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Gustav Lindstrom Loaned To Almtuna

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The Detroit Red Wings have found another opportunity for one of their young prospects, this time loaning Gustav Lindstrom to Almtuna of the Swedish second league. Lindstrom, like many other Detroit youngsters including Mortiz Seider and Filip Zadina, is expected back for training camp in a few months.

Like Seider, Lindstrom is another exciting defense prospect for the Red Wings who could make an impact in the coming years. In fact, the 21-year-old did make his NHL debut this year, suiting up for 16 Detroit games during his first year in North America. The second-round pick from 2017 actually has experience at the SHL level as well, making it an interesting decision to send him back to the Allsvenskan. Detroit could be hoping that he will get huge minutes there in a league he had already graduated from while he prepares to make the NHL roster in November.

In 45 games for the Grand Rapids Griffins, Lindstrom recorded just five points but was an encouraging presence on the blueline. The Red Wings philosophy for years was to “overripen” players in the minor leagues before bringing them up to the NHL, but given how poor the big club performed this season there may be more opportunity for young players. Getting his legs under him overseas will only give Lindstrom a headstart on the competition.

Kings’ Samuel Fagemo Expected To Be Loaned To Allsvenskan

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The Los Angeles Kings look to have found a place for one of their young prospects to develop before NHL training camp gets underway as Henrik Sjoborg of Hockey News SE (translation required) writes that forward Samuel Fagemo is expected to play for Sodertalje in the Allsvenskan in Sweden next season. The 20-year-old, a 2019 second-round pick, would be expected to report to Kings’ training camp and stay in L.A. if he makes the team.

Fagemo signed his entry-level deal in July of 2019 and was loaned to Frolunda, his SHL team last season. He tallied 13 goals and 22 points last season and was likely headed to the AHL this season. However, with the delay in the NHL and AHL seasons for 2020-21, Fagemo could find himself playing in the Allsvenskan instead. He actually played three games with Sodertalje back in 2017/18 when he was loaned from Frolunda before being drafted.

The report also notes that Sodertalje is negotiating with Anaheim Ducks prospect Axel Andersson to also sign with them for the upcoming season. The 20-year-old was a second-round pick of the Boston Bruins in 2018, but was traded to the Ducks in February as part of the Ondrej Kase deal. Andersson played his 18-year-old season with Sodertalje in 2018-19 and then spent one season in the QMJHL with the Moncton Wildcats, posting three goals and 24 points in 43 games.

 

Prospect Notes: O’Brien, Berni, Patera

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Philadelphia Flyers draft pick Jay O’Brien will fulfill his commitment to Boston University, following a year in the BCHL as he sat out due to transfer rules. O’Brien struggled mightily in his first year of NCAA hockey with Providence College in 2018-19, scoring just five points in 25 games, but will try again after showing exactly why he was a first-round pick in 2018.

The 20-year old forward tied for fourth in BCHL scoring with 66 points in just 46 games, earning himself a first team All-Star selection in the process. While there is still a long way to go for O’Brien before he provides any kind of value for the Flyers, getting back into college hockey (whenever it happens) is a good step.

  • Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Tim Berni will be playing in Switzerland for the next few months, after being loaned to the ZSC Lions for the time being. Berni will be allowed to return to North America for NHL training camp in November, though it is extremely unlikely at this point that he would make the Blue Jackets roster. The 20-year old was a sixth-round pick in 2018 but has played the last two full seasons in the NLA, recording 11 points in 45 games this year.
  • Jiri Patera, who only signed his entry-level contract with the Vegas Golden Knights a little over a month ago, will begin the year in the Czech Republic with Motor Ceske Budejovice. The goaltending prospect put up a .921 save percentage for the Brandon Wheat Kings this season and will try to continue his development this season against professionals.

West Notes: Kings, DeMelo, Pospisil

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The New York Rangers were the big winners at the NHL Draft Lottery, meaning the Westen Conference won’t have to deal with Alexis Lafreniere on a regular basis, right? Well, as Lisa Dillman examined for The Athletic, if the Los Angeles Kings or another team with a high pick came calling the Rangers would have to listen. The Kings have arguably the best prospect group in the entire NHL already and could potentially create quite a package of assets for the first overall selection.

