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College Notes: Phillips, Schingoethe, MacDonald

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Pittsburgh Penguins prospect Clayton Phillips will be playing closer by this season, and sooner than expected as well. Phillips notified the University of Minnesota back in June that he would be transferring and most expected that he would return to the USHL this season before resuming his NCAA career. That won’t be the case. Phillips has already landed at a new school, a Big Ten Conference of the Gophers in fact, and will be eligible to play immediately. Penn State University announced today that Phillips has joined the program and are excited to have the smooth-skating defenseman for the final two years of his NCAA eligibility. A third-round pick of the Penguins in 2017, Phillips is still a somewhat raw talent, but has the physical tools to be a pro player. While neither a high-scoring blue line threat nor a shutdown defender, Phillips is a great skater and puck-mover. His ability will certainly be an upgrade for the Nittany Lions and he hopes the Penguins as well down the road.

  • The University of Denver picked up a nice commitment today in 2020 NHL Draft-eligible forward Wyatt Schingoethe. The 17-year-old center is set to play a second season with the USHL’s Waterloo Blackhawks this season, who announced he would then join the Pioneers. Schingoethe impressed with 33 points in 62 games in his first junior season last year and looks to take another step forward this season. Scouting source Future Considerations currently has Schingoethe ranked No. 92 in their pre-draft rankings, which could very well put him in third-round range next spring, or even higher with a breakout season. NHL teams will surely put some extra stock into the fact that he is heading to Denver too, one of the top college programs in the country.
  • Not to be outdone, another elite collegiate team, Boston College, has also landed a notable commitment. 16-year-old forward Cameron MacDonald, who drew attention last season with a stunning 126 points in 52 games at the midget level, announced on Twitter that he has signed on to join the Eagles, at least in a few years. MacDonald, not to be confused with defenseman Cameron McDonald of the rival Providence College Friars, put himself on the list of early names to watch in the 2021 NHL Draft class with his performance last season. He’s taking his talents to USHL’s Sioux Falls Stampede this year – and likely the year after as well – and if his offensive ability translates, he will certainly be a prospect to keep tabs on. The Nova Scotia native has the makings of a game-changing pickup for Boston College.

Snapshots: Devils, Senators, Bolduc

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The New Jersey Devils are restructuring their front office ahead of the start of a new season. The Associated Press reports that the team has promoted two top executives to vice president status. Tom Fitzgerald, who has been linked to the Minnesota Wild GM opening in each of the past two years, will add Executive Vice President to his existing Assistant GM title. The former NHLer is entering his fourth season as Assistant GM in New Jersey after six seasons in the same role with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Dan MacKinnon, who had previously served as the team’s Senior Director of Player Personnel, will take on the Senior Vice President role while also being officially named an Assistant GM as well. MacKinnon is another executive poached by GM Ray Shero from the Penguins; he served the team for a decade in player personnel before moving into the same role with the Devils in 2016. Having all worked together in Pittsburgh and now New Jersey for some time, Shero, Fitzgerald, and MacKinnon form a solid trio as the base of the front office operations for the Devils, as reflected by these new titles.

  • With all of the teams currently holding more salary cap space also still needing to sign one or two prominent restricted free agents, the Ottawa Senators are the odds-on favorite to begin the regular season with the most cap flexibility. CapFriendly currently projects the team to have more than $10MM in space, even with a fully healthy, optimal lineup. Many have suggested that the Senators could use this space to add talent, or at least to pick up picks or prospects in a deal for an overpriced veteran, as they did with the injured Ryan Callahan. However, don’t expect any such move until farther along in training camp at the earliest. While Ottawa may have the least amount of dollars committed to their roster, they have the most contracts signed in the league, tied with the Los Angeles Kings with 49 of a maximum 50 slots filled. They can alleviate that contract crunch slightly by sending teenage prospects Jon Gruden or Lassi Thomson back to junior, but will likely wait to do so until they get a better look at the pair in training camp. In the meantime, and even afterward, the Senators are surely going to be a team keeping a close eye on the waiver wire, hoping to add a young, affordable player to the mix. Making a trade for a veteran too soon could interfere with their ability to make claims. If they can make it through to the start of the regular season and still have room to add a player, then they could re-emerge as a candidate to take on a bad contract from a cap-strapped contender.
  • Both the Devils and Senators are among the teams that could be looking down the road a ways and following what Mark Divver calls the biggest recruiting battle in hockey right now. 16-year-old forward Zachary Bolduc is considered one of the top prospects in the 2021 NHL Draft class. The Quebec native is playing prep school hockey in Rhode Island this season, but still deciding what to do next year. Bolduc was the 14th overall pick in the QMJHL Entry Draft by Rimouski Oceanic this year and the club would very much like to sign the local product. However, Bolduc has also been eyeing the college route. Divver reports that he has already visited the University of Massachusetts, Boston University, and the University of Maine and has planned trips to the University of Michigan and the University of North Dakota. Should he opt for the NCAA, Bolduc could play in the USHL next year, having been drafted by the Sioux City Musketeers in the second round of the USHL Draft this year as well. The talented center has plenty of options and NHL teams will surely be interested to see which development route he chooses.

