Minor Transactions: 07/28/22
It’s been a long, slow grind since the craziness of free agency opening on July 13, with a good number of high-end free agents remaining unsigned. With many other leagues than just the NHL looking to get their rosters set for next season, though, that hasn’t been the case everywhere. Minor-league teams and overseas leagues are making moves and transactions to their squads every day, giving hockey fans something else to look at. We’ll keep track of today’s transactions right here.
- The AHL affiliate of the Vegas Golden Knights, the Henderson Silver Knights, announced today that they have re-signed forward Jermaine Loewen for 2022-23. The former captain of the Kamloops Blazers spent last season with the Silver Knights, scoring 14 points in 44 games. Loewen played most of last season in a depth role in Henderson, and he’ll have the chance to increase his role next year thanks to this new contract.
- Winnipeg Jets forward Adam Lowry‘s brother, Joel Lowry, will be changing teams after a successful season playing for the Vienna Capitals of the IceHL. The EC Kassel Huskies of the German second-tier DEL2 have announced that they’ve signed Lowry to a contract for next season. The 30-year-old forward has shown himself to be a capable professional scorer at lower levels of hockey, as a point-per-game or near point-per-game scorer in the IceHL and ECHL. With the Huskies, Lowry will likely take on a large role as he looks to help his new team improve upon a fourth-place 2021-22 regular-season finish and attempt to earn a promotion to the top-tier DEL.
- Timra IK didn’t lose their spot in the SHL for next season, winning a relegation-round matchup against Djurgarden this spring, but they are losing their captain. Sodertalje SK of the second-tier Allsvenskan have announced that they have signed Timra’s captain, Christopher Liljewall, to a two-year contract. Liljewall struggled along with the rest of Timra in 2021-22, scoring just six points in 26 games, but he brings experience and leadership to Sodertalje’s squad. Liljewall actually served as Sodertalje’s captain in 2019-20 before moving to Timra and helping them earn promotion to the SHL in 2020-21. In Sodertalje, the task will be a bit simpler, as solidifying the team’s place in the Allsvenskan is the priority after a 2021-22 campaign that saw them avoid relegation by the slimmest of margins.
- The Adirondack Thunder didn’t have a great 2021-22 season, going 27-40-4, good for last place in the ECHL’s North Division. That poor finish was despite the efforts of forward Patrick Grasso, who made a successful transition to professional hockey after a long NCAA career. The 26-year-old scored 26 goals and 50 points for the Thunder as a rookie professional, playing well enough to earn a call-up to the AHL, where he had four points in nine games for the Utica Comets. The Thunder announced that they’ve re-signed Grasso to a contract for 2022-23. Grasso will return to his starring role in Adirondack, hoping that even more strong performances can help him climb the professional ladder.
This page will be updated throughout the day.
Seattle Kraken Announce ECHL Affiliate
The first ECHL affiliate in Seattle Kraken history will be the Kansas City Mavericks, who will partner with the expansion team and their new AHL affiliate Coachella Valley this season. The Mavericks had been affiliated with the Calgary Flames for the past several years.
It is a multi-year agreement between Kansas City and Seattle, though the exact details were not revealed. The Kraken had gone without full-time minor league affiliates in their first season as they built up their prospect system but will now need three tiers to develop and train players properly. More and more, the ECHL is being used as a proving ground for raw skaters or young goaltenders, giving them a chance to receive game action and improve through competition.
The Mavericks meanwhile had struggled of late, putting up losing seasons in each of the past three years. In fact, throughout the five-year affiliation with the Calgary Flames, they reached the playoffs just once and lost in the first round. The best season on record for the club is 2015-16 when they won 52 of 72 games.
At that time, they had a young star by the name of Carter Verhaeghe, who was trying to sort out his career after being sent to the low minors. He was joined the following season by a young netminder named Ville Husso, in his first year of North American hockey. These are the kinds of players that can benefit from time in the ECHL, meaning an affiliation like this is not something to be overlooked, even if it isn’t the landing spot for high-profile names.
Minor Transactions: 07/27/22
It’s been a long, slow grind since the craziness of free agency opening on July 13, with a good number of high-end free agents remaining unsigned. With many other leagues than just the NHL looking to get their rosters set for next season, though, that hasn’t been the case everywhere. Minor-league teams and overseas leagues are making moves and transactions to their squads every day, giving hockey fans something else to look at. We’ll keep track of today’s transactions right here.
- Over in Germany, Wolfsburg in the DEL could look to add a major name with some NHL experience, per the German-language publication Wolfsburger Nachrichten. 34-year-old Kaspars Daugavins is still floating around in the European leagues after a brief NHL career between 2009 and 2013, where he’s been an all-star caliber player in both the KHL and Swiss NL. It appears SC Bern, his NL club for 2021-22, however, has bought him out after he registered 25 points in 34 games.
