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Ilya Usau Signs With KHL’s Dinamo Minsk

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Ilya Usau has signed with Dinamo Minsk of the Kontinental Hockey League, the team announced. The move comes more than a week after he was placed on unconditional waivers for the purposes of contract termination by the Lightning.

James Mirtle of The Athletic reported at the time that Tampa’s release of Usau was likely a precursor to his return to the KHL. It wasn’t clear where he’d be signing, but it’s a surprise to no one to see the Belarus native return home. The 6’1″ pivot is the second signing from North America that Minsk has made this week, joining minor-league veteran defender Xavier Ouellet.

Usau, 22, has spent the last two years playing for the Lightning’s primary minor-league affiliate, the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch. Undrafted, he signed with the Lightning as a free agent in March 2022 after a breakout season with Dinamo that saw him record nine goals and 26 points in 40 games while also representing Belarus at that year’s Olympic qualifiers.

His results with the Crunch were middling and failed to ever thrust him into consideration for an NHL recall. Over 99 appearances since 2022-23, Usau managed 11 goals and 30 points with a +1 rating. He played only 42 out of the Crunch’s 72 regular-season games this season, recording seven goals and seven assists, and did not play in the Calder Cup Playoffs.

Had Usau honored the final year of his entry-level contract next season, there was a strong chance he would have been non-tendered by the Lightning next summer and become an unrestricted free agent anyway. Instead, he gets to return home a year early in hopes of re-establishing himself as a professional regular. He’s still young enough that he may earn consideration as an international free agent signing again down the line, but don’t expect to hear his name in NHL circles for a while unless a massive breakout season arrives.

Blues RFA Mikhail Abramov Signs In KHL

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Blues pending restricted free agent center Mikhail Abramov has signed a one-year deal with Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod of Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League, per a league announcement. Torpedo acquired Abramov’s KHL signing rights last week in a trade with CSKA Moskva, dealing the rights to Flames pending RFA defender Nikita Okhotyuk the other way.

If they choose, the Blues can still retain Abramov’s signing rights if they issue him a qualifying offer by the June 30 deadline. It’s unclear if they plan to do so, but it is clear that he won’t be re-signing with the club this summer.

Abramov, 23, was a fourth-round pick of the Maple Leafs in 2019. The Russian center spent parts of two seasons playing for their AHL affiliate, the Toronto Marlies, before his signing rights were dealt to St. Louis as part of the return for Ryan O’Reilly in February 2023.

He’s suited up for the Blues’ primary affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds, ever since. Abramov has put up fine middle-six production in the minors since the deal, compiling 19 goals and 44 points in 80 games in a Springfield uniform, but has yet to earn an NHL call-up.

Now five years removed from his draft, he’s opting to return home – at least for the time being. Abramov hasn’t played there since suiting up in low-level juniors with CSKA in 2017-18, coming over to North America entering his draft year to play with the Victoriaville Tigres of the QMJHL.

Torpedo is coached by Hall of Fame center Igor Larionov and boasts two of the top five 2024 draft-eligible Russians in hulking defenseman Anton Silayev and winger Nikita Artamonov. They’re both contracted with Torpedo through the next two seasons.

KHL’s Dinamo Minsk Signs Xavier Ouellet

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Dinamo Minsk, the lone Belarusian team in Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League, announced the signing of defenseman Xavier Ouellet today. The French-born Canadian is a pending unrestricted free agent after completing a two-year, two-way deal with the Penguins.

Reports linked Ouellet to Minsk over the weekend. A second-round pick of the Red Wings back in 2011, the 30-year-old spent nearly a decade with them and the Canadiens before signing with Pittsburgh in free agency in 2022. He was placed on waivers to begin both seasons of his contract and spent the entirety of the deal on assignment to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, not even landing an NHL call-up for injury insurance purposes.

As such, while Ouellet has been signed to an NHL contract every season since 2012-13, he hasn’t played in a major-league game since a six-game run with Montreal in 2020-21. He last avoided AHL assignment in 2017-18 with Detroit, serving as a bottom-pair/seventh defenseman for the Wings for a pair of campaigns. He’s made 178 total NHL appearances in parts of eight seasons, totaling five goals and 28 points with a -3 rating while averaging 16:07 per game.

