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Madison Bowey Signs In KHL

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Sept. 2: Dinamo Minsk has indeed announced a one-year contract for Bowey.  He’s likely to make his debut with the team later today in their season opener.

Aug. 26: Unrestricted free agent defenseman Madison Bowey hasn’t been able to land a contract in North America this summer so it appears he has turned his focus overseas.  Sammi Silber of The Hockey News relays (Twitter link) that the blueliner is nearing a one-year deal with Dinamo Minsk of the KHL.

The 28-year-old signed a one-year contract with Montreal last summer but failed to see any NHL action for the first time since the 2016-17 campaign.  Bowey cleared waivers in training camp and was assigned to AHL Laval.  However, he dealt with multiple injuries throughout the year which limited him to just 35 games where he managed only 13 points.

Bowey does have 158 career games of NHL experience under his belt with four different organizations, the bulk of which came with Washington who drafted him in the second round (53rd overall) back in 2013.  Between those and his 204 AHL appearances, he qualifies for veteran status in the minors which likely hurt his value; AHL teams are limited to how many veteran skaters they’re allowed to dress and a down year like the one he had could have made teams look elsewhere to fill those slots.

With that in mind, it’s not surprising that Bowey is looking overseas.  An offensive blueliner back in junior, he could find himself with an opportunity to play a bigger role on that front which would make him a valuable piece at that level or perhaps get him back on the radar down the road in North America.

CSKA Moscow Defies IIHF Ruling, Plays Ivan Fedotov

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KHL club CSKA Moscow has opted to start Philadelphia Flyers netminder Ivan Fedotov in their KHL regular-season opener today against Ak Bars Kazan, thereby violating the IIHF sanctions laid out against the club last month, as Szymon Szemberg of the Alliance of European Hockey Clubs reports.

The international governing body had ruled Fedotov’s tolled entry-level contract with the Flyers was valid for the 2023-24 season after CSKA Moscow attempted to sign Fedotov to a two-year deal earlier this summer. Fedotov had originally signed with the Flyers in the summer of 2022 but was barred from leaving Russia to complete required military service.

Shortly after the IIHF ruled, the Russian Ice Hockey Federation announced they’d submitted an appeal. That process has not been completed yet, however, and no follow-up ruling has been adjudicated. The KHL released a statement before today’s game, citing their legal grounds for CSKA to play Fedotov based on the Russian constitution’s grant of a citizen’s right to work. KHL president Aleksey Morozov also claimed the General Prosecutor’s Office of the Russian government warned the KHL and CSKA “about the inadmissibility of violating the right to work.”

As Szemberg notes, this decision will likely continue to further isolate Russian hockey on the international landscape and could further delay their return to international play, even if the country’s illegal invasion of Ukraine ends. With Russian players and teams already barred from participating in international events, Szemberg believes the KHL has nothing to lose by violating IIHF sanctions, as there’s not much more that could be levied against them.

Minor Transactions: 08/31/23

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It’s a big day in the wider world of professional hockey, as some of the top clubs in Europe are set to do battle in the first matchday of the Champions Hockey League. Highlights include Finnish champions Tappara Tampere taking on the Aalborg Pirates (Danish Champions) and the Liiga silver medalists, Lahti Pelicans, against the SHL champion Växjö Lakers HC. Clubs outside the Champions League as well as North American teams are still making moves to add players, so as always we’ll keep track of those transactions here.

