East Notes: Cossa, Poirier, Drozg
The Detroit Red Wings are currently enjoying a great start to Ville Husso‘s tenure as the team’s starting goalie, as the team’s summer acquisition already has a shutout to his name and is boasting a .923 save percentage through two games. But despite that solid start, the long-term future for the Red Wings in net may not lie in Husso’s hands. The team selected Sebastian Cossa 15th overall at the 2021 draft, and he is among the top goalie prospects in hockey. He could be their future, but it may take some time to reach that point.
Today, the Red Wings made their plans for Cossa’s development a bit clearer. After he made his professional debut in a victory over the Milwaukee Admirals, the team reassigned Cossa to their ECHL affiliate, the Toledo Walleye. While some might view an ECHL demotion as a major step back in a prospect’s development, this move should be seen positively in Cossa’s case. Beginning his career in the third-tier ECHL will afford Cossa a longer runway to grow his game, and allow him to take on more of his team’s starts than he would have in Grand Rapids, where the battle for time in the crease is more competitive. Getting consistent game action is crucially important for goalie development, so this move will allow Cossa to play more consistently and in a lower-pressure environment.
Now, for some other notes regarding Eastern Conference teams:
- The Montreal Canadiens’ AHL affiliate, the Laval Rocket, announced today that they have reached a mutual agreement with Emile Poirier to terminate the forward’s contract. A 2013 first-round pick, Poirier signed an AHL deal with Laval in the summer and was set to make his return to North American pro hockey after spending last season in both the KHL and SHL. But after not being included in Laval’s opening-night lineup, Poirier and the team have decided that pursuing other opportunities would be the best path forward for both parties.
- Jan Drozg, a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins’ 2017 draft class and former QMJHL star, has found a place to play for the 2022-23 season. Per the KHL’s official website, Drozg has signed a one-year contract with Amur Khabarovsk. The 23-year-old Slovenian winger spent time with both the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins and Grand Rapids Griffins of the AHL last season and will look to improve the offensive attack of one of the lowest-scoring clubs in the KHL.
Morning Notes: Reverse Retro, Kubalik, Wilde
The NHL has released all 32 Reverse Retro sweaters for the upcoming season, with love (and hate) pouring in from fans all across the league. This is the second iteration of the idea, and the jerseys will be on display starting November 2, with a game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Buffalo Sabres.
While it has been called nothing but a cash grab by some, the jerseys do include some fun nods to teams of the past, including the California Golden Seals (San Jose Sharks), and Colorado Rockies (both Colorado Avalanche and New Jersey Devils). Here are another few notes from around the league on this quiet Thursday morning:
- When the name Kubalik comes across the transaction wire, one might assume it’s the Detroit Red Wings forward on the move. No, this time it’s his older brother Tomas Kubalik, who has signed in the French second league. It’s been a long professional career for the 32-year-old, who was selected 135th overall by the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2008 and did actually make it to the NHL. The big winger played 12 games over parts of two seasons, scoring a goal and four assists. Fans of the Victoriaville Tigres will also remember his one season in the QMJHL, when Kubalik scored 33 goals and 75 points in 58 regular season games.
- The New York Islanders have confirmed the loans of Bode Wilde and Richard Panik to Atlanta of the ECHL and Lausanne in Switzerland, according to Andrew Gross of Newsday. Of course, Panik’s assignment was already evident, given he’s played three times for the Swiss club already this year. Wilde meanwhile will continue to be exiled from the Islanders organization as they wait out his entry-level contract. He was sent to Vasterviks IK of the Swedish second league last season, and now finds himself set to play in the low minors this year. The 22-year-old defenseman will not likely receive a qualifying offer at the end of the year when his contract is up.
Matt Kiersted, Seth Barton Activated From Season-Opening Injured Reserve
A pair of defensemen have been activated from season-opening injured reserve (SOIR) and are headed to their respective teams’ AHL affiliates. The Florida Panthers have assigned Matt Kiersted to the Charlotte Checkers, per CapFriendly, and the Detroit Red Wings have assigned Seth Barton to the Grand Rapids Griffins, per the team.
Season-opening injured reserve is generally used for players who did not make the team out of training camp, but can’t be involved in any NHL to AHL transactions due to their injured status.
