Toronto Maple Leafs Loan Two Prospects Overseas
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
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
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
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
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.
Washington Capitals Loan Aliaksei Protas To The KHL
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.
Moritz Seider Loaned To DEL
August 7: The Red Wings have made it official, announcing that Seider and Zadina have been loaned overseas. Seider is headed to Mannheim, while Zadina will join HC Ocelari Trinec for now. Both players should be back for training camp in North America at some point in November.
August 3: The Detroit Red Wings have a handful of exciting prospects in the minor leagues, but with the uncertainty surrounding the 2020-21 AHL season, they will need to find places to play for the next six months. Reports have already surfaced about Joe Veleno and Filip Zadina who could be headed to the Czech Republic to get into some game action, and now Moritz Seider is also headed overseas.
Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press reports that Seider will be loaned to Adler Mannheim of the German DEL, though the Red Wings retain the ability to recall him at any time. Seider played for Mannheim before being selected sixth overall in 2019, but spent this season with the Grand Rapids Griffins of the AHL.
There are few defensive prospects in the game that generate as much excitement as Seider, who was an immediate hit in Grand Rapids and has shown off his ability on the international stage. The 6’4″ right-handed shot is an all-situations defender that recorded 22 points in 49 games during his rookie season in the AHL. He is expected to challenge for a role on Detroit’s blueline before long, meaning he’ll likely be back in time to participate in NHL training camps in November.
Kasper Kotkansalo, another Red Wings draft pick, will also be headed overseas for the 2020-21 season. The third-round pick from 2017 has decided to leave Boston University and join Assat of the Finnish Liiga to continue his development. Kotkansalo, 21, had 25 points in 112 games for BU.
Philadelphia Flyers Loan Linus Sandin To SHL
Linus Sandin won’t be starting his North American career as soon as he expected. The Swedish forward has been loaned back to the SHL’s HV71 today by the Philadelphia Flyers, just a few months after signing his entry-level contract.
Sandin, 24, inked that one-year entry-level deal in April following an excellent season with HV71, where he scored 36 points in 51 games. The undrafted forward was set to compete for a role in the NHL for the 2020-21 season, but will have to wait a little longer for that opportunity. As with any of these loans, the Flyers retain the right to recall Sandin at any point and will likely do so in time for NHL training camps in November.
The older brother of top Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Rasmus Sandin, Linus has played three full seasons in the SHL and has seen his point totals jump in each one. The 6’1″ forward easily led HV71 in goals with 19, good enough for third in the entire league. With a flat cap next season he could be a valuable depth piece for the Flyers, who still have some important free agents to sign and not a ton of space to do it.
Minor Transactions: 08/05/20
With six NHL playoff games a day suddenly on the docket, summer days are now filled with hockey. Yet, the qualifying round and round robin games are not the only news-makers in the hockey world. Here are some minor moves from across several levels, including an NHL loan, a pair of AHL extensions, and some NCAA commitments:
- With the delayed start to the season among North American leagues, there has been a rash of overseas loans among NHL prospects in recent weeks. Florida Panthers prospect Rodrigo Abols has now also joined that list. Abols, a late 2016 pick out of Latvia, is set to return to the SHL’s Orebro HK to begin next season, the team announced. Abols played in the AHL with the Springfield Thunderbirds this season, but previously played with Orebro for the two seasons prior. He will return to Sweden on a short-term loan for now that expires in mid-November, allowing for the young forward to compete in training camp and in the AHL if the Panthers so desire, but it would also not be a surprise to see the project player stay in the SHL for the year.
- The Ontario Reign, AHL affiliate of the L.A. Kings, have announced one-year extensions for forwards Blaine Byron and Jacob Doty. Byron, a former Pittsburgh Penguins prospect and a University of Maine standout, has been a force in the AHL through three pro seasons. Byron has recorded 72 points in 136 games, including a career-high 34 in 53 games this season. Acquired by Ontario from Springfield mid-season, Byron was one of the Reign’s best players down the stretch and could be in for a big 2020-21 season. Doty, a 27-year-old journeyman, made his return to the AHL this season but recorded just one point in 18 games for Ontario. However, he provides experience and work ethic for the young farm team.
- Harvard University has made headlines lately for losing players, both current and committed, due to the Ivy League’s ban on fall sports this year. However, they got some good news today in the form of a commitment from twin brothers with a well-known last name. Marek and Daniel Hejduk, the sons of career Colorado Avalanche star and Stanley Cup champ Milan Hejduk, each announced on Twitter today that they have committed to play at Harvard. While the 16-year-olds are still at least two seasons away from joining the Crimson, Marek is already slated to join the U.S. National Team Development Program next year and Daniel could follow. The pair seem likely to have some NHL Draft prospects by the time they are ready to move to the NCAA.
- As for another brother duo headed to the college ranks, 16-year-old defenseman Seamus Powell announced on Instagram that he will follow his brother Eamon Powell to Boston College. Eamon, a USNTDP graduate who is set to join the Eagles this coming season, is a 2020 NHL Draft prospect expected to be selected in the second or third round in November. Seamus, a comparable small, offensive defenseman, will join the USNTDP this coming season and will be draft eligible in 2022, when he is also expected to enroll at BC.
Snapshots: Schedule, Dostal, Brome
The NHL has released their schedule for Friday, giving us a slate of game fours that lasts all day. Things will get kicked off with the Florida Panthers trying to stave off elimination once again after defeating the New York Islanders earlier today. The full schedule will be (all times central):
Florida Panthers vs New York Islanders – Game 4, 11:00am
Arizona Coyotes vs Nashville Predators – Game 4, 1:30pm
Montreal Canadiens vs Pittsburgh Penguins – Game 4, 3:00pm
Chicago Blackhawks vs Edmonton Oilers – Game 4, 5:45pm
Columbus Blue Jackets vs Toronto Maple Leafs – Game 4, 7:00pm
Minnesota Wild vs Vancouver Canucks – Game 4, 9:45pm
For some more intermission reading, here are some other notes from around the hockey world:
- Lukas Dostal will stay overseas “for the time being,” after being loaned back to Ilves in the Finnish Liiga by the Anaheim Ducks. Dostal won the Urpo Ylonen Award as the top goaltender in the league last season after posting a .928 save percentage in 43 games and jumped up many prospect rankings with the performance. Selected 85th overall in 2018, the 20-year old netminder will get a chance to play in North America eventually, but is obviously doing just find continuing his development in Finland.
- More interesting perhaps on the international wire is Mathias Brome, whose name was brought up in a report from Sweden. The 26-year old forward signed a one-year entry-level contract with the Detroit Red Wings in April but could end up playing in Sweden for Orebro HK until training camp begins. That decision hasn’t been finalized yet according to the report from hockeynews.se, but certainly would give Brome a chance to keep skating while waiting for his opportunity in Detroit. After scoring 43 points in 52 games this season, he’d certainly be welcome back into the Orebro lineup for as long as they can keep him.