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Vancouver Canucks Sign Akito Hirose

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Mar. 29: The Canucks have officially signed Hirose to an entry-level contract, which will last one season. CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal confirms the contract is for this season, carrying an NHL salary of $855,000, a minors salary of $82,500, and a $95,000 signing bonus. As CapFriendly notes, because it’s a one-year contract signed late in the season, it has a pro-rated cap hit of roughly $2.11MM. Hirose will report directly to Vancouver.

Mar. 26: The Vancouver Canucks are expected to land their second NCAA free agent of the day: Minnesota State defenseman Akito Hirose.

CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal was first to indicate mutual interest between Hirose and Vancouver, while Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman added that Hirose could join the Canucks this week. The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta notes that Hirose’s expected signing with Vancouver “has been in the works” for a few weeks.

While it’s important to clarify that nothing as of yet is official and until an official contract announcement is made anything can happen, this reporting does hint at a widely-held expectation that Hirose will be signing with the Canucks.

The expected acquisition of Hirose comes just after the Canucks announced the signing of Max Sasson from Western Michigan University. With Hirose expected to join the team and Sasson plus former Northeastern University forward Aidan McDonough in the mix, these recent transactions indicate that targeting NCAA talent will be an organizational priority for this still relatively new Canucks front office.

The younger brother of Detroit Red Wings minor leaguer Taro Hirose, Akito has made a name for himself over the past few seasons. He was named BCHL defenseman of the year in 2019-20 and was his conference rookie of the year in 2020-21. Last season, he helped Minnesota State reach the NCAA National Championship game and his stellar defensive play helped contribute to netminder Dryden McKay’s Hobey Baker Award win.

This season, Hirose has been a top-pairing, all-situations minutes-eater for Minnesota State. Paired with Jake Livingstone, a fellow coveted free agent, he led his program back to the NCAA tournament before they fell to St. Cloud State. He finishes his college career with a healthy 68 points in 104 games, and as Friedman notes could get his feet wet against NHL competition sooner rather than later.

College Notes: Farrell, Boston University, Minnesota, Gibson

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John Buccigross of ESPN reports Sean Farrell is going to sign with the Montreal Canadiens in the next few days. The skilled left-winger was a fourth-round draft pick of the Canadiens in 2020, and could add some scoring punch to a struggling offence in the near future.

The 21 year old just wrapped up his second college season and it was an impressive showing. Though his Harvard squad bowed out rather meekly in a 8-1 drubbing at the hands of Ohio State, Farrell was phenomenal all season. He had an assist in that NCAA Regional Semi-Final, and it gave him 53 points in 34 games, a big improvement from his 28 points in 24 games in 2021-22.

Farrell is a smart player with incredible vision, who had 33 assists in 34 games this season. Add in his 20 goals and he has the second best points-per-game average in college hockey, trailing only Adam Fantilli of Michigan.

Though it is just his second actual college season, it counted as Farell’s junior campaign because the 2020-21 counted as his freshman season even though Harvard did not play due to Covid restrictions. So, Farrell could choose to return for one more season and then become a free agent in August of 2024, but it sounds like we will not get that far as Buccigross suggests the Canadiens could get his name on an entry-level contract soon.

