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Vancouver Canucks Plan To Sign And Play Vasili Podkolzin Later This Season

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With top prospect Vasili Podkolzin currently impressing on the international stage as the captain of Team Russia, the Vancouver Canucks want to assure their fans that it is only a matter of time before he’s doing the same for them. Speaking with Jon Abbot of TSN 1040 in Vancouver, GM Jim Benning reveals that the club expects to sign Podkolzin during this season and plans to play him in the NHL lineup immediately. Benning reports that Podkolzin’s KHL contract expires on April 30, at which time the team will look to sign him and bring him overseas.

While late April is typically the middle of the Stanley Cup Playoffs and not exactly an ideal time to introduce a teenage prospect to the NHL, the 2020-21 season is of course an exception. The playoffs do not begin until May 11 at the earliest this year, allowing Podkolzin nearly two weeks to settle in. Travel and quarantine could come into play, but the hope is that Podkolzin could see some regular season game action before the Canucks hopefully move on to the postseason.

The 2019 tenth overall pick also has the advantage of being very pro-ready. Podkolzin is already in his third season of seeing at least some KHL action, playing almost exclusively with SKA St. Petersburg so far this year. He also has pro size at 6’4″ and over 200 lbs., not to mention a developed offensive game. Once Podkolzin arrives in Vancouver, it may not take long for him to get up to speed.

Knowing they have Podkolzin in their back pocket for later this season, the Canucks may not feel the need to make any other roster additions this season, at least up front. If Podkolzin actually joins the team on April 30, that would be just over two weeks after the Trade Deadline on April 12. Vancouver may be hesitant to give up trade capital to add a forward with reinforcements on the way not long after. In fact, Benning stated that the team is “done for now” in terms of transactions (outside of a Travis Hamonic PTO becoming a contract), so Podkolzin may very well be the next notable addition that the team makes this season.

Prospect Notes: Lodnia, Khovanov, Kravtsov, Andersson

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A pair of Minnesota Wild forward prospects currently on loan in Russia will go different ways for the rest of the season. Ivan Lodnia, the team’s third-round pick in 2017, will leave the KHL’s Dinamo Minsk to return to North America in time for the Iowa Wild’s AHL camp later this month, reports The Athletic’s Michael Russo. Lodnia is in his first pro season after five years in the OHL and has seven points through 27 KHL games thus far. The skilled American forward is expected to spend the rest of his season in the AHL, but could push for an NHL look late in the year if he impresses with Iowa. Meanwhile, 2018 third-round pick Alexander Khovanov will stay in Russia for the rest of the year. Currently on loan to the KHL’s Ak Bars Kazan, who in turn have loaned him to the minor league VHL, Khovanov has 15 points in 16 VHL games after getting blanked though seven KHL games. Also a first-year pro, Khovanov scored 99 points in the QMJHL last year but is not as far along in his development as Lodnia and can take the rest of the year to work on his game in his native Russia.

  • As expected, New York Rangers GM Jeff Gorton has confirmed to the media that prospect forward Vitali Kravtsov will remain in Russia through the end of the KHL season. Kravtsov is currently on loan to his longtime KHL club Traktor Chelyabinsk and he is currently finding success with 12 goals and 17 points in 34 games. Gorton stated that the team felt Kravtsov’s development was better served by letting him play out the KHL season given this success. However, the team will explore bringing Kravtsov back once the KHL season is complete. The 21-year-old Kravtsov, the No. 9 overall pick in 2018, played in 39 games with the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack last season but has yet to make his NHL debut.
  • A teammate of Kravtsov’s in Hartford early last year, Lias Andersson also finished the season in Europe. Andersson tells The Los Angeles Times’ Jack Harris that he had planned to spend the entire 2020-21 season back in Sweden with the SHL’s HV71. However, an off-season trade from the New York Rangers to the Los Angeles Kings changed his mind. Andersson now plans to spend the whole season in North America, regardless of his role within his new organization. For what it’s worth, Andersson notched 11 points in 19 games while on loan to HV71 so far this season and personally feels that his game has improved, so perhaps he can finally carve out a regular NHL role with the young Kings squad.

