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Minor Transactions: 10/04/21

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While NHL training camp rosters are being thinned, AHL training camps are just getting started and with it comes opportunities for still-unsigned free agents to find a team for the coming season. While there have been many AHL tryouts and other such moves of late, here are some of the most notable “minor” transactions:

  • While NHL veteran Tim Schaller drew the headlines, the Bakersfield Condors have also signed Graham McPhee to a one-year contract. McPhee, 23, will stick around the Edmonton Oilers organization for another year, despite the team that drafted him never offering him an entry-level contract. McPhee split last season – his first pro campaign – between the Condors and the ICEHL’s Vienna Capitals. The former Boston College Eagle plays a hard-working game but still has room to develop his skill before he can challenge for NHL consideration.
  • The Chicago Wolves will have 14 players in camp on tryout agreements, several of whom are recognizable names. Coming off of NHL contracts, both Drake Rymsha and Luke Green will now have to perform in camp just to earn AHL deals. Rymsha, 23, actually played one game with the L.A. Kings last season but was not extended a qualifying offer and signed with the ECHL’s Fort Wayne Komets, but is looking to land in Chicago instead. Green, 23, was also not qualified after spending last season on loan in Finland, but is looking to make a comeback with the Wolves after failing to make a difference in the Winnipeg Jets organization.
  • After missing the 2019-20 season due to post-concussion syndrome, former San Jose Shark Rourke Chartier made his return to hockey last year with the Toronto Marlies. He will look to stay in the AHL and in Ontario as he has joined the Belleville Senators on a tryout offer. Chartier has been a consistent producer in the minors and at 25 still has some gas in the tank.

Philip Svedeback Commits To Providence College

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Although Philip Svedeback was viewed as somewhat of an unheralded prospect when the Boston Bruins selected him 117th in the 2021 NHL Draft, behind the scenes there was a recruiting war being waged for the talented Swedish goaltender. It now appears that Providence College has emerged victorious. The Dubuque Fighting Saints of the USHL, who themselves are just getting accustomed to Svedeback’s strong play in net, have announced that the netminder has committed to join the Friars. Svedeback is expected to make his way to Providence next season.

Svedeback, who is advised by former NHLer Michael Nylander, stated in the release that he has been talking to PC for some time and enjoyed a recent campus visit. Head coach Nate Leaman leads a well-regarded staff and a strong program that has been a perennial contender for some time, so it is no surprise that Providence emerged as the front-runner. Svedeback also noted that the proximity to Boston also made a difference in his college decision. While Svedeback had drawn interest from a number of schools, including some Boston area programs, he is now set up in Providence for the long haul. Whenever Svedeback wraps up his time with the Friars, there is at least a good chance that his next stop will be across town to the AHL’s Providence Bruins.

At 6’4″ and nearly 200 pounds, Svedeback is a big, technical goaltender who has already shown that composure is one of his top traits. Playing for a defensively weak Vaxjo Lakers junior team in Sweden the past few years, Svedeback has still put up strong numbers despite facing considerable pressure. His transition to the USHL, his first time playing in North America, has also been seamless thus far. Svedeback is 1-0-1 in his first two starts for Dubuque, recording a .942 save percentage and 1.99 GAA. If he continues to perform like that this season, both the Providence College Friars and the Boston Bruins will be excited for the future.

Anaheim Ducks Sign Ben Hutton To PTO

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Better late than never, huh Ben Hutton? With most NHL teams trimming their training camp rosters down considerably over the past few days, the Anaheim Ducks have gone in the other direction. CapFriendly reports that the team has extended a PTO to veteran free agent defenseman Hutton. With Hutton unlikely to suit up for the Ducks tonight, he will have only two preseason games and just over a week of camp to prove he can stick with the team before they open the regular season on October 13.

The timing of this late tryout offer could imply that is is simply a precursor to a signing, merely getting Hutton into camp while the two sides hammer out the fine print on a contract. After all, it is not as if Anaheim is unaware of what Hutton brings to the table. The 28-year-old blue liner began the 2020-21 campaign with the Ducks after signing a one-year deal in free agency (another late-offseason deal). Hutton skated in 34 games with the team, recording five points and over 18:30 of ice time per night, before he was dealt to the Toronto Maple Leafs for a fifth-round pick. Hutton is an experienced defender who was logging major minutes and recording substantial minutes with the Vancouver Canucks not too long ago and would easily bolster a shallow Anaheim defense corps at a cheap price.

