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Goaltender Cameron Rowe Commits To North Dakota

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Aaron Dell, Zane McIntyre, Cam Johnson, …Cameron Rowe? The young goaltender certainly hopes that he will be the next in a line of recent stud goalies to come out of the University of North Dakota. The U.S. National Development Program announced today that their keeper has committed to join the Fighting Hawks next season.

Rowe, 17, is a draft-eligible prospect who is regarded as one of the handful of goalies guaranteed to be selected in the 2019 NHL Draft. The Illinois native is in his second season with the USNTDP and led the U-17 squad with 43 appearances last season. This year, he’s sharing the U-18 net with fellow draft-eligible stopper Spencer Knight. Knight, who many feel is the top goalie prospect in the 2019 draft class and looks like a presumptive first-round pick next June, actually began making U-18 starts last year and has outperformed Rowe so far this year. The Boston College commit may even have the inside track to starring for the U.S. World Junior squad this year. While Rowe has had a tough time adjusting to the tougher competition so far this season, he continues to get his fair share of starts next to Knight and will likely improve as the year goes on, even if he remains overshadowed.

If anything, the fact that North Dakota was interested in Rowe is proof enough that he is a talented goaltender. The collegiate powerhouse has had immense success developing goalies of late. San Jose Sharks backup Dell was the first in line, helping the team to conference championships in each of his three seasons from 2009 to 2012, in addition to several individual accolades. Current Boston Bruins’ third-string McIntyre came next and in 2014-15 won the Mike Richter Award as the best goalie in the NCAA and was a finalist for the Hobey Baker award as the best player in college hockey. Most recently, New Jersey Devils prospect Johnson led the team to a National Championship in 2015-16. Interestingly enough, Dell and Johnson were never drafted and McIntyre was a seventh-round flier. Rowe, considered a legitimate NHL prospect already, may just have a chance to be the best of the bunch.

Edmonton Oilers Place Matt Benning On Injured Reserve

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The Edmonton Oilers are set to make some changes on the back end, at least for the time being. The team announced today that they have placed defenseman Matt Benning on the injured reserve. The nature of Benning’s injury has not been disclosed and the team gave no timeline for a return, but the injury did occur in last night’s game against the Boston Bruins and his IR assignment means Benning will miss at least ten days and the Oilers’ next five games. In a corresponding move, Kevin Gravel has been recalled from the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors.

Benning’s injury is somewhat ironic. The 24-year-old blue liner was actually the aggressor on a questionable hit up high on Boston forward David Backes early in Thursday night’s 3-2 overtime win for Edmonton (video). Benning received neither a penalty nor a second look from the league on the hit, which sent Backes to the locker room for the the remainder of the period. Backes returned later on, yet it was Bruins draft pick Benning ruled out not long after with an undisclosed injury. Now, Benning lands on the injured reserve even though he nearly landed a serious head shot on Backes. It is worth noting that Benning, teammate Ty Rattie, and Bruins defenseman Kevan Miller all left last night’s chippy contest.

Benning’s absence will allow free agent addition Gravel the chance to re-establish himself at the NHL level. A signing from the Los Angeles Kings, Gravel fully expected to have a role in Edmonton to begin this season. However, the emergence of rookie Evan Bouchard and a successful tryout from veteran Jason Garrison forced Gravel down to the AHL to begin the year. A physical, stay-at-home defender, Gravel has skated in 70 NHL games over the past three seasons and contributed 93 hits and 84 blocked shots as a gritty presence on the back end. The 26-year-old brings a different skill set from Benning, but should provide an edge and a solid game in his own end for the Oilers while he replaces his injured teammate. A strong showing could earn Gravel a long-term stay in Edmonton.

Jan Kovar Signs Professional Tryout With Providence Bruins

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The New York Islanders made a quick decision in training camp that Jan Kovar had been a mistake, terminating his contract just a few months after signing him to a one-year $2MM deal. Many expected Kovar to return overseas to play in the KHL or another European league after clearing waivers, but as Mark Divver of the Providence Journal reports, he’s now signed on with the Providence Bruins of the AHL on a professional tryout agreement. That would suggest that the Boston Bruins are at least willing to take a look at him to see if he can help their organization, either at the NHL or AHL level.

