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Minor Transactions: 09/21/21

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Today certainly had a flurry of big-name news, a rarity for this time of year. But even through the Kirill Kaprizov contracts and the Elvis Merzlikins extensions of the world, NHL teams have made a flurry of minor transactions today in preparation for training camps. As camps begin and rosters are announced, players still without a confirmed home for next season will pop up across the league. Here are some of today’s minor transactions:

  • The expansion Seattle Kraken have added a good bit of depth on try-out deals. The team’s invited Tye Kartye and Cole Mackay of the Soo Greyhounds to camp, as well as Francis Marotte of the ECHL’s Allen Americans. Kartye and Mackay, both forwards, have been teammates with the Soo since 2018. Both haven’t played hockey since the 2019-20 season due to the OHL’s shutdown in 2020-21. They were both on the path to success, however, potting over 50 points individually. They’ll gain some valuable experience at an NHL camp. Marotte, a 26-year-old netminder, comes in after just one season of professional hockey. He impressed in the ECHL this year, boasting an 8-3-1 record and .917 save percentage.
  • The Vegas Golden Knights have added a trio of their own on tryouts, headlined by defenseman Ian McCoshen. Now 26, the former second-round pick by Florida now hasn’t seen NHL action since 2018-19. He’s unlikely to see NHL ice within the Vegas organization, one of the deepest defenses in the league, but could be a solid AHL body if he ends up signing with the team. They’ve also brought in OHLers Kaleb Pearson and Daniel D’Amato. Pearson scored 52 points in 62 games in 2019-20 with the Owen Sound Attack, and he’s headed to Prince Edward Island to play collegiate hockey this season. D’Amato will suit up for his Erie Otters again this year after scoring 32 points in 63 games back in 2019-20.

Minor Transactions: 09/14/21

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The late off-season is certainly not a time known for big moves in the NHL, but behind the scenes there are a number of players making very difficult decisions as the season draws near. Sometimes the summer has not turned out how they expected an a tough call must be made on a new direction. Other times a long-considered decision reaches a head and a player must make a leap. Whatever the situation, don’t miss out on minor yet notable moves still occuring as we approach the beginning of training camps and preseason action:

  • Liam Kirk 2.0? As one Brit gets ready for his first pro season in North America, another is about to make the jump to the top of the junior ranks. The U.K. is a rare spot for hockey talent, which is why Kirk’s draft selection and upcoming campaign with the Arizona Coyotes has drawn so much attention. Now, Alex Graham is hoping to follow in his footsteps. Despite playing almost exclusively in England thus far in his young career, Graham drew the attention of at least one Canadian junior team as he was selected by the OHL’s Niagara Ice Dogs in the second round of the 2021 CHL Import Draft. Today Niagara announced that Graham has signed on with the team and will make his North American debut this season. While much is still unknown about Graham, the 18-year-old has produced in the U.K. and certainly has appealing size. There is still time for him to show what he can do and draw some NHL Draft interest over the next year or two.
  • Blake Hillman will be back in the ECHL next season, signing a one-year deal with the Toledo Walleye. A cautionary tale for college players, Hillman left the University of Denver a year early to sign with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2018. The defenseman even burned the first season of his two-year ELC that spring, playing in four games with Chicago. A disappointing AHL season later, Hillman was off an NHL contract and could not even contend for an AHL pact and seemingly remains in the same situation now. The two-way blue liner likely could have used that extra year of development in the NCAA before he was thrown into the flames of the pro game.
  • Former AHL defenseman and long-time Swedish standout Sebastian Erixon has decided to call it a career at just 32. The talented but oft-injured defenseman has had an up-and-down career but excelled when healthy, both in the SHL and in a 2011-12 season spent with the Chicago Wolves. However, the injuries have become too much and forced the Farjestad captain into early retirement, the team announced. Erixon’s is a career with plenty of what-ifs, as he flashed NHL talent over a solid career in Sweden but could never string together enough top-notch, healthy seasons to make himself a legitimate contract candidate.

Snapshots: Fantilli, Avalanche, Tocchet

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Everyone wants a piece of top 2023 NHL Draft prospect Adam Fantilli, even those who probably don’t have a reasonable shot at him. The Ontario native made his development plans clear when he spurned the OHL for the USHL and then solidified his intent by committing to the University of Michigan last month. However, at least one team back home in Ontario is still hoping that he changes his mind. The North Bay Battalion have announced that they have acquired the OHL rights to Fantilli from the Saginaw Spirit in exchange for a package of picks. While most of the selections are conditional, Saginaw will at least land a 2022 sixth-round pick outright (not to mention the 2022 compensatory first-rounder already heading their way based on Fantilli’s “defected status.) Should North Bay’s gamble pay off, the Spirit would receive a 2024 second-round pick and 2025 second-round pick if Fantilli plays an OHL game in 2023-24 and an additional 2023 third-round pick and 2024 fourth-round pick if he plays any earlier. With Fantilli expected to join the Michigan Wolverines next year, it is highly unlikely that Saginaw will receive all four conditional picks. However, if the NCAA does not go as planned or if Fantilli decides to turn pro immediately after being drafted but is reassigned to the OHL, there is a slight chance that they could land those second-rounders. In reality though, Fantilli will likely shine at the college level and either be on an NHL roster or leading Michigan for one last season in 2023-24. The big scoring center is still worth the risk for North Bay, but the odds of a payoff are low.

