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Overseas Notes: Blankenburg, Verbeek, Merkulov

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Nick Blankenburg’s World Championship is over. Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch reports that the Blue Jackets’ rookie defenseman has left Team USA due to injury. Blankenburg sustained a knee injury during the international tournament in Finland and decided to return home. However, Hedger adds that the injury is not supposed to be severe and that Blankenburg’s health by the start of next season is not in doubt. Even with the early exit from the Worlds, Blankenburg has had quite the unforgettable year. The 24-year-old defender had a career season as the senior captain of Michigan, recording 14 goals and 29 points in 38 games en route to a Frozen Four appearance. He then signed with Columbus as an undrafted free agent and proceeded to record three points in seven NHL games down the stretch. Blankenburg earned a spot with Team USA at the World Championship and played in four games with the team. He will look to continue his success streak by winning a regular role with the Blue Jackets next season.

  • Hayden Verbeek’s uncle may be the new GM of the Anaheim Ducks, but the young forward won’t wait around for NHL free agency in hopes of a family deal on a new contract. Verbeek has opted to leave North America altogether and sign a one-year deal with Slovakian club HK Spisska Nova Ves, the team announced. Verbeek is no stranger to Slovakia, having played in the Extraliga early in 2020-21 while awaiting the delayed AHL season. While Verbeek played exclusively in the AHL after returning last year, he did spend some time in the ECHL this season, which could have been the deciding factor in his move overseas. Four seasons into his pro career, including the first three on an NHL contract, Verbeek has played largely in the AHL but has been demoted to the ECHL in three seasons and has seen no NHL action. Looking for a more consistent role in a top league, Verbeek will try his hand again in Slovakia next season.
  • When Georgi Merkulov, a star prospect out of the MHL, left Russia in 2020 to embark on a development path in North America with the USHL’s Youngstown Phantoms and then the NCAA’s Ohio State Buckeyes, the odds that he would one day star in the KHL slipped. Then-rights holder HK Sochi decided to trade Merkulov to Amur Khabarovsk, doubting that he would ever suit up for the team. When Merkulov surprisingly turned pro after just one college season, signing with the Boston Bruins this spring, those odds fell even further. Amur has now decided to move on as well. KHL powerhouse CKSA Moscow, whose youth system Merkulov developed in, has decided to take a long-term gamble, acquiring the rights to their former prospect, per the KHL. In exchange, Amur received minor league defenseman Ilya Dervuk. Merkulov recorded 20 goals and 34 points in 38 games this season for Ohio State as one of the top freshmen in the NCAA and then added five points in eight AHL games with the Providence Bruins. Boston certainly hopes that this scoring prowess translates to the NHL and that these KHL trades are ultimately meaningless.

Vegas Golden Knights Announce ECHL Affiliation

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The Vegas Golden Knights have a new ECHL affiliate, after announcing an agreement with the Savannah Ghost Pirates. The new franchise will begin play in the 2022-23 season after originally being announced in October 2021. In addition to the affiliation, the Ghost Pirates have also announced the first coach in franchise history, hiring Rick Bennett.

Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon released a short statement:

This affiliation with Savannah gives us alignment from the ECHL level through Henderson and up to the NHL. We are excited to lead the hockey operations and have a proven developer of talent as a head coach in Rick Bennett.

Bennett, 54, had been the head coach of Union Collee for more than a decade before resigning earlier this year, and won a National Championship in 2014 with the program. He also took home the NCAA Coach of the Year award that season and even has some previous experience coaching in the ECHL. That came when he was a player-coach with the Jacksonville Lizard Kings in the late-nineties, as his playing career came close to an end. A veteran of more than 250 ECHL contests as a player, he also had a cup of coffee in the NHL with the New York Rangers.

While the Ghost Pirates won’t have a ton of real NHL prospects, the ECHL is often used as a goaltending development stop. Jiri Patera, for instance, played 15 games for the Fort Wayne Komets this season, between stints with the Henderson Silver Knights.

Snapshots: Seattle, Kakko, Blues-Coyotes

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The Seattle Kraken have added some famous names to their ownership group, adding Marshawn Lynch and Macklemore as minority investors. The two will “lead major Kraken and Climate Pledge Arena initiatives to connect with hockey fans, music lovers, and community members alike.” Though the on-ice results haven’t come yet for the expansion franchise, the ownership group, led by billionaire David Bonderman, have already established a strong connection to the Seattle area.