Minor Transactions: 09/02/19

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We’re now into September, but little has changed on the free agent front. Many prominent players, RFA’s and UFA’s alike, remain unsigned, but the NHL markets remain silent. However, minor league teams, foreign clubs, and college programs continue to make make moves in preparation for the coming season. Keep up with further moves right here throughout the day:

  • Ty Nash, son of former NHLer and current Arizona Coyotes TV analyst Tyson Nash, is following in his father’s footsteps and playing in the WHL. Although Nash is American, born and raised in Arizona, he will take the Canadian junior development route, as his Edmonton-native dad did. The 16-year-old forward was selected by the Lethbridge Hurricanes in the 2018 WHL Bantam Draft and has been participating in training camp this week. The team announced today that he had officially signed on for the coming season. The small, but aggressive forward has been improving offensively in recent years while maintaining a gritty, high-energy style which could serve him well against much more talented competition in the WHL than what he is used to in the American Southwest. The 2021 NHL Draft-eligible forward still has a lot of work ahead of him to be considered a pro prospect, but now has two full WHL seasons to do just that.
  • It’s a homecoming of sorts for 22-year-old forward Logan Coomes, who will play for the University of Alaska-Fairbanks this season after three years at Merrimack College. Coomes initially committed to Merrimack as a member of the Fairbanks Ice Dogs of the NAHL and now returns to the city where his collegiate path first began. Of course, Fairbanks is quite far from his actual hometown of Nashville. After transferring this summer, Coomes was announced as immediately eligible for this season, his fourth and final NCAA campaign. In 79 games with Merrimack, Coomes recorded 26 points in a bottom-six role. He should be handed more responsibility in his senior year and he surely hopes to get back to his better than point-per-game production from the last time he played in Fairbanks. Other members of Fairbanks’ recruiting class include Latvian junior standouts Eriks Zohovs and Roberts Kalkis.
  • Flames prospect Ilya Nikolayev has been loaned to Yarolslavl’s junior team, notes Ryan Pike of the Sporting News.  The 2019 third-round pick spent all of last season at the Russian junior level (the MHL) but was hoping to spend some time in the KHL this year.  He may still get that opportunity at some point but for now, he’ll repeat the level where he collected 25 points in 41 games in 2018-19.

Thomas Bordeleau Commits To The University Of Michigan

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After a record-breaking 2019 draft class, the U.S. National Team Development Program won’t be making as many waves during the 2019-20 season. In fact, some draft pundits doubt that any American players will be selected in the first half of the first round next year. One of the few players who could challenge that prediction is forward Thomas Bordeleau. He may have already just taken a step toward a higher draft slot by committing to a top NCAA program. College hockey insider Mark Divver reports that Bordeleau will attend the University of Michigan after this season with the USNTDP.

Bordeleau, who actually grew up in Switzerland and later Quebec, was born in Houston, Texas while his dad was playing for the AHL’s Houston Aeros. Sebastien Bordeleau played in more than 250 NHL games from 1995 to 2002 and then played another decade in the NLA before retiring in 2012. Bordeleau thus grew up surrounded by hockey and has had a chance to grow his game in many unique environments. The undersized center opted to use his American citizenship to continue his development with the USNTDP rather than the Candian juniors and in his first season with the program Bordeleau notched 39 points in 56 games for the U-17 team. Set to star for the U-18 team this year, Bordeleau will look to improve those numbers and also fight for a top role at the U-18 World Junior Championship.

