Minor Transactions: 04/28/23
It’s another busy day in the hockey world, and the respective seasons of four NHL franchises are on the line tonight. The New York Islanders, Florida Panthers, Minnesota Wild, and defending champion Colorado Avalanche are each down in their series hoping to even the playing field and force an all-important Game 7.
Over in Europe, Czechia’s HC Ocelari Trinec captured their fourth-straight Extraliga title in a row. In Sweden, Djurgarden IF kept their dreams of promotion to the SHL alive with a dramatic game-tying goal from Linus Klasen with just two minutes left in regulation. Fredrik Forsberg scored in double overtime to force a Game Seven in their promotion play-off final against MoDo Hockey Ornskoldsvik and erase their 3-1 series deficit. With Djurgarden’s playoff run fueled by starring performances from NHL first-round picks such as Liam Ohgren and Jonathan Lekkerimaki, Game 7 on Sunday will be one to watch.
Teams across the hockey world are seeking to build a team that can create their own signature moments next season, and there have been quite a few transactions as teams attempt to build their rosters for the next campaign. We’ll keep track of those moves here.
- Former NHL journeyman and AHL All-Star Matt Puempel has signed an extension to remain with his club of the last two seasons, the DEL’s Augsburg Panthers. Puempel, 30, was a 2011 first-round pick whose exceptional AHL scoring numbers never quite managed to translate to the NHL. He went to Europe after 2019-20 and began in the SHL with the Malmo Redhawks, but after struggling there he has played the last two years in Augsburg. He scored 55 points in 69 career DEL games.
- Alexander Hellnemo, NHL Central Scouting’s top-ranked European goaltender for the 2023 NHL draft, has departed SHL side Skelleftea AIK to sign a two-year contract with league rival Rogle BK. The 19-year-old went undrafted in his first year of eligibility but now lands at the top of central scouting due to an impressive age-19 season. He earned nine games played with one of the SHL’s best teams and posted a .916 save percentage at the J20 Nationell level. Now, he’ll get an opportunity at Rogle to potentially make a push to play even more in Sweden’s top league.
- Orebro of the SHL have landed a solid player, signing Finnish center Hannes Bjorninen to a two-year deal from Brynas IF, who were relegated to HockeyAllsvenskan. The 27-year-old is a master at the face-off dot, having led Liiga in face-off win percentage three times. He’s a former captain of Liiga’s Lahti Pelicans and has an Olympic gold medal and IIHF World Championship gold and silver medals in his trophy case. He’ll join a squad looking to make an even deeper run for an SHL championship next year after this season reaching the semifinals.
- 2023 draft prospect Bennet Rossmy, Central Scouting’s 126th-ranked European skater, has signed with the DEL’s Dusseldorfer EG, leaving his club of this past season the Berlin Polar Bears. Like Hellnemo, the 19-year-old went undrafted in his first year of eligibility but offers intriguing six-foot-three size. This season’s DEL Rookie of the Year scored four points in 39 games for Berlin, having a personally successful season despite the fact that Berlin themselves disappointed, as they failed to make the playoffs despite winning it all last season.
- 33-year-old Johan Persson will extend his prolific run of goal-scoring at Mora IK in HockeyAllsvenskan for a few more years. Per a team announcement, Persson has signed a two-year contract extension to remain with Mora. Persson helped Timra IK earn promotion to the SHL in 2017-18 and has been a leading goal scorer for the last four seasons for Mora. He’s led HockeyAllsvenskan in goal scoring the past two seasons and has scored 59 goals and 103 points in his last 102 games in Sweden’s second division.
- Tyler Morley, a well-traveled top scorer in multiple European pro leagues is now headed to Switzerland for the first time in his career. Switzerland’s EHC Kloten announced Morley’s signing, giving them an undersized yet deadly Canadian scorer. The 31-year-old scored 16 goals and 45 points in the regular season for the DEL’s Grizzlies Wolfsburg (who fell in the Semifinals to EHC Red Bull Munich) and scored 35 points in 48 games in Liiga the year before, helping Tappara Tampere win a title. Now, he’ll hope to have that same success in the Swiss league, one of the few top European leagues he hasn’t yet skated in.
- After a season as an alternate captain in HockeyAllsvenskan with Sodertalje SK, Johan Ivarsson has earned his place back in the SHL. The 27-year-old has signed with the Malmo Redhawks for next season. The left-shot blueliner played this past season in Sweden’s second division after two seasons in Liiga playing for TPS Turku. This is somewhat of a homecoming for Ivarsson, as he played for the Redhawks as a teenager at lower levels and even helped them achieve promotion to the SHL in 2014-15. With Malmo only narrowly avoiding relegation this season, they bring back a familiar defenseman who should add experience and stability to their back end.