With that said, Hutton’s numbers have been on decline for years now and he did next to nothing with Toronto following last season’s trade. This PTO may simply be a courtesy by the Ducks to see if Hutton has any gas left in the tank and to let other teams take a look at his game in preseason action. While likely still a capable competitor, Anaheim may be better off going with younger options such as Josh Mahura or even Axel Andersson over Hutton, especially knowing that they do have some solid call-up options in Brendan Guhle, Brogan Rafferty, and Greg Pateryn. Hutton will have to show that he is a significantly superior option to any of these players if he wants to lock down a job with Anaheim.

College Hockey Round-Up: Season Preview

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Though the focus of the hockey world may be on the NHL preseason right now as we prepare for a full season for the first time in two years, college hockey is also making its triumphant return to play this weekend. After a season in which a number of teams did not participate, NCAA Division I men’s hockey is back at full strength – and then some. The University of St. Thomas is the newest member to the upper echelon of college hockey and will make their DI debut on Saturday in the first game of a home-and-home against championship runner-up No. 2 St. Cloud State. The weekend’s docket, though all non-conference matchups, still contains a number of incredible contests. Reigning NCAA champs No. 1 UMass starts with a tough test as they host No. 5 Minnesota State in a must-watch series. Lake Superior State and No. 17 Nebraska-Omaha is another clash of 2021 tournament teams, while UMass Lowell travels to Arizona State in a meeting of hopeful programs and the vaunted No. 3 Michigan starts off their campaign with a good challenge against Bowling Green.

Season Opening Rankings

The first national rankings, courtesy of USCHO.com, were released on Monday to open up the college hockey season. Predictably (albeit unimaginatively) last season’s champ and runner-up sit at No. 1 and No. 2 respectively. Yet, UMass and St. Cloud State face a serious threat in No. 3 Michigan, the majority favorite to win the NCAA title this year. Like Wisconsin two years ago, fans are gravitating toward the team with the most elite NHL Draft talent and Michigan takes that title handily with four of the top five selections in the 2021 draft class along with three additional first-round picks and a number of other NHL prospects. The Wolverines look dangerous, but have high expectations to live up to.

The “State of Hockey” is well-represented at the top of the rankings. Beyond St. Cloud State are No. 4 Minnesota, No. 5 Minnesota State, and No. 6 Minnesota-Duluth (who ironically all come from different conferences.) Duluth could have a bone to pick with their ranking as NCAA Champs in 2018 and 2019 and a Frozen Four finalist last year, only losing to eventual champ UMass. Minnesota State was a also a finalist in 2021, finally bucking the trend of early tournament exits. Minnesota won a stacked Big Ten Conference last year and should be taken seriously, even with Michigan in their path to a title.

No. 7 Boston College and No. 8 North Dakota round out the group that should be considered top contenders to begin the year. The Eagles and Fighting Hawks are historic programs and perennial contenders and were the top two seeds in the NCAA Tournament last year.

A major drop-off in voting points separates the rest of the pack, none of whom received any first-place votes either. Highlights of the remainder of the Top 20 include No. 9 Quinnipiac, a rising program with a ranking to match; frequent top competitors in No. 10 BU, No. 11 Wisconsin, No. 12 Providence. and No. 13 Denver; and the return of Ivy League power houses No. 14 Cornell and No. 15 Harvard. Atlantic Hockey hero No. 20 AIC wraps up the rankings, but there are 16 other schools who received votes, with Northeastern and UMass Lowell leading the chase.

What To Watch For This Season

If you are only going to watch one or two college hockey games this season, make them Michigan games. Owen Power (BUF), Matthew Beniers (SEA), Luke Hughes (NJD), Kent Johnson (CLB), Mackie Samoskevich (FLA), Brendan Brisson (VGK), Johnny Beecher (BOS), and Thomas Bordeleau (BUF) are all elite NHL prospects. Erik Portillo (BUF) and Dylan Duke (TBL) are no slouches either. At best, this team will be unstoppable. At worst, they will still be fun to watch. And with a couple of impressive recruiting classes along the way, may as well jump on the bandwagon now.

