Minor Moves: Sparks, Labate, Kloos
Garret Sparks has been returned to the Toronto Marlies after backing up Curtis McElhinney on Tuesday night. The Maple Leafs will welcome Frederik Andersen back into the lineup when they take on the Nashville Predators tomorrow night, though whether he starts or not is still up in the air. Sparks hasn’t played a single game for the Maple Leafs this season after taking the starting job down the stretch last year. He’s faced injury and a suspension earlier this year for “violent and sexist language toward a user in an online group.”
A seventh-round pick of the Maple Leafs in 2011, Sparks has battled his way up the depth chart in Toronto and now sits as the starter for the Marlies as they head into the playoffs. With McElhinney hitting the open market as a free agent this summer, it is possible that Sparks would be first in line for the backup job next season.
- After spending the past month playing five or six minutes a game for the Vancouver Canucks, the team has decided to send Joseph Labate back to the AHL. The huge winger has played just thirteen games for the Canucks this season, scoring zero points and registering 21 penalty minutes. A fourth-round pick in 2011, Labate hasn’t quite turned into the power forward they’d hoped, and is barely qualified for fourth line duty at this point.
- The Minnesota Wild have made the signing of Justin Kloos official, inking him to a two-year deal starting in 2017-18. He’ll report to Iowa on an amateur tryout for the rest of the season. Iowa could actually still make the playoffs, as despite their 31-28-8 record this season they trail the Cleveland Monsters by only three points for the final spot in the Central Division. With nine games remaining, Kloos will try to make his impact felt immediately at the professional level.
Snapshots: Vecchione, Forsbacka-Karlsson, Fucale
After the Minnesota locked up hometown boy Justin Kloos earlier today, Michael Russo of the Star Tribune is hearing that another college free agent is being pursued by the Wild. Mike Vecchione, the nation’s leading scorer (tied) and finalist for the Hobey Baker trophy is on the radar of the Wild, is a free agent and being chased by many teams around the league, apparently including Minnesota.
The 24-year old went undrafted out of the USHL despite scoring everywhere he goes, and proved this year that he’ll be able to compete at the professional level. No lock for the NHL, the undersized forward does present some intriguing potential with his high-end skill and skating.
- While Don Sweeney told reporters today that Charlie McAvoy would be heading to Providence on an amateur tryout, he also mentioned that Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson hasn’t yet made a decision whether he’ll head back to Boston University or not. The second-round pick of the Bruins scored 33 points in 39 games this season, and played exceptional in the NCAA tournament. His future lies in the NHL, but could use another year of dominance at the college level before transitioning to the professional game.
- The Montreal Canadiens have recalled Charlie Lindgren from the AHL and returned Zach Fucale. Fucale had been on an emergency recall, but isn’t really an option for the Canadiens down the stretch. Lindgren at least has a full season of success at the AHL this year, and could potentially play for the NHL club if they were in trouble. All this because Al Montoya has suffered a lower-body injury of some sort and is currently unavailable.
Justin Kloos Signs Two-Year Contract With Minnesota Wild
After reporting that it was down to just a few teams for University of Minnesota forward Justin Kloos, Michael Russo now reports that the Wild have come to an agreement with him on a two-year contract. Kloos will also sign an amateur tryout to play for the Iowa Wild for the remainder of this season. 
Kloos is a hometown boy for the Wild, growing up in Lakeville, Minnesota and won the state Mr. Hockey award before heading to college. During his stint in the NCAA, the 5’9 178-lbs center showed his drive and worth ethic every game, never slowing down or taking a shift off. His speed is his calling card and though he has some excellent playmaking skill, it’s the ability to consistently beat defenders to loose pucks in the offensive zone that really intrigues.
Scoring at least 32 points in all four years, Kloos scored 43 in 38 games this season and captained the team the last two years. While he doesn’t have the traditional size of an NHL center, he’ll look to players like Tyler Johnson to try and emulate success in the top league. The ability to create both off the rush and below the goal line will benefit him as he joins the professional ranks.
It’s not clear if the Wild will keep Kloos in the middle, but the team has often moved players in and out of the center position in order to build the best roster. Charlie Coyle and Mikael Granlund have both spent most of the season on the wing despite coming up as centers, and with Mikko Koivu and Eric Staal on the books for next season, it would be hard for Kloos to crack that group. He’ll try to make his mark at the AHL level for the time being and prove he can compete with the bigger, faster players.