  • Also in college hockey, Boston University punched its ticket to the Frozen Four national semi-final with a 2-1 win over Cornell. Wilmer Skoog scored his 16th goal of the season to give BU a second period lead and Ethan Phillips scored the game’s winning goal in the third period on his own rebound. Dalton Bancroft scored in the final minute for Cornell, but BU was able to hold them off and advance to the Frozen Four in Tampa Bay on April 6.
  • BU will face Minnesota who also advanced to the Frozen Four today. Minnesota was led by Logan Cooley, the Arizona Coyotes third overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, who had a goal and an assist in a 4-1 win over St. Cloud State. Jackson Lacombe, an Anaheim Ducks prospect also had a goal and an assist, as did undrafted Jaxon Nelson who sealed the game with an empty net goal.
  • Tarik El-Bashir of The Athletic reports one of Farrell’s teammates is close to signing as well. Goaltender Mitchell Gibson was drafted by the Washington Capitals in the fourth round of the 2018 NHL Draft and just saw his Harvard hockey career come to a close. The 23 year old’s final NCAA game was not flattering as he allowed seven goals before being pulled in that blowout loss, but he had a stellar college career. He finished this season with a 2.25 GAA and a .919 SV% in 27 games. He would add some youth to the Capitals goaltending pipeline as they have been relying on 27 year old goalies Zach Fucale and Hunter Shepard at the AHL level.

Robert Mastrosimone Unlikely To Sign With Detroit

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Generating the production of an average forward for Boston University, forward Robert Mastrosimone turned things around upon joining the Arizona State Sun Devils. In his first career season at Arizona State, Mastrosimone scored over a point per game, putting up 42 points in 38 games. Unfortunately, for the third straight season, he was unable to help the Sun Devils reach the NCAA tournament.

Mastrosimone was drafted 54th overall in the 2019 NHL Draft by the Detroit Red Wings, hopefully, to become one of the better forwards on the next contending Red Wings’ team. However, Greg Powers, the head coach of Arizona State, relays that Mastrosimone may not be joining the Red Wings altogether.

“He’s playing the waiting game and seeing what’s going to be available as a free agent. There’s a lot of teams that are interested in him, but it doesn’t look like Detroit is going to happen. It’s just a waiting game, but he has the option to come back. It’s a good option and he’s open to it.”

If Detroit and Mastrosimone are unable to come to a contract resolution, the young prospect should nevertheless find his way onto an NHL team. Including his standalone year with Arizona State, Mastrosimone has played in 121 regular season games, scoring 32 goals and 60 assists. Mastrosimone will have one more season of eligibility due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and should he play out his final season with Arizona State, he will likely be joining a new organization around this time next year.

College Notes: Polin, Colangelo, Quillan

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One of the best goal scorers in the NCAA will have his pick of the litter when it comes to finding a home in the NHL. Western Michigan University captain Jason Polin, who scored 30 goals in 37 games for the Broncos this season, is fielding calls from teams in hopes of continuing his hockey career at the professional level.

Mark Divver, a contributor at the NHL, reports that the Boston Bruins will make a big run at the goal-scoring forward. Secondly, Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe also reports that GM Bill Guerin and the Minnesota Wild also have a ton of interest in the Western Michigan product as well. Divver mentions that Polin will be heavily swayed by which team will be able to get him into the lineup right away.

Both the Bruins and the Wild could certainly use a player of Polin’s caliber for the rest of the season and beyond. The Bruins, with eight players projected to become unrestricted free agents at the conclusion of the season, will need to get creative when it comes to building next year’s roster. The Wild, on the other hand, are still handicapped due to the buyout penalties given to them by Zach Parise and Ryan Suter, giving them an even larger need to maximize production from lower costs.

Other notes:

  • Since Anaheim Ducks’ prospect, Sam Colangelo has entered the transfer portal, Mark Divver reports that multiple teams from the Big Ten, NCHC, and Hockey East conferences have interest in the forward. Over the past three seasons at Northeastern University, Colangelo has played in 72 regular season games, scoring 21 goals and 33 assists. Drafted 36th overall in the 2020 NHL Draft, the young forward should find a promising situation for the conclusion of his collegiate career.
  • Lastly, Divver reports that Quinnipiac University forward Jacob Quillan will be attending the Winnipeg Jets’ training camp this summer. As the team prepares for its second-round matchup against the Big Ten’s Ohio State University, Quillan has impressed with 16 goals and 17 assists throughout 38 games this season. The sophomore is currently undrafted and unsigned by any organization within the NHL.

