20 Teams Interested In College Free Agent Neal Pionk
The NHL is a different place in 2017. With the advancement of analytics and systems, the increased speed and skill, and almost-extinction of the “goon” it’s like a whole new sport. Now, if you’re smaller than the prototypical center, or defenseman you have a chance in the NHL. You no longer have to be a hulking beast capable of rubbing people off the puck in the corners or protecting your star player with your fists. Or at least that’s what one college player is hoping.
Neal Pionk was passed over in his draft year due to his small size—5’11”, 170-lbs on the most generous of measurements—but is turning heads with his strong play at the University of Minnesota-Duluth as a sophomore. After scoring 17 points in an up-and-down rookie season, Pionk has 24 points in 30 games and is showing that he may be able to compete at the next level after all. Craig Custance of ESPN reports that as many as 20 teams have expressed interest in the Bulldog, including the expansion Vegas Golden Knights, who can sign college free agents in March like any other team (provided their final expansion payment goes through without a hitch).
Pionk attended the Washington Capitals development camp in 2015 before heading to school. It will be interesting to see if Washington will be back in the mix to sign him when his season ends. The right-handed defenseman likely has so many suitors because not only does he possess the puck-moving skill that usually accompanies the smaller defenseman at this level, but also has a slight nasty streak that leads him to physically challenge opposing forwards as well. Some might liken his play to Connor Carrick of the Toronto Maple Leafs (and previously those same Washington Capitals), who doesn’t let his height dictate the type of game he plays.
While this year’s crop of NCAA free agents doesn’t have a huge name leading the way, players like Pionk can still be valuable assets to any team. Look for Vegas to go hard after several of them as it tries to add depth to a system that will have very little of it to start. The Minnesota native is already 21 (and will turn 22 in July), meaning he’ll have to adapt quickly to the increased difficulty of the AHL and beyond, but if that many teams are interested, he’ll likely have a fighting chance.
Bob McKenzie On Talent Outside The NHL
In his latest piece, Bob McKenzie of TSN breaks down two players who may be under NHL contract in a few months. First, is Josh Healey who has made an impact on the NCAA ranks in a few different ways. His bone-crushing hits have been felt across the country, with the league even suspending him twice now. One executive that McKenzie quotes says that he “hits too hard for college hockey” and he really does. Even if he’ll never be a top-pairing guy in the NHL, his skating ability and physical presence has basically every team in the league considering signing him when his season at Ohio State finishes.
Healey headlines what is an underwhelming NCAA class, but he will create somewhat of a bidding war regardless. He has attended the summer development camps of the Calgary Flames, Nashville Predators and Edmonton Oilers in the past, and all three should be expected to be in the conversation for him this spring. Other teams—like the defense-strapped Toronto Maple Leafs—will surely have a conversation with him as well.
The other player McKenzie mentions is 25-year old Jakub Jerabek, a Czech defenseman who has been turning heads all year. Though he had several successful years in the Czech men’s league prior to this year, it’s the transition to the KHL and a higher level of competition that has NHL scouts considering him. With 32 points in 56 games and a strong offensive skillset, he’ll likely earn a contract if he chooses to come to North America. As McKenzie notes, at his age he’ll only be able to sign a one-year entry-level contract, like Nikita Zaitsev of the Maple Leafs this past summer.
Minor Transactions: 2/12/2017
The Washington Capitals rewarded rookie Zach Sanford for scoring his first NHL goal, the game-winner in their 6-4 defeat of the Anaheim Ducks yesterday, by sending him back down to the AHL. The Capitals announced this morning that they have reassigned Sanford to the Hershey Bears. Of course, the team is entering its bye week, so his demotion is not so much a reflection of his performance, as it is an effort to get him some more ice time while the NHL squad takes a break. The first-year pro has just two points in 21 games with Washington this season, but has 14 points in Hershey.
