Minor Transactions: 10/10/23
The start of the NHL regular season has finally come, with three games on the schedule including the highly anticipated NHL debut of generational prospect Connor Bedard. But while the NHL season is just beginning, top leagues across the hockey world are already several weeks into their regular season. As a result, player movement remains active and as always we’ll keep track of notable transactions here.
- Russian center Marat Khusnutdinov, the 37th overall pick in 2020 and the number-six prospect in the Minnesota Wild system per EP Rinkside was traded in the KHL today. (subscription link) He was sent to HK Sochi alongside monetary compensation, with his former club receiving Croatian forward Borna Rendulic in return. It’s a major swing for Sochi, who are trading their leading scorer to SKA in order to acquire Khusnutdinov. The 21-year-old center had an extremely impressive 2022-23, scoring 41 points in 63 games in a league notoriously difficult for young players to succeed in. He’s gone scoreless through six games this season, though, and has been receiving below 10 minutes of ice time in some games. Now, he’ll have the chance to potentially play with superstar prospect Matvei Michkov, a player who also began this season with SKA, and who has scored 12 points in 11 games to start the season.
- In a somewhat surprising move, Ottawa Senators goalie prospect Leevi Merilainen, 22, was assigned to the ECHL’s Allen Americans. This is likely a result of Mads Søgaard and Kevin Mandolese earning the right to serve as the Belleville Senators’ AHL tandem, though it could also be that the Senators would prefer Merilainen get some ECHL experience under his belt before he’s exposed to the rigors of the AHL full-time. Merilainen is one of the Senators’ best goalie prospects, and he spent 2022-23 mostly with Kärpät in Liiga, posting a .917 save percentage and 2.05 goals-against-average in 42 games played.
- According to a report from SportExpressen’s Johan Svensson, Carolina Hurricanes prospect Noel Gunler will return to Sweden for the 2023-24 season. Gunler was loaned to the ECHL’s Norfolk Admirals earlier this week, but could end up instead loaned overseas where he has played most of his pro career. Seeing as Gunler scored eight goals and 18 points in just 31 AHL games last season, there has been some belief that his development would not be best served by playing in the ECHL. Since the Hurricanes do not have an AHL affiliate of their own, the only option for Gunler to play in the AHL would be on loan to another AHL franchise. Since premium offensive roles in the AHL are typically reserved for proven AHL veterans or prized prospects of a team’s NHL affiliate, it would be no surprise if the Hurricanes struggled to find a suitable landing spot for Gunler. As a result, if this report out of Sweden is to be believed, Gunler will end up playing 2023-24 in the SHL rather than the ECHL.
- AHL enforcer Brandon Baddock has found a new team, signing a one-year AHL contract with the Rockford IceHogs. The 28-year-old spent last season with the Iowa Wild, scoring seven points in 67 games to go along with 130 penalty minutes. Baddock brings grit and physicality to the table, something the IceHogs might have prioritized due to the number of young prospects still relatively new to pro hockey slated to play on their roster.
- Montreal Canadiens 2022 seventh-round pick Miguël Tourigny is slated to make his North American pro debut with the ECHL’s Trois-Rivières Lions. The five-foot-eight blueliner was assigned to Montreal’s ECHL affiliate today. Tourigny’s development has been somewhat unconventional thus far, as the 21-year-old spent his first professional season in Slovakia, where he scored 26 points in 44 games. Tourigny does not yet have an entry-level contract with the Canadiens but did sign a one-year, one-way AHL contract with the Laval Rocket this summer.
- Goalie prospect Tomáš Suchánek, 20, has signed a one-year AHL contract with the San Diego Gulls, according to a team announcement. Suchánek made a name for himself at the 2023 World Juniors, leading the tournament in save percentage (.939) and earning a silver medal for Czechia. He was a WHL Second-Team All-Star as the starter for the Tri-City Americans as he posted a .912 save percentage in 46 games played. Now, he has a definite landing spot in pro hockey after a successful tryout with the Ducks organization.
- 23-year-old Swiss defenseman David Aebischer (not to be confused with the former NHL netminder) will be changing clubs this summer, as he’s signed a five-year contract with HC Lugano. Aebischer is currently in his third season as a regular blueliner with SC Rapperswil-Jona Lakers, another National League team. Aebischer routinely plays over 20 minutes per night with the Lakers is off to a fast start with the club, scoring eight points in 10 games. He’s slated to become a long-term anchor for Lugano, and if he can keep up something close to his current scoring pace he may even draw NHL interest down the line, though being undersized (he’s five-foot-ten) by NHL standards will work against him.
- Columbus Blue Jackets prospect goalie Nolan Lalonde was traded to the OHL’s Sarnia Sting today alongside three draft picks, with former San Jose Sharks prospect Benjamin Gaudreau headed to the Erie Otters in return. Lalonde, 19, posted a grisly .868 save percentage with the Otters last season and has struggled to the tune of a .837 mark in four games this season. Perhaps a fresh start with the Sting will help reverse his OHL fortunes.
- Former ECHL star Brady Ferguson has carved out a solid career for himself in the SHL as a middle-six forward with Rögle BK, and he even earned the honor of wearing an “A” on his jersey starting last season. He won the 2021-22 Champions Hockey League with the club, and has now decided to extend his contract with the club by another season. As has teammate Michael Kapla, a defenseman who also played with Ferguson in the ECHL. Kapla, 29, is the former captain of UMass-Lowell and actually has five NHL games on his resume. He scored 28 points in 44 games last season for Rögle.