 

Lightning Prospect Isaac Howard Transfers To Michigan State

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Back at the draft, things were looking up for prospect Isaac Howard.  He was coming off an impressive season with the US NTDP program where he put up 82 points in 60 games, helping him get picked 31st overall by Tampa Bay.

However, things haven’t gone as smoothly since then.  The 18-year-old struggled considerably in his first taste of college hockey, notching just 17 points in 35 games with Minnesota-Duluth.  Earlier this month, Howard opted to enter the transfer portal and he has found his next school, announcing (Twitter link) that he will be joining Michigan State next season.

Howard becomes the second drafted prospect to join the Spartans with Detroit forward Red Savage transferring there earlier this week.  They are the only two drafted forwards on the roster at the moment so there should be an opportunity for Howard to play an important role with his new school although Michigan State could bring back their top three scorers from this season for 2023-24 as well.

Notes: Lindgren, Klingberg, Howard

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Mollie Walker of the New York Post reports New York Rangers defenseman Ryan Lindgren will not play this evening. She added that this is the same injury the top-pairing defenseman was dealing with previously and he tweaked it in his return on Tuesday night. Lindgren had previously missed four weeks of action with what has been termed an upper-body injury. He returned to face the Carolina Hurricanes two nights ago and briefly left before returning to finish the game. The Rangers appear to be taking a cautious approach and don’t want a key piece of their blue line to make things worse with the playoffs on the horizon.

The Rangers have 11 regular season games remaining before the postseason, but appear locked into the third seed in the Metropolitan Division. They are six points back of the New Jersey Devils for second in the division, but hold a ten point advantage on the New York Islanders who are in the top wildcard spot.

  • John Klingberg of the Minnesota Wild will also miss tonight’s game, according to a team release. Klingberg, an offensive defenseman, has four points in nine games since being acquired from the Anaheim Ducks at the trade deadline for Nikita Nesterenko, Andrej Sustr and a fourth-round draft pick. The team says it is an upper-body injury but there are not other details about the severity of the injury.
  • Chris Peters of Flo Hockey reports Isaac Howard is entering NCAA’s transfer portal. This will pave his departure from the University of Minnesota-Duluth after one season. Howard was a first-round pick of the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2022 and had six goals and 17 points in 35 games as a freshman. Peters also mentions this could lead him to reuniting with former coach Adam Nightingale who is behind the bench of Michigan State, but nothing is official yet.

Snapshots: Stars, Stalock, Gaber, Caulfield

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While the Stars are in a tight battle for seeding in the Central Division, they’re doing so without some key veterans in their lineup.  Saad Yousuf of The Athletic provided (Twitter link) some updates on those injured players.  Veteran center Tyler Seguin has resumed skating while his stitches have been removed with head coach Peter DeBoer indicating he could be an option to return later this week.  The 31-year-old has been an important secondary scorer for Dallas this season, notching 42 points in 65 games so far.

Meanwhile, Mason Marchment isn’t as far along in his recovery although DeBoer hopes that they’ll be able to get him back before the playoffs.  The winger has 31 points in 67 contests in his first season with the Stars and his grit would certainly be useful in the postseason when things get more physical.  As for Scott Wedgewood, while his day-to-day injury has dragged on for more than a month, DeBoer noted that the goaltender is progressing and is expected to be back sooner than later.  Wedgewood has posted a solid .913 SV% in 18 appearances as the second-stringer this season.