Sanford was nearly a point-per-game player for the Boston College Eagles last year, scoring 39 points in 41 games as a sophomore. A 2013 second-round pick of the Capitals, he chose to leave BC early this summer and get an early start on his pro career. The Eagles have felt the effect of his and others decisions to depart the team, leaving BC without a single junior on the squad. Sanford joined defenseman Steven Santini and forward Miles Wood of the New Jersey Devils, forwards Alex Tuch and Adam Gilmour of the Minnesota Wild, Vancouver Canucks goalie prospect Thatcher Demko, and Florida Panthers defenseman Ian McCoshen as former Eagles who skipped out on the 2016-17 NCAA season. While Boston College still sits atop the Hockey East Conference with a 13-4-1 record so far, their overall record of 18-9-2 going into this week had them ranked 7th overall, behind local rivals like Boston University and Harvard, and following losses to BU and Merrimack, they should fall even farther down the ranks.
Elsewhere around the league:
- As expected, Ottawa Senators goalie Andrew Hammond cleared waivers and has been reassigned to the AHL’s Binghamton Senators, according to the Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch. It’s been a monumental career collapse for Hammond, who is just two years removed from posting an unreal .941 save percentage and 1.79 goals against average in 24 games in his rookie season with the Senators. Hammond’s numbers tailed off some last year, but he was still impressive. No one could have predicted that through six games in 2016-17, the young keeper would have an abysmal .837 goals against average and 4.08 goals against average. Whether it’s due to injury or mechanical problems or even just the stress of the fluid state of Craig Anderson‘s availability and the competition with newcomer Mike Condon, Hammond has not performed like himself at all this year and no team was willing to take a chance on him at this time. It’s unfortunate for Hammond, who likely needs a change of scenery, but has never played well in the AHL and would be better served to sit on the bench with another NHL team for a while.
- The Montreal Canadiens announced last night that they have demoted forward Daniel Carr to the St. John’s Ice Caps of the AHL. Carr has two goals and seven assists in 33 games with the Habs this season, but is still trying to carve out a permanent role for himself on the team. The move opens up a roster spot for them to activate right winger Brendan Gallagher off IR.
- The Los Angeles Kings also made a move late last night, reassigning defenseman Paul LaDue to the AHL’s Ontario Reign. LaDue made his NHL debut last Tuesday and recorded his first NHL point on Thursday, but will head back to the minors with just those two games under his belt. A member of the NCAA champion University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux last year, LaDue capped off a third straight season of about 20 points in 41 games, and has maintained that pace in the AHL with 18 points through 36 games with Ontario in 2016-17.
- The Edmonton Oilers have again sent down forward Anton Lander to the AHL. Once considered to be surefire NHL regular, Lander has struggled all season long in Edmonton, scoring just one goal and three assists in 22 games. When Lander has spent time with the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors, scoring has been no problem, but he has not been able to translate that success to the next level. In his stead, the Oilers have recalled Iiro Pakarinen. Like Lander, Pakarinen was expected to be a contributor in Edmonton after playing in 63 games last season. However, he managed to score just 13 points in that time, and in response has seen no NHL action yet in 2016-17. With Lander not capitalizing on his chances, it seems likely that GM Peter Chiarelli has decided to give Pakarinen another shot.
- The Tampa Bay Lightning announced that they’ve sent winger Erik Condra and center Gabriel Dumont to Syracuse of the AHL. Condra has been held off the scoresheet in 13 NHL games this season but has been better in the minors with 26 points in 29 contests. As for Dumont, he has ten points in 19 games with the Crunch plus a pair of points in 14 contests with Tampa Bay. With the team off on their bye week until Saturday, this will give them a chance to stay in game shape before likely being recalled later in the week.
More to come.