- Former Norwegian rookie of the year Eskil Wold impressed by playing 49 games in the Finnish Liiga at the age of 20. But he only scored one goal and two points for HPK Hämeenlinna, and this season he has decided to transfer to a lower level of competition. He’s signed with the Nybro Vikings of HockeyAllsvenskan, the second tier of Swedish pro hockey, and will likely have a chance to be more productive there than he was able to be in Liiga.
This page may be updated throughout the day.
Snapshots: Houston, Lafrenière, Cooke
Despite NHL commissioner Gary Bettman saying recently that league expansion wasn’t imminent, many didn’t believe him. In fact, his comments re-ignited an expansion discussion that was already hot, bringing it to a fervor not quite seen in a while. One city that’s remained a constant in expansion discussions over the past few cycles is Houston. TSN’s Chris Johnston boosted a report from the Houston Chronicle’s Jonathan Feigen today, pointing out that the Toyota Center in downtown Houston is undergoing significant renovations: one of them being the addition of ice-making equipment in a big first step to bring the arena to NHL readiness.
The addition is part of an ongoing $30MM renovation to the arena, currently the home of the NBA’s Houston Rockets. The Rockets owner, Tilman Fertitta, will likely be the name to put in a bid for an NHL franchise should the league take applications for team 33 (and potentially 34) soon. Houston, the fifth-largest TV market in the United States, hasn’t had a notable pro hockey team since the AHL’s Houston Aeros were relocated to become the Iowa Wild in 2013.
Elsewhere around the league tonight:
- After a much-publicized disappointing preseason, there’s more bad news for New York Rangers winger Alexis Lafrenière. The team announced Saturday night he’s day-to-day with an upper-body injury and did not practice today. While he is likely to start the season on his off-wing alongside Filip Chytil and Artemi Panarin, it certainly hasn’t been the start under new head coach Peter Laviolette that Lafrenière has been looking for. The 21-year-old first-overall pick in 2020 had 39 points in 81 games last season.
- Many NHL fans from the 2000s and early 2010s will remember enforcer Matt Cooke, who earned himself many lengthy suspensions over the course of his 16-season, 1,046-game NHL career. After only coaching for a few seasons at the high school level in Minnesota since retiring in 2015, he’s now being entrusted with the head coaching job of an NHL affiliate. The ECHL’s Newfoundland Growlers, the second-tier affiliate of the Toronto Maple Leafs, announced today Cooke will be their next head coach. Cooke succeeds Eric Wellwood, who was promoted to an assistant role with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies last summer.
Minor Transactions: 10/05/23
With the start of the NHL regular season now under a week away, the opening-night rosters of many NHL teams are coming more and more into view. That has a trickle-down effect for the rest of pro hockey, as a player finding out he won’t have his PTO made into a full-time NHL deal could prompt that player to sign a contract with an overseas team, for example. This, alongside the ups and downs of early-season hockey in top pro leagues overseas, has prompted quite a bit of player movement and as always we’ll keep track of those transactions here.
- Seven years after he was selected fifth overall at the 2016 NHL draft, former Vancouver Canucks defenseman Olli Juolevi has made the decision to return to Europe to continue his professional career. The 25-year-old Helsinki native has signed a short-term contract with the SHL’s Timrå IK, a club off to a strong 4-2 start. The deal is set to last until Liiga’s November break. Juolevi had previously been playing for the Arizona Coyotes on a PTO but failed to earn a full-time contract in Arizona after a few preseason contests. Last season was Juolevi’s first since the year he made his NHL debut that he didn’t skate in a single game at the NHL level, and he ultimately played in 38 games for the San Diego Gulls, scoring 14 points.
- 2022 Arizona Coyotes second-round pick Julian Lutz has made an interesting move for his development, leaving defending DEL champions EHC Red Bull München in order to play USHL hockey for the Green Bay Gamblers. It’s a somewhat unusual move, as traditionally players move from developmental leagues into top professional leagues, not the other way around. But this move is somewhat understandable for Lutz, who has been buried in a depth role on a stacked Munich team. Going to Green Bay will allow the six-foot-two, 185-pound winger to play against his peers, and will give him the opportunity to have a monster season and put up the kind of box score numbers his resume currently sorely lacks.
- Former WHL and AHL star Brendan Ranford has signed a one-year contract with HC Slovan Bratislava, the club he previously represented for the 2020-21 season. Since leaving the AHL for Europe in late 2018, Ranford has become an impactful, top-line scorer in three different European leagues. He’s spent the last two seasons in the DEL, posting 95 points across 95 total games. Slovan are likely signing Ranford with the hope of adding an elite scorer, which is what Ranford was when he last played in Slovakia, as he scored 12 goals and 32 points in just 29 games. The historic club based in Slovakia’s capital have gotten off to a slow 2-3-1 start in this 2023-24 Tipos Extraliga season, so perhaps this move will give the club the spark it needs to resume its place among the country’s elite clubs.
