Adam Carlson, Pierre-Cedric Labrie Sign ECHL Contracts
No one likes to see former NHL players and prospects reduced to signing ECHL contracts to continue their pro hockey careers, but as the off-season wears on, opportunities are drying up and more players are being forced to make the difficult drop-off from a two-way big league contract to a one-way “AA” contract. Young goaltender Adam Carlson and veteran forward Pierre-Cedric Labrie are the latest names to endure this fate, as each of their new teams announced one-year contracts with the players today.
Carlson, 24, is no stranger to the ECHL. In fact, when he joins the Rapid City Rush, it will be his fourth different team in the league in a calendar year. Carlson suited up for the South Carolina Stingrays, Indy Fuel, and Kansas City Mavericks last season, while playing on a two-way contract with the Washington Capitals. While he did get into six games with the Caps’ AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears, his pedestrian numbers in a small sample size weren’t eniugh to secure an AHL contract this off-season. A former star in the NAHL and a one-year standout at Mercyhurst University, Carlson was a well-regarded prospect when he signed with Washington in 2016. He was even fourth in the organization’s depth chart for a time behind Braden Holtby, Philipp Grubauer, and Vitek Vanecek. However, when the Capitals did not qualify him this off-season, it was clear Carlson was not going to be in the NHL any time soon. Still young and developing, Carlson’s pro dreams are not quite dead but he has his work cut out for him to get back into NHL consideration.
Labrie is in a very different situation. The 31-year-old winger has already had a taste of the NHL and has played in over 670 pro games. Yet, in all that time, Labrie has never suited up in the ECHL. The veteran left wing was undrafted out of the QMJHL, but signed an entry-level contract with the Vancouver Canucks as soon as he left juniors. Since, Labrie has made a career for himself in the AHL, playing for seven different teams over 11 years, all while playing on a two-way NHL contract for all but two seasons. Labrie has 196 points over his AHL career, including a career-high 35 in 2011-12. That same year, he also made his NHL debut, skating in 14 games with the Tampa Bay Lightning. In three seasons in the Lightning organizations, Labrie played in 46 games with Tampa, contributing five points. So, when the ECHL’s Wichita Thunder announced that they had signed Labrie, it was big news for the team. Unlike most players on one-way ECHL contracts, Labrie has NHL time, years of AHL experience as a leader and producer, and has never before played at that level. Unfortunately, it seems the market simply never developed for the veteran forward, though it is surprising to see such a well-traveled pro (and Patrick Roy‘s son-in-law) wind up at the AA level at 31 years old.
Minor Transactions: 08/15/18
August is already half over and NHL training camps are just around the corner. In the meantime we’ll keep track of all the minor moves around professional hockey right here.
- The Rockford Ice Hogs have agreed to terms with CHL undrafted free agent Connor Moynihan on a one-year AHL contract. Moynihan is an intimidating presence on the ice, standing 6’5″ and willing to engage physically when necessary. His 21-goal output for the Halifax Mooseheads last season doesn’t instill confidence he’ll ever reach the NHL, but has at least earned him a roster spot in the minor leagues.
- New Jersey’s ECHL affiliate has added an undrafted college free agent, as the Adirondack Thunder have signed Nikolas Olsson out of Boston University. Olsson had just three points for the Terriers this season, but has been part of the team’s leadership group for the past two years. The 24-year old forward will continue his dream of playing professional hockey in the minor leagues, while trying to unlock some more offensive potential.
- The final piece of the University of Michigan’s potent top line from last season is moving on to the pros. Dexter Dancs has signed with the ECHL’s Idaho Steelheads, the Dallas Stars affiliate announced. It may not be a coincidence that Dancs inked in the Dallas system; the team signed fellow Wolverines first-liner Tony Calderone to an entry-level deal earlier this off-season. While Dancs surely benefited from skating alongside Calderone and promising Edmonton Oilers center prospect Cooper Marody, he himself is also a very talented player. A big winger with speed and good hands who got better each year in Ann Arbor, Dancs could easily play a major role for the Steelheads and work his way into contention for an AHL contract next summer.
Tampa Bay Lightning Enter Partnership With Orlando Solar Bears
After the Toronto Maple Leafs had changed their ECHL affiliation to the Newfoundland Growlers for the upcoming season, the Orlando Solar Bears were without an NHL partner. No more, as the Tampa Bay Lightning have announced a three-year affiliation agreement with the ECHL club that will give them an excellent geographical advantage. The Solar Bears have been a solid ECHL organization since joining the league in 2012, posting winning records in five of the six seasons and qualifying for the playoffs in four of them.
