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Vegas Golden Knights Renew ECHL Affiliation

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The Vegas Golden Knights and Fort Wayne Komets will be partners once again. The two organizations have renewed their affiliation for the 2019-20 season, giving Vegas a primary ECHL affiliate again this season. The Komets will once again benefit from receiving the Golden Knights’ raw or long-shot prospects and try to continue their streak of playoff appearances.

Last season saw the Komets post a 36-26-10 record in their first year with the Golden Knights, making it six consecutive seasons they had reached the postseason. That was thanks to a well-rounded attack and veteran goaltending. Former top Montreal Canadiens prospect Zach Fucale spent most of the season with the Komets, starting 34 games for the team and going 20-9-3. With Fucale now in the Syracuse Crunch organization the net will be open to other Golden Knights prospects. Dylan Ferguson, who will turn pro this season is a candidate, though it will depend what happens at the AHL level.

Top scorer Justin Hodgman has also moved on, taking his talents to Germany and the DEL. The former Arizona Coyotes forward had 57 points in 50 games for the Komets last season, edging out long-time ECHL superstar Shawn Szydlowski—who will return for 2019-20—for the team lead.

Minor Transactions: 08/07/19

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As August continues and we get further into contract negotiations, teams continue to fill our their organizational depth charts. Here are some minor moves from around the league. We’ll keep updating as more come in:

  • Jamie Devane and Yushiroh Hirano have joined the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins for the 2019-20 season on AHL contracts. It’s been a great week for Japanese hockey after 2020 draft prospect Yu Sato decided to bring his talents to North America and now Hirano has landed an AHL deal. The 23-year old forward played his first season of professional North American hockey last year and dominated the ECHL, scoring 57 points in 67 games. Devane meanwhile has been in the AHL for years now, most recently with the Ontario Reign where he racked up 79 penalty minutes in just 27 games last season.
  • If you’re a CHL fan who has been impressed with Swiss goaltender Noah Patenaude at the current Hlinka-Gretzky Cup, you might get another chance to see him up close next season. The 16-year old has signed with the Saint John Seadogs and will make the jump to North America test his skills next season.
  • Jaakko Haarti may not be coming to the NCAA after all. The Finnish defenseman will play with the Lahti Pelicans instead for the upcoming season, taking away a top recruit for UMass. The 5’10” Haarti recorded 14 goals and 28 points in the top Finnish junior league last season in just 50 games.
  • The Charlotte Checkers have signed Cedric Lacroix to a two-way AHL contract, bringing in an ECHL standout for a new opportunity. Lacroix played his first professional season with the Wheeling Nailers in 2018-19 and recorded 42 points in 71 games. That was more than he had in four whole seasons at the University of Maine, but he didn’t forget his roots as a physical presence. In those 71 contests, Lacroix finished sixth in the league by racking up 215 penalty minutes including 12 fighting majors.

Minor Transactions: 08/06/19

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As August begins and we get closer to the end of arbitration and contract holdouts, teams continue to fill our their organizational depth charts. Here are some minor moves from around the league. We’ll keep updating as more come in:

  • Former NHL forward Quinton Howden was traded in the KHL and will now play for Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod in 2019-20. The 25th overall pick from 2010 ended up in the KHL starting in 2017 after several seasons bouncing between North American leagues. Howden played a total of 97 games in the NHL and scored 17 points, but got to suit up for Canada at the Olympics last year after leaving the league behind. Younger brother Brett Howden is just beginning his own pro career, playing in his rookie campaign with the New York Rangers this past season.
  • Former Edmonton Oilers prospect Greg Chase has signed with the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack, the team announced. Chase was a seventh-round pick of the Oilers back in 2013 and enjoyed a strong junior career in the WHL. However, after turning pro in 2015, Chase largely spent his first three seasons on his entry-level contract in the ECHL, struggling to make a difference in the AHL and getting nowhere close to the NHL. He was not re-signed by the Oilers last summer and spent most of the season with the ECHL’s Maine Mariners. A point-per-game player for the Mariners, Chase earned a brief loan to the Wolf Pack and clearly did enough to earn a contract. The Chase family has some history in Hartford, as uncle Kelly Chase played several seasons with the Hartford Whalers, as well as the St. Louis Blues.
  • After leaving Colorado College mid-way through the 2018-19 season, forward Ty Pochipinski has selected a new college program. The Air Force Academy has announced that Pochipinski has committed to their team and is set to enroll this fall. Pochipinski recorded one point in four games with Colorado College last season before leaving to join the BCHL’s Penticton Vees. He’s likely seeking more opportunity by jumping to the Air Force Falcons. Father Trevor Pochipinski was a four-year starter for the Colorado College Tigers and was actually drafted by the Los Angeles Kings in the seventh round of the 1986 NHL Draft, although he never played for the team.

