Central Notes: Stars, Zuccarello, Honka
Dallas Stars head coach Glen Gulutzan updated the media on the status of multiple injured Stars players today. Star defenseman Miro Heiskanen did not skate today but that was only since it was a scheduled maintenance day – he will play in game five against the Minnesota Wild tomorrow. Nils Lundkvist, who suffered a deep facial laceration, won’t play tomorrow, but Gulutzan expressed optimism that he’d be back before the end of the series. Roope Hintz, who has been sidelined since March 8 with a lower-body injury, is progressing and skating on his own but doesn’t have an imminent expected return date.
With Lundkvist set to miss game five, the Stars will have to replace his spot in their lineup. He was partnered with Thomas Harley on Dallas’ second pairing. Gulutzan said the decision hasn’t been made as to who will take the open spot on the defense tonight. The Stars have three defensemen on their roster to choose from: right-shot blueliners Ilya Lyubushkin and Alexander Petrovic, and left-shot defenseman Kyle Capobianco. The front runner for the role is almost certainly Lyubushkin, a veteran of over 500 NHL games who got into 14 playoff games for Dallas last season.
Other notes from around the NHL:
- Injured Wild forward Mats Zuccarello practiced with the team today, something that head coach John Hynes told the media was a “good sign” for his availability for game five, relays Joe Smith of The Athletic. Zuccarello has played in just one game of the Wild’s first-round series and is day-to-day with an upper-body injury. Also day-to-day is veteran Yakov Trenin, who was forced out of game two with an upper-body injury. Zuccarello, 38, is one of the Wild’s top offensive options while Trenin is a bottom-six staple.
- 2014 Dallas Stars first-round pick Julius Honka signed a contract with HC Ajoie of the Swiss National League, according to a team announcement. The signing will allow Honka to join his younger brother, former Carolina Hurricanes prospect Anttoni Honka, who was also the team’s top scorer. The older Honka brother played last season with the NL’s Rapperswil-Jona Lakers, and has been in the Swiss league since 2023. Honka last played in North America in 2020-21, for the AHL’s Texas Stars, and last appeared in the NHL with Dallas in 2018-19.
Ian Mitchell Signs With NL’s SC Bern
Lightning pending unrestricted free agent Ian Mitchell has agreed to terms with SC Bern of Switzerland’s National League on a two-year contract beginning next season, the team announced earlier this week. The move had been in place for months, as we relayed back in February.
Mitchell, 27, did not see NHL ice this season after appearing in five straight campaigns with the Blackhawks and Bruins from 2020-25. Non-tendered by Boston last summer, he landed a one-way league minimum deal from the Red Wings in free agency but cleared waivers to begin training camp. After going all year without a call-up, Detroit dealt him to Tampa Bay in mid-March – after the NHL trade deadline but before the AHL one – so he could serve as added defensive depth for the Bolts’ farm team in Syracuse down the stretch.
Mitchell’s contractual obligations with Tampa are still ongoing. In fact, he suited up for Syracuse just last night – after the announcement that he was headed to Bern – in Game 1 of their North Division Semifinal series against Cleveland. However, since he was acquired after the trade deadline, he’s not eligible for recall to the Lightning as long as they’re still in the postseason.
The 6’0″, right-shot Mitchell is a skilled puck-mover. He’s shown as much in the minors, where he had seven assists in 15 games to close out the regular season with Syracuse. His lack of physical acumen in one-on-one defending and battles, plus underwhelming shot power, has prevented him from locking down any sort of notable NHL role, though.
A second-round pick by the Blackhawks back in 2017, Mitchell won an NCHC championship with the University of Denver before ultimately turning pro three years later. He suited up in 39 of Chicago’s 56 games in the COVID-shortened 2021 season, but that mark still stands as a career high. He’s now passed through waivers unclaimed in each of the last three seasons, so it’s clear interest in his services hasn’t been wide-spanning for quite some time.
Mitchell’s NHL resume stands with a 4-15–19 scoring line, a -17 rating, and an underwhelming 42.6% Corsi share at even strength through 110 appearances. His minor-league body of work is strong – tallying 120 points and a +55 rating in 216 career AHL games – but it hasn’t been enough for him to earn serious bottom-pair consideration.
He’s now officially off to Switzerland, potentially putting a bookend on his NHL career. He could easily step in as Bern’s #1 from the drop on a roster that also boasts former NHLers Emil Bemström and Anton Lindholm.
