Snapshots: D’Astous, Varlamov, Posch, Malinoski
Lightning defenseman Charle-Edouard D’Astous exited tonight’s game against Montreal and did not return, relays team reporter Benjamin Pierce (Twitter link). The 27-year-old took a hit from Josh Anderson and Jake Evans simultaneously; Anderson was called for a charging minor on the play. D’Astous has been a bright spot on Tampa Bay’s back end this season. Signed out of Sweden, he has played exclusively with Tampa aside from a brief stint in the minors to start the year. He had 29 points and 110 penalty minutes in 70 games during the regular season, a nice find for an undrafted free agent.
Elsewhere around the NHL:
- The Islanders have recalled Semyon Varlamov from his LTIR conditioning stint, per the AHL’s transactions log. He got into two games with AHL Bridgeport, winning both while stopping 46 of 49 shots in his first game action since November 2024. While Varlamov would normally be eligible for a two-game extension, that’s not the case here as he is not eligible to play in the AHL playoffs. Varlamov has one year left on his contract and the team will now have to decide if they think he’s going to be good to go as their backup in 2026-27 or if they’ll want to add extra depth in case he’s not able to get through a full year.
- The Avalanche have recalled Isak Posch to serve as their emergency third goaltender, per the AHL’s transactions log. The 24-year-old spent most of the year with AHL Colorado, posting a 2.78 GAA with a .891 SV% in 28 games in his first full professional season. Posch, who signed as an undrafted free agent last spring, was briefly called up in January but didn’t see any action.
- Maple Leafs prospect Hudson Malinoski will have a new team for his final NCAA season. Brad Elliott Schlossmann of the Grand Forks Herald reports that the center has transferred to the University of North Dakota for the upcoming season. A fifth-round pick by Toronto back in 2023 (153rd overall), the 21-year-old spent the last three years at Providence College. Malinoski’s output dropped this season, going from 23 points to 15 while he found himself in the bottom six as the year went on. He’ll look to play a bigger role for the Fighting Hawks in the hopes of landing an entry-level deal next spring.
Jets First Rounder Sascha Boumedienne Transfers To Ohio State
With the NCAA season now over, the transfer window is open and with a much shorter period this year, moves have been happening quickly. (Instead of 45 days, it’s now just 15, running through April 28th.) Quite a few NHL prospects have found new places already but those players have been later-round selections; there hadn’t been a top-round draft pick moving in the opening days.
However, that has now changed. Brad Elliott Schlossman of the Grand Forks Herald reports (Twitter link) that Jets prospect Sascha Boumedienne is transferring from Boston University to Ohio State University.
The 19-year-old defenseman was the 28th overall selection last June after Boumedienne’s first season at BU, one that saw him put up 13 points in 40 games. He was much more productive at the World Under-18s, however, tallying 14 points in just seven appearances to give his draft stock a boost after it has slid during the season.
Unfortunately, Boumedienne didn’t progress too much in his sophomore year. His output actually dipped slightly to two goals and eight assists in 35 appearances while playing a little lower on the depth chart at times as well. He had a decent showing at the World Juniors with Sweden though, notching four points in seven games while averaging 22:13 per game of ice time.
With this move, Boumedienne is banking on having an opportunity to have a more prominent role in the hopes of sparking a big year from a development perspective. If that happens, he’d be a strong candidate to turn pro and sign with the Jets next season, foregoing his final year of eligibility.
Blue Jackets Sign Boston Buckberger
The Columbus Blue Jackets have signed two-time NCAA national champion defenseman Boston Buckberger to a two-year, entry-level contract. The deal will start next season. He attended development camp with the Blue Jackets in 2025.
In the official team announcement, president of hockey operations and GM Don Waddell said of Buckberger:
Boston Buckberger is a smart, skilled defenseman who can play in all situations and has a championship pedigree. He was among the top scoring defensemen in college hockey this year and a big part of Denver’s championship team. We are very excited that he is now part of the Blue Jackets organization.
As Waddell mentioned, Buckberger made a name for himself on a national stage at Denver. He was an instant-impact defenseman for head coach David Carle, scoring 27 points in 44 games. He was able to build on that strong freshman campaign the following year, potting nine goals and 30 points in 41 contests. This season, he scored 10 goals and 28 points in 42 games.
