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Five Key Stories: 2/11/19 – 2/17/19

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With the trade deadline now just over a week away, activity has started to pick up around the NHL.  Rumors of major trades continue, but so far just a few deals have been completed.

Lafreniere To Stay In CHL: Potential 2020 first-overall pick Alexis Lafreniere set the record straight after rumors were circulating that the 17-year-old may opt to sign a contract overseas and follow the footsteps of Auston Matthews who played his draft year in the Swiss NLA. Lafreniere’s agent, Momentum Hockey Agency, released a statement making it clear that while the young talent did look into playing overseas, he and his family decided to stay in the CHL with Rimouski Oceanic of the QMJHL where he’s played the last two years, having totaled 74 goals and 172 points in 110 games. At 6-foot-1, he already has the size and proven ability to play in a professional league, but he will stay put for one more year.

Pastrnak, Maatta Injured: The Boston Bruins and Pittsburgh Penguins each took a hit to their team when each team lost a significant player to injury. The Boston Bruins lost David Pastrnak for a minimum of two weeks after he underwent thumb surgery on Feb. 12 after he fell at a team function. The Bruins, who are fighting with the Toronto Maple Leafs for the second spot in the Atlantic Division won’t be helped even if its for a few weeks without Pastrnak, who is the team’s leading scorer with 31 goals as well as 66 points, second on the team. The Penguins also took a hit on their blueline when they placed Olli Maatta on injured reserve with an upper-body injury that would sideline him indefinitely. The team was getting back Justin Schultz from injury at the time, but the team was looking forward to getting back a fully healthy defense, which now they won’t have for some time. To make matters worse, the team had recently dealt away Jamie Oleksiak to make room for Schultz, leaving the team with a lack of depth all of the sudden.

Wild Owner Approves Selling: Just hours after Minnesota Wild head coach Bruce Boudreau guaranteed that the Wild would make the playoffs, Wild owner Craig Leipold announced that he has given general manager Paul Fenton the green light to sell off some of the team’s players in advance of the upcoming trade deadline. With the team dropping four straight and having a 2-5-3 record in their last 10 games, it might be time for Fenton to make his mark on this team after being hired this summer to fix the team’s inability to advance deep into the playoffs. Among the numerous players who could be shipped off include pending unrestricted free agent Eric Staal as well as Charlie Coyle, who still has one more year on his deal. There are also a number of bottom six players who could be moved as well, including Eric Fehr, Matt Hendricks, Brad Hunt, Matt Bartkowski and Anthony Bitetto.

Philadelphia’s Hart Gets A Mentor: The Philadelphia Flyers finally consummated a rumored trade in which it acquired Edmonton Oilers goaltender Cam Talbot for Anthony Stolarz. While Edmonton freed themselves some much needed cap room as Talbot was making $4.17MM, the Flyers got themselves what they hope will be a long-term veteran who can mentor their prized rookie Carter Hart for the next few years. Talbot, who was already familiar with Hart before, waived his no-movement clause to come to Philadelphia and made it clear that he was open to signing a new contract before July 1 to remain with the team.

Ottawa Intends To Trade Duchene: The Ottawa Senators have stopped in their attempts to sign Matt Duchene to an extension and have indicated to all teams that they intend to trade the 26-year-old center. According to reports, the Senators have shifted their focus of signing Duchene to making a full effort to locking up Mark Stone to an extension. Stone may have a day or two to make up his mind on whether he is willing to sign an extension or he too, will be made available to the league with the intention of selling them off at the trade deadline. Already there has been rumors that the Nashville Predators, the Columbus Blue Jackets and the New York Islanders have expressed serious interest in acquiring the center with more suitors likely to join in before the upcoming trade deadline on Feb. 25.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Alexis Lafreniere To Stay In CHL For 2019-20

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There has been some speculation over the last few days regarding the future of potential 2020 first-overall pick Alexis Lafreniere and where he would play next season. Some believed Lafreniere would seek an opportunity overseas the same way that Auston Matthews did when he played a year in the Swiss NLA prior to his draft, but the young forward has set the record straight. Momentum Hockey Agency, who represent Lafreniere, have released this statement (via Bob McKenzie of TSN):

There have been discussions with certain clubs in Europe in the last few months. When dealing with a young player like Alexis, it’s important to evaluate every option in order to make the best decision for his short and long term career. After a great deal of consideration with the player and his family, the decision was unanimous to remain with the Rimouski Oceanic for the 2019-2020 season.

