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.
Minor Transactions: 10/07/22
The NHL regular season began today, and while the world’s top league is just getting going, there are teams in minor/overseas leagues that are still making tweaks to their rosters. We’ll recap all of today’s minor league/foreign league moves here.
- Former Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Andrew Nielsen, signed a contract with the ECHL’s Utah Grizzlies today, per the league’s official transactions page. Nielsen, 25, was the 65th overall pick of the 2015 draft and played 36 games last season with the Grizzlies, scoring 27 points. The defenseman has extensive experience in the AHL and should be a major addition to the Grizzlies’ blueline.
- The Coachella Valley Firebirds signed Nick Pastujov and Hugo Roy to contracts in late September, and now it seems that they won’t be with the Firebirds to start their seasons. The ECHL’s Kansas City Mavericks announced today that both Pastujov and Roy have been reassigned to their club, meaning both players will likely begin the year in Kansas City and hope to play well enough to earn a call-up to Dan Bylsma’s Firebirds squad.
- The Idaho Steelheads made a big move today, signing three-time ECHL defenseman of the year Matthew Register to a one-year contract. Register spent last season with the Cardiff Devils of the EIHL, the United Kingdom’s top professional league, and will re-enter the ECHL as a defenseman capable of putting up elite production.
- Kevin Lohan, the captain of the ECHL’s Orlando Solar Bears, announced his retirement today via a letter posted to the team’s website. Lohan spent the past four seasons with the Solar Bears and earned his first AHL recalls this past season, skating in games for both the Syracuse Crunch and Ontario Reign.
- The ECHL’s Greenville Swamp Rabbits made two signings today, adding forwards Jake Elmer and Carter Souch. Elmer, scored 32 points in 50 ECHL games last season and should bolster their offensive attack. Souch is perhaps the more intriguing name here as he will be making his professional debut after an impressive finish to his WHL career. Souch scored 71 points in 68 regular-season games for the Edmonton Oil Kings and also scored 21 points in 19 playoff games, helping lead Edmonton to a WHL championship. He’ll look to begin a climb up the North American pro hockey ladder in Greenville.
Minor Transactions: 10/06/22
The NHL regular season begins tomorrow with the San Jose Sharks taking on the Nashville Predators. Many teams are still making their final roster preparations, and as the roster picture in the NHL becomes more clear, teams across the hockey world are also making moves. Here we’ll recap the day’s notable transactions from minor leagues or overseas leagues.
- The ECHL’s South Carolina Stingrays announced today that they’ve signed three young players who have either recently turned pro or are set to make their professional debuts this season. The players are as follows: forwards Anthony Del Gaizo and Sean Gulka, and defenseman Kylor Wall. Del Gaizo, 24, is the brother of Nashville Predators prospect Marc Del Gaizo and is also an NCAA champion and former USHL Player of the Year. Gulka, 22, is an import from the WHL’s Victoria Royals, and Wall, 25, got a taste of professional action last year for the Fort Wayne Komets.
- Forward Michael Pelech, the older brother of New York Islanders star defenseman Adam Pelech, signed a contract with the ECHL’s Atlanta Gladiators. Pelech, 33, is a minor league veteran with over 800 games of ECHL experience under his belt. Pelech played for the Gladiators last season and notched 36 points in 46 games.
- The ECHL’s Orlando Solar Bears announced today that they’ve signed forward Tristin Langan to a one-year deal. Langan, 23, scored the second-most points of any WHL player in 2018-19, scoring 53 goals and 113 points for the Moose Jaw Warriors. Langan has proven to be an elite ECHL scorer with 147 points in 168 career games at that level. Langan has spent his entire ECHL career with the Solar Bears and will return there hoping to earn a chance with an AHL club.
- After spending two games with Slovakian club Nove Zamsky Mikron HC and scoring one goal, veteran forward Jay Dickman has decided to head back to North America. The forward signed a one-year deal with the ECHL’s Wichita Thunder, the team he spent the last two seasons with. Dickman, 29, scored 58 points in 65 games last season and should definitely help the Thunder’s offensive attack as they look to rebound after a difficult 2021-22 season.
Minor Transactions: 09/29/22
Training camps are fully underway, and we are now at the point where there are preseason games every night. As training camp rosters are cut down, there is a ripple effect of that player movement that can impact teams in minor or foreign leagues whose seasons may already be underway. We’ll keep track of all the minor league/overseas league transactions here.