UMN has now lost several key players from their roster, with Kloos joining Vinni Lettieri and Jake Bischoff in the professional ranks. One to watch on the Golden Gophers next year will be Brent Gates if he decides to go back to school. The Anaheim Ducks third-round pick will be given more responsibility and should thrive after a solid sophomore season.
Kloos Chased By Flames And Wild
Michael Russo of the Star-Tribune reported today that both the Calgary Flames and the Minnesota Wild are trying to sign University of Minnesota Gophers captain Justin Kloos. The Gophers failed to make the NCAA Frozen Four after losing to Notre Dame in the NCAA Regional tournament, ending Kloos’s four year run with the school.
Kloos is an intriguing college free agent. He had 18G and 25A in 38 games for the Gophers this season, equaling his point total from last season. The diminutive center—he’s only 5’9 and 179lbs—was second in team scoring, but ahead of recent New York Rangers signing Vinni Lettieri.
According to Michael Russo, the Wild offered Kloos a pro deal next season coupled with an amateur try-out with the AHL Iowa Wild this season. It is unclear at the moment what the Flames offered Kloos. If Kloos chose the Wild, however, he’d be playing in front of a home town crowd. Kloos grew up in Lakeville, MN—half an hour outside of Minneapolis—and was crowned Minnesota Mr. Hockey in 2012.
Minnesota Wild Will Soon Recall Joel Eriksson Ek
According to Michael Russo of the Star Tribune, the Minnesota Wild will soon recall Joel Eriksson Ek from Farjestads of the Swedish league, who were knocked out of the playoffs on Friday. As Russo explains, Eriksson Ek will burn one of his entry-level years should he play in one more game this season. The 20-year old forward played in nine matches at the beginning of the season for the Wild.
The 20th-overall pick in 2015, Eriksson Ek actually racked up five points in that NHL preview, and went on to record 16 in 26 games for his Swedish club. In seven playoff games for Farjestads he scored six points but it wasn’t enough to get by HV 71. Russo notes that though Eriksson Ek can play center, he finished the year as a left winger.
With the Wild going 2-7-1 over their last ten and losing their grip on the second seed from the Central division—Nashville and St. Louis are now just six points and seven points behind them respectively—they need to turn things around fast. Eriksson Ek should give the lineup an injection of youth, and hopefully help the team start winning again. After consecutive losses to Philadelphia, Vancouver and Detroit, the Wild are reeling as they head into their matchup with the Washington Capitals.
For Eriksson Ek, burning a year of his entry-level contract doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll be making more money in the long run. Often teams choose this strategy to get a player onto their second contract with just two years of performance under their belt, as Vancouver did recently with Brock Boeser. He’ll now be on track to become an RFA in 2019-20.
Snapshots: Lettieri, Renouf, Wallmark
After the University of Minnesota was eliminated from the NCAA tournament yesterday by the upstart Notre Dame team, it was the beginning of a whole new chapter for senior Vinni Lettieri. According to Michael Russo of the Star Tribune, the free agent center is being pursued by the New York Rangers and Chicago Blackhawks.
Lettieri had 37 points in 38 games this season for the Gophers, breaking out and scoring double-digit goals for the first time in his college career. The undersized forward should decide in the next few days where he’ll make his professional debut.
- After teammate Clayton Keller signed immediately after Boston University was eliminated from the tournament, Jordan Greenway has been in contact with the Minnesota Wild about a possible early exit from school. Russo reports that the Wild definitely want him to turn pro after this season, but may wait until after his semester ends and forego the usual ATO route. Selected in the second round, Greenway has turned into an exceptional prospect for the Wild as he continues to dominate physically and develop into a prototypical power forward.
- The Detroit Red Wings have recalled Dan Renouf from the AHL on emergency conditions. Though Jeff Blashill recently said that he didn’t want to break up the Grand Rapids team, the Red Wings have to play a third game in three nights tomorrow in Carolina, a makeup date for a rescheduled matchup from earlier this year. They’ll need the insurance if someone can’t go tomorrow.
- Those Hurricanes have made a move of their own, calling up Lucas Wallmark from the AHL. Carolina is now 7-0-3 in their last ten, and could really vault themselves into the playoff picture with these two games against Detroit on home ice. The team sits just five points behind the Bruins with two games in hand.
