Sheldon Rempal Signs Two-Year Deal With Los Angeles Kings
It’s clear the Los Angeles Kings are targeting the college free agent market, as after signing Daniel Brickley they’ve inked another intriguing prospect. Sheldon Rempal has signed a two-year entry-level contract with the Kings, leaving Clarkson University after just two seasons.
Rempal, 22, led Clarkson in scoring with 46 points in 39 games and is another example of how the league is more accepting of small players. The 5’10” 154-lbs forward was a top offensive player in the BCHL before heading to Clarkson, and was even invited to development camp with the Calgary Flames in 2016. Undrafted and unsigned, he made an impact even as a freshman with his ability around the net and quick feet.
Jon Rosen of LA Kings Insider reports that Rempal will skate with Los Angeles next week and burn the first year of his contract this season but will return to school once the regular season ends to finish his classes instead of reporting to the AHL.
The Kings have decided that his skill is enough to warrant a professional contract, and though it seems unlikely that he’ll step into the NHL in 2018-19, adding talent to the system with almost no cost is never a bad thing. While Brickley will have a bigger impact in the short term, Rempal has never failed to produce at any level and should be a player to watch wherever he lands next season.
Daniel Brickley, Mikey Eyssimont Sign With Los Angeles Kings
Friday: The Kings have officially announced the Brickley contract. The two-year entry-level contract will start this season.
Thursday: Daniel Brickley might be the most sought after college free agent on the market this year, and we’d recently heard he had visited the Detroit Red Wings, Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks in an attempt to make a decision. That decision didn’t take long, as the defenseman has agreed to terms with the Los Angeles Kings. The deal will be a two-year entry-level contract when it is finally signed, and Bob McKenzie of TSN reports that it will start in 2017-18.
Brickley, 22, just finished his junior season with Minnesota State-Mankato, where he recorded 35 points in 40 games and was a considerable two-way force. After playing in the World Championships for Team USA last spring, it is expected that Brickley will be able to step right into the NHL and play a role on any defense corps, making him a desirable asset for nearly every club.
The left-handed shot defenseman stands 6’3″ 205-lbs and has quick feet to skate himself out of trouble in his own end. Though there are sometimes lapses in his own end like many young defenders, his ability to push the play through a solid first pass and ability to carry the puck is perfectly suited to the new NHL.
It is important to note though that Brickley will not be eligible to play in the playoffs this season, since he was not on any team’s reserve list at the trade deadline. The free agent will have to wait until 2018-19 to really make an impact, though the actual contract will still come into effect right away and make him eligible to play in the last few regular season games.
The team has also signed Mikey Eyssimont out of St. Cloud State, their fifth-round pick form 2016. Eyssimont was a point-per-game player this season, recording 39 on the year and leading the club in goals with 17. The 21-year old was also entitled to a two-year deal, but actually would be eligible for the playoffs if it takes effect in 2017-18.
College Free Agent Sheldon Rempal Visits Kings
- The Kings may not be done signing college players just yet. After they signed defenseman Daniel Brickley and forward Mikey Eyssimont earlier today, Jon Rosen of LA Kings Insider reports that free agent winger Sheldon Rempal also visited with the team. The 21-year-old sophomore posted 23 goals and 23 assists in just 39 games with Clarkson and is garnering considerable interest around the league although he could return for another season at the NCAA level as well.
Injury Notes: Versteeg, Brodie, Tkachuk, Kuznetsov, Holtby, Bernier
Not long after the Calgary Flames shut down center Sean Monahan for the season, the Flames lost another player for the remainder of the season in winger Kris Versteeg, according to Postmedia’s Wes Gilbertson.
Versteeg had been out with a hip injury for a large chunk of the season this year. He has been out since Nov. 24, but came back last week for two games. Yet two scratches in a row in the team’s two most recent games suggests he wasn’t at full strength. With the Flames quickly bottoming out in the final stretch of games, it probably makes sense for the team to allow Versteeg to sit and heal for next season, allowing them to look at some younger options.