More from around the league:

  • The New York Rangers have ruled Kaapo Kakko out on a week-to-week basis, following his injury against the Detroit Red Wings this weekend. The young forward had only recently returned from an upper-body injury that stole nearly three months of his season. In 41 games so far, Kakko has just 16 points, a career-low, despite averaging more ice time when he is in the lineup. Two of his seven goals came last week against the Philadelphia Flyers, suggesting he was back on the right track; he was injured the following game.
  • The St. Louis Blues and Arizona Coyotes will play a preseason game in Witchita, Kansas next season, in the home of the ECHL’s Wichita Thunder. The two squads will do battle on September 24 in the 15,000-seat arena, giving a whole new fanbase a taste of NHL action. The full slate of preseason games will not be released until later this summer.

Sean Avery Released By Orlando Solar Bears

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Feb 25: Without actually appearing in a single game, Avery has now been released from his ECHL contract by the Solar Bears.

Feb 23: Sean Avery is a professional hockey player once again. The previously retired forward has signed an ECHL contract with the Orlando Solar Bears. He will begin on the team’s reserve list, as he returns to pro hockey after a decade away from the game.

Avery, 41, last played during the 2011-12 season, when he suited up 15 times for the New York Rangers and seven times for the Connecticut Whale of the AHL. Over parts of ten years in the NHL, the undrafted forward played in 580 regular season games, racking up 90 goals, 247 points, and 1,533 penalty minutes.

Perhaps known best for leading the league to create the “Avery Rule” which hands out a two-minute unsportsmanlike conduct penalty if a player “positions himself facing the opposition goaltender and engages in actions such as waving his arms or stick in front of the goaltender’s face, for the purpose of improperly interfering with and/or distracting the goaltender as opposed to positioning himself to try to make a play.” Avery’s on-ice antics made him one of the most talked-about players in the game during the peak of his career, though he was also an effective offensive player at times.

In 2006-07, a year split between the Rangers and Los Angeles Kings, Avery recorded 18 goals and 48 points, to go along with his 174 penalty minutes. Fifteen of those points came on the powerplay, while he also contributed on the penalty kill.

It is not yet clear when he will make his Solar Bears debut.

Minor Transactions: 02/16/22

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With NHL action ramping up as the trade deadline approaches in just over a month and the Olympic tournament ongoing, it would seem to be an odd time for much other notable news around hockey. Yet, there has actually been a flurry of recent action surrounding players and teams familiar to NHL fans:

  • A busy year for veteran defenseman Eric Gelinas continues. Gelinas initially signed with the Carolina Hurricanes this past offseason following an outstanding 2020-21 campaign in Sweden with Rogle BK. However, when it became clear that he was buried on the ’Canes depth chart and would be stuck with the AHL’s Chicago Wolves for the year, Gelinas’ contract was terminated in late November and he returned to Rogle. However, this was only a short-term pact and Gelinas signed a new contract for the remainder of the SHL season with Djurgardens IF last week. Now he’s on the move again – at least in a future sense. A quirk of the European league structures, Gelinas has in fact signed a two-year deal with SC Bern of the Swiss National League, but one that does not start until next season. Gelinas will finish the season in Sweden before making the jump to Switzerland. The 30-year-old defenseman has nearly 200 games of NHL experience and has found success in a number of European leagues, making him a highly-desirable asset that both Djurgardens and Bern are extremely excited to have under contract.
  • Matt Quercia has finally had enough of the college game. The senior forward has decided to leave Michigan Tech in the middle of the season to sign his first pro contract, inking a deal with the ECHL’s Wheeling Nailers according to the league’s transactions register. Quercia was in his first season at Michigan Tech after transferring from Boston University. Overshadowed with the Terriers, Quercia hoped he might find a bigger role with the Huskies. Instead, he had just four points in 14 games and Michigan Tech, one of the surprises of the season with a current national rank of No. 14, has found success without much help from the transfer. Quercia hopes things will be different in the pro ranks.
  • Quebec native Charles-David Beaudoin is moving on from the AHL’s Laval Rocket. The 28-year-old defenseman has played in just five games with the team this season versus 28 with the ECHL’s Trois-Rivieres Lions and has decided to chase more opportunity elsewhere. Beaudoin has signed with IF Bjorkloven of Sweden’s second tier Allsvenskan for the rest of the season, the team announced. The AHL veteran could return to North America this summer, but likely has a better chance of playing an impact role in Europe, especially if he is not content spending time in the ECHL.
  • A pair of former Calgary Flames teammates are on the move in Europe, going their separate ways after briefly reuniting in the KHL. Emile Poirier, a first-round pick of the Flames in 2013, is joining the aforementioned Gelinas in Djurgardens for the remainder of the season, the team announced. Since leaving North America after the 2019-20 season, Poirier has played in Slovakia and then in the KHL with Latvia’s Dinamo Riga to this point this season, finding success in both places. He now joins a Djurgardens club loading up for the SHL postseason. Hunter Shinkaruk, a 2013 first-rounder himself – selected two spots after Poirier by the Vancouver Canucks, is leaving Dinamo Riga for Sweden as well. He has signed with HV71 of the Allsvenskan, the club announced. Shinkaruk wound up in Calgary in a swap for Markus Granlund and appeared to be on his way to a regular role, but like Poirier ended up stuck in the AHL and left North America during the 2019-20 season. In Poirier and Shinkaruk, Riga has lost two of its top six scorers, but fortunately still has former San Jose Shark Lukas Radil leading the team.
  • The Providence Bruins are bringing back a power forward for another season. The team has announced that former OHL star Justin Brazeau has signed a one-year extension. Brazeau, 24, has mammoth size and the on-ice presence to match in his net front presence and checking ability, but is still a project due to his skating ability. Nevertheless, Brazeau has six goals and two assists in 19 games with Providence this season and ten goals and 20 points in 18 ECHL games, showing that he is still capable of scoring despite some shortcomings in his game. That makes him a worthwhile investment for at least one more season for the Bruins.

