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ECHL, OHL, WHL Announce Revised Start Dates

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Thursday: The WHL has announced its own adjusted start date, going with December 4 as well. They will also attempt a full 68-game schedule, even going as far as saying “regardless of our start date, the WHL is committed to playing a full regular season and playoffs in 2020-21.”

Wednesday: Two other leagues have announced their plans for a return to play, as the ECHL and OHL released revised start dates for the 2020-21 season.

The ECHL, a professional league used as the low-minors for the NHL, has approved a revised schedule for the upcoming season that will begin on December 4, 2020. The league anticipates holding a full 72-game season, though further adjustments to the schedule will be announced as we get closer to the start. The ECHL was originally scheduled to start their season at the beginning of October.

The OHL meanwhile, one of the three leagues that make up the CHL, announced that it is planning on starting their season December 1, 2020. The 2020-21 season will be a 64-game schedule for the OHL and include a 16-team playoff format.

The Memorial Cup, which will be hosted by either the Oshawa Generals or Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds will be held between June 17-27, 2021.

Like anything else in today’s world, these decisions are subject to change should health recommendations shift over the next few months.

Tampa Bay Lightning Sign Sean Day

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The “exceptional” star that has been anything but in professional hockey, will get another chance. Sean Day has signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning for the 2020-21 season.

Now 22, Day is infamously one of the few players that was granted exceptional status to play in the CHL a year early. While the ones who came before him—John Tavares, Aaron Ekblad and Connor McDavid—were all selected first overall in their respective NHL drafts, Day slipped to the third round after a less-than-dominant OHL career. The 6’3″ defenseman was picked by the Rangers in 2016, but ended up going back to the OHL for two more seasons and then ending up in the minor leagues.

Since turning pro in 2018, Day has played nearly as many games in the ECHL as in the AHL and still hasn’t cracked an NHL roster. This season he split his time between the Hartford Wolf Pack and Maine Mariners, performing much better at the lower level. His contract was terminated at the end of May after clearing unconditional waivers, making him an unrestricted free agent.

Even without much success, there is a reason why teams will continue to believe in Day. There is obvious raw talent, with the size and offensive ability to be a difference-maker at the highest level. The Tampa Bay front office must believe their development system can do what the Rangers’ couldn’t, as even an NHL contract is a surprise at this point.

Danil Gushchin, Albin Grewe Sign In OHL

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Two notable NHL prospects and recent CHL Import Draft selections have joined the ranks of the OHL. 2020 draft eligible forward Danil Gushchin, the No. 4 overall pick in the 2020 Import Draft, has signed with the Niagara Ice Dogs, while forward Albin Grewe, a 2019 third-round pick of the Detroit Red Wings, has signed with the Saginaw Spirit.

Gushchin’s move signals a shift in his developmental path. A consensus second-round pick in the coming NHL Entry Draft, Gushchin is a very talented forward with great speed and stick skills. The one glaring concern about his game is his size: Gushchin stands just 5’8” and weighs in at around 160 lbs. For this reason, it seemed the Russian winger was favoring the collegiate development path, which can often be better for undersized players. The No. 7 overall pick in the CHL Import Draft last year, Gushchin instead opted to play another season in the USHL with the Muskegon Lumberjacks, preserving his NCAA eligibility. However, with questions about the likelihood of a college hockey season, Gushchin may have decided that the best choice for his development was to improve his level of play next season and the OHL was his safest bet. The question now, and one that NHL scouting staffs will have to decide, is whether the size and skill that made him a point-per-game player in the USHL will translate to the OHL and eventually to the pros.

As for Grewe, the move to the OHL is not unexpected following a disappointing 2019-20 campaign. A skilled and pesky two-way winger out of Sweden, Grewe was considered a great value for the Red Wings at No. 66 overall last year. He was expected to play a larger role with the SHL’s Djurgardens IF this year after getting into 15 games last season but failing to record a point. Instead, he was limited to just 19 games and managed just one point, while his production fell off considerably in the junior SuperElit as well. In fact, the only real statistical growth this year for Grewe was in penalty minutes. Grewe needs to work more on his offensive game and skill development and has a better chance of doing that playing meaningful minutes against his peers at the junior level rather than bouncing back and forth from a pro team where he was clearly not ready to compete. Although Saginaw waited to select Grewe until the second round of the Import Draft, both sides were happy to sign on for next year. Now Detroit fans just have to hope that the talented forward can get back on track with his new team and league.

