the draft, but such a possibility was quickly taken out of the picture by Kyrou’s stellar performance in the OHL. He’s a promising young defenseman and his official entry into the Stars organization should be cause for excitement among Dallas fans.
Carolina Hurricanes Recall Pyotr Kochetkov On Emergency Basis
The Carolina Hurricanes have announced that goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov has been recalled on an emergency basis. The move comes as Antti Raanta left last night’s game against the Montreal Canadiens with an undisclosed injury.
The Hurricanes play games tomorrow night, Saturday, and Sunday, so one would think that if Raanta isn’t ready to play in those games, Kochetkov could get to make his 19th NHL start of the season thanks to this recall.
The 23-year-old Kochetkov last played in the NHL in the middle of January, when he stopped 29 of 32 shots in a shootout loss to the Vancouver Canucks. In the final stretch of 2022, Kochetkov managed to put together some stellar performances, including back-to-back shutouts against the Detroit Red Wings and New York Islanders in December. His stellar play in December 2022 earned him NHL Rookie of the Month honors.
More recently, Kochetkov has made headlines in the AHL by scoring a rare goalie goal only to be ejected from the game moments later.
Overall, Kochetkov has had a strong season. He’s posted a 10-4-5 record in the NHL with a .913 save percentage and 2.33 goals-against-average, and a 13-5-2 record, 2.39 goals-against-average and .916 save percentage in the AHL.
Kochetkov’s stellar performance this year comes with added benefit to the Hurricanes, as they already have him locked into a contract extension that runs through the 2026-27 season. That deal comes at a $2MM AAV, meaning if Kochetkov can become at the very least a tandem goalie in Carolina (if not the quality starter he has looked like for short bursts in his brief NHL career) that contract could represent a major bargain for the Hurricanes.
But putting aside that long-term thinking, it’s likely that with this recall, Kochetkov will have another NHL start to prepare for. With the Hurricanes battling the New Jersey Devils for supremacy in the Metropolitan Division, Carolina has to be thankful that they have a goalie like Kochetkov as their organization’s number-three netminder.
Minor Transactions: 03/05/23
It’s a relatively slow day on the NHL calendar, at least compared to yesterday, with just five games on the schedule. But in leagues across the hockey world, teams are gearing up for the playoffs, such as in Europe where the ICEHL and DEL both are set to begin their playoffs this week. As teams in foreign leagues or minor leagues either get set to begin their playoffs or secure their spot in them, they’re also making tweaks to their rosters and other forms of transactions. We’ll keep track of those moves here.
- Former Ottawa Senator and three-time Spengler Cup champion Chris DiDomenico is returning to Fribourg. Swiss club HC Fribourg-Gotteron has announced that the 34-year-old forward has signed a two-year deal set to begin next season. After a 2017-18 season that saw DiDomenico play 24 NHL games and score 18 points in just 13 AHL playoff games, he made the choice to cross the Atlantic and return to Switzerland, where he was before making it to the NHL. DiDomenico has been a star there, scoring a total of 314 points in 328 total games, and has scored 23 goals and 53 points in 46 games this season.
- 2016 Carolina Hurricanes third-round pick Jack LaFontaine, 25, has been reassigned to the ECHL’s Orlando Solar Bears from the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch, according to a team announcement. LaFontaine returned in time to play in the Solar Bears’ game against the South Carolina Stingrays today, where he stopped 32 of 34 shots en route to a 7-2 victory. LaFontaine has spent most of this season in the ECHL, and he has a .905 save percentage in 22 games in Orlando this season.
- Morten Poulsen, who represented Denmark at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing and is a star in Denmark’s top professional league, has signed a two-year extension with his current club, Herning Blue Fox. The 34-year-old is Herning’s captain and has scored 290 points in 394 career games at Denmark’s highest level. He’s a three-time Danish champion and has experience playing in Austria, in the Finnish Liiga, and in Sweden.
