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Connor Bedard Wins IIHF Male Player Of The Year

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There’s a little over a week left in his amateur career, but Connor Bedard is still taking home awards. The 17-year-old forward is the inaugural recipient of the IIHF Male Player of the Year award.

Bedard has three IIHF gold medals (U18, U20, U20) and, as the release states, had “perhaps the greatest single World Junior Championship tournament” in history, with 23 points—nine more than his closest competitor.

The soon-to-be Chicago Blackhawks forward secured 31.8% of the votes for the award, with Latvian goaltender Arturs Silovs coming in second place at 19.6%. Silovs led Latvia on a historic bronze-medal run at the recent World Championships, posting a .921 save percentage in ten games.

It’s hard to have a more impressive draft year than Bedard. He won or was named:

  • CHL First All-Star Team
  • CHL Player of the Year
  • CHL Top Draft Prospect
  • CHL Top Scorer
  • U20 All-Star Team
  • U20 Best Forward
  • U20 Most Points
  • U20 Most Valuable Player
  • WHL First All-Star Team
  • WHL Most Points
  • WHL Player of the Year

The hype machine continues to be fueled by this latest award, and sets a precedent for future IIHF participants.

Multiple Interviews Scheduled With Matvei Michkov

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There is no mystery around who will go first in this year’s NHL Draft, as Connor Bedard can count the minutes until he’s a member of the Chicago Blackhawks. But the future of another top prospect is much less clear.

Matvei Michkov, who has been expected to go near the top of the 2023 draft for years, now faces an uncertain fate thanks to his KHL contract (which reportedly extends through 2025-26), the Russian political climate, and a scouting process that has so far limited viewings and meetings for NHL clubs.

That shroud seems to be lifting, at least somewhat. Bob McKenzie of TSN reports that several teams have scheduled meetings with Michkov ahead of next week’s draft, and are eager to get to know the young forward. McKenzie points out, “no elite NHL draft prospect has had fewer live viewings/interactions with NHL GMs/executives/head scouts in his draft year than Michkov.”

A brilliant offensive player that has been compared to nearly every high-level Russian forward throughout his development, Michkov showed off his upside after a midseason transfer to HK Sochi in 2022-23. After failing to receive much playing time with his contracted club, SKA St. Petersburg, an agreement was made to let the 18-year-old play for Sochi, where he scored 20 points in 27 games.

Where Michkov lands will be one of the more exciting news items to come out of this year’s draft, especially if he falls further than expected.

Philadelphia Flyers Hire John LeClair

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The Philadelphia Flyers are accumulating quite a group of former players in the front office. After announcing Patrick Sharp’s addition yesterday, they have now named John LeClair Special Advisor to Hockey Operations.

LeClair will work alongside Sharp and report to general manager Daniel Briere. President of hockey operations Keith Jones released the following statement:

Adding in John LeClair to work in conjunction with Patrick Sharp and the rest of our hockey operations group will be a powerful combination with their vast hockey knowledge and a ’team-first’ mentality.

John has been around the NHL and the game for a long time and knows what it takes to bring the core ethics of our foundation to the Philadelphia Flyers.

LeClair, 53, played parts of ten seasons for the Flyers during his playing career, forming one-third of the legendary “Legion of Doom” line with Eric Lindros and Mikael Renberg. The three power forwards dominated the league for several years, with LeClair scoring 50+ goals in three straight seasons between 1995-1998.

In terms of hockey operations, however, LeClair is a rookie. He coaches in 3ICE, the three-on-three league in which many current and former pros participate over the summer.

Between LeClair, Sharp, and Jones, the Flyers have added nearly 1,700 NHL points in the front office in recent weeks.

Ottawa Senators Expected To Take Alex DeBrincat To Arbitration

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“He doesn’t want to sign here.”

That’s how blunt Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia was today, when discussing Alex DeBrincat’s future with the Ottawa Senators. Garrioch reports that the Senators have elected to take DeBrincat to arbitration, attempting to get the possible 15% reduction on his $9MM qualifying offer.

That does not mean they will necessarily receive it. As suggested by the name, an arbitrator will decide what DeBrincat’s salary in 2023-24 will be, based on his previous contracts and performance.

It was always a risky play, going after the young forward. Ottawa sent the seventh and 39th overall picks in 2022 (plus a 2024 third-rounder) to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for DeBrincat last July, with only one season remaining on his contract. The three-year, $19.2MM deal was heavily back-loaded, forcing any RFA qualifying offer to skyrocket to $9MM.

If DeBrincat doesn’t want to play in Ottawa, he could simply take the one-year arbitration decision and hit unrestricted free agency in 2024 as a 26-year-old with two 41-goal seasons under his belt.

The Senators could get up to 15% off that $9MM, meaning the award could be as low as $7.65MM.

Of course, that doesn’t mean he’ll actually be playing in Ottawa next season. The club is in active trade talks to move the young winger and recoup some of the draft capital they spent last year.