If you plan to watch a number of college hockey games this season and not just the Wolverines, you’re in luck. 40 programs have at least one drafted NHL prospect and eight, not including Michigan, have a double-digit total. Tyler Boucher (OTT) of Boston University, Matthew Coronato (CGY) of Harvard, Chaz Lucius (WPG) of Minnesota, and Corson Ceulemans (CLB) of Wisconsin are all 2021 first-rounders that aren’t playing in Ann Arbor this season. Jake Sanderson (OTT)and Tyler Kleven (OTT), selected in the first and second round respectively in 2020, are both current North Dakota defenders and future Ottawa Senators who could be manning the same blue line for years to come. Reigning Mike Richter Award winner Jack LaFontaine (CAR) of Minnesota is back for yet another year with the Gophers but sure to turn pro after the season, while Jay O’Brien (PHI) of BU has his sights set on the scoring title this year after finishing ninth in goals per game last year.

Of course, while it is great to watch your favorite NHL team’s draft picks play, it can be even better to build up excitement for the draft by keeping an eye on those top draft-eligible prospects. While this year’s crop of to-be-drafted freshman is not best or the biggest, it is led by a familiar name. Jack Hughes, yes a different Jack Hughes, looks to be the only surefire first-rounder out of the college ranks this year. The Northeastern center has been a well-regarded prospect in the U.S. ranks for some time and is ready to show what he can do at the next level. Denver winger Jack Devine could also sneak into the first round with a big freshman campaign, while defenseman Jake Martin of Wisconsin will try to show NHL teams that they should not have passed up on his top-notch defensive skills in the 2021 Draft. As always, some dark horse candidates could emerge over the course of the season as well. This weekend provides the first opportunity for prospects to make their mark on the college level and on NHL scouts.

Defense Notes: Hamonic, Hajek, Capobianco

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Training camp is well underway but the Vancouver Canucks are still awaiting the arrival of veteran defenseman Travis Hamonic. Now, with the deadline to opt out of the coming season arriving on Friday, the team is left to wait to see if they will have the reliable blue liner back after extending him this off-season. Yet, it appears that they will remain patient and calm with Hamonic, who has family concerns to take into account with his decision. Hamonic previously opted out of the 2020 playoff bubble due to his daughter’s respiratory infection and with the NHL returning to a full slate of travel this season, he may be concerned about potential exposure to the Coronavirus and bringing that home. GM Jim Benning tells Postmedia’s Ben Kuzma that he is “confident” that Hamonic will arrive to camp and play this season, but also notes that “he’s dealing with a personal issue and I think everybody should just leave it alone.” Benning did however speak to the team’s COVID vaccination status when discussing Hamonic, which may also imply that he is unvaccinated, adding another layer to his decision. Whatever the cause, time is running out for Hamonic to make his decision, but the Canucks hope the veteran defenseman will be back in the fold as soon as possible.