Other injury news from around the NHL:

  • Although Alex Stalock has had an impressive season with Chicago, John Dietz of The Daily Herald suggests that the Blackhawks might not be the best fit for him. The 35-year-old has been a nice story this year, posting a .915 SV% in 21 games.  However, with Petr Mrazek signed for another season and youngsters Arvid Soderblom and Jaxson Stauber showing they’re worthy of NHL looks as well, there just might not be a viable opportunity for Stalock to stick around.
  • One of the top college free agent forwards is off the market. No, Riese Gaber didn’t sign anywhere but instead, Brad Elliott Schlossman of the Grand Forks Herald reports that the winger informed North Dakota that he’ll remain with them next year for his senior season.  Gaber had a productive junior year, notching 37 points in 39 games, equaling his output from 2021-22.  He indicated that he did have interest from NHL teams but instead will give it one more go with the Fighting Hawks.
  • Schlossman also notes that Penguins prospect Judd Caulfield has not yet made a decision about turning pro or opting for his bonus year; players impacted by the pandemic have a fifth year of eligibility. The 22-year-old winger was a fifth-round pick by Pittsburgh back in 2019 (145th overall) and put up nearly identical numbers this season (10 goals, nine assists) compared to a year ago (11 goals and nine helpers).  Caulfield has reached the double-digit point mark in each of his four college seasons but hasn’t recorded more than 20 in a single campaign either.

Previewing The 2023 College Free Agent Market: Goaltenders

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With the Frozen Four tournament on the horizon, there should be some activity on the college free agent front in the coming weeks.  At this time of year, college free agents are rarely coming in as impact prospects with high NHL ceilings (and this year is no exception) but it’s an opportunity for teams to add some depth pieces that are further along in their development compared to players coming out of major junior.

Here is an overview of some of the goalies that could be drawing NHL interest in the near future.  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 sign NHL or AHL deals in the coming weeks.  This pool of players isn’t as deep as the skaters but there should be a few netminders at least who will put pen to paper on a contract.  The forward preview can be found here while the defense preview is here.

Cooper Black, Dartmouth

It’s probably a bit early for Black to be on this list, especially since he’s coming off only his freshman season, one that didn’t exactly go too well with just five wins and a .899 SV% in 30 appearances.  However, the 21-year-old is listed at 6’8 and that might be on the small side.  That type of size should be enticing enough for some teams to kick the tires on him this season although the smarter move for him is probably to stay for at least one more year.

Ryan Bischel, Notre Dame

His senior season was a strong one, posting a .931 SV% for the Fighting Irish which was good for second in Division I behind only Devon Levi, a Buffalo prospect.  This was Bischel’s only season as a true starter so he doesn’t quite have the full track record that some other free agent netminders have but he’ll be 24 in July and going back for the bonus season likely doesn’t make sense.  He’s a bit undersized for the position at 6’1 so it’s possible that he might have to settle for an AHL deal to start.

Gustavs Davis-Grigals, UMass-Lowell

Davis-Grigals opted to transfer from Alaska-Fairbanks before this season and the move worked out well for him as he put up better numbers (a 2.05 GAA and a .924 SV%) with the River Hawks in a stronger program.  The 24-year-old also has some international experience with his native Latvia.  An NHL contract might be difficult to come by but there should be some interest in him on a minor league deal.

Victor Ostman, Maine

The decision for Ostman to come to North America back in 2019 has worked out well as one good USHL season and three quality college seasons later, the 22-year-old sits at the top of the class at his position.  He posted a .918 SV% in 33 games this year with the Black Bears along with five shutouts and at 6’4, he has the size that teams covet.  Will Ostman become the next to come from what has been a bit of a goalie factory in Maine that has also graduated Jimmy Howard, Ben Bishop, and Jeremy Swayman over the last two decades?

Luke Pavicich, UMass

Pavicich just completed his sophomore season and his first as a starter after getting into just four games in his freshman year.  The 20-year-old did well in his expanded role, putting up a .920 SV% despite the Minutemen having a losing record.  Again, this might be a bit early for him as his entry-level deal would be three years but an NHL team might want to get him into their system now over running the risk of Pavicich improving his market a year from now.