  • The Colorado Avalanche have revealed a coaching shake-up in the minor league ranks. Brett Clark, assistant coach for the AHL’s Colorado Eagles, will be unable to coach this season due to “new league protocols”. This implies that Clark is unvaccinated and cannot work with players during the 2021-22 campaign. In his place, Colorado has promoted Tim Branham, the head coach of their ECHL affiliate, the Utah Grizzlies, to the AHL assistant position. Branham, 40, has held the head coach as well as GM role for the Grizzlies since 2013 but will finally get a chance to show what he can do at the next level. The team release notes that Clark hopes to return to coaching as soon as possible.
  • The top free agent coach right now is very likely Rick Tocchet, who mutually parted ways with the Arizona Coyotes this off-season and was a finalist for seemingly every other vacancy across the league. PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan writes that Tocchet did have at least two offers to serve as an assistant in the NHL, but decided to go in a different direction. Tocchet has joined TNT as a studio analyst, Morgan notes, and will work alongside Wayne Gretzky during the network’s weekly broadcast. That is, until another head coach position opens up. Tocchet felt that he had to stay close to the game to stay relevant as a coaching candidate, but decided that working as an analyst could accomplish that goal. “It’s an opportunity to stay in the game, learn more about the game and reinvent yourself,” Tocchet said. “I think that every year, coaches have to hit the refresh button on something. You can’t bring the same thing to the table every year. You’ve got to learn new things because the game is always changing; players are always changing.” A former standout two-way forward in addition to an experienced coach, Tocchet will bring a lot to the analyst position – for however long it lasts.

 

West Notes: Yamamoto, Demers, Olausson

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This weekend continues to be a slow one for the hockey news cycle. With less than two weeks until the start of preseason, teams and players remain in limbo alike on remaining negotiations. One of the more prominent restricted free agents remaining is Edmonton Oilers forward Kailer Yamamoto, who needs a new deal after scoring eight goals and 21 points in 52 games last season. It’s a step back in production after he broke onto the scene in 2019-20, scoring 26 points in just 27 games. But as names like Joel Farabee and Drake Batherson, both decent comparables to Yamamoto, have signed larger, longer-term contracts recently, The Edmonton Journal’s Jim Matheson surmises that this likely won’t be the case for Yamamoto. As the addition of Zach Hyman and Warren Foegele into the picture puts Yamamoto’s top-six role in a small amount of jeopardy, combined with a tight salary cap picture for the Oilers, Matheson suggests Tyson Jost’s two-year, $2MM cap hit deal as a closer comparable for the former first-round pick. As of now, that deal would still push Edmonton over the maximum $4.17MM that they’ll be able to exceed the cap by due to Oscar Klefbom being placed on long-term injured reserve. Edmonton is listed as having a full 23-man roster on CapFriendly, though, and could send players like William Lagesson and Brendan Perlini to the minors to become cap-compliant.

Elsewhere from around the Western Conference:

  • PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan writes that unsigned free agent defenseman Jason Demers is still skating in Arizona, hoping to land an NHL role for the upcoming season. While Demers was never known for his offensive production, he scored only four assists in 41 games this year and saw his ice time dip below 20 minutes a night for the first time since 2016-17. His defensive game struggled this season as the 32-year-old defender combatted injury but still remains an effective third-pairing option. Morgan also notes that once Demers is done in the NHL, he plans to make a stop in the Swiss National League, noting it’s always had an appeal to him.
  • The Athletic’s Peter Baugh reports that Avalanche prospect Oskar Olausson has confirmed his intention to join the OHL’s Barrie Colts this season. Attending Avalanche development camp at the moment, Olausson signed his entry-level contract at the end of August. While he was a first-round pick this last season (28th overall), it was unlikely that he’d make the team out of training camp, and now confirms that he won’t return to Europe, reaffirming the news from late August that he’d joined Barrie.

