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Brennan Menell Signs In KHL

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The Minnesota Wild have lost a promising young prospect, at least for the time being. Michael Russo of The Athletic reports that Brennan Menell has signed a one-year contract with Dinamo Minsk of the KHL. In a follow-up tweet, Russo explained that Russo is “likely gone for good” even though the Wild can retain his rights temporarily by issuing him a qualifying offer. Menell is scheduled to become a restricted free agent when his three-year entry-level contract expires later this fall.

The 23-year old was an undrafted free agent signing in 2017 and quickly became one of the most dynamic defensemen in the AHL. Menell recorded 47 points in 57 games for the Iowa Wild this season and even made his NHL debut, suiting up five times for Minnesota. Named to the First All-Star Team in the AHL this season, it looked like the young defenseman was on a path directly to the NHL at some point in the future.

Now, he’ll head to the KHL where he could very well find even more success. You can bet you’ll hear his name again in the future as a potential signing, but cross him off the list of potential roster players for Minnesota in 2020-21. Even with Menell’s situation resolved, Wild GM Bill Guerin has a long list of restricted free agents to deal with this summer, including Luke Kunin, Jordan Greenway and AHL Goaltender of the Year Kaapo Kahkonen. We recently examined the upcoming offseason and the biggest needs that Guerin faces.

Eeli Tolvanen Loaned To Jokerit

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The Nashville Predators have decided to send another prospect overseas for the time being, loaning Eeli Tolvanen to Jokerit of the KHL. In the release, the team notes that the loan only lasts until the start of NHL training camp for the 2020-21 season, meaning Tolvanen will be back to compete for a spot.

Now 21, Tolvanen has been quite the cautionary tale in prospect over-hyping so far. The 30th selection in 2017, Tolvanen quickly found success at the KHL level, setting records as one of the most successful teenaged-players in the league’s history. He scored 19 goals an 36 points in 49 games for Jokerit during the 2017-18 season, with six more tallies in 11 playoff games. That sharpshooting led to him becoming one of the most talked-about prospects in the world at the time, but after coming to North America things quickly quieted.

Tolvanen ended up playing three games for the Predators at the end of the 2017-18 season, but was held scoreless and did not participate in the playoffs. The following season he spent almost exclusively in the minor leagues, scoring 35 points for the Milwaukee Admirals. This year was more of the same, as Tolvanen did not see a single recall all season, instead playing in 63 AHL games.

While he’s scored at a reasonable clip in those minor league matches, totaling 36 goals in 126 games, Tolvanen has clearly not been the all-world prospect that many hoped for when he first arrived. There is still plenty of time for him to develop the rest of his game around that lethal snapshot, which is exactly why the team will let him get in some extra game action over the next few months.

Philadelphia Flyers To Loan German Rubtsov To Sochi Of KHL

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The Philadelphia Flyers announced they have loaned forward German Rubtsov to Sochi of the KHL as teams try to send some of their younger plays overseas to get them some playing time before the expected late start of the NHL’s 2020-21 season.

Rubtsov showed significant promise in 2018-19 when he started his rookie campaign with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, scoring six goals and 10 points in 14 games. However, a shoulder injury ended his season early. He came back this year, but struggled in his second year in Lehigh Valley. He tallied just two goals and 13 points in 42 games, although he was recalled once by the Flyers, appearing in four games, although he failed to register a point.

An early start to the 2020-21 season makes quite a bit of sense for Rubtsov, who is still looking to find his game after suffering a significant injury not that long ago. The team was hoping that Rubtsov, the team’s 2016 first-round pick, would be able to provide a depth option for the Flyers at this point, but he wasn’t included on the team’s postseason roster. It’s believed that he will return to the Flyers team for training camp, whenever that will be.

Dallas Stars’ Reece Scarlett Signs With Dinamo Riga Of KHL

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The Dallas Stars have lost one of their minor league depth options as AHL defenseman Reece Scarlett has signed a contract with Dinamo Riga of the KHL, according to TSN’s Brennan Klak.

The 27-year-old Scarlett has been with the Stars organization for the past three years, playing entirely with the Texas Stars in the AHL. He has never made an appearance in a NHL game and opted to take his chances in the KHL, where he might be able to seize a bigger role there.

