Zach Fucale Loaned To ECHL
When the Washington Capitals signed Zach Fucale to a one-year, two-way contract this summer it made for quite the crowded crease in Hershey, the team’s AHL affiliate. With Henrik Lundqvist taking the other spot in the NHL, Pheonix Copley and Vitek Vanecek were penciled into the third and fourth-string spots. Fucale seemed likely to be headed back to the ECHL and today that’s exactly what happened. The Capitals have loaned Fucale to the South Carolina Stingrays.
Fucale, who is still only 25 despite his draft seeming like decades ago, was selected 36th overall by the Montreal Canadiens in 2013. An elite prospect who dominated at the junior level, winning the Memorial Cup and a gold medal with Canada at the WJC, he was never quite able to replicate that success at the next level.
Still, Fucale is a decorated goaltender on the international stage, winning two Spengler Cups with Canada over the years. For a fifth-string option in Washington, he’s hard to top.
South Carolina starts their season tomorrow with a match against the Greenville Swamp Rabbits to kick off the ECHL schedule.
Nashville Predators Loan Seven To ECHL
December 10: The Predators have decided to send another prospect to the ECHL, this time loaning Tommy Novak to the Everblades until the start of training camp. Novak, a third-round pick in 2015, scored 42 points with the Admirals in his first professional season after coming out of the University of Minnesota. He will likely be a dominant presence in the low minors, though he isn’t expected to be there for long.
December 7: With the ECHL season about to get underway, the Nashville Predators have sent six players to the Florida Everblades. Lukas Craggs, Patrick Harper, Tanner Jeannot, Cole Smith, Josh Wilkins, and Devin Cooley will all report to Florida until the start of training camp for Nashville or the Milwaukee Admirals. These six players are all on two-way NHL contracts, giving Florida quite the influx of talent to start the year.
Cooley, the only goaltender of the bunch, was signed by the Predators in September to a two-year entry-level contract after spending the last three seasons at the University of Denver. The 23-year-old goaltender was never drafted but managed to land a deal even without playing very much at DU. He appeared in just 32 games over the three seasons, and though he played very well, his potential at the next level is still something of a mystery.
Harper meanwhile is coming to pro hockey after four years at Boston University and two appearances at the World Juniors. The 22-year-old forward scored 37 points in 32 games last season and should likely be promoted to the AHL whenever Milwaukee starts their year. Still, he’ll be able to get his feet wet in the low minors first, not a bad way to start your professional career.
Of the others, none of them were actually drafted by the Predators (or anyone else) but have still done enough to deserve entry-level deals. Getting them on the ice and competing in games is important, though how many they’ll actually suit up for is unclear.
Minor Transactions: 12/09/20
With the NHL finally making solid progress on starting the 2020-21 season, the rumor mill has started warming back up with a number of teams who still need to make roster changes, in some cases extreme makeovers, and many talented free agents still available. However, those concrete moves are still to come. For now, the minor moves being made by NHL teams involve minor league assignments with the ECHL about to open up. The ECHL’s list of transactions for today reveals a few different notable moves:
- After sending goaltender Kyle Keyser and forward Matt Filipe to the ECHL’s Jacksonville Icemen last week, the Boston Bruins have reassigned another intriguing name. Priority college UFA Jack Ahcan, one of the top offensive defensemen in the NCAA over the past few years will make his pro debut with Jacksonville after signing with Boston this spring. Ahcan, 23, may get his start in the ECHL but is an interesting name to watch this season given his success at St. Cloud State University and the Bruins’ lack of talent on the left side of the blue line.
- Jacob McGrew, 2017 sixth-round pick of the San Jose Sharks, will get his pro start with the ECHL’s Allen Americans. McGrew is eager to get back on the ice after missing all but six games last season with the WHL’s Spokane Chiefs. He did record eight points in those six games and the talented right wing could be a scoring factor in the AHL right away, especially with a strong start in the ECHL.
- In somewhat of a twist, the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers have recalled Greg Meireles from the ECHL’s Greenville Swamp Rabbits after assigning him to club late last month. With the ECHL starting this weekend and the AHL still eyeing a February start, Meireles’ reassignment would imply that he is not ready to begin his season just yet. Meireles, who was drafted by the Florida Panthers in 2019, was deemed not worthy of an entry-level contract by the NHL club but signed with their AHL affiliate in October. A dangerous junior scorer with the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers, Meireles will be looking to earn that NHL contract with his play this season.