While the Kings have that impressive prospect base and several high picks, the Ottawa Senators are primed to make a huge splash at this year’s draft as well. Not only do they hold the third and fifth overall selections, but they also have an incredible seven picks in the first two rounds of this year’s draft. Nine if you extend that to the third round, and 13 in total for 2020.

  • Winnipeg Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff liked the fit for trade deadline acquisition Dylan DeMelo, but hasn’t started negotiations yet for a new contract according to Murat Ates of The Athletic. The team will “definitely take a look” at a new deal with the pending free agent, who ended up playing just 14 total games for the Jets after arriving from Ottawa partway through the season. The 27-year old DeMelo recorded just ten points in 59 games this season and is coming off a two-year deal that carried a $900K cap hit.
  • Martin Pospisil, who signed his three-year entry-level contract in 2019, will be playing in Slovakia for the time being. The Calgary Flames prospect has been loaned to HC Kosice for the next few months but is expected back for NHL training camp. Pospisil played 26 games for the Stockton Heat of the AHL this season, recording ten points.

Marian Studenic Loaned To HC Slovan Bratislava

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It’s not often you find a fifth-round pick playing in the World Championship two years after his draft, but that’s exactly what Marian Studenic did last summer. The New Jersey Devils prospect suited up for Slovakia alongside and against NHL talents at the annual tournament and acquitted himself quite well. Five points in seven games tied him for fourth on the club, impressive given he had only played a single professional season to that point.

After another year with the AHL’s Binghamton Devils, Studenic was likely ticketed for training camp with the Devils to see if he could make an impression. Instead, thanks to the shifted hockey calendar, he has been loaned to HC Slovan Bratislava to play for the next few months. The 21-year old (22 in October) will be recalled for NHL training camp in November.

An interesting thing to keep an eye on with Studenic is that 2020-21 is the final year of his entry-level contract. He could potentially return to Europe next summer should he not want to stick around in the minor leagues. Still, he’s a name to remember for the Devils as they continue to try and build a program and compete at the NHL level. Their prospect cupboard is filled with players hoping to get a chance to show what they can do.

Toronto Maple Leafs Loan Two Prospects Overseas

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The Toronto Maple Leafs are the latest team to send some prospects overseas for European training camp and game action. The team announced Filip Kral and Jesper Lindgren have been loaned to HC Prerov and MODO respectively.

Both players are defensemen that would be extreme long-shots to make the NHL roster next season, but they could be recalled from these loans to play for the Toronto Marlies of the AHL when the minor league season begins.

Kral, 20, saw his CHL career cut short when the season was canceled after posting 49 points in 53 games for the Spokane Chiefs of the WHL. The Czech-born defender played three years for Spokane, developing just outside of the spotlight that was on New Jersey Devils prospect Ty Smith who was busy winning Defenseman of the Year awards. While Kral doesn’t have that kind of upside, his 120 points in 154 games and strong performances in the World Juniors certainly makes him more interesting than the average fifth-round pick.

Lindgren meanwhile played this season for the Marlies, recording nine points in 31 games during his first full season in North America. The 23-year old was a fourth-round selection in 2015 and took his time before coming over, but is also an interesting name to keep an eye on as the Maple Leafs try to find cheap depth for their roster. Lindgren has one year remaining on his entry-level contract and will still be waiver-exempt in 2020-21.

Ville Heinola Loaned To Rauman Lukko

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The Winnipeg Jets will do what so many other teams have done this summer and find a place to play for one of their top prospects. Ville Heinola has been loaned to Rauman Lukko of Finland’s Liiga, with the understanding that he will return to North America when the 2020-21 season begins. Heinola played most of the 2019-20 season with the Finnish club and will get a chance to start his season a little bit earlier than his North American counterparts.

Selected 20th overall in 2019, Heinola made an immediate impact at Jets camp and after several injuries (and disappearances) hit the blue line, he was forced into NHL game action as a teenager. The young puck-mover acquitted himself quite well, recording five points in eight games before going back to the minor leagues and then overseas. It’s unlikely that he can keep up that kind of scoring pace through his first full NHL season, but the Jets believe they’ve found a legitimate top-four option that just needs a little more polish.

