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Alex Pietrangelo To Have Hearing With Department Of Player Safety

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The Department of Player Safety has decided that some supplemental discipline is warranted after last night’s Vegas Golden Knights-Edmonton Oilers game. Alex Pietrangelo will have a hearing today regarding his slash on Leon Draisaitl.

Near the end of the game, as Draisaitl tried to extend Edmonton’s lead with a backhand shot on an empty net, Pietrangelo skated toward him and delivered a hard slash after the puck had already been released.

The Vegas defenseman was penalized for slashing and given a game misconduct, as the officials tried (and failed) to keep order on the ice. He’ll now likely face a suspension, as hearings generally result in at least a one-game ban.

However, Edmonton could be without their own impact defenseman, as Darnell Nurse’s late instigator penalty does come with an automatic suspension. As Darren Dreger of TSN tweets, the league can decide to rescind the instigator or the automatic suspension. There has not yet been any indication from the DoPS on Nurse’s status.

Any discipline could have a significant effect in a heated series now tied at 2-2. The teams will battle again tomorrow night in Las Vegas.

Gustav Rydahl Returns To SHL

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His North American hockey career is over as quickly as it began, as Gustav Rydahl has officially signed a new contract in the SHL. Reports emerged in March that the 28-year-old would be inking a multi-year deal with Frolunda, and today the club announced a five-year contract.

That effectively ends any chance of him playing in the NHL, after failing to make it with the New York Rangers and Colorado Avalanche this season. Rydahl signed a one-year, $750K deal last summer to join the Rangers after developing into one of the SHL’s most well-rounded power forwards, but would see only minor league action before being shipped to Colorado at the deadline.

After 52 unspectacular AHL contests, he’ll return to Sweden to continue his strong international career. Rydahl was part of his country’s 2022 Olympic squad, and is a significant addition for Frolunda through 2028.

Given his age, Rydahl was headed to unrestricted free agency, meaning there will be no qualifying offer or rights retained by the Avalanche.

Prospect Notes: Mock Draft, WHL, Knies

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The 2023 NHL Draft has an order, at least for the first part of the first round, and analysis continues to pour out. Today, Corey Pronman of The Athletic released his latest mock draft, with an interesting name creeping into the third spot behind Connor Bedard and Adam Fantilli.

William Smith, the top USNTDP prospect, is Pronman’s projected pick for the Columbus Blue Jackets, giving them another talented young forward to build around. Smith’s stock has continued to rise after his incredible season, though he is committed to Boston College and won’t be entering the NHL right away.

  • Speaking of drafts, the WHL is set to pick the next wave of junior talent today, and Scott Wheeler of The Athletic reports that Daxon Rudolph is expected to go first overall to the Prince Albert Raiders. The 15-year-old defenseman will be one of three top-seven picks the Raiders have, as they rebuild their squad with an eye on future Memorial Cup appearances.
  • Young Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Matthew Knies is “feeling better day to day,” according to Darren Dreger of TSN. The young forward suffered a concussion in his seventh playoff game for Toronto after signing out of college and making an immediate impact. With the Maple Leafs still fighting for their lives, down 3-1 to the Florida Panthers, it remains to be seen whether Knies will get another opportunity this spring.

Linus Omark Signs In SHL

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Not all influential hockey careers are spent in North America. One of his generation’s most creative and exciting players, Linus Omark, has spent the last decade overseas, playing for various clubs. At the age of 36, he’ll now head back to the SHL after signing a new contract with Luleå HF.

A fourth-round pick of the Edmonton Oilers in 2007, Omark had one of the most memorable NHL debuts by scoring a wild shootout goal—a talent he would showcase for the rest of his career. While his time in the NHL would last just 79 games (and include 32 points), Omark has continued to have an offensive impact where he’s gone, whether it be the KHL, SHL, or Swiss National League, where he won a league title with Geneve-Servette this season.

Though often credited to Pavel Datsyuk, it was Omark who first pulled off the “flip goal” in competition, scoring it against Switzerland in a pre-tournament game for the 2009 IIHF World Championship.

At his age, there’s virtually no chance of a return to North American pro hockey. But Omark’s career has been impressive either way.

Snapshots: Gronborg, Oligny, Meier

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It’s not often you see a team that has won back-to-back league titles change their coach, but this decision was made long ago for Tappara Tampere of the Finnish Liiga. Back in October it was reported that Rikard Gronborg would not be returning to the ZSC Lions after this season, already agreeing to a multi-year contract with Tampere.

Gronborg was introduced today, taking over just a week after the club took home the 2023 title. Interestingly enough, when the commitment was initially reported, it included the note that Gronborg’s contract contains an out clause should the NHL come calling. For years, the decorated international coach has been linked to vacant NHL positions without anything ever materializing.

  • Jimmy Oligny is your Yanick Dupré Memorial Award winner for 2022-23, named AHL Man of the Year. The award is given to a minor league player for outstanding contributions to his local community and charitable organizations. Among his many involvements, the Manitoba Moose captain worked with the Kinship and Foster Family Network to host a foster family at every Moose home game.
  • Timo Meier was “okay” today, according to New Jersey Devils head coach Lindy Ruff, as the forward continues to recover from a massive hit suffered last round. Mike Morreale of NHL.com relays that Meier is still day-to-day and that the team will know more tomorrow. Without Meier in game one of their second-round series, the Devils were dismantled by the Carolina Hurricanes and will have to try to even things up tomorrow night.

