Blue Jackets Recall Luca Del Bel Belluz
The Columbus Blue Jackets announced that they’ve recalled forward Luca Del Bel Belluz from the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters. Del Bel Belluz last played in the NHL with the Blue Jackets shortly before Christmas earlier this season.
Del Bel Belluz, 22, has been an intriguing prospect in Columbus’s system for a few years now. He’s been an exceptional scorer at the AHL level with the Monsters, but has yet to put it together in hockey’s top league.
Since debuting in the professional ranks in the 2023-24 season, Del Bel Belluz has scored 58 goals and 141 points in 172 games for AHL Cleveland. That production hasn’t been enough to warrant any awards or recognitions in the AHL, but he has essentially been a point-per-game player for the past two years.
Given that production, it’s fairly confusing why he hasn’t gotten a longer opportunity at the NHL level, especially this year. Last season, Del Bel Belluz scored two goals and eight points in 15 games for the Blue Jackets, averaging 13:45 of ice time in a middle-six role.
Still, it’s not like Del Bel Belluz hasn’t gotten any opportunities this year. Throughout the 2025-26 campaign, Del Bel Belluz has only tallied one assist in 12 games, averaging 8:46 of ice time on the team’s fourth line. Del Bel Belluz has yet to play for the Blue Jackets under the tutelage of Rick Bowness.
There’s reason to believe that Del Bel Belluz will increase his point totals if he gets any significant ice time throughout his current call-up. Before the hiring of Bowness, Columbus averaged three goals per game. Since his hire, the team has averaged just over 3.5.
Flames Sign Jonathan Castagna To Entry-Level Contract
As expected, the Calgary Flames have signed one of their recently acquired prospects to his entry-level contract. Calgary announced that they’ve signed forward Jonathan Castagna to a three-year, $3.225MM ($1.075MM AAV) entry-level contract beginning next season. Outside of his AAV, the Flames didn’t provide any more contractual details.
Castagna, 20, was drafted with the 70th overall pick of the 2023 NHL Draft by the now-defunct Arizona Coyotes. He was playing in the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association with St. Andrew’s College at the time, scoring 29 goals and 72 points in 50 games.
The following year, Castagna began his collegiate career at Cornell University. He had a decent showing as a freshman, scoring 11 goals and 25 points in 35 games with a +20 rating. Unfortunately, he took a step back in his sophomore season, registering five goals and 15 points in 32 contests.
He rebounded in a big way this year. Although he only finished 40th in scoring throughout the entire NCAA, Castagna still had a point-per-game year, registering 15 goals and 34 points in 34 games with a +23 rating.
In an interesting way, that made him a more expendable prospect for the Utah Mammoth. The team is already flush with young top-six forwards and has other prospects on the way. Looking to make a splash at the deadline, the Mammoth included Castagna in the package for defenseman MacKenzie Weegar.
In their announcement, the Flames shared that Castagna will begin his professional career on an amateur tryout agreement with the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers. He’s dealing with a minor lower-body injury at the time being, so it’ll be a few days before he makes his professional debut.
Buffalo Sabres Recall Zach Metsa
As expected, the Buffalo Sabres have recalled defenseman Zach Metsa from the AHL’s Rochester Americans, according to a team announcement. Metsa was reassigned just a few days ago due to the activation of fellow defenseman Conor Timmins.
Simply put, the Sabres have just been better this season when Metsa is in the lineup. Throughout the year, Buffalo has a 29-5-4 record when Metsa is playing, and a 16-16-4 record when he isn’t. He’s not necessarily a game-changing defenseman like Rasmus Dahlin, but the team is clearly comfortable when Metsa is earning minutes.
Despite how Timmins has played since returning, he’ll likely be the odd man out when the Sabres get Metsa back into the lineup. Metsa isn’t relied upon to kill penalties like Timmins, but the two have held a similar role this season on the right side of the bottom pairing.
Throughout his rookie season, Metsa has put up solid production given his ice time, scoring two goals and six points in 38 games with a +20 rating, averaging 10:19 of action per game. Still, his 45.6% CorsiFor at even strength and 1.9 E+/- indicates that he’s gotten a bit of puck luck. However, that’s been true of the entire Sabres team throughout their historic run this season.