Known for his excellent skating and stickhandling, Scarlett has not been able force his hand into the Stars’ defensive lineup over the years. After playing just one game due to injury in 2018-19, Scarlett came back to score five goals and 16 points in 51 games for Texas. He was originally drafted in 2011 in the sixth round with the New Jersey Devils.

New York Rangers To Loan Vitali Kravtsov To KHL

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The New York Rangers have decided to send Vitali Kravtsov back to the KHL, at least for now. Larry Brooks of the New York Post reports that Kravtsov will be loaned back to Traktor Chelyabinsk for the 2020-21 season.

It’s been a very interesting year for Kravtsov, the ninth-overall pick from 2018. Last September it seemed as though he may challenge for a roster spot in the NHL with the Rangers, but after failing to make the team and being sent to the minor leagues things quickly went awry. Kravtsov was a healthy scratch for the Hartford Wolf Pack and played just five minor league games before exercising his European Assignment Clause to return to the KHL.

Less than two months after arriving in Russia though, he ended up back on a plane to Hartford where he spent the rest of the season. In all, Kravtsov played just 11 games for Traktor (scoring three points) while suiting up 39 times for the Wolf Pack. Splitting 50 games between two different leagues (and continents), while scoring only 18 points certainly isn’t the usual path for a top prospect with as much skill as Kravtsov, but that’s exactly what happened in this case.

Brooks does not specify whether Kravtsov will be back for NHL training camp in a few months, but even if he did there’s no telling for certain at this point. What is important, at least for fans of the Rangers hoping for another top offensive weapon, is that he’s going to be getting into game action quickly and (hopefully) consistently. Still just 20 years old, Kravtsov has a long playing career ahead of him and years of development to go.

Snapshots: Predators, Lauko, Lipon

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The Nashville Predators have made a couple of changes to their coaching staff for the 2020-21 season, announcing today that they will not renew the contract of assistant Dan Muse. Rob Scuderi, who had been serving as an assistant on an interim basis, will be returning to his role as defense development coach.

Muse had been with the Predators for three seasons following a stint as the head coach of the Chicago Steel (USHL). Nashville will begin the search for new assistants immediately, giving John Hynes a chance to bring in his own team as he prepares for his first full season behind the Predators bench.

  • Jakob Lauko will start the 2020-21 season with HC Karlovy Vary of the Czech league but is expected back with the Boston Bruins when NHL training camp opens. The 20-year-old forward spent this season with the Providence Bruins, scoring just nine points in 22 games. The limited action was due to a knee injury Lauko suffered at the very start of the World Junior tournament, meaning any games he can play in the Czech Republic will be beneficial to his development.
  • J.C. Lipon’s contract with the Winnipeg Jets is up and the 27-year-old forward will take his talents to the KHL. Dinamo Riga has signed Lipon to a contract for the 2020-21 season after he failed to make it to the NHL once again this year. A third-round pick back in 2013, Lipon made his NHL debut in the 2015-16 season but hasn’t been back to the NHL since. Instead, he played 61 games for the Manitoba Moose this year, scoring 31 points.

Colorado’s Vladislav Kamenev Reportedly Heading To KHL Denied

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1:45 p.m.: Dater followed up his story by reporting that the Avalanche and Kamenev’s agent, Mark Gandler, say the report is not true.

12:34 p.m.: When the Colorado Avalanche completed their big three-team blockbuster trade in which they traded center Matt Duchene for a host of picks and defenseman Samuel Girard, the team also picked up prospect Vladislav Kamenev from Nashville. The then-21-year-old looked to be close to NHL ready and a be a potential depth piece for the organization. However, after two challenging seasons in the Avalanche organization, Kamenev looks to be heading elsewhere.

Colorado Hockey Now’s Adrian Dater writes that the 24-year-old is expected to sign overseas this offseason with SKA St. Peterburg. Kamenev is a restricted free agent after signing a one-year bridge deal last offseason for $750K.

