Pacific Notes: Arizona Ownership, Klefbom, Pettersson, Gaudette, Hague
With the state of the franchise constantly in question, Arizona Coyotes chairman and governor Andrew Barroway is looking for potential partnerships for his ownership of the franchise and has spoken to several interested investors, according to Arizona Sports Craig Morgan.
While it’s too early to know what role or control the other investors would have over the Coyotes, Morgan writes that there is no timetable on when or if there will be a new ownership structure in Arizona. The idea of adding investors to its ownership group would be able to infuse the struggling franchise with more money, but it could also help the team to tackle bigger needs, such as building a new arena or even a new practice facility.
Ironically, Barroway has only been the team’s sole owner for less than a year. He bought out the previous ownership group, IceArizona, that bought the team back in 2013. He did say when he completed the buyout that he’d be open to adding investors.
- The Edmonton Oilers could find themselves looking hard to find a puck-moving defenseman this offseason in hopes of replacing Oscar Klefbom, who has been struggling after being their No. 1 guy a year ago during their playoff run. The Athletic’s Allan Mitchell (subscription required) writes that the Oilers must decide whether injuries have slowed Klefbom’s success or whether he isn’t the player they thought he was. The 24-year-old put up 12 goals and 36 points last year, but his numbers have dropped to just four goals and 19 points this season. Mitchell writes the team will look at several options to add to their defense, including potentially trading for Carolina’s Justin Faulk, Colorado’s Tyson Barrie and Boston’s Torey Krug. If Klefbom can regain his form from the 2016-17 season, he does have a affordable contract which will count $4.17MM per year until the 2022-23 season. However, if he continues to play like he did this season, Klefbom’s contract doesn’t look nearly as good.
- Sportsnet’s Rick Dhaliwal spoke to Vancouver Canucks scout Lars Lindgren about the impressive play of the team’s 2017 first-round pick Elias Pettersson, who won the SHL scoring title Saturday. A rookie in the SHL, the 19-year-old put up 24 goals and 56 points this season, but the question is when will he be ready to join Vancouver? “Tough question, impossible to say,” Lindgren said. “When you look at him he still needs to build power but he is such a smart, smart player. Hopefully he becomes a franchise player. He does not collect all his points on the power play and his plus minus is great and that is a very good sign for me. He has a little Nicklas Backstrom in him and I like that. It is a big summer for him to get to the next level.”
- Another top Canucks prospect, center Adam Gaudette, broke the 30-goal barrier this year with Northeastern University, according to Dhaliwal. He is just the seventh player in the NCAA to reach the 30-goal plateau since 2012-13. Vancouver hopes to convince the college junior to sign with the team after his season is over. The former fifth-round pick in 2015 has put up 68 goals in three seasons with the Huskies.
- Vegas Golden Knights defensive prospect Nicholas Hague has been making a name for himself, according to David Schoen of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The 2017 second-round pick broke the 30-goal mark last month with his OHL team, the Mississauga Steelheads, and became the first OHL defenseman since 2000 to reach that plateau. Already signed to an entry-level deal back in September, the 6-foot-6, 215 pound defender is another significant asset for the Golden Knights.
2018 College Free Agent Market: Defensemen
With the college playoffs starting to get underway, we’re starting to see a few free agents that were eliminated early sign with NHL teams. Many more players will become available in the coming weeks and quite a few will sign shortly thereafter.
With that in mind, here is a closer look at some of the defensemen that could be of interest to teams in the coming weeks. Zach Whitecloud would have been a prominent name on this list but he has already signed with Vegas. All of these players are undrafted (and are too old to be drafted this year making them eligible for free agency) and unless they’re in their senior season, they could opt to return to their schools for the 2018-19 campaign.
Daniel Brickley (Minnesota State)
The 22-year-old eschewed NHL interest last year and he should have plenty of suitors once again. Brickley has been flirting with the point-per-game mark for the second straight year and at 6’3, has the size that many teams will covet. He lacks the top-end mobility that is becoming more and more coveted around the league but that won’t scare away any suitors. On top of that, he is the reigning WCHA defensive player of the year. Not surprisingly, he is viewed by many as the top NCAA free agent available this year and 30 teams have already been in contact with his advisor.