- The Buffalo Sabres’ AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans, announced today that they’ve re-signed forward Michael Mersch to a one-year AHL contract extension. Mersch, an AHL veteran scorer, is the Americans’ captain and one of their top players. The 29-year-old had the most productive season of his career in 2021-22, scoring 26 goals and 54 points, and now he receives a contract extension as a reward for his efforts.
- The Seattle Kraken’s AHL affiliate, the Coachella Valley Firebirds, announced the signings of four players today: forwards Luke Stevens, Nick Pastujov, Pascal Laberge, and Hugo Roy. All three spent most of last season in the ECHL, and were signed to one-year contracts. Some might remember Laberge as a top prospect from the 2016 draft, where he went 36th overall to the Philadelphia Flyers, while others might know Pastujov as the brother of Anaheim Ducks prospect Sasha Pastujov. All four forwards will head to Coachella Valley to compete for a lineup spot in coach Dan Bylsma’s team.
- The ECHL’s Allen Americans announced the signing of forward Colton Hargrove, a 2012 seventh-round pick of the Boston Bruins. Hargrove was a quality middle-of-the-lineup AHL player from 2015-2019 before he left to play overseas in Austria. Hargrove did not play hockey during the 2021-22 season and will resume his professional career with the Americans, a sort of “hometown” club for the Dallas, Texas native.
Evening Notes: PWHPA, Hischier, Hodgson
There’s some exciting news coming on the women’s hockey front. In an interview with The Hockey News’ Ian Kennedy, Canadian National Team captain Marie Philip-Poulin confirmed that the current touring structure for PWHPA games will turn into a league for the 2023-24 season, bringing two professional women’s leagues back into the fold for the first time since the CWHL and NWHL were both active.
The PWHPA Dream Gap Tour is the main pool of talent that Canada and the United States select for their national teams. They’ve effectively been limited to playing exhibition games without a league structure governing competition, although that shouldn’t diminish the level of talent and competition on display. A league structure should bring more financial stability and a better plan for growing the women’s game in North America.
- New Jersey Devils captain Nico Hischier left the team’s in-progress preseason game against the Montreal Canadiens at the first intermission. The team reports that Hischier’s absence is simply due to cramping and that he won’t return to the game for precautionary reasons. Hischier registered a shot on goal and played 6:24 in the first period, his preseason debut.
- Philadelphia Hockey Now’s Sam Carchidi tabs winger Hayden Hodgson as a candidate to crack the Flyers’ roster out of camp this year. Hodgson made waves in the Flyers organization this season after a breakout year in AHL Lehigh Valley, earning an NHL contract near the end of the season and a six-game call-up, where he registered three points. Hodgson hadn’t even played in the AHL since 2017-18, spending every season since then entirely in the ECHL (and partly in Slovakia).
Minor Transactions 09/19/22
The start of the NHL season is near, and training camps across the NHL are getting started. Many leagues in Europe as well have already begun their seasons. We’ll keep track of any last-minute minor league/foreign league transactions here.
- As part of the Tampa Bay Lightning’s announcement of their training camp roster, it was revealed that the team has signed goaltender Brad Barone to a PTO agreement. Barone was the starting netminder for the ECHL’s Orlando Solar Bears last season, and while potentially earning a contract is likely out of the cards for the 31-year-old playing goalie at the training camp of one of the best teams in the NHL will undoubtedly be the experience of a lifetime.
- Corey Trivino, a 2008 second-round pick of the New York Islanders and former star forward at Boston University, is switching teams. The forward, who has been a top scorer in the second division of German hockey for the past few seasons, has joined Eisbaren Regensburg, another DEL2 team, per a team announcement. Regensburg is currently 1-1 in the current DEL2 campaign and will hope to earn promotion to the top-tier DEL.
- Defenseman Alex Stevens, who turned pro last year after a four-year career at Pennsylvania State University, has signed a contract with the ECHL’s Rapid City Rush. Rapid City is actually where Stevens finished his 2021-22 campaign, as he also got into games for the Wheeling Nailers and Norfolk Admirals earlier in the year. The 25-year-old joins a Rush club that is looking to improve upon a strong, 36-win 2021-22 season.