AHL Shuffle: 02/14/22

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The NHL is back in action today with four games on the schedule, the Toronto Maple Leafs visiting the Seattle Kraken. By the time Toronto gets home, attendance restrictions should be eased. As Katherine DeClerq of CTV News relays, the Ontario government announced that as of February 17, seating capacity at sporting events will return to 50 percent with full buildings expected at the beginning of March. The Maple Leafs happen to have their next home game scheduled for the 17th, while the Ottawa Senators will have to deal with an empty rink one more time tomorrow night. As those teams prepare for the return of fans, we’ll keep track of all the roster movement around the league.

Atlantic Division

  • The Tampa Bay Lightning have recalled Darren Raddysh from the AHL as they hit the road for a game against the New Jersey Devils tomorrow. The Lightning, who had played more than most teams before the break, have another long break following tomorrow’s match. They return home on Wednesday, February 23 against the Edmonton Oilers.

Metropolitan Division

  • The New York Islanders have recalled Cory Schneider under emergency conditions after Semyon Varlamov entered the COVID protocol on the weekend. Schneider has played in 16 games with the Bridgeport Islanders but isn’t expected to see any action for New York unless something happens to Ilya Sorokin.
  • The Philadelphia Flyers have recalled Morgan Frost, sending Jackson Cates back to the AHL. Frost, a first-round pick from 2017, has seven points in 26 games with the Flyers this season but has been dominant during his time with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, recording 18 points in 20 games with the minor league club.

Central Division

  • Cole Smith is back up with the Nashville Predators, while Tomas Vomacka has been sent back to the ECHL. Vomacka has been used as a practice goaltender throughout the season while playing exclusively for the Florida Everblades where he has an .898 save percentage in 15 appearances.

Pacific Division

  • The Vancouver Canucks have returned Noah Juulsen to the AHL, after he played in a few games earlier this month. The 24-year-old has appeared seven times this season since arriving in a trade from Florida.
  • The Vegas Golden Knights have recalled Logan Thompson, giving them an extra goaltender for the time being. It’s unclear whether one of their normal netminders is injured or unavailable for some other reason, but Robin Lehner is not at practice according to Jesse Granger of The Athletic.

This page will be updated throughout the day.

Dallas Stars, Tampa Bay Lightning Complete Minor Trade

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The Tampa Bay Lightning have acquired Tye Felhaber from the Dallas Stars, sending Alexey Lipanov back the other way. Lipanov will report to the Texas Stars of the AHL, while Felhaber is heading to the Orlando Solar Bears of the ECHL.