Minor Transactions: 08/05/19

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As August begins and we get closer to the end of arbitration and contract holdouts, teams continue to fill our their organizational depth charts. Here are some minor moves from around the league. We’ll keep updating as more come in:

  • Pro enforcer Bobby Farnham has decided to take his talents to the EIHL, signing a one-year deal with the Belfast Giants. Farnham has bounced up and down between the AHL and NHL for years, mostly as an imposing physical presence. Despite being just 5’10” the 30-year old Farnham has always been willing to drop the gloves or go after a player in the corner. In 67 NHL games he has 138 penalty minutes a total dwarfed by the 1,044 he has received through 404 AHL games.
  • Farnham will be joined in Belfast by former NHL player Liam Reddox who has spent the last eight seasons with the Vaxjo Lakers. Reddox actually served as captain of the Swedish team for the last four years, but will be looking for a new challenge in 2019-20. Once the 112th pick of the 2004 draft, Reddox played 100 NHL games with the Edmonton Oilers before leaving for the SHL in 2011.
  • There was a trade in the ECHL this morning, with the Maine Mariners acquiring the rights of Jordan Klimek in exchange for Derek Pratt and Garrett Cecere. All three are former NCAA players looking to make their way in professional hockey.

Minor Transactions: 08/02/19

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As August begins and we get closer to the end of arbitration hearings and contract holdouts, teams continue to fill our their organizational depth charts. Here are some minor moves from around the league. We’ll keep updating as more come in:

  • Zack Stortini has decided to retire after a 14-year playing career, instead joining the Sudbury Wolves of the OHL as an assistant coach. Stortini was part of of the Charlotte Checkers last season that won a Calder Cup, though he only played in 24 games and didn’t suit up in the playoffs. The veteran forward played in 257 NHL games over his career, racking up 725 penalty minutes. A captain of the Wolves for three years during his junior career, he’ll start the next chapter of his hockey story in a familiar place.
  • The Milwaukee Admirals have signed Josh Healey to a one-year AHL contract, bringing in the 25-year old defenseman after he was left unqualified by the Calgary Flames. Healey was a top NCAA free agent in 2017 after four years at Ohio State where he was an offensive threat and a huge open-ice hitter, but failed to transition very well to the professional ranks. In 107 AHL games with the Stockton Heat he had just 15 points and 88 penalty minutes.
  • Two-time Kelly Cup champion Sam Jardine has decided to take his talents overseas, signing with the Cardiff Devils of the EIHL. Jardine split time between the Toronto Marlies and Newfoundland Growlers last season before ultimately ending up with the latter for an ECHL playoff run. A sixth-round pick from 2011, the 25-year old defenseman is a pretty good attraction for the Devils this season.

Minor Transactions: 07/30/19

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As July comes to a close and we get closer to the end of arbitration hearings and contract holdouts, teams continue to fill our their organizational depth charts. Here are some minor moves from around the league. We’ll keep updating as more come in:

  • Former Cornell standout and Bridgeport Sound Tigers goaltender Mitch Gillam has signed a one-year contract with the Wichita Thunder of the ECHL. The Edmonton Oilers affiliate will bring in the 26-year old to solidify the crease after he posted .925 and .906 save percentages through his first two years in the ECHL.
  • Casey Bailey is back in North America on a professional tryout with the Hershey Bears after spending last season in the KHL. The Penn State product signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2015 out of school and ended up playing 13 NHL games between them and the Ottawa Senators, but spent most of his professional career in the AHL. The 27-year old has good size and strength but never could quite find a way to elevate his game to the NHL level on a consistent basis.
  • Former AHL All-Star Mark Mancari has decided to retire after parts of four seasons in Germany. The 34-year old has taken a job as an assistant coach with the Niagara IceDogs of the OHL. Mancari played 42 games in the NHL over the years but was a standout at the AHL level, recording 558 points in 692 regular season games.