Coyotes May Be Exploring Northwest Relocation
On the heels of the news that the Arizona Coyotes’ and Arizona State University’s joint venture to build a new arena facility in Tempe, Arizona had fallen through, new reports are emerging that the Coyotes have again started looking into a move to Portland, Oregon or Seattle, Washington. The Glendale Star first reported that members of the Coyotes brass had toured both Moda Center in Portland, home of the NBA’s Portland Trailblazers and the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks, and KeyArena in Seattle, the former home of the NBA’s Seattle Supersonics and the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds. Representatives from both facilities have confirmed the reports. Both cities have long been rumored to desire an NHL franchise, both due to their size and fan base as well as their embrace of WHL junior hockey. Trailblazers own Paul Allen has even gone so far as to say that he would like to have an ownership stake in an NHL team and move them to Portland, while billionaire Chris Hansen has long had interest in building a new stadium in Seattle and moving both an NHL and NBA team to a city that already has tons of avid supporters for the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks and MLB’s Seattle Mariners.
However, when the Glendale Star reached out to the Coyotes for confirmation, Executive Vice President of Communications Rich Nairn wholly denied the rumors. Coyotes president and CEO Anthony LeBlanc then went further denied the rumors during a podcast, calling the story “100 percent false” with “absolutely no facts”. Whether or not the reports of the tours are true and, despite LeBlanc’s strong-worded response, it seems likely that they are, no Coyotes executive is going to isolate the fan base by hinting at a relocation that is far from secured. The fans have their own role in this issue though, as the Coyotes have the 28th-ranked attendance in the NHL behind just the Carolina Hurricanes and New York Islanders.
Arizona is not necessarily a bad location for the NHL. The establishment of NCAA hockey at Arizona State and, of course, the Auston Matthews story has lead to a substantial uptick in grassroots hockey in the state. There has been an overwhelming embrace of hockey overall in the southwest United States in recent years, and perhaps it is just taking its time in Arizona. As Glendale City Manager Kevin Phelps pointed out in the Star article, the Phoenix metropolitan area is the 12th largest market in the U.S. Additionally, Maricopa County, which contains Phoenix, Glendale, Tempe, and Mesa, is the fourth most populous county in the country. As Phelps notes, by sheer numbers, a move out of Arizona to Portland or Seattle would appear to be a “step backward” for the league. However, how long can the NHL and the Coyotes ownership put up with an uncommitted fan base and a state that has been unwilling to work with them on a better arena situation? Portland and Seattle may not have the potential that the Phoenix area does, but they have shown to be passionate sports cities with an interest in hockey, ready to embrace an NHL team of their own. That may be enough to see the Coyotes move in the not-too-distant future.
Prospect Snapshots: DeBrincat, Second Round, Sergachev
Since Chicago Blackhawks prospect Alex DeBrincat was cut from the United States World Junior team in late December, he’s determined to prove that it was a mistake. When he was dropped, he was the OHLs leading goal-scorer and trailed only teammate Taylor Raddysh (who played for Canada at the tournament) in points. He hasn’t slowed down at all, scoring four more points today for the Erie Otters and extending his lead in the scoring race. He now has 92 points in 45 games and is a clear leader in goals scored.
The Blackhawks signed DeBrincat to a three-year entry-level contract earlier this season, and it looks like he’ll be making an impact in professional hockey as soon as he makes the leap. His 39th-overall selection looks like a steal now, as he’s about to post his third straight 100+ point season in the OHL and possibly help his team to a Memorial Cup.
- Over at Fan Rag Sports, Hannah Stuart took a look at five potential second-round steals in the upcoming draft. It even includes one Erie Otter rookie who will be getting a ton of extra ice time next season when DeBrincat, Raddysh and Ryan Strome all leave for greener pastures. Ivan Lodnia, the Otters’ young sniper has 21 goals and 45 points in his OHL debut. She also mentions Boston University’s Jake Oettinger, who sat in the press box at the World Juniors behind Tyler Parsons and Joseph Woll on Team USA. Despite being ranked 3rd on Central Scouting’s goaltender list, Stuart believes big things are ahead for the NCAA standout.
- The Montreal Canadiens are in the thick of trade talks all around the league, and Darren Dreger of TSN says that GM Marc Bergevin is “all in” on upgrading this season. That has sparked some talk about the possibility of dealing last summer’s first-round pick Mikhail Sergachev, but The Fourth Period has shut that down. The report says that while Sergachev is basically untouchable, Noah Juulsen may be in play when it comes to big upgrades down the middle for the NHL club. Juulsen is the captain of the Everett Silvertips in the WHL and was Montreal’s first-round selection in 2015.