The team has hovered around a 103.0 PDO (shooting percentage + save percentage at even strength), which indicates that they are due for regression at some point. Teams will typically average a flat 100.0 throughout the season, with teams on either side of that trending toward it.
Montreal Canadiens Recall Adam Engstrom
The Montreal Canadiens have added some defensive depth to the roster for the remaining part of their regular-season schedule. According to a team announcement, the Canadiens have recalled Adam Engstrom from the AHL’s Laval Rocket.
Engstrom, 22, has already played in multiple games with Montreal this year over a pair of call-ups earlier in the season. The Jarna, Sweden native is still looking for his first NHL point after 11 games, but does carry a +3 rating and a 50.7% CorsiFor at even strength.
Obviously, teams don’t draft players with the expectation that they won’t contribute at the NHL level someday, but Engstrom has played above his draft status for some time. The Canadiens selected him with the 92nd overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft after registering eight goals and 28 points in 45 games in the J20 Nationell league in Sweden.
After a pair of productive seasons in the SHL with Rögle BK, Engstrom immigrated to North America for the 2024-25 campaign to continue his professional career. This season, he has taken his offensive game to a completely different level with the Rocket, scoring 10 goals and 34 points in 45 games.
Unfortunately, he suffered an upper-body injury in late February, which kept him out of action for a few weeks. Still, he didn’t miss a beat upon his return, and now has earned another call-up with Montreal to close out their 2025-26 campaign.
Senators Sign Hoyt Stanley To Entry-Level Contract
The Ottawa Senators have signed their second collegiate prospect of the day. According to a team announcement, the Senators have signed defenseman Hoyt Stanley to a three-year, entry-level contract, beginning in the 2026-27 season. He’ll finish the 2025-26 campaign on an amateur tryout agreement with the AHL’s Belleville Senators.
Stanley, 21, recently completed his junior season at Cornell University. The West Vancouver, BC native was drafted 108th overall by the Senators in the 2023 NHL Draft, playing his draft season with the BCHL’s Victoria Grizzlies, where he scored four goals and 38 points in 53 games.
He was never an offensive threat at Cornell, nor was he expected to be one. Still, he remained fairly consistent throughout his collegiate career, registering seven goals and 38 points in 105 games with a +32 rating. During his time in the program, Cornell never advanced far in the National Tournament. However, Stanley contributed to the team by helping them secure two ECAC championships and achieve a remarkable upset against Michigan State University in the regional semifinals last year.
While he won’t be expected to lead the defensive corps in scoring while in Ottawa or Belleville, Stanley still has talent that makes him an intriguing prospect. Standing at 6’3″, 201lbs, Stanley is an exceptional skater at that size. He isn’t necessarily the most explosive skater in straight-line quickness, but his edge work and lateral mobility make him nearly impossible to beat wide.
Kings Expected To Sign Hampton And Grant Slukynsky
The Los Angeles Kings are expected to sign one of their promising goaltending prospects. According to Alexander Legget of Mayor’s Manor, the Kings are expected to sign netminder Hampton Slukynsky to his entry-level contract.
Slukynsky, 20, has spent his collegiate career with the Western Michigan University Broncos. Los Angeles selected the Warroad, MN native out of high school in the 2023 NHL Draft with the 118th overall pick. Slukynsky spent his post-draft season with the USHL’s Fargo Force before officially joining the Broncos.
Even after winning the USHL’s Clark Cup and Goaltender of the Year award in 2023-24, few would have expected what Slukynsky would do in his freshman campaign. Slukynsky was integral to Western Michigan University capturing its first National Championship in program history. He finished the year with a 19-5-1 record in 25 games with a .922 SV% and 1.90 GAA.
Earlier that season, he added more championship wins to his resume. Although he wasn’t the team’s starter, Slukynsky helped Team USA capture gold in the U20 IIHF World Junior Championships, winning both of his starts with a .933 SV%.
This season, despite the Broncos not defending their title, Slukynsky continued to post elite numbers. He finished his sophomore season with a 27-11-1 record in 39 games with a .915 SV% and 2.30 GAA, including four shutouts.
Not only are the Kings expected to sign Hampton, but they’re also expected to sign his brother, Grant Slukynsky, who is an undrafted collegiate prospect. Like his brother, Grant, 24, spent the last two years with the Broncos, scoring 20 goals and 76 points in 81 games.
