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Mac Hollowell Loaned To TUTO

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The Toronto Maple Leafs have sent another one of their prospects overseas, this time loaning Mac Hollowell to TUTO of the Finnish second league. Hollowell split last season between the Toronto Marlies and Newfoundland Growlers in his first year of professional hockey.

Selected in the fourth round two years ago, Hollowell is another Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds connection for the Maple Leafs—the organization that GM Kyle Dubas and head coach Sheldon Keefe both came from. The undersized defenseman is already 22 as he was an over-aged prospect when the Maple Leafs picked him, but certainly brings a lot of talent to the table.

In 2018-19 when Hollowell went back to the Greyhounds, he led all OHL defensemen in scoring with 24 goals and 77 points. While he was older than much of his competition, it still demonstrated the easy puck-moving capabilities that Toronto hopes to coax out at the professional level. Things didn’t go quite as smoothly in the AHL, but Hollowell did still record 12 points in 34 games for the Toronto Marlies.

A longshot to ever become an impact player at the NHL level (or perhaps even reach it at all), Hollowell nevertheless signed his entry-level contract in 2019 and is heading into the second season of the three-year deal. He’ll get his blades on the ice in Finland for the time being but is expected to be back in North America for training camp.

Ilya Lyubushkin Loaned To KHL

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The Arizona Coyotes have loaned defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin back to his old KHL club, Yaroslavl Lokomotiv, until NHL training camps open in a few months. Lyubushkin signed a new contract with the Coyotes earlier this month and is expected to challenge for a full-time roster spot in 2020-21. For now, he’ll go back to the place that put him on NHL radars in the first place.

Undrafted, Lyubushkin worked his way up the depth chart with Lokomotiv, playing five seasons in the KHL before signing an NHL contract in 2018. The 26-year-old provides almost no offense—he is still looking for his first NHL goal, 92 games in—but does represent a physical presence that is basically unmatched in Arizona. Even while playing in only 51 of the team’s 70 games and averaging just over 14 minutes a night this season, he led all defenders in hits with 151.

When he signed his one-year contract, he joined four other defensemen on the roster that will become unrestricted free agents in the 2021 offseason. Lyubushkin, Alex Goligoski, Niklas Hjalmarsson, Jason Demers and Jordan Oesterle are all on expiring deals, meaning if new GM Bill Armstrong wants to shake up the roster there will be an obvious opportunity on the blue line.

Lybushkin meanwhile will get a chance to go back to the organization that developed him, even if it is on a short-term loan. He played more than 300 games in the KHL before coming over, recording nearly 400 penalty minutes in the process.

Sharks Loan Joachim Blichfeld To Denmark

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One of San Jose’s more intriguing prospects is heading home to get in some playing time before the 2020-21 NHL season begins.  Frederikshavn of the Metal Ligaen in Denmark announced that they’ve added winger Joachim Blichfeld on a short-term loan agreement until training camps in North America get underway.

The 22-year-old was a seventh-round pick (210th overall) by San Jose back in 2016 and he looks like he’ll outperform that selection.  In 2018-19, Blichfeld was the top scorer in the WHL, putting up 53 goals and 61 assists with Portland in just 68 games.

He made his professional debut last season and spent most of it with the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda where he acquitted himself well, tallying 16 goals and 16 assists in just 44 games.  That helped earn him four separate recalls to the Sharks between December and January while he was able to get into his first three NHL contests.

As things stand, with San Jose largely standing pat this offseason, Blichfeld will be among the young players that will have a chance of carving out a regular spot in the lineup.  Accordingly, this loan takes on a bit more importance as unlike most prospects getting sent out for some development time, a good showing in his hometown could be the difference between breaking camp with the Sharks or going back to the minors.

Avalanche Loan Martin Kaut To HC Dynamo

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Oct 26: After playing in just four games with HC Dynamo, Kaut is on his way to Sweden where the Avalanche have reassigned him to MODO. The Czech Extraliga has been at a standstill for weeks due to the COVID-19 situation in the country, meaning Kaut wasn’t getting in any game action. With his sights still set on the NHL, he’ll try his hand in another professional league, though MODO is in the second-tier of Swedish hockey. Kaut is still expected to return to North America when NHL training camps begin.