Nashville Predators Recall Three From European Loans

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The Nashville Predators have recalled Eeli Tolvanen, Yakov Trenin, and Connor Ingram from their overseas loans, with training camp set to start in a few days.

Tolvanen, 21, had been playing with Jokerit in the KHL once again, this time scoring 13 points in 25 games. That’s a much slower pace than he set in 2017-18 when he was the talk of the hockey world, tallying 25 goals and 43 points in 60 total games with the Finnish club. Given how, for lack of a better term, average his two seasons in North America have gone since, the depressed offensive totals this year are a little bit concerning. Still, the Predators have a lot of faith in the 2017 first-round pick and he should receive another shot at making the NHL squad.

Trenin, 23, is one of the players he might have to beat out, though he doesn’t play the same type of game. The 2015 second-round pick worked his way through several years in the minor leagues with the Milwaukee Admirals before making his NHL debut in 2019-20, suiting up 21 times for Nashville. He’s been playing with SKA St. Petersburg this season, where he has seven points in 21 games. Unlike Tolvanen however, Trenin is not waiver-exempt any longer and would need to clear to even head to the taxi squad, perhaps giving him a leg up for the roster competition.

Ingram, 23, is one of the league’s more intriguing goaltending prospects. Despite dominating at almost every level so far, he mysteriously flamed out of the Tampa Bay Lightning organization and was sent to the Predators for a 2021 seventh-round pick (in 2019 mind you). He was one of the best goaltenders in the AHL once again last season, posting a 21-5-5 record and a .933 save percentage, leading to a three-year contract extension in March. Ingram has been playing in the Swedish second tier, but will likely be the starter for Milwaukee again as he is still waiver-exempt.

Minor Transactions: 12/29/20

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Training camp is just a few days away and things are heating up in the hockey world. With waivers open and rosters being announced, minor transactions will come fast and furious all across the league. We’ll keep track of them right here.

  • Jordan Schmaltz will be attending training camp on a professional tryout with the Arizona Coyotes according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. Schmaltz, 27, last played in the NHL during the 2018-19 season, suiting up for 20 games with the St. Louis Blues. The 25th overall pick in 2012, he was never able to really translate his game to the NHL level.
  • Speaking of the Blues, the team has announced that Alexei Toropchenko and Nikita Alexandrov have both been loaned overseas. Toropchenko will stay with Kunlun Red Star in the KHL where he has been playing, scoring eight points in 25 games so far this season. Alexandrov will head to KooKoo in Finland, where he will spend the season at the Liiga level. The Blues’ release notes that both players could be recalled when their European seasons end.
  • Spencer Abbott, who played two games at the NHL level before heading overseas, will continue his playing career in Germany during the upcoming season. The 32-year-old winger has signed in the DEL after spending the last two seasons playing in the SHL.
  • Tampa Bay Lightning prospect Gabriel Fortier has been traded in the QMJHL. The slick forward, in his final season of junior eligibility, has been moved by the Moncton Wildcats to the Shawinigan Cataractes, the team announced. The return is only a conditional pick, as Fortier could join the Lightning or more likely a minor league affiliate this season, in which case Shawinigan would get their pick back. If Tampa opts to return him to juniors though, then the Wildcats would receive at least a 2022 third-round pick but it could grow as high as a 2021 first-rounder depending on production. Fortier is no stranger to change after initially being acquired by Moncton midway through last season, only to finish the year with better than a point-per-game pace, earning the team’s captaincy to begin this year.
  • Defenseman Ty Murchison of the U.S. National Team Development Program has made his college choice. The young blue liner announced his commitment to Arizona State University today, continuing the program’s pipeline from California. The former L.A. Jr. King is a talented two-way defenseman who plays an aggressive style, currently leading the USNTDP U-18’s in penalty minutes. Murchison is expected to be a middle round pick in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft before beginning his NCAA career next year.

Ilya Kovalchuk Signs In The KHL

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December 26: The deal is now official. Despite a decent 2019-20 season in the NHL, even as he was traded twice, Kovalchuk has decided to return to the KHL. Avangard Omsk has announced a contract with Kovalchuk not only for the remainder of the season, but for next season as well. At 37, this very well could mean that we have seen the last of Kovalchuk in the NHL.