- The AHL’s Ontario Reign today announced a one-year extension for defenseman Cameron Gaunce. A second-round pick back in 2008, the 32-year-old is a veteran of 731 AHL games but has seen just 37 games of NHL action in that timeframe. This will be his third straight season in the Los Angeles Kings organization, helping mentor their pack of young defenders that come up through Ontario. Gaunce had seven goals, 20 assists, and 27 points in 61 AHL games last season.
- The Colorado Eagles have signed forwards Tarun Fizer and Cameron Wright to one-year, two-way AHL contracts. Fizer, 21, was the captain of the WHL’s Victoria Royals in 2021-22, scoring 17 goals, 34 assists, and 51 points in just 35 games. He had an impressive transition to pro hockey, suiting up for the ECHL’s Utah Grizzlies after the conclusion of his junior campaign, and had 15 points in 18 games during their Kelly Cup Playoffs run. Wright, 23, joins the Eagles after a five-year NCAA career, the last season of which was spent with the University of Denver. A member of this year’s national championship team, Wright had 23 goals and 34 points in 41 games.
- The Milwaukee Admirals have signed right wing Todd Burgess to an AHL deal for the 2022-23 season, per a team tweet. Burgess was drafted in the fourth round in 2016 by the Ottawa Senators, but the team let his rights expire after a disappointing college career and he’s yet to land an NHL contract. In 2021-22, his first professional season, Burgess had seven goals and six assists for 13 points in 35 games with the AHL’s Manitoba Moose.
- Per The Athletic’s Jesse Granger, the Henderson Silver Knights have signed 25-year-old defenseman Darian Skeoch to an AHL contract for the 2022-23 season. Skeoch, a rare breed of enforcer, had a whopping 135 penalty minutes in 52 games with the ECHL’s Allen Americans last season, registering just eight points in the process. He can play both defense and right wing, but the 6’4″, 220-pound defenseman’s main focus is on physical play.
This page will be updated throughout the day.
Edmonton Oilers Announce ECHL Affiliation
For the last few seasons, the Edmonton Oilers had been partnered with the Wichita Thunder for their ECHL affiliation, using the minor league team to help develop their prospects. That will change after the team announced a new agreement with the Fort Wayne Komets. The two teams had been previously affiliated between 1988 and 1990.
Oilers assistant general manager Bill Scott released the following statement:
On behalf of Ken Holland, Keith Gretzky and the entire Edmonton Oilers organization, we are thrilled to announce our new affiliation with the Fort Wayne Komets of the ECHL. As one of the premiere clubs in the ECHL with a rich history of professional hockey in Indiana, we are very excited to have our future Oilers in Fort Wayne.
One of the most notable connections with the two organizations will be Colin Chaulk, who had his number retired by the Komets in 2017 after a long outstanding career with the team. Chaulk was named the new head coach of the Bakersfield Condors, Edmonton’s AHL affiliate, last month after serving on an interim basis after Jay Woodcroft’s promotion last season.
The Komets won the Kelly Cup as ECHL champions as recently as 2021, while partnered with the Vegas Golden Knights.
Alexander Khovanov Clears Unconditional Waivers
July 27: Khovanov’s contract has been terminated and he will play with the Ak Bars program this season, starting in the VHL.
July 24: The Minnesota Wild announced that they have placed forward Alexander Khovanov on unconditional waivers today. A third-round pick of the Wild in 2018, Khovanov made his North American professional debut in 2021-22, but struggled to make a real impact, putting up six points in eight games with the Iowa Heartlanders of the ECHL and just five points in 22 games with the AHL’s Iowa Wild. Khovanov had one year remaining on the ELC he signed with Minnesota in the spring of 2019.
Once an intriguing prospect for the Wild as a dynamic offensive weapon, Khovanov hasn’t lived up to the promise he had shown in the junior levels in both Canada and Russia. A standout in the Ak Bars development program, Khovanov came to North America prior to the 2017-18 season, spending three seasons with the Moncton Wildcats of the QMJHL. Khovanov’s best performance came in 2019-20, where he scored 32 goals to go with 67 assists in just 51 games for Moncton. With questions about who would play and when due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Khovanov headed home for the 2020-21 season, once again playing in the Ak Bars organization. The forward spent the majority of that season in the VHL where he again impressed with 24 points in 30 games and was even able to finally make his KHL debut, getting into seven games.
After the 2020-21 season, Khovanov announced he was heading back to North America, splitting this season between the AHL and ECHL in the Wild organization. It’s unclear what the plan is for Khovanov now that he has been placed on unconditional waivers, though a return to the KHL could be likely given his production in the VHL and Ak Bars’ willingness to have him play games at the KHL level just two years ago.