- The ECHL’s Idaho Steelheads have signed two forwards just at the start of their pro careers: Nick Nardella and Daniel Hardie. Nardella, 24, signed an ATO with the Cincinnati Cyclones last season at the conclusion of his NCAA career with Michigan Tech. He ended up scoring one assist in four games in Cincinnati before he moved to the Iowa Heartlanders, where he impressed scoring three goals in three games. Now, he’ll head to Idaho alongside Hardie, who hasn’t yet made his pro debut but was once the leading scorer of a QMJHL team, the 2018-19 Charlottetown Islanders.
- Former College hockey star Trevor Mingoia, once an NCAA Champion with Providence College, has had his contract with Liiga’s Kärpät terminated by mutual agreement. This wasn’t the winger’s first go-around in the top division of Finnish hockey, although Mingoia’s time with KooKoo Kouvola from 2019-2021 was notably more successful. Mingoia spent two seasons with KooKoo and scored a total of 27 goals and 64 points in 73 games. Kärpät were likely optimistic they would get that kind of form out of Mingoia after he starred for two seasons in the DEL with the Wolfsburg Grizzlys, helping them to the DEL semifinals last season, but it wasn’t to be and now both parties will look elsewhere moving forward.
- Veteran Swedish forward Robin Alvarez has decided to test himself playing in Finland for the first time in his career, signing a one-year contract with Ilves Tampere of Liiga. The 36-year-old veteran has exclusively played in his native Sweden so far in his career and has logged over 700 career games combined between the SHL and HockeyAllsvenskan levels. Alvarez brings extensive Champions Hockey League experience to Ilves, having played a total of 31 games in the prestigious European tournament. Ilves currently sit fourth in the Liiga table and are looking to gain ground on their neighbors Tappara Tampere, the defending Liiga and Champions Hockey League winners.
- Defenseman Teemu Suhonen, once a star blueliner for Jukurit Mikkeli in both its Liiga and Mestis days, has signed a one-month contract with a rival Liiga club: Vaasan Sport. The undersized 34-year-old defenseman spent last season with Liiga’s JYP, scoring 15 points in 46 games. Sport said in its announcement of the deal that the club needed to act quickly to respond to an injury to defenseman Carl-Johan Lerby, and their signing of Suhonen should help the team survive Lerby’s absence.
- Slovakia’s HK Nitra have agreed on an early contract termination with forward Patrick Bajkov, a key summer signing of the club. Nitra were likely hoping that Bajkov’s prolific scoring at the ECHL level (he managed 69 points in 71 games for the Reading Royals in 2021-22) would translate to the top level of Slovak pro hockey. That hasn’t happened, though, and Bajkov will now conclude his tenure with Nitra at six games, a run where he failed to register a point and found himself tagged with a minus-seven plus-minus rating. Bajkov last played for Nitra in their October 1st contest, but skated under 2:30 of total ice time as the club fell by a 9-3 score. As Nitra seek a reboot after a catastrophic start to the season, it’s been agreed upon by both parties that ending Bajkov’s contract is the best path forward for each side, especially seeing as a replacement for Bajkov, Stephen Harper, was brought in a few days ago.
- The so far undefeated Cardiff Devils have made an addition to their forward corps, signing power forward Brandon Alderson to an EIHL contract. The six-foot-three, 194-pound veteran has been a point-per-game scorer in the OHL, ECHL, DEL2, and Slovak league, and is coming off of an exceptional campaign playing third-division pro hockey in Germany. Alderson scored a whopping 37 goals and 79 points for the Hannover Scorpions, and Cardiff are likely hoping that his track record of high-scoring numbers can translate to the top division of pro hockey in the United Kingdom.
This page may be updated throughout the day.
Morning Notes: Pitlick, Hämeenaho, Jack
New York Rangers forward Tyler Pitlick is out day-to-day with an undisclosed injury, according to the New York Post’s Mollie Walker. Walker also relays word from Rangers head coach Peter Laviolette saying that Pitlick would be re-evaluated today. Pitlick, 31, was an offseason signing of the Rangers and had been in contention for a fourth-line role while playing on a $787.5k cap hit.
One how this injury might impact the ongoing battle for the Rangers’ fourth-line right winger spot, if at all. Fellow offseason signing Alex Belzile was waived and sent to the AHL despite holding the versatility to play both center and wing and having outscored Pitlick on a point-per-game basis last season, so if Pitlick remains out Belzile could get another chance. But what’s more likely is that Belzile remains in the minors as he’s already cleared waivers, with Pitlick’s job instead for the time being going to prospect Will Cuylle, whose situation we covered in the recent Big Hype Prospects piece.
Now for some other notes from across the hockey world:
- New Jersey Devils prospect Lenni Hämeenaho is off to a blistering hot start in the Finnish Liiga, and EliteProspects’ Lassi Alanen writes on X that Hämeenaho is off to “one of the hottest starts to the season from any 18-year-old in Liiga history.” Playing for Ässät Pori, a quality middle-of-the-pack Liiga team, Hämeenaho has scored eight goals and nine points in just nine games, putting him at a 53-goal pace should he manage to play a full 60-game season. It’s extremely unlikely Hämeenaho will maintain this pace, of course, but what is likely is that Hämeenaho will finish with a far more productive year than the one he had in 2022-23, and it could be the type of season that vaults the 2023 53rd overall pick into top prospect status.