- Former Edmonton Oilers prospect Tyler Vesel is headed back to HockeyAllsvenskan to help Brynas IF earn promotion next season. The 29-year-old 2014 sixth-round pick has become something of a promotion specialist in recent years. He nearly earned IF Bjorkloven promotion in 2020-21, scoring 46 points in 51 games. Last season, he scored 46 points in 52 games and a whopping 21 points in 15 playoff games to earn HV71 Jonkoping promotion back to the SHL. His year in the SHL was less strong, and he finished with just 14 points in 46 games. Now, he’s headed back to his old stomping grounds, Sweden’s second tier of hockey, to give another club the chance to rise to Sweden’s top league.
Nigel Dawes Announces Retirement From Hockey
NHL veteran Nigel Dawes has announced his retirement after an 18-year professional career spanning the NHL, AHL, KHL, and DEL.
Drafted 149th overall in the 2003 NHL Draft by the New York Rangers, Dawes showed offensive promise in some NHL stints. In 2009-10 with the Calgary Flames, Dawes had a career-high 32 points in 66 games but spent most of the following season in the minors, with his smaller stature discouraging teams from giving him a full-time role.
In 2011, Dawes made the jump overseas for more playing opportunities, a move that revitalized his career. Dawes spent seven seasons with Barys Astana of the KHL, cementing himself as a franchise icon with multiple point-per-game seasons. He even earned citizenship via naturalization in Kazakhstan, making multiple World Championships and Olympic appearances for the country after suiting up for Canada internationally during his junior days.
Dawes, now 38, potted 13 goals and 11 assists for 24 points in 36 games with the DEL’s Adler Mannheim this season, although his last game of the year came in early January. Injuries sidelined him for the remainder of his final season.
Dawes ranks fifth in KHL scoring since its inception in 2008-09, and he’s the highest-scoring import player in league history after amassing 505 points in 543 games between 2011 and 2021.
He finishes his NHL career with 39 goals, 45 assists, and 84 points in 212 games split between the Rangers, Flames, Phoenix Coyotes, Atlanta Thrashers, and Montreal Canadiens.
Minor Moves: Bussi, Ginning, Samuelsson
The Boston Bruins recalled goaltender Brandon Bussi from the minors on an emergency basis, according to a team release Wednesday morning. Bussi’s recall comes in response to Linus Ullmark leaving yesterday’s game with an undisclosed injury, which head coach Jim Montgomery later told reporters was a precautionary move.
With Ullmark banged up earlier in the week as well, Bussi saw his first NHL recall on April 9 after signing an entry-level contract with Boston last year. It’s Bussi’s third transaction between Boston and AHL Providence in the past four days, as he was returned to the minors after serving as backup for Sunday’s game against the Flyers. The 24-year-old has played 31 games with Providence this season, posting a 21-5-4 record, a 2.38 goals-against average, and a .925 save percentage. As Boston Hockey Now’s Joe Haggerty noted, Bussi could be in line for his first NHL start down the stretch with Boston’s record-setting regular season drawing to a close.
Also from around the NHL beat this morning:
- Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Adam Ginning has been sent back to the AHL, according to The Athletic’s Charlie O’Connor. The 23-year-old made his NHL debut yesterday in the team’s overtime win against Columbus, recording two hits, two blocked shots, and a minor penalty in 16:40 of ice time. Drafted 50th overall in 2018, Ginning has been among the Lehigh Valley Phantoms’ best defensive players this season and will play a pivotal role on the team during the Calder Cup Playoffs.
- Former Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Philip Samuelsson is on the move overseas, joining the DEL’s Straubing Tigers for the 2023-24 season, per the league. Samuelsson, a 2009 second-round pick, recorded 31 points in 47 games last year for the DEL’s Fischtown Penguins and last played in North America in 2018-19. He recorded only 13 games of NHL action during his time with the Penguins and Arizona Coyotes, failing to record a point.
Minor Transactions: 03/31/23
It’s been a busy day across the hockey world, despite just four NHL games on the schedule. Today’s news cycle featured major headlines such as a season-ending surgery for William Eklund and the announcement of Jonathan Toews‘ return to the Chicago Blackhawks lineup. Over in Europe, some big games have been played, including two contests in the DEL Semifinals in Germany, and the first game of the SHL semifinals: a 6-2 win for Vaxjo over Frolunda. Two thrilling overtime contests were completed in Finland’s Liiga semifinals, including a double-overtime victory by Champions Hockey League winners Tappara Tampere.
As fans across the hockey world enjoy all the action on offer this Friday, teams in both minor leagues and foreign leagues are completing transactions and either making changes for this season or preparing for 2023-24. We’ll keep track of those moves here.
- Earlier this month, we covered reports that former NHL defenseman Juuso Riikola would be headed to Switzerland for next season. Today, those reports were made official as Swiss club SCL Tigers have announced that they have signed Riikola to a one-year contract for 2023-24. Riikola, 29, has 80 career NHL games on his resume and last played in North America last season, when he scored 35 points in 53 games for the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins. This season Riikola scored 19 points in 42 games as an alternate captain for the SHL’s IK Oskarshamn, helping them reach the first round of the SHL’s playoffs. Now, he’ll continue his pro career with the Tigers, hoping to keep them in Switzerland’s top league after the team just barely avoided relegation this season.
