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Buffalo’s Rasmus Asplund Expected To Be Loaned To Allsvenskan

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The Sabres are in talks with Vasteras of the Allsvenskan in Sweden regarding a loan agreement forward Rasmus Asplund, notes Henrik Sjoberg of HockeyNews.se.  If completed, the loan would be until NHL training camps get underway which, as things stand, is projected to be sometime in November.

It was a tale of two seasons for the 22-year-old who was a high second-round pick back in 2016. He was reasonably productive with AHL Rochester where he had 19 points (3-16-19) in 33 games.  That helped him earn a couple of stints in Buffalo but he struggled offensively, collecting just a single goal with two assists in 29 contests.  He did, however, take a regular turn on the penalty kill at the very least, averaging 1:46 per game in that situation.

On the surface, it may seem odd that someone with aspirations of landing a full-time NHL roster spot would opt to go to a second-division team in Sweden but doing so would allow him to play a bigger role offensively.  A good start over there could help him carry some momentum into Buffalo’s training camp which might be enough to help him earn a spot.  Otherwise, a return to Rochester would be in the cards for 2020-21 as Asplund remains exempt from waivers.

Buffalo has already taken advantage of the opportunity to loan out some of their prospects as goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (TPS Turku) and center Arttu Ruotsalainen (Ilves) have both found places to start next season.  It looks as if Asplund will be the next one from the Sabres to go that route.

Prospect Notes: Rossi, Fleming, Soderstrom

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For prospects eligible to be selected in the 2020 draft, right now is a time of uncertainty. Those who may go in the top few picks often want to challenge for an NHL roster spot immediately, but it’s not clear exactly when training camp will even start. The NHL is hoping to get the 2020-21 season underway in December, but there’s no telling exactly when games will actually begin at this point.

Earlier this summer, Alexis Lafreniere, the consensus top prospect, decided he will not play in Europe and instead spend the offseason training. Today, Scott Wheeler of The Athletic reports that another top prospect has come to the same conclusion. Marco Rossi, who was ranked sixth by NHL Central Scouting among North American skaters and is expected to go in the top-10 picks, will not sign with a European club for the start of the season and is instead training in the hopes of making an NHL roster right away. Wheeler adds that he believes Rossi does have the talent to make the NHL right away. The Austrian-born center scored 120 points in 56 games for the Ottawa 67’s this season.

  • Another future NHL draft pick has made a decision on where he’ll play down the road, as Maddox Fleming commits to the University of Notre Dame. Fleming, 16, is a top prospect for the 2022 draft and will be joining USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program for the next two seasons. Notre Dame would come after that, though it’s important to remember that commitments are often changed. Fleming already stands 5’11” 174-lbs and recorded 52 points in 42 games for the prestigious Shattuck St. Mary’s prep team this season.
  • Victor Soderstrom may be the next top NHL prospect being loaned out to another league to get some game action, as the Arizona Coyotes defenseman has been linked to AIK in Sweden by Johan Svensson of Expressen. Soderstrom played in the SHL the last two seasons, but is expected to compete for a spot on the Arizona roster as soon as this year. The 11th overall pick from 2019 has quickly turned into one of the best defensive prospects in the world, landing 15th overall in Wheeler’s recent list of the top drafted prospects.

New York Islanders Loan Simon Holmstrom To Vita Hasten HC

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The New York Islanders are still churning along towards the Stanley Cup, but the front office still has to make preparations for next season. With that in mind, the team has loaned prospect Simon Holmstrom to Vita Hasten HC of the Swedish second league. The team does not specifically state whether Holmstrom will be back for the 2020-21 season in North America, whenever that begins.

Selected 23rd overall in 2019, Holmstrom is part of a prospect pipeline in New York that is still quite well stocked. Even as a teenager this season he was part of a Bridgeport Sound Tigers team that also included Kieffer Bellows and Oliver Wahlstrom, two other first-rounders that are still waiting for their real big break in the NHL. Though he didn’t by any means dominate the minor league, Holmstrom did record 15 points in 46 games as one of the youngest players in the entire AHL.

There is an obvious “wow” factor when you watch Holmstrom, especially when pitted against players his own age. His puck skills and acceleration are excellent and though he wasn’t able to use that offensive upside on a routine basis in the AHL, you can bet he’ll find success playing in the Allsvenskan to start the year.

