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Snapshots: Sandelin, Maclean, Wilder

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Fresh off his third straight National Championship Game appearance and second straight NCAA title, University of Minnesota-Duluth head coach Scott Sandelin has been handed another prominent coaching position and deservedly so. NHL.com’s Mike Morreale reports that Sandelin has been named the head coach of the USA Hockey entry into the 2020 U-20 World Junior Championships. Team USA, which has medaled in each of the past four World Juniors, has often been led by an NCAA coach, including Sandelin himself back in 2005. In this past tournament, in which the team finished with the silver medal, Sandelin served as an assistant to Mike Hastings, his in-state rival from Minnesota State University, but a change is in order. USA Hockey, led by GM John Vanbiesbrouck, have made the move to Sandelin, who has a clear track record of winning in recent years. Sandelin was excited to accept the position, stating:

The World Junior Championship is one of the greatest hockey tournaments on the calendar each year and it’s an honor to represent our country as head coach. Last year, we fell just short of our goal, so to have the opportunity to come back and get another chance at helping our country win a gold medal is exciting. The expectation for the United States in this tournament is to contend for gold and I’m excited to begin the process towards continuing the success those before us have established.

  • Paul Maclean is heading back behind the bench. The Jack Adams Award-winning former NHL coach is expected to be named the head coach and general manager of the QMJHL’s Cape Breton Screaming Eagles, Sportsnet reports. Maclean, a native of nearby Antigonish, Nova Scotia, will replace Marc-Andre Dumont in both roles, after he was fired today following the team’s playoff exit. Maclean last coached in 2016-17 as an assistant for the Anaheim Ducks, but spent four seasons as the head coach of the Ottawa Senators, including his Jack Adams campaign in 2012-13, and had previous stops as an assistant with the Detroit Red Wings and a prior stint with the “Mighty Ducks” as well. His addition is a major boost for Cape Breton, a club without much of a winning history. The Screaming Eagles are still looking for their first QMJHL Final appearance since joining the league in 1997 and hope that Maclean can take them there and potentially win them a title.
  • It’s going to be an embarrassment of riches in net for the Boston College Eagles for the next few years. Despite losing star keeper Joseph Woll to the pros, the Eagles were already set to add Spencer Knight out of the U.S. National Team Development Program as their new starter next season. Knight is considered a generational talent in goal and expected to be first-round pick in this year’s NHL Draft. However, the Eagles also landed a 2020 commitment today from Henry Wilder, recently tabbed by NHL Central Scouting at the No. 14 draft-eligible goalie in North America. While that ranking doesn’t necessarily mean that Wilder will be drafted, it is a distinct possibility. Either way, BC will undoubtedly have one of the top young tandems in all college hockey, if not all of amateur hockey, in two years time. If Knight lives up to his billing in the NCAA, he is unlikely to last four years with the Eagles, but Wilder is now an excellent fallback plan. The athletic young netminder just finished a strong season at The Hotchkiss School in Connecticut and will have one more year of development under his belt before arriving at BC to form a formidable duo with Knight.

AHL Notes: Redmond, Vellucci, Lukosevicius

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The AHL regular season has come to an end, with the Calder Cup playoffs getting underway on Thursday, and the league has begun to announce their end-of-the-year awards. The first player to be honored is long-time pro Zach Redmond. The AHL has announced that Redmond is this season’s recipient of the Eddie Shore Award as the best defenseman in the league. The 30-year-old, who has played on an AHL contract this season with the Rochester Americans, recorded 21 goals and 50 points in just 58 games. While Redmond finished third in overall scoring among defensemen, he was first in goal scoring and led qualifying defenders in points-per-game by a wide margin. A veteran of 133 NHL games to go along with 314 AHL games, Redmond is a respected leader at the minor league level, but has also shown to be a high-end producer with back-to-back seasons of 40+ points. One has to think that there is a good chance that Redmond receives a two-way offer from an NHL club this summer after proving his ability to be a valuable AHL depth asset.