While neither of these players is expected to make a big impact at the NHL level, it is notable that the Lightning have a history of taking undrafted, high-scoring CHL players and turning them into valuable assets. That describes Felhaber exactly, who had a 59-goal, 109-point season for the Ottawa 67’s in 2018-19 as an overage player.

Undrafted, he’s spent the last few seasons in the Stars minor league system and hasn’t been able to come anywhere near repeating those offensive numbers. He has just two goals in 14 games this season and eight in total over his Texas career.

Lipanov meanwhile was a third-round pick of the Lightning in 2017 but has spent most of his career to this point in the ECHL. The 22-year-old forward is in the final season of his entry-level contract and appears to be a likely candidate to go unqualified as an RFA this summer.

After some interesting performances internationally for Russia that led to his high draft position, Lipanov never really found his footing in the OHL, registering just 30 points in 61 games during his final season there. Last season he did record 15 points in 33 games in Russia’s VHL, but hasn’t even recorded a single goal this year in nine appearances in the Lightning minor league system.

Minor Transactions: 01/29/22

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It’s the thick of the NHL season and teams are busy with roster transactions and rumors suggest starting to look toward the trade deadline. The season will now continue unabated as well, since the league pulled out of the upcoming Winter Olympics. Yet, the 2022 Games will still be the next-biggest focus of the hockey world behind NHL action, if not on par for a few weeks. However, there are still notable moves being made around the globe at both the pro and amateur levels. Here is a look at some “minor” transactions worth attention:

  • For many teams, especially in the Eastern Conference, the season is far enough along for teams to realize that they are not postseason contenders. As those clubs look ahead to the trade deadline, they know that the top prize for an elite rental is usually a late first-round draft pick. And as teams evaluate who they might be able to select with a late first-rounder, they are no doubt discussing Swiss defenseman Lian Bichsel. In a draft class that is short on high-caliber left-handed defenders, Bichsel is a rising name given his play in the SHL this season and could sneak into the first round. Interested suitors should know though that the big, two-way blue liner will not be immediately available next season, as Leksands IF plans to keep him in Sweden. Impressed with his play so far, Leksands offered Bichsel a permanent contract for this season that included an extension through the 2022-23 campaign as well. It remains to be seen if Bichsel will remain in the SHL beyond that point, but it is a good spot for the mature defender to develop anyhow.
  • An NHL legacy has selected his next team. Chase Dafoe, son of former All-Star goaltender Byron Dafoe, has committed to Providence College and is expected to enroll next year. Dafoe, a forward, is currently playing in the BCHL with the West Kelowna Warriors and enjoying the best season of his junior career. Dafoe has 11 goals and 18 points in 28 games thus far and has maintained his solid two-way game. Though he was not selected in the 2021 NHL Draft, it was his first time through and Dafoe will be eligible again this year.
  • A rare ECHL trade has been completed and it involves a name familiar to NHL fans. Veteran defenseman Steven Oleksy has been dealt to the Orlando Solar Bears by the Toledo Walleye in exchange for young power forward Ian Parker. Oleksy is still going strong at 35 years old, recording eight points in 16 games so far this season despite taking last year off. Oleksy, who has 73 NHL games to his credit and a surprising 20 points in those games, will be a big boost to the Orland blue line. Meanwhile, Toledo lands the 6’9″, 250-lb. Parker, a unique prospect out of the University of Windsor. The 25-year-old rookie has 12 points in 30 games this season.

Jacob Panetta Suspended Rest Of ECHL Season, Released By Jacksonville

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Jan 27: Panetta has been suspended for the remainder of the ECHL season, which amounts to 38 games. Commissioner Ryan Crelin released the following statement:

Insensitive actions and gestures, regardless of intent, cannot be tolerated in our game. We all need to learn and grow from this incident, and remain steadfast to further educating and advancing our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion throughout our league.

Panetta will have a conditional opportunity to apply for reduction of the suspension and reinstatement after March 17, 2022, pending successful completion of a learning experience conducted in conjunction with the NHL’s Player Inclusion Committee.

Jan 23: The ECHL has announced an indefinite suspension for Jacksonville Icemen defenseman Jacob Panetta in response to racist gestures made toward South Carolina Stingrays counterpart Jordan Subban on Saturday. The final determination of Panetta’s suspension will be made following a hearing in accordance with the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Panetta will find it hard to defend his racist actions in last night’s game, which were clearly caught on camera during overtime of the ECHL contest. The video was then shared all over the internet, most notably by the eldest Subban, NHL star P.K. Subban. 