Kovar, 28, signed out of the KHL but ended up failing to make the Islanders out of training camp. When the team tried to send him to the minor leagues, he didn’t report and eventually agreed to a mutual termination. It’s interesting that he’s now willing to play at the AHL level, after refusing to do so just a few weeks ago with the Islanders. His agent, Allan Walsh of Octagon Hockey, tweeted out that Kovar plans on playing for Providence for a few weeks before evaluating his “NHL options.” It was believed that there was more than one suitor who approached the Czech forward this summer, and perhaps someone else will come forward with a new contract.

It’s not hard to see why there was interest, given Kovar’s success in the KHL. Though his 2017-18 was a down year with just 35 points, he’d recorded four straight seasons of at least 20 goals and 50 points prior to that, and had previously dominated the Czech professional league as well. There’s plenty of talent there, and experience at the international level against some of the world’s best players. Kovar has competed in several World Championships for the Czech Republic, and even suited up at the last Olympic Games, leading his country with five points in six games.

If there’s enough there for the Bruins to take a look, one has to wonder if they would sign the veteran forward to try and give the team another offensive option lower in the lineup. Sometimes referred to as a “one line team” this season, Boston has been relying heavily on the trio of Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and David Pastrnak to create offense. In fact, David Krejci is the only other forward on the team with more than two points, and even he hasn’t scored a goal this season. Giving Kovar a place to play for a few weeks doesn’t hold much risk, and could potentially pay off for the team in the long run.

Bruins Hoping To Add A Veteran Center

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  • While they have no plans to sign Lee Stempniak, the Bruins are looking to add a veteran forward, preferably a center, TSN’s Darren Dreger reported in the latest edition of Insider Trading (video link). He added that young wingers Anders Bjork and Danton Heinen could be dangled as a potential return although he was quick to indicate that they aren’t being shopped.  Boston lost center Riley Nash to Columbus in free agency this summer and have shifted David Backes down the middle to replace him.

Boston Bruins Still Not Planning On Signing Lee Stempniak

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Though he had attended camp with the team on a professional tryout and was still hanging around town, Lee Stempniak hasn’t earned a contract with the Boston Bruins. That’s not going to change anytime soon according to head coach Bruce Cassidy, who told reporters today that the team has no plans on signing the veteran forward as of this moment.

Stempniak, 35, was forced to experience the minor leagues for the first time in more than a decade last season when he was demoted by the Carolina Hurricanes. Though he played just a single game for the Charlotte Checkers, it was a clear sign that his NHL career was coming towards an end and he may have to look elsewhere for employment. Still, he performed well enough in Bruins camp to make some believe that he would earn a spot on the team, especially given the revolving door of the bottom six in Boston. Stempniak is just a year removed from a 16-goal, 40-point campaign in Carolina, numbers that he had seemingly put up for his entire career. Before 2017-18, the oft-traded winger had put up double digit goal totals in every full season of his career, even reaching a career-high of 28 in 2009-10. In parts of 13 seasons, Stempniak has 469 points in 909 NHL games and has generally been a positive and versatile contributor.

Boston meanwhile has received very little in terms of production from their bottom three lines, instead relying on the trio of Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak to handle all the offense. Only one other forward, David Krejci, has more than two points on the season while several have been held completely off the score sheet. There’s no guarantee though that Stempniak could change that, and for now there is no plans to give him an opportunity to try.

Snapshots: Three Stars, Dvorak, Maple Leafs

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The NHL has handed out the Three Stars for the second week of the season, and once again a center from the Atlantic Division leads the way. Following in Auston Matthews’ week one honors is Patrice Bergeron, who gets the first star after a nine-point week with the Boston Bruins. Bergeron’s brilliance was on display in full force when he sent a backhand saucer pass to David Pastrnak for a tap in on Monday night against the Ottawa Senators. It wasn’t the first time the Bruins center is included in these awards, and it certainly won’t be the last.

Behind Bergeron were two more Eastern Conference opponents in Morgan Rielly and Sebastian Aho. Both players continued their scorching hot starts by adding seven points in three games, and helping the Toronto Maple Leafs and Carolina Hurricanes to league-leading records. While both have been good before, each could be experiencing another breakout in performance that could lead to playoff success for their clubs.