This page will be updated throughout the day.
Minor Transactions: 09/15/22
NHL hockey is nearly here. Rookie tournaments have started, and training camps are soon to follow. Over the next few weeks, we’ll keep track of all the notable minor signings to see where minor league and fringe players will ply their trade this season.
- The Calgary Flames’ 2021 second-round pick, William Stromgren, is switching SHL clubs. The forward spent last season with Rogle BK and scored a hat-trick in his first game this season for Rogle’s junior team. Per a team announcement, Stromgren has signed a two-year contract with Brynas IF, the club he said he believes is the best place for his development.
- Former New York Rangers prospect Gabriel Fontaine has nearly 200 AHL games on his resume, and now he’s chosen to leave that league and head overseas to continue his playing career. Fontaine has signed a contract with Lukko of the Finnish Liiga, and will head there hoping to find better offensive results than he had last season, when he scored just 13 points in 39 games.
- Nate Pionk, the brother of Winnipeg Jets defenseman Neal Pionk, is back in the ECHL. After splitting time last season between the ECHL and the SPHL, Pionk has signed a one-year deal with the Indy Fuel. Pionk had nine points in 29 games for the South Carolina Stingrays last season and will likely play a depth role for the Fuel as they look to rebound from a difficult 2021-22 campaign.
- After turning pro with the Wichita Thunder last season, former Colgate Raider Tyler Jeanson will head overseas to continue his career. Per a team announcement, Jeanson has signed a contract with Nykopings SK of the Swedish third-tier HockeyEttan. Jeanson had just 29 points in his 114-game collegiate career but was a member of Colgate’s leadership team as a senior, and he will bring that skillset to Nykopings.
- Goalie Jake Kielly, who was in the playoff bubble with the Vancouver Canucks in 2020, is headed to Europe. The netminder has signed a contract with the EC Kassel Huskies of the German second-tier DEL2. Kielly has played at both the AHL and ECHL levels since he finished his collegiate career at Clarkson University and will compete with DEL2 veteran Jerry Kuhn for ice time with the Huskies.
This page will be updated throughout the day.
Colton Point Signs AHL Contract
The development of young goaltender Colton Point hasn’t gone to plan so far, and after going unqualified by the Dallas Stars this summer, he has now signed an AHL contract with the Bakersfield Condors.
Selected in the fifth round in 2016, Point would go on to star at Colgate University, winning a gold medal with Team Canada at the World Juniors along the way and appearing to be a rising prospect in the Stars system. Unfortunately, the 6’5″ goaltender didn’t make a very smooth transition to professional hockey and to this point carries an .882 save percentage through 29 appearances in the AHL.
After spending most of last year in the ECHL with the Idaho Steelheads, it made sense when Point wasn’t issued a qualifying offer and became an unrestricted free agent. Still, adding a 24-year-old netminder on a minor league deal is a worthwhile gamble for an organization like the Edmonton Oilers, who have struggled to develop young netminders over the past several years. While a minor league contract does not officially make him a member of the Oilers, the team will have control of his development and usage while in the system.
Point, a finalist for the Hobey Baker in 2018 after posting a .944 save percentage as a sophomore, has a long road ahead of him if he is to ever get to the NHL.
Minor Transactions: 09/08/22
The feeling of hockey is starting to come back, as players report to team facilities to get their workouts in and new faces arrive to start familiarizing themselves with the area. In just a few weeks there will be NHL action, meaning time is running out to make those last-second roster changes. As always, we’ll keep track of any notable minor moves right here.
- The Hershey Bears have agreed to terms with Michael Kim and Matthew Strome, signing them to AHL contracts for the upcoming season. The Strome last name will certainly draw some attention, though he hasn’t been nearly as successful as his brothers when it comes to professional hockey. Selected 106th overall in 2017 by the Philadelphia Flyers, Strome has been playing in the ECHL for parts of the last few seasons, only seeing a full AHL campaign in 2021-22 for the first time.
- Alexandre Carrier (no, not that Alexandre Carrier) has signed with the Savannah Ghost Pirates for the upcoming season. This Carrier is a 31-year-old ECHL stalwart, who has made a career in the low minors without ever being much of an offensive threat. In 357 games, he has just 23 goals and 71 points but has racked up 615 penalty minutes.
This page will continue to be updated with any further transactions