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Ottawa Senators Sign Joey Daccord

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After an incredible season that saw Arizona State go all the way to the NCAA tournament, Joey Daccord is turning pro. The 22-year old goaltender has signed a two-year entry-level contract with the Ottawa Senators and could even get into one of the last few games of the regular season. He’ll burn the first year of that deal this season, becoming a restricted free agent in the summer of 2020.

Originally a seventh-round pick of the Senators in 2015, Daccord has developed into a top goaltending prospect and dragged the Arizona State program along for the ride. The big goaltender recorded a 21-12-1 record this season while carrying a .926 save percentage along with seven shutouts. He was named a nominee for the Hobey Baker award and is a finalist for the Mike Richter Award as one of the best goaltenders in the country. Considered extremely pro-ready, Daccord will be the first hockey player from Arizona State to sign an NHL contract.

The Senators now have several top goaltending prospects in their system, as Daccord joins Filip Gustavsson and Marcus Hogberg on the organizational depth chart. That group is behind Craig Anderson who has one year left on his contract and Mike Condon who no longer has a clear role in the organization. It’s easy to see why Daccord would want to make the jump now, as there very well could be a competition for the NHL starting role as soon as 2020-21. With a year of pro experience under his belt that job could potentially be his, though there’s no guarantee that his play will translate to the next level.

Wild Notes: Parise, Sturm, Schuldt

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As we speak, the Minnesota Wild are playing what amounts to a must-win game against the Arizona Coyotes. Neither team is in a playoff position as of now, but it still represents a potential four-point shift in the Western Conference wild card race. The Coyotes currently sit in ninth place, three points back of the Colorado Avalanche for the final postseason berth. The Wild are in tenth place, just one point behind the ’Yotes. A Minnesota regulation win would see them leapfrog Arizona to pull within two points of Colorado, but an Arizona regulation win would put Minnesota three points back of the nine seed and still four points back of the eight seed, which might be insurmountable with only three games remaining after today.

Hurting the chances of a much-needed Wild win today is the continued absence of star forward Zach Parise. Unfortunately, he may not be returning at all this season. Just prior to puck drop, beat writer Sarah McLellan reported that Parise would not be active for the game, which was not a great surprise, but added that head coach Bruce Boudreau has qualified Parise’s lower-body ailment as “significant”. While she writes that the team “hopes” he might play again this season, it seems far from certain. Parise has now missed four games in a row and with three games left his chances to return are running out. A loss today would substantially lower the odds of Parise being rushed back to action as well. The 34-year-old has enjoyed a resurgence this season, leading the team with 26 goals and 59 points, but this is a disappointing end to an otherwise encouraging season for the veteran.

  • The Athletic’s Michael Russo believes that the Wild are “pushing hard” for college free agent forward Nico Sturm. The Clarkson University captain is considered the top defensive forward in the NCAA and has improved offensively in each of his four collegiate seasons as well. The concern with Sturm is that the 23-year-old may have already peaked in his development and could project as nothing more than a fourth-liner at the NHL level. However, with good size and a mature game, Sturm does have the added benefit of being able to contribute right away, even if not on the score sheet. In fact, Russo writes that if Sturm lands in Minnesota, he is likely to join the Wild right away and burn a year off his entry-level contract.
  • There has been plenty of speculation as to where St. Cloud State University defenseman Jimmy Schuldt might end up and the rumor mill has only heated up since the Huskies were unceremoniously upset for the second straight year in their first game of the NCAA Tournament. At one point, it seemed like a foregone conclusion that Schuldt would follow teammate Ryan Poehling to the Montreal Canadiens, but those whispers have subsided and many other contenders have entered the fray. Count the Wild as one such interested club. The Athletic’s Jake Jensen writes that Minnesota is at least “in the race” for Schuldt, alongside the L.A. Kings and Vegas Golden Knights. Potentially the best undrafted defender in college hockey this season, Schuldt will be a nice prize for whichever team he decides to join.

Northeastern’s Cayden Primeau Expected To Sign ELC With Canadiens

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With the elimination of Northeastern University, there could be a number of interesting prospects who could go pro within hours of the team’s loss. Sportsnet’s Eric Engels reports that goaltending prospect Cayden Primeau will be one of those turning pro and will sign an entry-level contract with the Montreal Canadiens in the coming days. He is expected to join the Laval Rocket of the AHL to finish out their season.

