Alain Vigneault To Coach Canada At World Championship
Hockey Canada announced their management team earlier this week for the upcoming World Championship, and now have a coach to lead the players on the ice. Alain Vigneault will be named head coach of the men’s team according to Darren Dreger of TSN, who also notes that the assistants will be named at some point in the future.
Vigneault last coached in the NHL during the 2017-18 season, his fifth year with the New York Rangers. The team missed the playoffs for the first time under his tenure, but were open about moving in a newer, younger direction and hired rookie coach David Quinn straight out of the NCAA ranks as his replacement. His firing didn’t come at the end of his contract though, and the team will still be paying Vigneault $4.1MM next season.
That is of course unless another NHL team wants to hire him and works out a deal to cover some of that salary. That would likely be the goal of the veteran head coach this spring when he gets behind the bench again for a team that could be loaded with Canadian stars. Connor McDavid, Drew Doughty, Claude Giroux, Aaron Ekblad, Jonathan Toews, Eric Staal and many others could all be out of the playoffs this year and available for the management group to invite.
Vigneault has a career record of 648-435-35-98 in the NHL, and has gone to the Stanley Cup Finals twice.
PHR Live Chat Transcript: 03/28/19
Click here to read a transcript of this week’s live chat with PHR’s Gavin Lee.
Prospect Notes: Jenik, Sadek, Hughes
Though the team hasn’t announced the deal yet, Jan Jenik has announced that he has signed an entry-level contract with the Arizona Coyotes (h/t Craig Morgan from The Athletic). Jenik is currently dealing with an injury but his junior team the Hamilton Bulldogs were recently eliminated from the OHL playoffs meaning he could jump to the AHL to get a look at the professional level.
Jenik, 18, was selected 65th overall in 2018 and split this season between the Czech Republic and OHL. In 27 games for the Bulldogs he recorded 30 points, but could potentially go back to the junior ranks next season to continue his development. Another lottery ticket for the Coyotes, we’ll have to wait to see when they actually announced the contract.
- The Iowa Wild have signed Jack Sadek to an amateur tryout, allowing the 21-year old defenseman to get his feet wet at the professional level after a season in the NCAA. The seventh-round pick finished his career at the University of Minnesota with an 18-point season, but will have to prove he deserves an NHL contract in Minnesota. Sadek technically will become an unrestricted free agent in August if he waits that long, but a minor league pact could keep him in the Wild organization.
- The time has come for Vancouver Canucks prospect Quinn Hughes, who will make his NHL debut tonight after nursing a foot injury. Hughes signed his first NHL contract after deciding to leave the University of Michigan, and will be must-see action for prospect watchers all around the league. The talented defenseman is a dynamic skater and brings some incredible offensive upside to the table. With five games left in the season for the Canucks, Hughes could actually earn himself a $25,000 bonus if he suits up in all of them according to CapFriendly.
Oliver Wahlstrom Signs Entry-Level Contract
It wasn’t clear what was the next step for Oliver Wahlstrom after informing Boston College that he would not return next season, but he has made another decision. The young forward has signed his entry-level contract with the New York Islanders, starting the deal in the 2019-20 season. Brett Cyrgalis of the New York Post reports that Wahlstrom is expected to report to the AHL on an amateur tryout.
Wahlstrom, 18, was selected 11th overall last June by the Islanders and eventually settled on BC after long and very public commitments to various other schools in the NCAA. He struggled when he got there though, scoring just 19 points in 36 points. There were rumors of him leaving midseason, but he’ll now finally get the chance to turn pro and start the next stage of his development.
It seems likely that the Islanders will take it slow, given the huge upside that Wahlstrom has shown in the past. A hockey star at a very young age, the talented forward possesses an incredible shot and offensive instincts but sometimes lacks the ability to create chances for himself. When he was picked there were immediate dreams of him finishing off countless passes from Mathew Barzal in the NHL, but Wahlstrom is still a long way away from that level.
Since he doesn’t turn 19 until June, Wahlstrom can actually see his entry-level contract slide once again in 2019-20 if he doesn’t play ten games in the NHL. That’s regardless of how many times he suits up in the minor leagues, meaning the Bridgeport Sound Tigers will probably be penciling in his name more often than not next season.
Dudek, Carpenter Sign Amateur Tryouts
Another pair of NCAA players have inked amateur tryouts in the AHL, as J.D. Dudek and Bobo Carpenter have signed with the Binghamton Devils and Bridgeport Sound Tigers respectively. Carpenter signed his entry-level contract with the Islanders earlier this week but won’t see it kick in until next season.