Jordan Gross (Notre Dame)
Last year, we speculated that he could be a candidate to return for his senior year given that an immediate NHL spot wasn’t on the horizon. That is indeed the route that the undersized Gross took and his final college campaign hasn’t been as strong as his junior year. However, his skating skills are still quite strong which should get him a look. He won’t be someone that teams will look to burn the first year of his entry-level deal this season, however.
Tariq Hammond (Denver)
A lot of players on this list are known for their offensive abilities but Hammond is not one of those. He is more of a pure stay-at-home defender but has the mobility to skate his way out of trouble, even after undergoing multiple ankle surgeries over the offseason which cost him playing time out of the gate this year. He may not sign in the weeks to come but should land an entry-level deal before next season.
Grant Hutton (Miami (Ohio))
Hutton has really taken a big step forward this season and has become a real threat from the point with a career-best ten goals. The right-shot defender has also logged tough minutes defensively and has a decent all-around game. He is eligible to return for one more year but he should receive enough pro interest that allows him to find a fit he likes to forego his senior season.
Brogan Rafferty (Quinnipiac)
Rafferty actually drew NHL interest after his freshman campaign but chose to stick around. He has improved in his sophomore campaign so it’s likely that he will draw some attention again this time around. However, his overall game isn’t as refined as some of the other players on this list so it wouldn’t be surprising to see him remain at the NCAA level for another year.
Alec Rauhauser (Bowling Green State)
The sophomore has burst onto the scene with a very strong offensive repertoire that has allowed him to however around the point-per-game mark this season. That alone will get the attention of some teams although it’s worth noting that his play in his own end needs some work. It may be better for him to stick around for another year and become more of a two-way option as a result.
Jimmy Schuldt (St. Cloud)
Schuldt received a lot of NHL interest last year but chose to stick around for his junior campaign. Suffice to say, that was a smart decision. He has blossomed offensively into one of the better point producers on the back end at the college level and could be in line for a Hobey Baker nomination. He is someone that teams may be willing to burn the first year of his entry-level deal now but the Huskies appear to be headed for a lengthy postseason run.
Snapshots: NCAA, Fines, Tolvanen
The NCAA is a breeding ground for NHL talent these days, and over the next few weeks the top free agents will be snapped up by clubs all across the league. Michael Russo of The Athletic (subscription required) reports that two names in particular are getting a ton of interest.
Daniel Brickley of Minnesota State has apparently been contacted by 30 teams, while Jimmy Schuldt from St. Cloud State has spoken to 22. Both players went undrafted and can sign with a team as soon as their collegiate season ends, though both are juniors and could potentially return to college for another year. Both are left-handed defensemen who could step into an NHL lineup with little development, and they both will turn 23 before the end of the regular season.
- The NHL handed out embellishment fines to both Nick Cousins and Brad Marchand, for their second incidents of the season. The first time a player is caught embellishing by the league, he is given a warning. Now, Cousins and Marchand will have to pay $2,000 and could face stiffer penalties if it continues. On the fifth such incident, the player’s coach starts to be fined as well.
- Eeli Tolvanen continued his dominance of the KHL today, scoring two goals to send Jokerit to the next round. That will unfortunately delay his appearance in the NHL even further. Adam Vingan of the Tennessean reports the earliest Tolvanen’s season could now end is March 20th, but could play even later than that if Jokerit keeps winning. The outstanding young sniper has seven goals in six playoff games after finishing the regular season with 36 points in 49 games.
Snapshots: Emergency Goalie, Lundqvist, Pettersson, College Free Agents
The Winnipeg Jets may have called up Michael Hutchinson on paper, but they weren’t actually able to get him on the roster in time for their game tonight against the New Jersey Devils. According to the team, Hutchison’s flight into New York was delayed and he was unable to arrive to the game in time. As a result, the Jets were forced to sign an emergency backup to a tryout deal. The man behind Connor Hellebuyck tonight will be Zane Kalemba, a New Jersey native and a friend of Winnipeg captain Blake Wheeler. Kalemba played junior hockey with Wheeler for the USHL’s Green Bay Gamblers and went on to star for Princeton University. Kalemba only retired from hockey in 2016, having spent time in the ECHL, CHL, and several European leagues. An experienced keeper who, most importantly, was nearby, will have to do for the Jets tonight.