With a season still left to further prove himself, Bordeleau is already drawing great attention. In their preliminary rankings, scouting source Future Considerations ranked Bordeleau as the No. 52 prospect in the 2020 class and the well-rounded scorer has plenty of room to improve his draft stock with ample opportunity to star for the USNTDP. He’ll then head to Ann Arbor, where the University of Michigan already houses several NHL prospects, including recent USNTDP graduates and 2019 first-rounders Cam York (PHI) and John Beecher (BOS). The Wolverines are surely excited to add another potential first-round pick in Bordeleau, just as the young pivot likely is to join such a strong program.

College Notes: Niagara, Simmons-Fischer, Cheremeta

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Niagara University officially announced their 2019 recruiting class today, including three notable NCAA transfers. The most well-known name is likely former UMass-Lowell defenseman Croix Evingson. A 2017 seventh-round pick of the Winnipeg Jets, Evingson was the NAHL’s Defenseman of the Year in his draft year and his size and scoring ability made him an intriguing prospect. However, after two seasons of limited usage and production at Lowell, Evingson opted for a change of scenery and is now set to join Niagara. The big, offensive defenseman will look to re-establish his pro value this season and next in hopes of landing with the Jets down the road. Joining Evingson are Merrimack College graduate transfer defenseman Ryan Cook and former Air Force Academy forward Walker Sommer.

  • Braidan Simmons-Fischer, son of former NHL defenseman and current Detroit Red Wings Director of Player Personnel Jiri Fischer, has committed to nearby Western Michigan University, according to MIHockey. Entering his draft year, Simmons-Fischer remains somewhat of an unknown commodity. Splitting his early years of hockey between several pedestrian seasons of bantam-level play in Michigan and a dominant season at the junior level in Austria, Simmons-Fischer has had one of the stranger developmental paths of any prospect to this point. However, there is enough to his size – similar to his father’s frame but even more menacing as a forward – and hockey bloodlines that a strong program like WMU is willing to bet on his progression. More will surely be known about Simmons-Fischer’s potential after this upcoming season, which he will spend with the USHL’s Green Bay Gamblers in his first true test against top competition.
  • Mark Cheremeta has left Boston University, marking yet another loss for the storied program. Since the end of last season, BU has seen Jake Oettinger, Joel Farabee, Chad Krys, Bobo Carpenter, Dante Fabbro, and Shane Bowers leave for the NHL, as well as a couple of players transfer to another school, and now young role player Cheremeta is headed to the USHL. The Dubuque Fighting Saints announced Cheremeta as a member of their training camp roster after selecting him in the third round of the USHL Entry Draft this year, marking his departure from BU after just one year. What Cheremeta will do next with his developmental path remains a mystery. Ironically though, he is set to play alongside Terriers commit and L.A. Kings prospect Braden Doyle with Dubuque this season.

Veeti Miettinen Commits To St. Cloud State University

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The St. Cloud State University Huskies have been the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for two years in a row and aren’t looking to slow down. Today they picked up another impressive commitment in Finnish forward Veeti Miettinen, according to The Rink Live. The 2020 NHL Draft-eligible prospect is expected to join the program ahead of the 2020-21 season.

Miettinen, 17, is considered an early-round candidate for next year’s draft. In their preliminary rankings, Future Considerations placed the talented Finn at No. 40, an early second-round score, but he could very well push for first-round consideration. At 5’9” and 159 lbs., Miettinen is far from a physical force, but hasn’t let his lack of stature stop him from being an offensive force. Last season, he recorded 61 points in 48 games for the Espoo Blues’ U-20 team competing in the junior Liiga. He then tacked on four points in five games at the U-18 World Junior Championships. Miettinen will be back with the Blues and the U-18 Finns again this season, but he could greatly improve his draft stock if he can also earn a look with the Liiga’s Blues and the U-20 Team Finland World Junior entry.

Once at St. Cloud, Miettinen will be joining a program that just graduated stars like Ryan Poehling, Patrick Newell, and Jimmy Schuldt, but are far from empty when it comes to talent. Defenseman Nick Perbix (TBL) and forward Sam Hentges (MIN) are among the top young contributors who will still be around when Miettinen arrives next season, with many still sure to be added to the recruiting class. With that said, St. Cloud fans should be very excited about Miettinen, who has the potential to be the next Ryan Poehling in terms of game-changing talent up front.