December 19: It appears that Ilya Kovalchuk’s time in the NHL may be coming to an end for the second time (after abruptly leaving New Jersey following the 2012-13 season).  His agent Yuri Nikolaev told Sport24’s Maxim Samartsev that he is working on a deal for his client to join Avangard Omsk of the KHL for the remainder of their season.

The 37-year-old had a rocky 2019-20 campaign.  After being benched in Los Angeles, he eventually agreed to a contract termination and signed in Montreal early in January.  He made an immediate impact with the Canadiens and did well enough that they were able to trade him to Washington for a third-round pick just six weeks later.  Unfortunately for him and the Capitals, things didn’t go as well with his new team, especially in the playoffs where he had just a single assist in eight games.  Between the three teams, he had 10 goals and 16 assists in 46 regular season games, slightly beating his point-per-game average from his first year with Los Angeles.

While it may seem odd that news of this comes just as an agreement on the upcoming NHL season has been reached, it’s worth noting that the KHL trade deadline is next Sunday and players not on a roster by then are ineligible for the rest of the season.  That makes the 27th a hard deadline for Kovalchuk to finalize something with Avangard or another KHL team to ensure he’ll have a spot to play for the rest of year since clearly, there aren’t NHL opportunities arising for him at this time.

Bruins Prospect Pavel Shen Signs In The KHL

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Friday: Sochi has officially announced Shen’s signing.

Tuesday: While many players will be heading to North America with NHL training camps about to open up, Bruins prospect Pavel Shen is heading the other way.  Mark Divver of the New England Hockey Journal reports (Twitter link) that the prospect will be signing with HK Sochi of the KHL for the remainder of their season.

The 21-year-old was a seventh-round pick of Boston back in 2018 (212th overall) and signed his entry-level deal just one year later.  Last season, Shen played exclusively with Providence of the AHL and had a fairly quiet year offensively, notching just four goals and five assists in 35 games.  Considering the restrictions on skaters allowed at training camp (36), it’s not a guarantee that he would have been among the invites and the AHL season is still another six weeks away at a minimum so his trip overseas will at least guarantee him some playing time in the short term.

This won’t be Shen’s first KHL action as he has spent time with Yugra Khanty-Mansiysk and Salavat Yulaev in the past although he has managed just two goals and one assist in 49 games over that span.  Once their season ends, he will be eligible to return to Providence and will be able to play down the stretch and in their postseason.

Minor Transactions: 12/24/20

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’Twas the month before hockey and all over the Earth,
Fans are excited for a new season’s birth;
There was quite a delay to the new league year,
’Til the NHL announced that it was practically here;
Of course, before we get started in just a few weeks,
Rosters are in need of numerous tweaks;
And as teams maneuver a salary cap squeeze,
Free agents also continue to find work overseas;
So stay tuned for some moves before the return to play;
From the NHL to KHL to NCAA;
Here are the minor transactions that were made today:

  • Free agent goaltender Ivan Nalimov has decided to remain in Europe for another season. The Chicago Blackhawks prospect, if you can still call him that at 26 years old, has previously expressed an interest in making the jump to North America. In fact, at one point he had requested that Chicago trade his rights to a team willing to give him an opportunity. Yet, for whatever reason, Nalimov will stay in the KHL for another year, signing a one-year contract with Dinamo Riga. The Blackhawks own Nalimov’s NHL rights in perpetuity, but if they weren’t willing to give him a chance this season without much talent and experience in net themselves, it seems unlikely that the two sides will ever get together.
  • The New Jersey Devils are on a more strict timeline to make a decision on prospect forward Nikita Popugaev. The 2017 fourth-round pick, whose skill is clear but whose work ethic is suspect, spent last season on an AHL contract with the Binghamton Devils but played exclusively in the ECHL with the Adirondack Thunder. He returned to Russia this off-season and signed with the KHL’s Dinamo Moscow. However, after a brief demotion, he has now been traded to Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk, the team announced. The Devils have until June 1st to decide if they want to sign Popugaev or lose his rights and a change of scenery mid-season won’t make that evaluation any easier.
  • The Edmonton Oilers face a similar situation with forward Bogdan Yakimov. Yakimov, a 2013 third-round pick, spent parts of two season in the Oilers’ organization shortly after being drafted, but only saw one NHL game. He has spent the past five seasons, including this year, back in the KHL. His current contract expires at the end of this season and his NHL rights expire on his 27th birthday in October, so both sides have limited time to decide if they are interested in a second chance. Potentially helping the cause is Yakimov’s inability to stay put in the KHL. For the second time already this year, Yakimov has been traded, as HK Sochi announced that they have acquired Yakimov from SKA St. Petersburg, who had only added him in a deal with Severstal Cherepovets in May. Yakimov’s size and two-way focus may be better appreciated back in North America and the promise of some consistency, even if that comes in Bakersfield instead of Edmonton, may appeal to the veteran center.
  • The University of Minnesota has gained a major commitment in U.S. National Team Development Program defenseman Ryan Chesley. The U-17 standout announced that he will join the Gophers when he begins his NCAA career. A 2022 NHL Draft prospect, Chesley still has another year with the USNTDP to go before he likely enrolls at Minnesota. In that time, his prospect stock could continue to climb; the 16-year-old is a right-shot defenseman with decent size scoring at better than a point-per-game pace this year, checking a number of major boxes for NHL scouts.