Canadian Notes: Tkachuk, Brown, Tullio

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Training camps are mere days away for all 32 teams in the NHL now as we enter the second week of September. The upcoming season comes with an added sense of anticipation for Canadian teams, some of which will have fans in the stands for the first time since March of 2020. One team with signs of promise this year is the Ottawa Senators, who seemed to catch lightning in a bottle at the end of last season and went on an unexpected run to finish 23rd in the league. A huge reason for that success was Brady Tkachuk, who remains without a contract heading into the 2021-22 campaign. TSN’s Shawn Simpson now reports that Tkachuk won’t travel back to Ottawa until a contract is done and that no progress has been made since it was reported that the team and player were at a deadlock. The 21-year-old American has been the epitome of consistency since breaking into the league with Ottawa, making himself an integral part of the team and a potential candidate for the captaincy. His importance on and off the ice can’t be understated, and this situation dragging out into the camp and the season will surely negatively affect the team’s performance.

More from around Canada:

  • An additional report from Shawn Simpson regards the future of prospect Logan Brown. While he’s been involved in many trade discussions recently, he won’t be returning to Ottawa this season no matter what. If a deal can’t be reached, it’s likely the 23-year-old will play the season in Sweden and continue his development there. Drafted 11th overall in 2016, Brown’s only received limited looks at the NHL level, scoring nine points in 30 career games (only played in one game this season). More ice time in a professional setting could do wonders to spark his career moving forward.
  • The Edmonton Oilers announced this morning that they’ve signed forward Tyler Tullio to his entry-level contract. Tullio, a fifth-round selection of the team in 2020, was one of many players affected by the OHL’s shutdown last season due to COVID-19. He’ll be returning to the Oshawa Generals this season in all likelihood, looking to build on his 66 points in 62 games that he scored during his draft year. He did show immense promise on loan overseas this season, scoring 13 points in 19 games with HK 32 Liptovsky Mikulas in the Slovakian Extraliga. Per PuckPedia, the three-year entry-level deal has a cap hit of $843,000.

Logan Mailloux Suspended Indefinitely By OHL

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Montreal Canadiens’ first-round pick Logan Mailloux won’t be starting the year with the London Knights after all. The OHL has handed Mailloux an indefinite suspension for violating the league’s “expectation of the appropriate conduct of an OHL player.” He can apply for reinstatement to the league on or after January 1, 2022 and a decision on his reinstatement will be based in part on his conduct since returning to Canada, the appropriate treatment, counseling, mentoring, and or education he receives from the date of today’s decision.

Mailloux, 18, was charged with taking and distributing an offensive photo without consent during a sexual encounter last year while playing in Sweden. He attempted to renounce himself from the 2021 NHL Draft, issuing a statement asking all 32 teams to not select him, but the Canadiens used the 31st overall pick on him anyway.

At the time, Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin released a statement explaining that though they were aware of the situation, the team would make “a commitment to accompany Logan on his journey by providing him with the tools to mature and the necessary support to guide him in his development.”

When Mailloux attempted to renounce himself from the draft, he indicated in a statement that he wanted to return to London and play a season with the Knights while demonstrating “an adequate level of maturity and character.” He will no longer get that chance, at least through the end of the calendar year.

Prospect Notes: Tuomaala, Mercuri, St. Louis

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Philadelphia Flyers fans could get a closer look at recent second-round pick Samu Tuomaala much sooner than expected. Speaking at the team’s development camp today, Tuomaala told the media including The Athletic’s Charlie O’Connor that he will be playing in North America this season. The Finnish forward actually hopes to play in the AHL (or NHL), but if not will suit up for the OHL’s Sudbury Wolves, his CHL right holder. O’Connor speculates that a decision could be made shortly, with it being more likely he plays junior rather than pro as an 18-year-old, but Tuomaala could have the opportunity to change minds in training camp as well. The No. 46 overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, Tuomaala was a first-round caliber talent. A gifted shooter with speed and aggression, the only knocks on Tuomaala are his size and hockey IQ both of which could hinder him in the AHL and hurt his development. Sometime pure talent comes out on top though. Keep an eye on Tuomaala this fall.