Victor Soderstrom Linked To Swiss League
When the Bruins acquired and signed Victor Soderstrom, the defenseman was hoping that he would get that elusive extended NHL opportunity. However, that hasn’t been the case as he has once again spent most of the season in the minors. As a result, he’s eyeing a return overseas as Expressen’s Johan Svensson and Mattias Persson report that the blueliner is expected to sign with EHC Biel-Bienne in Switzerland for next season.
The 25-year-old was a first-round pick by Arizona back in 2019 but after seeing limited opportunities with the Coyotes, he opted to head overseas at the end of his entry-level contract, returning to SHL Brynas. Arizona retained his NHL rights and ultimately flipped them to Chicago at the 2025 trade deadline with Boston acquiring those rights three months later and signing him to a two-way deal.
But Soderstrom went through waivers unclaimed in training camp and outside an eight-game stint in Boston in December (where he had an assist and averaged 13:41 per game), he has played exclusively with AHL Providence. Soderstrom has done well in the minors, tallying nine goals and 21 assists in 57 games and should be set for a long playoff run with Providence guaranteed to finish the season with the AHL’s top record, earning them the Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy.
Soderstrom is set to become a Group Six unrestricted free agent this summer and could have entertained offers to see if a better opportunity was out there. But with how this year has gone, he’d likely be viewed as a recallable depth player elsewhere as well so instead of repeating this season, it appears he’ll try his hand in the Swiss league next season.
Big Hype Prospects: Morozov, Ignatavicius, Klepov, Henriquez, Hrenak
Welcome to PHR’s Big Hype Prospects series. Like the MLB Trade Rumors series of the same name, we’re taking a look at the performances of top prospects from across the hockey world. We’ll look at rising prospects for the upcoming draft who are worth keeping in mind.
Five Big Hype Prospects
Ilia Morozov, C, Miami University Red Hawks (NCHC)
35 GP, 8 G – 12 A – 20 TP, 27 PIM, +2
Among the many climbing into a spot in this year’s top 15, it may be bulky center Ilia Morozov who has most caught the eye of pro teams. He has played with an overwhelming layer of grit and energy to his game despite starting the year out as college hockey’s youngest player – a title that now belongs to Oscar Hemming, highlighted in our last Big Hype Prospects piece. Morozov’s hard work has translated to more ice time and success in the standings. Miami improved by 15 wins this season, the biggest jump of any Division I team this century excluding the Covid season per ESPN’s John Buccigross. That is in no small part thanks to Morozov, whose tenacity and two-way responsibility helped fortify Miami’s top-six. His game took a major stride from last season in the USHL and Morozov is still among the youngest players in the draft class. That added development time, and his six-foot-three, 205-pound frame, could be enough to convince teams to spend an early pick on the Russian power-forward.
Simas Ignatavicius, LW, Geneve-Servette (National League)
51 GP, 7 G – 8 A – 15 TP, 43 PIM, +6
Another major riser is winger Simas Ignatavicius, who is looking to become the first Lithuanian to be drafted into the NHL since Dainius Zubrus was selected in the 1996 first-round. Coincidentally, Zubrus has made his mark on Ignatavicius’ development path, and helped him elevate his game to a pro level very early on. Ignatavicius shines as a responsible and poised shooter, who knows how to fill his role on the forecheck and wait for the right moments to strike. He has an athletic, six-foot-three frame and smooth skating that come in handy on the forecheck. From there, Ignatavicius can work the cycle and connect with his teammates to create sustained offense. He has been a responsible, bottom-six forward in Switzerland’s top league – but recently boomed on a loan to the country’s second-tier pro league, with seven goals and 11 points in eight games. It was a nice reminder of the scoring upside that Ignatavicius can bring – and an even better reminder that Lithuania seems set to go three-for-three on draft prospects selected in the first round.
Nikita Klepov, RW, Saginaw Spirit (OHL)
61 GP, 35 G – 52 A – 87 TP, 35 PIM, +7
Very few 2026 draft prospects have seen as much of a breakout this season as winger Nikita Klepov. He is hunting down the rare 100-point mark in his first OHL season. If he hits it, Klepov will become the first rookie to reach the century mark since Patrick Kane – though Kane had the benefit of two years with the U.S. National Team Development Program, while Klepov is only one season removed from playing 16U AAA. In between youth hockey and the CHL, he scored 31 points in 59 USHL games, after going completely undrafted in the league. Klepov has had a propensity for living above the moment – and shown off the toolkit to make it possible. He is explosive on the puck, capable of turning slow-moving breakouts into fast-moving offense that generates multiple scoring chances. Better yet, the 6-foot Klepov has shown no fear in crashing through opponents to force play in the slot. He has not caught the eye of every scout – but holds a big spot in the minds of those who favor him. Klepov will be one of many upside buys in this year’s draft, which could place him all over the board.
