Veeti Miettinen Commits To St. Cloud State University
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
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
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
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
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.
Snapshots: 2020 Draft, Williams, Capitals
The 2020 draft is shaping up to have some incredible talents available, and Craig Button of TSN shared some of his thoughts on the most impressive young players today. In fact, Button believes that there are six different players who could all challenge for first overall, a spot that has had Alexis Lafreniere penciled in for years. Button lists Hendrix Lapierre, Quinton Byfield, Cole Perfetti, Lucas Raymond and Yaroslav Askarov as the other top prospects and reveals some of his scouting takes on each one.
Not surprisingly, that group were some of the standouts at the recent Hlinka-Gretzky tournament that ended in a gold medal for Team Russia. Askaraov, the young Russian goaltender who has been dubbed the next great net prospect, stood on his head in the gold medal game leading Russia to a 3-2 victory despite being outshot 37-13. With so much talent at the top of the draft you can bet bubble teams will be hesitant to give up first round picks that could give them a chance at the draft lottery next year.
- Justin Williams still hasn’t decided whether he is coming back for another season, GM Don Waddell explained to reporters today including Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer. Williams came second to Joe Thornton in our recent poll about veteran free agents and would be a big addition if he decides to return for the Carolina Hurricanes this season. The 37-year old scored 23 goals and 53 points last season and was his usual excellent self in the postseason.
- With several NCAA players about to become unrestricted free agents, Tarik El-Bashir of The Athletic gives us updates on the two that currently belong to the Washington Capitals. Chase Priskie was never expected to sign, but Steven Spinner will also not get a contract and will become a UFA at the end of the week. Spinner played four seasons at the University of Nebraska-Omaha but saw his offense completely dry up in 2018-19 when he scored just four points in 29 games. He still received a tryout with the Hershey Bears at the end of the year, but won’t be getting an NHL contract.
Minor Transactions: 08/07/19
As August continues and we get further into contract negotiations, teams continue to fill our their organizational depth charts. Here are some minor moves from around the league. We’ll keep updating as more come in:
- Jamie Devane and Yushiroh Hirano have joined the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins for the 2019-20 season on AHL contracts. It’s been a great week for Japanese hockey after 2020 draft prospect Yu Sato decided to bring his talents to North America and now Hirano has landed an AHL deal. The 23-year old forward played his first season of professional North American hockey last year and dominated the ECHL, scoring 57 points in 67 games. Devane meanwhile has been in the AHL for years now, most recently with the Ontario Reign where he racked up 79 penalty minutes in just 27 games last season.
- If you’re a CHL fan who has been impressed with Swiss goaltender Noah Patenaude at the current Hlinka-Gretzky Cup, you might get another chance to see him up close next season. The 16-year old has signed with the Saint John Seadogs and will make the jump to North America test his skills next season.
- Jaakko Haarti may not be coming to the NCAA after all. The Finnish defenseman will play with the Lahti Pelicans instead for the upcoming season, taking away a top recruit for UMass. The 5’10” Haarti recorded 14 goals and 28 points in the top Finnish junior league last season in just 50 games.
- The Charlotte Checkers have signed Cedric Lacroix to a two-way AHL contract, bringing in an ECHL standout for a new opportunity. Lacroix played his first professional season with the Wheeling Nailers in 2018-19 and recorded 42 points in 71 games. That was more than he had in four whole seasons at the University of Maine, but he didn’t forget his roots as a physical presence. In those 71 contests, Lacroix finished sixth in the league by racking up 215 penalty minutes including 12 fighting majors.
Cameron Rowe Commits To The University Of Wisconsin
A tumultuous off-season for prospect Cameron Rowe is finally trending upward. After being one of the biggest surprises among undrafted players back in June and de-committing from the University of North Dakota earlier in July, Rowe appears to have his development path back on track. Todd Milewski of the Wisconsin State Journal hears that Rowe has committed to the University of Wisconsin and cites the young goaltender’s own social media as further proof. Rowe will join a Badgers program that is adding significant talent over the next two years and will continue to have the attention of NHL scouts.
Rowe, 18, did not exactly grab headlines last season, but impressed many hockey minds who did get a chance to see him in action. Rowe played second fiddle to Florida Panthers first-round pick Spencer Knight for the U.S. National Team Development Program last season. Even with Knight missing some time due to injury, Rowe only made 30 appearances to Knight’s 33. He was also overshadowed performance wise, as his respectable 3.40 GAA and .875 save percentage at the junior level paled in comparison to Knight’s 2.36 and .913. Yet, Rowe still emerged as a top goalie prospect in the recent draft class. NHL Central Scouting ranked him as the No. 4 goalie in North America and several other sources pegged him as a fourth- to sixth-round pick. Somehow, Rowe slipped through the cracks and will have to try his luck again next year as an overage prospect.
