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San Jose Sharks Sign Ethan Cardwell

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The San Jose Sharks have announced the signing of prospect forward Ethan Cardwell to a three-year entry-level contract.

The Sharks’ exclusive rights to sign Cardwell were set to expire on June 1st, which would have allowed him to re-enter the draft. That won’t happen now, though, as he’s earned the right to make his pro debut with the organization that selected him 121st overall at the 2021 draft.

San Jose general manager Mike Grier had the following to say about the signing:

Ethan had a significant improvement in his OHL career this past year being one of the go-to players for his team in nearly all situations. He has the ability to produce offensively and has helped be a driving force on a quality team as Barrie continues their postseason play.

Cardwell is a right-shot center who will turn 21 years old in late August. As an OHLer playing for the Barrie Colts, Cardwell’s junior career was disrupted by the pandemic-related cancellation of the 2020-21 OHL season.

Instead of getting the chance to be a leading player on an OHL franchise in the lead-up to the draft, Cardwell, like many other OHLers, went overseas. He played for Surahammars IF, a club in HockeyEttan, which is the third level of Swedish hockey below HockeyAllsvenskan.

His time in Sweden went well, and he scored 27 points in just 18 games, but without an OHL season his chance to truly rise on draft boards had been lost. He was selected in the fourth round, and went back to Barrie to play two more seasons.

Last year, Cardwell scored 23 goals and 58 points in 49 games, and then this season his production ramped up quite a bit to the tune of 43 goals and 90 points in 62 games. Cardwell’s strong OHL performances earned him recognition as the Sharks organization’s Prospect of the Year, and is likely what has earned him this entry-level deal.

With such a major offensive explosion last season, it’s likely that Cardwell is best served developmentally by turning pro in the fall. Playing in the AHL is quite a bit of a step up from the OHL in terms of competition, but Cardwell has risen to the occasion throughout his junior career and will be a prospect to watch for Sharks fans moving forward.

Detroit Red Wings Reassign Amadeus Lombardi To AHL

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In a release Wednesday morning, the Detroit Red Wings announced they have reassigned center Amadeus Lombardi to the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins from the OHL’s Flint Firebirds.

Lombardi had an impressive season with the Firebirds after the Red Wings selected him in the fourth round (113th overall) of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. The 19-year-old skated in 67 games and led the team in all major offensive categories with 45 goals, 57 assists, and 102 points.

His more supplementary stats also ranked among the team’s leaders, recording a +23 rating, 10 power-play goals, 24 power-play points, two shorthanded goals, five game-winning goals, and 207 shots. Lombardi finished third in the OHL’s scoring race and became the first player in Flint franchise history to reach the 100-point plateau. He also recorded seven points (five goals, two assists) in seven postseason contests.

Lombardi was initially eligible for the 2021 NHL Draft. However, he wasn’t selected after the COVID-related shutdown cost him what would’ve been his first OHL season. After recording 59 points in 67 games with Flint in 2021-22, Detroit selected him as an over-age player.

He signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the team in December 2022. The deal will slide to next season after Lombardi didn’t play in any NHL games in 2022-23.

A small but skilled center, Lombardi will likely return to Flint for his third season of junior hockey in 2023-24. While Grand Rapids sits last in their division and is eliminated from playoff contention in the AHL, Lombardi will get his first taste of professional hockey over the team’s two remaining games.

Evening Notes: Saginaw, Gold, Després

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Jeff Marek of Sportsnet is reporting that the Saginaw Spirit will host the 2024 Memorial Cup. The four-team tournament will take place outside of Canada for the first time in 26 years. The last time the tournament was hosted in the United States was 1998 when Spokane held the tournament that was eventually won by Portland.

Four other OHL teams were in the bidding for the event, the Kingston Frontenacs, the Niagara IceDogs, and the Soo Greyhounds were all unsuccessful in their attempts to secure the sought after event. With their winning bid now in hand, Saginaw is already planning to make some major renovations to the infrastructure of their building, including a new ceiling, a renovated media suite, as well as new VIP suites.