- The ECHL announced yesterday that its Board of Governors had “approved the Transfer of Controlling Interest in the Allen Americans” to “ALA Hockey, LLC, an entity controlled by Myles and LaSonjia Jack.” For fans of the NFL, that name might be familiar as its of former NFL linebacker Myles Jack, once a key cog in a ferocious Jacksonville Jaguars defense. As our friends at Pro Football Rumors covered, Jack retired in August and now appears to be entering sports ownership alongside his mother. According to the ECHL, this purchase is particularly historic as “Jack, and his mother LaSonjia Jack, are the first African-American majority owners in professional hockey history.” Jack is purchasing a quality team in the Americans, as they’re a two-time Kelly Cup winner, they haven’t missed the playoffs in four seasons, and are Texas’ only ECHL franchise.
Minor Transactions: 10/02/23
It’s another busy day around the world of hockey, with activity both on the schedule and on the transaction wire. The highlight of today’s slate of games overseas was a contest between SKA St. Petersburg and HK Sochi in the KHL. Top NHL prospect Matvei Michkov‘s three-point performance lifted Sochi over St. Petersburg. St. Petersburg is the club that owns Michkov’s KHL rights, and Michkov may have had extra motivation to put together a strong performance as St. Petersburg opened the season with Michkov as a healthy scratch before loaning him back to Sochi.
Beyond just games, today featured quite a few moves in top European leagues as well. As always, we’ll keep track of them here.
- 2010 13th overall pick Brandon Gormley has found a team for 2023-24. According to an official announcement, he’s signed a one-year contract with the Iserlohn Roosters of the DEL. Gormley heads to Germany to reinforce the blueline of a Roosters team that has struggled early on in this DEL campaign. They have currently surrendered the most goals in the DEL through six games of league play, so the hope will be that Gormley can translate his extensive experience in top European leagues into defensive stops for the Roosters.
- The SHL’s IK Oskarshamn have struggled mightily at the start of this SHL campaign, so the club has responded to its injuries and underperformance by agreeing to a short-term contract with veteran forward Olli Palola. Palola, 35, is a highly experienced name in European hockey, having represented his country at two IIHF Men’s World Championships. He’s led the Finnish Liiga in goals before and is a former Liiga All-Star, so perhaps his addition will serve as a spark that will help improve the club’s form. Palola split last season between the SHL’s Timra IK and HIFK Helsinki, scoring a total of 13 points in 35 games.
- After spending a season playing in Italy, Shawn McBride has made the decision to return to the North American pro circuit. He’s signed a one-year ECHL contract with the Idaho Steelheads, the club he spent 2021-22 with. McBride floundered in pro hockey until arriving in Idaho, where he would score 12 goals and 35 points in 69 games. That solid showing earned him a contract in the AlpsHL with the Broncos in Italy, and scored 16 goals and 36 points in 36 games there, and now he’s back in the ECHL for another go-around with the Steelheads.
- Veteran defenseman Anton Mylläri has signed a contract containing a three-month trial period with the Lahti Pelicans, the club he played for last season. 2022-23 was Mylläri’s first full season in Liiga, and he acquitted himself well, helping the Pelicans reach the league finals where they would ultimately fall to Tappara Tampere. Mylläri was a top-four defenseman for the Pelicans last season, averaging 18:00 time on ice per game, and now will get a chance to resume that role for a Pelicans team that has got off to a slow start in 2023-24.
This page may be updated throughout the day.
Minor Transactions: 10/01/23
Not only are NHL clubs hard at work preparing for the start of their regular seasons via the training camp and preseason process, but so are clubs in the various North American minor leagues, such as the AHL and ECHL, who also have a regular season to prepare for.
As a result, the transaction wire is expected to be active in those leagues, just as it is in overseas leagues, where the regular season has begun in most top leagues. Teams have injuries to respond to, underperforming squads in dire need of reinforcement, and other events occurring that prompt player movement. As always, we’ll keep track of the resulting transactions here.
- Former NHL defenseman Madison Bowey was traded in the KHL, shipped away from the struggling Dinamo Minsk to a middle-of-the-pack Traktor Chelyabinsk side. In exchange for Bowey, former AHL blueliner Robert Hamilton was sent to Minsk. This has been Bowey’s first KHL season, and he finishes his time in Belarus with eight games played and two points. Hamilton, 29, was beginning his second season with Chelyabinsk after scoring 18 points in 32 games last season. He has scored one point in nine games so far this year and will now receive a fresh start in Minsk.
- The AHL’s San Diego Gulls have signed prospect forward Davis Codd to a one-year contract, just in time for the early portion of the club’s training camp process. Codd hasn’t played very much over the last two seasons, skating in a total of just 36 games. His development was further impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting shutdown of the 2020-21 OHL season. He likely is chomping at the bit to get some games under his belt so he can continue his development, and that’s exactly what he’ll get in California thanks to this one-year deal.
- Former ECHL Playoff MVP Stephen Harper has signed in Slovakia, joining HK Nitra after a strong first season overseas. The former Tucson Roadrunner scored 31 points in 54 games for Düsseldorfer EG in the German DEL, helping the club reach the postseason, where he scored six points in seven games. Nitra are in need of urgent assistance as they currently are mired at the bottom of the Slovak league’s standings and have not yet registered a regulation victory, so the hope is likely that Harper can make an instant impact.