Minor Transactions: 12/21/20

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The countdown has begun to the start of the NHL season and as expected there is no shortage of moves being made in response. Combine a slew of recalls from loans with the usual moves from the junior, collegiate, and European levels and there was plenty going on across the hockey world on Monday:

  • The Chicago Blackhawks have recalled Pius Suter from Switzerland’s ZSC Lions, the club announced. Suter was signed as a free agent by the Blackhawks this summer after a career year in the NLA. The Swiss forward stayed home when the NHL season was delayed but is finally ready to make his move to Chicago to show that he has what it takes to play in the NHL. The Blackhawks also recalled Swiss prospect Philipp Kurashev from the NLA’s HC Lugano. Kurashev played well in his first AHL season, but Chicago hopes the dynamic forward can take another step forward this year.
  • The Pittsburgh Penguins have recalled a recent free agent addition of their own in Radim Zohorna. The big power forward had returned to his Czech club, BK Mlada Boleslav, while awaiting the NHL season but will now report to Penguins camp, the team announced. Zohorna faces an uphill battle to crack the NHL roster but the Penguins are excited to see what he can do in the AHL.
  • After returning to his former KHL club Dinamo Minsk on loan, Yegor Sharangovich has been recalled by the New Jersey Devils, the team announced. The young forward has played well in the AHL over the past two seasons, but took his game to a new level during his brief stay in Belarus. The Devils hope that is the game that will show up in training camp and at whichever level Sharangovich ends up this season.
  • Goaltender Jacob Ingham’s stint in the ECHL didn’t last long, as the league’s transactions indicate that he has been recalled by the Los Angeles Kings after two games with the Greenville Swamp Rabbits. Ingham didn’t exactly impress in the minors either, but he is still a top prospect who will look to impress in training camp and win the top role in the AHL this season.
  • Forward Max Veronneau will not be among the second wave of NHL free agent signings. After just one season in the NHL with the Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs, the Princeton product has signed in Sweden. The SHL’s IK Oskarshamn has announced a one-year deal with the skilled forward, who seemingly feels he has a better chance of impressing future NHL suitors overseas than with a season in the AHL.
  • QMJHL standout Nathan Legare, a prospect of the Pittsburgh Penguins, is on the move. On the first day that the QMJHL has re-opened trading, Baie-Comeau Drakkar has traded their captain and last season’s leading scorer to the Val-d’Or Foreurs. It’s a hefty return for the prized prospect: a future first-, third-, and a trio of fourth-round picks, as well as rookie forward Justin Sullivan. 
  • The fallout of the Ivy League’s cancelled winter season extends beyond just this year. Ivy League schools do not use graduate student-athletes, meaning current seniors missing their seasons cannot use their fifth and final year of NCAA eligibility at their current schools. UMass has reaped the benefits with a pair of additions today, as Cornell’s Cam Donaldson and Dartmouth’s Matthew Baker have committed to transferring to Amherst next year, reports Jeff Cox of the New England Hockey Journal.