The 2023 Memorial Cup will take place May 25 to June 4 in Kamloops, B.C.

In other news from around the hockey world:

  • The Boston Bruins have announced that Evan Gold will be the new General Manager of the Providence Bruins. Gold is in his eighth season in the Bruins organization and is currently the Assistant General Manager to Don Sweeney. Gold will continue to work closely with Sweeney in the day-to-day operations of the Bruins NHL squad, while simultaneously running the day-to-day operations of the AHL club. Prior to joining Boston in 2015, Gold also spent eight seasons in the Washington Capitals organization as a Hockey Operations Assistant.
  • Former Pittsburgh Penguin Simon Després has been released by his Austrian club Villacher SV after just one season. Després was a first round pick of the Penguins back in 2009 and made the jump to the NHL rather quickly in 2011-12. Després battled injuries and inconsistency while he was a Penguin, but it was after he was traded to Anaheim that concussion issues began to emerge, and he was eventually bought out by the Ducks. Després struggled to find his offensive game in Austria scoring just 15 points in 43 games. At just 31 years of age, Després likely has lots of hockey left in him, but he will most likely have to continue playing abroad if he wants to keep his career going.

Snapshots: Tortorella, Moore, Capitals

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The Philadelphia Flyers have a long offseason ahead of them, figuring out what to do in the front office after firing Chuck Fletcher a few days ago. One of the people that figures to be there—regardless of how the titles shake out—is Daniel Briere, who took over as interim general manager in Fletcher’s absence.

In that case, you can also keep John Tortorella’s name jotted down in pen for next year. Briere spoke with Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports today, and explained that Tortorella was his first choice to coach the Flyers last year and is “the man for the job” still. The veteran coach signed a four-year deal worth $16MM last June.

  • There’s an interesting name among those invited to the 2023 National Team Development Program evaluation camp later this month: William Moore. The Toronto native holds dual citizenship and is nearing a crossroads in his hockey career. He is a potential first-overall selection in the OHL draft if he indicates that is the path he’ll follow. He could also join the NTDP or USHL to maintain his college eligibility. Just 15, he isn’t eligible for the NHL Draft until 2025.
  • With how well Rasmus Sandin has played in the early going for the Washington Capitals, the team may have found an inexpensive option for big minutes on the blueline next year. As Tarik El-Bashir of The Athletic writes, that would open up money for the team’s biggest offseason target, a top-six forward (or two). The group currently has Craig Smith, Conor Sheary, Connor Brown, and Carl Hagelin all scheduled for unrestricted free agency this summer, opening up plenty of room for a significant addition.

Vancouver Canucks Sign Kirill Kudryavtsev

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The Vancouver Canucks have signed defenseman Kirill Kudryavtsev to a three-year entry-level contract, per a team release.

Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin issued the following statement regarding the signing:

Kirill has had a good season so far and our development team has been happy with his progress in the OHL. Our group looks forward to the opportunity to continue to work with him and get him ready for a pro career.

Allvin is entirely correct to say that Kudryavtsev has had a good season. The 2022 seventh-round pick has scored 45 points in 60 games for the Soo Greyhounds, a healthy increase from the 39 points in 68 games he scored in his rookie OHL season.

The Yaroslavl, Russia native doesn’t offer premier size standing at five-foot-eleven but he’s got a capable two-way game that should more easily translate to the professional game than some of the more high-octane styles of his peers in junior hockey.

Kudryavtsev has an entry-level deal in hand now, one that begins next season and pays him a league-minimum $775k base salary in the NHL, $80k in the minors (where he will likely spend time developing his game before he’s an NHL possibility) and a 75k signing bonus, according to CapFriendly.

With it, he’ll be able to enter Vancouver’s farm system and look to make a name for himself in what is a relatively thin Canucks defensive prospect pool.

Dallas Stars Sign Kyle McDonald

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The Dallas Stars have signed prospect forward Kyle McDonald to a three-year entry-level contract, according to a team announcement. McDonald is an undrafted 21-year-old forward who last season served as an alternate captain for the OHL’s North Bay Battalion.