Dudek meanwhile will be rejoining an organization he was previously associated with. Originally selected by the New Jersey Devils in the sixth round of the 2014 draft, Dudek’s rights were traded to the Edmonton Oilers last season as part of the package for Patrick Maroon. It’s interesting then that he’ll be playing with Binghamton, and may suggest that he is going to wait until August and become an unrestricted free agent. In his four-year career at Boston College, Dudek recorded 56 points in 149 games.
In related moves, Binghamton have released both Nick Sorkin and Desmond Bergin from their professional tryouts. Bergin has played for three different AHL teams this season, but both players spend most of their time in the ECHL.
Brad Malone Placed On Waivers
Thursday: Malone has cleared waivers and can be assigned to the AHL.
Wednesday: The Edmonton Oilers have placed forward Brad Malone on waivers. Malone is eligible for the AHL playoffs, and could join the first place Bakersfield Condors tomorrow if he clears.
Malone, 29, most recently played a game for the Oilers on March 11th, and has just 13 under his belt this season. The journeyman forward has played for four minor league and three NHL clubs since being selected in the fourth round in 2007, but has just 30 points in 196 career games at the highest level. That includes exactly zero across his two years with the Oilers.
Scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, it is unlikely that Malone will be claimed. It also isn’t clear if the Oilers intend on bringing him back to the organization on another two-way deal, or if he will have to look for another opportunity this summer.
Nominees Announced For 2019 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy
The Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy is given out annually to the NHL player who exemplifies perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey. The award has been voted on by the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association since 1968, and today they announced their nominees for 2019.
Past winners of the award include Brian Boyle (2018), Craig Anderson (2017), Jaromir Jagr (2016), Devan Dubnyk (2015), Dominic Moore (2014) and Josh Harding (2013).
Below are the nominees from each team:
Anaheim Ducks – Patrick Eaves
Arizona Coyotes – Michael Grabner
Boston Bruins – Zdeno Chara
Buffalo Sabres – Jason Pominville
Calgary Flames – Mark Giordano
Carolina Hurricanes – Curtis McElhinney
Chicago Blackhawks – Corey Crawford
Colorado Avalanche – Carl Soderberg
Columbus Blue Jackets – Nick Foligno
Dallas Stars – Taylor Fedun
Detroit Red Wings – Niklas Kronwall
Edmonton Oilers – Andrej Sekera
Florida Panthers – Derek MacKenzie
Los Angeles Kings – Jack Campbell
Minnesota Wild – Ryan Suter
Montreal Canadiens – Andrew Shaw
Nashville Predators – Rocco Grimaldi
New Jersey Devils – Cory Schneider
New York Islanders – Robin Lehner
New York Rangers – Brendan Smith
Ottawa Senators – Jean-Gabriel Pageau
Philadelphia Flyers – Brian Elliott
Pittsburgh Penguins – Matt Cullen
San Jose Sharks – Joe Thornton
St. Louis Blues – Jay Bouwmeester
Tampa Bay Lightning – Ryan Callahan
Toronto Maple Leafs – Tyler Ennis
Vancouver Canucks – Jacob Markstrom
Vegas Golden Knights – Ryan Carpenter
Washington Capitals – Brooks Orpik
Winnipeg Jets – Dmitry Kulikov
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Minor Transactions: 03/28/19
Just a handful of games remain in the 2018-19 NHL regular season, and eight of them will be played tonight. All the focus is on Columbus as the Blue Jackets will host their playoff competition in the Montreal Canadiens. The Canadiens sit two points ahead of the Blue Jackets for the final wild card spot but have played one extra game and do not hold the tiebreaker, meaning tonight is an absolute must-win for the team. Columbus meanwhile can’t fall any further behind after spending so many assets to put themselves in a position of contention this season. As they and the rest of the league prepare for tonight’s action, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves.
- After recalling Victor Olofsson from the AHL yesterday, the Buffalo Sabres have sent Tage Thompson down in his place. Thompson hasn’t had the kind of impact the Sabres hoped for this season, recording just 12 points in 65 games after being acquired as part of the Ryan O’Reilly deal. The 21-year old still has quite a bit of potential, but will have to really take a step forward next year to be considered a core piece.