Primeau, the team’s seventh-round pick in 2017, has been lights out in two years with the Huskies. He finished his sophomore campaign with a 25-9-1 record with a 2.00 GAA and a .933 save percentage, almost equaling his freshman year when he surprised quite a few people, posting a 19-8-5 record with a 1.92 GAA and a .931 save percentage, which ranked fourth in the NCAA that year. He also won Hockey East’s Goaltender of the Year.

The 6-foot-4, 200-pound has a knack for taking space away from shooters and with that big frame has the ability to control rebounds and avoid second chances. While he is not considered to be an elite-level goaltender, Primeau should provide the Canadiens with a legitimate prospect, who for the moment should provide some depth to a Laval team that already has Charlie Lindgren and Michael McNiven on the roster.

Rangers Expected To Sign Patrick Newell

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With St. Cloud State getting upset by American International on Friday night, quite a few undrafted free agents of note are expected to make decisions on where they’re going to sign in the coming days.  It appears that one has already made that choice as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link) that forward Patrick Newell will be signing an entry-level contract with the Rangers.

The 23-year-old had a dominant senior season, scoring more goals (21) than his first three years combined while also setting a career-best in assists with 26.  That helped him earn a spot as one of the ten finalists for the Hobey Baker Award for the top NCAA player.

The Rangers have had some success in the college free agent market in recent years with defenseman Neal Pionk, winger Jimmy Vesey (after being unable to agree to terms with Nashville and Buffalo), and center Vinni Lettieri being among their recent additions that have already made their mark at the NHL level.  Seeing other college free agents get a chance to play quickly certainly bolsters New York’s bargaining power and it appears it has helped them land another notable one in Newell.

In the meantime, decisions will be pending for undrafted free agents Jimmy Schuldt (defenseman, senior), Robby Jackson (winger, senior), and potentially Blake Lizotte (winger, sophomore).  The Canadiens are also expected to try to convince center prospect Ryan Poehling (junior) to turn pro instead of returning for his final season.  As a result, there should be plenty more news coming out of St. Cloud State in the near future.

Snapshots: Svechnikov, Maatta, Fox

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The Detroit Red Wings have found some success with several young forwards this year as they try to move on from the Henrik Zetterberg era and embrace a youth movement, but one that was expected to play a big part was nowhere to be found. Evgeny Svechnikov, selected 19th overall in 2015, was forced to undergo knee surgery to reconstruct his ACL in October. He was expected to return to action near the end of the season, but Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press is now reporting that he will not play at all in 2018-19.

Interestingly, as St. James notes, that may actually be a blessing in disguise for the Red Wings. The young forward will now not be waiver eligible in the 2019-20 season as he was scheduled to be, meaning the team can start him in the AHL right out of training camp if he’s not ready to help the NHL lineup. Svechnikov wouldn’t have maintained his waiver-exempt status if he’d played in even a single professional game—NHL or AHL—this season.

  • Olli Maatta has been activated from injured reserve by the Pittsburgh Penguins and will return after missing 21 games with a lower-body injury. The 24-year old is coming back with just enough time to get his legs under him before the playoffs begin, a huge boost for a Penguins team that has suffered from several injuries on the back end this season. It’s tough to know exactly how much the team will push Maatta over the last few games of the regular season, but he lengthens out the team’s defense group by a considerable amount. Brian Dumoulin switched over to the right side in practice recently to accommodate Maatta’s return, though it’s not clear if that pair will stay together.
  • With Adam Fox and Harvard losing today in the NCAA tournament, we will soon find out what his official decision is regarding signing or returning to school next season. Fox has repeatedly said that his mind is not yet made up, something that Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic (subscription required) also reported earlier today. Though there is obviously a draw to turning pro and getting into the Carolina Hurricanes organization right away, Fox could potentially graduate next year with a Harvard degree and the chance to become an unrestricted free agent in August 2020. LeBrun also explores the idea of Carolina trading Fox’s rights this season instead of waiting for the summer, in order to get full value if they do not believe he will sign with them down the road. If Fox signs this season he would burn the first year of his entry-level deal, and would be eligible for the expansion draft if he played just a single game.