McDonald spent the preseason in rookie camp and training camp with his hometown Ottawa Senators, although they ultimately were not the ones to sign him to an entry-level deal. Instead, he signs with the Stars, who in turn add a big winger with some intriguing physical tools.

The 21-year-old scored 28 goals and 45 points in 38 games for the Battalion this season, and also scored above a point-per-game rate the year before. Standing six-foot-four, 217 pounds McDonald offers the size and strength at the winger position that many teams covet. He’s also a former teammate of Stars rookie Wyatt Johnston, meaning that connection may have informed the Stars’ willingness to complete this deal.

Now aged-out of junior hockey, he’ll begin his pro career next season and in all likelihood spent time with their AHL affiliate, the Texas Stars, attempting to develop his game.

He’s missed quite a bit of time due to a combination of injuries and the COVID-19 pandemic wiping out an entire OHL season, but now with his entry-level deal in hand he’ll be afforded a solid runway to grow his skills and attempt to develop into a quality pro player.

Dallas Stars Sign Christian Kyrou

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The Dallas Stars have announced that they have signed prospect defenseman Christian Kyrou to a three-year entry-level contract. Per the team announcement, the contract will begin next season.

Kyrou, the brother of St. Louis Blues star Jordan Kyrou, currently plays in the OHL for the Sarnia Sting, having been traded there earlier this year from the Erie Otters. Kyrou was the 50th overall pick in last year’s draft after a draft season where he scored 60 points in 68 games.

This season, Kyrou has scored 67 points in 56 games across both teams. He’s the fifth-ranked prospect in the Stars’ system according to The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler, (subscription link) and has drawn praise for his high skill level and offensive ability.

Kyrou was born September 15th 2003, meaning he missed the cutoff for eligibility for the 2021 draft by just a day. That may have worked quite a bit in his favor, though, as he missed the entire 2020-21 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which wiped out the OHL’s season. Additionally, the NHL-CHL transfer agreement stipulates that CHL prospects aged 20 or older by December 31st are eligible for assignment to the American Hockey League that season.

Since Kyrou will turn 20 in the middle of September next season, the Stars could have the option to send him to their AHL affiliate, the Texas Stars, rather than have him play another season in the OHL.

He could also, of course, make the Stars out of training camp, but that seems relatively unlikely seeing as the Stars already have 2019 first-round pick Thomas Harley eager to claim a spot on the left side of their defense, as well as Miro Heiskanen, Esa Lindell, and Ryan Suter already on the roster as established left-shot options.

The Stars had a two-year window to sign Kyrou to an entry-level deal before he would be eligible to re-enter the draft,  but such a possibility was quickly taken out of the picture by Kyrou’s stellar performance in the OHL. He’s a promising young defenseman and his official entry into the Stars organization should be cause for excitement among Dallas fans.

OHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs Announce Temporary Relocation To Brantford

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The defending OHL champions will be on the move next season. The Hamilton Bulldogs announced plans for a temporary relocation to Brantford, Ontario, today, with their home arena in Hamilton set to go through a long-term closure and renovation.

While the relocation to Brantford is technically temporary, the team fully embraces the geographical shift. For the time being, the franchise will change its name and branding to the Brantford Bulldogs.

Team owner Michael Andlauer, who has previously been linked in discussions to purchase the Ottawa Senators, gave the following statement:

We are so thankful for the enthusiastic and immediate response from Mayor Davis, Brantford Council and city staff. Together, we have been able to make a home for the Bulldogs in a short and unexpected period of time.

Hamilton’s home arena, the FirstOntario Centre, is set to close for 20 months starting in late summer. Based on the timeline, the door is open for the Bulldogs to return to Hamilton for the 2025-26 season.

Unfortunately for Hamilton, most of the core which won the 2022 OHL championship has moved on — such is the turn of the tide in junior hockey. With top prospects such as Mason Mctavish, Arber Xhekaj, and Jan Mysak turning pro, the team is floating around the .500 mark in 2022-23 and sold at the league’s trade deadline last month.