- A longtime veteran of the second and third divisions of German hockey won’t be hanging up his skates anytime soon. 41-year-old blueliner Lukas Slavetinsky, who has nearly 1,300 games of experience at four levels of German hockey has signed a one-year extension with his current team, EV Fussen, who play in the third tier of German hockey. He’s still quite productive, having scored 39 points in 39 games this season, and got into eleven games of action this year in second-tier DEL2. He last saw the ice in the DEL, the highest level of German pro hockey, in 2006-07 with ERC Ingolstadt.
- Michel Ackers, a 31-year-old defenseman who has served as captain of Herner EV 2007, a club in Germany’s third division, has signed a two-year extension to remain with the team. Ackers is one of the club’s most committed players, having skated in over 300 games for them and scored around a point-per-game rate multiple times. He’ll remain with the team for the next two years with the hope of finally leading them to promotion to the DEL2.
Big Hype Prospects: Sykora, Michkov, Huuhtanen, Poirier, Merilainen
Welcome to PHR’s Big Hype Prospects series. Like the MLB Trade Rumors series of the same name, we’re taking a look at the performances of top prospects from across the hockey world. We’ll look at drafted prospects who are rising, others who are struggling, and prospects for the upcoming draft who are notable.
Five Big Hype Prospects
Adam Sykora, LW, New York Rangers (HK Nitra, Tipos Extraliga)
37 GP 8G 12A 20pts
Despite not having a first-round pick at the 2022 NHL draft thanks to their in-season acquisition of Andrew Copp from the Winnipeg Jets, it seems as though the Rangers still managed to nab a quality prospect with their highest pick in the draft, all the way down at 63rd overall.
While fast-rising Montreal Canadiens prospect Lane Hutson has attracted most of the attention for the way he’s laid waste to college hockey in his first season since being drafted, Sykora, the player selected immediately after Huston has had among the most impressive and attention-worthy seasons of the 2022 second-round as well.
With 20 points in 37 games played, Sykora has upped his point-per-game scoring rate from .37 to .54.
That scoring rate puts him third in U21 scoring in Slovakia’s top professional league, and the two players in front of him are aged 21 and 20, respectively. Sykora, on the other hand, is just 18 years old and will have to wait until September to turn 19.
In other words, Sykora is just over a month older than top 2023 draft prospect Adam Fantilli, and is already reaching triple-digit career games played in a solid professional league.
And beyond just his scoring rate, Sykora is one of Nitra’s most relied-upon players, often skating in more than 20 minutes a night and regularly contributing on both special teams units.
Sykora’s best asset is his motor, which is always running to the max on every shift. He’s extremely hard-working and has more skill than one might expect. While he may not end up an overwhelming points producer, it’s easy to see his game being quickly transferrable to North American ice. He was even drafted number-one overall at the 2022 CHL Import Draft, suggesting Canadian junior teams were similarly optimistic about his game’s translatability to the other side of the Atlantic, and he’s already signed to an entry-level deal with the Rangers.
While Nitra hasn’t been a great team as a whole this year, they play HK Poprad in a playoff series later this week and Sykora’s performance there will definitely be something for the Rangers and their fans to pay attention to.
Matvei Michkov, LW, 2023 Draft Prospect (HK Sochi, KHL)
27 GP 9G 11A 2opts (for Sochi)
With Connor Bedard routinely torching competition in the WHL and Fantilli piling up impressive scoring numbers in college hockey, it’s easy to see why they’re regularly viewed as the two main can’t-miss prospects eligible to be selected at the draft in Nashville. But tucked away in the KHL (and under contract there through 2025-26) is Matvei Michkov, who has all the talent to be in the conversation with those other two prospects but is highly unlikely to be a consideration for the top-two picks in the draft.