  • Another AHL award winner is Charlotte Checkers head coach Mike Vellucci. Vellucci, who also doubles as an assistant general manager for the Carolina Hurricanes, was named the Louis A.R. Pieri Memorial Award recipient as the top coach in the league. Vellucci led the Checkers to their best regular season in team history with 110 points and the top seed in the Eastern Conference. In fact, their 51-17-7 record was a top-ten all-time mark in AHL history. Most importantly, in just two years on the job Vellucci has graduated a number of player to the Hurricanes who have become impact players, including Lucas Wallmark, Warren Foegele, and Haydn Fleury, with the likes of Martin Necas, Jake Bean, Aleksi Saarela, and Janne Kuokkanen likely to push for spots next season. The long-time head coach and GM of the OHL’s Plymouth Whalers, who has now found success at the pro level, it seems likely only a matter of time before Vellucci earns a larger role either behind the bench or in the front office of an NHL team.
  • The Grand Rapids Griffins, affiliate of the Detroit Red Wings, have made a nice addition right before the start of the postseason. The Griffins announced that they have added University of Denver forward Jarid Lukosevicius on a tryout basis for the remainder of the season. On top of that, Lukosevicius has signed a two-year AHL contract beginning next season. The 24-year-old winger just wrapped up his fourth and final collegiate season with the Pioneers and his third in a row with double-digit goals and assists and a plus rating. The all-around contributor lacks size or high-end skill, but makes up for it with an impressive motor and great hockey IQ. Lukosevicius projects to be a capable pro who may even develop into a bottom-six option for the Red Wings down the road.

Nazem Kadri Scheduled For In-Person Disciplinary Hearing

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1:18: TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that Kadri’s hearing is scheduled for Monday.

8:31: It’s not a question of if Toronto Maple Leafs forward Nazem Kadri will be suspended, but rather for how many games. The aggressive forward will undoubtedly miss time for his second straight postseason after cross-checking Boston Bruins forward Jake DeBrusk in the face in last night’s chippy Game Two loss. Kadri received a major penalty and game misconduct, but the NHL Department of Player Safety was quick to announce that Kadri’s hit would be reviewed further and not via a phone hearing, but instead an in-person hearing. The date and time have yet to be revealed, but it will certainly be before the two teams square off again in Game Three on Monday night.

An in-person hearing allows for Kadri to be suspended for longer than five games, which seems like a very likely outcome in this case. In fact, the initial reaction to the hit from NBC analysts Eddie Olczyk and Keith Jones after the game was that Kadri could face upwards of ten games in this suspension. The hit in question was unquestionably egregious, after Kadri took issue with a hard but clean hit by DeBrusk on Patrick Marleau along the boards in the third period. Deep in the Bruins zone, Kadri cornered DeBrusk and delivered a cross-check right to the head area, taking DeBrusk down. It was nearly the exact same area in which Kadri intentionally boarded Bruins forward Tommy Wingels in the playoffs last year, which earned him a three-game suspension. At the time, that was Kadri’s fourth career suspension, for a total of 14 games, and his seventh punishment from Player Safety. After his eighth interaction with the Department in this upcoming hearing, it is safe to assume that the suspended games total will go up significantly. A repeat offender who has clearly not learned his lesson, Kadri seems likely to feel the full force of the Department. It is expected that they will take full advantage of the in-person hearing rule, banning Kadri for more than five games. He is unlikely to see the Bruins again this postseason and may have even played his final game already. His absence will be a big loss for the Maple Leafs.

As for DeBrusk, the response from many – especially in Toronto – has been that the Bruins forward deserves a second look of his own. Not only did DeBrusk check Marleau dangerously close to the curved-glass stanchion, but he also caught Kadri with a knee-to-knee hit earlier in the game. However, neither check was considered a penalty by the officials nor did they appear to have an intent to injure, and the expectation is that Player Safety does not have interest in further discipline for DeBrusk. In fact, the escalating aggression between Kadri and DeBrusk, which began in Game One and re-started early in Game Two, may only be used to justify keeping Kadri from a Round One return. DeBrusk’s health will also be taken into account, as the young forward did not return to the game after Kadri’s cross-check and his status is unknown for Game Three. All signs point to the tough youngster avoiding serious injury and being ready come Monday night, but his absence from the rest of the third period will be a factor in Player Safety’s decision.