He’d still played an important depth role for the Pens while a part of the organization, serving as an alternate captain with WBS for the past two seasons. He was named to the AHL All-Star Game in 2023 after posting 17 points in 29 games, but an injury ended his season after New Year’s. This season, he compiled 25 points with a +9 rating in 63 showings, finishing second to Ty Smith on the team in points from defensemen.

Ouellet now takes his services to Europe for the first time, assumedly on a one-year deal. Dinamo didn’t disclose the length of his contract. He links up with a handful of former minor-league mainstays in Minsk, including one-time leading point-getter Sam Anas, ex-Islanders center Tanner Fritz, and Flames pending Group 6 UFA defenseman Brady Lyle.

Snapshots: Firkus, McCoshen, Tung

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Seattle Kraken forward prospect Jagger Firkus has won the CHL’s David Branch Player of the Year Award, after posting a Canada-leading 126 points in 63 games with the WHL’s Moose Jaw Warriors. He was the star of a Moose Jaw team rife with NHL talent, including Pittsburgh Penguins prospect Brayden Yager, who took home the league’s ‘Sportsman Player of the Year’ Award. Firkus and Yager were joined by Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Denton Mateychuk in Moose Jaw, forming a dominant team that won the WHL Championship and recently ranked third in the Memorial Cup.

Firkus signed his entry-level contract with Seattle ahead of the Memorial Cup and will now turn his sights towards pushing for the NHL lineup this off-season. The Kraken boast a strong prospect pool, including Shane Wright, Carson Rehkopf, and Jani Nyman – all players who could vie for an NHL opportunity of their own next season. That’ll mean plenty of competition for Firkus as he looks to adjust his aggressive offense to much tougher competition.

Other notes around the league:

  • Former Florida Panthers defenseman Ian McCoshen has signed a one-year contract with the KHL’s Kunlun Red Star (Twitter link). The move continues McCoshen’s tour across international hockey, after bouncing from a 2022 stint in Finland to a 2023 stint in Czechia, where he scored 12 points in 50 games with Liberec Bili Tygri HC. McCoshen is a veteran of just 60 NHL games, scoring seven points, though he did play in 174 games across five seasons in the AHL. He managed a season-high of just 11 points over his AHL career, a number he’s since topped in both Finland and Czechia. He’ll look to do the same in China next season, though the one-year deal could suggest another move coming soon.
  • BCHL goaltender Callum Tung will be attending both the Calgary Flames and Florida Panthers development camps, shares his Alberni Valley Bulldogs (Twitter link). Tung took over the Bulldogs’ starting role this season, posting 22 wins and a .917 save percentage across 38 regular season games. He managed to get even hotter in the postseason, winning 11 of 18 games and setting a .940 save percentage, though Alberni Valley ultimately fell to the Penticton Vees in the BCHL Championship. Tung remains eligible for the 2024 NHL Draft, after going overlooked in 2022 and 2023.  Tung isn’t currently committed to the NCAA either, suggesting he could be ready for a big challenge should he earn it at an NHL development camp.

International Rumors: Ouellet, Heatherington, Lethemon

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Defenseman Xavier Ouellet has played 178 career NHL games so far along with 441 career appearances in the AHL.  However, it appears that he won’t be adding to those totals next season as Belarus Hockey relays that the blueliner is expected to sign with Dinamo Minsk of the KHL.  The 30-year-old was a full-time NHLer for a couple of years with Detroit but since then, he has primarily played in the minors.  Ouellet inked a two-year deal with the Penguins in 2022 and was expected to be a key veteran with AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton while being a capable recall when injuries arose.  However, injuries limited the pending unrestricted free agent considerably in 2022-23 and while he was healthier this season, he didn’t get a recall to Pittsburgh and wound up posting two goals and 23 assists in 63 minor league appearances.

