Minnesota Wild Sign UMD Defenseman Carson Soucy
The Minnesota Wild have wrapped up an immensely successful regular season and have turned their attention toward preparing for the postseason, but the front office is still working hard to prepare for the future. The Wild announced this evening that they have inked 2013 fifth-round pick Carson Soucy to a two-year entry-level contract that will begin in 2017-18. Soucy will join the AHL’s Iowa Wild for the remainder of the season.
Soucy is coming off a strong season playing for NCAA runner-up, the University of Minnesota-Duluth. The 6’4″ 22-year-old defenseman was a dominant force skating on the Bulldogs’ top pairing as they fought for the top spot in the nation all season long. Soucy, who wore the “A” in his senior season, was a model of defensive responsibility and physical play for four seasons in Duluth. Although he lack much offensive upside, with a career-high 15 points this season, he makes up for it in a solid stay at home game.
Although the Wild are known for having one of the deepest defensive units in hockey, their strength is also their weakness in the upcoming Expansion Draft. Able to protect only three or four defenseman, Minnesota faces a conundrum with five defenseman on the roster that would be very attractive to George McPhee and the Vegas Golden Knights. Ryan Suter must be protected, but it seems likely that only two of Jared Spurgeon, Jonas Brodin, Marco Scandella, and Matt Dumba will join him. One of the other two is prime for the picking. With that in mind, the Wild have begun stockpiling young depth options like Gustav Olofsson, Mike Reilly, and now Soucy. Assuming Minnesota is out a defenseman this summer, Soucy has a chance to make his NHL debut next season if his defensive game translates to the next level.
NCAA All-American Teams Named
Prior to the reveal of University of Denver defenseman Will Butcher as the 2017 Hobey Baker Award-winner and ahead of the NCAA championship game tomorrow night, the American Hockey Coaches Association released the rosters of this year’s collegiate All-American Teams. The teams, first and second squads from either side of the country, are listed below with their NCAA teams as well as NHL-drafted or signed organization, if applicable:
East All-Americans
First Team:
RW Zach Aston-Reese, Northeastern (Pittsburgh Penguins)
RW Spencer Foo, Union
C Mike Vecchione, Union (Philadelphia Flyers)
D Adam Fox, Harvard (Calgary Flames)
D Charlie McAvoy, Boston University (Boston Bruins)
G Charles Williams, Canisius
Will Butcher Wins Hobey Baker Award
On Friday night, the top player in college hockey was announced as Denver defenseman Will Butcher. Butcher edged out Northeastern winger Zach Aston-Reese and Union College center Mike Vecchione, the other Hat Trick finalists, for the Hobey Baker Award, the highest honor in NCAA hockey. Butcher is the first defenseman to win the award since Boston University’s Matt Gilroy in 2009.
Butcher had an incredible season for the University of Denver Pioneers, and he’s not done yet. Denver, the top seed in the country, is set to take on Minnesota-Duluth for the NCAA National Championship tomorrow night, a reward that Butcher would likely covet even more than the Hobey Baker. However, for now he can relish in the spotlight of being names the top player in college hockey. Butcher scored seven goals and added 30 assists in 42 games this season, good enough for second in scoring among defensemen, and his +27 rating ranked among the top ten in all skaters. Butcher was also named the top offensive defenseman in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference and is also a stout defender in his own end.
Unlike Aston-Reese (7 points in 7 games for the AHL’s Wilke-Barre/Scranton Penguins) and Vecchione (debuted for the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday), Butcher won’t be seeing any NHL action this season. A fifth-round pick of none other than the NHL’s worst team, the Colorado Avalanche, in 2013, Butcher has the option of signing with the Avs after his season ends tomorrow night, but by then Colorado will have just a Sunday matinee remaining in the season. While Colorado certainly hopes that the nation’s best player and a college senior would still sign with the team soon regardless – they could definitely use a top young defenseman – that may not be the case. It is already April and Denver’s success has eliminated any chance that Butcher can make his pro debut this season. He could easily instead choose to hold out until August and test free agency for the best opportunity to both play and win. Colorado has not been very good at the latter, but time will only tell what the next step is for the Hobey Baker winner. His focus right now is on adding another trophy to his collection tomorrow night.
