Overseas Notes: Texier, Sandstrom, Brannstrom
The Columbus Blue Jackets have transferred the loan of Alexandre Texier from KalPa in Finland’s Liiga to Grenoble in the French professional league, where the young forward will continue playing for the time being. As Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch reports, Texier will remain in France with his family as someone close to him is dealing with an undisclosed illness.
Texier, 21, actually spent one season with Grenoble in 2016-17 before heading to Finland to continue his development. The young forward took quite an interesting path to the NHL, where he spent all of this season. Texier is still expected back in North America when the 2020-21 season begins.
- The Philadelphia Flyers have loaned Felix Sandstrom to Vasterviks IK of the Swedish second league, where he will presumably play until things start again in North America. Sandstrom, 23, is another top goaltending prospect in the Flyers system that was the 70th overall pick in 2015. In 2019-20 he posted just an .885 save percentage in the ECHL, but there is still lots of upside in the 6’2″ netminder. Perhaps he can get things back on track in his native Sweden, where he already found success at the highest level before coming to North America in 2019.
- Though the official announcement still hasn’t come out, Ottawa Senators GM Pierre Dorion confirmed to reporters including Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia that Erik Brannstrom will be loaned to Switzerland until the next NHL season begins. Brannstrom is expected to play for the SCL Tigers in the Swiss NLA. Though he split time this season, the 21-year-old defenseman is expected to receive a full-time NHL role in 2020-21.
Edmonton Loans Tyler Benson To GCK Lions
The Edmonton Oilers will send another young forward overseas, loaning Tyler Benson to GCK Lions of the Swiss League. Benson, who received his first opportunity at the NHL level this season, was included on the team’s roster for the return to play postseason but will now take his talents to Switzerland’s second tier for the time being.
Benson, 22, is different from many of the prospects that have been sent overseas, as he already has two full professional seasons under his belt. The 32nd overall pick from 2016 has already become a star for the Bakersfield Condors, recording 105 points in 120 regular season games since debuting in the AHL. While he’s not a huge goal scorer, his offensive creativity and playmaking ability is almost unmatched at the minor league level.
The biggest question for Benson will always be his below-average skating ability and whether or not it limits him at the next level. That will have to be answered in his next NHL opportunity, but for now, he can go and continue to work on his explosiveness and two-way game in the structured Swiss system. Given that he’ll be playing in their second league though, you can bet that Benson’s offensive ability will shine through.
While the release does not indicate his return date, Benson is likely to get a shot at cracking the NHL roster whenever camps open. On the last year of his entry-level deal, he’s earned an opportunity with the Oilers.
Mark Barberio Signs In Switzerland
As expected, Mark Barberio has taken his talents to Switzerland after seeing his time with the Colorado Avalanche come to an end. The depth defenseman has signed a three-year deal with Lausanne HC of the NLA, meaning he may well never suit up again in the NHL.
Barberio, 30, already found himself in the press box more often than on the ice, playing just 21 games in the NHL this season. Signed to a two-year, $2.9MM deal after a solid 2017-18 campaign, he’d suit up just 33 more times for the Avalanche and record just three points over two years. A sixth-round pick of the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2008, Barberio totaled 272 regular-season games in the NHL, tallying 56 points. He was a much more effective weapon in the minor leagues, earning the 2012 Eddie Shore Award as the AHL’s top defenseman and being named to the All-Star team four times.
It will be interesting to see exactly how well Barberio’s game translates to the Swiss league, where many different systems are employed and scoring is generally lower. Pius Suter, who just signed with the Chicago Blackhawks, was the league’s MVP in 2019-20, barely edging out former NHL forward Mark Arcobello in the league scoring race.
For now, you can forget about Barberio as a potential option in the NHL. He’ll be 33 by the time this contract expires and he could return to North America.
Edmonton Oilers Loan Gaetan Haas, Evan Bouchard
The Edmonton Oilers continue to send their young players all over the world, loaning them out to European leagues to get them back on the ice while we wait for the start of the 2020-21 season in North America. Today, they announced that Gaetan Haas and Evan Bouchard will be heading overseas to play for the next few months. Both players are expected to return for training camp.