Other international rumblings pertaining to pending free agents:

  • The Senators have already lost Lassi Thomson and Jacob Larsson to overseas contracts and a third blueliner might be joining them as Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch reports that Dillon Heatherington is examining his international options. The 29-year-old played in a dozen games with Ottawa between 2021-22 and 2022-23 but didn’t see any NHL action this season.  Instead, Heatherington skated in 60 games with AHL Belleville and was briefly loaned out to play for Canada at the Spengler Cup back in December.
  • Red Wings pending UFA John Lethemon is expected to sign with Lukko in Finland, per a report from Satakunnan Kansa’s Kimmo Makelainen. The 27-year-old netminder has spent the last two years on an NHL deal with Detroit but has primarily played at the ECHL level in that span.  This season, Lethemon had a 2.90 GAA and a .892 SV% in 37 games with Toledo although he improved those to 2.46 and .899 respectively in nine playoff contests.  An NHL two-way deal likely wasn’t going to be on the table for Lethemon this summer so going overseas, assuming the contract gets finalized, makes some sense.

Afternoon Notes: Lisowsky, Islanders, Carle

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The Toronto Maple Leafs aren’t expected to sign 2022 seventh-round pick Brandon Lisowsky to his entry-level contract, shares Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun (Twitter link). Lisowsky is one of 47 prospects with rights set to expire this Saturday unless their NHL club signs them to an entry-level deal.

Lisowsky recently ended his OHL career, after spending the last four seasons with the Saskatoon Blades. He recorded 226 points across his 227 games with the club, ranking him sixth in team scoring since 2000. That includes the career-high 42 goals and 80 points he managed in 68 games this season. He was helped along a tremendous Saskatoon offense that also led undrafted free agent Trevor Wong to a 101-point season and Anaheim Ducks prospect Yegor Sidorov to an 88-point year in as many games. Lisowsky was also joined by fellow Maple Leafs prospect Fraser Minten, who managed 38 points in 36 games of his own.

Lisowsky joined Wong as the ace up Saskatoon’s sleeve all season long. Both players have blazing speed and an ability to make slick puck moves at top seed. But they each struggled with physicality throughout their juniors career, each standing at a lean 5-foot-9. That kept many scouts skeptical, even despite their highly creative and productive offense. The pair will now enter free agency together, looking to market teams on their ability to outpace competition.

Other notes from around the league:

  • The New York Islanders have hired Sergei Naumovs as the goalie coach for the AHL’s Bridgeport Islanders. Previous Bridgeport goalie coach Chris Terreri has joined the NHL staff as ‘Director of Goaltending Development and Scouting’, while Piero Greco will remain the NHL goalie coach, shares Andrew Gross of The Athletic (Twitter link). This shakeup in the Islanders goaltending room follows Mitch Korn’s – the team’s previous ’Director of Goaltending’ – departure for the Nashville Predators. Naumovs has served as the goalie coach of the KHL’s CSKA Moscow since 2018, coaching Ilya Sorokin before his move to the NHL. He most recently coached Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Ivan Fedotov, who posted a .914 save percentage in 44 KHL games last season. He’ll rejoin his previous star goalie in the Islanders organization – likely overseeing Henrik Tikkanen as Bridgeport’s starter next season.
  • Acclaimed Denver University head coach David Carle shared with Meghan Angley of The DNVR that he did formally talk to one NHL team about a coaching role, though it wasn’t the New Jersey Devils (Twitter link). Carle took over Denver’s head coaching role in 2018 and has since crafted a collegiate legend, winning the league championship in two of the last three seasons, while posting a combined 94-28-4 record over that span. Carle most notably crafted a dominant defense, featuring Colorado Avalanche prospect Sean Behrens, Detroit Red Wings prospect Shai Buium, and top 2024 NHL Draft defender Zeev Buium. He’s been speculated for many NHL coaching roles, including interest from the Devils. But Carle is set on returning to Denver next season, where he’ll look to make another strong push, following multiple notable transfers this off-season.