- A goalie in the tri-state area with a little more experience than Kalemba is New York Rangers superstar Henrik Lundqvist. In fact, when Lundqvist takes the ice tonight against the Tampa Bay Lightning, he will tie former Tampa goalie Nikolai Khabibulin for the most NHL starts by a foreign-born goalie. The Rangers report that Lundqvist’s appearance, his 799th, is enough to share the top mark. When the Swedish keeper makes his next start, which could be as early as Saturday, he will not only reach a benchmark 800th appearance, but will also become the most experienced foreign keeper in NHL history.
- Another Swede setting records is Vancouver Canucks prospect Elias Pettersson. Pettersson, who was selected fifth overall last year by Vancouver, has been playing in the top Swedish pro league, the SHL, this season. After a four-point outburst today, the Canucks pointed out that Pettersson’s 55 points on the year set a new record for the most points by a player under 20 in SHL history. The Vaxjo Lakers forward snapped a 42-year-old record while also taking over the league scoring lead. That’s not too shabby for a young player who looks to be an absolute stud-in-the-making for the Canucks.
- Some other young players looking to make an impact in the pros is the 2018 crop of college free agents. While Zach Whitecloud‘s deal with Vegas today was the first NHL deal so far, a few other NCAA prospects have already hooked up with AHL teams for contracts and tryout agreements for the remainder of the season and could earn big-league deals if they impress. These transactions include Whitecloud’s Bemidji State teammate Kyle Bauman joining the Ontario Reign (LAK), the San Jose Barracuda (SJS) inking Alaska-Fairbanks’ Zach Frye, Yale’s Ryan Hitchcock going nearby to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers (NYI), the Chicago Wolves (VGK) adding Wisconsin’s Ryan Wagner, and both Derian Plouffe of Niagara and Josh Kestner of Alabama-Huntsville signing with the Toronto Marlies (TOR).
Bruins Notes: Acciari, Czarnik, Donato
The Boston Bruins have been on a roll for going on three months now. The team is 27-4-4 since November 16th – a whopping .829 points percentage in that span – and is neck-and-neck with the Tampa Bay Lightning for the best record in the NHL. A major part of that success has been balance and chemistry among the forward lines. Over this long streak of impressive play, the Bruins have been lining up the same four groupings in every game in which they have access to all twelve forwards. Outside of a recent Brad Marchand five-game suspension, during which the Bruins dropped their first regulation loss since December 14th, the only regular up front who has missed considerable time is energy line winger Noel Acciari. Acciari has been banged up for much of the campaign, including missing 13 games with a fractured finger early on, when the team was battling severe injury issues. However, his latest sidelining comes courtesy of a lower-body injury back in January. Since then, Acciari has missed the last six games and, according to coach Bruce Cassidy, will miss another tonight against the Buffalo Sabres. However, there is some optimism that Acciari could be ready to go tomorrow against the New Jersey Devils.
- The question now becomes whether Acciari can reclaim his regular fourth-line role. His replacement, AHL All-Star Austin Czarnik, has performed admirably in his stead and has received praise from Cassidy for his play. The quick, skilled forward, who is one of the AHL’s top scorers with 42 points through 38 games with the Providence Bruins, has added a new dimension to the team’s bottom line. Playing alongside Czarnik, Sean Kuraly broke a 29-game goal drought on Tuesday night and then added another on Wednesday, while Tim Schaller scored this uncharacteristic highlight reel goal on Wednesday as well. Czarnik himself has a three-game points streak going and has fit in well in Boston. While it may be difficult to figure out how to fit Czarnik onto the roster long-term, it could be worth the effort. Acciari, in comparison, had just one point in eight games prior to his injury – though that stretch was preceded by a three-game goal-scoring outburst.
- Czarnik’s immediate production, on Boston’s checking line no less, speaks both to the ability of the team and the depth of talent available to them. Another dark horse depth addition down the stretch – and yet another reason the deadline could be quiet for the Bruins – is a name that many will hear in the coming weeks: Ryan Donato. One of the four college players named to Team USA for the ongoing Olympic Games, Donato is not just expected to play for the U.S., but to star. A Harvard product and son of former Bruin and Crimson head coach Ted Donato, Ryan is arguably the best pure scorer on the American roster. He has recorded 21 goals in just 23 games this season, leading the NCAA in scoring and earning him a Hobey Baker Award nomination. That kind of ability is why there are big expectations for him in both Pyeongchang and in Boston. Many foresee the Bruins trying to sign Donato as soon as his junior year season ends and perhaps adding him to the roster for the playoffs, much like they did last year with Charlie McAvoy.