  • Christian Dvorak of the Arizona Coyotes has suffered a setback in his rehab from a lower-body injury according to Matt Layman of AZ Sports, who notes that the team will give an update on his status later in the week. Dvorak hasn’t played yet this season as he tries to make good on the six-year, $26.7MM extension he signed this summer, and will likely now be held out of the lineup even longer. Now on the final year of his entry-level contract, Dvorak is looked to as a leader on the Coyotes and one that was expected to take a step forward from the 15-goal, 37-point performance of 2017-18. The 22-year old will need to perform at an even higher level in order to eclipse that if he misses much more of the season.
  • The Maple Leafs were forced to recall minor league goaltender Eamon McAdam today to fill in while Frederik Andersen deals with a minor knee injury, and as CapFriendly points out are using one of their two goaltender exemptions for the year. The team is sitting at 24 players on the roster since they didn’t move Andersen to injured reserve, and will now have to be even more careful going forward. McAdam will serve as backup tonight while Garret Sparks makes his second start of the season.

Snapshots: Schultz, Pettersson, Hicketts, Howden

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The Pittsburgh Penguins could find themselves down a defenseman for a while after Justin Schultz went down Saturday with what looks to be a gruesome leg injury (video link here). According to the Penguins, he needed to be helped off the ice after falling awkwardly in slow motion and either injuring his ankle or knee, after getting tangled up with Montreal’s Tomas Plekanec.

While more information won’t be known until Sunday at least, the idea of losing Schultz, one of the top defenseman isn’t a good sign. The 28-year-old already had four assists in three games played this season. Assuming he’s out for any length of time, the team could look to insert Juuso Riikola into the rotation. The Finnish free-agent, who signed with the team this summer, has impressed the Penguins throughout training camp and earned a spot as an extra defenseman, but has played in just one game so far this season.

  • Vancouver Canucks fans have to be worried after rookie Elias Pettersson took a massive hit from Florida Panthers’ Mike Matheson and then was thrown down on top of that (video link here). The 19-year-old rookie immediately left the game with a trainer, according to TSN’s Brennan Klak. Pettersson had already put up a power play goal in the game and led all rookies with five goals and eight points this season. No word on the severity of the injury.
  • NBC Sports Joe Haggerty writes that Detroit Red Wings defenseman Joe Hicketts will likely struggle all season as the diminutive blueliner at works his way through his rookie campaign with his physical brand of hockey. While the 5-foot-8 defenseman played an impressive 23:39 against the Boston Bruins Saturday and had five hits, he finished with a minus-3 and showed that he’ll struggle against top competition and skaters such as the Bruins depth that he faced Saturday.
  • Rick Carpinello of The Athletic (subscription required) profiles the play of the New York Rangers’ Brett Howden, who seems to be showing the team that he’s more than just a grinder. The 20-year-old has been impressive since training camp and his play forced the Rangers to send 2017 first-rounder Lias Andersson to the AHL. The Rangers acquired Howden, a 2016 first-round pick, from Tampa Bay in the Ryan McDonagh deal last season, but has already posted two goals in the Rangers’ first five games.

Minor Transactions: 10/13/18

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Forward Logan Shaw has re-joined a familiar locale. The journeyman power forward, who attended Calgary Flames training camp on a PTO, was unable to secure NHL employment this season. Instead, he has signed a one-year AHL contract with the San Diego Gulls, the Anaheim Ducks’ affiliate announced. The Gulls are one of the seven different NHL or AHL teams that Shaw has played for in his five-year pro career, albeit only briefly with a pair of contests in the 2016-17 season. Were it not for the Montreal Canadiens claiming him on waivers last season, that number would be much higher. The Anaheim Ducks, who had traded for Shaw early in 2016-17 and gave him a then-career high 55 games and a contract extension, attempted to slide the big winger through the waiver wire after another 42 games last year, only for the injury-riddled Canadiens to claim him. Shaw skated in 30 games for Montreal and, combined, recorded a career-best 72 games and 14 points last year. However, that wasn’t enough to drum up NHL interest and Shaw has instead returned to the AHL level and a team in San Diego with which he has some familiarity. Shaw made his Gulls season debut last night, notching an assist in a narrow loss to the Tuscon Roadrunners. Shaw could be a leading scorer for San Diego this year and, at 26 year old, the door to an NHL return may not quite be shut just yet.