Morning Notes: Ritchie, Bjork, Lockout
The Anaheim Ducks may lose a young forward for the start of their playoff series, as Nick Ritchie has a hearing with the Department of Player Safety this afternoon to determine his fate. Ritchie attacked Michal Rozsival in their game last night after the Blackhawks’ defender sent Corey Perry to the ice. Whether the league gives him just the one remaining game in the regular season, or a match in the playoffs is yet to be seen.
Recently, Micheal Haley received just a one-game ban for a similar incident though he actually struck Calle Jarnkrok when the Predators forward wasn’t even looking. In this instance, Rozsival is looking straight at Ritchie, despite not protecting himself. The Ducks forward does not have a history of supplemental discipline with the league, though was suspended multiple times during his stint in junior hockey with the Peterborough Petes. Hopefully for Ducks fans, the league hands out the same punishment it gave Haley.
- Fluto Shinzawa of the Boston Globe opines that the NHL’s Olympic decision could have an effect on whether or not the team can get Anders Bjork to leave school early now that Notre Dame’s dream season has come to an end. The team’s leading scorer could go back to school for one year, likely play for Team USA in the Olympics—he was born in Wisconsin—and then become an unrestricted free agent next August and decide on his NHL future. For what it’s worth, Bjork told Shinzawa’s colleague at the Globe John Connolly yesterday that he hadn’t really thought about what to do after this season yet, as he was still focused on the NCAA tournament. Notre Dame was eliminated last night at the hands of the powerhouse University of Denver 6-1.
- Jonathan Toews spoke with Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press for an excellent piece surrounding the possibility of another lockout looming after the tension of the Olympic decision. The NHL and NHLPA are clearly not on the same page at this point, and Toews wouldn’t be surprised to see another work stoppage. September 15th of 2019 is the month that should be circled on all of our calandars, as that is when the players could opt out of the current agreement and terminate the current CBA. The league has an opt out two weeks earlier, but with them offering the Olympics for an extension, it would be unlikely to see them use the clause.
Columbus Blue Jackets Sign Ryan Collins To Three-Year Contract
With the University of Minnesota ousted early from the NCAA tournament, Ryan Collins has decided to turn pro and sign a three-year entry-level contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets. One would assume the deal kicks in for next season, since he’ll be reporting to the Cleveland Monsters for this weekend. If it were for this year, he would burn a year of the deal in the last few days of the season.
Collins is a massive defender who was selected in the second round of the 2014 draft, and has only gotten bigger since draft day. Standing at 6’5″, he has the frame and body type to play a heavy game in his own zone and lean on attackers in front of the net. His strength and size are his biggest assets, as he struggles offensively and can be out-skilled at times in his own end. Scoring just nine points in 36 games for the Golden Gophers this season, he was used almost exclusively in defensive situations but actually recorded the top +/- rating among defenders on his team. While Jake Bischoff quarterbacked the powerplay, Collins anchored a penalty kill that was very successful.
With the Blue Jackets’ young defense corps under control long-term, there is no rush to bring Collins to the NHL. They can let him develop even further physically and work on his skating ability in the AHL, perhaps becoming another quality defender for their system in a few years. Right-handed, he could nicely slot into the bottom pair behind Seth Jones and David Savard down the road. He’ll have to take another few big steps to get there though, and joining the professional ranks will test his ability right away.
Morning Notes: Panarin, Dowling, Bindulis
Last year Artemi Panarin exploded onto the scene in the NHL, scoring 30 goals and 77 points in 80 games, winning the Calder trophy along the way. With that performance, he achieved all his entry-level bonuses (explained here, using Mitch Marner as an example), meaning the Blackhawks carried a cap penalty over this season. As Chris Hine of the Chicago Tribune points out, the “Breadman” is close to achieving those bonuses once again.