Kiersted, 24, is a candidate to find himself back in the NHL sooner rather than later given the organization’s weak defensive depth. An undrafted free agent signing out of the University of North Dakota in 2021, Kiersted’s appeared in 17 NHL games over the past two seasons, registering a goal and an assist and averaging 14:31 per night. He had 20 points in 63 games with the Checkers last season in his first professional campaign, and he’s destined to play a top-four role again there when not on the NHL roster.
Barton was a third-round selection by the Red Wings in 2018. He’s entering his second full professional campaign after spending three seasons at UMass-Lowell from 2018 to 2021 and recorded six points in 20 AHL games during his rookie campaign with the Griffins in 2021-22. It’ll be a struggle for playing time in Grand Rapids, which now boasts some of the team’s top defense prospects such as Simon Edvinsson, Albert Johansson, and Eemil Viro. A return to the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye, where Barton played five games last season, could be in the cards.
Snapshots: Nichushkin, Keenan, Carter
The IIHF has dropped all charges related to a years-old doping allegation for Valeri Nichushkin, according to the Russian Hockey Federation. The decision follows the additional analysis of a sample given back in 2013, when he was still playing with Traktor Chelyabinsk. It had been reanalyzed in 2019 and found to have a “suspicious level of testosterone,” leading to an additional investigation.
While this wouldn’t have affected his NHL standing, it could have impacted Nichushkin’s international eligibility. He hasn’t played at the World Championship since 2017, or Olympics since 2014.
- Speaking of IIHF announcements, there’s another big name in the news today. Mike Keenan, legendary (and infamous) hockey coach, will lead the Italian men’s national team in the 2023 World Championship. The program is ramping up in preparation for hosting the 2026 winter Olympics in Milan, and has brought in a well-known name to get them on track. Keenan hasn’t coached professionally since the 2017-18 season when he was with Kunlun Red Star of the KHL, and hasn’t been an NHL head coach since 2009 with the Calgary Flames. The 72-year-old has championships at the NHL, KHL, and AHL levels, and coached Canada at the Worlds in 1993.
- Anson Carter is now a minority owner of the ECHL’s Atlanta Gladiators, as the controlling interest of the club was transferred today. Alex Campbell will serve as majority owner, while Carter, a veteran of nearly 700 games in the NHL, is just excited to be involved in pro hockey in his “adopted hometown” of Atlanta. The Gladiators start their season on Friday when they take on the defending Kelly Cup champion Florida Everblades.
AHL Shuffle: 10/17/22
After an unusual Sunday with no games on the schedule, NHL action is back tonight. Tonight’s games feature a Sidney Crosby appearance in Montreal with the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins taking on the Canadiens, Nick Ritchie back in his old stomping grounds as the Arizona Coyotes visit the Toronto Maple Leafs, and a matchup of exciting Central Division foes as the Winnipeg Jets visit the Dallas Stars. With all of the action around the NHL this evening, it doesn’t put a stop to the off-ice news around the hockey world. We’ll keep an eye on all of that here.
- The Hartford Wolf Pack, the AHL affiliate of the New York Rangers, have reassigned goaltender Olof Lindbom to the ECHL’s Jacksonville Icemen. Lindbom, a second-round pick of the Rangers in 2018, is playing in his first North American season after spending his entire career-to-date in his native Sweden.
- After having defenseman Daniil Miromanov assigned to them from the Vegas Golden Knights, the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights assigned goaltender Isaiah Saville to the Savannah Ghost Pirates of the ECHL. Saville, a fifth-round pick of the Golden Knights in 2019, recently finished up a three-year stint at the University of Nebraska-Omaha before turning pro at the end of last year, where he got into eight games with Henderson.
- The AHL’s Utica Comets have assigned forward Xavier Parent to the Adirondack Thunder of the ECHL. Not drafted by an NHL team, the 21-year-old Parent finished up his QMJHL career in 2021-22. After several seasons with modest point totals, Parent broke out in his final year of junior, recording 106 points in just 65 games with the Sherbrooke Phoenix.
- The San Jose Barracuda of the AHL have loaned defenseman Billy Constantinou to the Wichita Thunder, their ECHL affiliate. Already a journeyman at just 21-years-old, Constantinou played for three different teams in his three-year OHL career before turning pro for the 2021-22 season. In 2021-22, the defenseman bounced between four different teams at the AHL and ECHL levels.