Deadline Primer: Boston Bruins
With the trade deadline fast approaching, we will be taking a closer look at the situation for each team. Where do they stand, what do they need to do, and what assets do they have to fill those needs?
Outside of the Vegas Golden Knights, there may be no bigger surprise in the NHL this season than the Boston Bruins. Following a 6-7-4 start, capped off by a four-game winless streak in mid-November, the Bruins have won 26 of their last 34 games, have the fewest regulation losses in the league, and trail only Vegas and the Tampa Bay Lightning for the best points percentage in the NHL. With games in hand on both clubs, the Bruins have gone from a team that many felt pre-season would miss the playoffs to one with a legitimate shot at the President’s Trophy. Boston is bona fide contender and thus a surefire buyer. The only question that remains is to what extent they are willing to trade futures for immediate help. The evidence points to a quieter deadline in Boston than some may expect.
Record
31-11-8, 2nd in the Atlantic Division
Deadline Status
Buyer
Deadline Cap Space
$2,452,057 in deadline cap space
43/50 contracts per CapFriendly
Draft Picks
2018: BOS 1st, BOS 2nd, BOS 3rd, BOS 4th, BOS 6th, BOS 7th
2019: BOS 1st, BOS 2nd, BOS 3rd, BOS 4th, BOS 5th, BOS 6th, BOS 7th
Trade Chips
Bruins GM Don Sweeney has been clear that he won’t trade any of the team’s young players on the roster. While that surely includes Charlie McAvoy – one of the most untouchable players in the NHL right now – Brandon Carlo, Matt Grzelcyk, Danton Heinen, Jake DeBrusk, and Anders Bjork, where exactly Sweeney draws the line could determine the size of the deals he’s willing to make. Could frequent 13th man Frank Vatrano be on the move? An electric player in the AHL, Vatrano has failed to show he can produce at the same level in the NHL. A chance of scenery and a larger role on a young, struggling squad could be what Vatrano needs to rediscover his scoring touch, potentially making him an enticing asset. Would Sweeney be willing to move his AHL “tweeners” like Austin Czarnik or Rob O’Gara, who have shown big-league ability, but haven’t been able to crack the roster in Boston? Sweeney may also be reluctant to move many of the Bruins younger prospects, like recent first- and second-rounders Zach Senyshyn, Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson, Jakub Zboril, and Jeremy Lauzon in Providence and Trent Frederic, Ryan Donato, and Ryan Lindgren in the NCAA, especially with several ready to fight for a spot in Boston as early as next year. The Bruins own all but one of their picks over the next two years and that wealth could ultimately wind up being the team’s real trade chip.
Players To Watch
LW Frank Vatrano, C Austin Czarnik, LW Peter Cehlarik, D Rob O’Gara, D Emil Johansson
Team Needs
1) Forward Depth
If you can’t tell from the list of players above, it seems like the Bruins are not exactly aiming to acquire the best that the trade market has to offer. The team is unwilling to move young roster players and has high hopes for their many promising prospects. Sweeney and company have done an excellent job of drafting and developing and seem more inclined to wait and see who pans out and who doesn’t rather than trade them away for rentals. The Bruins’ farm system is also severely lacking in right-shot defensemen and right wingers, meaning they’d likely prefer to hold on to their top picks if possible in search of a solution to those holes. The result is a lineup of middling or aging prospects and mid- and late-round picks as the B’s preferred trade capital, not enough to acquire stars, but sufficient to add depth players. And for the 2017-18 Bruins, that’s perfectly fine. They showed early on this season that they have the depth already to deal with injuries up front (and on the blue line) and since the team got healthy, they’ve been rolling on all cylinders. Each scoring line has two veterans and a young player, led by arguably the league’s best grouping of Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron, and David Pastrnak. A second line that has seen success turning a left-handed natural center in Ryan Spooner into a right wing with David Krejci and DeBrusk and a third line with immense chemistry in David Backes, Riley Nash, and Heinen round out a solid top nine. Perhaps the one area where they could use some assistance is on the fourth line, where Tim Schaller, Noel Acciari, and rookie Sean Kuraly have done a fine job, but the addition of a solid, two-way bottom-six forward (or two) could be a welcome addition to the energy line and another injury depth option. Even if the Bruins don’t see a need for a starter, with late draft picks to burn, they could add another veteran forward just to improve their depth. In a buyer’s market, even one of the bigger names on the market could fit this role.