T.J. Semptimphelter, Arizona State

Another netminder who opted to use the transfer portal last offseason, Semptimphelter opted to leave a strong situation with Northeastern (who had Levi between the pipes) in search of more playing time.  He found that with the Sun Devils, getting into all but three games this season while posting a respectable .913 SV%.  Semptimphelter doesn’t turn 21 until May and again, this might be a year early for him unless there’s a team that’s convinced of his upside and is okay with a long development curve in the minors.

Others To Watch For

Justen Close, Minnesota
Yaniv Perets, Quinnipiac
Blake Pietila, Michigan Tech

These three goalies all had stellar showings this season with save percentages in the top five in Division I.  So why are they listed here as a group?  They’re all on the smaller side.  There are very few small goalies in the NHL and netminders that are small in stature typically wind up with a minor league deal to start.  Perets and Pietila are Hobey Baker Award finalists but as we saw with last year’s winner in Dryden McKay, even that isn’t automatically enough to earn an entry-level deal.  Will one buck the trend and land an NHL agreement?

Minor Transactions: 03/20/23

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It’s been a busy day across the hockey world, with multiple top European professional leagues in the thick of their playoffs. In Sweden, Djurgardens IF took a step towards promotion back to the SHL with a 4-1 victory over BIK Karlskoga, while both Skelleftea and Vaxjo completed dominant wins in their own playoff contests. In Finland, eight teams did battle in playoff matchups with highlights including a 1-0 overtime victory for HIFK Helsinki thanks to a goal from former Edmonton Oiler Iiro Pakarinen. As hockey fans across the globe enjoy all the action from Europe to the NHL, teams are still making adjustments to their rosters. We’ll keep track of those transactions here.

  • Montreal Canadiens prospect Alexander Gordin had his contract terminated by his KHL club, HK Sochi. The 2020 sixth-round pick spent most of the season at the second-tier VHL level, scoring eight goals and 12 points for HK Rostov. He notched two points in six KHL games for Sochi, although he didn’t see a whole lot of ice time, including one game where he played just 25 seconds. The Canadiens have the exclusive rights to sign Gordin indefinitely, and although there is no word on whether he’s planning on heading to North America, this contract termination does give him options for where to continue his development.
  • Five-year NCAA veteran Michael Underwood, 24, signed a PTO agreement with the AHL’s Colorado Eagles today. Underwood spent this season with Michigan State University in the Big 10, scoring five points in 38 games. The six-foot-one stay-at-home defenseman won the ECAC with Clarkson University in 2018-19, and will get his first taste of pro action with the Eagles, who are currently trying to lock up a Calder Cup playoff spot.
  • The ECHL’s Florida Everblades signed Chayse Primeau, who is the son of former NHLer Keith Primeau and the brother of Montreal Canadiens AHL netminder Cayden Primeau. The 25-year-old has spent the past five seasons with playing college hockey, spending four years with the University of Nebraska-Omaha before transferring to Notre Dame for his final year. He has amassed 95 points in 154 career games, and was named an NCHC Second-Team All-Star in his senior season at Nebraska. He’ll now join the Everblades, who are right in the thick of a competitive race for the ECHL’s South Division title.
  • After four seasons as a regular contributor at the SHL level for Vaxjo, netminder Viktor Andren struggled after signing a two-year deal with Brynas IF. He was eventually loaned down a level, to HockeyAllsvenskan, and has spent most of his time there over the past few seasons, save for brief cameos with the top division. This season, though, Andren has thoroughly impressed, posting a 2.04 goals-against-average and .921 save percentage for Almtuna IS. While he was unable to earn his club promotion to the SHL, his strong performance could pave his way back to Sweden’s top league. SportExpressen’s Johan Svensson reports that Andren has decided to play for Djurgardens next season. As previously mentioned, Djurgardens is currently in the race to be promoted back to the SHL, and should they make it there Andren would see time in their crease, potentially in a tandem arrangement with Vegas Golden Knights prospect Carl Lindblom.
  • HockeyAllsvenskan’s IF Bjorkloven has signed two key players to contract extensions: 2018 Buffalo Sabres fourth-round pick Linus Cronholm, and two-time Champions Hockey League winner Mattias Norstebo. Both blueliners have played regular minutes for Bjorkloven and are currently attempting to defeat Vasteras IK in the chase for promotion to the SHL. The Sabres let Cronholm’s rights expire this past summer, choosing not to sign him to an entry-level contract, but he nonetheless seems to be fashioning himself a solid pro career in Sweden.
  • Patrick Obrist is extending his playing relationship with Swiss club EHC Kloten for a ninth season. The 30-year-old Austrian was on hand when the team suffered relegation from Switzerland’s top league in 2017-18, and helped lead them to promotion last season. This season, he scored five goals and nine points in 47 games and helped Kloten avoid relegation.
  • After spending the last year with the Atlanta Gladiators of the ECHL, forward Tyler Kobryn has been released, according to the ECHL’s official transactions wire. The 26-year-old has scored 26 points in 120 career ECHL games, including six goals and nine points in 39 games this season. The former NCAA Division III forward’s release could be motivated in part by the recent signing of college free agent Mitch Walinski, who has scored three points in his first five games in the ECHL.
  • The ECHL’s Wichita Thunder have released forward Brett Van Os, a player they acquired in a January trade from the Norfolk Admirals. The former Western Michigan University forward scored 12 points in 25 games for Wichita, but may be ceding his spot on the team to recent signing Jason Pineo and trade acquisition Brett Boeing.