More minor moves as the day goes on:

  • The Boston Bruins have assigned forward Martin Bakos to their AHL affiliate, the Providence Bruins, the team announced. Bakos, a free agent signing out of the Czech Republic, began the season on the injured reserve after suffering a lower-body injury early in training camp. That lack of ice time with the starters in the preseason eliminated any chance that Bakos had of cracking the Bruins’ roster right away, but the team does have high expectations of the veteran Slovakian forward. Bakos, 28, has several season of experience in the KHL as well as the Czech League, including his career-high 40-point campaign with Liberec last season. Bakos is a versatile, two-way forward who can play all three forward positions and competes in all three zones. The Providence Bruins are deep with talent, both young and older, but Bakos could be one of the first call-ups if he stays healthy, adjusts to the North American game, and produces for Providence.
  • The Montreal Canadiens have recalled goalie Charlie Lindgren from the AHL’s Laval Rocket, the team noted this morning. It is an emergency recall for Lindgren, as starter Carey Price is apparently unavailable do to the flu. The Habs square off with the Pittsburgh Penguins tonight and it will presumably be the first appearance of the season for primary backup Antti Niemi. However, given the Penguins’ scoring punch, Lindgren could also potentially make his season debut. The 24-year-old has made 17 NHL appearances in his young career, posting a save percentage of .914 and a goals against average of 2.78.
  • With their injury-plagued parent club already drawing on their roster depth, the Belleville Senators have re-signed forward Daniel Ciampini to a two-way contract for this season, the team announced. Ottawa could prove to be a team with a fluctuating roster this season in need of AHL reinforcements, so Belleville has proactively added one of their own in Ciampini. The 27-year-old played in 49 games with the junior Senators last season, recording 16 points. The former Union College standout has also scored at a better than a point-per-game clip in the ECHL the past two years, showing some production potential that Belleville hopes spills over into the AHL.
  • The Florida Panthers have sent defenseman Jacob MacDonald to the AHL, the team announced. MacDonald will head to the Springfield Thunderbirds, somewhat of a return for a player who briefly played for the former Springfield Falcons back in 2015-16. The MacDonald experiment always seemed to have an expiration date with the Panthers having several injured defensemen on the mend, but MacDonald did score on his first (and only) NHL shot and performed well in sheltered minutes through two games. However, the team will move on without MacDonald for now, as he looks to continue the success he found at the AHL level last season. In the meantime, KHL import Bogdan Kiselevich has been activated from the injured reserve and will likely take on a regular role in Florida.

Snapshots: Gagner, Despres, Flyers, Bruins-Red Wings

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Count Sam Gagner among the many of us surprised by his waiver placement and subsequent loan by the Vancouver Canucks. Sportsnet’s Luke Fox recently sat down with Gagner, now re-located to Toronto to play for the AHL’s Marlies this season, and found that the veteran forward “didn’t see it coming”. Just one year into a three-year, $9.45MM contract, Gagner said he was “shocked” that the Canucks had decided to move on so quickly. “I came to camp prepared, I had a really good summer of work, I did well on the [fitness] tests, I thought I played pretty well in pre-season…”, but it was all for naught, as Vancouver decided to move forward with their young players, leaving Gagner as the odd man out. To make matters worse, the Toronto native had just re-located his young family to Vancouver, only to get reassigned to Toronto, where he currently lives with his parents. Gagner has been a serviceable albeit streaky player throughout his playing days, but after this surprising and unfortunate shift in his career, one can only hope that a more permanent solution for Gagner and his family comes around sooner rather than later.