Alexis Lafreniere Wins CHL Player Of The Year For Second Straight Season

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When your name is in the running for the first overall pick in the NHL Entry Draft, it doesn’t hurt to have a bullet point on your resume that only Sidney Crosby shares in hockey history. Forward Alexis Lafreniere of the QMJHL’s Rimouski Oceanic is projected to be the top pick in the 2020 draft almost unanimously. Any doubt that he may not take that title was likely put to rest on Wednesday when the CHL announced that Lafreniere had been named the 2019-20 CHL Player of the Year. As if that wasn’t enough of an accomplishment, this is actually the second straight campaign in which Lafreniere has received the award. He was named the CHL’s best player in 2018-19 as well. The only other player honored in consecutive seasons: Pittsburgh Penguins captain and one of the game’s all-time best, Sidney Crosby.

Lafreniere, 18, recorded an eye-popping 112 points in just 52 games this season with Rimouski. His 2.15 per-game scoring rate was the CHL’s best since another NHL mega star, Connor McDavid, was playing juniors. It also marks a sharp increase from Lafreniere’s 2018-19 production of 105 points in 61 games, which was still good enough to take home the CHL’s Player of the Year honors last season. Altogether, Lafreniere registered 72 goals and 217 points in 113 games across his two MVP campaigns and nearly 300 points total in his three junior seasons combined. As a result, there is approximately a 0% chance that he will ever play in the juniors again.

Instead, the presumptive top pick will simply sit and wait to see where his first pro destination will be. The NHL answer could arrive as early as later this month, as the NHL Draft Lottery is scheduled for Friday, June 26th. However, if the nearby Ottawa Senators or the historically bad Detroit Red Wings or one of the other non-playoff teams does not win the first to select first overall, Lafreniere will have to wait even longer. A second lottery later this summer would determine which playoff team eliminated in the knockout round of the NHL’s adapted playoff format would have the first pick. On top of that, there is still some concern that with a possible delayed start to the 2020-21 NHL season that Lafreniere’s pro career may actually begin in Europe. The young star has entertained the thought of getting his first pro season started on time, even if that isn’t with his NHL club. He would of course be expected to return to North America once the new season does begin.

Regardless of where Lafreniere ends up, any team that has him in their lineup will receive a major boost. Lafreniere has shown for several years now that he is a special prospect and his second straight CHL Player of the Year Award puts him in elite company. Is it too early to proclaim him the next Crosby? Of course. That won’t stop the winners of this year’s draft lottery from keeping their hopes up though.

Snapshots: Carter, Sorokin, Hoefenmayer

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The Los Angeles Kings won’t be taking part in the 24-team playoffs this summer, so it’s time to get healthy and prepare for 2020-21. With that in mind, the team announced that Jeff Carter underwent surgery on June 4 to repair a core muscle injury. Carter is expected to be fully recovered for the next season.

Carter could very well be 36 when the next season starts and the front-loaded nature of his contract means he won’t be making very much (relatively speaking) when he does get back on the ice. With two years left on his deal but only $4MM in salary, he would be a potential option to trade out of Los Angeles in order to free up some playing time for some of their young talent. Carter does not have a no-trade clause in his deal, though there have been rumors in the past that he may decide to simply retire if sent to a destination he did not approve of.

  • Reports surfaced recently that New York Islanders goaltender Ilya Sorokin had restarted preliminary talks with his KHL team on a potential new contract, though absolutely nothing was decided at that point. Today, Darren Dreger of TSN reports that Sorokin has changed his North American representation, hiring Dan Milstein of Gold Star Hockey as his new agent. Interestingly enough, Kirill Kaprizov, another high-profile KHL prospect (and teammate of Sorokin with CSKA Moscow) hoping to come to North America, recently parted ways with Milstein.
  • Noel Hoefenmayer has added another trophy to his cabinet after being named the CHL Defenseman of the Year today. The Arizona Coyotes draft pick led all OHL defensemen in scoring with 82 points in 56 games for the Ottawa 67’s. Unfortunately, Hoefenmayer never signed with the Coyotes and instead had to settle for an AHL contract with the Toronto Marlies a few months ago.