Combined, their resumes speak for themselves. Since the beginning of the 2022-23 season, the pair have combined for two separate Clark Cup championships, a National Championship, and a World Junior gold medal. The Kings will maintain hope that the brothers can continue their winning ways in the professional ranks.
Evening Notes: Tortorella, Lohrei, Olivier, Bunting
Earlier this afternoon, the Vegas Golden Knights sent waves through the NHL by firing head coach Bruce Cassidy and replacing him with veteran bench boss John Tortorella. Still, the Golden Knights didn’t give Tortorella a long leash.
According to TSN’s Darren Dreger, Tortorella’s contract with Vegas only runs through the rest of the 2025-26 season. He’ll be guaranteed the last eight games of the regular season for the Golden Knights, and, assuming they make the playoffs, their last game of the postseason. Unless an extension is agreed to beforehand, the Golden Knights may be looking for a new head coach in a few months.
It’s a similar move to what the Columbus Blue Jackets did with Rick Bowness, albeit with much more time remaining in the season. However, even if the Tortorella experiment isn’t fruitful, the Golden Knights could explore a reunion with Peter DeBoer, hire Jay Woodcroft away from the Anaheim Ducks, or take a run at David Carle at the University of Denver. That’s all before any other teams make changes leading into the summer.
Additional evening notes:
- The Boston Bruins were without one of their top-four defensemen in their comeback win over the Blue Jackets earlier today. Before the game, Boston’s play-by-play broadcaster, Ryan Johnson, shared that Mason Lohrei is dealing with a minor lower-body injury and is considered day-to-day. Despite the Bruins’ success, Lohrei has had a difficult month, scoring one goal and two points in 14 games with a +2 rating.
- On the other side of the game, the Blue Jackets lost middle-six forward Mathieu Olivier to an upper-body injury during the game, as announced by the club. Olivier skated in 3:06 of action across six shifts, registering one shot on goal and two hits. His injury is likely connected to fighting Bruins forward Mark Kastelic late in the first period.
- Already dealing with a few injuries to their forward corps, the trend continues for the Dallas Stars. During their ongoing contest against the Philadelphia Flyers, the Stars shared that Michael Bunting is unlikely to return due to a lower-body injury. Bunting has not returned after skating for six shifts, and the injury update was vague.
Anaheim Ducks Recall Nathan Gaucher
3/29/26: According to the AHL transaction log, Gaucher has been recalled to the NHL by Anaheim. However, since he is not in San Diego’s lineup tonight, he wouldn’t be eligible for recall. The only exception would be if the Ducks recalled him under emergency conditions.
3/29/26: Gaucher has been reassigned back to the AHL, according to the league’s official transactions wire. His NHL debut will have to wait, as he didn’t dress for either of the Ducks’ two games played while he was on their NHL roster.
Though he returns to the AHL without having played in his first NHL game, Gaucher’s recall was not without at least some benefit. He received the pro-rated portion of his NHL salary ($855K) during the recall, a notable albeit brief pay bump. Gaucher’s AHL salary is $82.5K and he did not receive a signing bonus this season, nor is he slated to receive one next league year.
3/25/26: A recent first-round pick by the Anaheim Ducks could be making his NHL debut relatively soon. According to Derek Lee of The Hockey News, the Ducks are expected to recall forward Nathan Gaucher from the AHL’s San Diego Gulls, with an official announcement coming later.
Gaucher, 22, has been playing in the Ducks organization for a few years now. Anaheim selected Gaucher with the 22nd overall pick of the 2022 NHL Draft after he scored 31 goals and 57 points in 66 games for the QMJHL’s Québec Remparts, with a +30 rating. The 2022-23 campaign was Gaucher’s best at the major junior level, scoring 22 goals and 46 points in 44 games with a +35 rating, with another seven goals and 16 points in 18 postseason contests en route to a Memorial Cup title.
Since then, he has played professionally in the Ducks’ organization, exclusively for the Gulls. Unfortunately, his development, primarily on the offensive side of the puck, has stagnated somewhat. Throughout his three years in the AHL, Gaucher has registered 30 goals and 70 points in 185 games, but has set a new career-high this season.