Lafreniere, who is still just 17 years old, would have had several hurdles to overcome even to be eligible to play overseas. All that will be forgotten now, and he can focus on dominating the QMJHL like he has for the past year and a half. In 107 regular season games with Rimouski, Lafreniere has 74 goals and 167 points to go along with a +88 rating. His presence makes the Oceanic a dangerous playoff matchup and could potentially lead the team to a Memorial Cup berth if they can get through the tough league playoffs.

The 2020 draft is still more than 16 months away, but Lafreniere is the early favorite to go first overall. Already big enough to hold his own against older players, the 6’1″ forward looks as though he will mature even further physically and can already protect the puck extremely well. His skill around the net is already at a high level, and he seems to be able to make decisions and movements quicker than any of his contemporaries. An all-around impact forward, there’s no reason to believe he won’t completely dominate the competition in the CHL next season.

That domination is why some hoped he would pursue an opportunity in a professional league, as there is little left to accomplish in the CHL. Sure, there are team goals that Lafreniere will hope to reach with Rimouski but his development may slow a bit given the lack of competition. Still, teams are salivating at the idea of bringing him into their organization in June 2020 and seeing what heights he can reach offensively.

CHL/NHL Top Prospect Game Invitees Announced

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January 16: Dylan Cozens and Kirby Dach have been named captains for the two teams. Both players are expected to go in the first handful of picks in the upcoming draft.

December 13: One of the most interesting events of the year when it comes to draft-eligible prospects is the annual CHL/NHL Top Prospects game. For the game, every NHL franchise helps select the 40 players they would like to see compete from across the entire CHL, giving them better insight as the entry draft approaches. Almost every player that takes part in the game ends up selected a few months later, many of them in the first round.

The showcase will be held on January 23rd in Red Deer, Alberta. The full roster includes:

G Colten Ellis (Rimouski Océanic)
G Taylor Gauthier (Prince George Cougars)
G Hunter Jones (Peterborough Petes)
G Mads Sogaard (Medicine Hat Tigers)

D Samuel Bolduc (Blainville-Boisbriand Armada)
D Bowen Byram (Vancouver Giants)
D Billy Constantinou (Kingston Frontenacs)
D Thomas Harley (Mississauga Steelheads)
D Artemi Kniazev (Chicoutimi Saguenéens)
D Vladislav Kolyachonok (Flint Firebirds)
D Kaedan Korczak (Kelowna Rockets)
D Jake Lee (Seattle Thunderbirds)
D Nikita Okhotyuk (Ottawa 67’s)
D Matthew Robertson (Edmonton Oil Kings)
D Lassi Thomson (Kelowna Rockets)
D Michael Vukojevic (Kitchener Rangers)

F Nikita Alexandrov (Charlottetown Islanders)
F Maxim Cajkovic (Saint John Sea Dogs)
F Joe Carroll (Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds)
F Graeme Clarke (Ottawa 67’s)
F Dylan Cozens (Lethbridge Hurricanes)
F Kirby Dach (Saskatoon Blades)
F Nolan Foote (Kelowna Rockets)
F Matvey Guskov (London Knights)
F Dillon Hamaliuk (Seattle Thunderbirds)
F Arthur Kaliyev (Hamilton Bulldogs)
F Peyton Krebs (Kootenay ICE)
F Raphaël Lavoie (Halifax Mooseheads)
F Brett Leason (Prince Albert Raiders)
F Nathan Légaré (Baie-Comeau Drakkar)
F Connor McMichael (London Knights)
F Sasha Mutala (Tri-City Americans)
F Jakob Pelletier (Moncton Wildcats)
F Samuel Poulin (Sherbrooke Phoenix)
F Jamieson Rees (Sarnia Sting)
F Nick Robertson (Peterborough Petes)
F Ryan Suzuki (Barrie Colts)
F Philip Tomasino (Niagara IceDogs)
F Josh Williams (Medicine Hat Tigers)
F Oleg Zaytsev (Red Deer Rebels)

Most notable among the roster is a group of forwards all vying for spots in the top-10 during June’s draft. Dylan Cozens, Kirby Dach, Raphael Lavoie, Peyton Krebs and Ryan Suzuki could all creep into the top third of the first round, though obviously nothing is set at this point. Others like Nolan Foote and Arthur Kaliyev could easily leapfrog up the draft board with a strong showing in this event and the second half of the CHL season.