While the ECHL isn’t quite at the level of the AHL, more and more it is being filled with legitimate NHL prospects that have either a very focused developmental mission or just need more ice time than they would get at the next level. The Lightning have a perfect example of that in Yanni Gourde, who was considered too small by many and had to spent parts of two seasons in the ECHL during the beginning of his professional career. Gourde has battled all the way to the NHL where he recorded 25 goals and 64 points in his first full season and looks like he’ll have a long career.
Previewing The August College Free Agent Market
On Wednesday, August 15th, all drafted players who went the NCAA route and graduated this spring will become free agents if they remain unsigned by the team that holds their NHL rights. Unlike the last couple of summers, which featured names like Will Butcher, Alexander Kerfoot, Jimmy Vesey and Matt Benning, there is no standout name in this year’s class of late summer college free agents. However, as of now, CapFriendly reports that 16 players are set to hit the market next week. Some of them will not be in search of an NHL contract. Brown forward Max Willman was granted an additional year of NCAA eligibility due to injury and has committed to Boston University next season as a graduate student-athlete. UConn’s David Drake has already worked out an AHL deal with the affiliate of the team that drafted him, the Philadelphia Flyers, and Wisconsin’s Matt Ustaski has a similar arrangement with the Winnipeg Jets. Cornell’s Jared Fiegl and Dwyer Tschantz have already accepted their place in the pro hockey hierarchy and signed ECHL contracts. All of these players can technically sign with an NHL team after August 15th, but it is unlikely.
So what of the other available players? Here is a quick summary of the eleven collegians you may see sign with an NHL team in the coming weeks and a prediction of where they’ll end up:
D Terrance Amorosa, Clarkson (PHI, Rd. 5 – 2013)
Amorosa is the most productive of the players on this list over his NCAA career and he accomplished that feat as a defenseman. A smooth-skating, puck-moving defenseman, Amorosa’s 27 points were key to a hugely successful season for the Golden Knights. Whether his choice or Philadelphia’s, it is not a major surprise that the young defenseman-heavy Flyers weren’t a good fit. The Quebec native has been training with NHLers in Montreal this summer and seems poised to find NHL employment somewhere, with an AHL floor. Prediction: NHL contract
D Kelly Summers, Clarkson (OTT, Rd. 7 – 2014)
The only Clarkson defenseman with more points than Amorosa last season was frequent pair-mate Summers. Not only is Summers slightly younger than Amorosa, he is also a little bigger and played in more games over the duo’s four years in Potsdam. Summers, who is also a right shot, recorded 30 points last season for the Golden Knights and possesses a great first pass. He may not want to sign in Ottawa, but he’ll be happy to sign elsewhere. Like Amorosa, hard to see Summers signing at any level below the AHL. Prediction: NHL contract
F Judd Peterson, St. Cloud State (BUF, Rd. 7 – 2012)
If anything works against Peterson, it will be age and mileage, as the hard-working forward played in two USHL seasons in addition to four NCAA seasons since being drafted out of high school by Buffalo. Yet, that has also added to his hockey IQ and leadership ability as well. The Huskies captain put up respectable offense in each of his seasons at St. Cloud and by the end was also a responsible defensive asset. He even has a summer coaching gig at St. Cloud hockey camps. Peterson got a taste of the pro game with a brief tryout with the AHL’s Rochester Americans to end the year and seems like a good bet to challenge for an energy line role with an NHL team down the road, if not right away. Prediction: NHL contract
D Steven Johnson, Minnesota (LAK, Rd. 4 – 2014)
It’s somewhat surprising to see Johnson still unsigned. After wrapping up his season with the Gophers, Johnson jumped right in with the Kings’ AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign and didn’t look out of place in four games. The two-way defender led all Minnesota defensemen with 15 points last year and was one of the team’s ice time leaders. He will likely transition well to the AHL after facing tough Big Ten competition and could help an NHL club relatively soon as a depth option. Prediction: AHL contract
F Avery Peterson, Minnesota – Duluth (MIN, Rd. 6 – 2013)
Another strange player to see available, Peterson is a Minnesota native drafted by the Wild out of Grand Rapids High School and starring for Duluth over the past two years, including helping the team to a National Championship in April. Peterson got off to a rough start in his first two collegiate seasons at Nebraska-Omaha, but since transferring has really turned his game around. He isn’t a high-skill player, but he has the rare combination of both size and speed and can be a useful bottom-six player. He has okay odds of landing an NHL deal, but Minnesota did seem like the most likely spot. It seems more likely that he starts in the minors. Prediction: AHL contract