While the Bulldogs are struggling this season, they still boast a pair of NHL-affiliated prospects in Jorian Donovan (OTT) and Artem Grushnikov (DAL). Both players could return when the franchise opens up in Brantford next year.

Montreal Canadiens Recall Owen Beck On Emergency Basis

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The Montreal Canadiens have made a bit of a surprise move, recalling prospect forward Owen Beck from the OHL’s Peterborough Petes on an emergency basis. Per the team’s announcement, Beck will join the Canadiens in Ottawa, where he will possibly make his NHL debut.

Beck, who will turn 19 years old in a week, is one of the Canadiens’ more highly-regarded prospects. Beck was the first pick on day two of the 2022 NHL draft, 33rd overall, and was ranked in the first-round mix by multiple publications.

Scouts raved about Beck’s responsible two-way game, mature character, faceoff acumen, and possible offensive upside. While Beck has had a slow start in Peterborough after a blockbuster mid-season trade, he scored 41 points in 30 games this year for the Mississauga Steelheads.

Beck had an impressive training camp and preseason in the fall and later earned his way onto Canada’s Gold Medal-winning World Junior Championship team, after being initially excluded from their main lineup. While this recall is hardly great news for the Petes, who paid multiple players and draft picks to acquire Beck, it does speak to the high opinion the Canadiens organization seems to hold of their recent second-round pick.

The Canadiens have suffered significant injuries to their forward corps, and this recall comes after earlier today when the Canadiens’ three established centers, Nick Suzuki, Kirby Dach, and Christian Dvorak, each missed practice for treatments. If one of those three centers is unable to play for the Canadiens in their next game, Beck could see time down the middle.

Otherwise, he could shift to the wing and give the Canadiens the opportunity to play with six defensemen. The team had been operating with seven blueliners for many recent games, but with Joel Edmundson possibly injured as well, the addition of Beck gives coach Martin St. Louis new options with how to structure his gameday lineup.

The NHL-CHL’s agreement for emergency recalls gives Beck a maximum of five games to play with the Canadiens. Since the team has two games and then a break, and since the agreement stipulates that he cannot miss more than one OHL game, it’s likely that Beck will be back in Peterborough in short order.

Snapshots: Tolvanen, Mintyukov, Matthews

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When the Nashville Predators put Eeli Tolvanen on waivers earlier this season, it surprised a lot of the hockey world. Sure, he hadn’t found a ton of success yet, but Tolvanen was just 23 and had a ton of obvious scoring talent. Since being claimed by the Seattle Kraken, the young forward has three goals and five points in five games, leading to some interesting comments from Predators general manager David Poile on Nashville radio this morning:

Did we give him enough opportunities? Should we have played him higher? Time will tell. Seattle plays differently than us – they rotate their four lines equally. Offensively they have put him in a higher position.

This could be a mistake on our part. That’s on me if he turns out to be really successful. But we thought we tried him on a lot of different areas, different places. We really hoped we could get him through on waivers so he could play in Milwaukee a bit. 

In Tolvanen’s 135 games with the Predators over parts of five seasons, he received 16 or more minutes of ice time just 19 times. While it’s gone well early for him in Seattle, it should be noted that they too are limiting his ice time – he’s averaging just 12:32 through five games, less than he received in Nashville.

  • The Ottawa 67’s have added another top talent, acquiring Anaheim Ducks’ prospect Pavel Mintyukov from the Saginaw Spirit. The 19-year-old defenseman was the 10th overall pick in last summer’s draft and scored 54 points in 37 games for Saginaw before the move. It’s a package of nine picks going the other way, including three second-rounders.
  • Auston Matthews was missing from Toronto Maple Leafs practice today, and while head coach Sheldon Keefe told reporters including David Alter of Sports Illustrated that it was a maintenance day, the star forward will be a game-time decision for tomorrow’s match against the Predators.

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