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Minor Transactions: 09/16/21

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Prospect tournaments are underway and NHL training camp is right around the corner. Though there won’t be huge changes to the rosters at the highest level for a few weeks, minor league teams are still working to find the right mix. As always, we’ll keep track of all the notable minor moves right here.

  • Cameron Gaunce will be in Los Angeles Kings camp on a professional tryout according to John Hoven of SiriusXM NHL, though that’s more of a showcase for the Ontario Reign than anything else. Gaunce, 31, has just 37 NHL games under his belt and just five since the end of the 2016-17 season. He is however one of the best defensemen in the minor leagues, meaning he could very well land another two-way NHL contract but spend the majority of the season in the AHL.
  • Greg Meireles, who played three games for the Syracuse Crunch last season but spent most of his time in the ECHL, has signed a one-year deal with the Manitoba Moose. The 22-year-old forward was a sixth-round pick by the Florida Panthers in 2019 but became a free agent earlier this year when he failed to sign his entry-level contract. He’ll now take his talents back to Canada to play for the Moose and try to establish himself as an AHL player.

This page will be updated as further transactions are reported

Minor Transactions: 09/15/21

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There’s not a lot going on in the NHL as we await training camp and the last few RFA contracts, but the minor leagues are still busy filling out their rosters in preparation for the 2021-22 season. As always, we’ll keep track of all the notable minor moves right here.

  • The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins have re-signed Dylan MacPherson, bringing him back on an AHL contract. The 23-year-old defenseman split last season between the Wheeling Nailers and AHL Penguins, scoring just one point in ten games at the higher level. Undrafted out of the WHL, MacPherson was never a big offensive weapon but brings some useful size to the back end.
  • Cedrick Andree, who played two games for the Belleville Senators last season, has signed with the ECHL’s South Carolina Stingrays for the upcoming campaign. The 21-year-old goaltender had a ton of success at the junior level, posting a 67-21-4 record for the Ottawa 67’s, but is undersized and went undrafted.
  • Chris Nell, another goaltender who had a few games in the AHL last season, has signed with the Atlanta Gladiators of the ECHL once again. The 27-year-old has been in that league for several years now, with an .895 save percentage over 80 games.
  • Sometimes it’s just not worth trying to return to North America. Mat Robinson has signed a new deal with SKA St. Petersburg in the KHL, meaning he’ll play his ninth consecutive season there after some previous experience in the AHL, ECHL, Norway and Sweden. The 35-year-old also suited up for Canada at the 2018 Olympics, winning a bronze medal in the process.
  • Tanner Fritz has signed a one-year AHL contract with the Hartford Wolf Pack after spending the last several seasons with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. The 30-year-old forward had six points in 30 games last season.

This page will be updated as further transactions are announced

Minor Transactions: 09/14/21

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The late off-season is certainly not a time known for big moves in the NHL, but behind the scenes there are a number of players making very difficult decisions as the season draws near. Sometimes the summer has not turned out how they expected an a tough call must be made on a new direction. Other times a long-considered decision reaches a head and a player must make a leap. Whatever the situation, don’t miss out on minor yet notable moves still occuring as we approach the beginning of training camps and preseason action:

  • Liam Kirk 2.0? As one Brit gets ready for his first pro season in North America, another is about to make the jump to the top of the junior ranks. The U.K. is a rare spot for hockey talent, which is why Kirk’s draft selection and upcoming campaign with the Arizona Coyotes has drawn so much attention. Now, Alex Graham is hoping to follow in his footsteps. Despite playing almost exclusively in England thus far in his young career, Graham drew the attention of at least one Canadian junior team as he was selected by the OHL’s Niagara Ice Dogs in the second round of the 2021 CHL Import Draft. Today Niagara announced that Graham has signed on with the team and will make his North American debut this season. While much is still unknown about Graham, the 18-year-old has produced in the U.K. and certainly has appealing size. There is still time for him to show what he can do and draw some NHL Draft interest over the next year or two.
  • Blake Hillman will be back in the ECHL next season, signing a one-year deal with the Toledo Walleye. A cautionary tale for college players, Hillman left the University of Denver a year early to sign with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2018. The defenseman even burned the first season of his two-year ELC that spring, playing in four games with Chicago. A disappointing AHL season later, Hillman was off an NHL contract and could not even contend for an AHL pact and seemingly remains in the same situation now. The two-way blue liner likely could have used that extra year of development in the NCAA before he was thrown into the flames of the pro game.
  • Former AHL defenseman and long-time Swedish standout Sebastian Erixon has decided to call it a career at just 32. The talented but oft-injured defenseman has had an up-and-down career but excelled when healthy, both in the SHL and in a 2011-12 season spent with the Chicago Wolves. However, the injuries have become too much and forced the Farjestad captain into early retirement, the team announced. Erixon’s is a career with plenty of what-ifs, as he flashed NHL talent over a solid career in Sweden but could never string together enough top-notch, healthy seasons to make himself a legitimate contract candidate.

Snapshots: Turner, Tkachuk, Humitz

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Hockey fans across the United States are going to see things a little differently this season after the league reached broadcast agreements with TNT and ESPN earlier this year. After previous announcements and leaks about who would be leading the TNT coverage, the network released the full game and studio lineup for the 2021-22 season today. At the top of the list is Wayne Gretzky, but he’ll be joined by quite the cast. The other studio analysts will be Anson Carter, Rick Tocchet and Paul Bissonnette, certainly bringing an Arizona Coyotes flair to the broadcast.

In May, Gretzky announced he would be stepping away from his role with the Edmonton Oilers to take the position at TNT. Tocchet, who seemed to interview for every vacant coaching position this summer after parting ways with the Coyotes, will now be adding his expertise to the panel instead. The network will have its first regular season coverage on Wednesday, October 13 with a doubleheader featuring the New York Rangers, Washington Capitals, Chicago Blackhawks, and Colorado Avalanche.

  • Talk continues between the Ottawa Senators and restricted free agent Brady Tkachuk and the team is believed to have tabled an eight-year, $64MM deal according to Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia. That would match Thomas Chabot for the most expensive player on the Senators and the biggest contract handed out by GM Pierre Dorion. With less than two weeks before training camp opens, there are some pressure points approaching that could speed the negotiations along for all of the remaining restricted free agents.
  • Max Humitz played eight games with the Grand Rapids Griffins this season after turning pro, but that short stint apparently wasn’t enough to land another AHL contract. The 26-year-old forward has signed with the ECHL’s Kalamazoo Wings for the upcoming season. Humitz actually had five points in those eight games after an outstanding career at Lake Superior State University, but measures in at just 5’8″ 168-lbs.

Snapshots: Fantilli, Avalanche, Tocchet

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Everyone wants a piece of top 2023 NHL Draft prospect Adam Fantilli, even those who probably don’t have a reasonable shot at him. The Ontario native made his development plans clear when he spurned the OHL for the USHL and then solidified his intent by committing to the University of Michigan last month. However, at least one team back home in Ontario is still hoping that he changes his mind. The North Bay Battalion have announced that they have acquired the OHL rights to Fantilli from the Saginaw Spirit in exchange for a package of picks. While most of the selections are conditional, Saginaw will at least land a 2022 sixth-round pick outright (not to mention the 2022 compensatory first-rounder already heading their way based on Fantilli’s “defected status.) Should North Bay’s gamble pay off, the Spirit would receive a 2024 second-round pick and 2025 second-round pick if Fantilli plays an OHL game in 2023-24 and an additional 2023 third-round pick and 2024 fourth-round pick if he plays any earlier. With Fantilli expected to join the Michigan Wolverines next year, it is highly unlikely that Saginaw will receive all four conditional picks. However, if the NCAA does not go as planned or if Fantilli decides to turn pro immediately after being drafted but is reassigned to the OHL, there is a slight chance that they could land those second-rounders. In reality though, Fantilli will likely shine at the college level and either be on an NHL roster or leading Michigan for one last season in 2023-24. The big scoring center is still worth the risk for North Bay, but the odds of a payoff are low.