F Shane Eiserman, New Hampshire (OTT, Rd. 4 – 2014)
Eiserman is a good, consistent forward and a former member of the U.S. National Development Program. However, he has never quite reached the ceiling that some thought he may have. As a one-dimensional scoring forward with just pedestrian offensive numbers, Eiserman still needs to polish his game and find out where he fits at the pro level. Prediction: AHL contract
F Aidan Muir, Western Michigan (EDM, Rd. 4 – 2013)
A big, physical winger and a locker room leader for the Broncos, Muir is a nice asset for a team. However, the offense just isn’t there yet and the competition gets much harder at the next level. He can be a role player in the AHL and grow his game from there, but could slip into ECHL territory. Prediction: AHL contract
D Johnathan MacLeod, Boston University (TBL, Rd. 2 – 2014)
In this day and age, just playing for BU is a sign of talent. Add a second-round draft position and you may think that you’re looking at a Chad Krys clone. Unfortunately, MacLeod lacks similar potential. Amidst the talent of the Terriers blue line, MacLeod’s inability to make plays at the college level cost him games through the years. He never cracked double-digits in points and only mustered 3 points as a senior. Perhaps his ability will shine through at the AHL, as his resume alone should get him to that level to begin with. Prediction: AHL contract
D Michael Prapavessis, RPI (DAL, Rd. 4 – 2014)
Prapavessis put up good numbers in his college career, especially for a defenseman. Unfortunately, RPI simply isn’t an elite program and leading that team isn’t worth as much as others. Prapavessis has both talent and intelligence and could still be a surprise. He may wind up in the AHL right away, but more likely he will have to work his way up. Prediction: ECHL contract
D Jack Glover, Minnesota (WIN, Rd. 3 – 2014)
Glover may have led the Gophers in plus/minus last season and is certainly a defensive force, but his skating and offensive game simply leave too much to be desired. Prediction: ECHL contract
F Tyler Bird, Brown (CLB, Rd. 5 – 2014)
Bird got better offensively as his career with the Bears wore on, but he still was less than spectacular at putting up points. His lack of a defensive game leaves little upside otherwise. Prediction: ECHL contract
Minor Transactions: 08/09/18
The NHL is still waiting on a transaction this week, but other leagues are busy making moves. We’ll keep track of some of the minor dealings right here.
- After being traded just yesterday, Sergey Kalinin has inked a four-year contract with CSKA Moscow of the KHL, likely meaning any chance of an NHL return is over for the veteran forward. Now 27, Kalinin played 121 games for the New Jersey Devils and 19 with the Toronto Marlies before returning to Russia last season, and would have to make quite the impact in order to garner any NHL interest in four years.
- Johnny Austin has signed an AHL contract with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, after playing just a few minor league games with the Laval Rocket last season. Austin spent four years at the University of Connecticut, where he led all defensemen in scoring in 2017-18 with 19 points in 35 games. The 23-year old is undersized, but should give the AHL Penguins another powerplay option this season.
- Matt Lane, another undersized offensive college player, has signed an AHL contract with the Milwaukee Admirals. The 24-year old forward has played the majority of the last two seasons in the ECHL, where he recorded 25 points in 59 games last year. A gold medalist at the 2012 U18 World Championships with USA Hockey, Lane is trying to get to the next level in professional hockey after a solid career with Boston University.
- Andrew Crescenzi is headed to the EBEL next season, where he will suit up for HC Bolzano out of Italy. After playing many years in the minor leagues including the last several in the Los Angeles Kings organization, Crescenzi made his NHL debut in a two-game stint during the 2017-18 season. Unfortunately held scoreless, he’ll take his talents to Italy where he may be able to use his huge frame and physicality more effectively.
Morning Notes: McDavid, Drouin, Bavis
Connor McDavid wants to get some more consistent linemates this season, but is confident that the Edmonton Oilers can get back to their 2016-17 form during the upcoming season. McDavid spoke to reporters including Luke Fox of Sportsnet at the recent Pro Edge Power training camp in Toronto, where players from all around the league come to work on fine tuning their game in the offseason. Even though the 2017-18 season didn’t go as planned, McDavid found solace in how the team kept fighting until the end of the season.