While Buckberger has never been the Pioneers’ top offensive option from the blueline (Zeev Buium held that honor the first two seasons, and Eric Pohlkamp this year) he has nonetheless been able to consistently deliver value in whatever role he played. We named him as a player to watch in this year’s NCAA free agency class earlier this month, noting that “there might not be big upside” in Buckberger “returning for his senior season.”
That’s something Buckberger appears to have agreed with, as he elected to sign his entry-level deal and forgo returning to the Pioneers.
Columbus does have a track record to point to when it comes to developing top NCAA blueliners. They signed then-University of Michigan captain Nick Blankenburg in 2022, and he quickly became an NHLer for the Blue Jackets. He also impressed with the Nashville Predators and was a trade deadline addition of the Colorado Avalanche.
While Buckberger isn’t an exact one-to-one stylistic comparable for Blankenburg (he’s a bit bigger, for example), he’ll nonetheless likely hope to have an early career that resembles how Blankenburg’s has gone.
Predators Sign Aiden Fink To Entry-Level Deal
The Nashville Predators have signed 2023 seventh-round pick Aiden Fink to a three-year, entry-level contract. Fink began his pro career earlier in the month, signing an AHL tryout contract after the end of his junior season at Pennsylvania State University. He has since scored three goals and 10 points in his first six AHL games. Fink’s entry-level deal will begin this season, offering him a chance to make his NHL debut in the coming days.
On the heels of a red-hot start, Fink could now get the call to the NHL. The Predators have two games left in their season, just enough opportunity to give the young winger his first shot at NHL ice time. While Fink’s pro start has been exciting, it is far from a surprise to see him scoring at a top rate. The 21 year old scored 10 goals and 38 points in 30 NCAA games this season, good for third on the Penn State Nittany Lions in scoring. He racked up 23 goals and 53 points in 40 games of the 2024-25 season, finishing the year with the fourth-most points in college hockey. Through three seasons at Penn State, Fink’s confidence while driving the puck and ability to make fast-moving plays spoke volumes. In a small sample, it seems that hot scoring has continued into the pro level.
A breakout collegiate career has raised the attention around the Predators’ right winger. He flew under radars during two years in the AJHL, even after posting an impressive 97 points in 54 games during his draft season. Entering the draft class with proven scoring, two AJHL championships, and one AJHL MVP title wasn’t enough for the undersized winger, who had to wait until one of the final picks of the 2023 NHL Draft to hear his name. Now, an entry-level contract will give him a chance to prove that Nashville found a diamond in the rough. Fink becomes Nashville’s sixth 2023 draftee to sign his first NHL contract.
Blue Jackets Sign Joshua Eernisse To One-Year, Entry-Level Contract
The Columbus Blue Jackets have signed college free agent Joshua Eernisse to a one-year, entry-level contract set to begin in the 2026-27 season. The University of Michigan winger will finish the 2025-26 season on a professional try-out contract with the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters.
Eernisse’s senior season in college hockey came to a close with Michigan’s double-overtime loss to the University of Denver in the Frozen Four. He scored one of Michigan’s three goals in the semifinal matchup and totaled 25:48 in ice time, the third-most on Michigan’s offense. Eernisse filled a reliable role for the Wolverines all season long. His high-energy motor and ability to play through contact was invaluable to a Michigan team built around young, skilled forwards.
Eernisse’s quick passing and drive towards the net helped him rack up 19 points in 38 games, the most he’s scored in three years with the Wolverines. He did reach 21 points in 36 games of his freshman season at the University of St. Thomas. That production was an exciting spark after two quiet seasons in the USHL and earned Eernisse a transfer to the Big Ten. There, his 6-foot-3 and 210-pound frame helped cement a checking role in the Wolverines’ middle-six. Eernisse will lean on his ability to stand up to puck battles and win space in the slot as he transitions to the pro flight.