  • The Colorado Avalanche have revealed a coaching shake-up in the minor league ranks. Brett Clark, assistant coach for the AHL’s Colorado Eagles, will be unable to coach this season due to “new league protocols”. This implies that Clark is unvaccinated and cannot work with players during the 2021-22 campaign. In his place, Colorado has promoted Tim Branham, the head coach of their ECHL affiliate, the Utah Grizzlies, to the AHL assistant position. Branham, 40, has held the head coach as well as GM role for the Grizzlies since 2013 but will finally get a chance to show what he can do at the next level. The team release notes that Clark hopes to return to coaching as soon as possible.
  • The top free agent coach right now is very likely Rick Tocchet, who mutually parted ways with the Arizona Coyotes this off-season and was a finalist for seemingly every other vacancy across the league. PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan writes that Tocchet did have at least two offers to serve as an assistant in the NHL, but decided to go in a different direction. Tocchet has joined TNT as a studio analyst, Morgan notes, and will work alongside Wayne Gretzky during the network’s weekly broadcast. That is, until another head coach position opens up. Tocchet felt that he had to stay close to the game to stay relevant as a coaching candidate, but decided that working as an analyst could accomplish that goal. “It’s an opportunity to stay in the game, learn more about the game and reinvent yourself,” Tocchet said. “I think that every year, coaches have to hit the refresh button on something. You can’t bring the same thing to the table every year. You’ve got to learn new things because the game is always changing; players are always changing.” A former standout two-way forward in addition to an experienced coach, Tocchet will bring a lot to the analyst position – for however long it lasts.

 

Minor Transactions: 09/13/21

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Players from all across the NHL are hitting the ice for informal pre-camp workouts, but the majority of jobs have already been handed out. That’s not necessarily the case in the minor leagues, where teams are still tweaking their rosters and will be right up until the start of the season. As always, we’ll keep track of all those notable minor moves right here.

  • The Stockton Heat have announced a quartet of players, inking Westin Michaud, Ryan Olsen, Matt Greenfield and Andrew Shortridge to two-way minor league contracts. Olsen, who was a sixth-round pick of the Winnipeg Jets in 2012, spent last season playing in the German second league and dominated, putting up 48 points in 44 regular season games and then another 15 in ten postseason contests. In all these players will likely spend a good chunk of the season with the Kansas City Mavericks, the Flames ECHL affiliate.
  • If you were impressed with Romain Loeffel’s play at this summer’s IIHF World Championship and wondered if he’d consider a shift to North America, think again. The veteran defenseman has signed a four-year contract with Bern (which starts in 2022-23) to remain in Switzerland. The 30-year-old led all defensemen in goals at the tournament and has represented his country on many occasions including the 2018 Olympic Games.
  • The San Jose Barracuda have re-signed Steenn Pasichnuk to a one-year AHL contract. The 26-year-old forward is the older brother of Sharks prospect Brinson Pasichnuk and split last season between the AHL and ECHL.

This page will be updated as further transactions are reported.

Minor Transactions: 09/12/21

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With NHL training camps opening up later this month, those unsigned players who aren’t willing to wait around for a PTO will have to start making tough decisions. That could mean settling for a contract in the minors, making the move overseas, or perhaps even retiring. Keep up with all of those moves for familiar names right here:

  • Former NHL forward Jordan Caron has called it a career. The 30-year-old has retired “surprisingly”, reports the ICEHL’s Vienna Capitals, who only signed Caron in July. The team reports that he has decided to return home to Quebec for personal reasons. A first-round pick of the Boston Bruins in 2009, Caron was never more than a depth asset in the NHL with Boston, Colorado, and St. Louis, with highs of 48 games and 15 points set early in his career. However, he has been a much more dominant scorer over the past five years in Europe, playing Germany, Russia, Switzerland, and Austria.
  • For the first time since leaving the NHL in 2018, Christoph Bertschy is on to a new team, though not making a return to North America (any time soon). The Swiss forward is staying at home, but moving on from the NLA’s Lausanne HC to HC Fribourg-Gotteron. This is not a small commitment, either. Gotteron has announced a whopping seven-year contract with Bertschy, who was considered one of the top names on the Swiss market. At 27 years old with three seasons of strong production in the NLA before missing most of last season, Bertschy has proven himself a valuable asset and Gotteron stated that he will play a “central role”. The former Minnesota Wild may have been a candidate to return to the NHL if he continued to excel in Switzerland, but seems content to likely play out his career in his native country.
  • After playing on an AHL contract with the Iowa Wild last season but only seeing ECHL action with the Allen Americans, veteran journeyman forward Jesse Mychan has signed a one-year deal with the ECHL’s Kansas City Mavericks, the team announced. A former WHL standout power forward who has produced at a high level in the ECHL and proved himself valuable as an enforcer in the AHL, Mychan’s career has also taken him to the UK, Germany, Austria, Slovakia, and Denmark.
  • A former OHLer and longtime ECHL player, Matt Carter has opted to continue his career with the Fife Flyers in the EIHL after taking the 2020-21 campaign off. Carter has been playing professionally since 2011-12 after the now 34-year-old forward finished his college career with the University of Prince Edward Island. Undrafted after scoring 30 goals in 2007-08 for the Owen Sound Attack, Carter was a true journeyman, playing ECHL contests for the Phoenix Roadrunners, Cincinnati Cyclones, San Francisco Bulls, Las Vegas Wrangles, Elmira Jackals, and Fort Wayne Komets. He’s spent the majority of his career in the EIHL and French Ligue Magnus since going overseas in 2014-15.

This post will be updated throughout the day.

Minor Transactions: 09/10/21

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A few more signings occurred today in the NHL as camp is now just two weeks away, but there’s also been some movement in the minor and European leagues. As always, we’ll keep track of all the notable minor moves right here.

  • Josh Dickinson, who became an unrestricted free agent this summer when the Chicago Blackhawks decided not to issue him a qualifying offer, has signed with the Toledo Walleye of the ECHL for the upcoming season. The younger brother of Vancouver Canucks forward Jason Dickinson, Josh went undrafted and has played just 47 games at the AHL level to this point. The entry-level deal he signed with the Colorado Avalanche in 2018 is now expired and it seems unlikely he’ll get another NHL deal unless he takes a significant step forward in his development.
  • The Walleye announced another signing later in the day, acquiring former Dallas Stars draft pick Chris Martenet. Martenet, now 24, was largely drafted in the fourth round in 2015 because of his massive frame. Standing at 6′ 7″ and 216 pounds, his physical brand of hockey has kept him in the game. He’s played in just a handful of AHL games in his career, playing all but two games over the last four seasons in the ECHL. An NHL contract in his future seems unlikely now, but he’ll try and put himself back on the map this year in Toledo.
  • Josh Jooris is staying in Switzerland, but won’t be playing for Lausanne HC anymore. The former NHL forward has been transferred to Geneve-Servette HC for the rest of the season, after which his contract will expire. Now 31, it’s been several years since Jooris suited up in the NHL, last making an appearance for the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2018. In 213 career NHL games, he posted 55 points.

This page will be updated with any further transactions

Minor Transactions: 09/08/21

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NHL hockey is almost back, with training camp just around the corner and the regular season a month away. While the focus for many fans will be on the last few remaining free agents, we’ll keep track of all the notable minor moves right here.