The AHL just recently suspended San Jose Barracuda forward Krystof Hrabik for 30 games for racist actions, though it took more than a week to make that decision. The ECHL wasted no time in taking Panetta off the ice.

Panetta is in his second pro season, both with Jacksonville, after four years at Colgate University. Subban is a former NHL prospect, drafted by the Vancouver Canucks in the fourth round of the 2013 Draft. He last played on an NHL contract in 2018-19 and is in his first season playing primarily in the ECHL.

The Jacksonville Icemen, after initially stating this morning that the team would wait to take any action until a league review had concluded, announced they’ve released Panetta. Team CEO Andy Kaufmann, in the statement, pledged to “continue [their] mission of sharing our love of community and hockey.”

AHL Notes: Malone, Trade, Signings

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Veteran minor leaguer Sean Malone is set to miss an extended period of time following recent surgery, reports Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald. Malone is a familiar name to Buffalo Sabres fans; the Harvard product has spent four of five pro seasons with the AHL’s Rochester Americans and three of those under contract with the Sabres. After leaving last season to sign with the Nashville Predators, Malone returned to Buffalo this off-season and has been enjoying the best season of his career with nine goals and 22 points in 23 games with Rochester. However, Hoppe writes that an undisclosed lower-body injury that has plagued the 26-year-old throughout much of his career finally caught up with him, forcing him to opt for surgery. The decision will keep Malone out at least six weeks, according to Americans head coach Seth Appert. Though Malone has only two NHL games to his credit, one with Buffalo and one with Nashville, the veteran is a trusted member of the Sabres’ organizational depth chart and one whose absence in the minors will be noticed. Appert states that Malone is a leader and “go-to guy” who has been instrumental in the development of top Sabres prospects like Jack Quinn and J.J. Peterka. Though Malone is expected to be out until at least March, hopefully the veteran can return to action at full strength and hit the ground running at his current career scoring pace, perhaps even earning another chance in Buffalo.

  • The Arizona Coyotes and Carolina Hurricanes completed an AHL trade on Friday, with forward Stephen Harper moving from the Chicago Wolves to the Tucson Roadrunners in exchange for future considerations. Harper was the hero of the ECHL’s Kelly Cup Playoffs last season, earning postseason MVP honors for leading the Fort Wayne Komets to a title behind 13 points in 12 playoff games – all as a rookie no less. He has continued to excel at the “AA” level this year too, with 18 points in 15 games. However, the power forward hasn’t earned much more opportunity this year as a result of those efforts. Harper has played in just six AHL games this season in a limited role, which is likely what prompted a trade. The 26-year-old USports product is not exactly an NHL prospect, but has earned a chance to show what he can do at the next level and the Roadrunners appear willing to give him that opportunity.
  • Is a Daniel Briere pipeline forming between the ECHL’s Maine Mariners and the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms? The Mariners may be affiliated with the Boston Bruins, but they share an owner with the Philadelphia Flyers in Comcast Spectacor and GM and President Briere is a former long-time Flyer himself. For the third time already this season, a Mariner has signed an AHL contract with the Flyers’ affiliate in Lehigh Valley. The Phantoms announced that they have signed forward Alex Kile to a contract for the remainder of the season. Kile was the first ever signing by the Mariners when they joined the ECHL back in 2018  and the University of Michigan product has 162 points in 201 ECHL games ever since, with some AHL loans mixed in as well. With five goals and 12 points in seven games with Maine so far this year, the Phantoms decided that the 27-year-old Kile was worthy of a more permanent AHL stay.
  • The Washington Capitals have seen enough from USports forward Derek Gentile this season to put an end to his collegiate season with a pro contract. The Dalhousie University standout signed a contract with the AHL’s Hershey Bears, though he will begin his pro career in the ECHL with the South Carolina Stingrays. Gentile, the captain of the QMJHL’s Cape Breton Screaming Eagles in 2019-20, missed his first collegiate season in 2020-21 but you wouldn’t know it by his play this season. Gentile recorded 15 goals and 27 points in 18 games for Dalhousie prior to his departure. And he stayed hot in his pro debut on Friday, posting two goals and an assist in his pro debut. Gentile could be in Hersey very shortly if that keeps up.

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