Things took another turn earlier this month, when Rowe left his commitment to North Dakota. The rumor was that the Fighting Hawks coaching staff was frustrated about Rowe’s lack of dedication to the college route, as he had at least entertained the idea of a jump to the major junior level to play for the OHL’s London Knights. The team released Rowe from his commitment, making him a free agent of sorts beyond the 2019-20 season, during which he will play for the USHL’s Des Moines Buccaneers.
Well, Rowe didn’t stay available for very long and it seems North Dakota was wrong about his commitment to the NCAA route. Committing to Wisconsin less than a month later, Rowe joins a program that has high expectations in the coming years. Rowe’s USNTDP teammates Alex Turcotte (LAK), Cole Caufield (MTL), and Owen Lindmark (FLA) are set to join the program this year, alongside top 2020 prospect Dylan Holloway. Joining Rowe in the 2020 recruiting class are more intriguing American forwards in Tanner Latsch and Liam Malmquist. Head coach Tony Granato‘s team is in for an exciting few years and now have their goalie of the future in Rowe, who will also be excited to get to Madison and show NHL teams what they missed out on in the draft this year.
Snapshots: Dahlen, Teply, Boston University
Many believe that talented, but under-performing forward Jonathan Dahlen may be primed for a breakout year in 2019-20, beginning his first full season with the San Jose Sharks. Dahlen, 21, was acquired by the Sharks at the trade deadline in a swap with the Vancouver Canucks for fellow Swedish forward prospect Linus Karlsson. Dahlen had failed to do enough in the AHL to earn a call-up to the Canucks in his first season in North America, but after a four-point outburst in the final seven games of the regular season with AHL San Jose, many felt a change of scenery could be all he needed to battle for an NHL spot this upcoming season. However, Dahlen may not break camp with the Sharks this fall because he may not even be in camp. Swedish news source Hockey Sverige reports that Dahlen is expected to return to his former club, Timra IK. Dahlen is in the final year of his entry-level contract, but that deal does include a European Assignment Clause, which allows Dahlen to play in Europe if he does not make the NHL club. The fact that this information has been leaked so early before training camp likely indicates that Dahlen either believes or knows that he won’t be playing for the Sharks in 2019-20 and would prefer to return home to Sweden rather than suit up for the Barracuda. Dahlen exercised his European Assignment Clause in the first year of his ELC, playing for Timra rather than the AHL’s Utica Comets. After a season in Utica last year that left a lot to be desired, Dahlen is likely eager to get back to his roots, especially since Timra has been promoted to the SHL from the minor league Allsvenskan since the last time he played there. If Dahlen does indeed jump overseas next season, it doesn’t mean his career with San Jose is over. The Sharks would merely need to make him a qualifying offer next season to retain his rights moving forward, should he re-discover his game and try again to make it in the NHL.
- One player making the reverse move, going from Europe to North America, is Chicago Blackhawks prospect Michal Teply. Teply played professionally in his native Czech Republic last season, but is ready to return to the junior ranks. After being selected No. 4 overall in the recent CHL Import Draft, Teply has delivered on the pick used by the WHL’s Winnipeg Ice, as the team announced he has signed. The Ice, who are moving from Kootenay to Winnipeg and looking for a fresh start after a second-to-last league finish, are likely to see immediate results from Teply. A big winger who uses his size well to create space and make plays, many were surprised that Teply fell into the fourth round for the Blackhawks. In fact, there was a consensus among the top scouting services that Teply was a surefire second- or third-round pick. From fourth round to fourth overall, Winnipeg still may have found a steal in Teply, as the skilled forward has already proven he can compete with men at the pro level and could be in for breakout year against junior competition.
- Boston University has found its new starting goaltender via transfer. The program has announced that a pair of graduate transfers have joined the team in Alex Brink and Sam Tucker. While Brink was a nice piece as a depth forward at Brown University, Tucker is the big news. The 23-year-old keeper split starts in net for Yale University over the past three seasons, including leading the team in appearances in each of the past two years, and his numbers took a sharp upturn in 2018-19. He now joins an elite NCAA program in BU where superior defense and possession ability should allow him to excel even more. After losing Jake Oettinger to the pros, it was looking like the Terriers were going to enter next season with untested Vinnie Purpura in net, but Purpura can take another year to continue developing while Tucker presumably takes over the starter role. Brink and Tucker join a new group of players that is arguably the best recruiting class in the nation, helping to make up for an exodus of nearly a third of last year’s roster to the pros.