- The ECHL’s Greenville Swamp Rabbits have signed defenseman Max Coyle, who was an invite to the Los Angeles Kings’ 2023 prospect tournament roster, to an ECHL contract. Coyle, 25, dipped his toes into the waters of pro hockey last season by playing in three games for the ECHL’s Indy Fuel. Before those three games, Coyle was a steady blueliner for Bowling Green State University, skating in a total of 127 games for the program. The 2018-19 BCHL champion will get his first chance as a full-time pro hockey player in Greenville.
- Former NHLer Brandon McMillan has signed a one-year contract to play in China with the KHL’s Kunlun Red Star. A longtime KHLer, McMillan has spent the last two seasons HC Ambrì-Piotta in the Swiss National League. He struggled immensely last year, scoring just 10 points in 40 games. But the 33-year-old did score three goals in 4 games to help his team win the Spengler Cup last December, and has had success in the KHL before, so there’s reason for optimism that this signing could work for the Red Star.
This page will be updated throughout the day.
Minor Transactions: 09/29/23
It’s another busy day for player movement in the world of hockey. Not only are more reductions to the size of NHL training camp rosters expected, but numerous teams in both top European leagues and North American minor leagues are expected to add and/or subtract players for the 2023-24 campaign. As always, we’ll keep track of those moves here.
- Former NHLer and original Vegas Golden Knights expansion draft choice Teemu Pulkkinen signed a one-year contract to return to the KHL, landing with the Kunlun Red Star. The 31-year-old has an exceptional track record outside the NHL, honored as an AHL All-Star twice and named the Liiga rookie of the year. He’s been solid in the KHL as well, with 159 career points in 258 games. Pulkkinen spent last season with Traktor Chelyabinsk, scoring 15 goals and 27 points in 63 games. Kunlun have gotten off to a decent 6-6 start so far in KHL play, and are likely hoping Pulkkinen’s scoring can give their offense the boost it needs to help the club reach the playoffs for just the second time in franchise history.
- After impressing with the Ottawa Senators’ prospect tournament team, 22-year-old undrafted free agent Tarun Fizer has signed a one-year, one-way AHL contract with the Belleville Senators. The signing is a big opportunity for the former Victoria Royals center, as it’s a chance for him to become a full-time AHLer after spending most of his pro career thus far in the ECHL. Fizer scored 27 goals and 50 points in 62 games for the ECHL’s Utah Grizzlies last season, and has now earned a spot in one of the best leagues in the world.
- Former OHL star Shawn Lalonde made his NHL debut in 2012-13, capping off three consecutive years of hard work and development in the AHL. That offseason, though, rather than stay another year in North America Lalonde made the choice to continue his career overseas, and since that point he’s become an accomplished, well-traveled veteran of the European pro circuit. Two days ago, HC Slovan Bratislava of the Slovak top league terminated its contract with defender Matt Murphy with just one game played, and today the club has announced the addition of Lalonde as his replacement. In Lalonde, Slovan is receiving a player who was once a top offensive defenseman in the DEL and a stable offensive contributor in the KHL. After spending all of last season with the KHL’s Dynamo Minsk (scoring 14 points in 48 games) Lalonde should be able to make a positive impact at a bit of a lower level of competition with Slovan.
- Yesterday, former ECHL MVP Shawn Szydlowski returned to his old stomping grounds, signing a contract with the Fort Wayne Komets. The former Erie Otters star, 33, has had an exceptional ECHL career, taking home numerous awards (such as an MVP and multiple All-Star honors) as well as a Kelly Cup championship. He has scored 519 points in 528 career ECHL games, which ranks him inside the all-time top-40 of players with the most career points in North America’s third-tier league. Szydlowski took home a Kelly Cup with Fort Wayne in 2021, and now after a season away in Orlando he’s returned with the goal of taking home another one.
- Defenseman Rinat Valiev, who once played for the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens, has reached a contract termination agreement with his club Neftyanik Almetievsk of Russia’s second-tier VHL. Valiev, 28, has struggled in recent seasons, bouncing between three clubs across the top two levels of Russian pro hockey. Last season, he played in 18 KHL games with Dinamo Minsk, and now he will look for another opportunity after playing in four games for Neftyanik.
This page may be updated throughout the day.
Minor Transactions: 09/26/23
It’s another busy day across the world of hockey, both in the NHL and in Europe. In the NHL, the slate of preseason games today is highlighted by a rivalry contest in New York between the Islanders and Rangers.
Overseas, there are a few intriguing contests including a Liiga matchup between Ilves Tampere and KalPa Kuopio where NHL second-rounders Jani Nyman and Oliver Kapanen will do battle, as well as some quality games in Switzerland such as a battle between two top teams, Patrik Nemeth‘s SC Bern and Derek Grant‘s ZSC Lions.
As the schedule becomes more and more packed with hockey, player movement across the hockey world remains as active as ever. We’ll keep track of notable moves here:
- Former Arizona Coyotes prospect David Tendeck has signed a one-year ECHL contract with the Wheeling Nailers. Tendeck played in 32 games last season for the ECHL’s Atlanta Gladiators, posting a 12-12-5 record with an .892 save percentage. The 25-year-old 2018 sixth-round pick has posted strong numbers in the AHL (.914 save percentage in nine games) but hasn’t gotten an extended shot in the American League. He’ll look to change that by having a strong season backstopping the Nailers.