The Cleveland Monsters have clinched a spot in the AHL’s Calder Cup Playoffs. Much of their success has come from a fortified top-six, where Mikael Pyyhtia, Luca Pinelli, and Owen Sillinger have clawed out spots as three of Cleveland’s top-five scorers. Their standing could push Eernisse into a third-line role as he sets up for his pro debut. He will likely step in for hard-nosed winger Tate Singleton, who graduated from Michigan’s rival Ohio State University in 2023. Singleton has 11 points and 54 penalty minutes in 39 AHL games, and 10 points in 10 ECHL games, this season. Eernisse could top Singleton’s scoring and physicality – a potential X-factor addition as the Monsters eye their first championship since 2016.
Max Plante Wins 2026 Hobey Baker Award
After the Frozen Four tournament was whittled down to two on Thursday with Denver and Wisconsin moving on to the final on Saturday, there was other business to attend to on Friday off the ice with the presentation of the Hobey Baker Award. Given to the top player in college hockey, this year’s winner is University of Minnesota-Duluth sophomore Max Plante, a prospect of the Red Wings.
The sophomore was a second-round pick by Detroit back in 2024, going 47th overall. Plante got to play on a line with his brother, Zam, and Jayson Shaugabay, comprising one of the higher-scoring trios in Division I. The 20-year-old followed up a solid rookie showing by nearly doubling his point totals this season, notching 25 goals and 27 assists in 40 games, finishing two points ahead of his brother to lead the Bulldogs in scoring. His 52 points put him in a tie for third overall in NCAA scoring.
Unsurprisingly, Plante received many accolades with how his season went. Among the other awards he won this season was the NCHC Forward of the Year, NCHC Player of the Year, First Team All-Conference, and the College Hockey News Player of the Year. He indicated to reporters including Joe Smith of The Athletic (Twitter link) after the trophy presentation that he will return for his junior year and isn’t turning pro with Detroit just yet. In doing so, he becomes the first winner of the award to not turn pro since 2007 when Ryan Duncan did so, relays Brad Elliott Schlossman of the Grand Forks Herald (Twitter link).
The other two finalists for the award were Michigan senior T.J. Hughes and Denver junior Eric Pohlkamp. Hughes is expected to sign his first NHL contract in the very near future while Pohlkamp, the lone defenseman among the three finalists, is a fifth-round pick of the Sharks.
Other awards handed out this evening:
Red Wings prospect Trey Augustine took home the Mike Richter Award for the top NCAA goalie. The 21-year-old posted a 2.11 GAA with a .929 SV% in 34 games with Michigan State in his junior year and turned pro after their season came to an end. A Detroit second-rounder, he’s making his AHL debut tonight with Grand Rapids. Augustine was a Top 10 finalist for the Hobey Baker Award and won the Big Ten Goaltender of the Year for the second straight year.
Flames prospect Ethan Wyttenbach won the Tim Taylor Award for Rookie of the Year. The 19-year-old was a fifth-round pick (144th overall) last June and had quite the freshman year at Quinnipiac. He played in 40 games, tallying 25 goals and 34 assists. That was good enough to not only lead his team in scoring but all of Division I. Unsurprisingly, he was also a Top 10 finalist for the Hobey Baker Award.
East Notes: Maple Leafs, Mehlenbacher, Berglund
Tonight’s game was a tough one for the Maple Leafs. The team announced (Twitter links) that goaltender Anthony Stolarz (lower body), defenseman Brandon Carlo (lower body), and forward Dakota Joshua (upper body) all exited their game against Washington due to injuries.
Stolarz went down just 2:34 into the game after extending to make a save and dropped to the ice in pain. He was helped off and couldn’t put any weight on his leg while Joseph Woll took over for the rest of the game. Carlo made it through two periods, playing into the final minute of the second but didn’t come out for the third while Joshua was injured on a hit from Rasmus Sandin in the back half of the middle frame. The Maple Leafs have a quick turnaround as they’re set to play against the Islanders on Thursday; it wouldn’t be surprising to see several recalls before that contest. One of those will be netminder Artur Akhtyamov as TSN’s Mark Masters relays (Twitter link) that the youngster will be brought up and make his NHL debut against New York.