- The Coachella Valley Firebirds, the AHL affiliate of the Seattle Kraken, have signed NCAA free agent Max Andreev to an ATO agreement, one that will become a standard AHL player contract next season. The Cornell University product, 23, has scored 65 points in 77 games over the last three seasons he’s played. He made the ECAC’s Third All-Star team last season and served as an alternate captain this season, helping lead Cornell to an upset victory over the defending national champions the University of Denver. He’ll now join one of the AHL’s top teams with the hope of fashioning a professional career for himself and potentially even earning an NHL contract down the line.
- The AHL’s Iowa Wild have signed CHL free agent defenseman Landon Kosior to an ATO agreement for the rest of this season. Kosior, 20, is an undrafted blueliner who spent his major junior career with the WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders. Kosior served as an alternate captain for the team this season and scored 63 points in 60 games, his first WHL campaign above the point-per-game threshold. As is generally expected for junior players who gain more experience, Kosior’s numbers took major jumps as he got older, and he went from 23 points in his first season with Prince Albert to the aforementioned 63 this season. With this ATO, Kosior will get his first taste of pro hockey with Iowa, and will likely get to follow along as the team prepares for the Calder Cup playoffs.
- 2022 Anaheim Ducks fifth-round pick Connor Hvidston has been signed to an ATO agreement by the Ducks’ AHL affiliate, the San Diego Gulls. The deal allows Hvidston to dip his toes into the waters of professional hockey now that his WHL season with the Swift Current Broncos is over. Hvidston was one of the youngest prospects available at the 2022 draft, just days from being in the 2023 class. He’s scored 21 goals and 65 points in 59 games this season, which ranks him third in team scoring. Seeing as he’ll have to wait until next September to turn 19, he’s still a ways away from turning pro full-time, but with this ATO agreement, he’ll at least get a firsthand look at what it takes to play professional hockey in the Ducks organization.
- Another Cornell University player has signed his first pro contract: defenseman Sebastien Dirven. The 24-year-old teammate of Andreev signed with the ECHL’s Wheeling Nailers after playing three seasons with the Big Red. The big six-foot-three, 200-pound blueliner doesn’t have much of an offensive game (just 15 points in 93 career NCAA games) but will add some size and snarl to the Nailers’ blueline as they conclude what has been a difficult 2022-23 season.
- 2016 Carolina Hurricanes draft pick Noah Carroll has signed his first professional contract, landing with the ECHL’s Savannah Ghost Pirates. Carroll has spent the last four years with the University of New Brunswick on the Canadian university circuit, playing 59 games there. Before that point, the six-foot-one defenseman played for the Soo Greyhounds and Guelph Storm in the OHL, a major junior career highlighted by a 37-point final season during which he was an alternate captain.
- Cade Borchardt, the captain of one of college hockey’s better programs at Minnesota State, has signed with the ECHL’s Kansas City Mavericks. The 24-year-old’s production took a hit this season, going from 41 points to 20. But despite that decline in numbers, Borchardt earned the honor of captaining his team and finishes his collegiate career with a respectable 85 points in 121 games. In signing Borchardt, the Mavericks, who currently rank second in the ECHL’s Mountain Division, infuse some energetic young talent to their roster as they continue to grapple for playoff position.
- The ECHL’s Kalamazoo Wings have signed two players out of St. Cloud State University: Aidan Spellacy and Brendan Bushy. Spellacy, 24, is a forward who scored 12 points in 35 games this season. He’s served as an alternate captain for St. Cloud State and Robert Morris University, and he also captained his high school team, meaning he could bring some off-ice value to the Wings beyond his on-ice utility. Bushy, 24, is a six-foot-two blueliner who scored 11 points in 41 games this season playing in a top-four role.
- Former Owen Sound Attack star and OHL Champion Cameron Brace is transferring to Germany, per an announcement from his new team, the DEL’s Frankfurt Lions. The 29-year-old has spent the last two seasons in the SHL with IK Oskarshamn, scoring 52 points in 99 games there. Brace earned his shot at the SHL level after a proving himself as a professional in Denmark’s top league, where he scored 110 points in 78 games for Herning Blue Fox. Brace has fashioned himself a solid overseas professional career in the last few years, and now that career will continue in Germany.
- Longtime DEL veteran Max Renner has signed a contract for next season with the Augsburg Panthers. The 31-year-old has nearly 300 DEL games on his resume with most coming with the Straubing Tigers, save for the last two seasons spent with the Bietigheim Steelers. Renner scored nine points in 56 games last season and brings an established veteran presence to the Panthers’ defense corps.
- The ICEHL’s Black Wings Linz have signed forward Nico Feldner to a two-year contract, per a team announcement. Feldner has played the past two seasons entirely with HC Innsbruck, save for a six-game stretch with the EIHL’s Sheffield Steelers in England. Feldner scored 17 points in 43 games for Innsbruck this season and should be counted on to bolster Linz’s forward corps for the next two years as they look to return to the ICEHL’s playoffs next season.
