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Overseas Notes: Swedish U20, Stutzle, Kozun

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Sweden will hold a training camp for World Junior hopefuls later this month and today published a roster for the event. That group includes top 2020 draft prospects Alexander Holtz and Lucas Raymond who both could be selected in the first ten picks. Outside of that dynamic duo, however, there are several other interesting names that could be relatively high picks.

With events like the World Junior Summer Showcase and Hlinka-Gretzky tournament canceled, the scouting season for NHL teams will be much different.

  • Tim Stutzle, another top prospect for the upcoming draft, spoke with Craig Button and J.D. Burke for the new Elite Prospects podcast. The German forward spoke about learning a lot from former NHLer Ben Smith, and touched on his insatiable drive to win (or perhaps hatred of losing). Stutzle took home the DEL Rookie of the Year award this season after scoring 34 points in 41 games and is the top-ranked international skater according to NHL Central Scouting.
  • Brandon Kozun will remain in the KHL, this time signing a contract with Dynamo Minsk for the 2020-21 season. The 30-year old forward played just 20 games in the NHL before leaving for the KHL in 2015 but has had a ton of success overseas. An Olympic bronze medal with Team Canada in 2018 and three All-Star games has been the reward for Kozun, who had 22 points in 47 games this season.

Josh Ho-Sang Linked To KHL

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Wednesday: Pagnotta updates the situation, reporting that Ho-Sang has agreed to a one-year deal with a KHL team for next season.

Tuesday: It hasn’t been a great start to Josh Ho-Sang’s professional career.  While he was a strong producer in junior that helped him become a first-round pick in 2014 (28th overall), the Islanders prospect has struggled over the last few years.  He was seeking a change of scenery earlier this season and with that not happening, he appears to be working on a change of his own as David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports (Twitter link) that the winger is closing in on a KHL contract for next season with an undisclosed team.

The 24-year-old cleared waivers at the start of the season but refused to report to Bridgeport, the AHL affiliate of the Islanders.  Instead, he went home to await a trade but one never materialized.  He eventually reported back and got into 16 games with the Sound Tigers before being loaned to San Antonio, the AHL affiliate of St. Louis in late February where he suited up six times before the pandemic hit.  His production wasn’t half bad over that stretch with four goals and nine assists in 22 games between the two teams.

Ho-Sang is slated to become a restricted free agent in October and while it seemed like he was heading for a guaranteed non-tender, a move overseas at this time might actually help keep him around with the Islanders.  There would be minimal risk to qualifying him if he’s already suiting up in the KHL as they’d be able to retain his rights without any risk of him accepting the offer.  If he plays well, it would give them the opportunity to try to bring him back down the road or trade his rights.  Whether that happens or not, a move overseas would give Ho-Sang a chance to try to rebuild some value and give him the short-term change he has been looking for.

Jets Forward Andrei Chibisov Signs In KHL

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Last offseason, the Jets brought in forward Andrei Chibisov to give them some depth down the middle with the hopes that he could compete for a roster spot.  That didn’t really happen as he spent most of the year in the minors and as a result, he is heading back overseas as Metallurg Magnitogorsk of the KHL announced that they’ve signed him to a three-year contract.

The 27-year-old returns to an organization that he’s quite familiar with as his best KHL campaign came with Magnitogorsk back in 2018-19 where he had 20 points in 50 games.  That helped him get on Winnipeg’s radar as he signed soon after that season came to an end.

Unfortunately for them, the deal didn’t quite pan out as well as they hoped.  Chibisov only played in two games for Winnipeg this season and was left off of their postseason roster.  While he had a respectable 25 points in 53 games with AHL Manitoba, that type of production wasn’t going to generate much interest in NHL free agency so going back home and getting some term on his deal in the process certainly makes sense from his perspective.

