Minor Transactions: 11/27/20
The NHL offseason lurches forward with little progress, but things are starting to ramp up in the low minors where ECHL training camps are opening. As usual, we’ll keep track of the notable minor moves:
- The Indy Fuel have signed Antoine Waked to an ECHL contract for 2020-21 after he failed to receive a qualifying offer from the Montreal Canadiens. Waked, 24, was an undrafted free agent signing by the Canadiens in 2017 after his junior breakout, but he failed to ever produce much at the AHL level. In 32 games with the Laval Rocket last season, he recorded just five points.
- The Jacksonville Icemen have signed Mike Szmatula, bringing in the offensive weapon after another strong ECHL season. Szmatula, 28, scored 49 points in 56 games for the Adirondack Thunder last year and is a proven difference-maker at that level. Adirondack was one of the teams that opted out of the upcoming season.
This page will be updated throughout the day.
Brandon Halverson Heading Back To ECHL
ECHL rosters are being finalized as training camps open, with the Greenville Swamp Rabbits making some notable additions yesterday. Today’s news is brought by the Wheeling Nailers, who have released their own roster and it includes quite a few interesting names.
Brandon Halverson, who was once a top goaltending prospect selected in the second round by the New York Rangers, will start the year with the Nailers. The 24-year-old was not issued a qualifying offer in 2019 and became an unrestricted free agent, eventually spending most of the 2019-20 season with the Norfolk Admirals. Halverson does actually have an NHL appearance, though his minor league career hasn’t quite gone to plan. The netminder is still young though and could potentially work his way up the ladder with more good performances at the ECHL level.
Brady Tomlak, who played for the Air Force Falcons, and Nick Rivera, Minnesota State’s captain, have both turned pro after four-year college careers. They’ll both play out the next chapter in their hockey lives with Wheeling.
One interesting name to keep an eye on is Vladislav Mikhalchuk, a Belarusian winger that has spent most of the last three seasons in the WHL. Mikhalchuk did actually play in a KHL game last season and is still just 21, but wasn’t drafted while eligible. The 6’4″ forward scored 32 points in 40 games for Prince George last season.
Florida Panthers Draft Picks Heading To ECHL
The Greenville Swamp Rabbits recently agreed to a partnership with the Florida Panthers, keeping them aligned with the nearby Charlotte Checkers of the AHL. Today, the Swamp Rabbits received some of the benefits that come along with an NHL affiliation, as two draft picks were added to the roster.
Along with several other additions (including Jacob Ingham, a Los Angeles Kings prospect), the Swamp Rabbits gained Ben Finkelstein and Karch Bachman today. Both players were originally drafted by the Panthers but became unrestricted free agents when they failed to sign entry-level contracts this summer.
Finkelstein, 23, was selected 195th in 2016 before playing four years in college. Two years for St. Lawrence University followed by another two at Boston College will lead the undersized defenseman to a professional career that starts in the ECHL.
Bachman, 23, was actually drafted a year earlier, selected 132nd in 2015. He spent four years at Miami University (Ohio), scoring 31 points in 34 games as a senior and earned NCHC Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors. He’ll be joining the Swamp Rabbits to start his pro career, but is still a name to keep an eye on as a potential AHL option down the road.
One other notable name among the Greenville additions is Adam Samuelsson, the 6’6″ son of former NHL defenseman Ulf Samuelsson, who recently joined the Panthers as an assistant coach. The 20-year-old defenseman has bounced all over the place the last few seasons, spending time at Boston College, playing for Sioux City of the USHL, and suiting up 43 times for the Sudbury Wolves of the OHL this season.
Morning Notes: Ingham, Robertson, Parayko
Despite eight teams opting out of the upcoming ECHL season, we’re now just a few weeks from scheduled game action. Friday, December 11 will serve as opening night for the minor league, with five games scheduled. With that in mind, several transactions were announced today, including the addition of Jacob Ingham to the Greenville Swamp Rabbits roster.
Ingham, 20, was a sixth-round pick of the Los Angeles Kings in 2018 and signed his entry-level contract earlier this year. The young goaltender had an excellent 2019-20 season at the OHL level, going 33-8-5 for the Kitchener Rangers and winning the Humanitarian of the Year award.
- One other OHL prospect that is hoping not to have to go back is Nick Robertson, the Toronto Maple Leafs draft pick that made his NHL debut in the bubble. As Chris Johnston explains in his latest piece for Sportsnet, Robertson never left Ontario after Toronto was eliminated, avoiding any quarantine time by staying in Canada to train for the upcoming season instead of returning to his family in the U.S. After Toronto added a handful of bargain bin forwards this offseason Robertson has his work cut out for him if he wants to make the roster.