Sep 12: One of Colorado’s top prospects will be suiting up in the near future.  HC Dynamo of the Czech Extraliga announced that they’ve picked up winger Martin Kaut on loan from the Avalanche.  He had been training with them over the summer so it shouldn’t be long before he sees game action.

The 20-year-old spent this past season in North America with the majority of it coming with their AHL affiliate.  With the Eagles, he had five goals and 13 assists in 34 games, numbers that don’t stand out but are still decent for someone that was eligible to still play junior hockey even though his minor league numbers in his rookie year were a bit better (12-14-26 in 63 games).  The Avs also gave him his first nine NHL contests where he acquitted himself well, collecting two goals and a helper while averaging just over 10 minutes a night of playing time.

Those nine regular season games ultimately kept him off of Colorado’s postseason roster which is how he was able to train with Dynamo in recent months.  One more game with the Avalanche would have officially started his entry-level contract and they weren’t willing to do that.  Instead, his deal slid and will now run through the 2022-23 campaign.

Depending on what Colorado does this offseason, there could be some roster spots up for grabs up front in training camp.  Playing with Dynamo, a team that Kaut has familiarity with having played there for several years including his draft season, could give him a leg up on securing a bigger role when camps get underway.

Semyon Der-Arguchintsev Loaned To KHL

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The Toronto Maple Leafs have loaned another one of their prospects overseas, this time sending Semyon Der-Arguchintsev to Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod in the KHL. Der-Arguchintsev signed his entry-level contract with the Maple Leafs back in 2018 but has been playing in the CHL, meaning it still has three years remaining on it.

Now 20, Der-Arguchintsev’s professional career is about to start. The undersized forward was drafted 76th overall by the Maple Leafs in 2018 and recorded 75 points in 55 games this season for the Peterborough Petes of the OHL. Notably, he has routinely been a linemate of Toronto’s top forward prospect, Nick Robertson, who led the league with 55 goals this season. A pure playmaker, Der-Arguchintsev racked up and 63 assists, good for third in the league behind only top draft picks Marco Rossi and Cole Perfetti.

Born in Russia, Der-Arguchintsev has been playing in Canada since he was 14 and has never been included in the Russian national junior teams. Now he’ll be heading back to his native country to take the next step in his professional career. The Maple Leafs did not specify whether the young forward will return for NHL training camp in the coming months, or spend the entire season in the KHL.

Devils Loan Fabian Zetterlund To Sweden

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Even though most international leagues have started up and are in full flight, there are still roster spots being created for NHL-contracted players.  One of those is with AIK of the Allsvenskan in Sweden as the team announced that they’ve added winger Fabian Zetterlund on loan from the Devils.  The press release states that the agreement is in place until further notice, suggesting that it will be until NHL training camps resume.

The roster spot was created by the injury to Islanders prospect Oliver Wahlstrom.  He suffered an upper-body injury on Wednesday and there is no word on how much time he’ll miss.

Zetterlund was a third-round pick of New Jersey back in 2017 (63rd overall) and made his debut in North America last season, playing in 46 games with AHL Binghamton.  The 21-year-old acquitted himself relatively well, picking up eight goals and 11 assists but didn’t earn a recall to New Jersey last season.

It’s likely that Zetterlund will be back in the minors for next year but at the very least, this loan agreement will give him a chance to get into game action after last suiting up on March 11th with Binghamton.  This will be his first time in AIK’s organization after coming up from Farjestad’s system initially; as they’re an SHL team (and not taking players on loan), Zetterlund had to dip down a level to get a chance to play close to home.

Ducks To Loan Jacob Larsson To Sweden

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The Ducks are nearing an agreement to loan defenseman Jacob Larsson to Kristianstads IK of the Allsvenskan in Sweden, per a report from Kristianstadsbladet.  SportExpressen’s Johan Svensson adds that the loan is agreed upon and the 23-year-old is expected to suit up on Saturday.  The agreement will last until NHL training camps begin.

Larsson spent the majority of last season in Anaheim as he got into 60 games with the Ducks, managing two goals and five assists in a third pairing role while averaging a little over 16 minutes a night.  It was the second straight year he spent more time in the NHL than in the minors as he suited up in 49 contests with Anaheim in 2018-19.

