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Nick Suzuki Traded In OHL Blockbuster

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The OHL trade deadline is today for any deal involving over-aged players, while tomorrow is the deadline for any other deals. That means plenty of player movement has happened over the last few days and the Guelph Storm were at it again this morning. The team officially announced that they have acquired Nick Suzuki, Sean Durzi and Zachary Roberts from the Owen Sound Attack in exchange for a package including three players and four picks. Guelph is obviously working to load up before an OHL playoff run that will determine a Memorial Cup berth.

Suzuki, the prize of the deal, is a Montreal Canadiens prospect after he was included in an NHL trade prior to the season. The key piece coming back to Montreal in exchange for Max Pacioretty, he’s projected to slot into their forward group before long. This year though Suzuki is back in junior dominating in the offensive zone again, recording 45 points through his first 30 games. That run with the Attack was broken by a stint with the Canadian World Junior Team, where Suzuki ran one of the team’s powerplay units and recorded three assists in five games.

Durzi too is a huge addition for the Storm, coming off a Second All-Star selection in 2017-18. The cerebral defender was finally picked in the second round by the Toronto Maple Leafs in his second year of draft eligibility, and was sent back to junior for an over-age season. Unfortunately he has missed a good chunk of that season with an upper-body injury, but should play a big role for Guelph down the stretch.

Interestingly, this load up by Guelph comes less than a month after trading away San Jose Sharks first-round pick Ryan Merkley for a package of picks. Merkley had been dominating offensively like usual for the Storm, but was sent to the Peterborough Petes who are also fighting for a spot in the OHL playoffs.

Snapshots: Trade Bait, Three Stars, Dobson

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The NHL trade season is upon us with only seven weeks until the deadline and teams falling out of the playoff race. With that, Craig Custance of The Athletic (subscription required) broke down his list of 20 players who could be on the move before February 25th. At the top of the list is Artemi Panarin, who is still without a contract extension as we head into the second half of the season. The Columbus Blue Jackets are trying to make a deep Stanley Cup run and have perhaps the toughest decisions in the league with Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky set to hit unrestricted free agency.

Deeper down the list though Custance provides some details on asking prices, explaining that a deal to acquire Jake Muzzin from the Los Angeles Kings would need to start with a first-round pick while Alec Martinez might cost just a second-round pick and a good prospect. The Kings still sit at the bottom of the Pacific Division and are the only NHL team to have scored fewer than 100 goals this season. There are changes coming for Los Angeles, but in a “strong buyers market” it will be interesting to see how much they really get back for some of their trade assets.

  • Last week’s Three Stars have been revealed by the NHL, with Johnny Gaudreau taking home the top honors. Gaudreau recorded 11 points in four games and has led the Calgary Flames all season. Brent Burns takes home the second star, but most interesting might be Robin Lehner in the third position. Lehner looked to be on the brink of losing his NHL career when he went unqualified by the Buffalo Sabres, but has turned things around dramatically this season with the New York Islanders. With a .927 save percentage there is good reason to believe that Lehner could be one of the top goaltending options on the market this summer after his one-year deal expires, unless the Islanders can lock him up over the next few months.
  • Noah Dobson might be best known to many hockey fans for his stick exploding in overtime for Canada in the recent World Junior Championship, but he’s also a dominant defenseman and leader in the QMJHL. The Islanders prospect is on the move thanks to a junior deadline deal that will send him to the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies for the remainder of the season. The Huskies sent three first-round picks and a second-round pick for the right to acquire Dobson, who will give them another huge weapon on their quest for a Memorial Cup berth. The trade deadline for the OHL and WHL meanwhile passes on Thursday, meaning many more top prospects will be on the move.

Prospect Notes: Dobson, Bertuzzi, Zadina

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When New York Islanders prospect Noah Dobson was selected to the Canadian World Junior team, it was likely a welcome reprieve. The talented defenseman had been playing for the Acadie-Bathurst Titan in the QMJHL, a team that is currently 6-26-1 with a league-worst 68 goals for. Dobson hadn’t been able to find much success, recording just 16 points in 28 games despite being better than a point-per-game producer last season. The 12th-overall pick from 2018 went to selection camp and was suddenly surrounded by the best talent in the CHL, something he may have to get used to.