- Colton Parayko certainly doesn’t have to worry about making a roster, but there will be increased expectations with the St. Louis Blues after the team watched Alex Pietrangelo leave in free agency. No one is doubting the 6’6″ defenseman though, as Lou Korac writes for NHL.com. Pietrangelo especially is excited to see what Parayko does in his absence, calling his former teammate “elite” and telling him to have a sort of “arrogance” on the ice as the leader of the defense.
Snapshots: CBA Talks, Cirelli, Smirnov
The heads of the NHL and NHLPA haven’t spoken directly in almost a week, according to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic who tweets commissioner Gary Bettman and executive director Donald Fehr last talked on Thursday, November 19. LeBrun notes that the “communication stalemate is noteworthy” because of the near-constant dialogue the two had through the first part of the offseason.
While LeBrun once again tweets his confidence something will finally get done and points at the next week as an important stretch, Darren Dreger of TSN adds that it has been that way for a while now. Many have pointed to the end of November as a key threshold if the NHL still wants a January 1. start, something that looks more and more difficult to accomplish with every passing day. The biggest issue in talks continues to be amending the CBA that was agreed to just a few months ago.
- After the Tampa Bay Lightning re-signed Mikhail Sergachev this afternoon, LeBrun reached out to the agent for Anthony Cirelli, who remains a restricted free agent without a contract for the 2020-21 season. Pat Morris of Newport Sports told LeBrun that there is “nothing new to report” in Cirelli’s contract talks. With the Lightning now close to $2MM over the salary cap ceiling, contracts for Cirelli and Erik Cernak will be very difficult to fit in without a corresponding move.
- Denis Smirnov, a sixth-round pick of the Colorado Avalanche in 2017, has signed his first professional contract, inking a deal with the Utah Grizzlies of the ECHL. The Grizzlies signed a trio of players today, including the 23-year-old Smirnov who became an unrestricted free agent when the Avalanche failed to sign him this summer.
Minor Transactions: 11/24/20
Coronavirus updates will dominate the hockey headlines today, but teams around the world are still working to fill out rosters while players desperately try to find employment for the upcoming season. As always, we’ll keep track of any notable transactions right here:
- After former NHL goaltender Glen Hanlon decided to resign from his job as head coach of the Krefeld Pinguine before the DEL season even got underway, there have been several other departures from the team. Colin Smith, who played one NHL game for the Colorado Avalanche in 2014-15 and was a solid AHL contributor for years, has decided to leave the German club to pursue an opportunity in Sweden. Smith, 27, has spent the last two seasons playing in the DEL.
- The Jacksonville Icemen of the ECHL have snapped up a pair of college players, signing Derek Lodermeier and Jacob Panetta to minor league contracts for this season. Lodermeier, 25, was the captain of the University of Vermont team for the last two seasons, scoring 11 points in 34 games this year.
- Michael Joly will have to settle for a step down this season, signing an ECHL contract with the Wheeling Nailers after playing the last two seasons entirely in the AHL. Joly, 25, won the Kelly Cup with the Colorado Eagles the last time he played in the ECHL, leading the league in goals and earning playoff MVP honors. He moved up to the AHL with the Eagles in 2018 and had 49 points over the last two seasons.
Minor Transactions: 11/23/20
As the NHL off-season wears on without much activity, free agents are facing some difficult decisions as they look for employment for next season. Among other minor moves, Monday witnessed a number of payers leaving NHL contracts for minor league pacts and a stagnant market could mean that this is just the beginning.
- Defenseman Devante Stephens will return to Syracuse next season, but on an AHL contract with the crunch rather than a two-way NHL deal. The 23-year-old, a draft pick of the Buffalo Sabres, was traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning last season and for the first time in his pro career became a regular in the AHL lineup. However, this was not enough to convince the Bolts that he was worthy of a second look. At least the Crunch were willing to bring him back, announcing a one-year contract.
- For someone who was traded three times in a nine-month span last season, one would think that forward Aaron Luchuk would be in demand. However, the 23-year-old center will not be getting a new NHL deal with his entry-level contract expiring. In fact, Luchuk was unable to even find an AHL deal. The former Senators’, Maple Leafs’, and Canadiens’ prospect has signed a one-year deal with the ECHL’s Orlando Solar Bears, the team announced.
- University of New Brunswick product Alex Dubeau upgraded to an AHL contract last season and made three appearances with the Belleville Senators. However, he still played the majority of his games in the ECHL and will return to league next season. Dubeau has signed a one-year deal with the South Carolina Stingrays, the team announced.