Brendan Leipsic Signs In KHL

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CSKA Moscow of the KHL has decided to take a chance on a recent free agent, signing Brendan Leipsic to a one-year contract for the 2020-21 season. The 26-year old Leipsic saw his contract with the Washington Capitals terminated in May after private messages from Instagram came to light. At the time, the NHL released this statement:

The National Hockey League strongly condemns the misogynistic and reprehensible remarks made by players Brendan Leipsic and (Florida Panthers prospect) Jack Rodewald in a private group chat that has surfaced on social media. There is no place in our League for such statements, attitudes and behavior, no matter the forum. We will address this inexcusable conduct with the clubs and players involved.

Immediately, it became clear that Leipsic would no longer be welcome on the Capitals, who placed him on unconditional waivers and then terminated his contract. He’ll now get an opportunity to continue his career, though it will be overseas.

Leipsic scored 11 points in 61 games for the Capitals this season and has 59 in his 187-game career. The third-round pick has suited up for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Vegas Golden Knights, Vancouver Canucks, Los Angeles Kings, and Capitals, never staying in one place for very long.

Kirill Maksimov Assigned To KHL

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The Edmonton Oilers continue to find places for their minor league prospects to play for the next several months, this time assigning Kirill Maksimov to CSKA Moscow in the KHL.

Maksimov, 21, played in 53 games for the Bakersfield Condors this season, registering 13 points in limited minutes. Interestingly enough, though Maksimov was born in Russia he has played in North America since he was a young teenager, first in the GTHL and then the OHL. The fifth-round pick has plenty of offensive skill but found himself relatively low on the depth chart as a rookie.

That may be a trend, given how talented the CSKA squad normally is. A KHL powerhouse almost every season, they may be losing top names like Kirill Kaprizov and Mikhail Grigorenko, but still have loads of skill that Maksimov will have to compete with for playing time.

Like many other prospects, Maksimov will likely get a chance to return for NHL training camp in November, but getting him back on the ice and into game action is obviously the most important goal here.

Maple Leafs Loan Mikko Lehkonen To Jokerit Of The KHL

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It turns out that Mikko Lehtonen’s time in the KHL isn’t over yet after all.  The Maple Leafs announced (Twitter link) that they have loaned the blueliner back to Jokerit to start next season.  He’s expected to report to the team next week.

Toronto signed the 26-year-old back in May after he and Jokerit agreed to a mutual termination of his existing KHL deal and the Maple Leafs beat out several other NHL suitors for his services.  He’s coming off quite a year, one that saw him pick up 17 goals and 32 assists in 60 regular season games (plus four points in six playoff contests before COVID-19 shut down their postseason).  He was limited to a one-year, entry-level contract due to his age and he’ll actually hit the open market again in the 2021 offseason.

Lehtonen will be the second Toronto player loaned out to the KHL to start next season as it was reported earlier this week that Egor Korshkov would be loaned to Lokomotiv Yaroslavl to get some playing time in before training camps start up.

It’s that performance that has many expecting that he’ll be a part of Toronto’s back end when the puck drops on the 2020-21 season which is pegged to be in early December as things stand.  Loaning Lehtonen out in the meantime will allow him to get some playing time and should help give him a leg up in training camp.

Yegor Rykov Traded In KHL

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When the New York Rangers sent Michael Grabner to the New Jersey Devils in 2018, they got back an interesting young defense prospect by the name of Yegor Rykov (in addition to a second-round selection). Rykov had been a fifth-round pick by the Devils in 2016, but was still playing in the KHL and there was no clear timeline on when he would be coming to North America. A little over a year later the Rangers convinced Rykov to sign his entry-level contract, and he spent this season in the AHL with the Hartford Wolf Pack. Now, with uncertainty over when the AHL will start play, Rykov appears to be heading back to Russia.

The 23-year old’s rights were traded from SKA St. Petersburg to CSKA Moscow, a deal between two of the KHL powerhouses. When the news came across, Rick Carpinello of The Athletic tweeted that the expectation is that Rykov will spend the 2020-21 season in Russia, given how far he is down the Rangers depth chart.

Rykov is still under contract with New York for next season, but according to Larry Brooks of the New York Post, the deal has a European Assignment Clause for the 2020-21 season. That would mean Rykov essentially controls his own fate unless the Rangers were willing to give him an NHL roster spot.