Los Angeles Kings Recall Paul LaDue
According to Curtis Zupke of the Los Angeles Times, the Kings have recalled former NCAA champion Paul LaDue from the AHL. LaDue is a sixth-round pick of the Kings from back in 2012, who went on to star at the University of North Dakota. In his time there he scored 62 points in 123 games from the blueline, took the team to the Frozen Four three years in a row, and won the championship last season as an alternate-captain.
A strong puck-moving defenseman, LaDue has recorded 18 points in 36 games this season (his first) in the AHL. After debuting for the Ontario Reign in last year’s playoffs, he has been made a staple of the club’s blueline this season.
It’s not a guarantee that LaDue will make his debut this time around, but he looks like a lock to join the Kings’ back end in due time. His skill with the puck and poise when in trouble are attributes difficult to find among 6th round picks, especially when they come right-handed. He’ll wear #38 when he makes his debut, according to Zupke.
Central Division Snapshots: Iginla, Blues, Weber
One of the few teams at this point in the season virtually assured of becoming a trade deadline seller is the Colorado Avalanche. The Avalanche currently have the league’s worst record and rumors have already begun to circulate that they could attempt to move major core pieces as soon as this month. Even if they stay the course with their core group, yet again, it’s likely the club will still look to deal players with expiring contracts and/or complementary veteran assets. One of those pieces is Jarome Iginla, and according to Adrian Dater, one potential suitor for the longtime NHL star could be the Chicago Blackhawks.
Chicago boasts a potent top line consisting of Artem Anisimov, Artemi Panarin and Patrick Kane. That trio has combined for 42 goals and 63 assists this season. The Hawks also have Jonathan Toews, one of the league’s top all-around centers, and terrific two-way winger Marian Hossa but have struggled in recent years to find another winger to fill out the line.
In his tweet, Dater indicates Iginla could function as a “replacement” for Hossa, but since the Slovakian winger is expected to be back in the lineup tomorrow, it’s unclear how, or even if, that would impact Chicago’s rumored interest in Iginla. It’s quite possible the Hawks would view the former Flames sniper as a player in need of a change-of-scenery and one who could contribute some big goals down the stretch and into the playoffs for a team with aspirations of capturing their fourth Stanley Cup in the last eight seasons.
Iginla is in the final season of a three-year deal with an AAV of $5.33MM and would qualify as a pure rental for any team looking to deal for him. After back-to-back strong seasons of 29 and 22 goals, the 39-year-old right wing has slumped to just five through 37 games this season for Colorado. However, a move to a playoff race, particularly if allowed to play with gifted offensive players like Toews and Hossa, could help rejuvenate the 20-year veteran.
The Blackhawks would have to figure out how to fit Iginla in under the salary cap as according to Cap Friendly, the team is slated to have just under $2MM in space at the deadline. They could certainly open up more room by reassigning a young player to the minor leagues and also could try to convince Colorado to take back salary by swapping a more valuable asset to the Avalanche in a hypothetical move.
Elsewhere in the Central Division:
- The St. Louis Blues are pushing for a renovation of the Scottrade Center and a recent proposal submitted to the city’s Board of Alderman seeks $67.5MM in taxpayer funds to help pay for it, as Mike Faulk and Koran Addo of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch write. According to the proposal, the city’s contributions would come from sales tax already generated at the venue and with a 1% sales tax on Blues tickets. The team’s Chairman, Tom Stillman, argues the arena is outdated and the renovations are necessary not only to satisfy the Blues’ needs but to ensure other events, such as NCAA basketball tournament games, remain in St. Louis: “The Scottrade Center is no longer competitive,” said Blues Chairman Tom Stillman, adding that NCAA and concert promoters have warned that they will stop coming to St. Louis without upgrades to compete with facilities in Indianapolis, Kansas City, Nashville, Tenn., and elsewhere. The team and the city also plan to petition the state for money for the renovation but governor-elect Eric Greitens has previously opposed taxpayer funding for stadiums/arenas, calling it “welfare for millionaires.” Whether Greitens’ reluctance to allocate public funds for such a project could hinder or even halt renovation is unclear. Additionally, if renovations are not completed on the arena, it’s unknown if that would prompt ownership to pursue moving the team to another market.