    • Just a few years after being one of the cornerstone prospects in the Ryan McDonagh trade return, Libor Hajek’s job with the New York Rangers could be in jeopardy. The New York Post’s Larry Brooks writes that sources believe Hajek has slid outside a starting job on the Rangers’ depth chart and possibly even outside of a roster spot. Behind established 23-year-old Ryan Lindgren, 21-year-old rising sophomore K’Andre Miller, and 20-year-old rookie Zac Jones, the 23-year-old Hajek has not done enough to assert himself as a roster lock and can no longer depend on his upside with so much talented youth around him. Lindgren and Miller both greatly outplayed Hajek last year and Jones came in late in the season, after a long college season that ended in a National Championship with UMass, and proceeded to match Hajek’s season point total in just ten games.  Beyond just the youngsters, Brooks reports that veteran free agent addition Patrik Nemeth is also above Hajek on the depth chart. With four lefties seemingly locked into roster spots, Hajek would have to unseat a righty to make the team – and that certainly won’t be Adam Fox or Jacob Trouba – or hope that New York opts to carry eight defenseman, five of which are lefties. Another promising rookie, Nils Lundkvist, is currently penciled in for the final spot on the right side, while a potential fifth lefty spot would also be open to competition from veterans Jarred Tinordi and Anthony Bitetto and promising prospect Matthew Robertson. This all goes to show that there are a lot of defensemen in the mix for the Rangers and Hajek no longer has the shine of a budding star. Even though the likes of Miller, Jones, Lundkvist, and Robertson are all waiver-exempt, don’t be surprised to see New York subject to Hajek to waivers anyhow in order to ensure the best players are on the NHL roster. Whether that decision ultimately means Hajek’s days in the Big Apple are numbered remains to be seen.
    • The Arizona Coyotes have announced that Kyle Capobianco is currently sidelined with a knee injury, which is exactly what the young defenseman did not want in training camp this year. Though PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan writes that he is only considered day-to-day, this is a critical preseason for Capobianco. The left side of the Coyotes blue line was obliterated this off-season with the trade of Oliver Ekman-Larsson, free agent departures of Alex Goligoski and Jordan Oesterle, and retirement of Niklas Hjalmarsson. Even with the addition of Shayne Gostisbehere to a left side now led by Jakob Chychrun, Capobianco flew up the depth chart into a top-three slot. This was his chance to finally secure an NHL starting job, but he risks missing out with a surplus of right-handed defensemen also jockeying for position. If youngsters like Victor Soderstrom, Conor Timmins, and Ty Emberson all prove they should be on the NHL roster while Capobianco sits out, he could lose his starting job, especially with veterans Ilya Lyubushkin and Anton Stralman able to play their off-side.

Minor Transactions: 09/29/21

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Though the numbers have dwindled, there are still many players looking for work this season. The includes in North America, where some are seeking minor league deals or hoping to capitalize on PTOs, as well as in Europe, where most leagues are already underway but players are still trying to find their way into the action. Keep up with all of these transactions here:

  • Miraculously, 38-year-old power forward Evgeny Artyukhin is back for another year of hockey. The Russian forward has signed a one-year deal with the KHL’s Admiral Vladivostok, the team announced. Admiral becomes his ninth different KHL club in his 18-year pro career, which also included a multi-year stint in the NHL. Artyukhin is so old (how old is he?) that the last NHL club he played for was the Atlanta Thrashers in 2010. A 2001 Tampa Bay Lightning draft pick, Artyukhin spent two seasons with the Bolts, collecting 33 points in 145, before splitting his final NHL season between the Anaheim Ducks and the Thrashers with 16 points in 54 games. An effective bottom-six forward who played a physical game and could chip in on offense, Artyukhin likely could have played longer in North America, but was always drawn back to Russia. And KHL teams are drawn to him; it seemed that Artyukhin’s career could be over back in 2018-19 when he missed the whole season due to injury, but now he is on to his second contract in two years as he continues to elongate an already impressive career.
  • Two Boston PTO’s have earned a contract with the Bruins, the AHL’s Providence Bruins that is. Defensemen Aaron Ness and Jack Dougherty have signed on with the junior Bruins for this season reports Mark Divver of the New England Hockey Journal. The organization has yet to confirm, but it would not be a shock given that both players are currently in camp. Ness, who turned down a PTO with the Seattle Kraken to join the Bruins instead, is coming of a contract with the Arizona Coyotes and saw NHL action just last year. He brings 72 NHL games and over 500 AHL games worth of experience to Providence. Dougherty, 25, is a former top prospect of the Nashville Predators who has struggled to make his mark in the pros but has been extremely consistent in the minors.
  • Jared Cockrell will have to spend another year in the ECHL to prove he is ready for the next level. The former Colgate standout transferred to St. Cloud State last year and appeared in the NCAA Championship with the Huskies. Soon after he signed with the Wheeling Nailers and got in 16 games, but disappointed with only one point and a -8 rating. His college play suggests that he is far better than that performance and he will look to show that this season after re-upping with Wheeling, per a league release. Cockrell will have his eye on establishing more consistent play at both ends in the Coast and then maybe he could be in line for an AHL loan at some point this year.