There’s just got to be a point in time where you get sick of losing, and you just don’t anymore. Guys came together. Guys were sick of how the year was going and came back to playing hockey the way it should be, the way you need to,
Those Oilers haven’t done much to address their biggest weaknesses, but did bring in Tobias Rieder and Kyle Brodziak to help out their offensive group. One other thing that may come of the addition? A stronger locker room, given that McDavid specifically notes Brodziak’s solid reputation as a good teammate and notes that the team could use his help.
- If you thought Jonathan Drouin may end up back on the wing this season for the Montreal Canadiens, he has news for you. After struggling through the transition to center last season, Drouin told Pat Hickey of the Montreal Gazette that he will be back in the middle when training camp opens next month. Drouin admitted that he finally started to have some fun with the position in the second half of the 2017-18 season, which showed on the scoreboard as well. 18 of Drouin’s 46 points came in his final 25 games, including nine in nine to finish the year. If he can find that kind of offensive consistency right from the start of the season, the Canadiens might finally see the player they believed they had acquired for Mikhail Sergachev last summer.
- The Wheeling Nailers of the ECHL have hired Mike Bavis as their new head coach, after losing Mark Dennehy to the AHL a few days ago. Dennehy never actually coached a game for the Nailers, accepting the position only to be poached a few months later. Bavis spent more than a decade as an assistant coach at Boston University, but will get his first head coaching job at the professional level with the Nailers this season. Pittsburgh’s ECHL affiliate missed the playoffs the last two seasons but hasn’t posted a losing record in a decade. Bavis will be tasked with taking the group back to the postseason, while also developing some of Pittsburgh’s more raw or unheralded prospects.
Minor Transactions: 08/07/18
While the NHL takes its annual August rest, other leagues around the world are still working. The KHL preseason is underway, and junior leagues have already started shifting players around for their upcoming season. We’ll keep track of several interesting moves right here:
- Former Toronto Maple Leafs prospect and Anaheim Ducks defenseman Jesse Blacker has signed a one-year contract with Barys Astana in the KHL, moving over after playing with Kunlun Red Star last season. Blacker was once a second-round selection of the Maple Leafs, and made his one career NHL appearance for the Ducks in 2014-15. An incredible skater, Blacker could never find enough consistency in his own end to make an impact in the NHL, and instead left the minor league grind a few seasons ago. The 27-year old could potentially return to the AHL one day, but will remain in the KHL for at least one more year.
- Minnesota Wild prospect Ivan Lodnia has been traded from the Erie Otters to the Niagara Ice Dogs in the OHL, and could find more opportunity to show off his offensive skills with the new club. The third-round pick was recently cut from the US roster at the Summer Showcase, but is still a possibility for the World Junior team if they lose players over the next few months.
- Charlie Sampair has signed an AHL contract with the San Antonio Rampage after his huge ECHL season in 2017-18. After recording just 14 points in 102 games at the University of Minnesota-Duluth and just 13 in his first season in the ECHL, Sampair scored 32 goals and 61 points last season for the Tulsa Oilers. That will earn him a chance at the next level, where he’ll be pushed even more to produce offense for the Rampage. The Rampage also signed Jared Thomas to an AHL deal, reuniting the former UMD forward with Sampair at the next level.
- Former Minnesota Wild prospect Dylan Labbe failed to impress at the pro level in the five years since he was a fourth-round selection in 2013 and now the 23-year-old defenseman has been left with no option but to sign an ECHL contract. Labbe, a former standout with the QMJHL’s Shawinigan Cataractes, earned brief looks in the AHL in each of his first two post-draft years before being returned to juniors and then played full-time with the AHL’s Iowa Wild in his first pro season. However, disappointing returns led to Labbe spending the past season and a half in the ECHL. Now, with his entry-level contract expired, he is headed back to the “AA” level on a one-year contract with the Wichita Thunder, the league reported.
New Jersey Devils To Hire Mark Dennehy As AHL Head Coach
The New Jersey Devils have snatched a coach from the Pittsburgh Penguins organization, agreeing to terms with Mark Dennehy as head coach of their AHL affiliate. Dennehy had been hired earlier this offseason to lead the Wheeling Nailers of the ECHL, but was given permission to interview for the advanced position in the AHL. New Jersey AGM Tom Fitzgerald released a statement thanking the Penguins:
I want to thank Jim Rutherford, Bill Guerin, the Penguins’ organization and the Wheeling Nailers ownership group for the opportunity to speak with Mark on this position. Mark has spent considerable time building, coaching and recruiting in one of college hockey’s most competitive conferences. His experience will help him connect with players coming from the collegiate and junior hockey levels. Mark is extremely excited for a new challenge and to take the next step in his coaching career.