  • Former Cornell University defenseman Cody Haiskanen had an exceptional rookie season in pro hockey, leading the ECHL in plus-minus with a +53 rating, the second-highest single-season rating in ECHL history. The rangy six-foot-four blueliner scored five goals and 29 points in 61 games, and played 19 playoff games en route to the Kelly Cup Finals. Today, he signed a one-year contract extension with the Idaho Steelheads to remain with the club for this upcoming season.
  • 21-year-old winger Pavel Tyutnev signed a contract with Admiral Vladivostok of the KHL today, committing his services to the club for the next two seasons. The Russian winger was ranked 49th among European skaters by NHL Central Scouting in 2020, but ended up going undrafted. He scored 17 points in 23 games at the junior level for Lokomotiv Yaroslavl last season and got into 5 games with the senior club, scoring his first KHL goal in the process. Now with this two year deal Tyutnev heads to Vladivostok with the hope of making a push for a full-time KHL job.
  • Matt Tugnutt, the son of former NHL netminder Ron Tugnutt, is returning to North America after playing last season overseas in France’s Ligue Magnus. Tugnutt, 27, spent last year with Chamonix, scoring 13 goals and 29 points in 37 games. He’s signing with the ECHL’s South Carolina Stingrays, re-joining the league he played 2021-22 in. He has 25 career ECHL points in 53 career games, and has played in South Carolina before as he’s skated four games for the Greenville Swamp Rabbits.
  • Former Los Angeles Kings winger Nikolay Prokhorkin has signed a one-year contract with the KHL’s Sibir Novosibirsk. Prokhorkin, 29, has 43 NHL games on his resume and has, as a 2012 fourth-round pick, attempted to break into the North American game on two occasions. Both occasions ended with his departure to the KHL, the league he’s settled into as a capable scorer. Prokhorkin’s best season came in 2018-19, when he scored 41 points in 41 games for SKA St. Petersburg. Prokhorkin is a KHL All-Star, Gagarin Cup Champion, and Olympic gold medalist, but only managed to play in three KHL games last season. Novosibirsk is where he’ll look to construct a bounce-back season on this one-year deal.
  • Former Anaheim Ducks prospect Jack Badini, the 91st overall pick at the 2017 NHL draft, has signed with Stjernen Hockey, a club in the top division of Norwegian hockey. The 25-year-old American forward spent most of last season with the ECHL’s Newfoundland Growlers, scoring 16 points in 31 regular-season games. He earned nine games at the AHL level with the Toronto Marlies and has 78 career games at the AHL level, where he’s scored eight points. Badini was a solid prospect in his days in the USHL and at Harvard, but he hasn’t been able to put together a strong resume in the North American pro game, prompting this signing overseas.

This page may be updated throughout the day.

Minor Transactions: 08/26/23

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Although the start of the NHL season is still more than a month away, we’re rapidly approaching the beginning of the regular season for many top professional leagues in Europe. Teams have been playing preseason games for quite some time now, and in just a few days some top teams will have their seasons truly begin.

The Champions Hockey League has its first matchday on Thursday, with some notable contests including Liiga runners-up Lahti Pelicans against the Växjö Lakers, the reigning SHL champions. The reigning Swiss champions, Genève-Servette HC, will take on Austria’s HC Innsbruck in a contest set to feature numerous former longtime NHLers, such as Valtteri Filppula, Daniel Winnik, and Sami Vatanen. For many clubs in Europe, this time of the summer remains an opportunity to add players for what they hope will be a strong 2023-24 campaign. As always, we’ll keep track of minor league and overseas league transactions here.

  • A report out of Russia has linked veteran NHL goalie Anton Khudobin to a club in the VHL, Russia’s second-tier professional league. The 37-year-old is reportedly signing with Sokol Krasnoyarsk on a contract that contains a termination clause should Khudobin receive a KHL offer.  Khudobin hasn’t played overseas since the lockout at the start of the 2012-13 season, and would leave behind a North American pro career with quite a few highlights. He’s played in 260 career NHL games, with his career highlight undoubtedly coming in the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs, when he backstopped the Dallas Stars to the Stanley Cup Final. Khudobin only appeared in one NHL game last season, stopping 22 of 28 shots in a March contest as a member of the Chicago Blackhawks.
  • After signing 654-game NHL veteran Alex Galchenyuk, the KHL’s SKA St. Petersburg have made another move involving a former NHLer. They’ve acquired the KHL playing rights to forward Dominik Kahun, who has 186 NHL games on his resume. Kahun hasn’t played in the NHL since 2020-21 but has had a successful two-year stint with SC Bern in the Swiss National League, scoring 65 points in 65 games. St. Petersburg may not be able to get Kahun onto their roster officially for quite a while, though, as the recent IIHF Men’s World Championship silver medalist signed a three-year extension with Bern last October that will keep him in the de facto Swiss capital until 2027.
  • 20-year-old netminder Tikhon Chayka was not extended a full-time contract from the KHL’s Dynamo Minsk at the conclusion of his try-out deal, the club announced today. This means that Chayka will move on from the team after just a short period with the club. Chayka wrapped up a two-year stint playing major junior hockey for the Prince Albert Raiders in the WHL at the end of last season, accumulating 96 games played with an .899 save percentage. He’ll now look elsewhere for a spot to begin his pro career.

This page may be updated throughout the day. 

Alex Galchenyuk Signs With KHL’s St. Petersburg

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August 25: Galchenyuk has indeed signed in the KHL, although it’s not with the expected team. He’s joining SKA St. Petersburg on a two-year contract, according to the team. Galchenyuk recently took a plea deal for a misdemeanor charge as part of the July incident, which resulted in five other charges against him being dropped, per Katie Strang of The Athletic.