Shane Bowers Signs With Colorado Avalanche

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Friday: The Avalanche have officially announced the contract that will begin next season. That allows Bowers to sign an amateur tryout with the Colorado Eagles for the rest of this year to get into some game action.

Thursday: As if Boston University hadn’t seen enough of their top players sign this week, Shane Bowers has now added his name to that group. Despite a somewhat disappointing sophomore season, Bowers is now expected to sign his three-year entry-level contract with the Colorado Avalanche according to Jeff Cox of the New England Hockey Journal and Bob McKenzie of TSN. The deal can begin this season, but the first year will not be burned given the Avalanche have only five games remaining.

The 19-year old Bowers was originally a first-round pick of the Ottawa Senators, but arrived in the Colorado organization as part of the Matt Duchene trade last season. The two-way center got off to a great start at BU in 2017-18 with 17 goals and 32 points in 40 games, but took something of a step back this year. With just 11 goals and 21 points, the teenage center may have muted expectations somewhat but is still a solid prospect to add to the Avalanche development system.

In fact, there’s reason to believe that Bowers can develop into a real key contributor for the Avalanche down the road. The team already has their elite scoring center locked up in Nathan MacKinnon, but likely won’t see many more years of prominence from Carl Soderberg even as the 33-year old experienced something of a renaissance this season. Soderberg has just one year remaining on his current deal and will be 34 at the beginning of next season.

Behind those two the center depth on the Avalanche isn’t quite as clear. Alexander Kerfoot hasn’t progressed much from where he was last season, and it’s not a sure thing that any of Tyson Jost, J.T. Compher or Vladislav Kamenev will be able to step into a full-time top-six role in the middle of the ice. Bowers offers another lottery ticket for the Avalanche to try and develop at the position, not to mention whoever they pick in this year’s draft. The fact that he has been touted for his defense and penalty killing ability could lead Bowers to fill a much needed role for the team down the road.

AHL Signings: Vela, Spinner, Bradley

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Forward Marcus Vela has signed on with San Jose, but not the NHL team that drafted him, instead their AHL affiliate. The San Jose Barracuda announced a deal with the University of New Hampshire standout today, who has seemingly passed up the opportunity to become a free agent later this summer in favor of a minor league contract within his drafted organization. Vela was a seventh-round draft pick of the Sharks back in 2015 out of the BCHL and went on to play four seasons with the UNH Wildcats. While he improved in each collegiate season and eventually became the team captain, he maxed out at 18 points in his best season and never really showed next-level offensive ability. The 6’2″ center is still a strong, smart, two-way player, but it seems that both he and the Sharks were unsure if he was ready for an NHL contract. Rather than wait for his rights to expire in August and hope for an NHL contract elsewhere, Vela seems content to prove himself in the AHL and potentially earn his entry-level deal later on.

  • Another drafted forward joining his organization’s farm team is Steven Spinner. Spinner, drafted all the way back in 2014 by the Washington Capitals, signed an amateur tryout offer with the AHL’s Hershey Bears, the team announced. Spinner, 23, just wrapped up a four-year career at the University of Nebraska-Omaha that likely fell short of the Capitals’ expectations for the sixth-round pick. The right winger accumulated only 56 points in 136 NCAA games, capped off by a mere four-point senior campaign. Such production doesn’t really warrant an NHL contract, but Spinner will get a shot to show he can do better at the pro level down the stretch and may yet earn a shot in Washington. It seems more likely that this is a precursor to an AHL contract next season, though.
  • Colorado College’s leading scorer this season, Trey Bradley, is one of the few notable hockey players who hails from Tampa, Florida, so naturally the undrafted free agent has signed with… the Toronto Marlies? Bradley won’t be joining the pipeline of his hometown team, but instead that of one of their divisional rivals. The Marlies announced that Bradley has joined the team on an ATO for the remainder of this season, but has signed on for the 2019-20 campaign as well. Bradley is fresh off of a season in which he scored 34 points in 41 games, his second straight season with 30+ points for Colorado College. He should be able to translate his success in the NCHC to the AHL relatively well.