This post will be updated throughout the day.
Minor Transactions: 10/16/22
It’s the first true Sunday of the NHL season, however there are no games on tap for us today. The odd scheduling quirk should give players a chance to practice and rest ahead of a busy week two. Still, there’s plenty of action around the hockey scene and with that comes some minor news and notes. We’ll keep track of those here.
- The Calgary Wranglers, the new AHL affiliate of the Calgary Flames, announced that they have assigned three players to the Rapid City Rush of the ECHL: defensemen Simon Lavigne and Rhett Rhinehart, and goaltender Daniil Chechelev. Both defenseman, who recently finished up their junior careers, were undrafted in the NHL, but should get a chance to make a name for themselves in the professional ranks. Chechelev, a fourth-round pick of the Flames in 2020, struggled last year in the ECHL, but will have a chance to redeem himself in 2021-22.
- The ECHL’s Jacksonville Icemen announced they’ve signed defenseman Jacob Friend to a one-year contract. The defenseman was a seventh-round pick of the Los Angeles Kings in 2016 and has spent parts the past two seasons on Jacksonville’s blueline, along with 17 games as a member of the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers last season. Prior to turning pro, Friend spent parts of four seasons with the Owen Sound Attack of the OHL and two seasons with St. Mary’s University in Halifax, NS. The Icemen are the affiliate of the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack and the New York Rangers
This post will be updated throughout the day.
Minor Transactions: 10/14/22
The NHL season is fully underway, and we have four more games on the docket for tonight. As exciting as the action is around the NHL tonight, there’s still plenty going on around the hockey world and we’ll keep track of all those transactions here.
- The San Diego Gulls announced the signings of four players to standard player contracts today: forwards Brent Gates and Dmitri Osipov, as well as defensemen Josh Healey and Nikolas Brouillard. Possibly the most accomplished name of this group is Brouillard, who has spent the past two seasons with the Gulls. He had 39 points in 66 games last season (along with a whopping 131 penalty minutes) and should resume playing an important role in San Diego this season.
- One of the top goalie prospects in hockey, Sebastian Cossa, was reassigned from the Detroit Red Wings’ AHL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins, to their ECHL affiliate, the Toledo Wallleye. While an ECHL demotion might be seen as a definitively negative development for any top prospect, this reassignment shouldn’t be viewed so negatively for Cossa, who turns 20 on November 21st. An ECHL assignment will allow Cossa to operate as a starting netminder in a lower-pressure environment than the AHL. He’ll be able to take his time and work on his game, and the move gives him a longer runway in terms of his development.
- Former Philadelphia Flyers and Lehigh Valley Phantoms winger Linus Sandin cleared unconditional waivers today, allowing him to sign overseas. He’s done just that, as SHL club Rogle BK has signed Sandin to a contract that runs through the 2024-25 season. Sandin is an SHL veteran who joins Rogle after a decent AHL season that saw him earn his first NHL game, and he should help his new squad improve their current 12th-place standing in Sweden’s top league.
- The Ottawa Senators’ AHL affiliate, the Belleville Senators, announced the signings of two players today. Zachary Massicotte, 21, was signed to a two-way AHL/ECHL deal, while Cedric Pare, 23, was signed to a PTO. Pare signs this PTO looking to earn a full deal after spending all of last season in Belleville, while Massicotte will make his professional debut after winning the QMJHL championship last season with the Shawinigan Cataractes.
Minor Transactions: 10/13/22
The NHL season is fully underway, and quite a few teams are skating in their first games of the season tonight. As exciting as the action is around the NHL tonight, there’s still plenty going on around the hockey world and we’ll keep track of all those transactions here.
- The Montreal Canadiens were expected to assign 2021 first-round pick, Logan Mailloux, to his OHL club, the London Knights, when he recovered from injury. Today, the team did just that, sending Mailloux to the Knights. Mailloux hasn’t spent an extensive amount of time on the ice in the OHL, so this season will be important as he looks to establish himself as one of the Canadiens’ better options on what looks at the moment to be a crowded defensive pipeline.