  • TVA’s Renaud Lavoie reports that veteran defenseman Simon Despres has opted not to sign with the AHL’s Laval Rocket. Despres, a former first-round pick and NHL regular with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Anaheim Ducks, struggled with injuries and was more or less forced out of the league in recent years. After finally returning to full health last season and performing well with the KHL’s HC Slovan Bratislava, Despres expressed an interest in returning to the NHL this year. Interestingly, he specifically mentioned his interest in the relatively new AHL franchise in his hometown of Laval and signed a PTO with the Montreal Canadiens this summer in hopes of landing a two-way contract where he could play in Laval and potentially work his way onto the Habs’ roster. He fell short of that goal, but a one-way AHL contract with the Rocket seemed like the next-best thing. Instead, Lavoie indicates that Despres has chosen the unknown over minor league certainty. He has no plans for the season right now, but won’t be accepting an AHL contract and could certainly entertain offers back in Europe.
  • The Philadelphia Flyers have announced their support group for captain Claude Giroux, naming their alternate captains for the season. Wayne Simmonds, an impending free agent but a fan favorite and respected veteran, will wear the “A” at all times this year. On the road, the elder statesman of the blue line, Andrew MacDonald, will serve as an alternate. Back at home, 2017-18’s breakout star Sean Couturier will be the other alternate. With a substantial number of young players playing key roles for Philly, their leadership corps has an important role to play if the Flyers are to be contenders this season.
  • The Bruins have made things easier for Boston sports fans this Saturday. With the Boston Red Sox eliminating the New York Yankees in the ALDS on Tuesday night, the team moves on to the ALCS to face the Houston Astros with Game One taking place on Saturday night. The Bruins were also scheduled to play on Saturday night, facing the Detroit Red Wings at 7pm ET. However, the team announced that they have re-scheduled the game for 3pm ET to avoid the conflict with the Red Sox game. Head coach Bruce Cassidy recently spoke about his support for the Bruins’ baseball counterparts and the privilege of coaching in a city with so much fan support and success across all four major sports.

2018-19 Season Primer: Boston Bruins

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With the NHL season now just underway, we continue our look at what each team has done this summer and what to watch for in the year to come. Next up is a look at the Boston Bruins.

Last Season: 50-20-12 record (112 points), second in the Atlantic Division (lost in second round to Tampa Bay Lightning)

Remaining Cap Space: $5,246,849 per CapFriendly

Key Additions: F Martin Bakos (free agent, Liberec – Czech Rep.), G Jaroslav Halak (free agent, NY Islanders), D Steven Kampfer (trade, NY Rangers), D John Moore (free agent, New Jersey), F Joakim Nordstrom (free agent, Carolina), F Chris Wagner (free agent, NY Islanders)

Key Subtractions: F Kenny Agostino (free agent, Montreal), D Tommy Cross (free agent, Columbus), F Austin Czarnik (free agent, Calgary), F Brian Gionta (retirement), D Nick Holden (free agent, Vegas), G Anton Khudobin (free agent, Dallas), D Adam McQuaid (trade, NY Rangers), F Rick Nash (free agent, unsigned), F Riley Nash (free agent, Columbus), D Paul Postma (free agent, Kazan – KHL), F Tim Schaller (free agent, Vancouver), F Tommy Wingels (free agent, Geneve – NLA)

[Related: Bruins Depth Chart From Roster Resource]

Player To Watch: F Ryan Donato – Rookie forward Donato made his NHL debut last year in the midst of a season most only dream of. Donato wrapped up a stellar collegiate career with Harvard University by leading the NCAA in goals per game with 26 tallies – and 43 points – in 29 games. The effort made Donato a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award, given to the top player in college hockey. Donato also starred for his country, playing a major role for Team USA at the Winter Olympics where, again, he led the tournament in goals per game, potting five in six contests. He then stepped right into the NHL, notching five goals and four assists in 12 regular season games down the stretch and even skating in three playoff games. After such an impressive campaign, the question now is can he keep it up?

The ceiling for Donato is clear: as a supremely talented shooter and intelligent offensive player, Donato is able to seamlessly transition into a regular scoring role on a skilled Boston lineup. Donato is currently skating on the off-wing, something he did little of in college, on the Bruins’ second line with veteran center David Krejci and impressive sophomore winger Jake DeBrusk. He’s also been tasked with first unit power play work, getting to share the ice with the NHL’s best line of Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, and David Pastrnak. If he adjusts well to this role, Donato could be looking at 30+ goals and not only in the conversation for the Calder Trophy, but perhaps the favorite.