Minor Transactions: 12/08/20
The NHL offseason has come to a standstill, with no unrestricted free agents signed to one-way contracts in a month. Still, the ECHL and many European leagues continue to play or prepare, meaning hockey players signing deals all over the world. We’ll keep track of the notable minor transactions right here.
- Former NHL forward Carter Ashton has signed with Leksands IF for the remainder of the 2020-21 season. The 29-year-old winger played in 54 NHL games with the Toronto Maple Leafs over three seasons before jumping to the KHL in 2015. He spent the next five seasons there, suiting up for four different teams before now making change and joining the SHL. Ashton, a 6’4″ power forward, scored 15 goals and 25 points in 62 games last season for Dinamo Riga.
- Ryan Culkin, who spent the last two seasons splitting time between the Laval Rocket and Maine Mariners, has agreed to join the Bratislava Capitals of the ICEHL. The 26-year-old defenseman was originally drafted by the Calgary Flames in the fifth round but never made it to the NHL level. In 45 games with Maine last season he recorded 33 points.
- Alex Lintuniemi, who was under an NHL contract as recently as November 2019, will join Barys Nur-Sultan for the rest of the KHL season. Originally selected 60th overall by the Los Angeles Kings, Lintuniemi never did play a game in the NHL. After signing a one-year deal with the Carolina Hurricanes in July 2019, he played just four games with their AHL team before terminating his contract to return to Finland. The 25-year-old defenseman had four points in 11 games for JYP this season but will try his luck in the KHL instead.
- The Arizona Coyotes have assigned goaltender David Tendeck to the ECHL’s Rapid City Rush, the league’s transactions revealed. Tendeck, 21, is finally getting a chance to play in the pros after he was selected in the sixth round in 2018. Tendeck has been given a look in NHL training camp in each of the past two years, but was eventually returned to juniors. This past season, his fifth and final with the WHL’s Vancouver Giants, Tendeck was stellar, posting a .920 save percentage and 2.29 GAA. Tendeck hopes to challenge Ivan Prosvetov for the ‘Yotes’ AHL backup role at some point this season.
- Fellow WHL product Bryce Kindopp will also begin his pro career in the ECHL. The Anaheim Ducks have assigned the skilled forward to the ECHL’s Tulsa Oilers, per the league’s transactions. An undrafted free agent, Kinopp was signed by the Ducks early this spring after finishing his second straight 70+ point season. As the captain of the Everett Silvertips this year, Kindopp showed a goal-scoring punch and clutch gene that should serve him well in the pros.
Three More ECHL Teams Opt Out for 2020-21 Season
Dec 7: Official now, the ECHL has announced that the three teams have elected to suspend play for the 2020-21 season. All three are expected back for the 2021-22 season, but players signed to ECHL contracts with the clubs are now free agents.
Dec 6: With eight ECHL teams already having suspended operations due to COVID-19 for the 2020-21 season, Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek reports that three more teams have announced they will not play next season, including the Cincinnati Cyclones (Buffalo Sabres affiliate), Idaho Steelheads (Dallas Stars) and the Kalamazoo Wings (Vancouver Canucks).
That makes it 11 out of 26 teams, almost half the league that has bowed out due to the pandemic. Marek also adds that two other teams, the Fort Wayne Komets (Vegas Golden Knights) and the Toledo Walleye (Detroit Red Wings), have not decided their status yet, meaning it could be half the league if both teams suspend their operations. Much of that concern stems from teams’ financial success as much of their financial gains comes from ticket sales, which is a major problem as many cities are not allowing fans to attend sporting events.
The other eight ECHL teams that backed out earlier this year were the Worcester Railers (New York Islanders), Maine Mariners (New York Rangers), Reading Royals (Philadelphia Flyers), Newfoundland Growlers (Toronto Maple Leafs), Adirondack Thunder (New Jersey Devils), Brampton Beast (Ottawa Senators), Atlanta Gladiators (Boston Bruins) and the Norfolk Admirals (no affiliation).