On defense, all eyes will be on Bowen Byram who is starting to establish himself as a potential franchise player on the blue line. The Vancouver Giants defender has 25 points in 29 games and has been considered well ahead of his age group defensively since making his WHL debut in 2016-17. For fans already looking forward to the June festivities, this event is must-see action.

Prospect Notes: Dobson, Bertuzzi, Zadina

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When New York Islanders prospect Noah Dobson was selected to the Canadian World Junior team, it was likely a welcome reprieve. The talented defenseman had been playing for the Acadie-Bathurst Titan in the QMJHL, a team that is currently 6-26-1 with a league-worst 68 goals for. Dobson hadn’t been able to find much success, recording just 16 points in 28 games despite being better than a point-per-game producer last season. The 12th-overall pick from 2018 went to selection camp and was suddenly surrounded by the best talent in the CHL, something he may have to get used to.

Today, according to Stephane Leroux of RDS, the Titan agreed to send Dobson to rival Rouyn-Noranda after he returns from the upcoming international tournament. The 18-year old will find himself on the best team in the QMJHL upon his return, and one that is loaded for a Memorial Cup run. The Huskies have a 28-6-1 record along with a +74 goal differential. If the Islanders were hoping for a good development year, they’re certainly getting it.

  • Speaking of CHL trades, the Guelph Storm have continued to sell off their excess talent to build for the future, this time sending top prospect Tag Bertuzzi to the Hamilton Bulldogs in exchange for three draft picks. Bertuzzi, the second-overall pick in the 2017 OHL draft, has just nine points for the Storm this season but is still considered a potential 2019 NHL draft pick given his physical style and bloodlines. The son of former NHL forward Todd Bertuzzi, and cousin of current Detroit Red Wings forward Tyler Bertuzzi, the 17-year old will try to find more success in Hamilton going forward.
  • A scare went through the Czech Republic World Junior team when Red Wings prospect Filip Zadina sat out yesterday’s Grand Rapids Griffins game with an undisclosed injury, but Max Bultman of The Athletic reports that it won’t change his planned participation in the upcoming tournament. Zadina’s injury is minor, and he is still expected to be a major contributor at the tournament. The 19-year old sniper turned a lot of heads when he scored seven goals in eight games during last year’s tournament, and he should be even better prepared for the international competition after refining his game at the AHL level.

Michael DiPietro Traded In OHL

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Michael DiPietro has had a very interesting 24 hours. After being named to the Team Canada World Junior selection camp roster yesterday, the Vancouver Canucks goaltending prospect is on his way to a new OHL team for a potential Memorial Cup run. The Windsor Spitfires have traded DiPietro to the Ottawa 67’s in exchange for a huge package that includes forward Egor Afanasyev and seven draft picks. The Spitfires will get a second round pick in each of 2019, 2021, 2022 and 2023, along with three conditional picks while Ottawa will also get a 2024 second-round pick and a 2020 fourth-round pick in addition to DiPietro.

DiPietro, 19, was selected 64th overall in the 2017 draft and is considered one of the top goaltending prospects in the league. He’s had quite the interesting junior career so far, including an invitation to the World Championships as the third goaltender alongside a group of NHL players. In Windsor this season he has a .920 save percentage through 21 games, and will battle Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Ian Scott for the chance to be the starter for Canada at the junior tournament later this month.

For Ottawa, this is a chance to compete for an OHL Championship and potentially a Memorial Cup. The team is a powerhouse that has lost just three games in regulation all season, and leads the league with 123 goals for through 29 games. Though there will be some tough competition from teams like the London Knights and Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, Ottawa has a great chance to be the OHL representative in the prestigious CHL tournament, especially with DiPietro in the fold. For the young goaltender, this will be just another chance for development, before he enters the professional ranks next season.