Columbus Blue Jackets Sign Dmitri Voronkov

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After waiting several years for his contracts overseas to expire, the Columbus Blue Jackets have finally signed Dmitri Voronkov to a two-year entry-level deal. The Russian forward has been approved for a work visa, according to Aaron Portzline of The Athletic, though it is still unclear when he will travel to Columbus.

Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen released a statement on the signing:

Dmitri is a big, strong forward who can play at center ice or on the wing and is coming off an outstanding season in the KHL. He is a skilled player that has shown an ability to score goals while playing a physical two-way game. We believe he has tremendous upside and are looking forward to his joining our group and continuing his development as a Blue Jacket.

Voronkov, 22, was the 114th overall pick in 2019 but quickly shot up prospect lists with a solid showing in the KHL as a rookie and an outstanding performance in the 2020 World Juniors. While his offensive output (and playing time) has wavered at times at the Russian professional level, there were flashes of a potential breakout on the horizon.

That breakout happened this season, when Voronkov scored 18 goals and 31 points in 54 games for Ak-Bars Kazan before adding eight goals and 12 points in 24 postseason matches—barely missing out on a league championship.

A member of the 2022 Olympic team, he is coming to the Blue Jackets as a potential day-one option for their 2023-24 roster. He can contribute in a variety of ways and should give Columbus another piece to try and fit into their rebuild.

USA Hockey Announces First 22 Players For 2023 Worlds

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The first 22 players that will compete for Team USA at the upcoming IIHF World Hockey Championship have been named, with an interesting mix of NHL experience and college excitement.

Lane Hutson is the youngest player in the group at just 19 years old, and he’ll be sharing the ice with 35-year-old Nick Bonino, the oldest. General manager Chris Clark released the following:

The depth of our player pool is reflected with our team and we’re excited about the group we have to represent our country at the world championship. We’ve got a great mix of experience and youth and most of our players have represented the U.S. before and know what it takes to be successful at a world championship.

The team will start training on Saturday in Munich, before a pre-tournament game on Tuesday. The tournament schedule for the U.S. begins next Friday, against Finland.

Here’s a look at the 22 players that have made the team so far:

G Casey DeSmith
G Drew Commesso
G Cal Petersen

D Henry Thrun
D Connor Mackey
D Ronnie Attard
D Dylan Samberg
D Scott Perunovich
D Lane Hutson
D Nick Perbix

F Samuel Walker
F Drew O’Connor
F Luke Tuch
F Nick Bonino
F T.J. Tynan
F Cutter Gauthier
F Sean Farrell
F Anders Bjork
F Matthew Coronato
F Conor Garland
F Alex Tuch
F Carter Mazur

New Jersey Devils Sign Daniil Misyul

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The New Jersey Devils are still battling in this year’s playoffs, but the front office is hard at work securing the future. The team has announced a two-year entry-level contract for Daniil Misyul, which starts in 2023-24. While the original release indicated a three-year deal, it has been updated, given the 22-year-old is only eligible for two years.

Misyul was selected 70th overall in 2019, and has spent the last several years playing full-time in the KHL for Yaroslavl Lokomotiv. The 6’3″ defenseman brings almost no offensive upside to the ice, with just 23 points in his 205-game professional career, but can defend well with his long reach and big frame. Just 13 even-strength goals were scored by the opposition when he was on the ice this season, though his minutes were still limited (just over 15 per game).

Still, given how many offensive puck-moving defensemen the Devils have in the system, adding a stay-at-home type could certainly pay off. The fact that he has so much professional experience at such a young age should help him transition to the AHL, and potentially push for an NHL call-up in short order.

Artyom Zagidulin Signs In KHL

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In 2019, with the Calgary Flames desperately looking for an answer in net, they decided to look outside North America. A 23-year-old undrafted Artyom Zagidulin, fresh off a .924 save percentage in his first full season in the KHL, was the target, and he would sign an entry-level contract that offseason.

His time in the organization didn’t go well, with only 36 AHL games and a single NHL appearance, before leaving for greener pastures in 2021. After two years playing in Finland, Zagidulin won’t be trying his luck in North America again. According to Sport Express, the now 27-year-old goaltender will return to Metallurg Magnitogorsk in the KHL.

Zagidulin posted a .919 save percentage in 53 regular season games for Lukko Rauma this year, allowing a goals-against average of just 1.84. That was (incredibly) only good enough for a 24-16-13 record, but still got the club to the playoffs.

A new contract in the KHL at this point of his career (with his hometown team no less) likely ends any speculation of a North American return for Zagidulin.

Los Angeles Kings Recall Six Players

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The Los Angeles Kings have made several transactions as they prepare for Saturday’s do-or-die game six against the Edmonton Oilers. The club has announced the recall of Lias Andersson, Samuel Helenius, Andre Lee, Jacob Moverare, Jordan Spence, and Francesco Pinelli.

The group will likely serve as “Black Aces,” players who practice with the club and experience playoff preparations but don’t actually enter the lineup.

Pinelli, 20, is perhaps the most interesting addition, given he’s coming directly from the OHL. The 2021 second-round pick spent the year with the Kitchener Rangers, scoring 41 goals and 90 points in just 60 regular season games.

His playoff performance, though strong offensively, left something to be desired. Pinelli was given a three-game suspension for a blindside hit in the first round, leading to his absence in the first two games against the London Knights, longtime rivals that ended up winning both. Kitchener couldn’t recover (despite Pinelli’s first-star performance in game three) and was eliminated last week.

Several of the other names have already made appearances for the Kings this season, though the massive 6’6″ Helenius is still waiting for his NHL debut.

Los Angeles will try to stay alive at home and force a game seven on Monday.

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