- Anthony Beauregard outscored three future NHLers in his final season with the Val d’Or Foreurs in the QMJHL, (Julien Gauthier, Nicolas Aube-Kubel, Anthony Richard) but his first foray into pro hockey was a short one. The undersized scorer ended up in the Canadian University circuit before finally turning pro full-time in 2018-19 with the ECHL’s Brampton Beast. He wasn’t great in Brampton, though, and ended up signing in England with the EIHL’s Nottingham Panthers. Beauregard starred in Nottingham, starting a span of three seasons where he went from England to Wichita, Kansas to Switzerland, posting star scoring numbers at each stop. He was especially prolific in Wichita, winning ECHL MVP with 71 points scored. Last season, Beauregard scored 49 points for the ECHL’s Trois-Rivières Lions, and now he’s earned himself a shot to make the AHL on more than a call-up basis. He’s earned a PTO with the Springfield Thunderbirds, per his representation, and will look to earn a spot on the Blues’ affiliate’s roster to finally become a full-time AHL player.
- Former Tri-City Americans captain Tyler Sandhu has signed a one-year ECHL contract with the South Carolina Stingrays. The 27-year-old made his professional debut this past season after playing four seasons with the University of British Columbia. He began his pro career overseas in Central Europe, skating in 32 games for the ICEHL’s Vorarlberg Pioneers. He scored 19 points in 32 games, earning himself a chance to play full-time in North America’s third tier of pro hockey.
- After a half-decade of NCAA hockey with the Arizona State University Sun Devils, former Calgary Flames prospect Demetrios Koumontzis seems to have found a place to truly begin his professional career. The 23-year-old blueliner signed a one-year ECHL contract with the Idaho Steelheads, a deal that allows Koumontzis to remain with the club he finished 2022-23 with. Koumontzis appeared in ten regular-season games in Idaho, scoring 10 points, and added three playoff games as well, a solid first step into the world of professional hockey.
- Veteran Liiga center and one-time Hershey Bears forward Juuso Ikonen has signed a one-year contract with Liiga’s Ässät Pori. Although Ikonen, a former 39-point scorer in Liiga, ended up winning a Liiga title and Champions Hockey League championship last season, he actually only played in 18 games for Tampere. Now he’ll get a chance in Pori, hoping to shore up a spot on a scoring line to help the club reach the postseason, something they have only done once since their championship season in 2012-13.
- After four strong campaigns in HockeyAllsvenskan with Västerås IK, forward William Wikman finally earned an extended SHL shot with Leo Carlsson‘s Örebro HK last season. Wikman’s play in the bottom six and 12 points in 52 games helped Örebro make a run to the SHL semifinals, and now Örebro has extended their relationship with Wikman by two additional seasons.
- Despite having not even turned 25, Swiss forward Sven Leuenberger has already won two National League titles with his club, EV Zug, a team whose academy he first joined when he was 14. Now, he’s extended his relationship with Zug even longer, signing an extension through 2028 with the team. Never a high-scoring player, Leuenberger has a knack for seeing his production tick up in the postseason and has represented both his club and country in some big moments. He’s been on many deep playoff runs with Zug and also represented Switzerland at two IIHF Men’s World Junior Championships. Now confirmed to play for Zug through 2028, the hope will be that more National League titles will follow.
- Former Winnipeg Jets prospect Ryan Olsen is returning once again from Germany in order to play in the ECHL. Olsen has signed with the Tulsa Oilers, a team he played three games for in 2016-17. The 29-year-old 2012 Jets draft pick was the DEL’s most penalized player in 2022-23 despite playing in just 39 games, as he racked up 91 PIMs to go alongside 15 points. Olsen’s ECHL experience is strong, as he has 65 points in 81 career games as well as a Kelly Cup championship on his resume. In Tulsa, Olsen will be tasked with bringing his signature combination of grit and offensive touch to the table to help the Oilers have a bounce-back season after a poor 2022-23.
This page may be updated throughout the day.
Minor Transactions: 09/22/23
It’s another busy day across the world of pro hockey, both in North America where NHL training camps are fully underway and in Europe, where the top pro leagues are fully into their regular season. Today’s slate of games featured some major contests, highlighted by an upset 5-2 win by Cologne on the road against the reigning DEL champions, Munich. Over in Finland, former University of Vermont star netminder Stefanos Lekkas enjoyed a stellar start to his Liiga career, guiding KalPa Kuopio to a shutout victory over Lukko Rauma.
The action happening on the ice all around the world of hockey is mirrored by the action on the transaction wire. As always, we’ll keep track of notable moves here.
- Former Calgary Flames prospect Jack Beck, who did not sign an entry-level first with the Flames before the team’s exclusive rights expired June 1st, has been traded in the OHL. The Soo Greyhounds have acquired Beck, 20, for a 2026 second-round pick and 2027 third-round pick in the OHL Priority Selection. Beck was a sixth-round pick of the Flames at the 2021 draft, selected there despite the OHL not holding a 2020-21 campaign. Beck scored 12 goals and 53 points for the Ottawa 67’s last season, and scored 12 points in 11 playoff games.