That helped earn Larsson a two-year, one-way deal in August that carries an AAV of $1.2MM and basically solidifies himself a full-time spot on the roster, especially since he’s waiver-eligible now.  In the meantime, this loan will give him a chance to get in some much-needed game action as Anaheim was one of the teams that didn’t return to action this summer and give him some momentum heading into training camp.

Penguins Loan Emil Larmi To Finland

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Pittsburgh has sent another one of their prospects overseas to get some playing time in Finland as Hameenlinnan Pallokerho (HPK) of the SM-liiga announced that they’ve added Penguins goaltender Emil Larmi on a loan agreement.  The agreement is for up until NHL training camps begin but does contain an option to be extended for the entire season.

The 24-year-old is in the second and final year of his entry-level contract that was signed back in June of 2019.  Larmi split last season between AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (nine games) and ECHL Wheeling (eleven games) and the results weren’t particularly strong at either level as he posted a 3.55 GAA with both teams.

A return to the Finnish league could be exactly what Larmi needs as his 2018-19 campaign with HPK was a very strong one as he had a 1.94 GAA in 36 regular playoff games and was even stingier in 18 postseason contests, posting a 1.72 mark to help win a league title.  As things stand, the Penguins have a couple of goalies that will be minor league bound in veteran Maxime Lagace and Alex D’Orio.  If they decide that D’Orio is better suited to be the backup in the AHL, it’s possible that the loan could be extended.  If not, Larmi will have some work to do to secure a qualifying offer next offseason.

Penguins Loan Cam Lee To HC Slovan Bratislava

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Defenseman Cam Lee is preparing to make his pro debut this season, but it won’t be with the team he expected when he signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins this spring. When Lee takes the ice to begin the 2020-21 campaign, it will not be in the NHL or AHL but in the Slovakian Extraliga with HC Slovan Bratislava. The club announced that they have negotiated a loan with the Penguins that will allow Lee to play in Bratislava until NHL training camp opens.

Lee, 23, embarks on his first pro season after wrapping up an impressive four-year collegiate career at Western Michigan University. Lee notched 20+ points in each of the past three seasons, including 21 points in just 26 games as a senior, and led all Broncos defensemen in scoring in each of the past two years. The nephew of former NHL star goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere, Lee is a high IQ player who sees the ice well and moves the puck. Lee is unlikely to be rushed to the NHL like some other Penguins’ NCAA free agents, but if he can improve in some need areas over the course of his two-year entry-level contract, he could compete for opportunities at the top level down the road.

Easing in to the pro game by starting in Bratislava rather than Wilkes-Barre/Scranton may end up helping Lee in his first season. A former KHL club that is well-regarded and finished second in the Extraliga standings last season, Bratislava is a good team and a place where a young player can learn the game without feeling too much pressure. Former NHL defenseman Andrej Meszaros may also be a great mentor to the young defenseman. With that said, the team stated in their release that they have been disappointed by a slow start to this season, so Lee may also get the opportunity to play a key role for the club in the time before he returns for training camp.

Kristian Vesalainen Loaned To HPK

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The Winnipeg Jets have sent Kristian Vesalainen to HPK in Finland for the time being, loaning him overseas until the 2020-21 season begins. The young forward still has two years remaining on his entry-level contract.

Vesalainen, 21, has had an interesting development path, to say the least. Selected 24th overall in 2017 he stayed in Finland with HPK for the following season, dominating Liiga to the tune of 39 points in 44 games before a late-season trade to Karpat for the playoffs. He ended up helping that team win the league title and starred at the World Juniors, but his first year in the Winnipeg organization didn’t go quite as well.

The young forward started in the NHL but after being sent down to the minor leagues used his European Assignment Clause to go to the KHL. After playing a few months in the KHL and being eliminated quickly in the playoffs, he returned to the AHL to play for the Manitoba Moose again.

That’s where he spent all of 2019-20, scoring 12 goals and 30 points in 60 games. The big winger still has a good chunk of development left before he becomes a real impact player at the NHL level, but he’ll get an early start on his season in a league he has already dominated. Hopefully that gives him the confidence and preparation needed to battle for a roster spot in Jets camp.

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