Given his production in San Diego, it’s somewhat difficult to project Gaucher’s long-term path in the NHL. He’s an aggressive forechecker who isn’t afraid of physicality, with the vision to find his teammates relatively effortlessly. A good comparison would be Martin Pospisil of the Calgary Flames, a strong player who excels at moving the puck in a bottom-six role while averaging over three hits per game.
Bill Riley Passes Away At 75
In an unfortunate announcement from the team, the Washington Capitals shared that former player Bill Riley passed away at the age of 75.
In their press release, Washington said,
Bill was a true trailblazer in our game, becoming one of the first Black players to play in the NHL, following pioneers such as Willie O’Ree and playing alongside fellow Capital Mike Marson. His courage, perseverance, and passion for the sport helped pave the way for future generations. During his time with Washington, Bill exemplified leadership, professionalism, and dedication both on and off the ice. He carried himself with integrity and pride, leaving a lasting impact on his teammates, the organization, and the broader hockey community. We honor Bill’s legacy and the important role he played in growing the game. He will always be remembered as a valued member of the Capitals family.
The word perseverance couldn’t ring truer. Riley came from humble beginnings in Amherst, Nova Scotia, with his parents notably making great financial sacrifices to fund his hockey endeavors. Tearing up the Nova Scotia youth leagues, Riley was spotted by Tom McVie, who was scouting talent for his new team at the time, the IHL’s Dayton Gems, and offered Riley a tryout.
During the 1975-76 season with the Gems, Riley scored 35 goals and 66 points in 69 games and was offered a spot on the Capitals for the next season, following a one-game tryout with them the previous season. He stayed in Washington for the next three years, scoring 28 goals and 56 points in 125 games with 313 PIMs.
Taken by the original iteration of the Winnipeg Jets in the 1979 NHL Expansion Draft, Riley finished his NHL career during the 1979-80 season, scoring three goals and five points in 14 games before being sent to the minor leagues. That would unfortunately be his last NHL appearance.
Riley continued his professional career in the AHL for several years, playing for the Nova Scotia Voyageurs, New Brunswick Hawks, and Moncton Alpines before retiring at the end of the 1983-84 season. Riley won the Calder Cup with New Brunswick in 1982, scoring eight goals and 16 points in 15 postseason contests.
PHR joins the Capitals organization, the Jets organization, and others around the game in sending condolences to his family, friends, loved ones, and former teammates.
West Notes: Hintz, Faksa, Helenius, Hejduk
The Dallas Stars got a major boost to their forward corps yesterday when they welcomed back Mikko Rantanen. Unfortunately, they’ll likely have to wait until the Stanley Cup playoffs to have all of their forward depth back.
According to the deputy managing editor, Adam Kimelman, injured forwards Roope Hintz and Radek Faksa are more than a week and a half away from returning. Still, they are making positive strides in their recoveries, as both skated today and are expected to return for the postseason.
Like Rantanen, Faksa is dealing with an injury he suffered during the Winter Olympics in Milan. Meanwhile, Hintz has been recovering from a lower-body injury he suffered during the Stars’ loss to the Colorado Avalanche on March 6th. Regardless, being one of only two teams to have already clinched a spot in the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs, the Stars will spend their remaining nine games ensuring home-ice advantage against the Minnesota Wild in Round One.
Additional notes from the Western Conference:
- Team content manager, Zach Dooley, shared that the Los Angeles Kings were without forward Samuel Helenius at practice today. Dooley indicated that Helenius was “dinged up” in the Kings’ loss to the Utah Mammoth last night and is considered day-to-day with an undisclosed injury. Helenius, 23, is in his second year with Los Angeles, registering four goals and eight points in 45 games throughout his sophomore campaign.
- The ECHL affiliate of the Colorado Avalanche, the Utah Grizzlies, has brought in the son of one of the franchise’s former legends. According to Brogan Houston of Deseret News Sports, the Grizzlies have signed Marek Hejduk, son of Milan Hejduk, to a professional contract. Hejduk recently concluded his collegiate career at Harvard University, scoring two goals and seven points in 32 games throughout his senior season. Over his entire tenure with the Crimson, Hejduk registered 17 goals and 32 points in 124 contests.