2) Left-shot depth defenseman
Similarly, each defensive pair is also well-balanced with a veteran and a youngster and a puck-mover with a physical threat. The Bruins usually line up with Zdeno Chara and Calder candidate McAvoy, Torey Krug with Carlo, and possession monster Grzelcyk with Kevan Miller. Now that he’s healthy, career-starter Adam McQuaid is the #7 defenseman in Boston – stellar depth already – and free agent addition Paul Postma is #8 – also impressive. The only problem is that both McQuaid and Postma are right-handed, as are the right-side rearguards on each pair. If injury strikes the left side, or if Grzelcyk’s play drops off, the B’s could use a left-shot option. O’Gara and Tommy Cross have seen NHL action and Zboril, Lauzon, and Johansson have shown NHL promise, but the Bruins can afford to add a more reliable player with regular play time this season if they so choose.
3) Top-six right wing with term
Don’t expect this. Long-term, there could be a hole on Krejci’s right side, as Backes did not work out last season and Spooner’s success thus far has come as a surprise. Senyshyn or Donato and an off-wing option like Bjork or Cehlarik could eventually take the job, but there are some who think the Bruins should instead try to buy one of the top wings on the trade market. However, there are two problems with this thought: 1) Sweeney seems unwilling to part with the pieces necessary to land such a player, and 2) the line chemistry implications could backfire. Spooner is an offense-first, top-nine player. If forced out of his current spot, Spooner’s only real option would be to supplant Nash on the third line. If that doesn’t work out, then there’s no role for him. An expensive trade could wind up pushing one of the Bruins’ top play-making forwards out of the lineup. Adding a top-six winger would be a luxury for Boston and Sweeney does not seem to be a guy keen on giving up hard-earned, home-grown prospects or picks for a luxury.
Vancouver Canucks Interested In NCAA Free Agents
As the NCAA season moves along, several names are starting to emerge as possible free agent signings at the end of the year. Even those who went undrafted and are in their first few years at the collegiate level could decide to turn pro if a team shows enough interest, and the Vancouver Canucks could be just that team. Rick Dhaliwal of News 1130 reports that the Canucks have interest in Brogan Rafferty from Quinnipiac and Max Veronneau from Princeton.
Rafferty is just a sophomore but is already 22 years old and now listed at 6’1″ 191-lbs, quite a bit bigger than his draft year. After recording 24 points as a freshman and getting noticed by scouts from all around the league, he’s put up nine in his first 25 games this season and could still be on the radar of several clubs. He’s not the splashy addition that some college free agents are, but could turn into a solid professional even if he is limited to minor league work.
Veronneau on the other hand was nominated for the Hobey Baker this season, his third at Princeton. With 25 points through 20 games, he’s continued his offensive outburst that started as a sophomore. Veronneau played in the CCHL growing up to maintain college eligibility, and has done extremely well at the Ivy league school so far.
As Vancouver continues to rebuild, adding undrafted college talent is an easy way to fill out the prospect ranks and hopefully strike gold with an overlooked talent. Players like Tyler Bozak and Conor Sheary are some of the best examples of players finding NHL success soon after leaving college, the former only attending the University of Denver for two seasons before signing with the Toronto Maple Leafs. While Rafferty and Veronneau aren’t the very top names in the NCAA, they’re interesting nonetheless for a club looking to inject young talent into their ranks.
Mattias Samuelsson De-Commits From Michigan, To Attend Western Michigan
The U.S. National Development Program sent presumptive 2018 top ten pick Quinn Hughes to the University of Michigan this season and were set to send fellow likely 2018 first-round defensemen Bode Wilde and Mattias Samuelsson to Ann Arbor next year. While two top picks on your blue line is impressive enough, the Wolverines were likely disappointed to hear yesterday that they had lost their commitment from Samuelsson. The big Swedish-American 17-year-old announced that he would no longer be attending Michigan next fall, but instead in-state rival Western Michigan.