- Matus Spodniak, a top scorer at the NCAA Division-III level with Adrian College, has signed an amateur tryout agreement with the ECHL’s Indy Fuel. The 25-year-old native of Kosice, Slovakia scored 94 points in 60 games across two seasons with Adrian College, and now the Fuel are looking to roll the dice on him to see if he can translate his game to professional hockey. This tryout will represent a significant jump in competition level for Spodniak, and he’ll have a relatively short period of time to make an impression with one of the East Coast league’s top teams.
- Spodniak’s teammate, Ty Enns, also signed an amateur tryout agreement with an ECHL club: the Toledo Walleye. Enns, 24, scored 50 points in 31 games this season and scored a total of 140 points in 106 games at the Division-III level. As mentioned with Spodniak, this jump to the ECHL will be a significant increase in difficulty for Enns, but at the very least it should be encouraging that the ECHL’s third-best team is willing to give him a tryout opportunity.
- The ECHL’s Maine Mariners are another club to dip into the pool of college free agents, signing University of Windsor forward Sean Olson. The 24-year-old scored 40 points in his 54-game career for Windsor, and standing six-foot-three 203 pounds as some size down the middle to the Mariners’ group of pivots.
Minor Transactions: 03/19/23
We’re already deep into today’s NHL slate of games, but this weekend has been busy for other teams around the hockey world as European, junior, and college seasons all near a close. We’ll keep a running list of today’s minor transactions here.
- The DEL’s Löwen Frankfurt today announced that multiple players would not be returning to the team next year, including a trio of former NHL-contracted players. Goalie Callum Booth, who played just one game for Frankfurt after a mid-season departure from the Seattle Kraken organization, is one of the three, opening the door for a potential return to the North American ranks on an AHL or ECHL contract next year. Winger Jerry D’Amigo, who played 31 NHL games across two seasons with Toronto and Buffalo, was also released after scoring four goals and 14 points in 38 games. 34-year-old Carson McMillan, who saw NHL action in the early 2010s with the Minnesota Wild, will also not return to Frankfurt next season.
This page will be updated throughout the day.
Minor Transactions: 03/15/23
With the trade deadline long past us, playoff races are heating up across the NHL. The Buffalo Sabres are looking to end the league’s longest playoff drought, and their uphill climb to clinch a spot continues tonight as they take on the Washington Capitals. Meanwhile, the Toronto Maple Leafs will get the chance to test themselves against the defending Stanley Cup champions. While hockey fans across the globe take in tonight’s games, teams in minor and foreign leagues are making tweaks to their rosters. We’ll keep track of those transactions here.
- Former Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Juuso Riikola could be headed to Switzerland for next season, according to a report from Swiss outlet Watson. After playing four seasons in the Penguins organization, Riikola returned to Europe this summer, signing with the SHL’s IK Oskarshamn. He’s done well for himself in Sweden, scoring 19 points in 42 games as an alternate captain, and is now rumored to be heading to the SCL Tigers, a team in the top tier of Swiss hockey.
- The San Jose Sharks’ AHL affiliate, the San Jose Barracuda, have signed University of Connecticut captain Roman Kinal, a six-foot-two 24-year-old defenseman, to an ATO agreement. This deal will allow him to be with the Barracuda as they grapple for position in the AHL’s Pacific Division, giving him his first professional experience. As their recent trade for Harvard Blueliner Henry Thrun suggested, the Sharks organization is expected to look to mine talent from the NCAA ranks, so adding an experienced college player furthers that strategy.
- Former Washington Capitals prospect Colby Williams has signed a one-year extension with his current club, KHL side Admiral Vladivostok. The former Regina Pats captain played his first season away from North America this year, after he signed with Vladivostok over the summer. After six seasons patrolling the blueline in the AHL, Williams scored 18 points in 67 games in Russia, a performance that earned him a one-year contract extension.
- After nine seasons and 441 games with the DEL’s Augsburger Panthers, including the last three as their captain, Calgary native Brady Lamb will be playing elsewhere. The team has announced they and Lamb have parted ways. Lamb, who led the DEL in assists by a defenseman in 2017-18, has been a the face of the Panthers in recent years, helping them reach the playoffs twice in his tenure there. Augsburg endured a difficult 2022-23 season, and now they’ll look for a fresh face of their franchise moving forward.
- Former New York Islander Johan Sundstrom is headed to Finland to continue his career, per a report from SportExpressen’s Johan Svensson. The 30-year-old got 11 games with the Islanders in 2013-14 and has since played in Sweden, Russia, and China. After scoring 13 goals and 31 points for Frolunda in his first year back from the KHL, his effectiveness and role have declined, and he did not get into games for the club this season despite remaining on their payroll. Now, according to this report, he’ll be headed to Liiga’s Vaasan Sport to continue his pro career.