Michkov’s season began somewhat unevenly. He was playing well, especially at the second-tier VHL level where he scored 14 points in 12 games, but opportunities in the KHL were scarce. His club, SKA St. Petersburg, is regularly among the KHL’s juggernaut teams and could not afford him any sort of regular role. In fact, when he managed to get into the ice for two KHL games, he finished with less than eight total minutes played across both games.
A December loan to HK Sochi, a team that would be able to give him ample ice time, ignited Michkov’s game and gave him a chance to show what he could do in one of the most talent-rich leagues outside the NHL. Michkov ended up playing 27 games for Sochi, and he finished with 20 points in 27 games. While one might note that eight of those points game in two games against the Kunlun Red Star, the KHL’s Chinese club and one of the worst teams in their league, it’s also worth noting that Kunlun won 10 more games this season than Sochi did.
Michkov is a fantastically skilled offensive player and his scoring numbers in the KHL are extremely rare for someone his age to accomplish. Kirill Kaprizov managed just eight points in 31 games in his own draft year, while Alex Ovechkin scored 23 points (more than Michkov) but in 53 games, not the 27 Michkov played for Sochi.
That’s not to say that Michkov is going to have the type of NHL success either of those two players have had — one is an all-time great and the other is looking increasingly like a franchise-defining star — but it does indicate the type of rare talent we’re dealing with here.
While the uncertain timeline of when Michkov would be available to NHL teams will likely hurt him on draft day, as NHL GMs weigh the risks and rewards of investing such high picks in different players, Michkov’s form in Sochi has underscored just how much he belongs in the conversation for the most talented player available at the 2023 draft not named Bedard.
Niko Huuhtanen, RW, Tampa Bay Lightning (Jukurit, Liiga)
45 GP 16G 13A 29pts
While Huuhtanen, 19, was the 2021 NHL draft’s “Mr. Irrelevant” as the last player selected, to borrow from an NFL tradition, he’s quickly reached a point of relevance in the two seasons since earning the moniker. The Lightning saw something in Huuhtanen, a six-foot-two 210-pound winger, and used their last pick on him after he scored 20 goals and 34 points at the Finnish junior level.
He was selected second overall at the 2021 CHL Import Draft, and headed to the WHL to play for the Everett Silvertips the following year. As a later birthdate for the 2021 draft, suspicions that Huuhtanen might be a late-bloomer seemed to be confirmed after his WHL performance, as he became an instant-impact contributor for the Silvertips, and finished with 37 goals and 77 points in 65 games.
This season, Huuhtanen has taken his game even further and is now one of the top scorers for Jukurit, a team in one of the best professional leagues in the world. At just 19 years old, Huuhtanen manged to score 16 goals and 29 points for Jukurit, a total that led all teenage players in Liiga. Huuhtanen plays the type of game that is highly coveted among NHL teams, combining the prototypical power forward’s physical game with goal-scoring ability and some sneaky skill.
According to CapFriendly, the Lightning have all the way until June 1st, 2025 to give Huuhtanen his entry-level deal before losing his exclusive rights. But given the way he’s played the past two years and how pro-ready his game looks, it’s likely that he’ll enter their organization well before that runway ends.
Jeremie Poirier, LHD, Calgary Flames (Calgary, AHL)
53 GP 7G 29A 36pts
Oftentimes it can be a bit of a challenge for skaters (and especially defensemen) who score at the junior level to translate their impressive numbers to the professional level. There’s often the pressure for defensemen to become deferential in their game, to play with a lot more safety and lose the type of risk-taking offensive flair that made them successful at those lower levels. Those challenges can be even more greatly magnified by higher competition level, as the time and space with the puck players are often more easily able to generate at the junior level can quickly evaporate against pros.
For Poirier, a Flames 2020 third-round pick, those challenges have been more than capably met. Fresh off of a Memorial Cup victory with the Saint John Sea Dogs of the QMJHL, Poirier has stepped into the lineup with the Calgary Wranglers and become their most productive defenseman in his rookie professional season. With 36 points in 53 games, Poirier is not only Calgary’s most productive defenseman, he’s also the most productive defenseman aged 20 or under in the American League.