Haas, 28, will return to SC Bern in the Swiss NLA for the time being, the same club he played two seasons for before coming to Edmonton. A star in the Swiss league, he recorded 38 points in 50 games during the 2018-19 season and won the league championship. In his first taste of North American hockey, Haas didn’t have quite the same offensive impact but still represented a solid depth forward for the Oilers. In 58 games he recorded ten points and in April re-signed for the 2020-21 season. He’ll earn $915K on a one-way deal, whenever the next NHL season gets underway.
Bouchard of course doesn’t come with quite as much NHL experience, given he was only drafted in 2018. The tenth-overall pick played seven games with the Oilers that first season, but has spent the rest of his professional hockey in the minor leagues with the Bakersfield Condors. Bouchard did continue his excellent play in the AHL this season, recording 36 points in 54 games, but it’s not exactly clear when he’ll take that next step and become a full-time member of the Oilers defense. Still just 20, there is plenty of time for Bouchard to develop, which is exactly why it was so imperative that he find a place to play for the next few months. Bouchard will head to Sweden and suit up for Sodertalje SK of the second league.
Daniel Carr Signs In Switzerland
After failing to see much NHL action over the last couple of years, Predators winger Daniel Carr has decided to change things up for a little bit as HC Lugano of the NLA announced that they’ve signed the pending unrestricted free agent. The deal runs through November 15th with an option to be extended through the end of December which will be dependent on the NHL 2020-21 calendar.
The 28-year-old signed with Nashville as a free agent last summer following a dominant showing in the AHL that saw him post 30 goals and 41 assists in just 52 games. He was hoping that would propel him to a regular spot in the lineup for the Predators but that failed to materialize. Instead, he played just 11 NHL games this season and was in the minors for the rest, tallying 23 goals and 27 assists in 47 games with AHL Milwaukee.
Carr has seen NHL action over each of the last five years, getting into 111 regular season games between Montreal, Vegas, and Nashville. At a minimum, he should have some interest in free agency from teams looking for a high-end producer in the minors that can play a few minutes here and there in the NHL when injuries arise.
That makes this decision to sign a short-term deal in Switzerland a little more interesting. A good start in that league could help him secure a one-way contract again and give him a possible leg up in training camp but if he doesn’t start strong or gets injured, it could wind up hurting his chances of getting an NHL deal. There’s some risk/reward potential at play here and it will be interesting to see if any other pending UFAs decide to try a similar path in the coming days; some leagues have started up already while others will be getting underway shortly so decisions will need to be made quickly.
Oilers Loan Ryan McLeod To EV Zug In Switzerland
The Oilers have found a place to play for one of their more intriguing prospects to stay in playing shape. The team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve loaned center Ryan McLeod to EV Zug of the NLA in Switzerland for the start of their upcoming season.
McLeod was ranked by some publications as a potential first-round pick in 2018 but he wound up sliding to the second round where he was scooped up by Edmonton at 40th overall. He wrapped up his junior career the following season and saw some AHL playoff action with Bakersfield in 2019 which gave him a bit of momentum heading into his first full professional season in 2019-20.
The results weren’t quite as strong as McLeod or the Oilers would have hoped, however. He managed just five goals along with 18 assists in 56 games with the Condors before the pandemic hit, a level of production that was a little low for one of their better prospects coming out of the junior ranks. He was, however, part of their postseason roster. Now, McLeod will have an opportunity to see game action in the near future which should help give him a leg up whenever the 2020-21 AHL season gets underway.
Blue Jackets’ Calvin Thurkauf Signs With EV Zug
Just two months after EV Zug of Switzerland’s NLA publicly lamented that alumnus Calvin Thurkauf was working on an extension with the Columbus Blue Jackets and was unlikely to play for the team again, the narrative has gone in the opposite direction. Zug has announced that Thurkauf has returned to his hometown team and will be ready to start the NLA season.