- Former Columbus Blue Jackets forward Markus Hannikainen will leave his current club, the SHL’s HC Linkoping, according to a team announcement. The 29-year-old, who has 91 career NHL games on his resume, was unable to come to an agreement on a contract extension with the club. Since leaving North America in the summer of 2020, Hannikainen played two years for Jokerit Helsinki in the KHL before spending last season playing for Mannheim in Germany. He scored eight goals and 19 points in the SHL this season and will now look to find the next stop in his career.
- Canadian Craig Schira, former captain of SHL side Rogle BK, will also not be returning to Linkoping for next season. He scored eight points in 76 games across two seasons for Linkoping and leaves after a difficult season that ended with Linkoping just outside the SHL’s relegation zone. He’s played in Europe since 2011-12 since leaving the Belleville Senators and has been an important defenseman for quite a few teams.
- Defenseman Eric Martinsson, who played in 13 games for the Minnesota Wild organization in 2018-19, is leaving the SHL’s HV71. The two-time SHL champion has spent two of the last three seasons at HV71, save for last year, which he spent playing in the KHL in Kazakhstan. He scored 37 points in 51 games for HV71 in 2020-21, but registered only 12 points this season, a decline that possibly prompted this parting of ways.
- The ECHL’s Utah Grizzlies have released defenseman Joey Colatarci, per the ECHL’s official transactions report. Colatarci, 28, has been a regular for the Grizzlies for the past two seasons but hasn’t registered a single point in 30 games this season. Now, the six-foot-two blueliner will look to find another club to continue his career in North America’s third-tier league.
- 23-year-old defenseman Jacob Semik, an alternate captain for Arizona State University, has signed with the Grizzlies. His arrival could be seen as taking the place of the released Colatarci, who plays a similar style to him. By adding Semik, the Grizzlies give a college player a chance to make his professional debut and the opportunity to begin the process of climbing North America’s pro hockey ladder.
This page will be updated throughout the day
Minor Transactions: 03/08/23
It’s a relatively thin night on the NHL schedule, with just three games on the docket. One of those games, though, features two Central Division rivals hungry to get two major points in a tight battle for playoff position. The Minnesota Wild are taking on the Winnipeg Jets in a game that holds quite a bit of significance for each club, and as fans enjoy all the action on offer tonight teams in minor and foreign leagues are completing transactions. We’ll keep track of those moves here.
- With the DEL’s Bietigheim Steelers relegated to the second-division DEL2, former Colorado Avalanche netminder Sami Aittokallio is rumored to be headed elsewhere, according to Andreas Eberle of Bietigheimer Zeitung. Rival DEL club Frankfurt Lions are specifically named as a possibility, as the team needs to replace former Michigan State Spartan Jake Hildebrand, who was reported to be heading to Berlin after helping Frankfurt achieve promotion to and then survival in the DEL.
- Former Edmonton Oilers prospect Kale Kessy, who was once traded for 478-game NHL veteran Tobias Rieder, has been traded to the AHL’s Colorado Eagles from the Hershey Bears, in exchange for future considerations. Kessy, who has registered over 1,300 penalty minutes in his pro career, will add some muscle to the Eagles’ lineup as they look to potentially make a Calder Cup playoff run.
- The Calgary Flames’ AHL affiliate, the Calgary Wranglers, have signed netminder Connor Murphy to an ATO agreement. The deal will give Murphy the chance to make his professional debut after four years spent playing college hockey. The six-foot-four goalie’s numbers weren’t incredible this season (just an .889 save percentage in 31 games) but last season they were more impressive, as he posted a .919 save percentage in 37 games.
- The ECHL’s Indy Fuel have signed two defensemen who are at the end of their collegiate careers: Zach Vinnell and Trevor Zins. Vinnell, 24, has scored 20 points in 36 games for Bowling Green this season, and played in 35 games for Merrimack College last season. Zins, who is also 24, has played the last two seasons at the University of St. Thomas and both will help reinforce the Fuel as they prepare for a three-game weekend.
- The ECHL’s Atlanta Gladiators have also signed a player out of college, inking Division III forward Mitchell Walinski. Walinski scored 26 points in 22 games this season for Salve Regina University and joins a Gladiators squad nearing the final stretch of what has been an uneven campaign.
- The Allen Americans have acquired 27-year-old defenseman Eric Williams, a 168-game ECHL veteran, from the Norfolk Admirals in exchange for future considerations. This trade puts the former Northeastern University Husky on the sixth ECHL club of his season. He’s scored 24 points in 45 games this season for the Admirals, and has earned nine AHL games this year, them all coming with the Laval Rocket in January. The Americans get Williams in the midst of a hot stretch, as he has three assists in his last five games.
- The Admirals have made another move, signing Gueorgui Feduoulov from Mercyhurst College. The 24-year-old scored six goals and 12 points this season, and will get his first opportunity in a professional environment after spending four seasons playing college hockey.
- The ECHL’s Savannah Ghost Pirates have plucked two players from the college ranks, per the ECHL’s official transactions report: Aurora University’s Jack Jaunich and Bemidji State University captain Ross Armour. Jaunich, 24, has scored 74 points in 55 games over the past two seasons, while Armour, 25, is the cousin of Belleville Senators star Jake Lucchini and 14 goals and 22 points this season.