That may not be so far off, given his early-career experience. The 6’2″ left-handed defenseman has played three fulls seasons in the KHL and a year in the AHL already, despite only turning 23 a few months ago. He was a standout at the World Juniors in 2017 for Russia, taking home a bronze medal before returning to Russia and winning a Gagarin Cup with SKA.

If the speculation proves correct, his development will have to continue overseas for now. Hopefully the Rangers can come to an agreement for another contract in 2021 when he will be a restricted free agent.

Minor Transactions: 07/30/20

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The NHL is back, kicking things off with some exhibition action between rivals. As the hockey world focuses on exhibition games, minor league and European teams continue to build their depth for an upcoming season. As minor signings roll in, we’ll keep track of them right here.

  • Former St. Louis Blues defenseman Petteri Lindbohm has signed on with a new NLA team for the 2020-21 season, inking a deal with EHC Biel. The 26-year old played 40 games for the Blues between 2014-2017 but recorded just three NHL points.
  • 2008 second-round pick Danny Kristo will play for Kunlun Red Star of the KHL this season after spending last year in Switzerland. Picked 56th overall in his draft year by the Montreal Canadiens, Kristo never did make it to the NHL.
  • Chicago Blackhawks prospect Roope Laavainen has signed a contract with IPK in the Finnish second league, meaning he won’t be coming to North America this season. The 21-year old fourth-round pick played 40 games in the top league in Finland last season, recording four points.

Snapshots: Bubble Life, Belzile, Omsk

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Life in the NHL is different these days, with regular afternoon games, no fans in the stands and a lockdown outside the rink. If the Stanley Cup playoffs weren’t unpredictable enough, things are sure to amaze this year when teams come together in the early rounds.

Though the league has done everything possible to make the players as comfortable as possible there are bound to be some oddities. Marcus Foligno of the Minnesota Wild will be giving fans an inside look at “bubble life” in Edmonton with a diary for The Athletic, and in his first edition, perhaps unsurprisingly, he mentions that most of the players took advantage of a Tim Hortons pop-up truck on day one. The continuing diary is sure to be interesting, though fans will have to hope the Wild make it through the qualifying round.

  • After taking a punishing hit from Jake Muzzin last night, Montreal Canadiens forward Alex Belzile did not participate today at practice. Belzile played under two minutes thanks to the hit, which forced him out of the game after he slammed his head into the boards. As with any injury these playoffs, the exact diagnosis is not expected to be released publicly.
  • After reporting earlier today that SKA St. Petersburg had shut down training camp temporarily, Rick Dhaliwal of TSN gives us some more news on the KHL COVID-19 situation. According to Dhaliwal, up to 20 players on Avangard Omsk have been “infected” and most of the team is being quarantined. Reid Boucher, who signed with the club for 2020-21, had not yet arrived.

Morning Notes: Chayka, Coaches Poll, SKA

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The wild John Chayka situation in Arizona continues, with more details emerging daily. This time it’s from Greg Wyshynski of ESPN, who confirms the previous speculation that it was the New Jersey Devils ownership group that offered Chayka a position. Josh Harris and David Blitzer also own the Philadelphia 76ers, Crystal Palace FC, and are potential contenders to purchase the New York Mets.

As Wyshynski and other reporters have explained, the situation is expected to be dealt with by NHL commissioner Gary Bettman at some point before Chayka takes a new position.

  • Craig Custance and Michael Russo of The Athletic published their coaches poll today, with some interesting results. The NHL coaches that were asked feel as though the Pittsburgh Penguins are the team that most benefited from the break, while others pointed out Nathan MacKinnon’s ability to carry his team to the Stanley Cup. The entire poll provides good insight into how those intimately involved feel about the return to play tournament.
  • The Vancouver Canucks have their sights set on the ultimate prize this summer, but their prospect pipeline continues to be an interesting subject of conversation. Vasily Podkolzin, selected tenth overall last year, isn’t even signed by the team yet but could be a difference-maker in the future. Unfortunately, Rick Dhaliwal of TSN reports that Podkolzin’s team, SKA St. Petersburg in the KHL, has temporarily shut down training camp due to COVID-19 concerns. Podkolzin has not tested positive.

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