While Versteeg’s loss isn’t as devastating a loss as Monahan, Versteeg was considered a key to the team’s back-six. He has averaged close to 15 goals per season over the previous three years, but only managed to appear in 24 games this season, posting just three goals and five assists.
- In other injury news in Calgary, the Calgary Sun’s Kristen Anderson writes that defenseman T. J. Brodie and winger Matthew Tkachuk are both still considered day-to-day and will not travel with the team to San Jose or Los Angeles for their upcoming road trip. Brodie has missed two games after taking a hit from Vegas Golden Knights enforcer Ryan Reaves on Mar. 18, while Tkachuk has missed five games after taking a hit from the New York Islanders’ Mathew Barzal on Mar. 11.
- The Washington Post’s Isabelle Khurshudyan tweets that center Evgeny Kuznetsov will return to the Capitals’ lineup today after missing three games with an upper-body injury. The 25-year-old center has never missed a game with an injury and as the Capitals fight for a better seeding in the playoffs, the team will be happy to get him back. Kuznetsov is heading for a career year as he already has a career-high 21 goals and his 71 points is six short of his career high.
- Khurshudyan also notes that Washington Capitals head coach Barry Trotz will continue to hold goaltender Braden Holtby out of games as he doesn’t want to risk further injury. The veteran goaltender remains day-to-day with a lower body injury.
- Adrian Dater of BSN Denver tweets that Colorado Avalanche goaltender Jonathan Bernier is out again, this time with an upper-body injury. He came in to replace Semyon Varlamov Thursday in their 7-1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings, and allowed two goals.
Kings Sign Steve Johnson To Minor League ATO
- The Kings have inked 2014 fourth-rounder Steve Johnson to a minor league tryout agreement, notes Jon Rosen of LA Kings Insider (Twitter link). Johnson just wrapped up his four-year NCAA career with the University of Minnesota and collected three goals and 12 assists in 38 games this past season. Los Angeles has until August 15th to sign him to an NHL contract or lose his rights so it appears that they will use these next few weeks to help determine if he’s worth signing to an entry-level deal.
Devils’ Fitzgerald, Penguins’ Guerin Also Out Of Carolina GM Search
New Carolina Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon probably did not expect this process to be so hard. After Los Angles Kings Assistant GM Mike Futa joined Nashville Predators Assistant GM Paul Fenton in dropping out of the running to be the next Hurricanes GM early yesterday, two more names are off the list. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reached out to a potential candidate, New Jersey Devils Assistant GM Tom Fitzgerald, and found that he too had pulled out of the search. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun hears Pittsburgh Penguins Assistant GM Bill Guerin also declined to get involved in the process.
Fitzgerald, 49, had a long NHL career, lasting from 1988 to 2006, and then joined the Penguins front office in 2007. He has been the AGM of the Devils since 2015. The experienced hockey mind comes from a strong hockey bloodline and has two sons, Ryan and Casey, with NHL potential. There are many reasons why Fitzgerald would be a strong hire and he certainly seems to have a GM title in his future, but it won’t be with Carolina. Fitzgerald simply told Friedman “This is nothing against Tom Dundon. I am very happy in New Jersey and this is not the right time for me.” Guerin, 47, is in a similar boat. LeBrun states that he too felt the timing was wrong. Guerin himself was a successful NHLer for nearly 20 years and has been with the Penguins organization since 2009, having been promoted to AGM in 2014. Many see Guerin as the heir apparent to 69-year-old Pens GM Jim Rutherford.
These continued rejections have changed Dundon’s frame of mind for his hunt for Ron Francis‘ replacement. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports this morning that the team is “shifting gears” and will wait until the off-season to continue their search. LeBrun speculated that this may change the “timing is wrong” feeling from some of these candidates. However, of the three remaining names on the short list reported by Friedman, only one – Buffalo’s Steve Greeley – is currently employed by an NHL team other than Carolina, while the other two candidates are ‘Canes Assistant GM Mike Vellucci and former Canucks executive Laurence Gilman. More than anything, the pause could be Dundon re-thinking the whole situation. It certainly hasn’t been a smooth process so far for the NHL’s newest owner.