While the ECHL is the “AA” version of hockey teams, it’s a major hit to NHL teams who have used the league as a way to develop prospects who might not be ready for AHL action yet and is especially beneficial to goaltenders who need seasoning out of junior leagues, such as Buffalo’s Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. While top prospects are likely to find some work, other young players could have a much more challenging time finding a team they can play for this upcoming season, which will definitely hurt their development.
Minor Transactions: 12/05/20
With a mix of some leagues currently in action, others preparing to start, some postponing play, and others still trying to sort it all out, there has been a constant stream of minor moves with players jumping from league to league via signing, loan, reassignment, and more. Today has been no exception, as a number of players are on the move:
- With the ECHL planning to get underway next week, some NHL and AHL players have begun to be reassigned to the “AA” level to get a jumpstart on their seasons and many more moves are likely to come over the next few days. For now, the Boston Bruins have made the decision on a pair of young players, assigning goaltender Kyle Keyser and forward Matt Filipe to the Jacksonville Icemen, the Bruins’ temporary affiliate for this season. Keyser, 21, saw very limited action last year in his first pro season but the former OHL standout is looking to prove with his play this year that he too belongs in the “goalie of the future” conversation with top prospects Dan Vladar and Jeremy Swayman. Filipe, 22, is set to make his pro debut after signing with the Bruins out of nearby Northeastern University. The former Carolina Hurricanes prospect plays with size and a nose for the net, which served him well as a reliable producer in the NCAA.
- A pair of Oshawa Generals stars are getting their seasons started overseas. With the OHL not getting started until at least February, the Generals announced that NHL prospects Ty Tullio (EDM) and Allan McShane (MTL) have been loaned to Slovakia. The pair will join MHK Liptovsky Mikulas of the Slovakian Extraliga until the time that they are either recalled by their NHL clubs or by Oshawa for training camp. McShane and Tullio finished second and third respectively in scoring last season for the Generals, with 67 and 66 points apiece.
- Although Finland’s hockey seasons are currently on pause, the Dallas Stars do not plan to recall top prospect Ty Dellandrea right away, according to Matthew DeFranks of the Dallas Morning News. Dellandrea has been playing with the Liiga’s JYP this past month, recording three points in six games, and will continue practicing with the team for the time being. The Liiga is tentatively scheduled to return to action on December 20, but that start date is not guaranteed. With the NHL hoping to be up and running by mid-January with two weeks of training camp beforehand, Dellandrea may still be recalled before he can play with JYP again. The Stars hope that Dellandrea can compete for a roster spot this year and will want to make sure that he is in attendance for day one of training camp.
Kyle Olson Signs AHL Deal
When the Anaheim Ducks decided not to sign Kyle Olson to an entry-level contract by June 2019, his draft rights expired and he became an unrestricted free agent. The fourth-round pick had a brutal post-draft season that saw him score only four goals and miss half the year with a knee injury. He came back the next season and showed what he could do, but it still didn’t work out with the Ducks.
In September of last year, Olson was a standout at the Buffalo Sabres prospect camp and earned himself a non-roster invitation to the main training camp. He was impressive there too, but didn’t sign with the Sabres and instead returned for his overage WHL season. That season, 2019-20, was cut short again, with Olson playing only 30 games total between the Tri-City Americans (where he was captain) and the Calgary Hitmen.
Now, after aging out of junior hockey Olson will try his hand at the professional level. The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins have signed the 21-year-old forward to an AHL contract and immediately sent him to the ECHL’s Wheeling Nailers to join their training camp. With the ECHL season about to begin in a week, Olson can start his minor league career there after he quarantines. Among the players to keep an eye on in the ECHL this year, Olson will be near the top of the list after circumstance—and not work ethic—has knocked him off the NHL prospect track so far.
The Nailers are set to begin their season on December 12 against the Indy Fuel.
Snapshots: Free Agent Market, Tebow, Portland
There are still a number of prominent names that remain unsigned on the NHL’s free agent market and there has been absolutely no movement for some time. Outside of the likes of Dustin Tokarski, Marko Dano, and Micheal Haley, there hasn’t been a significant free agent signing in over a month. The continued availability of these top players has been chalked up to a slow market, impacted by the flat salary cap and the unknowns surrounding the 2020-21 season. However, an anonymous agent tells The Athletic’s Thomas Drance that this is not exactly the case. While the agent admits that teams have been calling less frequently in recent weeks, there is concrete interest in a number of UFA’s. It turns out that it is actually the agents advising the players not to sign, as opposed to the teams not making offers. The agent tells Drance that all agencies alike are being cautious with their clients when it comes to the upcoming season, without a start date and format agreed to yet, and how that may impact contracts:
We want to see what develops out of this. At this point, it doesn’t make sense to do something until we know what things look like … If we wanted to have signed already, we could’ve done that. Then again, those teams we could’ve signed with haven’t done anything else yet either.