Panarin will easily secure all of his Schedule A bonuses, and is well positioned to activate his Schedule B bonus as well, worth $1.725MM if he should finish in the top-10 in scoring. With 72 points, Panarin sits tied for tenth in the league with Evgeni Malkin and three games left to play. With games against the Colorado Avalanche, Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings left, the sophomore could easily jump a few spots into the top and cause Chicago to suffer another $2MM+ penalty next season.
- Steven Stamkos won’t play again tonight, in what is the definition of a must-win for Tampa Bay. A regulation loss for the Lightning at the hands of the Bruins, combined with a Maple Leafs win would clinch a playoff position for both Toronto and Boston, and leave only Ottawa as an outside target for Tampa Bay. It’s looking more and more like the captain won’t return this season in time to help his club get back into the playoffs.
- The Dallas Stars have brought Justin Dowling back up, after just a night in the AHL. The move must have been just a paper transaction, as the Texas Stars didn’t play last night. They’ll take on the Bakersfield Condors tomorrow night, likely without Dowling in the lineup.
- The Hershey Bears have released Kristofers Bindulis from his amateur tryout, without the NCAA forward actually playing a game for the team. Bindulis was signed to a contract by the Washington Capitals earlier this spring, but will now head to the World Championships for Latvia before starting the first year of his ELC next year.
- The Bears have also signed Beck Malenstyn to an ATO for the remainder of the year. Selected in the fifth round of the 2016 draft, Malenstyn had been playing for the Calgary Hitmen this season. Having just turned 19, he’ll likely head back to the OHL next season and try again to earn an entry-level deal.
Bruins Sign Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson To ELC
With Boston University teammate Charlie McAvoy already committed to going pro, fellow Terrier sophomore Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson has decided to follow suit. However, while McAvoy made his pro debut with the AHL’s Providence Bruins last night, on an amateur tryout contract, it appears that “JFK” will head straight to the big-league club, as Boston announced that they have inked the young Swedish center to a three-year entry level contract and are prepared to burn a year by adding him to the NHL roster right away.
Unlike McAvoy, a right-shot defenseman who would be buried on an NHL team that has four NHL-caliber righties on the blue line, including one rookie already, Forsbacka-Karlsson can fill an immediate need for the Bruins. With Frank Vatrano, Jimmy Hayes, and Tim Schaller currently sidelined with injuries, Boston has been plugging holes up front, most recently with Sean Kuraly in today’s 3-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks. However, Forsbacka-Karlsson presents an upgrade to Kuraly, as well as several other options currently waiting for the call in Providence, and will thus make the jump right from the NCAA to the NHL.
Don’t let the Bruins’ needs imply that the 20-year-old pivot isn’t making his NHL debut right away based on talent; Forsbacka-Karlsson certainly has the skill to be in Boston. A second-round selection of the Bruins in 2015 out of the USHL’s Omaha Lancers, JFK was considered a high-upside project player for Boston as he readied himself for the college game. Instead, Forsbacka-Karlsson has shown nothing but skill, consistency, and a mature, well-rounded game in two seasons at BU. JFK posted 63 points over 78 games in college career, playing a major role in back-to-back strong seasons for the Terriers. He possess both a strong offensive game and the instincts and intelligence to play a defensive game that is unmatched by many his age. For this reason, Forsbacka-Karlsson has often drawn comparisons to a young Patrice Bergeron, while playing right down the street from the man himself. Now, much like Zdeno Chara and Brandon Carlo, the Bruins can have Bergeron mentor JFK and hope for the same quick development and production like they have seen from Carlo. Expect the kid forward to step in right away, likely alongside Ryan Spooner on the team’s third line, and contribute immediately as the Bruins look to extend their five-game winning streak and lock up a playoff spot.
Snapshots: Hobey Baker, Smith, Enstrom
The NCAA has narrowed it down to just three Hobey Baker finalists, and two of them went undrafted. Zach Aston-Reese of Northeastern University signed with the Penguins, and already has six points in four AHL games. Mike Vecchione from Union College had 63 points in 38 games and is expected to make his decision any day now on where he’ll spend his first few professional seasons. Will Butcher, the third finalist and only defenseman, is heading to the Frozen Four with the University of Denver but is expected to be offered a contract by Colorado after his season ends.