August 6: Per a report out of Russia, free agent forward Alex Galchenyuk is likely to sign with the KHL’s Spartak Moscow this summer. Galchenyuk had signed a one-year deal with the Arizona Coyotes when NHL free agency opened on July 1, but the team terminated his contract over a week later after Galchenyuk was arrested on a number of charges, which included a private property hit-and-run and resisting arrest. The 29-year-old issued public apologies to the Coyotes organization and the Scottsdale, Arizona, police department and is currently in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program.

Galchenyuk, who has now amassed over 650 NHL games over an 11-season career, played a career-low 11 NHL games last season for the Colorado Avalanche and spent most of the campaign in the minors. Returning to the Coyotes would have brought him back to the organization where he’s had his most productive seasons since the Montreal Canadiens, who drafted him third overall in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, dealt him away in 2018. Formerly a 30-goal scorer, Galchenyuk was held off the scoresheet entirely in his games with Colorado last season, but he did post 16 goals, 26 assists and 42 points in 42 games while in the AHL with the Colorado Eagles.

Even in limited minutes with Colorado last season, Galchenyuk no longer looked comfortable in NHL action. Averaging just 7:06 per game, Galchenyuk posted a rather horrid relative Corsi for percentage at even strength of -11.6. Head coach Jared Bednar’s usage of him likely didn’t help matters, though. He started just 39.2% of his zone starts at even strength in the offensive zone, by far a career low.

It’s unclear for how long Galchenyuk is expected to sign with Moscow, but after his arrest and lack of sustainable NHL play last season, it’s conceivable he plays the rest of his pro career overseas. Galchenyuk was born in the United States and has represented the U.S. internationally, but was born to Belarusian parents and is fluent in Russian. He has never played professionally in Russia, however. If he does indeed join Spartak, he’d line up alongside a forward corps ripe with former NHLers, including Alexander Burmistrov, Nikolay Goldobin, Andrei Loktionov, and Shane Prince.

Russian Ice Hockey Federation Appeals Ivan Fedotov Ruling

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Earlier this week, the IIHF issued its ruling on Flyers goaltender Ivan Fedotov, stating that the tolled contract with Philadelphia is the one that is valid, not the two-year agreement he recently signed with CSKA Moscow of the KHL.  Not surprisingly, Victoria Kravchenko of Sport-Express relays that the Russian Ice Hockey Federation has officially appealed the ruling, submitting it on Friday.

Fedotov originally signed a one-year contract with Philadelphia for the 2022-23 campaign but then was told that he needed to fulfill his one year of mandatory military service which he has now completed.  Philadelphia’s assertion is that since their original deal is still valid since it was tolled, the 26-year-old should be suiting up for them next season.

The IIHF’s ruling clearly saw it that way as they suspended Fedotov from appearing in any “official national and international games during playing periods” from September 1, 2023, through December 31, 2023.  Meanwhile, CSKA also received a significant sanction as they are now prohibited from making any international transfers for one year until August 10, 2024.  CSKA has since stated that they believe the IIHF’s ruling was biased.

The appeal actually goes against what Fedotov’s agent J.P. Barry indicated late last month to TSN’s Darren Dreger (Twitter link) when he issued a statement saying that Fedotov would abide by the ruling whichever way it went.  As it turns out, Fedotov suited up for CSKA today in preseason action which doesn’t qualify as international games under the IIHF’s ruling.  Clearly, even with the IIHF’s ruling in Philadelphia’s favor, this file is far from being settled.

Ryan Merkley Signs In KHL

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Former San Jose Sharks first-round pick defenseman Ryan Merkley is taking his services overseas at just 23 years old, as the KHL’s Kunlun Red Star has signed him to a one-year contract.

Merkley’s transition to pro hockey has been rocky, to say the least. The Sharks signed him to his entry-level contract just days after the 2018 Draft, but his contract slid for two seasons as he was returned to the OHL’s Guelph Storm for both seasons. Turning pro in 2020, Merkley registered 11 points in 31 games during his first outing with the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda, sticking in the minors throughout and looking to round out his game, which had well-documented defensive concerns.

His production never really took off from there, however, limiting his effectiveness in the area the Sharks hoped he could excel. He did get an extended NHL look in 2021-22, though, playing in 39 games with the Sharks but registering just a goal and six points. That could very well be the only NHL ice he ever sees.

Merkley didn’t make San Jose out of camp last season and was assigned to the minors, where he played out the entire 2022-23 season, posting 22 points in 58 games. In January, the Sharks dealt Merkley to the Colorado Avalanche for another disgruntled prospect, Martin Kaut, who also didn’t register much of an impact in the Sharks organization. After Merkley didn’t gain much of a significant role in Colorado’s system with the Eagles in the AHL, they opted not to qualify him in June and let him become an unrestricted free agent.