- The newest name to become an owner in the world of hockey is one familiar to most sports fans: Tim Tebow. The former college football star turned NFL quarterback turned minor league baseball player has joined the ownership group of the ECHL’s Jacksonville Icemen, reports NBC Sports’s Adam Gretz. Also joining the group are current and former Jacksonville Jaguars players Myles Jack and Reggie Hayward. Tebow, who grew up in Jacksonville and attended the nearby University of Florida, is excited to add both hockey and ownership to his already impressive sports resume that includes playing two sports professionally and broadcasting as well. The Icemen, the “AA” affiliate of the Winnipeg Jets, are set to begin their 2020-21 season this month.
- In other ownership news, Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek reports that the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks are in the process of being sold to Kerry Preete, Executive VP of agricultural sciences company Monsanto. Marek notes that Preete does have a hockey background, but this will be his first venture into the CHL. Marek adds that this could just be the beginning, as the financial impact of the Coronavirus pandemic could cause many junior hockey teams to become available for sale. While Marek notes that current and former NHLers have often looked into purchasing junior teams but have been disappointed by the asking price, but those prices could go down as struggling owners seek to recoup their losses.
Minor Transactions: 12/02/20
The NHL offseason has come to a standstill, with no unrestricted free agents signed to one-way contracts in a month. Still, the ECHL and many European leagues continue to play or prepare, meaning hockey players signing deals all over the world. We’ll keep track of the notable minor transactions right here.
- Brett Pollock, who was a second-round pick of the Dallas Stars back in 2014, has signed with the Nurnberg Ice Tigers of the DEL for the upcoming season. Pollock, 24, never did make it out of the minor leagues, spending last season mostly with the Allen Americans of the ECHL where he scored 43 points in 49 games. His entry-level contract expired after the 2018-19 season and he was not given a qualifying offer.
- Another second-round pick Ryan Stoa will continue his international adventures this season in Sweden with HV71. The 33-year-old was selected 34th overall by the Colorado Avalanche in 2005 and played in 40 NHL games before heading overseas for this latest chapter in his hockey career. Since 2014, Stoa has played for four KHL teams and now two SHL teams, recording strong offensive numbers wherever he goes.
- Macoy Erkamps, who spent most of last season with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, was one of six Hershey Bears players assigned to the South Carolina Stingrays today. With the AHL season still up in the air, these six can help the Stingrays get off to a good start later this month when the ECHL season gets underway.
- Ryan Bednard, a goaltending prospect in the Florida Panthers system, was assigned to the Greenville Swamp Rabbits today. That’s where he spent most of last season too, his first professional campaign after signing out of Bowling Green State. The 23-year-old netminder posted a .908 save percentage in 24 games last season.
This page will be updated throughout the day
Garret Sparks Signs In ECHL
Garret Sparks has decided to take the playing time that comes with an ECHL contract instead of holding out looking for a more lucrative opportunity. The veteran goaltender has signed a contract with the Orlando Solar Bears for the 2020-21 season.
It’s actually something of a homecoming for Sparks, who spent a good chunk of his early professional career with the Solar Bears when they were the affiliate of the Toronto Maple Leafs. That’s the team who drafted the goaltender in 2011, selected 190th overall after just 19 games at the OHL level. That late-round flier was worth it, as Sparks progressed through the minor league development system in Toronto and eventually made his NHL debut during the 2015-16 season.
Now 27, Sparks has 38 NHL games under his belt including one just last year with the Vegas Golden Knights. His results in those games aren’t excellent, but given how well he has played at the AHL level, this ECHL deal is still somewhat surprising. More than anything, Sparks likely knows that playing time is more important than anything right now and the ECHL is the only league of the three that has a firm start date—and training camps opening all over. He’ll surely be in the mix for an AHL or NHL deal down the road, once things get back to (somewhat) normal.