Today, according to Stephane Leroux of RDS, the Titan agreed to send Dobson to rival Rouyn-Noranda after he returns from the upcoming international tournament. The 18-year old will find himself on the best team in the QMJHL upon his return, and one that is loaded for a Memorial Cup run. The Huskies have a 28-6-1 record along with a +74 goal differential. If the Islanders were hoping for a good development year, they’re certainly getting it.

  • Speaking of CHL trades, the Guelph Storm have continued to sell off their excess talent to build for the future, this time sending top prospect Tag Bertuzzi to the Hamilton Bulldogs in exchange for three draft picks. Bertuzzi, the second-overall pick in the 2017 OHL draft, has just nine points for the Storm this season but is still considered a potential 2019 NHL draft pick given his physical style and bloodlines. The son of former NHL forward Todd Bertuzzi, and cousin of current Detroit Red Wings forward Tyler Bertuzzi, the 17-year old will try to find more success in Hamilton going forward.
  • A scare went through the Czech Republic World Junior team when Red Wings prospect Filip Zadina sat out yesterday’s Grand Rapids Griffins game with an undisclosed injury, but Max Bultman of The Athletic reports that it won’t change his planned participation in the upcoming tournament. Zadina’s injury is minor, and he is still expected to be a major contributor at the tournament. The 19-year old sniper turned a lot of heads when he scored seven goals in eight games during last year’s tournament, and he should be even better prepared for the international competition after refining his game at the AHL level.

Michael DiPietro Traded In OHL

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Michael DiPietro has had a very interesting 24 hours. After being named to the Team Canada World Junior selection camp roster yesterday, the Vancouver Canucks goaltending prospect is on his way to a new OHL team for a potential Memorial Cup run. The Windsor Spitfires have traded DiPietro to the Ottawa 67’s in exchange for a huge package that includes forward Egor Afanasyev and seven draft picks. The Spitfires will get a second round pick in each of 2019, 2021, 2022 and 2023, along with three conditional picks while Ottawa will also get a 2024 second-round pick and a 2020 fourth-round pick in addition to DiPietro.

DiPietro, 19, was selected 64th overall in the 2017 draft and is considered one of the top goaltending prospects in the league. He’s had quite the interesting junior career so far, including an invitation to the World Championships as the third goaltender alongside a group of NHL players. In Windsor this season he has a .920 save percentage through 21 games, and will battle Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Ian Scott for the chance to be the starter for Canada at the junior tournament later this month.

For Ottawa, this is a chance to compete for an OHL Championship and potentially a Memorial Cup. The team is a powerhouse that has lost just three games in regulation all season, and leads the league with 123 goals for through 29 games. Though there will be some tough competition from teams like the London Knights and Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, Ottawa has a great chance to be the OHL representative in the prestigious CHL tournament, especially with DiPietro in the fold. For the young goaltender, this will be just another chance for development, before he enters the professional ranks next season.

Evan Bouchard, Alex Formenton Heading Back To Junior

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The Edmonton Oilers have decided that if Evan Bouchard isn’t going to play every night in the NHL, he might as well continue his development back in junior. The team, according to Mark Spector of Sportsnet, has returned Bouchard to the OHL’s London Knights for the remainder of the season. Bouchard played just seven games in the NHL this year, meaning he will not burn the first year of his entry-level contract. He will however instantly become a favorite to lead Team Canada at the World Junior Championship, and will help elevate London to a Memorial Cup contender once again. The team has recalled Kevin Gravel from the minor leagues to take Bouchard’s roster spot.

Similarly, the Ottawa Senators decided last night that Alex Formenton would be better served playing this season in junior as well. Amazingly he’s also returning to London in the OHL for the rest of the year, and should immediately become a dangerous offensive weapon for the team. Formenton played nine games with the Senators, meaning he too will not burn the first year of his entry-level contract.

While both Edmonton and Ottawa will lose some of their young depth, this is huge news for the Knights and Team Canada. Formenton was already a dominant presence at the World Junior tournament a year ago given his outstanding speed and surprising grit, and could potentially lead the team in scoring if given the chance. Bouchard meanwhile already showed that he can be the most dominant defenseman in the OHL, and now returns to a team that already has fellow high draft pick Adam Boqvist competing at a high level. Though NHL action is certainly in the future for both players, they’ll have to settle for winning at the junior and international levels for now.

Snapshots: Nylander, Senators, Memorial Cup

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Despite the Toronto Maple Leafs first win of the season last night, the team is still embroiled in a contract negotiation with star forward William Nylander that hangs over the club and draws daily questions from the media. For his part, Nylander hadn’t said much other than the fact that he wanted to be in Toronto for a long time and was letting his agent deal with the negotiations. That was before the season started though, so when he was quoted today by Swedish news outlet Aftobladet it drew quite a lot of attention.