Elsewhere in the East:
- Red Wings prospect Owen Mehlenbacher is entering the NCAA transfer portal, reports Mark Divver of the New England Hockey Journal (Twitter link). The 22-year-old center was a seventh-round pick by Detroit back in 2022 and has played three college seasons so far. The first two were spent at Wisconsin where he managed 10 points in 51 combined games. This season, Mehlenbacher played at UMass after going through the portal last offseason, tallying three goals and six assists in 32 appearances. At this point, it seems unlikely that Detroit would want to sign Mehlenbacher based on how things have gone so far so he’ll be banking on finding a landing spot where he can have a big senior season.
- The Flyers are attempting to bring prospect Jack Berglund to North America to get him some action with AHL Lehigh Valley, relays Anthony DiMarco of Daily Faceoff. The 19-year-old forward was a second-round pick back in 2024, going 51st overall. Berglund had seven goals and five assists in 40 games with SHL Farjestad this season and has another year under contract with them. Kevin Kurz of The Athletic adds (Twitter link) that Philadelphia would like to have Berglund in training camp with them next season which suggests they intend to sign him to an entry-level deal for next season.
2026 College Free Agency Preview: Goaltenders And Defensemen
The NCAA tournament is down to four teams and those who aren’t participating have seen their seasons come to an end. With that in mind, it’s time to take a look at some of the free agents that could be drawing attention from NHL teams in the coming weeks. After looking at the forwards separately, the focus is on goaltenders and defensemen here.
As always, note that not all of these players will sign entry-level contracts as some will ultimately elect to return to college for another season (or more) while quite a few others not on this list will be signing NHL or AHL deals in the coming weeks.
Goaltenders
Several of the top options from this class have already signed (Josh Kotai, Max Lundgren, and Alex Tracy) but a couple of others could still land NHL deals.
Jan Spunar (North Dakota) – There has been an uptick in younger free agent signings in this year’s free agent class which bodes well for Spunar who is just wrapping up his freshman season. The 21-year-old had a quiet showing in the USHL in 2024-25 but has taken over the starting role on a team with Final Four hopes. His stock is definitely up but there’s a case to make that staying for one more year might be the better long-term approach. But with goaltending in high demand across the league right now, teams might want to start working with him now.
Lawton Zacher (Northeastern) – Some goalies draw attention for their raw tools but need a lot of work to refine them. Zacher is largely the opposite of that as he’s more technically sound and used that to post a breakout season after transferring from Brown University over the offseason. He still has one year of eligibility remaining but if he decides to turn pro, he won’t be lacking for suitors as Elite Prospects’ Ryan Lambert notes that there are already teams vying for his services.
Defensemen
Boston Buckberger (Denver) – Buckberger was on this list last year and frankly, last year’s write-up would largely still apply. He is a quality consistent offensive blueliner, ranging between 27 and 30 points in each of his first three seasons. Even with a good defensive game though, his smaller stature will likely limit his interest. He’s worthy of a professional contract and after three years of near-identical player, there might not be big upside in returning for his senior season; his stock now is probably around where it’d be in 2027.
Tyler Dunbar (Union) – After two very quiet seasons at Colorado College, Dunbar entered the transfer portal last spring and the move has unlocked his game. He had a breakout year offensively with 32 points in 37 games while bringing a lot of physicality to the table. Staying one more year and doubling down on being that type of impactful piece could help his market in the long run but if there’s NHL interest now, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him make the jump to the pros now.
Viking Gustafsson Nyberg (UConn) – A lot of players on this list are here for their offensive game with the thought that parts of it will translate to the pros. Gustafsson Nyberg has all of one goal over two seasons. No, he’s here for being more of a throwback defender, big, tough, and physical. Those are elements that teams will covet on a third pairing. That said, if he thinks one more year in college would help his development offensively, that might be the better route for him in the long run.
Jake Livanavage (North Dakota) – Another returnee from last year’s list, the same elements are largely in play. Good offense (at least 25 points in his three NCAA seasons), strong skating, and undersized to the point where some teams will likely shy away. That said, Livanavage more than held his own against pros at the Spengler Cup back from December which will help his cause. He has one year of eligibility left but this may be the right time for him to turn professional.