Colorado Avalanche Sign Cale Makar To Entry-Level Contract

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Despite some recent doubts, the Colorado Avalanche have indeed signed top prospect Cale Makar to an entry-level contract beginning this season, as had been expected all along. The team has announced a three-year contract with Makar, as well as indicating that he will join the team immediately in their first-round playoff series. Makar’s collegiate career came to an end last night when the University of Massachusetts failed to complete the storybook season with a loss to the University of Minnesota-Duluth in the National Championship Game. Makar wasted no time in moving to the next stage of his career though, turning pro about twelve hours later.

Makar, 20, was the fourth overall pick in 2017 and fans in Colorado have been excited for his arrival ever since. The dynamic defenseman is considered by many to be the best prospect in hockey, a title helped along by Makar being named the Hobey Baker Award winner on Friday night as the best player in college hockey. Makar finished second among all NCAA defensemen in both goals and assists and is third in scoring among all players this season. An elite play-maker with skating ability, vision, and awareness beyond his years, Makar is an offensive force. However, he is not afraid to play physical as well, as he showcased in the National Championship Game. Makar’s highlight-reel goals and assists may get the most attention, but he also breaks up plays with regularity and is a smart, instinctual defensive player. Makar led UMass with 49 points in 41 games this year, but also led the team with a +32 rating. While many Minutemen players had big seasons and were well coached by Greg Carvel, it is fair to say that Makar was the driving force behind the program’s best season ever.

UMass fans will certainly be sad to see Makar go, especially after just two years in Amherst, but it was inevitable for a player who is ready to make an impact in the NHL right away. In the Avalanche’s release, GM Joe Sakic called Makar “a game-changing type of player” and applauded his success at the college level. Colorado is so eager to get Makar into the lineup, that they will let him burn the first year of his contract for possibly just a few games and will also have to protect him in the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft. Yet, after defeating the Calgary Flames in Game Two to tie the series, the Avs may see Makar’s addition as a way to further strengthen their team as they look to pull off the 1-8 upset in the Western Conference. It is not clear if Makar will be in the lineup immediately on Monday night, but it would not be a surprise, as Colorado is eager to debut their new star.

Minor Transactions: 04/14/19

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After Saturday’s action, each first-round series has played two games and the Washington Capitals are the only favorite yet to suffer a loss. The Caps survived another tight battle with the Carolina Hurricanes yesterday afternoon with an overtime win. Meanwhile, the New York Islanders have shown why the higher seed should always be favored, taking the first two games against the Pittsburgh Penguins, but face a tougher task on the road today. Two other 2-0 series will continue later tonight, as the Nikita Kucherov-less Tampa Bay Lightning look to avoid a third straight stunning loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets, while the St. Louis Blues can put the nail in the coffin of the Winnipeg Jets with a home win after taking the first two games on the road. As some teams prepare to play today and other plan ahead for tomorrow, keep an eye out for some minor tweaks to several rosters:

  •  The Capitals have swapped third-string goalies, as is common during the playoffs. Vitek Vanecek is on his way to Washington to be the emergency option for Game Three, while Ilya Samsonov returns to AHL Hershey after serving in that role for Game Two yesterday. The Bears are also playoff-bound, so this will be a balancing act for Washington moving forward.
  • The Lightning are dealing with injury concerns for both Victor Hedman and Anton Stralman, so it is not much of a surprise that they have recalled another depth option on the blue line. Cameron Gaunce has joined the team on the road in Columbus and while he looks like insurance only right now, that could change, especially if another Tampa defenseman goes down.
  • According to the AHL transactions page, the Calgary Flames have returned Dillon Dube to the Stockton Heat in the AHL. It’s likely that Dube will suit up for Stockton’s final regular season game and then will likely be recalled to serve on Calgary’s taxi-squad for the rest of the season.
  • The Boston Bruins announced they have recalled defenseman Jakub Zboril from the Providence Bruins of the AHL as a precaution, especially with the status of defenseman Torey Krug up in the air. A 2015 first-rounder, Zboril scored four goals and 19 points in Providence over 56 games and has appeared in two games for Boston.