Nylander is training in Sweden and told the reporters that he has still let his agent do all the talking between his side and the Maple Leafs, admitting that he hadn’t spoken to Toronto personally at all. Though Nylander isn’t receiving money that he could be earning had he signed before the season started, he explained that he has to worry about his long-term future in the league and not just what is going on right now. That comes just after team President Brendan Shanahan spoke to the media in Toronto and explained that the team expects their young players to want to win more than make the most money possible, and that leaving some on the table was basically a requirement to keep everyone together. Nylander, as a restricted free agent, has to sign a contract by December 1st or be declared ineligible to play in the NHL this season.

  • The Ottawa Senators are getting ready to open their season tonight, and have added to their scouting staff for the upcoming season. The team announced the hiring of Rob Murphy to the pro scouting group, who brings a wealth of experience along with him. Murphy was most recently the director of scouting for the Buffalo Sabres, and had previously worked with the Senators and Arizona Coyotes. GM Pierre Dorion released an enthusiastic statement on the hiring, explaining that Murphy is “another important step” in the team’s rebuild.
  • While this year’s Memorial Cup will be held in Halifax, the CHL announced that the Kelowna Rockets will host the 2020 tournament that pits the best of the best in Canadian junior hockey against each other. Kelowna will get an automatic entry into the tournament as the host city, and will face off against the WHL, OHL and QMJHL champions for the prestigious trophy.

New York Islanders Add John Gruden To Coaching Staff

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The New York Islanders have hired John Gruden—no, not that Jon Gruden—as an assistant coach, joining Barry Trotz’ coaching staff for next season. Gruden was most recently the head coach of the Hamilton Bulldogs in the OHL, leading them to a league title and Memorial Cup berth last season. He’s also the father of Ottawa Senators draft pick Johnathan Gruden, taken 95th-overall in the most recent draft.

New York is looking to reestablish themselves as a contender in the Metropolitan division and have undergone quite the face lift to do so. Lou Lamoriello is in as GM, Trotz will be behind the bench, and Mathew Barzal will take over as the star forward around which the team is built. Gruden will join Lane Lambert who was brought over with Trotz from the Washington Capitals and Scott Gomez, who served as an assistant coach last season under Doug Weight, as assistants.

Gruden had a 92-game NHL career during his playing days, and actually would have been well known to Trotz from his days in the AHL. When Trotz was coaching the Portland Pirates two decades ago, Gruden was a star defenseman for the division-rival Providence Bruins, even scoring 18 goals and 45 points in the 1996-97 season. It’s not clear exactly what his responsibilities will be, though it seems likely that he’ll take over a similar role to the one Todd Reirden had in Washington under Trotz working directly with the defensemen.

Recapping The QMJHL Draft Trade Frenzy

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Like the NHL, it is not uncommon for there to be a flurry of trades surrounding the draft in the juniors as well. At the junior level though, “flurry” takes on a whole new meaning. The Quebec Junior Hockey League held their entry draft yesterday, with the 14-round event taking up most of the day. The teams’ management staffs were not only busy making picks, but also making trades. There have been 48 trades made in the QMJHL over the past two days alone. While many of those are simply a swap of draft pick packages or including low-end players, there have also been a handful for NHL fans to take note of:

  • The Drummondville Voltigeurs paid a heavy price for Anaheim prospect Maxime Comtois. The Ducks’ second-round pick at 50th overall last year was traded by the Victoriaville Tigres for first- and second-round picks in this year’s draft, including the 14th overall pick, and another pair of  first- and second-round picks next year. Comtois scored 85 points in 54 games this season and Drummondville is banking on him repeating that production next season. The Voltigeurs better hope that Comtois doesn’t break camp with Anaheim instead.
  • Another Ducks prospect, Antoine Morand, who was drafted just ten spots behind Comtois last year, was also dealt in another blockbuster. The QMJHL and Memorial Cup champion Acadie-Bathurst Titan traded Moran and teammate Jordan Maher, an overage player eligible for the 2018 NHL Draft, to the Halifax Mooseheads for a first- and third-round pick this year and another pair of future first- and third-rounders. Morand led the Titan in scoring last year and he and Maher combined for 137 points on the season. Halifax is certainly loading up with the acquisition of the duo.
  • Center Cedric Pare, a sixth-round selection of the Boston Bruins last year, fetched a hefty return of his own. The two-way forward earned the Saint John Sea Dogs a first-rounder, 15th overall, and fourth-rounder this year from Rimouski Oceanic. Pare scored only 37 points in 60 games this year but brings strong intangibles to his game. In Rimouski, Pare will get to play the defensively responsible role across from 16-year-old phenom Alexis Lafreniere’s dynamic offensive game.
  • Mitchell Balmas will again be eligible for selection in the NHL Draft for the third and final time this year and if his trade value at the junior level is any indication, someone will take a flier on him in the later rounds. The overage forward was another player shipped away by the Titan, who appear to be content with rebuilding following their title run. Acadie-Bathhurst acquired Balmas mid-season only to trade him yesterday for the 9th overall pick in the first round, the 36th overall pick in the second round, and young defenseman Ryan MacLellan. Balmas was a point-per-game player for two different teams this season and his new squad, the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles, hopes that trend continues next season.

Golden Knights Ink Three To Entry-Level Contracts

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After re-signing two players yesterday, the Vegas Golden Knights have added three more names to their future plans. The team announced this evening that they have come to terms on entry-level contracts with draft picks Jake Leschyshyn and Ben Jones and free agent Gage Quinney. Leschyshyn and Jones signed three-year deals, while Quinney signed a two-year deal. Financial terms have not yet been disclosed.

Leschyshyn is likely the most familiar name of the group, both due to his actual name and his draft slot. The 19-year-old center was selected in the second round of the draft last year at #62 overall, though he was actually the Knights’ fifth pick of the draft and third center. Leschyshyn plays for the Memorial Cup host Regina Pats of the WHL and scored five points in seven WHL playoff games and added a goal in the Cup tournament. During the regular season, his 40 points in 64 games was somewhat underwhelming on a talented Pats team, but there is still a lot to like about the well-rounded game of the North Carolina native.

If Vegas fans are looking for a prospect with more exciting recent results, look no further than Jones. The Knights took a flier on the raw forward in the seventh round of the draft and it paid off for them. The 19-year-old center scored 79 points in 68 games this season with the OHL’s Niagara Ice Dogs, which was good enough for third on the team in scoring. Jones then took his game to the next level in the playoffs, registering a team-best 12 points in ten games. Jones has take a major step as and NHL prospect and is yet another promising prospect for the Knights.

Quinney appears to be a sentimental pick up more than anything. The Las Vegas native grew up playing youth hockey in the area and is the son of former NHLer and Las Vegas Thunder minor leaguer Ken Quinney. Quinney played four seasons in the WHL before turning pro, during which he only put up modest offensive totals. He played all of last season in the ECHL before landing a starting role with the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins this year. In both of his pro campaigns, Quinney has continued to be only a moderate offensive producer, but appears to be rounding out his game. The ceiling may not be high for the 22-year-old forward, but he is likely to be a fan-favorite prospect immediately.

Anaheim Ducks Sign Antoine Morand To Entry-Level Contract

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Fresh off winning the Memorial Cup with Acadie-Bathurst, Antoine Morand has now signed his first professional contract. According to CapFriendly, the Anaheim Ducks have signed Morand to a three-year entry-level deal that carries an average annual value of $776K.

Morand, 19, was selected by the Ducks in the second round last summer and this year led the Titan in scoring with 76 points. Though that number is a fine total for a third-year junior player, it’s Morand’s all-around game that draws such positive reports and has now resulted in a professional contract. While his offensive awareness is quite good, he works hard in the defensive zone and continuously disrupts opposing forwards as they attempt to move the puck towards the net. His size, while not tremendous for a center prospect, has never been much of a deterrent as he deftly wins puck battles without much physical confrontation.

If Morand is going to make it to the NHL, there may need to be a slight improvement in his offensive game. He should dominate the QMJHL next season if he returns, and will need to prove he can produce at the next level to really remain a top prospect for the Ducks. There are always spots for hard working reliable centers on professional teams, but as the game moves more and more towards a four-line structure, even a defensively aware player needs to be able to contribute offensively. Next year will be a good test of his ceiling, before joining the AHL in 2019-20.

While the Ducks deal with aging stars on their NHL roster, the next wave of talent is approaching quickly. Sam Steel, Max Jones, Maxime Comtois and now Morand will all be expected to provide home-grown production for the roster in the coming years.

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