  • Patrick Bajkov, who was not given a qualifying offer by the Florida Panthers this offseason, has signed with the Reading Royals of the ECHL. The 23-year-old forward earned an NHL entry-level deal after his outstanding 100-point season for the Everett Silvertips, but managed just 18 games in the AHL before being demoted to the low minors. It’s a good signing for the Royals though, as Bajkov had 39 points in 53 games last season for the Greenville Swamp Rabbits.
  • Speaking of Panthers players who didn’t receive qualifying offers, Brad Morrison has signed with HC Pustertal of the ICEHL. Morrison was a fourth-round pick by the New York Rangers in 2015 and has had quite the ride to this point. He eventually signed with the Los Angeles Kings in 2018, was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks for Olli Maatta in 2020, and then flipped for Vinnie Hinostroza a few months ago. The 24-year-old forward had five points in six AHL games this season.
  • The Calgary Flames announced that Daniil Chechelev has signed an AHL contract for 2021-22, meaning he will be playing in North America for the first time. The 20-year-old goaltender was selected 96th overall in 2020 and split last season between the VHL and MHL. He hasn’t yet signed his entry-level deal, but this is a good sign that he will eventually join the Flames depth chart.
  • It doesn’t happen very often that a player splits his season between the NHL and AHL only to sign in the ECHL, but that is the current predicament of forward Drake Rymsha. Of course, it worth noting that Rymsha played only two games in 2020-21, one with the Los Angeles Kings and the other with the Ontario Reign. When the young center’s entry-level contract expired and he was not extended a qualifying offer, it seemed that his time in L.A. was likely over. However, one would think that a prospect the Kings felt was worth an NHL look this season might fare better on the open market. Instead, he has returned to the ECHL’s Fort Wayne Komets on a one-year deal, the team announced. Rymsha spent the majority of his 2019-20 campaign with the Komets.
  • Chaz Reddekop is yet another player moving from an NHL contract with the Kings to and ECHL contract. Having not received a qualifying offer, Reddekop has signed a one-year deal on the other side of the country, as the South Carolina Stingrays announced a pact with the young defenseman. A seventh-round pick that was always more project than prospect, Reddekop has shown little so far in his pro career but has earned another shot nevertheless.

Minor Transactions: 09/07/21

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The shortened offseason is almost over as NHL training camps are just a few weeks away, with the regular season following close behind. European leagues have gotten underway and the minor league season is just around the corner. With that in mind, we’ll keep track of all the notable minor moves right here as teams attempt to round out their rosters.

  • Patrick Sieloff, who spent last season with the Hartford Wolf Pack, has signed with Kolner Haie of the German DEL for the upcoming season. The 27-year-old defenseman has bounced around to several teams in the AHL over the years, suiting up in Abbotsford, Adirondack, Stockton, Binghamton, Belleville, San Diego, Syracuse, and Hartford, while only receiving two games at the NHL level.
  • The Utica Comets have added some toughness, signing Patrick McGrath to an AHL deal for 2021-22. The 28-year-old McGrath split last season between the ECHL’s Indy Fuel and the AHL’s Rochester Americans, being his normally in-your-face self no matter where he was playing. The undrafted forward has carved out a role as a fourth-line agitator and has just nine points in 106 AHL games. Even at the ECHL level, there isn’t much difference, as McGrath has just 15 points in 162 games at the low minors.
  • After a short but stellar appearance in the AHL last season, goaltender Parker Gahagen is hoping to make it a whole season. The Milwaukee Admirals have announced a one-year deal with the veteran keeper, who has had a journeyman career to say the least but may be on the cusp of sustained success. Gahagen played in 17 games with the ECHL’s Utah Grizzlies last year, recording a stunning .929 save percentage and 2.02 GAA, but was even better on loan with the AHL’s Colorado Eagles, logging a .939 save percentage and 2.09 GAA for a 2-0-0 record in three appearances. While previous AHL outings have not been as successful for the West Point grad, he hopes to build on his recent results and find a role for himself in Milwaukee behind Connor Ingram. 
  • Trades in the ECHL are not common, but even more rare is a trade involving names familiar to NHL fans. Such a deal occurred today, as a pair of 2017 NHL Draft selections were swapped for one another. Defenseman Luke Martin was acquired by the Utah Grizzlies in exchange for forward Cedric Pare heading to the Greenville Swamp Rabbits. Martin was a second-round pick of the Carolina Hurricanes who played four seasons at the University of Michigan but was not signed by the team when he turned pro last season. Pare was a sixth-round pick of the Boston Bruins who was never signed, but made headlines anyway as the center for Alexis Lafreniere with the QMJHL’s Rimouski Oceanic in 2019-20.

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