Holmstrom’s contract will slide this season and can again next year should he fail to play in ten NHL games. That would mean his entry-level deal, signed in 2019, could end up stretching all the way to 2024.

Filip Hronek Loaned To Mountfield HK

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The Detroit Red Wings continue to send their young players overseas to begin the season, this time loaning Filip Hronek to Mountfield HK in the Czech Republic. Hronek still has one year remaining on his entry-level contract and will almost certainly be back for the start of NHL training camp (though the release does not specifically state that).

Selected 53rd overall in 2016, Hronek has been one of the bright spots for the Red Wings in the last few seasons. His development from a second-round afterthought to full-time NHL puck-mover has been almost seamless, with plenty of success along the way. Now 22, he’s coming off his first full season in the NHL and a career-high 31 points in 65 games. While he came with a close to league-leading -38, that has a lot more to do with logging 24 minutes a night for a historically bad team than it does about Hronek’s ability at this level.

Moving forward there is no doubt that Hronek figures strongly into the Red Wings plans as a pillar on the back end, but given his offensive ability, the team would be wise to bring in other names that could take some of the defensive pressure off the youngster.

For now, he’ll be getting some time overseas to continue his development while he waits for hockey to resume on North American ice.

David Gustafsson Loaned To Allsvenskan

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Among the players being loaned out to European leagues, it’s no longer only prospects that are years away from making an NHL impact. Now teams are starting to find landing spots for young players who have a good shot at making the roster when the 2020-21 season starts too. David Gustafsson, who played 22 games with the Winnipeg Jets this season, has been loaned to Tingsryds AIF of Sweden’s Allsvenskan (second tier).

Gustafsson, 20, scored his first NHL goal with the Jets but was held scoreless otherwise and managed just seven points in 13 AHL contests. Still, he’s a big part of their future after being selected 60th overall in 2018 and making an impact at the SHL level.

This move is a bit curious, given he’s already competed and succeeded at the highest level in Sweden, but it will certainly give Gustafsson a chance to build on his game and get some confidence coming into NHL training camp. The Jets release specifically states that the young forward will return when the 2020-21 season begins in North America.

Minor Transactions: 08/26/20

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Things kick off today with some afternoon hockey between the New York Islanders and Philadelphia Flyers, before a pair of later games this evening. For more than half the league though, plans are being formulated for the 2020-21 season instead (whenever that starts). Minor, junior, and European leagues are also planning their next steps and like always we’ll keep track of those minor moves right here.

  • Ryan Jones has signed with the Rochester Americans after failing to reach an agreement with the Pittsburgh Penguins. The 24-year old defenseman became a free agent earlier this month after four years at the University of Nebraska-Omaha and will instead join the AHL organization to start his professional career.
  • The San Jose Sharks have loaned Josef Korenar to HC Ocelari to start the season, letting him get some game action in the Czech Republic while they wait for the AHL. Korenar posted an .891 save percentage in 33 games this season for the San Jose Barracuda, his second season in North American pro hockey.
  • The OHL’s Oshawa Generals have landed a future NHL prospect in a trade with the Erie Otters. Forward Hayden Fowler, expected to be a mid-round pick in the upcoming 2020 NHL Draft, was acquired by Oshawa for a trio of high picks, the team announced. Fowler, an OHL first-rounder in 2017, recorded 42 points in 52 games this season.
  • Former New York Islanders prospect Kirill Petrov won’t be attempting a North American comeback any time soon. Petrov, now 30, was a 2008 selection of the Isles whose stint with the club lasted just 13 AHL games in 2015-16. Yet, in the four seasons since he returned to the KHL, he has put up strong numbers year after year. However, rather than try his hand at the top level, Petrov has signed a two-year extension with Ak Bars Kazan, the team reports.

Minor Transactions: 08/25/20

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The playoffs resume with two more games this evening, as the Boston Bruins and Vegas Golden Knights look to take commanding 2-0 series leads. For more than half the league though, plans are being formulated for the 2020-21 season instead (whenever that starts). Minor, junior, and European leagues are also planning their next steps and like always we’ll keep track of those minor moves right here.