Minor Transactions: 07/24/22
After a busy start to the weekend, it’s been a quiet Sunday morning around the hockey world. Kadri-watch is still on, what the Calgary Flames choose to do with newly-acquired stars Jonathan Huberdeau and MacKenzie Weegar is an intriguing storyline, and where veterans like P.K. Subban and Phil Kessel end up is yet to be determined. Still, there has been some action in the minor leagues and overseas worth keeping tabs on, and we’ll track that here.
- Former Minnesota Wild prospect Bryce Misley is heading overseas, signing with Asiago of ICEHL in Italy (link). Originally a fourth-round pick of Minnesota in 2017, Misley spent four seasons at the University of Vermont, turning pro at the conclusion of his 2020-21 college season. 2021-22 was the forward’s first full professional season, scoring just three goals in 18 games with the Iowa Wild of the AHL, but impressing with the Iowa Heartlanders of the ECHL, where he had 11 goals and 19 assists in 46 games.
- Defenseman John Gilmour, a veteran of 37 NHL games with the New York Rangers and Buffalo Sabres, has changed teams in the KHL. After 47 games over two seasons with CSKA Moscow, Gilmour will suit up for Dinamo Minsk next season (link). The 29-year-old was a four-year standout at Providence College, winning a National Championship in 2015 before turning pro for the 2016-17 season, playing with the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack. He would make his NHL debut a year later, tallying five points in a career-high 28 games played for the New York Rangers. Gilmour spent the 2019-20 season in the Buffalo Sabres organization, splitting time between the Sabres and the Rochester Americans in the AHL, eventually heading to the KHL after that season.
- Keegan Lowe, a longtime AHL veteran, is headed to the Vaxjo Lakers of the SHL after spending last season playing for Bolzano in Austria (link). The defenseman began his career with the Edmonton Oil Kings and was selected by the Carolina Hurricanes in the third-round of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. Lowe would spend parts of seven seasons in the AHL between the Charlotte Checkers, St. John’s IceCaps, Bakersfield Condors, and most recently the San Diego Gulls in 2020-21. After the season in San Diego, Lowe departed North America for Austria, where he impressed with 20 points in 44 games on the blueline. The veteran also got into four games at the NHL level, two with the Hurricanes in 2014-15 and two with the Edmonton Oilers in 2017-18.
Minor Transactions: 07/23/22
As the fallout from the Matthew Tkachuk, Jonathan Huberdeau, and MacKenzie Weegar blockbuster wraps itself up, there is still plenty happening around the hockey world. We’ll be sure to keep everything updated, whether it’s a superstar for superstar swap or a minor league signing. For news more like the latter, check back here for all the latest.
- The Providence Bruins announced that they have signed goaltender Francois Brassard to a one-year AHL contract for the 2022-23 season. A 2016 draft pick of the Ottawa Senators, Brassard spent five years in the QMJHL before playing Canadian college hockey for Carleton University. Now 28, Brassard turned pro after his 2018-19 college season and has spent his entire professional career in the ECHL, absent a three game stint with the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack this season. The goaltender has absolutely earned himself a chance to shine in the AHL next season, posting a 2.19 goals-against average and .911 ave-percentage in 31 games for the Jacksonville IceMen of the ECHL this past season.
San Jose Sharks Linked To Spencer Carbery
The San Jose Sharks are late to the head coaching search party. After firing Bob Boughner and his staff later into the offseason, most marquee coaching options are off the market, leaving the Sharks to get creative with their search. According to San Jose Hockey Now’s Sheng Peng, multiple sources confirmed to him that the team has interviewed Spencer Carbery for the open position.
Carbery spent 2021-22 as an assistant coach with the Toronto Maple Leafs and was responsible for the team’s power play, which finished first in the league during the regular season. 40 years old, Carbery was named the AHL’s Coach of the Year in 2021, his last of three seasons as the head coach of the Hershey Bears. He also won the same award in the ECHL in 2014 during a five-year run as head coach of the South Carolina Stingrays. You might recognize them for being the team where Stanley Cup Champion coach Jared Bednar got his head coaching start.
Carbery would certainly help San Jose’s goal output if his time in Toronto is any indication. San Jose’s power play clocked in at 19% last season, 22nd in the NHL, while they scored just 211 goals in total, which was third-last. He could be the key to an offensive resurgence from players like Erik Karlsson and help get the most out of youngsters like William Eklund and Thomas Bordeleau if they make the team.
Minor Transactions: 07/19/22
It hasn’t even been a week since free agency opened but things have already slowed to a crawl. After hundreds of NHL contracts were handed out, minor league deals are starting to come fast and furious. We’ll keep track of the notable minor transactions right here.