- Longtime South Carolina Stingrays defenseman Andrew Cherniwchan announced his retirement from pro hockey today. Cherniwchan has the third-most games played all-time for the Stingrays, and served as their captain for three seasons. He’s a one-time ECHL All-Star who has quite a few long playoff runs to remember in South Carolina, and although Cherniwchan did not end up making it to the NHL he does have nearly 200 AHL games on his resume.
- 2018 Philadelphia Flyers sixth-round pick Gavin Hain has found a landing spot to turn pro, signing a one-year ECHL deal with the Iowa Heartlanders. The former USNTDP pivot has spent the last half-decade with the University of North Dakota. He took a real step forward in his senior year, scoring a career-high 11 goals and 18 points in 36 games. The number-one pick of the 2016 USHL Futures Draft will have a chance to establish himself in pro hockey with a Heartlanders franchise still looking for its first-ever winning season.
- Former Edmonton Oilers prospect Filip Berglund extended his contract with the SHL’s Örebro Hockey for three additional seasons. The 26-year-old rearguard was the 91st overall pick at the 2016 draft by the Oilers, selected after a strong draft season that saw him post 41 points in 43 games at the J20 level for Skellefteå AIK. He led Swedish junior hockey in scoring by a blueliner, and went on to play as an SHL regular for a half-decade. In 2020, Berglund signed an entry-level deal with the Oilers and spent the second year of the deal, 2021-22, in the AHL. He skated in 53 games for the Bakersfield Condors and helped them reach the playoffs, but didn’t register a goal and only totaled six regular-season points. He returned to Sweden for 2022-23, joining Örebro, where he’ll now remain for a few more years after helping the team on a deep SHL playoff run in his debut campaign.
- Colorado Avalanche fans may recognize the name of Sami Aittokallio, a netminder who appeared in two games for the club and was a fourth-round pick of the team in 2010. Since leaving the North American pro circuit for the 2015-16 campaign, Aittokallio has had a solid career overseas, and today he found a team to suit up for, at least for the next two weeks. Liiga’s JYP has signed him to a two-week contract, set to last for the duration of an injury suffered by incumbent starter Veini Vehviläinen. Aittokallio spent the last two years playing in Germany, posting a stellar .923 save percentage for the Bietigheim Steelers, who were at the time a newly promoted DEL club. But last season, Aittokallio went 5-20-0 as Bietigheim were relegated to DEL2, a circumstance that may have contributed to the fact that he’s now signing a short-term deal rather than a full-time job to play as a starting goalie.
- Former Nizhny Novgorod Torpedo captain Anton Shenfeld has signed a one-year contract with the KHL’s Chinese club, Kunlun Red Star. Shenfeld is coming off a difficult 2022-23 season, one where he scored just three points in 28 games playing in Siberia for Sibir Novosibirsk. He was once a quality top-six forward for both Novgorod and Tolyatti Lada, and the hope for the Red Star is likely that he’ll find a way to recapture some of that form.
- Sergei Boikov, a former Colorado Avalanche defensive prospect, has signed a two-year KHL contract with HC Avangard Omsk. The club acquired his sporting rights from Dynamo Moscow in exchange for monetary compensation. Boikov has been a regular on Moscow’s blueline for the last three seasons, skating in a total of 123 games for the club. He hasn’t scored very much (he has just 17 career KHL points) but offers decent size, physicality, and some championship experience. (Boikov won the ECHL’s Kelly Cup with the Colorado Eagles in 2017)
- Alexander Karachun has established himself as a quality DEL scorer over the past two years with the Schwenninger Wild Wings, totaling 25 points in 37 games last season. The club has announced that Karachun has extended his contract through 2025 with the team, meaning he’ll be able to help in the Wild Wings’ fight to keep its place in the DEL through 2025. Karachun wasn’t always a success in the DEL, and he struggled to put points on the board earlier in his career with the Wolfsburg Grizzlies. But an above-point-per-game season in the DEL2 launched him back into the DEL, and he hasn’t looked back, helping the Wild Wings stave off relegation for the past two seasons.
This page may be updated throughout the day.
Minor Transactions: 09/21/23
As NHL training camps officially open, the professional hockey season is finally getting started in North America. While there’s still a way to go before the regular season begins in the NHL, AHL, or ECHL, we can finally see puck drop on the horizon.
In Europe, the pro hockey season is fully underway, and today’s slate of games featured numerous notable moments. Philadelphia Flyers top prospect Matvei Michkov scored an electric game-winning goal for Sochi in the KHL, while historic Finnish club Jokerit earned a long-awaited victory on the back of an overtime goal from Leevi Lemberg. It was Jokerit’s first victory in the Finnish hockey system (they play in the second division, Mestis) since 2014, before the club left Liiga for the KHL.
Teams in Europe and North America are still completing transactions to add players or otherwise modify their rosters, and as always we’ll keep track of those moves here:
- The potential number-one pick in the 2025 NHL draft, James Hagens, announced his college commitment on social media. He and his brother, Michael, have committed to play NCAA hockey at Boston College. The Eagles already boast a wealth of highly-drafted prospects on their roster, such as 2023 fourth-overall pick Will Smith and 2022 fifth-overall pick Cutter Gauthier. While both of those names are likely to be in the NHL by the time Hagens arrives on campus, Hagens’ commitment ensures that Boston College’s pipeline of elite NHL prospects will remain intact.