- Cam Knuble, son of former NHLer Mike Knuble, will follow in his father’s footsteps to the NCAA, though not to the same school. While Mike attended the University of Michign prior to his 16-year NHL career, Cam is headed to Western Michigan University, effective immediately according to the program. Knuble had previously been commited to nearby Michigan State University, but recently decided not only to change his commitment but to move up his timeline. The undrafted forward hopes that the move puts him on the fright track for a pro future.
Minor Transactions: 11/20/20
It’s the dog days of…November? The NHL offseason is moving like molasses these days, with no one-way UFA contracts handed out for the last two weeks. While things may be ramping up again at the end of the month, minor leagues and those in Europe have still continued to finesse their rosters recently. We’ll keep track of the notable moves right here:
- Philip Holm has signed a contract with Metallurg Magnitogorsk for the 2020-21 season, bringing him back to the KHL. Holm has tried multiple times to start a career in North America, but ended up playing just a single NHL game with the Vancouver Canucks in 2017-18. His latest NHL deal, signed with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2019, was terminated in January in order for him to play in Switzerland. He’ll now be in Russia, trying to find some stability.
- Lawton Courtnall, son of former NHL forward Russ Courtnall and nephew of Geoff Courtnall, will start his professional career with the Wheeling Nailers this season. The 24-year-old forward spent the last four years at Western Michigan University but has now signed a one-year ECHL deal.
- Top draft prospect Mason McTavish is trying to go to Switzerland to play for the upcoming season, according to Scott Wheeler of The Athletic. McTavish, 17, is eligible for selection in 2021 and scored 29 goals in his rookie OHL season. Switzerland may seem like an outside the box choice, but McTavish was actually born there when his father, Dale McTavish, played in the NLA. The young forward’s plans have “hit some snags” according to Wheeler, meaning he is currently skating in Ottawa while his representatives try to work through the issue.
- Former Blue Jackets prospect Maxime Fortier has signed a one-year contract with Wichita of the ECHL. The 22-year-old signed with Columbus as an undrafted free agent back in 2017 but didn’t progress past the minor league level in his first two professional seasons which resulted in him not receiving a qualifying offer last month.
Florida Panthers Announce ECHL Affiliation
The Florida Panthers have not only adopted the Charlotte Checkers as their new AHL affiliate but will be bringing along the Greenville Swamp Rabbits of the ECHL as well. Greenville had previously been affiliated with the Carolina Hurricanes but will stay joined with the Checkers as they move to a new NHL partnership. Swamp Rabbits head coach and director of hockey operations Andrew Lord released a statement on the new affiliation:
In a season already filled with change and transition, we are proud to establish an affiliation with the Florida Panthers. Having Charlotte close by as our AHL affiliate makes perfect sense geographically, it is one of the closest AHL/ECHL affiliation distance wise in the leagues. Geordie Kinnear is a great coach and Charlotte as an organization won the Calder Cup in 2019, so there are a ton of positives to this affiliation. We are keen to be a great partner and are determined to develop players to the AHL and ultimately onto the NHL.
As Lord makes clear, the connection to the Checkers is the important part here for Greenville, which is just down the road from Charlotte. The two organizations can use the short distance to their benefit with player transactions, something that may be even more important in a year like this one.
Greenville is one of 13 ECHL teams still scheduled to open their season in mid-December, with a game against the South Carolina Stingrays kicking things off on December 11. The league recently lost an entire division of teams that opted to suspend operations due to COVID-19 situations but are trying to push on with a reduced schedule.
Minor Transactions: 11/18/20
The ECHL was dealt a huge blow today when six more teams opted out, leaving more than 100 players looking for work. Minor league names will be popping up in new places over the new few weeks, and we’ll keep track of any notable deals right here.
- The Wheeling Nailers, one of the teams still planning on playing this season in the ECHL, signed Dane Birks and Matt Foley today. Birks, 25, was actually still on the entry-level contract he signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins until just recently, when the Arizona Coyotes—who had acquired him as part of the Phil Kessel deal—decided not to extend him a qualifying offer. Foley meanwhile has spent the last four seasons at Yale University but will now start his professional career with the Nailers.
- The Nailers will be losing one of their key forwards after Yushiroh Hirano signed with the Cincinnati Cyclones today. Hirano, 25, has scored 92 points over the last two seasons for Wheeling and has had quite the career so far. The Japanese forward has played in several different leagues around the world and even suited up for his country during Olympic qualifiers.
- Alex Smith, the captain of the Michigan Tech team in 2019-20 (not the Washington Football Team quarterback), has signed with the Florida Everblades to start his pro career. The 25-year-old scored 23 points in 39 games for the Huskies last season.