Blue Jackets Sign Vladislav Gavrikov

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Saturday: The Blue Jackets announced that they have signed Gavrikov to a two-year, entry-level deal.  Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.  Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch notes that the Russian embassy is closed for the weekend which could potentially delay Gavrikov’s arrival.

Friday: Following teammate Nikita Gusev, who is expected to sign with the Vegas Golden Knights soon, it seems KHL defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov’s move to the NHL is imminent. KHL insider Igor Eronko reports that Gavrikov is expected to sign with the Columbus Blue Jackets in the coming days. As a draft pick of the Blue Jackets, Gavrikov was on the team’s reserve list at the trade deadline and is thus eligible to play in the postseason immediately.

With the announcement from SKA St. Petersburg that they had granted both Gusev and Gavrikov permission to sign in the NHL prior to their KHL contracts expiring at the end of the month, both players are now free to join their NHL clubs. Gavrikov, 23, may not be as big a name as Gusev, but he would be a meaningful addition for Columbus. The big, stable defenseman plays a defense-first style but can also pack an offensive punch. At 6’3″, 205 lbs., Gavrikov led SKA in plus/minus by a significant margin at +48, but registered a career-high 20 points this season as well.

A physical presence with puck-moving ability and years of pro experience, Gavrikov should step in and be a difference-maker right away for the Blue Jackets. Obviously, Columbus is a playoff team with a capable blue line as is, but one of their greatest weaknesses is their bottom pair. Even without any games played in the NHL, it would not be a surprise to see Gavrikov get the nod over a Dean Kukan or Scott Harrington or Adam Clendening. With Columbus off to a surprisingly hot start in their series against the Tampa Bay Lightning, this would be another unexpected plus for a team in search of a major upset.

NCAA All-American Selections Announced

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The college hockey season is wrapping up, beginning with Thursday night’s Frozen Four semifinal games, tonight’s end of the year awards banquet, and finally tomorrow’s National Championship game. Many awards were handed out tonight, including the Hobey Baker Award, but the NCAA also announced this year’s All-American rosters, as voted on by the American Hockey Coaches Association. The teams are as follows:

First-Team All-Americans – East

G Cayden Primeau, Northeastern University (MTL)
D Adam Fox, Harvard University (CAR)
D Cale Makar, University of Massachusetts (COL)
F Mitchell Chaffee, University of Massachusetts
F Ryan Kuffner, Princeton University (DET)
F Nico Sturm, Clarkson University (MIN)

First-Team All-Americans – West

G Hunter Shepard, University of Minnesota – Duluth
D Quinn Hughes, University of Michigan (VAN)
D Jimmy Schuldt, St. Cloud State University (VGK)
F Taro Hirose, Michigan State University (DET)
F Patrick Newell, St. Cloud State University (NYR)
F Rem Pitlick, University of Minnesota (NSH)

Second-Team All-Americans – East

G Andrew Shortridge, Quinnipiac University (SJS)
D Jeremy Davies, Northeastern University (NJD)
D Joseph Duszak, Mercyhurst University (TOR)
F Blake Christensen, American International College
F David Cotton, Boston College (CAR)
F Josh Wilkins, Providence College

Second-Team All-Americans – West

G Joey Daccord, Arizona State University (OTT)
D Jack Ahcan, St. Cloud State University
D Bobby Nardella, University of Notre Dame (WAS)
D Scott Perunovich, University of Minnesota – Duluth (STL)
F Mason Jobst, Ohio State University (NYI)
F Blake Lizotte, St. Cloud State University (LAK)
F Troy Loggins, Northern Michigan University

The St. Cloud Huskies led the way with four All-American selections, which is little surprise from a team that was ranked No. 1 in the country for much of the year. Yet, St. Cloud won’t be playing in the National Championship game this year. Instead, it will be the UMass Minutemen and UMD Bulldogs. UMass, the only other team with two first-team selections, features the Hobey Baker winner Makar, while Duluth includes two All-Americans as well. Northeastern goalie Primeau was also named the Mike Richter Award winner as the best goalie in the country and was one of two selections from the Huskies. While not included among the All-Americans, Boston University forward Joel Farabee (PHI) was named the Tim Taylor Award recipient as rookie of the year.