Jack LaFontaine Joins The University of Minnesota

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Carolina Hurricanes prospect goalie Jack LaFontaine is back in the NCAA. The 21-year-old keeper has enrolled at the University of Minnesota and will play this season, the program announced. LaFontaine had been away from the college game for one year with the Penticton Vees of the BCHL, having previously spent two seasons with the Big Ten rival University of Michigan.

LaFontaine was a third-round pick of the Hurricanes back in 2016 out of the NAHL. While some considered the pick to be a reach, seeing as Fontaine had not been challenged at an elite level yet and was raw in terms of his skill development, Carolina was clearly happy to select a player with good size and athleticism who they could groom as a long-term project. LaFontaine jumped right into the college ranks after being drafted, but failed to take advantage of no clear starter in net for the Wolverines. In each of his two years, the young netminder posted a GAA over 3.33 in just eleven appearances. Seeking a fresh start, LaFontaine left Michigan and signed with Penticton. He was beyond impressive last season, recording a .923 save percentage and 2.19 GAA in 45 starts and earning the BCHL’s Top Goaltender honors.

Having re-asserted himself as a promising young goalie, LaFontaine is ready to give the NCAA another go. He has two years of eligibility remaining, after which he hopes to have proven himself to be a pro-caliber prospect. Much like when he began with the Wolverines, the Gophers net is wide open; all three goalies who made an appearance last season, including starter and recent Minnesota Wild signing Mat Robson, have departed. LaFontaine is the odds-on replacement, but he will have to hold off 20-year-old Jared Moe, a sixth-round pick of the Winnipeg Jets in 2018. If he can do so and can put up numbers similar to this past season in Penticton, perhaps the Hurricanes will come calling even sooner than two years from now.

Rob O’Gara Signs With AHL San Antonio

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Once a highly-touted prospect, it looks as though defenseman Rob O’Gara will need to work his way back into the NHL. Newsday’s Colin Stephenson reports that O’Gara has signed with the San Antonio Rampage of the AHL. The 26-year-old was a Group 6 unrestricted free agent this summer after failing to play in 80+ NHL games through his first three pro seasons. Yet, 2018-19 was his first campaign without any NHL action.

A late-round pick of the Boston Bruins in 2011, O’Gara played four seasons at Yale University and grew into one of the most effective two-way defenders in the NCAA during that time. He signed with Boston in 2016 and immediately became a key player at the AHL level and also made three NHL appearances. He played in eight more NHL games for the Bruins the following season, but was traded to his hometown New York Rangers in exchange for Nick Holden. O’Gara finished the season with the Rangers, playing in 22 games down the stretch and looking like a candidate for a regular role moving forward.

Unfortunately, that’s not how things played out this past season. O’Gara was cut from training camp and never re-emerged as a top recall option, even as the Rangers struggled. O’Gara was a solid defensive presence for the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack, but didn’t take advantage of a full year in the minors with an improved offensive contribution. As such, the local product did not earn a new deal with New York and seemingly was unable to find a two-way role with any other NHL team. In San Antonio, he will have to reassert himself as a legitimate NHL option with a consistent, well-rounded game if he hopes to one day make it back to the top level.

Minor Transactions: 08/18/19

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It’s the dog days of summer, and while many prominent free agents, restricted and unrestricted, remain unsigned, major NHL signings are few and far between. Yet, minor league teams, foreign clubs, and college programs continue to make make moves in preparation for the coming season. Keep up with all of those minor transactions here:

  • Northeastern University landed a pair of high-quality graduate transfers last week in University of New Hampshire forward Brendan van Riemsdyk and Merrimack College goalie Craig Pantano, both of whom are expected to be major contributors. However, they’ve also now suffered a loss. After two disappointing seasons to begin his collegiate career, center Bobby Hampton has opted to leave the program, reports USCHO. Hampton will enroll at Penn State University and will join the Nittany Lions for the 2020-21 season with two years of NCAA eligibility remaining. Hampton joined Northeastern in 2017 with high expectations after leading the USHL’s Cedar Rapids Rough Riders in scoring the season prior, but recorded just seven points combined in his first two college seasons.
  • Trevor Yates had up and down between the AHL and ECHL last season and he’s already well on his way to a similar start to the 2019-20 campaign. After signing with the ECHL’s Reading Royals on Friday, Jason Guarente of the Reading Eagle already reports that Yates will be in camp with their AHL affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, trying to instead earn an AHL contract, with Lehigh or elsewhere. A former star for the Cornell University Big Red, Yates’ pro career got off to a slow start last year, but he finished strong with a point-per-game stretch in the ECHL. The 24-year-old forward has the size and intelligence to be a key two-way forward in the AHL or, as he slowed late last season, a top-line forward at the “AA” level.
  • The AHL’s Manitoba Moose have re-signed defenseman Charles-David Beaudoin to a one-year extension, the team announced. Beaudoin has played a part-time role for the Moose in each of the past two seasons, recording 15 points combined over the past two seasons. The 25-year-old righty took an unorthodox route to the AHL, spending two years at the University of Quebec – Trois Rivieres after his QMJHL junior career before jumping from USports to the pros, and will look to take on a larger role in his third AHL season.

2019 List Of College Players Becoming Free Agents

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Originally published on August 8th. The unsigned players are now unrestricted free agents and can sign with any team they choose.

In one week, 23 college players drafted by NHL teams are set to become unrestricted free agents if they fail to sign an entry-level contract. After August 15th, these players are eligible to sign with any team in the league. Several have already signed minor league deals but that does not technically retain their draft rights for the original club. None of the teams that drafted these players will receive any compensation for the expiring rights.

The full list:

Anaheim Ducks:

F Brent Gates, University of Minnesota (80th overall, 2015) – signed to AHL deal
D Steven Ruggiero, Lake Superior State University (178th overall, 2015) – signed to AHL deal

Buffalo Sabres:

F Christopher Brown, Boston University (151st overall, 2014) – signed to AHL deal
F Max Willman, Boston University (121st overall, 2014)
D Ivan Chukarov, University of Massachusetts (182nd overall, 2015) – signed to ECHL deal

Chicago Blackhawks:

F Beau Starrett, Cornell University (88th overall, 2014)
F Fredrik Olofsson, University of Nebraska-Omaha (98th overall, 2014) – signed in Sweden
F Liam Coughlin, University of Vermont (130th overall, 2014) – signed to AHL deal
F Jack Ramsey, University of Minnesota (208th overall, 2014) – signed to AHL deal

Detroit Red Wings:

G Chase Perry, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (136th overall, 2014)

Edmonton Oilers:

D Vincent Desharnais, Providence College (183rd overall, 2016) – signed to AHL deal
F J.D. Dudek, Boston College (152nd overall, 2014)
G Hayden Hawkey, Providence College (177th overall, 2014)

Florida Panthers:

F Joe Wegwerth, University of Notre Dame (92nd overall, 2014)

Minnesota Wild:

D Nick Boka, University of Michigan (171st overall, 2015) – signed to AHL deal
D Jack Sadek, University of Minnesota (204th overall, 2015) – signed to AHL deal

Montreal Canadiens:

D Nikolas Koberstein, University of Alaska-Fairbanks (125th overall, 2014)

Nashville Predators:

F Thomas Novak, University of Minnesota (85th overall, 2015) – signed to AHL deal
D Adam Smith, Bowling Green State University (198th overall, 2016) – signed to AHL deal

Ottawa Senators:

D Miles Gendron, University of Connecticut (70th overall, 2014) – signed to AHL deal

Philadelphia Flyers:

F Brendan Warren, University of Michigan (81st overall, 2015) – signed to ECHL deal

San Jose Sharks:

F Jacob Jackson, Michigan Tech University (201st overall, 2013)
G Jake Kupsky, Union College (193rd overall, 2015)
F Marcus Vela, University of New Hampshire (190th overall, 2015)

Washington Capitals:

D Chase Priskie, Quinnipiac University (177th overall, 2016)
F Steven Spinner, University of Nebraska-Omaha (159th overall, 2014)

The belle of the ball here is likely Priskie, who captained the Quinnipiac squad the last two seasons and was a Hobey Baker finalist in 2018-19. The right-handed defenseman scored 39 points in 36 games and was one of the most dynamic offensive defensemen in the country. Priskie is not expected to sign with the Capitals for a variety of reasons, but will be “highly sought after” according to Bob McKenzie of TSN earlier this year.

Other teams will be able to sign these players starting on August 16th, though it often takes a few days to become official.

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