- Nashville welcomed back Shea Weber for his first visit to the city as a member of the Montreal Canadiens last night. And while seeing the former team captain in a different sweater must have been bittersweet for many fans, particularly given Nashville’s struggles and P.K. Subban‘s health issues, Adam Vingan of The Tennessean writes that ultimately the trade sending Weber to Montreal is one that shouldn’t be viewed with regret. Vingan argues that the reasons the trade was made last June still apply today. Simply put, Subban is younger and swifter than his counterpart and in four years, when Weber is 35 and likely well on the down-slope of his career, Subban will be 31 and likely still in his prime.
Western Notes: Jost, Dano, Coyotes
When the Colorado Avalanche picked Tyson Jost 10th overall this year out of Penticton, they knew he was headed to the NCAA. After all, Jost played in the BCHL, an NCAA breeding ground because they retain eligibility unlike the CHL. But now it sounds like it will be one-and-done for Jost at the University of North Dakota.
Mike Chambers of the Denver Post writes in his latest column that Jost will sign after his freshman season concludes and may even make his NHL debut this season. The 18-year old center has 18 points in 17 games for the Fighting Hawks, and is starring for Canada at the World Juniors. For a team that is starved for something positive this year, the development of Jost is something to look forward to. He will likely slot in full time next season with the club, especially if one of their other young forwards is moved out between now and then.
- After head coach Paul Maurice told us yesterday that Marko Dano would be out at least a few weeks, he clarified the diagnoses today. Dano will miss eight weeks with his lower-body injury, keeping him out until just before the trade deadline. The former first-round pick (by Columbus in 2013) has 10 points in 28 games this year, a solid pace for the 22-year old. He’ll have another setback now though as he misses more time. Jets fans will have to wait jut a little bit longer to see his potential come to fruition.
- The Arizona Coyotes will watch two of their prized prospects battle it out today in the Canada-USA World Junior game. Clayton Keller and Dylan Strome each lead their respective teams in scoring at the tournament, and will be big parts of the Coyotes in the future. While Strome got a taste of the NHL this season before heading back to Erie in the OHL, Keller has been starring as a freshman at Boston University all year. 15 points in his first 10 games in the NCAA it won’t be long until he jumps to the AHL. Both top-10 picks, the Coyotes have a bright future in this tournament.
NHL, Stakeholders Discuss Possible Change To Draft Age
Could the NHL change the draft age from 18 to 19?
TSN’s Bob McKenzie spoke about the possibility on Tuesday night’s edition of Insider Trading. Former third-overall-pick Pat LaFontaine is leading a group of stakeholders that includes the NHL, NHLPA, CHL, USHL, Hockey Canada, USA Hockey, and NCAA to discuss a “whole new development model.”
According to McKenzie, the model would go from age five to age 20, and would include changing the NHL Draft-eligible age to 19, with “some obvious exceptions for exceptional players.”
The system would likely feature an expanded version of the CHL’s Exceptional Player Status. Normally, players aren’t eligible to play in the WHL, OHL, or QMJHL (the CHL’s three leagues) until they’re 16. However, there is a process (outlined extensively by McKenzie here) where players deemed exceptional can begin to play Major Junior at age 15. Players and their families apply to the CHL and Hockey Canada, and the player is examined on and off the ice to determine if he truly is exceptional. So far, only six players have ever applied, with John Tavares, Aaron Ekblad, Connor McDavid, Sean Day, and 2018-eligible Joseph Veleno being successful candidates. The first thee on that list went first overall in their OHL and NHL draft years, while Day went fourth in the OHL draft was a third-round pick of the New York Rangers in 2016. While it’s still early in his career, McKenzie noted that “some were questioning whether he was as blatantly exceptional as Tavares, Ekblad or McDavid.”