Cale Makar Named 2019 Hobey Baker Award Winner

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On Friday night, the top player in all of college hockey was announced as University of Massachusetts sophomore defenseman Cale Makar. Makar was named this year’s recipient of the Hobey Baker Memorial Award, the highest honor in NCAA Men’s Hockey, at a special event held in Buffalo, New York, the site of this year’s Frozen Four Championship. However, Makar is in Buffalo for more than just an awards banquet, as he and UMass defeated the University of Denver in overtime on Thursday and will play for the National Championship tomorrow night. Makar, the fourth overall pick in the 2017 NHL Draft, is then expected to join the Colorado Avalanche in their first-round postseason series as early as Monday. Talk about a wild week.

Makar edged out two other talented defensemen for the Hobey Baker this year; his fellow “Hat Trick Finalists” were Harvard University’s Adam Fox and St. Cloud State University’s Jimmy Schuldt. This was the first time that all three finalists were defensemen, as voting has begun to favor defensemen more in recent years than it had in the past. University of Denver defenseman Will Butcher won the award in 2017, but prior to that it had not gone to a blue liner since Boston University’s Matt Gilroy in 2009. Like Butcher, now with the New Jersey Devils, Makar, Fox, and Schuldt are all expected to step into immediate NHL roles once turning pro. Schuldt, an undrafted senior, has already signed with the Vegas Golden Knights, while Makar will soon do the same with the Avalanche. Fox, a junior, has been the subject of controversy with not one, but two different NHL teams already, as he has been reluctant to sign with the team that drafted him, the Calgary Flames, and his current rights holder, the Carolina Hurricanes. As a result, the speculation is that Fox will return to Harvard for his senior season and could be a Hobey Baker candidate again next season.

As for the man of the hour, it’s hard to argue that Makar was not deserving of this recognition. Considered by many to be the top prospect in hockey, Makar is a generational talent in terms of his skating and ability to move the puck. Makar is an elite play-maker with vision and creativity, but is far from just an offensive specialist. He is not afraid to play physical, breaks up plays with consistency, and is a smart positional player. Makar holds a team-high 49 points in 40 games this year, but also leads UMass with a +33 rating. Nationally, Makar is second among all defensemen in both goals and assists and is third in scoring among all players, but still has one game remaining with the National Championship still to come.

The next step for Makar will be to sign his standard three-year entry-level contract, but the 20-year-old is likely to burn his first year immediately by suiting up for Colorado as soon as possible. He will then challenge for and likely succeed in landing a starting role for the Avalanche next season and should wind up as a top-four if not top-pair defensemen for the team by the end of the 2019-20 season. The dynamic defender will undoubtedly be one of the favorites to win the Calder Trophy next season as the best rookie in the NHL. Despite the unbelievable streak that Makar is on right now, the best is yet to come for the promising prospect.

Prospect Notes: Ginning, Luukkonen, Michaud

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The Philadelphia Flyers have had a near-annual influx of talented young defensemen join the team over the last few years, but they’ll have to wait a little bit longer for one of their next promising blue liners to make the jump. Adam Ginning, the Flyers’ 2018 second-round pick, has re-signed with his Swedish Hockey League club for another year. Linkoping HC announced today that Ginning had inked a one-year contract extension to stay with the organization that has groomed him since he was 13 years old. Now 19, Ginning just finished his first full season in the SHL and did not look out of place playing against older and more experienced competition. At 6’4″ and 205 lbs., Ginning plays a physical and technically sound defensive game and projects to be a shutdown defender in the NHL one day. Some more time in the SHL certainly won’t hurt his development, but Philadelphia is definitely hopeful that he will join the system sooner rather than later to begin working with their coaches and adjusting to the North American style of play.