Though he didn’t put up 40 goals, DeBrincat still showed off his scoring touch with the Senators. In 82 games, he lit the lamp 27 times and racked up 66 total points, good enough for fourth on the team behind Tim Stutzle, Brady Tkachuk, and Claude Giroux. In a 450-game NHL career, he now has 187 goals and 373 points.

Latest On Klim Kostin

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The Edmonton Oilers have some interesting moves to make this offseason as they (once again) look to rebuild a roster that wasn’t good enough to get it done in the playoffs. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl have shown they can only carry the group so far in the postseason, meaning the rest need to be more competitive.

One bright spot from this season was the emergence of Klim Kostin, a 2017 first-round pick of the St. Louis Blues who had struggled to make an impact at the NHL level. In Edmonton, he scored 11 goals and 21 points in 57 games, while racking up 157 hits and 66 penalty minutes. That kind of well-rounded depth player is valuable for a club like the Oilers, especially given that he is just 24 years old.

Unfortunately for general manager Ken Holland, Kostin is also eligible for arbitration, a process that could result in a much higher contract than the $750K he played under this year. With every dollar meaning so much to Edmonton, getting to a hearing might not be ideal.

Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic suggests that a two-year bridge contract with a cap hit no higher than $1.5MM could be an ideal compromise but also throws some chum in the water for frustrated Oilers fans. The scribe writes there “could be some interest in the 24-year-old winger from KHL teams.”

Given that Holland has already confirmed he will qualify Kostin, the Oilers won’t lose his rights either way. But watching him head to Russia after a breakout season (however limited) would be disappointing. Even if he played ten minutes a night, he made an impact for Edmonton—something not many role players have done over the last few years.

Mackenzie Blackwood Not Expected To Receive Qualifying Offer

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It wasn’t so long ago that Mackenzie Blackwood was considered an up-and-coming star goaltender for the New Jersey Devils. He was in the conversation for the Canadian Olympic team (before the NHL pulled out), finished sixth in a loaded Calder Trophy race, and earned himself a tidy three-year, $8.4MM extension following his first full season at the highest level.

Now, just a few years later, it appears the Devils will cut him loose.

Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff writes that Blackwood, a pending RFA, is “far and away the most likely player to not be issued a qualifying offer this spring.” He explains that while there’s a chance the Devils trade his rights to a team that wants to take a chance at rebuilding him, “every team knows [Blackwood] is set to become a UFA otherwise.”

That shouldn’t be a surprise, given the string of injuries and poor performances over the last few seasons. Combine that inconsistency with the fact that qualifying him would require a $3.36MM price tag, and you can see why the Devils would decide to move in a different direction.

It’s not like New Jersey has much room for him, anyway. Not only did they trade for and sign Vitek Vanecek, but Akira Schmid has also emerged as a potential star, and Nico Daws remains in the system as another highly-touted prospect. Even if Blackwood played well, there would be a goalie crunch for the Devils that likely ends with him playing somewhere else.

Still, if Seravalli is right and Blackwood hits the unrestricted free agent market this summer, he will be an interesting target for some teams. Just 26, there is a world where he bounces back and can become a legitimate NHL starter again. Given how cheap he’ll likely come in free agency, it may be a worthwhile gamble for clubs trying to find an answer in net.

Adam Fantilli Considering NCAA Return

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It has been quite the year for Adam Fantilli. Coming out of the USHL, he joined the Michigan Wolverines just as the program said goodbye to several elite players. Names like Matty Beniers, Kent Johnson, and Owen Power had all turned pro well before their eligibility expired, leaving plenty of opportunity for incoming talents.

The 18-year-old forward took advantage of that opportunity, immediately becoming the team’s most dominant player (save, perhaps, for Luke Hughes, who had his own incredible year). Fantilli would put up 65 points in just 38 games to pace the nation in scoring, win a gold medal as a key part of Team Canada at the World Juniors, and double up to win the Hobey Baker and Tim Taylor awards as college hockey’s best player and rookie.

He’s widely expected to go second overall in this year’s draft to the Anaheim Ducks, a team building quite the core of young forwards.

According to Fantilli, the Ducks might still have to wait a little while to get their hands on him. At the scouting combine in Buffalo, he told reporters, including Adam Kimelman of NHL.com, that a return to Michigan for his sophomore season is not out of the question.

I feel like I really can’t really go wrong. Michigan is an amazing place, and obviously, the NHL is where you want to be, it’s where you grew up wanting to play your entire life. So, it’s a big decision. There’s pros to both sides.

In all likelihood, the 6’2″ center will sign his entry-level deal and leave the NCAA after just one season. But, as he says, there are pros to staying, too. While he doesn’t have much to prove at that level, waiting another year would let him further mature physically and continue to hone his defensive game.

There were times at the recent World Championships when he seemed outmatched against professional competition. He scored just one goal and three points in ten games at the international competition. Should he go back to college for another year—as many top picks do—he would also get another chance to play at the World Juniors, this time as the star attraction.

There’s little doubt that Fantilli will make it to the NHL at some point, but the Ducks don’t need to rush him. The group is probably not yet ready to contend, meaning they could delay his entry-level contract a year. Even if they signed him at the end of the season, as long as Fantilli doesn’t play in more than ten NHL games, his contract would slide forward.