- The Manitoba Moose have agreed to terms with three players to AHL deals, bringing back Evan Cormier, Thomas Caron, and Isaac Johnson. Cormier, a fourth-round pick of the New Jersey Devils in 2016, had a .905 save percentage in 14 games for the Moose this season.
- In addition to first-round pick Emile Poirier, the Laval Rocket have also signed Alex Green and Kevin Poulin to AHL contracts for the upcoming season. Poulin, 32, was excellent for Laval this season, registering a .920 save percentage in 30 appearances.
- Scott Wilson, Stanley Cup champion and veteran of more than 200 NHL games, has signed another AHL contract with the Charlotte Checkers. The 30-year-old winger was a force for the team this season, scoring 24 goals and 40 points in 71 games while being his normal hard-working two-way self.
- The ECHL’s Allen Americans have added an interesting player fresh out of college hockey. Hank Crone, 24, signed a one-year contract with the Americans after a strong final collegiate season with Northern Michigan University. In 32 games Crone had 44 points and showcased his all-around game as one of the team’s most heavily relied-upon forwards. Crone will make his pro debut in Allen and hope to translate his collegiate success to professional hockey.
- Veteran professional winger Andrew Johnston was among the British EIHL’s top scorers in 2019-20, and now he’s returning to that league after two successful seasons in France. Johnston has signed a contract for 2022-23 with the EIHL’s Nottingham Panthers, per a team announcement. The former ECHL journeyman had 31 points in 39 games for the Rouen Dragons of the French Ligue Magnus and will join a Panthers squad eager to improve on last season’s disappointing first-round playoff exit.
- The Minnesota Wild AHL affiliate, the Iowa Wild, announced that they have signed three players to one-year, two-way (AHL/ECHL) contracts: Mitchell Balmas, Kevin Conley, and Patrick Curry. Balmas, 24, is a former junior hockey star who led the QMJHL’s Cape Breton Screaming Eagles in scoring in his final season in juniors. 2021-22 was Balmas’ professional debut and he split time between the AHL and ECHL, and had five points in ten AHL games and 12 points in 17 ECHL games. Conley, 25, is the former captain of the University of Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks and made his professional debut as well last season, with three points in six games for the ECHL’s Reading Royals. Curry, 26, hasn’t quite cut it as an AHL forward yet, with just eight points in 53 career games, but he had a lot of success as an upperclassman at Boston University and had eight points in his five-game ECHL run with the Toledo Walleye.
- Orli Znojmo of the European ICEHL could have a tough time repeating last season’s run to the playoffs. Two days ago, the team lost their leading scorer, Anthony Luciani, and it seems they’ve lost their captain this offseason as well. Per an announcement from his new club, Radim Matus, Orli Znojmo’s captain, has signed with Eisbaren Regensburg of Germany’s second-tier DEL-2. Regensburg are looking to establish themselves in DEL-2 after being promoted from the German third tier earlier this year, and Matus should be able to help them achieve that goal.
This page will be updated throughout the day
Minor Transactions: McIntyre, Huntington, Dronov
While the Colorado Avalanche and Pittsburgh Penguins were handing out long-term extensions to Valeri Nichushkin and Rickard Rakell respectively, and as the Toronto Maple Leafs acquired their next starting goalie in Matt Murray, a few bits of business were still getting done around the league, with a pair of minor leaguers getting contract extensions, and the Coyotes extending an invite to training camp.
The first of these is the Minnesota Wild extending goaltender Zane McIntyre with a one-year, two-way contract extension to stay in the organization according to CapFriendly. The contract is worth $750K at the NHL level and $300K at the minor league level, but does guarantee the goaltender a minimum of $325K. McIntyre appeared in eight games with the Boston Bruins back in 2016-17, but has otherwise made a solid career in the AHL, most recently splitting the 2021-22 season between the Tucson Roadrunners and the Iowa Wild.
- Shortly thereafter, the Nashville Predators extended forward Jimmy Huntington on a one-year, two-way contract worth $750K at the NHL level and $80K in the minors, leaving him an RFA at the conclusion of the deal, per CapFriendly. Huntington spent five years in the QMJHL, finishing his career with an incredible 92 point season with the Rimouski Oceanic in 2018-19 before turning pro, spending parts of the previous three seasons between the ECHL and AHL. The undrafted forward spent 2021-22 with the Syracuse Crunch and Milwaukee Admirals, putting up 13 goals and 22 assists in 61 games combined.
- The Arizona Coyotes have made a move to continue looking at depth options, extending a professional tryout to defenseman Grigori Dronov, according to CapFriendly. An undrafted free agent, Dronov has spent his professional career as a member of Magnitogorsk Metallurg in the KHL, featuring as a steady defenseman, though not much of a point producer. Dronov also appeared as a member of team Russia at the 2017 World Junior Championships, where he had one point in seven games.