Roster Decisions Loom For Seattle Kraken

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The Seattle Kraken approached the Expansion Draft differently than the Vegas Golden Knights in a number of ways. They did not make any side deals, they wasted fewer selections on players they did not intend to sign, and they made fewer trades after the draft. While the results were too similarly deep teams, with the Knights adding talent through side deals and the Kraken going after several big free agents, Vegas did not face the roster crunch that Seattle is now staring down. The Knights pared down their roster strategically early on, while the Kraken are seemingly waiting to see how the preseason plays out. With those game already underway, the regular season is right around the corner and the Kraken’s inaugural 23-man roster is far from set.

The biggest question facing the NHL’s newest franchise is just how risk-averse are Ron Francis and company. Francis was a slow and methodical builder in Carolina who was actually criticized for taking too few changes and missing out on potential big swings. That Francis would look at this current roster and see a worrisome number of potential waivers casualties – and he would be right. CapFriendly currently projects forwards Morgan Geekie and Kole Lind and defensemen Dennis Cholowski and Cale Fleury as being among those sent down to the AHL. The odds of any of those players clearing waivers, nevertheless all five, seem slim. Geekie especially would be a can’t-miss waiver claim (and as such won’t be waived). Lind and Fleury are each only 22 and were highly-regarded prospects in the 2017 NHL Draft, while Cholowski has a 2016 first-rounder and already has 100+ NHL games under his belt.

Yet, the trade-off is obvious. The Kraken could take their chances and try to slip some or all of these names through waivers and establish elite depth in the minors or they could find space on the roster to avoid the threat of waivers. The latter would not be easy. Again, CapFriendly already has Seattle at 24 roster members, one more than is permissible. This is likely in recognition that Yanni Gourde is expected to begin the season on the injured reserve, but still presents issues once he returns. Clearly space for upwards of four additional contracts is a daunting task. The roster is rife with veteran talent, all of whom have been skating together in camp and building chemistry. The vast majority simply will not be assigned to the AHL, but even those on the bubble may have carved out a role for themselves already. Could the Kraken demote late-summer signings Riley Sheahan and Ryan Donato? Possibly, but that is just two openings and both at forward. On defense, there is seemingly no one that could be sent down and the Kraken are not going to carry nine or ten blue liners.

All of this leads to the real roster crunch question: trade or cut? Seattle will have to decide who they want on the 23-man roster and from there decide whether to test the trade market on the outliers or take the zero-sum approach of waivers. They would have little leverage in making deals with the roster crunch looming unless they decide to dangle players with enough value to create a bidding war. Constructing their opening night roster thus could mean determining not the 23 best players, but the 23 players that maximize their value with the others either possessing trade value or lesser waivers risk.

The roster crunch could go in a number of different directions for the Kraken. The one thing that is certain is that NHL’s newest roster is not going to look the same by the franchise’s regular season debut. Change is coming and it is key for the expansion club that they are the right changes.

Tampa Bay Lightning Extend GM Julien Brisebois

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Steve Yzerman may have built the foundation, but it was Julien Brisebois who put the finishing touches on a back-to-back Stanley Cup champion. For that, the Tampa Bay Lightning have awarded their general manager a much deserved extension. As first reported by TSN’s Pierre LeBrun, Brisebois has signed a new multi-year contract to remain in Tampa.

Brisebois is just 44 years old and already has one of the most impressive front office resumes in hockey. Brisebois was promoted to GM of the Lightning in 2018 after eight years as Assistant GM and GM of the club’s AHL affiliate, at first the Norfolk Admirals and then the Syracuse Crunch. Prior to joining Tampa Bay, Brisebois has worked for his hometown Montreal Canadiens for six years as a Director/Vice President of Hockey Operations and also as AHL GM. In addition to these two Cups with the Lightning, Brisebois oversaw Calder Cup titles with the Hamilton Bulldogs in 2010 and the Admirals in 2012.