Evan Murr (Minnesota State Mankato) – Another player in the steady but undersized category, Murr has picked up the pace offensively in recent weeks at the perfect time. He had 30 points this season, a tick higher than his first two NCAA campaigns. Murr is also in that category of not having much more to prove so although he has another year of eligibility remaining, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him forego that.
Isaiah Norlin (Colgate) – There are some parallels to Dunbar. He had a very quiet first year with the University of Nebraska-Omaha last season, then went to the transfer portal, and things took off from there. Norlin finished in a tie for the team lead in scoring and at six-foot-six and a right shot, he has elements that teams will covet. He’s a late-bloomer but that shouldn’t deter teams from taking a flyer on him.
Senior Options: There is one player who exhausted his eligibility and warrants at least a quick mention. Ben Dexheimer (Wisconsin) fits into the category of being a little undersized but reliable piece. He may not ultimately land NHL contracts but is likely to land a pro deal in the coming weeks.
Andre Gasseau Unlikely To Sign With Bruins
While this time of year is often thought of as college free agency season, plenty of drafted prospects have been signing contracts in recent weeks with more to come later this month. It’s also a time when senior players who haven’t signed with their drafting teams yet starts to become more notable.
One of those is Bruins prospect Andre Gasseau. The 22-year-old was a seventh-round pick by Boston back in 2021, going 213th overall. But while it appears that the Bruins would like to sign him, he seems to have other plans. Earlier this week, Mark Divver of the New England Hockey Journal reported (Twitter link) that there are rumblings that the center wanted a contract that started right away if he was going to sign with Boston. Meanwhile, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported in the latest 32 Thoughts podcast (audio link) that Gasseau isn’t expected to sign, which suggests that the Bruins aren’t offering a deal that begins now. That has him on track for his signing rights to expire on August 15th which would make him a free agent.
Gasseau had a very productive career at Boston College. While injuries limited him to just 23 games this season, he still averaged a point per game with six goals and 17 assists while winning a little over 49% of his faceoffs. Over his four seasons with the Eagles, Gasseau had 43 goals and 68 assists across 135 appearances.
Between those numbers and a six-foot-four NHL-ready frame, it’s fair to suggest that Gasseau will attract interest if he ultimately does hit the open market in mid-August. Alternatively, if there is a team that is willing to play him now, it’s possible that they might flip an asset to Boston to acquire his signing rights although he wouldn’t be eligible to play in the postseason if he were brought in by a playoff-bound team. Either way, it looks like Gasseau will be turning pro with an organization that wasn’t the one that drafted him.
Ryan Lin Commits To University Of Denver
A projected top-15 selection in the upcoming 2026 NHL Draft will continue his development in Colorado next season. According to Cam Robinson of Elite Prospects, defenseman Ryan Lin has committed to the University of Denver for his collegiate career.
Lin, 17, has spent the last two years playing for the WHL’s Vancouver Giants. He has been dynamic offensively throughout his time there, scoring 19 goals and 110 points in 113 games, with a -8 rating. NHL Central Scouting has Lin ranked as the 13th-best prospect ahead of the draft, and the fifth-best defenseman.
Despite his -8 rating throughout his WHL career, Lin is better defensively than his numbers may indicate, especially as a smaller defenseman. Standing at 5’11”, 176lbs, Lin has the physical makeup of an offense-first power-play quarterback.
However, his skating and hockey IQ make him more of a two-way defenseman. Although he may have some issues muscling forwards off of the puck, he has the edge work and intelligence to put himself in the best position to defend, which is a talent in and of itself. While it isn’t a direct comparison, Tampa Bay Lightning veteran Ryan McDonagh has often been cited as one of the best-positioned defenders throughout his NHL career, and Lin has brought a lot of that to his amateur career.
Additionally, there are few programs better for development than the University of Denver. Even recently, Eric Pohlkamp, the 132nd overall pick of the 2023 NHL Draft by the San Jose Sharks, is a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award in his second season after scoring 18 goals and 39 points in 41 games with a +25 rating. Including Zeev Buium in that mix, it’s clear that head coach David Carle has a knack for turning defensemen into better versions of themselves.