Butcher had 36 points in 41 games, and could wait until August to become a free agent. Like Jimmy Vesey last season, Butcher would have many suitors for his services as he’s shown the ability to play at both ends of the rink and could contribute right away to an NHL team. We’ll see if Colorado can get him locked up, but the longer Denver plays the closer he gets to free agency without them even able to offer a deal.
- John Vogl of the Buffalo News reports that newly signed Sabres forward C.J. Smith will start his professional career with the team right away and will earn a prorated version of a maximum rookie contract of $925K for this season. He’ll earn the same next season, before becoming a restricted free agent in the summer of 2018. Smith scored 51 points in 41 games this season for UMass-Lowell, and decided to leave school a year early to jump right into the AHL. He was taking rushes alongside Zemgus Girgensons and Matt Moulson today in practice, wearing #49.
- Toby Enstrom has undergone knee surgery and will be out for the remainder of the year. The 32-year old has had a tough season, scoring a career-low 14 points while dealing with personal issues and a concussion. He has one year remaining on his current contract at a cap-hit of $5.75MM and has a full no-movement clause. It will be interesting to see if the Jets approach Enstrom to try and get him to waive it for the expansion draft, as they currently have too many defensemen to protect.
Spencer Foo To Forego Senior Season, Will Sign NHL Deal In Summer
College free agent winger Spencer Foo will turn pro and forego his senior NCAA season, his college team announced. However, it remains unlikely that he will sign with an NHL team before the end of the current season, meaning his entry level deal wouldn’t start until 2017-18. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link) that part of the reasoning for the decision to wait to sign is that it will allow him to finish up his current classes. The 23 year old will be a highly sought after player as yesterday, Jon Rosen of LA Kings Insider suggested that pretty much the entire league has already shown interest in signing Foo.
This past season, Foo was second on Union College in scoring with 26 goals and 36 assists (the most in a single season in Dutchmen history) in just 38 games and was one point shy of tying three others for the most points in all of the NCAA’s Division I. He had a program-record 21 game point streak during the season and was held off the scoresheet just four times all season.
Recently, Foo was named a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award, given to the top NCAA player. He was also named to the All-ECAC Hockey First Team.
Unlike last summer’s mini-frenzy with Jimmy Vesey, who eventually signed with the Rangers, there won’t be a need to wait until mid-August for Foo to sign; as he is an undrafted free agent, he’s free to sign at any time. His entry level pact will be limited to two years in length and given the expected level of interest, he should be able to capitalize on a favorable bonus structure as well.
Snapshots: Vecchione, Forsbacka-Karlsson, Fucale
After the Minnesota locked up hometown boy Justin Kloos earlier today, Michael Russo of the Star Tribune is hearing that another college free agent is being pursued by the Wild. Mike Vecchione, the nation’s leading scorer (tied) and finalist for the Hobey Baker trophy is on the radar of the Wild, is a free agent and being chased by many teams around the league, apparently including Minnesota.
The 24-year old went undrafted out of the USHL despite scoring everywhere he goes, and proved this year that he’ll be able to compete at the professional level. No lock for the NHL, the undersized forward does present some intriguing potential with his high-end skill and skating.
- While Don Sweeney told reporters today that Charlie McAvoy would be heading to Providence on an amateur tryout, he also mentioned that Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson hasn’t yet made a decision whether he’ll head back to Boston University or not. The second-round pick of the Bruins scored 33 points in 39 games this season, and played exceptional in the NCAA tournament. His future lies in the NHL, but could use another year of dominance at the college level before transitioning to the professional game.
- The Montreal Canadiens have recalled Charlie Lindgren from the AHL and returned Zach Fucale. Fucale had been on an emergency recall, but isn’t really an option for the Canadiens down the stretch. Lindgren at least has a full season of success at the AHL this year, and could potentially play for the NHL club if they were in trouble. All this because Al Montoya has suffered a lower-body injury of some sort and is currently unavailable.