However, the floor for Donato is also apparent. The Bruins have recently seen what can happen when a talented offensive player with a knack for putting the puck in the net during his developmental years fails to transition that ability to the NHL. Frank Vatrano, traded late last year to the Florida Panthers, was a goal-scoring phenom in the AHL and was expected to take over a top-nine role last season, only to struggle with scoring, too often get exposed defensively, take too many bad penalties, and ultimately end up as an extra skater later jettisoned away. While Donato is a far superior prospect to Vatrano and is in no way at risk of being dealt, his rookie year could go similarly to Vatrano’s final season in Boston. The Bruins ask all of their forwards to play a responsible, two-way, forechecking game. Donato is still developing those skills and, if he isn’t scoring enough on the second line, could find it hard to get play time in the bottom-six. Danton Heinen and Anders Bjork already have a pro experience, and more importantly two-way IQ, to their credit and could push Donato for an opportunity in the top-six or even force him out of the lineup entirely. The Bruins also have their eye on a Stanley Cup this year and could seek to replace a disappointing Donato via trade if it comes to that down the line.

It says a lot that the Bruins let several middle-six free agent forwards walk without finding viable replacements this off-season, as they clearly trust Donato, as well as DeBrusk, Heinen, Bjork, and other options in the AHL, to be reliable NHL scorers. Already, through just three games, secondary scoring has been an issue for Boston and Donato needs to prove management right that he is ready to take on his current role. The Bruins’ season rests with the ability of their young forwards to continue improving and provide stable secondary scoring. Of that group, Donato is the most important, having been handed the second-line opening early on, and bears watching all season long.

Key Storyline: For much of last season, the Boston Bruins were neck-and-neck with the Tampa Bay Lightning for the top spot in both the division and the conference and at times even the league’s best record. Boston ended up only one point behind the Bolts in the final standings and then fell to their foes in the second round of the playoffs. Part of the reason that Tampa was able to relatively easily dispatch the Bruins: their trade deadline additions of Ryan McDonagh and J.T. Miller, both of whom remain on the team moving forward. The Bruins added Rick Nash, who was a good fit while healthy but a bust overall, as well as several depth pieces. None of those players are donning the black and gold this year.

Then, this off-season the Toronto Maple Leafs, who finished third behind the Bruins in the division last season and proved to be a difficult first round opponent, landed the biggest fish in free agency, superstar center John Tavares. The Bruins were in on Tavares as well, but after they missed out, opted not to pursue any other prominent free agent scorers.

The Atlantic Division has improved right before the Bruins’ eyes, with many calling the Lightning and Leafs favorites not only to win the division, but the Stanley Cup. And that isn’t even considering the improvements made by the Florida Panthers and Buffalo Sabres as well. Meanwhile, Boston continues to rely on their current core and the young players they have shuffled into the lineup. Without many noticeable external improvements – outside of a top backup goaltender in Jaroslav Halak and a reliable, versatile defenseman in John Moore – can the Bruins keep up? Is this team as good as the patient front office thinks they are?

Overall Outlook: The answer, of course, is yes. This Bruins team is great. Ignore an ugly opening night loss to the banner ceremony-fueled Washington Capitals and Boston still enters the season with some of the highest expectations in the NHL. The best line in the league is supported by young, exciting scoring forwards, dependable veterans like Krejci and David Backes, and several capable fourth line options. The defense is anchored by a legend in Zdeno Chara and a wunderkind in Charlie McAvoy, not to mention offensive dynamo Torey Krug and young Brandon Carlo. Tuukka Rask and Halak could also prove to be the best goalie tandem in the league and not a stretch as Jennings Trophy favorites behind a possession-dominant, defensively responsible lineup. Not to mention, the Bruins have ample cap space and will almost assuredly be a top suitor come trade deadline time. Yes, the Bruins are great. But is “great” enough in a division that is stacked at the top with arguably three of the NHL’s top five teams? Or to make it out of the Eastern Conference, which features the past three Cup winners in the Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins?

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