Dustin Wolf Named CHL Goaltender Of The Year

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What a run for Dustin Wolf. The Calgary Flames prospect has now added CHL Goaltender of the Year to his resume, following his previous selections as the top netminder from both the WHL and USA Hockey. Wolf also signed his entry-level contract with the Flames last month.

Wolf, 19, has done nothing but dominate at the junior hockey level, recording a .934 save percentage across three seasons and 127 appearances. His goals-against average during that time was a minuscule 1.85 and he posted an 88-31-6 record in the regular season.

One might expect a goaltender like that to be a top draft pick, especially given he won the CHL Scholastic Player of the Year award in his draft year. Wolf, however, fell all the way to the seventh round before the Flames used the 214th overall pick on him a year ago.

The reason is simple, Wolf stands just 6’0″ 165-lbs, much smaller than the goaltenders that have reached the peak of professional hockey in recent years. In comparison to mammoth netminders like Ben Bishop and Mikko Koskinen—both standing 6’7″—it’s easy to see why teams may hesitate on Wolf’s potential.

Still, the Flames are obviously willing to give him a shot to show what he can do at the professional level. That won’t happen until next year when he is eligible for the AHL, but with a contract in hand and a history of success he’ll be one of the more interesting goaltending prospects to follow.

Previous winners of the CHL award include current NHL goaltenders like Carter Hart (twice), Darcy Kuemper, Jake Allen and Carey Price.

Shane Wright Wins OHL, CHL Rookie Of The Year

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June 5: Wright has also won the CHL Rookie of the Year, becoming the first Kingston player to ever earn the award.

May 14: He won’t be eligible for the NHL draft until 2022, but that doesn’t mean hockey fans should overlook Shane Wright. The Kingston Frontenacs forward has just been named the OHL Rookie of the Year after an outstanding start to his CHL career. That start of course came a year earlier than most players, after Wright was given exceptional status to enter the OHL.

Not only did Wright score 39 goals and 66 points for the Frontenacs to lead the team in both categories, but he was also named an alternate captain just after Christmas. Having a letter sewn onto your jersey may not be notable for most top NHL prospects, but it happened to Wright when he was still just 15 years old, making him the youngest alternate in CHL history.

Following in the footsteps of other exceptional players like John Tavares, Aaron Ekblad and Connor McDavid, Wright is already dominating the competition in the CHL and looks like he will have a good shot at being selected first overall in 2022.

The list of winners for OHL Rookie of the Year is a who’s who of NHL talent. Andrei Svechnikov, Alex DeBrincat, Travis Konecny, McDavid, Ekblad, Taylor Hall, Patrick Kane and Tavares have all taken home the award over the last fifteen years.

Los Angeles Kings Sign Arthur Kaliyev, Jordan Spence

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The Los Angeles Kings have inked a pair of top prospects, signing Arthur Kaliyev and Jordan Spence to three-year entry-level contracts. Both players are expected to return to the CHL next season.

Kaliyev, 18, was selected 33rd overall by the Kings last year after falling out of the first round. The young forward is one of the most lethal goal-scorers in all of junior hockey, lighting the lamp 126 times over his 192 regular season games for the Hamilton Bulldogs. After scoring 102 points in his draft year, the 6’2″ winger came back with an even better point rate in the shortened 2019-20, recording 98 in just 57 games.

While there is still work to do on several parts of his game, Kaliyev represents a potential top-six option for the Kings that could be lethal on an NHL powerplay. Should he fail to make the Los Angeles roster in 2020-21, he will not be eligible to play in the AHL and would have to return to Hamilton.

Spence meanwhile wasn’t drafted quite as high, picked 95th overall by the Kings last year, but is still making quite an impact. The 19-year old was named QMJHL defenseman of the year after recording 52 points in 60 games for the Moncton Wildcats. Actually born in Australia, Spence is quickly rising up prospect rankings despite being a mid-round pick and could legitimately challenge for an NHL roster spot in the next few years.