NCAA Notes: Farrell, Coronato, Transfer Portal

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While the emergence of Montreal Canadiens 2022 second-round pick Lane Hutson has attracted a significant amount of attention in the Montreal market (no doubt helped by the fact that it was his overtime goal that won Boston University the Hockey East title), 2020 fourth-round pick Sean Farrell has had an incredible season in his own right. The Harvard forward was recently named the ECAC’s player of the year after scoring 52 points in 33 games, and this comes after he scored six points in four games representing the United States at last year’s Winter Olympics. This has led to many wondering if the NHL could be just around the corner for Farrell, or if he would choose to play until graduation and potentially test the open market once his rights expire.

Based on recent reporting, it seems Canadiens fans may not have much to worry about. The Athletic’s Marc Antoine Godin and Arpon Basu reported in a recent column (subscription link) that Farrell’s advisors at CAA have assured them that the scenario of Farrell graduating and testing free agency is “not one worth mentioning” because Farrell “has every intention of signing with the Canadiens.” This means that should Harvard be upset in their first-round matchup against Ohio State on Friday, “Farrell could be available as early as this Saturday,” and his signing would certainly add some excitement to what has been a rollercoaster Canadiens season.

Some other notes from college hockey:

  • Farrell’s teammate Matt Coronato, a 2021 lottery pick, is also a highly-regarded prospect who could be nearing an NHL debut. Sportsnet’s Eric Francis reports that Flames general manager Brad Treliving is traveling to Bridgeport, Connecticut, to Harvard’s aforementioned game against Ohio State with the goal of getting Coronato “signed and into an NHL game” whenever his season ends. Coronato just completed a second-straight point-per-game season, and is widely regarded to be the Flames’ best skater prospect.
  • New England Hockey Journal’s Mark Divver has reported that three NHL prospects are hitting the transfer portal, meaning they are exploring the possibility of transferring to another NCAA program. The first is Los Angeles Kings prospect Jack Hughes, a 2022 second-round pick who scored 16 points in 32 games for Northeastern. The next is Detroit Red Wings 2021 fourth-rounder Redmond Savage, who scored 14 points in 32 games for Miami University (Ohio) and made the United States World Juniors team the past two tournaments. The final player is Anaheim Ducks prospect Sam Colangelo, the 36th overall pick at the 2020 draft. Colangelo’s production declined from last season when he scored nearly at a point-per-game rate, and he could be looking for a fresh start for his age-22 campaign.

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