  • Filip Hallander, the Toronto Maple Leafs newest prospect, had already been loaned to Lulea HF for the 2020-21 season. Toronto GM Kyle Dubas told reporters today that the team will honor that agreement, though Hallander will be back to take part in NHL training camp. Should he fail to make the NHL roster, he’ll be on his way back to spend another season developing in Sweden. Hallander suffered a broken leg in the second game of the 2019-20 SHL season, but still managed to put up 14 points in 27 games by the end of the year.
  • Jan Bednar, a top goaltending prospect for the 2020 draft, has committed to playing in North America this season, signing with the Acadie-Bathurst Titan of the QMJHL. Bednar was the 2nd overall pick in the 2020 CHL Import Draft behind only Matvei Petrov and was ranked second among international goaltenders for the upcoming draft.
  • Ryan Bourque, a long-time AHL veteran, has decided to hang up his skates. The 29-year old son of NHL legend Ray Bourque has retired, finishing with just one game at the NHL level. Originally selected in the third round by the New York Rangers, Bourque scored 203 points in 585 career AHL games and represented Canada several times on the international stage, winning gold at both the U18 and U20 World Junior Championships.

Blue Jackets’ Calvin Thurkauf Signs With EV Zug

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Just two months after EV Zug of Switzerland’s NLA publicly lamented that alumnus Calvin Thurkauf was working on an extension with the Columbus Blue Jackets and was unlikely to play for the team again, the narrative has gone in the opposite direction. Zug has announced that Thurkauf has returned to his hometown team and will be ready to start the NLA season.

However, before EVZ fans get too excited or Blue Jackets fans get too worried, it is important to note that Zug’s press release specifically states that Thurkauf is only expected to begin the season in Zug. As an unsigned RFA, Thurkauf could not be loaned overseas like many other NHL prospects and instead needed to sign a contract. However that deal is only valid until Thurkauf signs an NHL or AHL contract for the 2020-21.

Thurkauf, 23, is likely to find work, if not with Columbus then elsewhere in the NHL, after recording 26 points in 53 AHL games this season. He also made his NHL debut, suiting up for three games with the Blue Jackets. A big, physical forward who has proven himself capable in the WHL and AHL, Thurkauf is likely to push for a fourth-line role if he returns to Columbus. Zug fans will simply have to enjoy the homecoming while it lasts.

Snapshots: Colorado, Gaudreau, Bjorkqvist

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The Colorado Avalanche will be without both Philipp Grubauer and Erik Johnson for the next while, as head coach Jared Bednar told reporters including Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet that the pair would be out “indefinitely.” Luckily they have Pavel Francouz to step into the net and takeover, as he did so many times this season. The 30-year old undrafted goaltender put up a .923 save percentage in 34 appearances for the Avalanche this season, his first full year in the NHL.

On defense, it will be Kevin Connauton inserted into Johnson’s spot. The veteran NHL defenseman has plenty of experience in the regular season, but hasn’t seen a playoff game since 2014. You can bet the Avalanche won’t be leaning as heavily on Connauton as they did on Johnson, who had been averaging over 19 minutes this postseason.

  • When the Calgary Flames collapsed and allowed seven straight goals to the Dallas Stars in an elimination game, many fans called for the team to be blown up. Johnny Gaudreau was the target of much of the frustration, with Eric Francis of Sportsnet even calling him a “likely trade candidate” after he struggled to produce any even-strength offense in the playoffs once again. For what it’s worth, Gaudreau told reporters today including Wes Gilbertson of Postmedia that he loves playing in Calgary and wants to spend the rest of his career with the Flames. He even directly addressed the rumors that have always swirled about his desire to return to the east coast (Gaudreau is from New Jersey and attended Boston College), saying he is “really comfortable” in Calgary, a place that is “special” to him and his family.
  • Kasper Bjorkqvist has played just six games at the minor league level, but he won’t be playing another for a while. The Pittsburgh Penguins prospect been loaned to KooKoo in Finland’s Liiga for the 2020-21 season. Bjorkqvist, a 2016 second-round pick, played three years at Providence College before signing his entry-level deal in 2019. He played just six games for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins before injuring his knee and requiring surgery, ending his 2019-20 season.

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.

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