Prospect Notes: Jenik, Sadek, Hughes

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Though the team hasn’t announced the deal yet, Jan Jenik has announced that he has signed an entry-level contract with the Arizona Coyotes (h/t Craig Morgan from The Athletic). Jenik is currently dealing with an injury but his junior team the Hamilton Bulldogs were recently eliminated from the OHL playoffs meaning he could jump to the AHL to get a look at the professional level.

Jenik, 18, was selected 65th overall in 2018 and split this season between the Czech Republic and OHL. In 27 games for the Bulldogs he recorded 30 points, but could potentially go back to the junior ranks next season to continue his development. Another lottery ticket for the Coyotes, we’ll have to wait to see when they actually announced the contract.

  • The Iowa Wild have signed Jack Sadek to an amateur tryout, allowing the 21-year old defenseman to get his feet wet at the professional level after a season in the NCAA. The seventh-round pick finished his career at the University of Minnesota with an 18-point season, but will have to prove he deserves an NHL contract in Minnesota. Sadek technically will become an unrestricted free agent in August if he waits that long, but a minor league pact could keep him in the Wild organization.
  • The time has come for Vancouver Canucks prospect Quinn Hughes, who will make his NHL debut tonight after nursing a foot injury. Hughes signed his first NHL contract after deciding to leave the University of Michigan, and will be must-see action for prospect watchers all around the league. The talented defenseman is a dynamic skater and brings some incredible offensive upside to the table. With five games left in the season for the Canucks, Hughes could actually earn himself a $25,000 bonus if he suits up in all of them according to CapFriendly.

Dudek, Carpenter Sign Amateur Tryouts

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Another pair of NCAA players have inked amateur tryouts in the AHL, as J.D. Dudek and Bobo Carpenter have signed with the Binghamton Devils and Bridgeport Sound Tigers respectively. Carpenter signed his entry-level contract with the Islanders earlier this week but won’t see it kick in until next season.

Dudek meanwhile will be rejoining an organization he was previously associated with. Originally selected by the New Jersey Devils in the sixth round of the 2014 draft, Dudek’s rights were traded to the Edmonton Oilers last season as part of the package for Patrick Maroon. It’s interesting then that he’ll be playing with Binghamton, and may suggest that he is going to wait until August and become an unrestricted free agent. In his four-year career at Boston College, Dudek recorded 56 points in 149 games.

In related moves, Binghamton have released both Nick Sorkin and Desmond Bergin from their professional tryouts. Bergin has played for three different AHL teams this season, but both players spend most of their time in the ECHL.

Pacific Notes: Kings, Karlsson, Pavelski, Marino

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The Kings have head coach Todd McLellan at the top of their wish list for next season, reports Sportsnet’s Mark Spector.  Interim bench boss Willie Desjardins is not likely to return for the 2019-20 campaign.  McLellan was let go by Edmonton earlier this season following a 9-10-1 start to their season but had plenty of success in his first stint back in San Jose.  There will likely be other teams on the lookout for a new head coach in the coming weeks so expect the 51-year-old to garner some interest from elsewhere as well next month.

More notes from the Pacific Division:

  • Sharks defenseman Erik Karlsson has had his skating schedule scaled back as he continues to work his way back from a groin injury, notes Curtis Pashelka of the Mercury News. Instead of skating daily, he’s now hitting the ice every second day which suggests his return is further away than expected.  San Jose has already clinched a playoff spot and appears to be locked into a matchup with Vegas so they can afford to be cautious but they also would undoubtedly feel better if he had some game action before the postseason gets underway.  Meanwhile, Pashelka adds that center Joe Pavelski, who has missed four straight games due to a lower-body injury, is progressing in his recovery and could be available for their game on Thursday against Chicago.
  • The Oilers are in discussions with prospect John Marino, reports Postmedia’s Jim Matheson. The defenseman was a sixth-round pick (154th overall) back in 2015 and is just finishing up his junior year at Harvard, a team that is participating in the upcoming NCAA tournament.  Although he still has a year of college eligibility remaining, he’s also eligible for August 15th free agency as it has been four years since he has been drafted.

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