This extension should squash any remaining belief out of Montreal that Brisebois could take after his mentor Yzerman and return to his hometown team. With current Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin on an expiring contract this year, there was some hope from Habs fans that perhaps the historic team could poach Brisebois. Instead, he will stick with Tampa, which still has one of the most talented rosters in the NHL even after several key departures this off-season. The salary cap could continue to chip away at the Lightning core, but with Brisebois at the helm the team can rest easy that they are in good hands.

Rangers Loan Karl Henriksson To Sweden

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Although the New York Rangers signed Karl Henriksson to his entry-level contract this past spring, he will once again be playing back at home in Sweden this season. Among the training camp cuts today came news that the Rangers had loaned the skilled center to the SHL’s Frolunda HC, the organization with whom he has spent the past five seasons. Henriksson, the team’s 2019 second-round pick, will have to wait another year to make his North American debut.

Henriksson, 20, may be the Rangers’ top prospect not already in the NHL. A two-way center with strong skating and puck possession skills, Henriksson looks like someone who should be in the league at some point. He has already made his mark on the top level in Sweden with 54 games played as a teenager, and looks ready to take on an even bigger role this season after recording two points in four games with Frolunda in Champions League play this summer.

While the young pivot is certainly still developing, it is interesting to see the Rangers send him back to Sweden – and so quickly. New York has admitted that they have a weakness down the middle and need to find another top-six center. Yet, they are not giving much of an opportunity to their best internal option to eventually fill that role. Letting Henriksson adjust to the North American game in the AHL this season rather than returning to the SHL might have been worth some more consideration. Even if they still felt that he was best served going back home, they could have at least given him a taste of NHL play this preseason. Perhaps the club is not yet sold on Henriksson’s upside, something that the young center will try to change this season by establishing himself as a capable pro in Sweden.

Canucks’ Brady Keeper Out Indefinitely With Broken Leg

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When new Vancouver Canucks defenseman Brady Keeper went down in obvious pain following a blocked shot in practice in on Saturday and had to be stretched off the ice, the result was never going to be good. However, the hope was that Keeper’s injury would not cost him his entire debut season with the Canucks after signing a two-year, one-way contract this summer. While the team has not provided a definitive diagnosis or recovery timeline, it unfortunately seems likely that Keeper will miss extensive time, if not the whole season. Head coach Travis Green updated the media today and disclosed that Keeper did in fact suffer a fractured leg on the blocked shot. The Athletic’s Rick Dhaliwal adds that Keeper underwent surgery this morning.

Some sources are reporting that Keeper suffered both a fractured tibia and fibula, while others have merely stuck with “broken leg” until an official confirmation from the Canucks. Either way, there is a chance that Keeper may not be able to return this season, especially since the fracture required surgery. Timelines vary for recoveries from a broken leg, but the most recent cases in the NHL all cost players a minimum of three months. This would actually be a positive result for Keeper, getting him back in action after the calendar flips to January. Even if he is out close to four or five month, the extended regular season due to the Olympic break should still allow Keeper to return. However, if the defenseman is looking at a six-month recovery, considered to be the maximum for a leg fracture, the Canucks may simply shut him down rather than try to bring him back in April with so little time left in the year.

While Keeper may not be a household name and may only seem like a minor off-season addition, the 25-year-old defenseman out of the University of Maine was clearly in the Canucks’ plans this season. A Group 6 free agent from the Florida Panthers, Keeper only has two regular season NHL games to his credit, but has impressed in the AHL with his well-rounded play. His market was such this summer that Vancouver gave him a one-way contract and at a $762.5K AAV that is above the minimum salary. Keeper was expected to at least compete for an opening night roster spot with the Canucks.

Fortunately, Keeper was one of a number additions to the blue line this off-season for Vancouver. In addition to returners Tyler Myers, Travis Hamonic, Olli Juolevi, and (unsigned) Quinn Hughes, the Canucks added Oliver Ekman-Larsson as well as Keeper, Tucker Poolman, and Brad Hunt. Prospects Jack Rathbone and Jett Woo and veterans Madison Bowey and Guillaume Brisebois will also be in the mix. The Canucks have the depth to replace Keeper, but will still be disappointed to be without him for a length of time this season.

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