Morning Notes: Crosby, Patrick, Cangelosi
Last night, during the Pittsburgh Penguins-Ottawa Senators game, Sidney Crosby delivered a hard slash across the hands of Marc Methot resulting in one of the nastiest injuries this season in the NHL (*WARNING: GRAPHIC*). Senators’ head coach Guy Boucher said after the game that Methot would be out “weeks” with a “destroyed” and “shattered” finger, and owner Eugene Melnyk was upset about it this morning on TSN 1200 (via Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia and Frank Seravalli of TSN):
You hammer these [players who slash], you take away their money, and you say you know what? You are done for 10 games. We all know who [Crosby] is. The guy is a whiner beyond belief. You do this kind of stuff—I don’t care who you are in the league, I don’t care if you’re the number one player in the league—you should sit out a long time for this kind of crap.
Melnyk said that he was sure the league would be looking at it, but Pierre LeBrun of ESPN reports Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly will not be evaluating it further. Crosby will receive no discipline for this incident, just as he faced no penalty for his spear in an unfortunate area of Ryan O’Reilly‘s lower body.
- For anyone hoping to catch Nolan Patrick in the first round of the WHL playoffs, you might have to wait a few days. Mike Morreale of NHL.com reports that the projected top pick in the upcoming entry draft won’t play in game one due to a lower-body injury. The Brandon Wheat Kings take on the Medicine Hat Tigers in the first round of the WHL playoffs.
- The Calgary Flames have sent Garnet Hathaway back down to the Stockton Heat. The 25-year old forward didn’t play in his most recent call up, after Micheal Ferland returned earlier from his mumps quarantine. With Matthew Tkachuk now eligible to play after serving his two-game suspension, the need for Hathaway has lifted. Playing in 26 games for Calgary this season, Hathaway registered five points in under 10 minutes a night.
- Similarly, the Minnesota Wild have sent Gustav Olofsson down to the minors, liking meaning Christian Folin is ready to return to game action. Olofsson has played in 13 games for the Wild this season, but will have to wait until next year to really make his mark at the NHL level. The 22-year old will try to help the Iowa Wild make the postseason for the first time in their short history.
- Tom Gulitti of NHL.com reports that the Albany Devils have signed Austin Cangelosi to a two-year AHL contract. The 22-year old forward just graduated from Boston College where he had back-to-back 20-goal seasons the past two years. The 5’7″ forward will try to prove that his size won’t stop his skill from shining through at the professional level, as he moves up to the next challenge in his hockey career.
Luke Kunin Turns Pro; Signs ATO With Iowa Wild
One of the biggest names in college hockey is set to join the professional ranks, as Luke Kunin has signed an entry-level deal with the Minnesota Wild. He’ll start on an amateur tryout for the remainder of this season, with his entry-level deal kicking in next fall. This had been expected for some time, but Wild fans can finally uncross their fingers and let out a sigh of relief. The University of Wisconsin center will be an interesting option for the NHL team as soon as next year. 
Selected fifteenth overall last summer, Kunin returned to Wisconsin for his sophomore season and improved in basically every way. Scoring 38 points in 35 games to lead his team, he improved his defensive game and took fewer penalties while being more physical. He was given the captaincy of the Badgers, the first sophomore to wear the “C” in over four decades, and also wore the same letter for Team USA at the World Junior Championships. He is a born leader on and off the ice, and may one day wear something on a Minnesota Wild sweater.
Given the Wild’s fairly deep forward group, Kunin may have to wait a year in the AHL before making his mark on the big stage. That shouldn’t slow him down though, as he’s heading for the NHL one day to be sure. With Iowa in a very tight race for the final playoff spot in the Central Division, Kunin will get a taste of the tight-checking hockey he’ll have to face down the line. It will be a good learning experience for him as he jumps right into the fire.
Kunin represents one of a handful of top Minnesota prospects that will start to replace the aging core of Mikko Koivu, Zach Parise and Jason Pominville over the next few years. Jordan Greenway, Kirill Kaprizov and Alex Tuch all look like they’ll be impact players in the NHL one day, as the Wild continue to show off their drafting skills. While they battle with the Chicago Blackhawks for the crown of the best in the West, there are more good days ahead for the Minnesota franchise and their fans.