However, before EVZ fans get too excited or Blue Jackets fans get too worried, it is important to note that Zug’s press release specifically states that Thurkauf is only expected to begin the season in Zug. As an unsigned RFA, Thurkauf could not be loaned overseas like many other NHL prospects and instead needed to sign a contract. However that deal is only valid until Thurkauf signs an NHL or AHL contract for the 2020-21.
Thurkauf, 23, is likely to find work, if not with Columbus then elsewhere in the NHL, after recording 26 points in 53 AHL games this season. He also made his NHL debut, suiting up for three games with the Blue Jackets. A big, physical forward who has proven himself capable in the WHL and AHL, Thurkauf is likely to push for a fourth-line role if he returns to Columbus. Zug fans will simply have to enjoy the homecoming while it lasts.
Prospect Notes: O’Brien, Berni, Patera
Philadelphia Flyers draft pick Jay O’Brien will fulfill his commitment to Boston University, following a year in the BCHL as he sat out due to transfer rules. O’Brien struggled mightily in his first year of NCAA hockey with Providence College in 2018-19, scoring just five points in 25 games, but will try again after showing exactly why he was a first-round pick in 2018.
The 20-year old forward tied for fourth in BCHL scoring with 66 points in just 46 games, earning himself a first team All-Star selection in the process. While there is still a long way to go for O’Brien before he provides any kind of value for the Flyers, getting back into college hockey (whenever it happens) is a good step.
- Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Tim Berni will be playing in Switzerland for the next few months, after being loaned to the ZSC Lions for the time being. Berni will be allowed to return to North America for NHL training camp in November, though it is extremely unlikely at this point that he would make the Blue Jackets roster. The 20-year old was a sixth-round pick in 2018 but has played the last two full seasons in the NLA, recording 11 points in 45 games this year.
- Jiri Patera, who only signed his entry-level contract with the Vegas Golden Knights a little over a month ago, will begin the year in the Czech Republic with Motor Ceske Budejovice. The goaltending prospect put up a .921 save percentage for the Brandon Wheat Kings this season and will try to continue his development this season against professionals.
Nico Gross To Play In Switzerland
He didn’t sign his entry-level contract, but Nico Gross will still be playing professional hockey this season. The New York Rangers draft pick is headed to Switzerland to play for EV Sug of the NLA following a successful OHL career.
The 20-year old Gross was selected 101st overall in 2018 by the Rangers, but since he was coming out of the CHL they owned his exclusive rights for just two years. In June, those rights expired without the team signing him, giving him a chance to re-enter the draft whenever it is held this fall.
In the meantime, a return to Switzerland makes plenty of sense for a player that is still one of the top Swiss-born prospects in the world, especially given the uncertainty of the 2020-21 AHL season.
A member of the Swiss World Junior squad on three different occasions, Gross was a strong two-way presence for the Oshawa Generals, even wearing an “A” as an alternate captain this season. He recorded 33 points in 53 games, and while that may not put him on an NHL track he’s still a name to keep an eye on moving forward.
Washington Capitals Loan Damien Riat, Tobias Geisser To NLA
The Washington Capitals have found some playing time for a pair of prospects, loaning Damien Riat and Tobias Geisser to the NLA for the 2020-21 season. Riat will play for Geneve-Servette HC, while Geiser will suit up for EV Zug. Both players will continue in Switzerland until NHL training camps open, likely sometime in November.
It’s not like these two will be unfamiliar with the league, as both played in the NLA this season and in the past. Riat spent 2019-20 with Biel HC, scoring 22 points in 36 games, but played three seasons with Geneve-Servette between 2015-2018. The fourth-round pick will have to wait to come over to North America after signing his two-year entry-level contract in March.
Geisser meanwhile has a little different of a story. The 21-year old signed his entry-level deal in 2018 and played the entire 2018-19 season with the Hershey Bears. That’s where he started 2019-20 as well, but he ended up loaned back to Switzerland (EV Zug in particular) after just seven games. Geisser has just a single point in 54 career AHL games, but has always been known more for his play in the defensive end.