Changing the NHL Draft age would drastically change the way the draft is conducted. Looking back over the past two drafts, top selections like McDavid, Jack Eichel, Auston Matthews, and Patrik Laine would likely have been able to still be drafted at age 18. All four of them have been successful in their rookie seasons, and were clearly NHL-ready at age 18/19. While McDavid was a CHL exceptional-status player, the other three played NCAA, Swiss National League, and Liiga in their draft years. The NHL and other stakeholders would need to find a way to coordinate with all leagues to determine which players are truly exceptional and deserve to be drafted at age 18.
While the above mentioned players would still have been drafted at 18, elite prospects like Dylan Strome, Mitch Marner, Noah Hanifin, Jesse Puljujärvi, and Pierre-Luc Dubois may have been forced to wait an extra year, depending on the rules set out. As it stands now, several teams have issues with how the NHL-CHL agreement is laid out, as it forces 19-year-old draft+1 players to either play in the NHL or CHL when the AHL may be the best for their development. Strome is a current example: he’s posted 129 and 111 points in his last two years in the OHL and has nothing to gain from returning to junior, where he will dominate and potentially learn bad habits because of how dominant he is at that level. Strome has just one assist in six NHL games this year, and would be well-served by 40 games in the AHL to learn the pro game. That’s currently prevented by the NHL-CHL agreement. On one hand, it’s easy to see that CHL teams don’t want to lose their brightest stars before they absolutely have to, but at the same time it may not be in the player’s best interests to go back to junior. Changing the draft age to 19 could alleviate this issue, with drafted players only playing one more year of junior, at most, before turning pro.
LaFontaine and the stakeholders will meet again on Wednesday. On Insider Trading, McKenzie said they’ll “need to get some traction soon if it’s going to happen.”
The NHLPA would also need to agree to the change in collective bargaining when the current CBA expires in 2022 (both sides can opt out two years early). Convincing the Players Association that players will have to wait an extra year before making an NHL salary could be a tough argument, but it will be interesting to see how the discussion goes over the next little while.
Bowers Commits To Boston University
Yet another top prospect is joining the Boston University Terriers. Shane Bowers has announced that he will enroll at BU next season, joining a team that is already stacked with early draft picks and has received a commitment from promising defenseman Kasper Kotkansalo as well. Bowers is considered by many to be a first-round caliber talent and is expected to go in the first 31 picks in next June’s 2017 NHL Entry Draft.
In last year’s draft, BU was proud to see both current players and 2016-17 commits selected early in the NHL Draft. Freshman Clayton Keller went #7 overall to the Arizona Coyotes, sophomore defenseman Charlie McAvoy was taken by the Boston Bruins at #14, freshman defenseman Dante Fabbro went soon after at #17 to the Nashville Predators, and almost immediately following that, freshman forward Kieffer Bellows went #19 to the New York Islanders. Yet another freshman defenseman, Chad Krys, was selected by the Chicago Blackhawks in the second round.
The school continues to put together an incredible array of talent, as they bring in a hard-working player with a complete game in Bowers. The Halifax native began eyeing an NCAA future last year, when he joined the USHL’s Waterloo Black Hawks. In 56 games in 2015-16, Bowers scored 33 points, and is off to a point-per-game start to the 2016-17 season. Bowers has a complete, 200-foot game and will be able to further develop his skill at Boston University.
Although recent draft speculation questions whether or not Kotkansalo makes it into the firs round, there is a consensus that Bowers will. In a first round that looks to be heavy with Canadian junior players, Bowers is joined by only two other NCAA-bound USHLers as potential first rounders at this point. Eeli Tolvanen has committed to joining BU’s biggest rival, the Boston College Eagles, next year and Casey Mittelstadt has committed to the University of Minnesota. Both players have the makings of top ten picks next June, while Bowers is looking like a a mid to late-round pick.