Kamenev came over with a chance to step right into Colorado’s lineup in 2017 and in his very first game with his new team, he broke his wrist after taking a big hit from Washington Capitals defenseman Brooks Orpik. He only played three NHL games that season. He struggled with a shoulder injury the next season, only appearing in 23 games in 2018-19. Kamenev played in 38 games this season, but averaged just 8:59 of ATOI throughout the season for a goal and eight points. Perhaps more importantly, he also didn’t make the playoff roster out of training camp.

The move seems to make some sense in several areas as the young forward wasn’t getting the playing time in the NHL and he was recently acquired in a KHL trade by SKA for Nikolai Prokhorkin. Kamenev would likely get significant time in Russia and with the delay in the start of the 2020-21 season in the NHL, it makes more sense to move overseas and develop his game there.

Ryan Murphy Signs In AHL

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A veteran NHL defenseman has returned from his sojourn in the KHL, as Ryan Murphy signs a one-year deal with the new Henderson Silver Knights for the 2020-21 season. The contract is of the AHL variety, meaning Murphy will not be able to be recalled to the Vegas Golden Knights.

A recall was always probably unlikely at this point in his career, given Murphy has just three NHL games under his belt since the 2017-18 season, but his presence does provide a certain stability for the Silver Knights as they head into their first season after relocation and rebranding. The 27-year old has suited up for 176 NHL games since being the 12th overall pick in 2011.

In 2019-20, Murphy played 56 games with Nizhnekamsk Neftekhimik in the KHL, recording 23 points. There is a chance that at some point down the road he earns another NHL contract, but for now, he’ll just be a minor league leader.

Tampa Bay’s Dominik Masin To Sign In KHL

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Not making the postseason roster may have been the last straw for Tampa Bay Lightning prospect defenseman Dominik Masin. The 24-year-old, an impending restricted free agent this off-season, will be signing in the KHL. Amur Khabarovsk have announced on their official Instagram page, accompanied by a highlight reel, that they have come to terms on a contract with Masin. The terms were not disclosed.

Masin, a 2014 second-round pick, was at one time a top prospect for the Bolts. Tampa Bay selected the sturdy second-round pick out of the Czech Republic and he then went on to play for the OHL’s Peterborough Petes, who used a first-round pick in the CHL Import Draft to acquire his rights. Masin graduated to the pros in 2016 and has quietly been a key contributor for the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch in that time. Masin has recorded 58 points and +58 rating in 273 games with Syracuse, including a +36 rating in 2018-19 that was second-best in the entire AHL.

Yet, Masin has zero NHL appearances on his resume and has been blocked from opportunity by a Lightning team that has prioritized veteran depth on the blue line rather than promoting prospects. As a result, it is hard to predict how Masin will fare in the KHL and whether an NHL comeback may be realistic for him down the road. His performance in the minors shows good defensive ability and modest offensive ability, which could be enough for a top role on an Amur team that is lacking in star power. Whether he can make the most of that opportunity and boost his stock for a return to North America remains to be seen. The Lightning can retain his rights by issuing him a qualifying offer this off-season.

Washington Capitals Loan Aliaksei Protas To The KHL

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The list of young players and prospects who will at least begin the 2020-21 season overseas continues to grow, with the Washington Capitals’ Aliaksei Protas now joining the list. The team announced that the young forward has been loaned to the KHL’s Dinamo Minsk in his native Belarus. Washington does specify though that Protas is expected to be recalled from the loan at the start of the WHL season or for Capitals training camp later this winter.

Protas, 19, was a third-round pick of the Capitals in last year’s NHL Draft and signed his entry-level contract with Washington almost immediately. A hulking center who stands 6’6” and 210 pounds, Protas’ skill finally caught up with his size this year as he recorded 31 goals and 80 points in 58 games to lead the WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders in both categories and help the team to a division title. With top 2020 prospects like Kaiden Guhle and Ozzy Weisblatt also on the roster, the Raiders could return to the top ranks of the WHL next season if Protas returns as expected.

In the meantime though, Protas joins a Minsk squad that has been collecting NHL prospects and should be a fun team to watch early next season. Florida’s Vladislav Kolyachonok, Minnesota’s Ivan Lodnia, Philadelphia’s Maxim Sushko, and New Jersey’s Yegor Sharangovich – all of Belarussian descent – will also join the team on loan, joining NHL vets such as Ryan Spooner and Rob Klinkhammer.

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