- Before their game against the New York Rangers last night, the Boston Bruins returned Karson Kuhlman to the minor leagues. Kuhlman has played seven games for the Bruins this season, recording two goals and three points in his first year of professional hockey. Signed out of the University of Minnesota-Duluth, the 23-year old has 30 points in 58 games at the minor league level.
- The Dallas Stars have recalled Landon Bow after Ben Bishop suffered another minor injury, but the veteran goaltender is expected to stay with the team on their current road trip. That means Bow will likely not see any action, though he is expected to back up Anton Khudobin tonight.
- The Buffalo Sabres have recalled Matt Tennyson, despite having ten defensemen on the roster already. Jake McCabe was back at practice today, though both Zach Bogosian and Rasmus Ristolainen remained out. Tennyson has played four games for the Sabres this season, spending most of the time in the AHL instead.
- Jake Dotchin is back up with the Anaheim Ducks, possibly through the end of what has been a difficult season for the big defenseman. Dotchin had his contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning terminated in training camp due to his physical fitness levels, but was able to find a new home with Anaheim. Yet, he has so far suited up in just 20 games for the Ducks, recording one lone point, after he played in more than half of Tampa’s games last season and registered double-digit point. Dotchin will be a restricted free agent this off-season and it will be interesting to see if the Ducks opt to qualify him or not.
- The San Jose Sharks have called Nick DeSimone over from the AHL locker room. The team continues to shuffle through Barracuda defenders and DeSimone is the next in line. The 24-year-old is tied for second in scoring for AHL San Jose and has certainly earned his NHL debut at this point.
- Martin Frk has been reassigned to the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins, their parent club, the Detroit Red Wings, announced. Frk has been disappointingly unproductive in the NHL this season, recording five points in 25 games. He’s done much better in the AHL, with 13 points in just ten games, but Detroit was hoping for that contribution to be at the top level. Frk is an RFA this off-season and the Red Wings will have to decide whether or not to bring him back.
Buffalo Sabres Recall Victor Olofsson
The Buffalo Sabres aren’t going to make the playoffs this season, so they’ve decided to take a look at some of their young players. Alexander Nylander has already been up with the team for the last few weeks, and now another Swedish forward is on his way. The Sabres recalled Victor Olofsson today for the first time in his career.
Olofsson, 23, is off to an outstanding start to his professional career in North America, recording 60 points in 64 games for the Rochester Americans this season. The seventh-round pick from 2014 signed his two-year entry-level contract last spring after several years in the SHL.
Obviously what Olofsson has done in the European and minor leagues is impressive, but he’ll have to show he can bring that offense to the NHL in order to stick around. This summer could very well bring more change for the Sabres lineup, given that Jeff Skinner and Jason Pominville both remain unsigned while others like Vladimir Sobotka haven’t proven reliable. If Olofsson can impress in his short recall, it would go a long way to securing a roster spot next season. The front office has obviously not believed he was ready until now, a head-scratching decision given his dominance in the AHL.
He should be quite comfortable in Buffalo, as Olofsson was teammates with Rasmus Dahlin last season for Frolunda and knows Lawrence Pilut well from their battles in the SHL.
Boston Bruins Extend AHL Affiliation
The AHL is well known for its continually changing landscape, with teams switching cities, franchise affiliations and names regularly. Not so with the Providence Bruins, who have been affiliated with the Boston Bruins since they became a team in 1992. That agreement is not going to end at 27 years, as the two organizations finalized a 10-year extension today taking them through the 2028-29 season. Boston president Cam Neely explained the decision:
Player development is one of the most important parts of our hockey operations strategy which has the goal of achieving long term and sustainable success. Our partnership with the Providence Bruins has been a key part of our player development over the past three decades and we are very happy to have a long-term deal solidifying this relationship for 10 more years.
The Providence-Boston affiliation has long been the gold standard for any organization, as they represent everything you want in a development agreement. Their geographical proximity has been copied by most of the league, and their commitment to development and AHL success is a testament to the work both parties have put in. The P-Bruins have won just a single Calder Cup since coming into the league, but have missed the playoffs just five times in 27 years. They’re set to head there again, even while providing countless players for Boston to use while dealing with NHL injuries.
The number of players that have played at least one game for both Bruins organizations is more than 200, and includes names like David Pastrnak, Brad Marchand, Charlie McAvoy and Patrice Bergeron. Providence will continue to try and churn out NHL-caliber talent while vying for the Calder Cup every single year.