  • The Buffalo Sabres will get a closer look at one of their top prospects ahead of schedule, as goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has joined the AHL’s Rochester Americans on an amateur tryout basis, the team announced. Luukkonen is likely to make his North American pro debut in the near future to cap off what has been a big season for the talented netminder. Luukkonen, a second-round pick of the Sabres in 2017, made the jump overseas this year to play for the OHL’s Sudbury Wolves and made an immediate impact. The 6’5″ keeper was a brick wall in net, leading the league in wins and shutouts and finishing in the top three in save percentage and goals against average. Luukkonen was arguably the best goalie in the OHL this year, but that wasn’t even the highlight of the campaign. Luukkonen also led Finland to a gold medal finish at the World Junior Championships earlier this year, posting a .932 save percentage and 1.80 GAA along the way. The Sabres hope that the next stop on Luukkonen’s path of dominance is the AHL and soon after the NHL.
  • One name that won’t be playing in the pros, in North America or Europe, for at least another year is NCAA forward Westin Michaud. Michaud, 23, just wrapped up his senior season at Colorado College, in which he finished second on the team with 30 points in 41 games. Competing in the ultra-competitive National Collegiate Hockey Conference against several elite programs, Michaud still managed to take major steps forward in each of the past three seasons and at least one rival school took notice. With a year of NCAA eligibility remaining after sitting as a freshman, Michaud has decided to spurn pro offers for now and leave Colorado College behind him to transfer to the University of North Dakota for a graduate year with the national powerhouse. The experienced center will likely slot into a top-six position with North Dakota and could be in for yet another jump in production. Joining an already-strong roster that also has an impressive recruiting class incoming, Michaud makes the Fighting Hawks a dangerous contender next season.

 

Flames Sign Adam Ruzicka To Entry-Level Deal

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The Calgary Flames front office is staying busy even as the team battles in the postseason. The Flames have announced today that they have signed center Adam Ruzicka to a three-year entry-level contract. The clock was ticking on getting the 2017 draft selection under contract, but Calgary has done so and add a big and talented two-way forward to the pipeline.

Ruzicka, 19, has used the opportunities presented to him to show that he is a complete prospect and certainly worthy of a commitment from the Flames. The Slovakian forward initially played his junior hockey in the Czech Republic, where he put up good numbers, but really made a name for himself as the clear best player on Slovakia’s entries into international tournaments. Ruzicka finally made the jump overseas ahead of the 2016-17 season, after the OHL’s Sarnia Sting took notice and selected him in the CHL Import Draft. Ruzicka chose North America and the pursuit of an NHL career over a more immediate pro debut, as he was a first-round pick in the KHL Draft the same year, but opted to join Sarnia instead. After a strong debut season in the OHL, Calgary was happy to take Ruzicka in the fourth round after many expected he would go earlier. Ruzicka responded to any remaining doubts about his game by recording 36 goals and 36 assists for 72 points in 65 games last season. He started this year off the same way, with 37 points in 35 games, before he was traded to the Sudbury Wolves. The move only further ignited Ruzicka, who added another 41 points in 30 games, a total of 78 points on the year, and a team-leading ten points in the Wolves’ eight playoff games.

Ruzicka has more than shown that he can score at the junior level, but what makes him such a promising prospect for the Flames is that he also has the physical tools to translate that ability to the pros. Ruzicka stands 6’4″ and weighs in at over 200 lbs. and isn’t afraid to throw that frame around. An old-school center, Ruzicka is physical player with and without the puck, who can check, win battles, and possess the puck as well as anyone his age. His net front presence is also a major factor in his scoring numbers. Ruzicka has also shown some versatility by moving to the wing at times this season, adding yet another skill to his repertoire. There wasn’t much doubt that Calgary would get Ruzicka under contract before the June 1st deadline, but now that it is official, this is a prospect that Flames fans can really get excited about.

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