While the Flames have seemingly deemed him best served playing a full first pro season in the AHL without the potential interruption an NHL call-up would bring, Poirier has quickly played his way into the Flames’ medium-to-long-term blueline plans.
Flames head coach Darryl Sutter is notoriously demanding of his players, and it’s likely that Poirier will need to further refine his defensive game to have success under Sutter. But as far as adjustments from the CHL to NHL go, Poirier’s has been as smooth as one could reasonably have hoped it would be.
Leevi Merilainen, G, Ottawa Senators (Karpat, Liiga)
39 GP 1.94 GAA .920 SV%
While the Ottawa Senators got strong goaltending from Anton Forsberg last season and gave him a $2.75MM AAV contract extension through 2025, the team’s “goalie of the future” remains relatively unclear. Big 2019 second-round pick Mads Sogaard has done quite well in six NHL games, with a 4-0-1 record, 2.33 GAA, and .922 save percentage, but he has just an .898 save percentage in 21 AHL games this season. 22-year-old Kevin Mandolese is a big netminder, but his AHL numbers have been similarly shaky.
While 2020 third-round pick Leevi Merilainen‘s uneven play last season in the OHL with the Kingston Frontenacs was far from the resounding step towards “goalie of the future” status many were hoping he’d take, his form this season in the Finnish Liiga has been exactly that.
Merilainen has played in 39 games for Karpat this season and currently ranks third among all league netminders with a .920 save percentage. He’s helped Karpat rise to the upper end of Liiga’s standings and has handily outperformed 2020 Pittsburgh Penguins second-rounder Joel Blomqvist. At six-foot-two, 180 pounds Merilainen doesn’t have the imposing size many NHL teams covet in their goalies, but he’s also big enough where size isn’t the sort of underlying concern it is for other prospect goalies.
The Senators signed Merilainen to an entry-level deal in 2021, and could be looking to have him cross the Atlantic and continue his development in their organization next season.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Minor Transactions: 03/04/23
With the NHL trade deadline now passed, playoff races in both conferences are ramping up and today is a jam-packed Saturday full of NHL action. A potential Eastern Conference Final preview happened earlier today when the Boston Bruins took on the New York Rangers, and multiple teams jockeying for playoff position are engaged in important games. As these games play out, teams in minor and foreign leagues are making tweaks to their rosters and signing contract extensions. We’ll keep track of those moves here.
- 2014 Toronto Maple Leafs fourth-round pick and 2021-22 EIHL Player of the Year J.J. Piccinich has signed a two-year contract extension with his current club, Norway’s Stjernen Hockey. Piccinich, a former captain of the OHL’s London Knights, torched the United Kingdom’s top league last season to the tune of 80 points in 52 games for the Belfast Giants. He left Northern Ireland for Norway this season and has fit exceptionally well, scoring 65 points in 45 games. Piccinich has won quite a bit in his career and is a Hockey East, OHL, Memorial Cup, ECHL, and EIHL Champion, and he’ll now have two more seasons after this one to win a title in Norway.
- 27-year-old Zac Masson will get his first chance to show what he can do at the ECHL level. The former University of Alaska-Anchorage forward was signed out of the SPHL’s Birmingham Bulls by the ECHL’s Atlanta Gladiators today, giving him his first opportunity at North American hockey’s third tier of the pro game. Masson has had to work his way up to this level, as he spent his first season as a professional playing for Bisons de Neuilly-sur-Marne in the second tier of pro hockey in France. This year, he’s scored 11 goals and 21 points in 40 games for the Bulls, and will now get a chance to impress at a more difficult level of hockey with the Gladiators.