- The New York Rangers’ AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack, have signed defenseman Ben Harpur to a PTO, per a team announcement. Harpur, 27, is a veteran of over 150 NHL games and joins the Wolf Pack after signing a PTO with the Columbus Blue Jackets, a deal that did not result in a contract offer. The Rangers recently lost physical depth defenseman Jarred Tinordi on waivers to the Chicago Blackhawks, so perhaps this PTO is a chance for Harpur to prove he can fill Tinordi’s vacated role on the Rangers’ organizational depth chart.
Minor Transactions: 10/12/22
Another slate of opening night contests are on tap around the NHL this evening, including the NHL debut of 2022 number one overall pick Juraj Slafkovsky with the Montreal Canadiens and Johnny Gaudreau‘s Columbus Blue Jackets debut down in Carolina. As exciting as the action is around the NHL tonight, there’s still plenty going on around the hockey world and we’ll keep track of it here.
- The Henderson Silver Knights, the AHL affiliate of the Vegas Golden Knights, made several cuts from its training camp roster today. Forwards Patrick Guay, Daniel D’Amato, Lynden McCallum, and defenseman Connor Corcoran have all been assigned to the Savannah Ghost Pirates of the ECHL (link). Guay could be an intriguing name in this group, coming off a season in which he scored 55 goals to go with 49 assists in just 68 games with the QMJHL’s Charlottetown Islanders. The forward was a fifth-round selection by Vegas in 2022 as a 20-year-old.
- Similarly, the Texas Stars, the AHL affiliate of the Dallas Stars, cut a handful of players from its roster. Forward Jordan Kawaguchi, defensemen Dawson Barteaux and Owen Headrick, and goaltender Remi Poirier were all assigned to the Idaho Steelheads of the ECHL. (link). Of note, Poirier, a sixth-round selection by Dallas in 2020, recently finished an impressive four-year stint with the Gatineau Olympiques in the QMJHL.
- The Arizona Coyotes are sending forward Matias Maccelli to the AHL (link). A fourth-round pick of the Coyotes in 2019, Maccelli made his NHL debut last season, recording six points in 23 games for Arizona. In the AHL, however, Maccelli was nothing short of an elite playmaker, scoring 14 goals to go with 43 assists in just 47 games. If the young winger can translate some of his AHL production into the NHL one day, the Coyotes will surely have themselves an exciting player.
- Forward Emilio Pettersen has been activated off of season-opening IR by the Calgary Flames and subsequently sent down (link). The Norwegian forward was a sixth-round selection of Calgary in 2018 and spent the previous two seasons with the Stockton Heat, then Calgary’s AHL affiliate.
- Like Pettersen, Florida Panthers forward Justin Sourdif has been activated from season-opening IR and sent down. (link). A third-round pick by Florida in 2020, Sourdif recently finished up an impressive junior career spent primarily with the Vancouver Giants, who dealt him to the Edmonton Oil Kings mid-way through last season. The 20-year-old forward had 71 points in 52 games last year in the WHL.
This post will be updated throughout the day.
Minor Transactions: 10/10/22
After the San Jose Sharks and Nashville Predators kicked the NHL regular season off in Europe this weekend, the New York Rangers and Tampa Bay Lightning will kick things off in North America tomorrow night, followed by the Vegas Golden Knights and Los Angeles Kings. Before that can happen though, teams must submit cap-compliant opening night rosters to the NHL by 5:00 pm ET today. Roster shuffling will presumably dominate the NHL news cycle today, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be some other notable news from the minor leagues and around the globe, and we’ll keep track of that here:
- The ECHL’s Greenville Swamp Rabbits announced that they have signed former NHL goaltender Michael McNiven to a one-year deal. After a terrific three-year stint with the the OHL’s Owen Sound Attack, the undrafted McNiven joined the Canadiens organization, spending parts of the next five seasons bouncing between the AHL and ECHL. McNiven also made his NHL debut last season, getting into one game with the Canadiens on January 24th of this year against the Wild.
- The AHL’s Laval Rocket announced the signing of John Parker-Jones to a one-year deal. The 22-year-old has spent time both on the wing and on defense and spent last season with Windsor in the Canadian college ranks where he had two goals and five assists in 17 games. He participated in Montreal’s rookie camp back in September.
This post will be kept updated throughout the day.