Mikhail Berdin Signs Extension With Winnipeg Jets

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In one of the more interesting moves of the offseason, goaltending prospect Mikhail Berdin has signed a two-year extension with the Winnipeg Jets. Berdin is entering the final year of his entry-level contract and hasn’t even played an NHL game yet, suiting up exclusively in the AHL or, for the first part of this season, in the KHL. The 22-year-old goaltender will now be under contract through the 2022-23 season. The deal carries an average annual value of $750K in the NHL and is two-way in 2021-22 and one-way in 2022-23.

Of note, Berdin is eligible for selection in the upcoming Seattle Kraken expansion draft and will now fill the Jets exposure requirements. Connor Hellebuyck is the obvious choice for the Jets to protect, which would leave the promising young prospect up for grabs.

Make no mistake, he is promising. Berdin was a sixth-round pick of the Jets in 2016 after playing rather sparingly in the Russian junior league, but immediately made an impact after coming to North America. He joined the Sioux Falls Stampede of the USHL where he posted a .925 save percentage in 31 appearances. He followed it up with another excellent campaign for Sioux Falls and was the third goaltender for Russia at the World Junior Championship (though he did not play).

Two years of professional hockey in the Winnipeg minor league system followed and Berdin has been successful, posting strong save percentages at every stop. He had a .912 in 14 games with SKA St. Petersburg this year in the KHL, but is expected to return for NHL training camp.

A move like this is interesting mostly because it locks Berdin into a deal long before he really had to. He has no NHL stats to rely on in negotiations but obviously wanted to be a part of the Jets organization and stay on this side of the pond. He could be a potential Seattle target, though there will be lots of young goaltenders available and perhaps more pressing needs.

Markus Hannikainen Signs With Jokerit

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Former Columbus Blue Jacket and Arizona Coyote Markus Hannikainen is headed home to Finland and to the club he grew up with. Seemingly unable to find a new NHL contract, Hannikainen has signed with the KHL’s Jokerit of his hometown of Helsinki. The veteran forward appears to be fully committed as well; the team has announced that Hannikainen has returned on a “long-term” contract. The 27-year-old has spent the past five seasons in the NHL and AHL but previously spent six years with Jokerit at various levels of Finnish hockey.

Were it not for the flat salary cap and the current lull in the NHL free agent market, perhaps Hannikainen may have been able to find another contract in North America. However, his return overseas should not come as a surprise as his career appeared to be trending in that direction. A hard-working, two-way winger whose defensive zone ability far exceeded his point totals – even as a younger prospect – Hannikainen finally broke out offensively as a pro after leaving Jokerit to join the Liiga’s JYP in 2014-15. He turned that success into an entry-level deal with Columbus, the first of three contracts he would sign with the club over three years. Hannikainen even played in four games with the Jackets in his first season in North America. As the years went on, Hannikainen began to carve out a regular role for himself in Columbus – or so it seemed. Even as his games played jumped four to 10 to 33 and finally to 44 (and a full season in the NHL) in 2018-19, the forward’s role with Columbus was always limited to meager fourth line minutes and very little offensive opportunity. As a result, the Blue Jackets did not hesitate to leave Hannikainen in the AHL this past season when they were able to upgrade their forward corps. After months without an NHL appearance, Hannikainen was traded to the Arizona Coyotes in February and the ’Yotes also opted to leave him in the minors. A two-way contract this off-season would not have been out of the question for the veteran, but between his limited NHL results and lack of offensive ability he was always going to have to prove himself in the AHL to get back to the top level.

Instead, Hannikainen has decided to return home where a guaranteed role is waiting and where he can maximize his offensive potential. While Hannikainen has a long history with Jokerit, this will be his first experience in the KHL after the club shifted leagues during his NHL absence. The level of competition should be higher this time around, but the experienced winger has several NHL seasons to his credit now as well. He also joins a talented team whose roster includes a laundry list of NHL vets including recently re-signed leading scorer Brian O’Neill and the likes of Nicklas Jensen, Jordan Schroeder, Jesse Joensuu, Iiro Pakarinen, Henrik Haapala, Saku Maenalanen, Peter Regin, Viktor Loov, Alex Grant, and Anders Lindback. The rich get richer with the addition of Hannikainen to a team that should compete for years to come in hope of winning their first Gagarin Cup.

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