Roberto Leonardo Henriquez, G, Green Bay Gamblers (USHL)
29 GP, 17 W – 0.925 Sv% – 2.06 GAA, 2 SO, 1 A
The recent rise in goalie goals and goalie fights have opened the door to more ‘Goalie Gordie Howe Hat-Tricks’ – when a netminder records a goal, assist, and fight all in one season. Even then, the feat is hockey’s immaculate inning, maybe occurring once per season and always carrying a special air behind them (though, immaculate innings have become more popular as well). Roberto Leonardo Henriquez will have that rare feat on his resume as he enters the 2026 draft, to go along with the highest save percentage and lowest goals-against average in the USHL. He has been phenomenal after putting together a standout season in the NAHL that unfortunately did not result in a draft selection last season. The six-foot-two, Slovakia/Dominican Republic dual citizen, and University of New Hampshire commit has put together a year that should demand a draft selection in a quiet year for goalies.
Samuel Hrenak, G, Fargo Force (USHL)
4 GP, 3 W – 0.942 Sv% – 1.71 GAA, 0G, 1 SO, 0 A
There is a new challenger for Henriquez’s spot on top of USHL goaltending. Copatriot Samuel Hrenak has been stellar since joining the Fargo Force in February. He has allowed only seven goals through 13 periods of action, after posting a commendable .912 Sv% in 23 games in Slovakia’s U20 league to start the season. Hrenak also filled the dismal role of starting goalie for Team Slovakia’s U18 club, who compete in a handful of exhibition games in Slovakia’s second-tier pro league. That deployment meant a tough start to the year for Hrenak but he is now proving just how impactful he can be in games against his peers. He was ranked in the top-10 of European goalies in the NHL Central Scouting Service’s most recent update and should climb their final list if his dominant USHL start continues. He will be eyeing a mid-round pick, and an NCAA commitment, as the summer roles around – and should be a major addition wherever he ends up.
Ian Mitchell Linked To Swiss League
Red Wings depth defenseman Ian Mitchell is expected to sign with Bern of Switzerland’s National League when he becomes a free agent this summer, according to Swiss outlet He Shoots He Scores.
Mitchell, 27, once looked like he’d be a long-term piece on the Blackhawks’ blue line. Drafted in the second round in 2017, he was an NCHC champion with and captained the University of Denver before turning pro in 2020.
The 6’0″ righty has yet to eclipse the career high of 39 games played he set with Chicago as a first-year pro, though. A gifted puck-mover, he could never honestly challenge for the top-four deployment and power-play stability he needed to be effective. He was shipped to the Bruins in the 2023 Taylor Hall/Nick Foligno deal before getting non-tendered last summer.
Mitchell signed a one-year, one-way, league minimum deal with Detroit in free agency. They were likely hoping he could be a valuable press-box piece and depth puck-mover if needed, but he hasn’t spent a day on Detroit’s roster this season after being cut from training camp and clearing waivers.
Mitchell had appeared in at least one NHL game in each of the last five seasons with Chicago and Boston, but that streak is in jeopardy now. His output with AHL Grand Rapids hasn’t been great, either. His 4-13–17 scoring line through 40 games ranks third among Grand Rapids defenders in scoring, but he’s usually good for at least a half a point per game in the minors. His +23 rating is on track to be a career-high, though.
Smooth-skating defenders tend to thrive in the NL, where he now looks to continue his career. SC Bern is historically one of the league’s top clubs but has had a rough go of things this decade. He will join a group that already has former NHLers Hardy Haman Aktell, Anton Lindholm, Joel Vermin, and Waltteri Merela signed through next season.
Olle Lycksell Linked To Swiss League
Senators forward Olle Lycksell is spurning interest from clubs in his native Sweden in an effort to move to Switzerland’s National League next season, Johan Svensson and Mattias Persson of Expressen report. In any event, it’s clear the pending Group VI unrestricted free agent won’t be re-signing with Ottawa or any other NHL team, for that matter.
Lycksell is in his fourth season stateside, but just his first in the Sens organization. A sixth-round pick by the Flyers in 2017, he spent several years coming up through the SHL before signing with Philadelphia in 2021. Philly loaned him back to Sweden’s Växjö Lakers for the following campaign, where he had a career-best 14 goals and 34 points in 47 games before being brought to North America the following season.