Paul Cotter Leaves Western Michigan, Signs In OHL

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The rich have gotten richer today, as the London Knights have added another talented young NHL prospect to their roster. After recently receiving Evan Bouchard and Alex Formenton back from the NHL, the Knights have signed Paul Cotter after he recently left Western Michigan University. Cotter, a fourth round pick of the Vegas Golden Knights, will join a powerhouse OHL organization that looks poised to compete for the Memorial Cup again this season.

Still 18 years old for a few more days, Cotter was the 115th overall pick in June’s NHL Entry Draft. A star in US junior hockey for the Brookings Blizzard (NAHL) and Lincoln Stars (USHL) including a Rookie of the Year award in 2017, he played just eight games for Western Michigan this season and recorded a single point. He has now given up his college eligibility by signing in the CHL, which is considered a professional league due to the fact that some of the players already have NHL contracts. Mark Hunter, who reclaimed his position as General Manager of the Knights earlier this year, had this to say about Cotter’s decision:

We are very proud to have signed Paul and we eagerly welcome him to London. Paul is an NHL level talent who will be a strong addition to our lineup for the remainder of the season.  We look forward to his arrival in London and the excitement he will bring to Budweiser Gardens.

It’s hard to argue with any prospect’s decision to join the Knights, who have continually churned out NHL stars and have some of the strongest development coaches in junior hockey. The program has recently convinced 2018 first round pick Adam Boqvist to come over to North America, along with potential 2019 first round pick Matvei Guskov. Cotter will be joining an incredibly talented group, and should be given an opportunity to grow and develop his offensive upside before jumping to the professional ranks.

Jaret Anderson-Dolan To Undergo Surgery

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When the Los Angeles Kings recently decided that Jaret Anderson-Dolan would be better served by returning to the CHL to continue his development, they didn’t know he’d be back so soon. Bob McKenzie of TSN is reporting that Anderson-Dolan is back in Los Angeles today and is expected to undergo surgery for a broken wrist. McKenzie puts the recovery timeline at six to eight weeks, and mentions how it could “negatively impact” Anderson-Dolan’s availability for the World Junior Championship.

The 19-year old forward surprised many by earning a spot with the team out of training camp, but ended up playing just five games in the NHL before being sent back to the Spokane Chiefs of the WHL. After a 40-goal, 91-point season in 2017-18 with the Chiefs, Anderson-Dolan had a chance to really put together an incredible season and dominate the WHL leaderboards this year. That doesn’t look like it will happen anymore, as he’ll miss a huge chunk of the season to injury and perhaps a chance to compete for the Canadian squad. His recovery will be watched closely by the Team Canada front office, but given the other options at forward—especially if players like Gabe Vilardi, Robert Thomas, Max Comtois or Michael Rasmussen are sent back to junior—there might not be room for him by the time Anderson-Dolan is back on the ice.

It’s valuable development time missed, but there are still high hopes for Anderson-Dolan after an impressive performance in training camp and through his first taste of NHL hockey. The Kings are struggling to find any dynamic players on their roster right now, and may be in for a rebuild over the next few seasons. Anderson-Dolan, Vilardi and others like Rasmus Kupari are key to any sort of turnaround in Los Angeles.

Blackhawks Prospect Mikael Hakkarainen Leaves Providence College

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The Providence College Friars are just one game into their 2018-19 and have already suffered a significant loss – not from injury or suspension, but simply by choice. Freshman center Mikael Hakkarainen has decided to leave the program after just his first collegiate game. Hakkarainen will return to his USHL club, the Muskegon Lumberjacks, who broke the news this morning by announcing his change of heart. The Providence Journal’s Mark Divver later confirmed the move and added context to Hakkarainen’s decision.

Divver spoke to Providence head coach Nate Leaman, who expressed disappointment in Hakkarainen’s sudden decision. Leaman states that Hakkarainen was unhappy balancing academics and hockey, an obvious aspect of life as a student-athlete. Divver points out the irony of that reasoning, as a return to the USHL would seemingly indicate that Hakkarainen is open to returning to the NCAA later on. Hakkarainen could instead follow in the footsteps of former Muskegon teammate and Buffalo Sabres prospect Matej Pekar, who was selected by the Barrie Colts of the OHL in this year’s CHL Import Draft after making it known the NCAA was no longer in his plans. Hakkarainen could also return home to his native Finland at some point, although he has played in North America now for four years.