- Denmark’s Herning Blue Fox have signed former OHL defenseman Christian Mieritz to a two-year contract extension. While Mieritz scored just three points in 46 games this season, he has helped Herning have a highly successful season and per the team release, the club is optimistic about his development and future in their lineup.
Minor Transactions: 03/05/23
It’s a relatively slow day on the NHL calendar, at least compared to yesterday, with just five games on the schedule. But in leagues across the hockey world, teams are gearing up for the playoffs, such as in Europe where the ICEHL and DEL both are set to begin their playoffs this week. As teams in foreign leagues or minor leagues either get set to begin their playoffs or secure their spot in them, they’re also making tweaks to their rosters and other forms of transactions. We’ll keep track of those moves here.
- Former Ottawa Senator and three-time Spengler Cup champion Chris DiDomenico is returning to Fribourg. Swiss club HC Fribourg-Gotteron has announced that the 34-year-old forward has signed a two-year deal set to begin next season. After a 2017-18 season that saw DiDomenico play 24 NHL games and score 18 points in just 13 AHL playoff games, he made the choice to cross the Atlantic and return to Switzerland, where he was before making it to the NHL. DiDomenico has been a star there, scoring a total of 314 points in 328 total games, and has scored 23 goals and 53 points in 46 games this season.
- 2016 Carolina Hurricanes third-round pick Jack LaFontaine, 25, has been reassigned to the ECHL’s Orlando Solar Bears from the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch, according to a team announcement. LaFontaine returned in time to play in the Solar Bears’ game against the South Carolina Stingrays today, where he stopped 32 of 34 shots en route to a 7-2 victory. LaFontaine has spent most of this season in the ECHL, and he has a .905 save percentage in 22 games in Orlando this season.
- Morten Poulsen, who represented Denmark at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing and is a star in Denmark’s top professional league, has signed a two-year extension with his current club, Herning Blue Fox. The 34-year-old is Herning’s captain and has scored 290 points in 394 career games at Denmark’s highest level. He’s a three-time Danish champion and has experience playing in Austria, in the Finnish Liiga, and in Sweden.
- A longtime veteran of the second and third divisions of German hockey won’t be hanging up his skates anytime soon. 41-year-old blueliner Lukas Slavetinsky, who has nearly 1,300 games of experience at four levels of German hockey has signed a one-year extension with his current team, EV Fussen, who play in the third tier of German hockey. He’s still quite productive, having scored 39 points in 39 games this season, and got into eleven games of action this year in second-tier DEL2. He last saw the ice in the DEL, the highest level of German pro hockey, in 2006-07 with ERC Ingolstadt.
- Michel Ackers, a 31-year-old defenseman who has served as captain of Herner EV 2007, a club in Germany’s third division, has signed a two-year extension to remain with the team. Ackers is one of the club’s most committed players, having skated in over 300 games for them and scored around a point-per-game rate multiple times. He’ll remain with the team for the next two years with the hope of finally leading them to promotion to the DEL2.
Minor Transactions: 02/13/23
Another day, another slate of NHL games to enjoy. Tonight’s lineup of games features matchups between two up-and-coming teams in the Buffalo Sabres and Los Angeles Kings, two playoff hopefuls in the Minnesota Wild and Florida Panthers, and two Central Division rivals in the Arizona Coyotes and Nashville Predators. As NHL fans take in tonight’s action, player movement is ever-active across the hockey world. We’ll track notable moves in minor and foreign leagues here.
- 2019 Carolina Hurricanes fourth-round pick Tuukka Tieksola, who signed his entry-level deal with the team in 2021, has been loaned to Liiga’s Karpat for the rest of the season. Tieksola had spent this year with the AHL’s Chicago Wolves and scored 15 points in 40 games. With just one point in his last six games, though, and Karpat in the midst of a playoff push, Tieksola is headed back to Finland to get some more high-level professional experience under his belt.
- The ECHL’s Worcester Railers have announced two trades: they have acquired forward Max Johnson from the Wheeling Nailers for future considerations, and Chris Ordoobadi from the Orlando Solar Bears in exchange for cash considerations. Johnson, 24, is in his first professional season after capping off a five-year NCAA career. Johnson was a star at Bowling Green State University, scoring around a point-per-game rate there, before he headed to the University of Wisconsin for his finals season. This trade gives Johnson a change of scenery as his pro debut with the Nailers had been difficult, and he struggled to the tune of just five points in 23 games, In Ordoobadi the Railers acquire a big, physical 28-year-old winger who was actually a waiver claim of the Railers in December 2021.