Snapshots: Futa, Seattle, Ference
As he did last year when interviewed by the Buffalo Sabres for their GM job, Mike Futa has reportedly pulled out of the running for the Carolina Hurricanes vacancy. That’s according to Elliotte Friedman and John Shannon of Sportsnet, who explain that Futa is focused on the Los Angeles Kings’ playoff run instead of getting caught up in a possible promotion.
Last year, Futa said that he was excited for his new role with the Kings as he’d just recently been promoted to assistant General Manager, and now it looks like they’re in no danger of losing him. The Kings are in third place in the Pacific Division and are still among the league leaders in fewest goals against.
- Tod Leiweke, brother of Tim Leiweke who is heading the group applying for an expansion franchise in Seattle, has left his role in the NFL and will join the group bringing hockey to the Pacific Northwest. As Shannon reports, Tod Leiweke has been involved with several NHL teams in the past including Tampa Bay and Vancouver. The brothers are joined by David Bonderman, a billionaire investor, and several other high-profile names determined to bring hockey back to Seattle. The expansion application has already been filed, and the city’s season ticket drive was a huge success.
- Andrew Ference was a respected leader during his playing career, and will now join the NHL as Director of Social Impact, Growth & Fan Development. Ference played parts of 16 years in the NHL, suiting up for 907 regular season games and raising the Stanley Cup with the Boston Bruins in 2011. He served as captain in Edmonton for two seasons, where he grew up and still resides.
Carolina Hurricanes Ask For Permission To Interview Mike Futa
The Carolina Hurricanes have already started their search for a new GM after moving Ron Francis out of power this week. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic tweets that the club has asked for permission to speak with Los Angeles Kings Assistant GM Mike Futa. Lisa Dillman of NHL.com adds that the request was granted. Futa has been in the running for GM jobs all around the league for the last few seasons, but was retained and promoted when Rob Blake took over as GM of the Kings last year.
Futa has a scouting background, previously worked as GM in the OHL, and is regarded as one of the brightest minds not yet given the reins of an NHL team. He was in the running for the Buffalo Sabres job before it eventually went to Jason Botterill last year, and makes sense as one of the first names Carolina would target. Whether they’ll be given permission to talk to him now or after the season is unclear, but new Carolina owner Thomas Dundon hasn’t waited around for much since taking over control of the team in January.
The Hurricanes are in danger of missing the playoffs for the ninth straight season, but do come with an impressive young core. This isn’t a job where a rebuild would be in order, which is usually the case when new GMs are brought in. Instead, the Hurricanes could be just a few moves away from real contention with their pipeline of young defensemen and scoring talent up front. While a star forward would be nice, the team desperately needs to find an answer in goal for their struggles. Cam Ward comes off the books at the end of the season, but Scott Darling hasn’t shown enough to be relied upon as the lone starter for another year.
Undrafted Free Agent Signings Dominating Juniors
Given that each team generally has seven chances to makes a pick in the NHL Draft each year resulting in, until recently, 210 selections, and now 217 moving forward, the bulk of top players in the league come through the draft process. However, no matter the level – Canadian juniors, American juniors and the NCAA, and Europe – there are always players that slip through the crack. Sometimes those particular players don’t slip too far. Case in point: take a look at some of the top players in the CHL this season. A significant proportion of 2017-18’s most valuable players in the OHL, WHL, and QMJHL are not just undrafted, but have also already signed with an NHL team.
In the Ontario League, Aaron Luchuk is the poster boy for the year of undrafted signings. The 20-year-old Barrie Colts center signed an entry-level contract with the Ottawa Senators back in December. He’s rewarded them for taking a gamble on him by leading the league with 105 points thus far, including a league-leading 45 goals. This has been a major step up in his production of 60 points in 68 games in 2016-17. The 5’10” forward’s next step will be trying his hand at the AHL next season. Not far behind Luchuk is Sam Miletic, a fellow 20-year-old forward playing for the Niagara Ice Dogs. Miletic is fifth in the OHL with 86 points and also brings a good defensive sense to his game. Miletic signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins in September after recording 55 points in 65 games with the London Knights last season; Miletic had 54 points in just 35 games with London prior to being traded mid-season. Undrafted netminders are also making a splash in the OHL. The Detroit Red Wings signed 19-year-old Kaden Fulcher back in October and the Hamilton Bulldogs goalie has since been a top goalie in the league, currently fourth in goals against average and seventh in save percentage among starters. Boston Bruins prospect Kyle Keyser is right there with him, as the Oshawa Generals keeper is sixth in save percentage and seventh in goals against average among starters.