With no rumored NHL offers, Merkley heads to the KHL, where he could very well play out his pro career, including some other destinations in Europe. Signing in China, Merkley joins a Kunlun team captained by former NHLer Brandon Yip. He’ll need to show significant strides overseas in order to potentially regain an NHL contract some point down the line.

East Notes: Trade Targets, Amirov Jersey Retirement, Nylander

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Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander and Winnipeg Jets players Connor Hellebuyck and Mark Scheifele land atop the latest Trade Targets list from The Athletic, written by Shayna Goldman. All pending unrestricted free agents, Nylander finds himself first on the list after recording a career-high 40 goals and 87 points in 82 games last season. As Goldman notes, it’s highly unlikely a potential Nylander extension becomes top of mind for Toronto GM Brad Treliving until an extension for teammate Auston Matthews is signed, sealed and delivered.

Regarding Hellebuyck, his trade value has decreased in recent months, with teams shying away from doling out large sums of cash to bonafide starting netminders, instead looking for value options in the crease to guide them deep in the playoffs. Goldman posits, however, that it’s a method that can work only for a select few – namely Colorado and Vegas, as it has the past two seasons, given the strengths of their defense corps. While teams should be rightfully wary about handing out too much term to Hellebuyck on an extension, given he’s already 31 years old, acquiring a clear-cut elite starter is still necessary for some teams to reach championship contention. Other names on the list included Anaheim Ducks netminder John Gibson, Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Brett Pesce, Calgary Flames players Noah Hanifin and Elias Lindholm, and Arizona Coyotes forwards Nick Schmaltz and Jason Zucker.

  • In a well-deserved and meaningful gesture, KHL club Salavat Yulaev Ufa will be retiring Rodion Amirov’s number 27 after the young forward passed away from a years-long battle with a brain tumor on Tuesday, according to The Hockey News’ David Alter. The 21-year-old Maple Leafs prospect had suited up in 70 games for his hometown team before he had to stop his playing career in 2021 to undergo cancer treatment. Reports indicate Salavat’s captain, 625-game KHL veteran Grigori Panin, initiated the decision.
  • Alexander Nylander is a candidate to slide into the Pittsburgh Penguins’ top six to begin the season, says The Athletic’s Rob Rossi. The 2016 eighth-overall pick could get a look at either Sidney Crosby’s or Evgeni Malkin’s left wing with Jake Guentzel sidelined for the first few games of 2023-24 after undergoing ankle surgery earlier this month. Now on his third NHL organization, the 25-year-old Nylander will look to capture a full-time spot in the NHL for the first time since he played 65 games with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2019-20.

Minor Transactions: 08/17/23

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The 2023-24 regular season is quickly approaching – if you’re a European team, that is. The KHL’s season commences on September 1, with other notable leagues, such as the SHL and the Liiga, beginning soon after. With that in mind, we’re keeping tabs on notable minor deals coming across the wire from non-NHL leagues:

  • The KHL’s SKA St. Petersburg signed defenseman Andrey Pedan to a two-year contract extension today, per an Instagram announcement from the club. Pedan, 30, was a 2011 third-round draft pick of the New York Islanders but was dealt to the Vancouver Canucks before eventually making his NHL debut in 2015-16. He played 13 games in the NHL that year, going without a point and registering a -3 rating. He hasn’t gotten another NHL shot since then, and he left the North American minor pro ranks for Russia in 2018 after a quick stint in the Pittsburgh Penguins organization. Pedan was SKA’s best shutdown defender last season, leading the team with a +32 rating and had five goals and 20 points in 64 games. He remains with a team loaded with former and future NHL talent, such as 2024 prospective top-five pick forward Ivan Demidov, Philadelphia Flyers forward prospect Matvei Michkov, Carolina Hurricanes defense prospect Alexander Nikishin, and former Carolina Hurricanes winger Valentin Zykov.
  • 23-year-old forward Jake Wise has signed a one-year deal to remain with the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers in 2023-24, per a team announcement. Wise was a 2018 third-round pick of the Chicago Blackhawks, but they let his exclusive signing rights lapse earlier this week by not signing him to an entry-level contract. Wise wrapped up his collegiate career with 12 goals, 27 assists and 39 points in 40 games for Ohio State last season before adding a goal and two assists to end the season with Charlotte in one regular-season and one playoff game. He’ll compete among the Florida Panthers’ prospects slated for minor-league action and looks to earn an entry-level deal with a strong rookie campaign.
  • Late yesterday, the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins re-signed forward Samuel Houde to a one-year contract for next year, according to a team release. In doing so, he remains with the only professional organization he’s ever known since turning pro in 2021. Formerly a Montreal Canadiens prospect after they selected him in the fifth round of the 2018 NHL Draft, the team opted not to sign him to an entry-level contract, and he signed in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton after completing five years of service with the QMJHL’s Chicoutimi Saguenéens. Now 23 years old, Houde avoided ECHL assignment last season and will look to do so again. In 84 games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton thus far, Houde has 13 goals and 13 assists for 26 points.
  • Former Boston Bruins and Minnesota Wild goaltender Niklas Svedberg signed a one-year contract with HC Bolzano of the ICEHL today, per a team release. Svedberg, an undrafted free agent signing out of Europe by the Boston Bruins in 2012, immediately burst onto the scene in the minors with AHL Providence, recording a .925 save percentage in 48 games and taking home AHL Rookie of the Year and Goaltender of the Year honors. Things never quite panned out in the NHL for Svedberg, though, as he made just 19 appearances in Boston over the following two seasons before returning to Europe in the summer of 2015. An attempted NHL comeback in 2017-18 didn’t work out, either, as he was relegated to third-string duties for the Minnesota Wild and again spent the season in a starting role in the AHL. Now 33, the Swede is in the twilight of his career and is beginning to struggle with injuries and inconsistency. He suited up in just 12 games for the DEL’s Fischtown Penguins last season, recording a 4-8-0 record and a .904 save percentage.
  • The AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds took a large step toward filling out their depth for next season, bringing back forwards Mitchell Hoelscher, Steven Jandric and defenseman Austin Osmanski on one-year deals, per a team post on X. Hoelscher, 23, was a 2018 sixth-round pick of the New Jersey Devils but never signed his entry-level contract and his exclusive signing rights have since expired. He played in a career-high 57 AHL games for the Thunderbirds last season, scoring nine goals and adding seven assists for 16 points. Jandric, 25, will slot in on the wing and recorded eight points in 31 games with Springfield in 2022-23, his first full pro campaign after finishing his collegiate career at Merrimack. Osmanski, a 2016 draft selection of the Buffalo Sabres, returns to Springfield for his third season in the organization. He’s compiled a goal and six points in 34 appearance there thus far.

This page will be updated throughout the day.

Minor Transactions: 08/16/23

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Notable NHL moves are few and far between this late in the summer. There was some significant news in the Atlantic Division yesterday, with the Detroit Red Wings acquiring defenseman Jeff Petry from the Montreal Canadiens. However, there isn’t anything else major slated to happen anytime soon until training camps begin next month. The European schedule is a few weeks ahead of the NHL’s, though, and most leagues overseas have already begun their preseason and start the 2023-24 campaign in earnest in just a few weeks. That means there are a fair bit of last-minute moves trickling in. We’re keeping track of today’s notable minor moves here.

  • Former Edmonton Oilers prospect Ostap Safin has converted on an overseas PTO and will suit up for the KHL’s Lada Togliatti in 2023-24, according to a team release. Edmonton selected the Czech winger in the fourth round of the 2017 NHL Draft and signed him to an entry-level contract less than a year later. The deal ran until the 2021-22 campaign, and with Safin failing to establish a full-time AHL role for himself over the course of three pro seasons, Edmonton opted not to issue him a qualifying offer and let him become an unrestricted free agent. He returned home last season, finally solidifying a pro role in Czechia with eight goals, five assists and 13 points in 41 games for Extraliga club HC Sparta Praha. Now 24 years old, he heads to Togliatti, joining a roster that includes former Winnipeg Jets forward Scott Kosmachuk.
  • In a confirmed transaction with the Ontario Reign, forward Jacob Doty will suit up for the team for the fifth straight season. Before his time with the Reign starting in the 2019-20 AHL season, Doty had been split fairly evenly between the AHL and ECHL. The Denver, CO native has suited up in 151 games over the last eight seasons in the AHL, scoring nine goals and 14 assists in total. At the ECHL level, Doty is a veteran of 159 games in only four years, scoring 13 goals and 23 assists.
  • In a press release this afternoon, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins have announced a one-year contract extension for center Samuel Houde. After an impressive stint with the Wheeling Nailers of the ECHL during the 2021-22 season, scoring 13 goals and 30 assists in only 31 games, Houde earned a full-time spot for the baby Penguins last year. His goal-scoring ability remained above average, but his playmaking abilities took a hit, scoring 12 goals and eight assists in 65 games last year. Although not appearing like much on paper, on a basement-dwelling Penguins team last year, those numbers were good for 10th on the team in total scoring, and fifth on the team in goals scored.

This page will be updated throughout the day.

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