Snapshots: Off-Season, College Free Agents, Bratislava
Three weeks into free agency, it’s fair to begin analyzing how teams have improved this off-season, even though there are still several notable UFA’s who remain unsigned. The Athletic’s Dom Luszczyszyn did just that, using his predictive model to look at which team has done the most this summer. Topping the list, unsurprisingly, are the New York Rangers, who have added Artemi Panarin, Jacob Trouba, Kaapo Kakko, and Adam Fox among others. Although some have been critical of their contract details, the Florida Panthers come in a close second after adding Sergei Bobrovsky, Anton Stralman, Brett Connolly, and Noel Acciari. The Vancouver Canucks (Tyler Myers, J.T. Miller, Micheal Ferland), Chicago Blackhawks (Robin Lehner, Calvin de Haan, Olli Maatta), and Washington Capitals (Radko Gudas, Richard Panik, Garnet Hathaway) round out the top five off-season performers, per Luszczyszyn. His bottom team, very obviously, is the Columbus Blue Jackets, who faced an almost-impossible task of improving with Panarin, Bobrovsky, Matt Duchene, and Ryan Dzingel all hitting the open market. The addition of Gustav Nyquist is a nice move, but not enough to keep them from being the team that was hurt the most this summer. Even the nearest team, the San Jose Sharks, are not that close in terms of projected wins lost, and they have added no new players of note this summer. Fortunately, for Columbus and several other teams who have failed to improve but have the cap space to do so, there are a number of good players still available in free agency and salary cap crunches and restricted free agent dilemmas across the league will likely force substantial talent onto the trade block before the new season gets underway.
- Another way that teams may be able to improve this summer is by adding some soon-to-be-available college free agents next month. While it’s not the most talented class and lacks any star standouts like years past, the August NCAA group could provide some minor league depth a potential NHL upside to a number of teams. Expect Quinnipiac offensive blue liner Chase Priskie to be the most sought-after target. The following are the players set to become free agents on August 15th, along with the team that drafted them:
F Brent Gates, University of Minnesota (ANA)
D Steven Ruggiero, Lake Superior State University (ANA)
F Christopher Brown, Boston University (BUF) – signed to AHL deal with WBS
D Ivan Chukarov, University of Massachusetts (BUF)
F Max Willman, Boston University (BUF)
F Beau Starrett, Cornell University (CHI)
G Chase Perry, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (DET)
D Vincent Desharnais, Providence College (EDM) – signed to AHL deal with Bakersfield
F J.D. Dudek, Boston College (EDM)
G Hayden Hawkey, Providence College (EDM)
F Joe Wegwerth, University of Notre Dame (FLA)
D Nick Boka, University of Michigan (MIN) – signed to AHL deal with Iowa
D Jack Sadek, University of Minnesota (MIN) – signed to AHL deal with Iowa
D Nikolas Koberstein, University of Alaska-Fairbanks (MTL)
F Thomas Novak, University of Minnesota (NSH) – signed to AHL deal with Milwaukee
D Miles Gendron, University of Connecticut (OTT) – signed to AHL deal with Belleville
F Brendan Warren, University of Michigan (PHI) – signed to ECHL deal with Indy
F Jacob Jackson, Michigan Tech University (SJS)
G Jake Kupsky, Union College (SJS)
F Marcus Vela, University of New Hampshire (SJS)
D Chase Priskie, Quinnipiac University (WSH)
F Steven Spinner, University of Nebraska-Omaha (WSH)
- HC Slovan Bratislava is enjoying an active off-season, signing eight players, but it’s still unclear where they’ll be playing next season. Bratislava announced in May that it would be leaving the KHL and re-joining the Slovakina Extraliga. However, Slovakian news source Sport.SK says that it’s not that simple. The club owes a total debt of $3MM to 60 players who were not fully compensated when Bratislava last played for their national league. Until that debt is square, the league could block their re-entry. As of now, Bratislava has offered to pay 30% of the debt up front and then negotiate payment schedules with the former players to cover the rest of the outstanding debt. The league has until August 7th to make a decision about the team’s future, either granting them a license to participate or not, but in the meantime they have officially signed eight players with the expectation of playing this season and Sport.SK reports that at least seven more are waiting to sign on. One such player waiting to see how things play out is former NHL defenseman Andrej Meszaros, who captained the team over the past three years in the KHL. One would expect the most well-known pro team in Slovakia to gain entrance back into the top native league, but unpaid player salaries is a sensitive issue in Europe and there could be more hoops to jump through before anything becomes official.