Like Kaliyev, Spence will not be eligible for AHL play next season and will likely return to help the Wildcats once again. Both contracts are eligible to slide forward if the players are sent back to junior.

Snapshots: Stralman, Draft Rankings, Tourigny

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The NHL has announced its return to play format and hopes to get players back on the ice in groups soon, but that doesn’t mean that the season is guaranteed to resume this summer. Some players are still worried about how safe it would be to gather teams in hub cities, including Anton Stralman who spoke with Joe Smith of The Athletic (subscription required):

I think you should be concerned. There are so many ways to look at this thing. I know everybody wants hockey back, but safety has to come first. And it’s a little bit worrisome, I can’t deny that. Even though most players are young and healthy, I’m sure there are players like me that have underlying health issues. I don’t know how my body will react if I get this virus.

According to Smith, Stralman dealt with bronchiectasis in the past and only recently stopped taking medication for it. While he is the one speaking out about it, Stralman isn’t the only player who feels this way as James Mirtle of The Athletic points out on Twitter.

  • For those who are looking forward to the draft instead, Scott Wheeler of The Athletic (subscription required) has published his final top-100 ranking of 2020 draft prospects. That includes Alexis Lafreniere at the top where he has been on every list so far, but also has some surprises a little further down the first round. Wheeler gives a detailed scouting report on each of the first 50 prospects and breaks them down into draft tiers.
  • The CHL has named Andre Tourigny the Brian Kilrea Coach of the Year for 2019-20 after leading the Ottawa 67’s to a 50-11-1 record. Tourigny was also an assistant with the gold medal-winning Team Canada at the World Juniors and has now put up consecutive 50-win seasons with Ottawa. Amazingly, despite winning coach of the year in the QMJHL, OHL and now CHL, Tourigny has still not been able to capture a league title.

Alexis Lafreniere Considers Possibility Of Playing In Europe

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The NHL draft lottery is scheduled for Friday, June 26, which likely will determine where top draft prospect Alexis Lafreniere will end up in the future. However, will that future begin in the 2020-21 season? With the NHL focused on the 24-team playoff format at the moment, little is known about when next season might get underway, although a long delay is expected before Lafreniere can start his NHL career.

With the playoffs likely to start in late July or August, it’s entirely possible that the 2020-21 season may not start until November or even later. With that being the case, TSN’s Bob McKenzie reported recently on Insider Trading, that Lafreniere is likely to look into every possible option to get his season started on time. One possibility would be to sign a deal to play in Europe for a season (assuming that hockey starts in Europe on time).

“When is the National Hockey League going to begin the 2020-21 season? October? November? December? Even January? We don’t know,” said McKenzie. “On top of all that, where’s Alexis Lafreniere going to play this fall if the NHL season isn’t happening until January and the draft isn’t until October or November? Is the CHL going to be playing? Is the American Hockey League an option? We don’t know at this point. But one thing I can tell you – Emilie Castonguay for Alexis Lafreniere is looking at all the options on the table and that will include seeing if the European club teams are up and operating in September and October.”

Lafreniere, barring an unforeseen circumstance, is expected to be the first-overall pick in the 2020 NHL draft, but the draft is expected to be delayed until after the conclusion of the NHL playoffs, which could be in September or October. NHL.com’s Mike Morreale revealed that Lafreniere won the CHL’s Top Draft Prospect Award on Friday, his fourth award since his season with Rimouski Oceanic ended due to COVID-19. He also won the Jean Beliveau Trophy as the leading scorer in the QMJHL with 112 points, the Paul Dumont Trophy for the QHJHL’s top personality and the Michel Briere Trophy as the QMJHL’s top player.

The only notable comparison for such a move might be Auston Matthews, who played in the NLA. However, that was the year before he was drafted. Regardless, it still seems like a longshot that Lafreniere would pass up his first NHL season over a few months. The Detroit Red Wings have the best chances of winning the draft lottery at 18.5 percent.

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