- Former Chicago Blackhawk Buddy Robinson signed a one-year contract with Traktor Chelyabinsk in the KHL. For Robinson, 31, this will be his first opportunity to play for an overseas club in his pro career. The six-foot-six physical winger played in 52 games for the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs last season, scoring 20 points. He also played in nine NHL games, and has 62 total NHL games on his resume. In the late 2010’s Robinson was a productive AHL scorer, potting 25 goals and 53 points in 74 games for the Manitoba Moose in 2017-18. But that scoring has dried up as he’s reached his late twenties and early thirties, and that could have contributed as to why Robinson has elected to sign in the KHL rather than continue in North America.
- Saku Mäenalanen, who played 64 games for the Winnipeg Jets last season, was supposed to be spending training camp with the Colorado Avalanche on a PTO. But he reportedly failed his physical and was released from that deal. So instead of in Colorado, Mäenalanen will hit the ice in Switzerland, where he’s signed a three-year contract with the SCL Tigers of the National League. Mäenalanen has yet to play in the Swiss NL, but he has extensive experience overseas in both Liiga and the KHL. Mäenalanen has won a Liiga championship, a IIHF Men’s World Championship gold medal, and an Olympic gold medal, and now he’ll join his former Charlotte Checkers teammate Aleksi Saarela in Switzerland.
- Fans of the Florida Panthers or Springfield Thunderbirds might recognize the name of Finnish winger Henrik Haapala from the 25 games he played in North America for those clubs in 2017-18. While Hapaala didn’t last long in the NHL or AHL, he went on to have a productive career in Europe. This past season, Hapaala scored at a point-per-game rate for Ilves Tampere in Liiga, and now he’s headed to Switzerland to continue his career. The 29-year-old has signed a one-month tryout contract with HC Genève-Servette, the reigning Swiss champions.
- HPK Hämeenlinna of the Finnish Liiga have signed two defenders to contracts: veteran Juuso Pulli and 26-year-old Elias Ulander. Pulli spent last season with Vaasan Sport in Liiga, skating in 52 games and scoring seven points. He’s collected three Liiga bronze medals in his career and was once an alternate captain for Ilves Tampere. Ulander spent last season with HK Spisska Nova Ves in the Slovak league, and has had success in Finland before, such as in 2016-17 when he was named the U20 SM-Liiga’s best defenseman. Pulli’s contract is a one-year deal with a tryout option through November, while Ulander is on a tryout deal.
- 2017 Anaheim Ducks fourth-round pick Kyle Olson has signed a one-year contract with the ECHL’s Reading Royals. Despite scoring at above a point-per-game rate in his final two WHL campaigns, Olson did not receive an entry-level deal from the Ducks and instead signed an AHL contract with the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins in 2020. Olson has spent the last three seasons in Pennsylvania and managed 12 goals and 21 points in 71 games in 2021-22. This past year, Olson’s production tanked, and he only managed six points in 55 games. He’s now signed with the Royals in the ECHL, likely with the hope that he’ll have a productive season in North America’s third-tier league and work his way back into the AHL.
- The ECHL’s Greenville Swamp Rabbits have signed a one-year contract extension with 23-year-old Brett Kemp, ensuring one of the league’s more productive young talents will remain with the only ECHL franchise he’s ever known. Kemp, who once scored 77 points in 62 WHL games for the Medicine Hat Tigers has compiled 82 points in 76 career ECHL games. He’ll now be able to return to Greenville and will likely remain one of the team’s top scorers as he looks to earn more AHL call-ups to the Ontario Reign.
- Former Baie-Comeau Drakkar scorer Jordan Martel was one of the ECHL’s breakout players last season, scoring 18 goals and 44 points in just 45 games for the Utah Grizzlies. The team confirmed he’d be returning for the 2023-24 season today, signing Martel to a one-year ECHL deal. Martel hadn’t found much success in pro hockey until he arrived in Utah, and now he’ll have the chance to build some continuity and momentum in Utah as the team chases its fifth consecutive playoff berth.
- The ECHL’s Toledo Walleye have signed Chase Gresock to a one-year contract, according to an official announcement. The 25-year-old forward dipped his toes into the waters of pro hockey last season, skating in two games for the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda at the conclusion of his collegiate career. Gresock was an effective NCAA player, captaining Merrimack College and scoring 31 points in 36 games for Bowling Green State in his final collegiate campaign.
- Fiery Wheeling Nailers winger Cam Hausinger has re-signed with the only ECHL team he’s ever played for. The 24-year-old will play a third season in West Virginia and is coming off a solid 2022-23 season. He didn’t play in as many ECHL games as the year before, but he still scored 19 points in 23 games for the Nailers to go alongside his 70 penalty minutes. Hausinger also earned AHL call-ups with two franchises, the Iowa Wild and Milwaukee Admirals. It was with Milwaukee where Hausinger scored his first AHL goal, and his hope will be to get some more AHL contests under his belt in 2023-24.
- Star scorer Johnny Curran has transferred to the most dominant club in the EIHL, signing a one-year contract with the Belfast Giants. The 28-year-old forward, who represents the United Kingdom internationally, has scored 126 career points in 155 EIHL games. He’s thus far only suited up for the Coventry Blaze, but now will get to join a Champions Hockey League-caliber team that took home the EIHL title last season.
This page may be updated throughout the day.