While on it’s face the decision seems strange – Michigan is a far more storied college hockey program than WMU – there is some reasoning behind Samuelsson’s change of heart. The first, and the one stated outright, is that Mattias will now play with brother Lukas Samuelsson on the Broncos. Lukas, 21, is a forward for Western Michigan, though he has played in just one game thus far in his first season with the team. In addition to playing with his brother, the choice may have had just as much to do with who who he will no longer be playing with. With the likes of Hughes, Wilde, and Luke Martin slated for major roles on the Michigan blue line next season, Samuelsson may have struggled to find the top-pair minutes he desires for his further development. Another reason for Samuelsson to change his mind may be the recent play of the Broncos. Western Michigan is currently ranked #11 in the NCAA with a solid 12-9-1 record, whereas Michigan is ranked #20 with an even 10-10-2 mark. While the history and even current talent on the Wolverines roster would still suggest they are the better hockey school, Philadelphia Flyers’ 2016 second-round pick Wade Allison is leading the Broncos to a strong campaign and WMU boasts other notable NHL alumni such as Keith Jones and current Arizona Coyotes rearguard Kevin Connauton. Yet, Samuelsson has even been considered a top-15 pick by some and at the end of the day could wind up being the best player to ever pass through Kalamazoo.
At 6’4″, 216-lbs and not even 18-years-old, there is no doubt that Samuelsson has NHL size. Yet, he also brings a strong skating game that is uncommon for a big, lanky teenager. The son of Kjell Samuelsson, a veteran of over 800 games, Mattias also has NHL blood and the intelligence and intangibles that usually accompanies it. The ceiling is high for this promising defenseman and he’ll likely make Wolverines fans jealous as he shows off his abilities while developing with the Broncos over the next few years.
Luke Tuch Commits To Boston University
While rookie forward Alex Tuch is making a name for himself with the Vegas Golden Knights this season, his younger brother is hoping to follow in his footsteps by joining one of college hockey’s top programs. Luke Tuch announced his commitment to Boston University today, as he begins to map out his own road to the NHL.
The commitment is curious in many ways though. The first oddity of Tuch’s decision is the age that he is making it. Tuch is just 15 years old and, while hockey is perhaps the most genetic sport in the world, has little proof of his ability thus far in his youth career outside of a growing frame similar to his brother’s and hopes that it will spawn a similar playing style and knack for scoring goals down the road. While he may have a couple of years on the youngest college commitment in NCAA history – 2018 draft prospect Oliver Wahlstrom who committed to Maine at 13 (and then de-committed at 15) – it still seems like the younger Tuch could have waited to make the decision. After all, his commitment is not until the 2020-21 season and he is not draft eligible until 2020.
It is also strange to see the brother of a Boston College alum decide to play at Boston University. Few rivalries in all of college sports rival the BC Eagles-BU Terriers feud as the two teams share a long history, a conference, the annual Beanpot Tournament, and, of course, a city. While both teams have seen multiple members of the same family play for their teams, it is far less common to see a family split between the rivals. Should Alex continue his rise to stardom and Luke reach the same level of hype his brother had during his college days, this sibling rivalry will be one that bears watching.
Hobey Baker Award Voting Opens
With the collegiate hockey season entering the home stretch, voting for this year’s Hobey Baker Memorial Award has opened with 67 players nominated for the award. The trophy is given to the top NCAA player in the country, and has an impressive line of winners over the past few years. In 2013-14, Johnny Gaudreau took home the award as a junior for Boston College, followed by Jack Eichel in his only year for Boston University in 2015-16. The last two trophies have gone out to big offseason free agents in Jimmy Vesey and Will Butcher, who are now playing for the New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils respectively.
The award also has several top NHL alumni in its small fraternity, including Neal Broten, Tom Kurvers, Paul Kariya, Chris Drury, Ryan Miller and Brendan Morrison. With that group behind them, this year’s winner is certainly not someone to take lightly.
The fan vote will be added to the opinions of NCAA head coaches to come up with a 10-man finalist group, which will then have another fan vote and go through a selection committee. The nominees are as follows, with their respective NHL draft teams in parenthesis.