Hakkarainen, 20, was a fifth round pick of the Chicago Blackhawks back in June, an overage pick who enjoyed a breakout season last year in the USHL. The No. 6 overall pick in the 2016 USHL Draft out of the NAHL, a slow start at the next level saw him traded away from the team that drafted him, the Chicago Steel. In his first full season with the Lumberjacks last year, Hakkarainen led the team in per-game production with 46 points in 36 games, superior numbers to even Pekar, a fourth-round pick. As such, Hakkarainen was expected to play an important role for the Friars this year and potentially take over as a top scorer down the road. He even anchored the team’s third line in their season opener. Instead, the future remains a mystery for the talented, but uncommitted forward. The Blackhawks may have some incentive to intervene and ensure their prospect gets back on the right track.

Hakkarainen’s departure makes that two on the year for Providence. Swedish import Calle Ehrnberg left the program just last week to return home for what Divver cites as “homesickness”. The freshman defenseman was not nearly the caliber of prospect as Hakkarainen, but nevertheless a capable offensive defender who had a role to play with Providence. In the uber-competitive Hockey East Conference, any loss can be a blow, both this season and in long-term plans, and the Friars have had tough luck this season. They can only hope that those players who have remained committed to the program can pick up the slack in their ex-teammates’ absence.

Snapshots: Nylander, Senators, Memorial Cup

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Despite the Toronto Maple Leafs first win of the season last night, the team is still embroiled in a contract negotiation with star forward William Nylander that hangs over the club and draws daily questions from the media. For his part, Nylander hadn’t said much other than the fact that he wanted to be in Toronto for a long time and was letting his agent deal with the negotiations. That was before the season started though, so when he was quoted today by Swedish news outlet Aftobladet it drew quite a lot of attention.

Nylander is training in Sweden and told the reporters that he has still let his agent do all the talking between his side and the Maple Leafs, admitting that he hadn’t spoken to Toronto personally at all. Though Nylander isn’t receiving money that he could be earning had he signed before the season started, he explained that he has to worry about his long-term future in the league and not just what is going on right now. That comes just after team President Brendan Shanahan spoke to the media in Toronto and explained that the team expects their young players to want to win more than make the most money possible, and that leaving some on the table was basically a requirement to keep everyone together. Nylander, as a restricted free agent, has to sign a contract by December 1st or be declared ineligible to play in the NHL this season.

  • The Ottawa Senators are getting ready to open their season tonight, and have added to their scouting staff for the upcoming season. The team announced the hiring of Rob Murphy to the pro scouting group, who brings a wealth of experience along with him. Murphy was most recently the director of scouting for the Buffalo Sabres, and had previously worked with the Senators and Arizona Coyotes. GM Pierre Dorion released an enthusiastic statement on the hiring, explaining that Murphy is “another important step” in the team’s rebuild.
  • While this year’s Memorial Cup will be held in Halifax, the CHL announced that the Kelowna Rockets will host the 2020 tournament that pits the best of the best in Canadian junior hockey against each other. Kelowna will get an automatic entry into the tournament as the host city, and will face off against the WHL, OHL and QMJHL champions for the prestigious trophy.

Minor Transactions: 09/20/18

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Even while NHL clubs trim the fat off their training camp rosters, minor league teams are adding talent for the upcoming season. We’ll keep track of the minor moves right here.

  • The San Jose Barracuda have signed Keaton Middleton to an AHL contract, meaning he’ll join his brother Jake Middleton in the organization. The younger of the two Middleton boys, Keaton was selected by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the fourth round of the 2016 draft but failed to sign a professional contract with them and became an unrestricted free agent this summer. The towering defenseman has served as the captain for the Saginaw Spirit for the past two seasons and can be an absolute physical force on the ice when on his game.
  • The Binghamton Devils have also added an interesting player on an AHL contract, inking Brian Ward to a one-year deal. Ward was a dominant offensive player for the Adirondack Thunder of the ECHL the past two seasons, and could make the jump to the AHL this year if given a chance. A former standout at St. Lawrence University, he’s still quite a distance from ever challenging for an NHL job but should give the Devils some added depth in the minor leagues.

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