The 5’11” winger has been a consistently high-end AHL producer ever since. He averaged over a point per game twice through his four seasons to date and has 61 goals and 145 points in 160 career minor-league games, including 17 points in 25 outings with the Belleville Senators this year. It hasn’t translated into NHL success, though. He’s seen big-league action each year, three times with the Flyers and back earlier this season with the Sens, but only has two goals and 13 points in 52 career games. Being an unnatural fit for a fourth-line role, he’s had some wildly inconsistent possession impacts and hasn’t shown enough to push for a top-six role.
The 26-year-old will now be a Group VI UFA for the second summer in a row since he’s stayed under 80 career NHL appearances. His archetype makes him primed for offensive success in one of Europe’s top leagues in Switzerland, where he should immediately become one of the league’s leading scorers if he transfers there.
Juho Lammikko Clears Unconditional Waivers, Signs In Switzerland
Feb. 7: Lammikko wasn’t an unrestricted free agent for long. Zurich in Switzerland’s NL announced that they’ve signed him to a three-year deal that runs through the 2027-28 campaign.
Feb. 6: Lammikko cleared waivers and is now a UFA, per Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.
Feb. 5: The Devils announced they’ve placed forward Juho Lammikko on unconditional waivers for the purpose of terminating his contract. Assuming he clears tomorrow, he’ll become an unrestricted free agent and can return to Europe or sign elsewhere in North America.
New Jersey placed Lammikko on standard waivers last month for roster flexibility, but never assigned him to the minors. Yesterday, the Devils finally sent him down to Utica as the corresponding move for Nick Bjugstad‘s acquisition. Evidently, he’s refused to accept the assignment and is in breach of his contract as a result.
Lammikko, 30, returned to the NHL this summer when he signed a one-year, $800K deal with New Jersey last June. His season started inauspiciously on injured reserve due to a lower-body injury. He got back into action in late October but has been a healthy scratch for long stretches at a time. In 24 games dressed, he’s managed two assists and a -4 rating while averaging 9:53 of ice time per game.
A checking center who commonly shifts to the wing, Lammikko’s possession numbers have been ugly. He’s only controlled 42.7% of shot attempts at 5-on-5 despite being used in a relatively sheltered role and has been shelled in possession quality as well.
Lammikko was a third-round pick by the Panthers in 2014. He joined the organization for the 2016-17 campaign and climbed through the minors before making his NHL debut two years later. He notched 11 points in 84 games for the Cats over parts of two seasons, interrupted by a stint back in Europe, before being traded to the Canucks shortly before the 2021-22 campaign. That resulted in Lammikko making a career-high 75 appearances for Vancouver, notching seven goals and 15 points while averaging over 12 minutes per game.
Despite that decent showing as a bottom-six middleman, his NHL career paused again there. He headed back to Europe with Switzerland’s ZSC Lions, emerging as one of the National League’s top power forwards during that time. After racking up 112 points in 144 games with a +60 rating over three years, he attempted his third NHL arrival with the Devils. With his unwillingness to accept a minor-league assignment, a return to the top Swiss league or somewhere else in Europe should be the expectation.
Kaapo Kahkonen Eyeing International Options For Next Season
Aside from serving as a backup in Montreal for one game this season, goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen has been exclusively in the minors with AHL Laval. It was similar in 2024-25 as despite multiple waiver claims, he only got into two NHL contests with the rest coming in the minors.
With it becoming clearer that he is viewed as more of a third-string option around the NHL instead of a possible backup, it appears that Kahkonen is exploring other options for next season. Expressen’s Johan Svensson and Mattias Persson report (subscription link) that Kahkonen intends to play overseas next season and is eyeing a spot in either Sweden’s SHL or Switzerland’s NL.
A fourth-round pick by Minnesota back in 2014, Kahkonen was, for a time, viewed as a possible goalie of the future for them. San Jose felt the same way, acquiring him in 2022 for Jacob Middleton in the hopes that a change of scenery could get him going and stabilize their goaltending situation at the same time.
That didn’t happen and it would be fair to say that Kahkonen has had a bit of a nomadic journey since then. In less than two years, the 29-year-old has spent time with San Jose, New Jersey, Winnipeg, Colorado, Florida (AHL only), and now Montreal after the Canadiens signed him to a one-year, one-way deal worth $1.15MM on the opening day of free agency.