The Western League is littered with undrafted free agent signings among its top scorers. The Moose Jaw Warriors’ Brayden Burke has joined that group, having just signed with the Arizona Coyotes on Thursday. Burke, 21, is tied for second in league scoring with 113 points in just 61 games, a pace of nearly two points per game this season. Burke is undersized at 5’10”, 165 lbs., but has done well for himself in the WHL, which is traditionally a heavier league, and will soon turn his sights on the pros. Also in the top ten in scoring are another Penguin, Jordy Bellerive, and the Colorado Avalanche’s Ty Lewis. Both forwards signed prior to the season and have each taken a big step in 2017-18, currently tied for eighth with 89 points. Bellerive, who is only 18, jumped on the opportunity to sign with the defending Cup champs after being passed over in the draft, and the Lethbridge Hurricanes center is now making the Penguins just as excited about the deal. Lewis, 20, has stepped into the top scorer role for the Brandon Wheat Kings left behind by Nolan Patrick and has excelled. Cameron Hebig of the Regina Pats is next in line with 88 points on the year, after signing with the Edmonton Oilers. The WHL also features an impressive undrafted goalie of their own in Cole Kehler, a 20-year-old for the Portland Winterhawks who inked a deal with the Los Angeles Kings in December as well. Kehler has a big frame and a quick glove, which has helped him maintain the best goals against average and fourth-best save percentage among goalies with at least 40 appearances this year.
While the Quebec League doesn’t count as many exciting undrafted prospects among its best, it does feature two consistent torrid scorers who, until recently, had been ignored due to their small stature. Alex Barre-Boulet joined the pro-bound on March 1st, when the Tampa Bay Lightning signed him to an entry-level deal. Barre-Boulet, 20, may stand only 5’10”, 165 lbs., but he is enjoying his third-straight 80+ point campaign. In fact, he is far beyond that in 2017-18, with a league leading 109 points that dwarfs the next-best scorer by 15 points. The Blainville-Boisbriand Armada star has at least earned a shot at the NHL. So too has Maxime Fourtier, the Halifax Mooseheads captain who has at least 70 points the past three years. Fourtier is slightly bigger that Barre-Boulet and has clearly focused on rounding out his game this season, after signing with the Columbus Blue Jackets in November.
The 2017-18 season shows that the draft is not the end of the line. These standouts make up only a fraction of the talented undrafted players skating in the CHL, some of whom are soon to be signed, and an even smaller fraction of undrafted players across the globe. Talent is always there to discover, even if it doesn’t fully manifest by the age of 18, and these players are proof. Expect to see many of them at the NHL level some time in the not-to-distant future.
Kings Sign Gabriel Vilardi To An Entry-Level Contract
The Kings have locked up their top pick from last June’s draft, announcing that they have signed center Gabriel Vilardi to a three-year, entry-level contract. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The 18-year-old was the 11th overall selection in the draft but his 2017-18 season hasn’t exactly been one to remember. He suffered a back injury while training during the summer which kept him out of the lineup in the early going this season. He was assigned back to the OHL in November to continue his rehab but he didn’t actually see game action until January 5th after his junior rights were dealt from Windsor to Kingston.
Vilardi has certainly made up for lost time as he has gotten off to a flying start with 43 points (14-29-43) in just 23 games with the Frontenacs. Unsurprisingly, he was a highly sought-after prospect at the trade deadline but the Kings had little intention of moving him. Vilardi still has a year of junior eligibility remaining and won’t be able to play at the AHL level next year so he will have to return to the OHL if he is unable to land a roster spot with Los Angeles in October.