- Roberts Mamcics, a 27-year-old Latvian winger who represented his home country at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, has signed a one-year contract extension with his current team, Slovakia’s HC Nove Zamsky. With just seven points in 33 games this year, Mamcics hasn’t scored a ton, but he’s helped Nove Zamsky reach the playoffs this season. This has been Mamcics’ first season in Slovakia, with much of his prior professional experience coming in the KHL with Dinamo Riga before he split last season between four teams: Riga, Latvia’s HK Zemgale, the SHL’s HC Linkoping, and Czechia’s Berani Zlin.
Snapshots: Hughes, Gustafsson, Gudas
Even though the trade deadline has now passed, the New Jersey Devils still have a reinforcement on the horizon to add to their roster. Devils team reporter Amanda Stein relays word from Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald that 2021 fourth-overall pick Luke Hughes will sign with New Jersey whenever his current season with the University of Michigan concludes. Hughes’ timeline depends on the level of postseason success Michigan has, so at this point it’s currently unclear when exactly he’ll be able to turn pro.
But whenever Hughes does decide to pull the trigger and sign his entry-level deal, he’ll be a high-upside addition to an already talent-rich Devils blueline. Hughes is among the top prospects currently playing outside of the NHL, and at six-foot-two is an extremely good skater for someone his size. He currently has 36 points in 32 games and has the potential to become a star number-one defenseman in New Jersey. While he has no professional experience and isn’t quite there yet, he could provide some pop to the Devils’ bottom pairing in the role Kevin Bahl currently occupies.
Some other notes from across the NHL:
- The Winnipeg Jets have activated forward David Gustafsson off of injured reserve. Gustafsson hasn’t played since a January 10th loss to the Detroit Red Wings, a contest where he skated in just under nine minutes of ice time and registered an assist. The 22-year-old 2018 second-round pick has five points in 38 games this season and should be able to help patch up a Jets forward corps that has been ravaged by injuries in recent weeks.
- After some rumors today of Florida Panthers defenseman Radko Gudas garnering trade interest, it seems the team is actually more interested in keeping the veteran defenseman in South Florida. Via WPLG Local 10 News’ David Dwork, Florida Panthers GM Bill Zito said the team would “like to keep Gudas” if possible, and that early discussions on a possible contract extension for Gudas have been held. The physical 32-year-old blueliner has an expiring $2.5MM cap hit and has blossomed into a crucial defensive force for the Panthers, averaging over two and a half minutes per game on their penalty kill.
San Jose Sharks Recall William Eklund
The San Jose Sharks top prospect, William Eklund, is set to return to the NHL. After getting a nine-game trial run last season before heading to play for Djurgardens in his native Sweden, the Sharks have put Eklund in a position to get more NHL games under his belt, recalling him from their AHL affiliate, the San Jose Barracuda.
While Eklund’s performance last season for Djurgarden was somewhat uneven (he scored 14 points in 29 games as his side was relegated to Sweden’s second-tier league, HockeyAllsvenskan) he has taken real strides in his development now that he’s on North American ice. Eklund has been a centerpiece offensive generator for the Barracuda, and has scored 17 goals and 41 points in 52 games.
Eklund is a smooth-skating attacker whose play in Sweden last year raised some concerns about his goal-scoring ability, as he often looked deferential with the puck on his stick and finished with just one goal to his name. This season, though, Eklund has taken a meaningful step to add more of a shooting threat to his game and become a real one-timer possibility on the power play.
He’s an exciting attacker in transition and should add some offensive spark to the Sharks lineup. While the Sharks’ season is all but over where the playoffs are concerned, getting a look at Eklund’s progress via this call-up provides some real meaning to the remaining games left on the Sharks’ schedule.
If the Sharks organization wants its fortunes to turn around sooner, rather than later, Eklund’s ability to translate his scoring success in the AHL to the more difficult NHL level will be one of the most important storylines to track.
Eklund has all the tools to be a star scoring winger in the NHL, and his AHL performance this year absolutely supports that line of thinking. With this call-up, now Eklund will get his first extended chance to show what the can do in the most talented hockey league in the world.