- The ECHL’s Utah Grizzlies have released defenseman Jordon Stone. Stone was activated off of injured reserve just three days ago, and now finds himself released after playing in his first game with the team since December. Late in the third period of that game, the Grizzlies were losing 6-1 to the Rapid City Rush. After dumping the puck into the offensive zone, Stone chased it and appeared to shove a Rush player to the ground with enough force that the player’s helmet came off. As the Rush’s goaltender attempted to play the puck behind the net, Stone laid a body check on the goalie, appearing to follow through with his elbow up through the goalie’s head. Stone was assessed a game misconduct for charging, and now finds himself released by his team only a few days later.
- The ECHL’s Norfolk Admirals have released netminder Brett Epp and forward Sam Hu. 2017 Nashville Predators fifth-round pick Tomas Vomacka was re-assigned to Norfolk as well, meaning Epp was out of a job as the team’s backup with Cale Morris already on the roster. Epp signed with Norfolk on February 8th, just a day before his team, the SPHL’s Vermilion City Bobcats, ceased operations. Epp will now look to continue his pro career elsewhere after a difficult season with the Bobcats for reasons largely out of his control. As for Hu, this release comes after a 19-game run with the Admirals that saw him score just four points. Hu split time last season between the KHL’s Kunlun Red Star in his home country, China, and in Norway with Manglerud. It’s possible a return to overseas hockey could be in the cards after this release.
- Per a team announcement, former Boston Bruins prospect Emil Johansson will be leaving his current club, Sport Vaasa in the Finnish Liiga. Sami Hoffren of Finland’s Ilta-Sanomat reports that Johansson is set to join current DEL leaders EHC Red Bull Munich. Johansson scored 23 points in 43 games for Vaasa as their number-one defenseman and will help Munich as they chase their fourth DEL title.
- Liiga’s Assat Pori will be without their starting netminder, Niklas Rubin, for two to three weeks as he recovers from an injury. As a result, the team has signed Canadian goaltender Cody Porter from RoKi Rovaniemi, a club in Finland’s second-tier Mestis. The 25-year-old has a .920 save percentage in 21 games for RoKi, and has been brought in to help Pori down the stretch of this season. This move was potentially motivated by Porter’s performance last Wednesday, when he stopped 24 of 26 shots against Pori playing on loan for Tappara Tampere, winning the game for his temporary club by a 6-2 margin.
- SportExpressen’s Johan Svensson reports that 20-year-old center Ake Stakkestad will be making the leap to the SHL next season. Per Svensson’s report, Stakkestad will play for HV71 next season, on a one-year contract. Stakkestad recently returned to the ice for his current club, HockeyAllsvenskan’s BIK Karlskoga, and has scored two points in three games. In total, he has scored eight points in 13 games this season.
- Switzerland’s HC Lugano will retain their backup netminder beyond this season. The team has announced the signing of goalie Niklas Schlegel to a three–year contract extension. The 28-year-old is a Swiss NL champion who led his league in save percentage during a brilliant 2015-16 season with the ZSC Lions. He’s currently backing up former Edmonton Oiler Mikko Koskinen and has been decent with a .903 save percentage and 2.74 goals against average.
- 19-year-old Konsta Kapanen, the brother of Pittsburgh Penguins forward Kasperi Kapanen and son of former NHLer Sami Kapanen has been loaned to Liiga’s HPK for the rest of the season. Kapanen will seek a better opportunity at tenth-place HPK than he’d be likely to find at fifth-place KalPa, and will likely get a chance to finish his season in Liiga rather than in Mestis. KalPa also made another move today, signing veteran Jaakko Lantta to a one-year contract extension.
- In addition to bringing in Tieksola, Karpat has also loaned netminder Karolus Kaarlehto to the SHL’s Timra IK. The 25-year-old began his season in France before a stretch playing for Karpat’s Liiga rivals, Jukurit Mikkeli. Now, he heads to Sweden to help Timra to fill the team’s backup goalie spot, a role left vacant by Thursday’s transfer of David Rautio to the SCL Tigers of Switzerland.
- Nearly two weeks after his release from HC Slovan Bratislava, Carl Ackered has found a new place to play. The Sheffield Steelers, a club competing in the EIHL, the highest tier of professional hockey in the United Kingdom, have signed Ackered. It’s a major acquisition for the Steelers, as just two years ago Ackered led the Slovak league in points by a defenseman and was named an All-Star. He had a difficult 21-game run in the Slovak capital, though, and now returns to the league where he starred for three years as a member of the Guildford Flames.
- HockeyAllsvenskan’s IF Bjorkloven have confirmed the transfer of former Arizona Coyotes prospect Jens Looke, a transfer we covered as a rumor two days ago. Looke is a difference-maker in Sweden’s second division, having scored 62 points in 52 games in his last season there, helping Timra earn promotion to the SHL. That’ll be his goal with Bjorkloven, who sit second in the league standings.
- The DEL’s Grizzlys Wolfsburg have signed their captain, Canadian Spencer Machacek, to a two-year extension. The former Atlanta Thrasher has been a star in Germany, and has scored 285 points in 436 games there. He’s currently second in league scoring with 51 points in 47 games, and his extension should come as welcome news for Wolfsburg’s supporters who are hopeful the team can cement a place in the DEL playoffs.