Snapshots: Myers, Necas, Buyalsky, Yeo

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Defenseman Tyler Myers is one of Vancouver’s many notable pending unrestricted free agents but that might not be the case for much longer.  In the latest 32 Thoughts podcast (audio link), Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman noted that there is optimism that the Canucks will be able to work something out with the blueliner.  Myers has spent the last five seasons in Vancouver after inking a $30MM deal with them back in 2019.  He struggled in a prominent role but found some traction in more limited minutes this season, notching 29 points in 77 games along with 136 blocks and 110 hits in just under 19 minutes a night.  It’s safe to say that a new agreement for the 34-year-old won’t reach the $6MM mark but half that on a multi-year deal could be double.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

  • The Canadiens are among the teams to have inquired about Hurricanes forward Martin Necas, Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic recently reported in an appearance on RDS (video link). The pending restricted free agent has been frequently mentioned in trade speculation in recent weeks with Carolina having a lot of players to re-sign and not enough cap space to bring everyone back.  Necas had 24 goals and 29 assists in 77 games during the regular season and added nine points in 11 postseason contests.  He’s owed a $3.5MM qualifying offer but stands to earn much more than that this summer while also carrying salary arbitration rights.
  • Avalanche prospect Andrei Buyalsky entered the transfer portal back on April 1st and has now found a new place to play next season. However, it’s not at the NCAA level as Barys Astana of the KHL announced on their Instagram page that they’ve signed they forward to a one-year contract.  The 23-year-old was a third-round pick of Colorado back in 2021, going 91st overall.  Buyalsky spent the last three years at the University of Vermont but saw his production dip this season to just three goals and eight assists in 25 games.
  • After parting ways with Vancouver yesterday, veteran coach Mike Yeo might not be out of a job for long. Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch reports that the Senators have interviewed Yeo for an assistant’s job on Travis Green’s bench while suggesting that he could be on the Maple Leafs’ radar as well having worked with Craig Berube before.  Yeo spent the last couple of years in that role with Vancouver and also has head coaching experience with Minnesota, St. Louis, and Philadelphia.

Adam Ruzicka Signs With KHL’s Spartak Moscow

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Center Adam Ružička has signed with Spartak Moscow of Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League, the team announced today on X. He joins the club on a one-year deal after having his contract terminated by the Coyotes in February after he posted a video of himself on his Instagram story showing him next to an unidentified white powdered substance, believed to be cocaine.

Ružička, 25, looked like he was on his way to becoming an NHL regular with the Flames after posting 20 points in just 44 games in the 2022-23 season. Unfortunately, the 6’4″, 215-lb pivot couldn’t keep up the momentum this year, limited to three goals and nine points in 39 games before landing on waivers in January. The Coyotes claimed him, but an illness and work visa issues limited him to three appearances, going without a point and averaging just 8:17 per game, before the contract termination.

He wasn’t a highly-touted prospect, going 109th overall to Calgary in 2017, but he did have spectacular showings with the AHL’s Stockton Heat that got him into an extended NHL tryout three years after turning pro. The Slovak pivot put up 32 goals and 36 assists for 68 points in 98 games with Stockton over three campaigns there, including 11 goals and 20 points in just 16 games in his final minor-league stint in 2021-22. There’s a good amount of offensive skill in his game, but a surprising lack of physicality and aggression, given his frame, has limited his effectiveness defensively. This year, he had a 45.4 CF% and 39.5 xGF% at even strength across 42 games with the Coyotes and Flames.

Ružička is set to be a top-six force for Spartak, given his previous offensive effectiveness in minor-league and limited NHL roles. He joins a club with longtime NHLers Alex Kovalev and Alexei Zhamnov on its coaching staff. Their top forward, former Canucks and Sharks winger Nikolay Goldobin, tied for second in the KHL in scoring last season with 37 goals and 78 points in 67 games.

Adam Clendening, Vladimir Tkachev Sign In KHL

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China-based Kunlun Red Star of Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League announced today that they’ve signed right-shot defenseman Adam Clendening for the 2024-25 season (X link). He wasn’t the only former NHLer to extend his stay overseas, as the KHL’s Avangard Omsk also re-signed forward Vladimir Tkachev to a five-year deal, per the league. While the agreement extends a lengthy KHL resume for Tkachev, it will be Clendening’s second season overseas and his first in the KHL.