Dennehy has spent the last 13 years coaching Merrimack College, where he was tasked with developing young players and getting them ready for their transition into the professional ranks. He’ll be given a similar role with the Binghamton Devils, where the job is to get picks and prospects ready for their NHL futures while still maintaining a culture of winning.
Coaching Notes: Kowalsky, Grier, Warsofsky
The New Jersey Devils have hired Rick Kowalsky as an assistant coach, adding him to John Hynes‘ staff for the upcoming season. Kowalsky had been the head coach of the Binghamton (and Albany) Devils, winning Coach of the Year in the AHL for the 2015-16 season. Hynes had this to say about the addition:
Rick will be a great addition to our team and this is well-deserved. He and I have had a strong relationship over the past three seasons and he’s done an excellent job in developing our young players. Rick is a high-energy, hard-working coach, great communicator and a tactician who has a great mind for the game.
The hiring leaves the AHL Devils without a head coach for the time being, but adds a knowledgeable voice to the NHL group and one with plenty of first-hand experience with some of their young players. New Jersey didn’t add much this offseason, which should give some of their minor league standouts a chance to crack the NHL roster in training camp. Kowalsky will be a big part of making that transition a smooth one, and helping New Jersey remain deep enough to compete in the Metropolitan Division.
- It won’t just be Kowalsky though, as the Devils also announced that Mike Grier has been hired as an assistant coach with the NHL club. Grier, a long-time NHL player with over 1,000 regular season games under his belt, has been working as a pro scout for the Chicago Blackhawks but will now get his first professional coaching experience. The 43-year old was actually teammates with Hynes back at Boston University in the mid-’90s, which likely led to this opportunity with the Devils.
- The Carolina Hurricanes have given an up-and-coming coaching prospect his next opportunity, hiring Ryan Warsofsky as an assistant coach for the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers. Warsofsky is only 30 years old, but was the successful head coach of the South Carolina Stingrays of the ECHL the past two seasons. He took that team to the Kelly Cup Finals in 2017, and posted an 88-44-12 record during his time behind the bench. Expected to quickly climb the hockey coaching ladder, Warsofsky actually may have to coach against his brother David Warsofsky who is in the Colorado Avalanche organization and expected to spend the majority of the year in the AHL.
Central Notes: Trouba, Crawford, Wild
The Winnipeg Jets have proven to be a place where winning and success is starting to take fruition. Over the last couple of years, the team hasn’t had much trouble signing their key free agents, whether it’s Dustin Byfuglien, Mark Scheifele, Nikolaj Ehlers or Connor Hellebuyck.
That’s why its troubling to see the Jets and defenseman Jacob Trouba going to arbitration, the first player to take the Jets to arbitration in their history. This will be the second time the two sides have gone against each other in contract negotiations with the first encounter being quite heated and made it clear that Trouba didn’t want to be in Winnipeg. Considering that only one case in out of 55 last year went to arbitration, this just is another bad sign, according to Paul Wiecek of the Winnipeg Free-Press.
No matter what happens, the damage will have been done as arbitration only increases animosity between teams. With still lingering effects to the 15-game holdout between Trouba and the Jets, this will only worsen the problem. Wiecek suggests the team has two years to fix the problem and should start looking for a trade partner as soon as possible, because no matter how much he claims he loves it in Winnipeg, it looks more and more like he’ll bolt the first chance he reaches unrestricted free agency. Trading him as soon as possible will only bring home the best returns, which would be another solid defenseman.
- Mark Lazerus of The Chicago Sun-Times writes that the Chicago Blackhawks will know more about the status of goaltender Corey Crawford in the coming weeks. The veteran goaltender, who missed a large portion of the season last year, is expected to start skating soon and so far looks to be on track to returning this season. “I ran into him [Monday] and talked to him for a while,” general manager Stan Bowman said on Tuesday. “Things are looking good. He said he hasn’t done a whole lot of on-ice stuff yet, but a few of our guys were just starting to skate today, as well. I think they’ll get ramped up over the next six weeks and get more on-ice preparation. I know he’s been training off-ice. Hopefully, things are good.”
- The Minnesota Wild announced their new affiliation with the Allen Americans as their new ECHL franchise for the 2018-19 season. The team, based in Allen, Texas, has been a successful franchise over its nine years of existence, making the playoffs nine straight years including five years in the CHL and another four in the ECHL. They won the President’s Cup in 2013 and 2014, while winning the Kelly Cup in 2015 and 2016. The Wild used their Rapid City Rush last year as their ECHL affiliate.