- 413-game KHL veteran Dmitri Yudin has signed a two-year contract extension with his current club, Ak Bars Kazan. The 27-year-old has been with Kazan since 2018-19, and before that he played for Spartak Moscow and perennial juggernauts SKA St. Petersburg. A teammate of former NHLers Alexander Radulov and Vadim Shipachyov, Yudin will hope to keep Kazan in playoff contention over the course of his new deal.
- 23-year-old Slovenian forward Rok Kapel is headed back to the AlpsHL after spending most of this season in the higher-tier ICEHL. Per a team announcement, Kapel will play for Kitzbuheler EC moving forward, leaving HC Olimpija Ljubljana, the ICEHL club in the Slovenian capital. Kapel scored 14 goals and 29 points in 40 games for Ljubljana, leading the team in goal-scoring, and is expected to be a difference-maker moving forward now that he’s down a level of competition.
- Nick Dineen, a star in Norway’s top professional hockey league, has signed an extension to remain with the Stavanger Oilers beyond this season. Dineen was formerly the captain at Lillehammer, where he hovered around a point-per-game scoring rate for six seasons. Financial issues at Lillehammer forced a January transfer to the Oilers, and he has continued his strong play there with 14 points in 11 games.
This page will be updated throughout the day
Minor Transactions: 02/11/23
It’s been a packed day on the NHL schedule, with seven games already completed. The Montreal Canadiens took home a late comeback win against the New York Islanders, while the Tampa Bay Lightning triumphed in a 2020 Stanley Cup Final rematch that was nationally televised in the United States. As fans continue to enjoy today’s wealth of NHL action, teams in minor and foreign leagues are making tweaks to their rosters. We’ll track those moves here.
- 2011 first-round pick Joe Morrow, who was part of the infamous trade that sent Tyler Seguin to the Dallas Stars, had his contract terminated with KHL club HK Sochi today. The 162-game NHL veteran had a difficult 31-game run in Russia, potting just nine points for the worst team in the KHL, and will now look elsewhere to continue his professional career.
- 2014 sixth-overall pick Jake Virtanen was released by EHC Visp, a club that competes in the second division of Swiss Hockey. Emmanuel Favre of the Swiss newspaper Le Matin reported that Virtanen’s release comes after he allegedly had an altercation with a teammate. On paper, Virtanen’s numbers were solid this year (25 points in 21 games) but he’ll now need to find another home to continue his pro career as his time with Visp has ended.
- Former Arizona Coyotes prospect Jens Looke has reportedly transferred to IF Bjorkloven, according to Johan Svensson of SportExpressen. The move takes Looke from the Finnish Liiga to the Swedish second-division, the HockeyAllsvenskan, where he has starred in the past. The last time Looke, who has 29 points in 37 games in Liiga this season, was in the HockeyAllsvenskan he scored 62 points in 52 games, helping lift Timra to promotion to the SHL. That’s exactly what he’ll hope to do with Bjorkloven this season.
- The ECHL’s South Carolina Stingrays have released netminder Mario Culina. The team lost their top scorer, Carter Turnbull, yesterday, and now augments their situation in the crease with the release of the 25-year-old Culina. Culina made his professional debut last season with 13 games played for the Fort Wayne Komets and had played two games for the Stingrays since signing with them on February 6th.
- The exodus from SaiPa has begun. Per an announcement from his new club, SaiPa Lappeenranta’s starting netminder Niclas Westerholm has signed a contract with rival Liiga side Karpat. SaiPa currently sit last in the Liiga standings, and with their fate looking increasingly dire Westerholm has chosen to make an exit. The 25-year-old has played 40 games this season and has an .884 save percentage. He’ll compete with Ottawa Senators prospect Leevi Merilainen and Pittsburgh Penguins prospect Joel Blomqvist.
- Former Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Nicolas Mattinen has reportedly signed a contract to leave his current team, the ICEHL’s VSV EC at the end of the season to join the DEL’s Straubing Tigers for the 2023-24 campaign, according to Martin Quendler of Kleine Zeitung. Mattinen, 24, has been VSV’s top blueliner this season, scoring 37 points in 44 games in what has been a successful first season playing overseas professional hockey for the two-time OHL champion.
- Adam Lapsansky, a veteran of Slovakia’s top professional league, is transferring from HC Dukla Michalovce to HC Nove Zamsky. Through this transfer Lapsansky, who has nearly 500 Slovak Extraliga games under his belt, moves up one spot on the league table. Lapsansky has scored just eight points in 25 games this season, and will hope that this transfer serves as a productive change of scenery.
- 38-year-old Marek Hovorka, a longtime veteran of the Central European pro hockey circuit and an Olympian who represented his native Slovakia at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyongchang, has signed with Slovak club HC Kosice. Hovorka has played in Slovakia’s second division this season, scoring 14 points in 12 games for Vlci Zilina, and will now look to help Kosice as they attempt to gain ground on HKM Zvolen and HC Slovan Bratislava in the league table.
This page will be updated throughout the day