Clendening, 31, was once a decently high-value prospect with the Blackhawks after being taken in the second round of the 2011 draft, but never managed to land a role above a seventh defenseman at the NHL level. He appeared in parts of five seasons from 2014 to 2019, making brief stops with the Blackhawks, Blue Jackets, Canucks, Coyotes, Oilers, Penguins, and Rangers before settling exclusively into a minor-league role shortly before the pandemic. Clendening was long an offensive force at the AHL level and put up decent numbers in his depth NHL minutes, totaling 24 points and a +11 rating in 90 career major-league appearances.

Since his last NHL appearance with Columbus in 2019, Clendening spent the next three seasons on two-way NHL contracts but didn’t receive any call-ups. After settling for an AHL contract in 2022-23, splitting the season between Rockford and Hartford, he opted to take his talents overseas for the first time. The New York-born blue-liner signed a one-year deal with Ilves in the Finnish Liiga, putting up eight goals, 20 assists and 28 points with 41 PIMs and a +9 rating in 40 showings. They opted not to retain him, though, and he now takes his talents to a Red Star team that’s failed to make the playoffs since its inaugural season in 2016-17. The team remains technically based in China but has played most of its games in Mytishchi, a suburb of Moscow, since the pandemic.

As for Tkachev, he’ll be a familiar name for Kings fans. They attempted to bring him over as an undrafted free agent in 2021, but he appeared in only four games, recording two assists, and spent most of the 2021-22 season on assignment to AHL Ontario. After failing to match his KHL production rate in the minors, they opted not to issue him a qualifying offer and let him become an unrestricted free agent, upon which he returned home. The 5’10” winger has since established his status as one of the best players in the league, leading to some spotty speculation that he would attempt an NHL comeback next season, but that won’t be the case. He had a career-high 75 points in 58 games with Omsk last year, serving as an alternate captain and ranking fifth in the league in scoring.

Afternoon Notes: Hintz, Goldobin, Sharks Coaching

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The Dallas Stars will once again be left with a game-time decision on centerman Roope Hintz, shares Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman (Twitter link). Hintz has missed Dallas’ last four games with an upper-body injury sustained in Game 4 of the second-round series against the Colorado Avalanche.

Hintz was an integral piece of the Stars lineup through the regular season, posting 30 goals and 65 points – both marks he’s also reached in the last two seasons. He’s maintained that strong presence into the postseason, posting six points through the 11 games he’s been healthy for. Maybe more importantly, Dallas hasn’t yet found their de facto fill-in for Hintz’s injury.

Radek Faksa was previously filling the vacancy, but head coach Pete DeBoer decided to switch to Ty Dellandrea for Game 2 of the Western Conference Final. Dellandrea recorded three shots on goal through 11:39 in ice time but did little to command the lineup spot as his own. Hintz should return to the team’s top six immediately upon his return. But Dallas will be left with a tricky lineup decision should he once again be unavailable.

Other notes from around the league:

  • Former San Jose Sharks first-round pick Nikolay Goldobin has signed a two-year extension with Moscow Spartak of the KHL (Twitter link). The 28-year-old forward is coming off a career year, posting a career-high 37 goals and 78 points through 67 games this season and adding nine points in 11 playoff games. His regular season scoring tied him for second in the KHL in scoring behind Reid Boucher, who posted 44 goals and 78 points of his own. It was Goldobin’s third full-time season in the KHL, having posted 39 and 36 points over the last two years, respectively. He’ll look to build off a dazzling season, now re-upped in Russia.
  • The San Jose Sharks are advancing their search for their next head coach, providing second interviews to both Jeff Blashill and Ryan Warsofsky, shares Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman in the recent 32 Thoughts Podcast. Warsofsky has been an assistant coach in San Jose for the last two seasons, moving to the NHL after leading the AHL’s Chicago Wolves to a Calder Cup win in 2022. Meanwhile, Blashill has been an assistant to Jon Cooper and the Tampa Bay Lightning for his last two seasons – proceeding his seven-year tenure as the Detroit Red Wings head coach.

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