For his career, Kahkonen has played in 140 games at the NHL level, posting a 3.34 GAA along with a .898 SV%, numbers that played a big role in his bouncing around as of late. He’s been considerably better than that in the minors this season, putting up a 2.67 GAA with a .905 SV% in 20 games in Laval.
Rather than test the market to see if another opportunity to be a well-paid number three option materializes next season, it looks as if Kahkonen will look to play closer to home instead. He’ll likely have to take a pay cut to do so, however, as seven-figure contracts for players are few and far between in other leagues. But if riding around in the minors isn’t something he wants to do moving forward, heading back overseas is the logical next step for Kahkonen.
Lassi Thomson Linked To Swiss League
After spending last season in Sweden, the Senators elected to bring back defenseman Lassi Thomson for this season. The hope was that he might be able to play his way higher on Ottawa’s depth chart and perhaps see some NHL action.
However, that hasn’t been the case. Aside from a brief recall to the big club that didn’t result in NHL action, the 25-year-old has played exclusively with AHL Belleville in 2025-26. Through 33 games, Thomson has been reasonably productive with seven goals and six assists.
However, with his fate now seemingly solidified as a minor leaguer, Thomson appears to be pondering his next change of scenery. Expressen’s Johan Svensson reports that the blueliner is looking to play with HC Lugano in Switzerland next season, suggesting that a contract might already be in place.
Thomson’s team from last season, Malmö of the SHL, has also shown interest in bringing him back into the fold. While that doesn’t appear to be happening for next season, it could still happen for the stretch run. Svensson notes that Thomson is technically under contract there for this year (he exercised an NHL out clause to rejoin the Senators) and that the defenseman is amenable to return to Sweden this season. Speculatively, that would come in the form of a contract termination in order to clear his minor league salary off Ottawa’s books.
If such a move doesn’t materialize, Thomson will be eligible for Group Six unrestricted free agency next summer so Ottawa will be losing his rights anyway. A first-round pick (19th overall) in 2019, Thomson has just 18 NHL games under his belt, a number that doesn’t appear likely to increase for the foreseeable future with him having an eye on overseas opportunities once again.
Minor Transactions: 12/20/2025
The midpoint of the season has sparked a flurry of action across the hockey world. Some players are finally being moved from a slow start to the season, while others are finding their first contracts of the year. The notable moves have been rounded up and captured below:
- Former New York Islanders center Leo Komarov has signed a one-year contract with HC Davos of Switzerland’s National League. The 38-year-old Estonian spent the last two seasons with HIFK of Finland’s Liiga. He scored 23 points in 55 games with the club, but wasn’t able to secure a contract for this season. That will change with a move to Switzerland, marking the eighth professional hockey league that Komarov has played in – on top of tenures in Finland’s Mestis and Liiga, Russia’s KHL, the AHL and NHL, and Sweden’s SHL. He will offer Davos veteran depth.
- Also signing an overseas contract is former Buffalo Sabres goaltender Dustin Tokarski, who has left his professional try-out contract with the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins to sign a deal with Lowen Frankfurt of Germany’s DEL. Tokarski made two appearances with Grand Rapids on his try-out, posting one win and a .929 save percentage. He posted a .897 Sv% in 21 AHL games, and a .902 Sv% in six NHL games, in the Carolina Hurricanes’ organization last season. He’ll join Frankfurt for the second-half of the year and could have an open path to the starting role, with all three of Frankfurt’s goaltenders posting sub-.900 Sv% through the first half of the season.
- Hard-hitting Utah Mammoth prospect Tomas Lavoie has been traded in the QMJHL. He will head to the Chicoutimi Saguenéens in exchange for five draft picks, including a first-rounder, headed back to the Cape Breton Eagles. Lavoie was a core piece of the Eagles this season, offering stalwart defense and reliable puck-moving. The former third-round pick has 21 points in 24 games this season and could bring a reliable, shutdown role to a Saguenéens lineup currently leaning on high-octane defenders like Alex Huang.
- Seattle Kraken prospect Alexis Bernier will also head to the Saguenéens in exchange for Leo-Gabriel Gosselin and five draft picks. Bernier is a volume shooter who racked up 14 goals and 46 points in 59 games with the Baie-Comeau Drakkar last season, but hasn’t yet played this year. He could be due for a major breakout after rivaling point-per-game scoring last season, which should only bolster a Saguenéens lineup that has already propped up shoot-first wingers Maxim Massé and Émile Guité. The Saguenéens will go all-in on this season before likely losing Masse, Guite, and many others to pro deals.