Blake Hillman Signs In ECHL

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It was just over a year ago that Blake Hillman was part of a mass exodus from the University of Denver, signing his two-year entry-level contract with the Chicago Blackhawks after three seasons at the school. Hillman had just recorded 12 points in 41 games as a junior, and jumped immediately to the NHL to play four games down the stretch. He even scored in his second ever professional game, and logged more than 20 minutes of ice time for the Blackhawks in the last game of the 2017-18 season.

He spent last season with the Rockford IceHogs, suiting up 54 times for the AHL club and recording four points. The 23-year old defenseman was obviously not able to create much offense, but perhaps he could still develop into a legitimate option in his own zone. Unfortunately the Blackhawks didn’t feel strongly about that possibility and decided not to issue him a qualifying offer, leaving him an unrestricted free agent. He hasn’t been able to find another opportunity in the NHL or even the AHL, and has signed on with the Toledo Walleye of the ECHL for the 2019-20 season.

It’s an unfortunate fall for a player who looked like an up-and-coming prospect out of college, but perhaps it will give him the ice time and confidence to secure another contract down the road. Still just 23, he already has more NHL action under his belt than most of his competition this season.

Vancouver Canucks Extend ECHL Partnership

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The Vancouver Canucks have extended their affiliation with the Kalamazoo Wings through the 2020-21 season. The ECHL franchise has been partnered with the Canucks for the last two seasons, and ten total over the years. This agreement will keep the organization a three-tiered development system along with the AHL’s Utica Comets.

Kalamazoo finished with a 36-31-5 record last season, making the Kelly Cup playoffs. Unfortunately they were ousted in the first round, a common occurrence for the team. Over the last seven years the team has failed to make it past that first round matchup if they make the playoffs at all, and they’re still looking for their first championship in the ECHL.

Like other low minor teams the Wings will likely see the raw and still developing prospects from the Canucks and Comets. Most often NHL teams use their ECHL franchises as breeding grounds for goaltending prospects, and the Wings actually saw Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Matiss Kivlenieks last year for a time. Depending on how things go there is a chance they could see Michael DiPietro, though the Canucks would likely rather him spend time in the AHL to further push his abilities.

Arizona Coyotes Announce ECHL Affiliate

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What’s old is new in terms of ECHL affiliates for the Arizona Coyotes, as they have reached a new two-year agreement with the Rapid City Rush. The Rush served as the Coyotes ECHL affiliate from 2015-17. Arizona assistant GM Steve Sullivan released a statement on the renewed partnership:

We are excited to once again partner with the Rapid City Rush as our ECHL affiliate. The Rush are a first class organization with a passionate fan base. We look forward to working with owners Jeff Dickerson and TJ Puchyr (Spire Sports and Entertainment) as well as owner Scott Mueller and Head Coach Daniel Tetrault.

The Coyotes were affiliated with the Norfolk Admirals last season and the Fort Wayne Komets the year prior, but will now get at least a little bit of stability with the two-year deal. Like any ECHL affiliation, the Coyotes can use the Rush for their raw or long-shot prospects as well as house their young goaltenders to give them some stable playing time.

Minor Transactions: 07/25/19

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As July marches on and we get into arbitration hearings and contract holdouts, teams continue to fill our their organizational depth charts. Here are some minor moves from around the league. We’ll keep updating as more come in:

  • Michael Brodzinski has signed a one-year two-way AHL contract with the Belleville Senators, leaving the San Jose Sharks organization after three years bouncing between their AHL and ECHL affiliates. Interestingly his older brother Jonny Brodzinski just signed with the Sharks this offseason, though he likely has a real shot at playing some NHL games this season.
  • The Colorado Eagles have added another young goaltender to the mix, signing former Calgary Flames prospect Mason McDonald on an AHL contract. The 23-year old was selected 34th overall in 2014 but has spent most of his professional career in the ECHL to this point. McDonald will join Hunter Miska as another former top prospect with Colorado this season, an interesting pair to keep an eye on throughout the year.

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