AHL Announces Inaugural Top Prospects Team

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Ahead of the 2023 Calder Cup Finals, which starts tonight between the Coachella Valley Firebirds and Hershey Bears, the AHL has released a new award that will intrigue hockey fans across the country. The AHL Top Prospects Team is a group of players that may not be in the minor leagues for much longer.

This year’s group includes:

Tyson Foerster, Lehigh Valley Phantoms

The 21-year-old Foerster was selected 23rd overall by the Philadelphia Flyers in 2020 and is one of the OHL players forced into the AHL during the 2020-21 season. Even as a teenager, he showed great scoring ability and returned this year to put up 20 goals and 48 points in 66 games.

Foerster made his NHL debut as well, suiting up eight times with the Flyers and putting up seven points—a taste of what will come next for the young forward.

Jiri Kulich, Rochester Americans

The Rochester club has seen several talented forwards come through in recent years, and Kulich is just the latest after being selected 28th overall in 2022 by the Buffalo Sabres. Coming over from the Czech Republic at just 18, he proved he was ready for North American professional hockey by scoring 24 goals and 46 points in 62 games.

Kulich was even better postseason, where he potted seven goals in 12 games. Only turning 19 in April, he was among the league’s youngest players this season.

Lukas Reichel, Rockford IceHogs

Anyone who has watched Reichel this season can see his time in the minor leagues should be over. The 17th overall selection in 2020 made his NHL debut for the Chicago Blackhawks last season and looked overwhelmed. Not so a year later, when he scored seven goals and 15 points in 23 games in the NHL.

The 21-year-old forward has been a dynamic offensive threat since the moment he joined Rockford, with career totals of 108 points in 111 games to this point.

David Jiricek, Cleveland Monsters

If it were a more important season for the Columbus Blue Jackets, Jiricek might not have played a full season in the minor leagues. The 19-year-old defenseman was a menace at the AHL level, scoring six goals and 38 points in 55 games.

Known more for his size and blistering shot during his draft year, the 2022 sixth-overall pick showed improved poise and vision, leading to some lofty expectations in Columbus. Before long, he’ll be a full-time anchor on the Blue Jackets’ blue line.

Simon Nemec, Utica Comets

The other top defenseman from the 2022 draft class was Nemec, who didn’t disappoint in his rookie season. Selected second overall by the New Jersey Devils, the 19-year-old defenseman put up 12 goals and 34 points in 65 games.

Nemec has a wildly entertaining style that sees him fly all over the ice, making unpredictable plays regularly. While he may still take some unreasonable risks, he has a higher ceiling than almost any defensive prospect in the league, and should add that excitement to the Devils group soon enough.

Jesper Wallstedt, Iowa Wild

It was a pretty solid North American debut for Wallstedt, who posted a .908 save percentage in 38 AHL games. The big Swede was the 20th overall pick in 2021 and could buck the trend of goaltenders taking years to develop.

There was obvious growth in Wallstedt’s game during his first season in the AHL, and despite being just 20, he should already be factoring into the Minnesota Wild’s decision-making in net. They already have a young starter in Filip Gustavsson but may not need a backup for long.

Calgary Flames Re-Sign Oscar Dansk

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The answer to the trivia question “Who was the first player Craig Conroy signed as general manager of the Calgary Flames?” will not be who you expect. Oscar Dansk, the organization’s minor league backup, has inked a one-year, two-way contract extension. The deal carries an NHL salary of $775K.

Dansk, 29, had been heading for unrestricted free agency after appearing 18 times with the Calgary Wranglers this season. The veteran minor league netminder put up a .905 save percentage in the regular season, far outpaced by starter Dustin Wolf’s .932 in 55 games.

With Wolf pushing for an NHL spot but the Flames still financially committed to Jacob Markstrom and Daniel Vladar, it’s unclear where Dansk fits into the picture. He very well could be the AHL backup once again—a fourth-string option that could be used in a pinch.

There is a small amount of NHL experience in his past. Dansk has appeared in six games, all with the Vegas Golden Knights, and actually won four of them. His most recent appearance was in the 2020-21 season.

Minor Transactions: 06/06/23

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The offseason is right around the corner, and players are already trying to sort out their 2023-24 season plans. Minor league names will be shuffling, with many taking jobs in Europe to secure their place next year.

As those moves happen, we’ll keep track of any notable transactions right here:

  • Kristians Rubins has signed a one-year deal with MODO of the Swedish Hockey League, after being part of the recent history-making Latvian World Championship team. Rubins, 25, split last season between the Belleville Senators and Calgary Wranglers. After several years toiling in the minor leagues, he is scheduled for Group VI unrestricted free agency this summer.
  • Minor league veteran Zach O’Brien has signed a one-year contract with HC Slovan Bratislava in Slovakia for next season. One of the ECHL’s best players, he had 100 total points this year for the Newfoundland Growlers. Despite a ton of minor league accolades, O’Brien never did make it to the NHL.

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