By heading to Finland again, he’ll end up at NHL training camp with his legs under him and able to hit the ground running. If that ends up in a roster spot isn’t guaranteed since Heinola’s entry-level contract is eligible to slide again next season, but it certainly could as the Jets try to rebuild their club for another postseason run.

Minor Transactions: 08/10/20

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With the 2020-21 seasons overseas expected to start up on their normal schedule, several players have been loaned overseas and there were a few more in recent days.  Here is a rundown of those moves with each player expected to return for NHL training camps.

  • Recently-signed Bruins winger Robert Lantosi has joined HK Nitra in the Slovak Extraliga, per a team release. The 24-year-old had a good first season in North America, posting 11 goals and 20 assists in 50 games with AHL Providence which helped him get converted to an NHL deal for the upcoming season.  Lantosi is no stranger to Nitra, having played there in 2018-19 where he led the team in points while finishing fifth overall in league scoring.
  • Penguins winger Radim Zohorna is heading back to the Czech league as BK Mlada Boleslav announced that he will be back with them to start next season. The 24-year-old spent the last two seasons with that program and had a career best 10 goals and 12 assists with them last season.  That was enough to convince Pittsburgh to sign him back in April.
  • On top of adding Aleksi Heponiemi from Florida on Sunday, MODO of the SHL announced that they’ve also added Maple Leafs blueliner Jesper Lindgren. The 23-year-old played in 31 games with the AHL Marlies this season, picking up a goal and eight assists.  While Lindgren briefly played in Finland before coming to North America, he spent the bulk of his early development in MODO’s program from 2013-14 through 2016-17.

Florida Panthers To Loan Aleksi Heponiemi To Sweden’s MODO

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With a number of players choosing to head to Europe to get some playing time before the expected start date of December for the 2020-21 NHL season, the Allvenskan’s MODO announced they have acquired Aleksi Heponiemi on loan from the Florida Panthers for the 2020-21 season. Of course, he is expected to be recalled when NHL training camp begins, likely in November.

Heponiemi is one of the team’s top prospects. The 21-year-old was a second-round pick in the 2017 draft and played one more season with the Swift Current Broncos of the WHL, posting a 118-point season. He then signed a two-year pact with the Liiga’s Karput squad where he scored 16 goals and 46 points in 50 games in 2018-19. He opted out of his contract after that and signed with Florida, playing in the AHL last season where he struggled a bit. He tallied just three goals and 14 points in 49 games, but is still expected to challenge for a role in Florida next season.

The hope is that Heponiemi will get significant playing time with MODO even if it’s in the Allsvenskan as opposed to playing with Liiga. The forward hopes that will give him an advantage when he arrives to camp. The team will have several significant roster moves to make in the offseason. The team is expected to part ways with general manager Dale Tallon and must make decisions on whether it can retain high-priced forwards Evgenii Dadonov and Mike Hoffman. With a possiblility of several openings on the depth chart for next season, a ready-to-go Heponiemi could force his way into the lineup with a good training camp.

L.A. Kings Loan Tobias Bjornfot To SHL’s Djurgardens

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Yet another NHL prospect has been loaned overseas to begin the 2020-21 season and this time it is a relatively big name in Los Angeles Kings defenseman Tobias Bjornfot. Bjornfot, 19, was a first-round pick in 2019 and jumped immediately to the pro ranks for L.A., spending the whole season in North America. However, he will at least begin next year back home in Sweden. The Kings have announced that Bjornfot has been loaned to Djurgardens IF of the SHL to begin the season. He is expected to rejoin L.A. at some point during the season.

Bjornfot was selected No. 22 overall last year and made the unlikely jump directly to the NHL. He played in three games with the Kings and 44 more with the AHL’s Ontario Reign, where he recorded 19 points and a +13 rating. Bjornfot did not look out of place and will likely be given every chance to break camp with the Kings next year, especially if he excels in the SHL.

Bjornfot should feel right at home with Djurgardens, as he developed in their system for three years before he was drafted and departed to North America. He even played in seven SHL games in 2018-19. Djurgardens is routinely a contender in the SHL, but their roster looks uncharacteristically thin for next season. As a result, Bjornfot should be given every opportunity to play a major role and spend the time that he otherwise would have spent waiting for the NHL season to start instead preparing himself for what he hopes is an impact rookie season.

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