Snapshots: Kunin, Vegas, Vermin
Luke Kunin has done everything the Minnesota Wild had hoped for since drafting him fifteenth overall in 2016 except one—sign a pro contract. It might not be long until he finishes that goal too, as Michael Russo of the Star Tribune expects him to turn pro within the next few days. Kunin went back for his sophomore year this season as the Wisconsin Badgers’ captain and improved in every facet of his game. The offensive performance continued, with 38 points in 35 games but he improved in the defensive zone and on the powerplay as well.
Badgers coach Tony Granato told Todd Milewski of the Wisconsin State Journal that Kunin is “ready to play pro hockey,” despite wanting him back to help his team next year. He wishes him well with whatever he decides, and is just happy he got the opportunity to coach him for two seasons. If Kunin does turn pro he would likely head to the Iowa Wild for the remainder of the regular season on an amateur tryout, before starting his entry-level deal in 2017-18.
- SinBin.com reported answers from George McPhee during a non-media Q&A for season ticket holders today, which led to some interesting revelations about the Vegas Golden Knights. While some have argued that the Golden Knights would take a pile of young, prospect-type players in the expansion draft to build for the future, it doesn’t sound like that will be the driving force behind the team. McPhee touched on experience and leadership as a need for the team, while also revealing that Bill Foley will be willing to spend to the cap in the first season. One of the things that is often overlooked in mock drafts is the need to get to the cap floor, which is something McPhee believes will be no problem. “Complying with the rules and spending the amount of money necessary has not been a problem,” he said, lending a little more credence to the idea that he might target some slightly overpaid, yet still valuable veterans that will be left exposed by their teams.
- One important note from the Q&A is also that McPhee said they will announce an AHL affiliate at the end of the season. Though it’s not clear yet who that would be, SinBin.com notes that it is likely the Chicago Wolves and that the Golden Knights will supply the coaching staff and control hockey operations. The Wolves are currently affiliated with the St. Louis Blues, but remain one of only a dozen AHL teams not owned by an NHL club.
- The Tampa Bay Lightning have recalled Joel Vermin for the second time in three days. The forward was brought up on Saturday, only to watch the game that night from the press box. With Vladislav Namestnikov returning to a full practice today, but Ondrej Palat leaving early, Vermin is likely only up as insurance once again for tomorrow night’s game against the Arizona Coyotes. Should one of those two miss the contest, Vermin would get into his 12th game of the season in Tampa Bay. He has just three points in the NHL this year, with 28 in AHL action.
Snapshots: Graovac, Sproul, Stuart
The Minnesota Wild have sent Tyler Graovac back down the minors after playing the last three games with the club. After Jason Pominville was a healthy scratch last night against the Winnipeg Jets— a game which the Wild lost 5-4—he will likely figure back into the lineup tomorrow against the San Jose Sharks. Graovac has now played 52 games for the Wild this season, contributing nine points while skating just under ten minutes a game. The 23-year old will return to the Iowa Wild where he has ten points in twelve games, and wait for his next chance.
For Pominville, last night’s scratching was the first such occasion of his Minnesota career and came after being held scoreless in six of his last seven games. The winger had contracted the mumps disease last month and missed some time, and wasn’t very effective upon his return. In 67 games this season he does have 41 points, which is actually an improvement over his career-low (in a full season) of 36 last year. With a long playoff run upcoming, and two years left on his current contract, the Wild need the 34-year old to continue producing down the stretch.
- Ryan Sproul still hasn’t decided whether his ACL injury will need surgery, as the Detroit Red Wings defender explained today. He will continue to rehab the knee for the next two weeks and have another examination before deciding whether he needs to go under the knife. Clearly frustrated, he spoke to reporters today about how this season has slipped away from him without accomplishing the one goal he had: prove he was ready for an NHL role. With only 28 games under his belt in his NHL career, he’ll try again next fall to become the solid defenseman the Red Wings were hoping for when they selected him 55th overall in 2011.
- Though it seemed like Ben Chiarot could be the reason for the Winnipeg Jets recalling Nelson Nogier this morning, the defenseman took part in practice today and looks to be fine. Chiarot didn’t play in the last ten minutes of last night’s game, but it was Mark Stuart who was absent this morning. Head coach Paul Maurice told Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Sun that there are a “few moving parts” on defense for the Jets’ upcoming game against the Philadelphia Flyers. If Nogier does get into the lineup, it would be his NHL debut.