  • Do the QMJHL’s Saint John Sea Dogs know something that no one else does? Or are they simply enamored with a 2020 Carolina draft pick? The Sea Dogs have announced that they have acquired Hurricanes prospect Lucas Mercuri as well as fellow forward Olivier Picard and a 2024 seventh-round pick from the Val-d’Or Foreurs in exchange for a 2022 second-round pick and 2024 fifth-round pick. This trade would be more than fair given Mercuri’s ability (36 points in 45 USHL games last year) if not for one crucial detail: Mercuri is committed to UMass and is expected to play in the NCAA this season. There has been no word to the contrary, as by all accounts Mercuri is enrolling in Amherst and playing for the Minutemen this year. After spending the past three years in U.S. playing prep school hockey in Connecticut and then suiting up for the USHL’s Des Moines Buccaneers last season, it certainly seems that the Montreal native is committed to an NCAA development path. So then why give up a top pick? The answer is not Picard, who has 15 points in 77 career QMJHL games, so Saint John either sees enough in the upside of Mercuri to take a shot or they have inside information about a potential unexpected move to the major junior ranks.
  • A new Boston collegiate rivalry is brewing. Lucas St. Louis, son of Hall of Famer Martin St. Louis, has committed to play his college hockey at Harvard. St. Louis’ USHL team, the Dubuque Fighting Saints, announced that their incoming recruit has made his commitment to the Crimson, though the 16-year-old will very likely play at least two USHL seasons before joining Harvard in 2023-24. However, older brother Ryan St. Louis will still be in town, as he is joining Northeastern this season. A graduate of the USNTDP and a surprise absence from the 2021 NHL Draft, St. Louis is a major recruit for the Huskies and could be drafted in 2022 but will very likely play all four years at Northeastern. That will provide some crossover for the brothers as they compete for cross-town rivals. Though Harvard and Northeastern do not share a conference, they do compete in the Beanpot Tournament each year and could easily have scheduled non-conference matchups or NCAA Tournament regional clashes. The sons of an electrifying NHLer, the St. Louis brothers bear watching over the next several years, both as college contributors and potential future pros.

OHL Will See Influx Of 2021 NHL Draft Selections For 2021-22

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After a year that saw a straight-up canceled season, one of the most prestigious junior programs in the world will see an influx of talent for the 2021-22 campaign. The Canadian Hockey League as a whole has received some welcome news over the past few days, as high-end prospects from the 2021 NHL Draft have signed on to play with various teams in the CHL next season. Today, Stanislav Svozil, a third-round pick of Columbus, added himself to that list. We’ll dive into a list of notable first-rounders from the 2021 Draft who are expected to be returning to the OHL or coming there for the first time after stints elsewhere last season.

F Mason McTavish (Anaheim Ducks, 3rd overall) – A somewhat surprising selection, the 6′ 2″, 207-pound power forward will be among the OHL’s biggest stars when the league resumes play after a lost 2020-21 season. McTavish played last season on loan with EHC Olten in the second-tier Swiss League, and impressed with 11 points in 13 regular-season games and seven points in just four playoff games. With an impressive 11 points in seven games for Canada’s U18 squad, serving as their captain during the U18 World Championships, McTavish comes back to his Peterborough Petes as the team’s best and most dynamic forward. He’ll look to improve on his rookie season with the team in 2019-20, in which he scored 29 goals and 42 points in 57 games.

D Brandt Clarke (Los Angeles Kings, 8th overall) – One of the most dynamic defensemen in the draft, Clarke fell all the way to Los Angeles at eighth overall, a lucky break for an already stacked prospect pool. Clarke, property of the OHL’s Barrie Colts, spent the 2020-21 campaign on loan with HC Nove Zamky in Slovakia’s Tipos Extraliga. Posting 15 points in 26 games, the two-way defender flaunted his skating ability on a professional stage. The immense growth in his game overseas will surely be on full display this year in Barrie.

F Brennan Othmann (New York Rangers, 16th overall) – A teammate of McTavish’s with EHC Olten in 2020-21, Othmann looks to bring his elite shot back to the OHL for 2021-22 with the Flint Firebirds. Othmann was able to score some decent playing time in Switzerland, posting 16 points in 34 regular-season games. Those numbers in a professional setting lead many to believe that Othmann will improve on his 17 goals and 33 points that Othmann put up in 55 games with Flint in 2019-20.

F Oskar Olausson (Colorado Avalanche, 28th overall) – Joining Clarke with the Barrie Colts, Olausson is somewhat of a surprise addition to this list. The newly-minted Avalanche prospect has spent the entirety of his career in his native Sweden, yet his decision to move to North America signals a desire to join the Avalanche organization professionally as soon as possible. Picked up by Barrie in the OHL’s Import Draft, Olausson will find more opportunity there than he would have overseas, especially after his HV71 team was relegated to the second-tier Allsvenskan for the upcoming season. His offense should help create an extremely strong attack in Barrie, who’ll have one of the deeper teams in the league next season.

 

Morning Notes: Laberge, Savard, Michkov

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The Maine Mariners have signed Pascal Laberge to a minor league deal, after the Philadelphia Flyers failed to extend him a qualifying offer this summer. The 23-year-old forward was selected 36th overall in 2016 but has yet to really establish himself in professional hockey. In 14 games with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms this season, Laberge recorded just three goals and four points.

It’s not too late for Laberge to develop into a strong AHL player, but the idea that he will ever be an NHL option is quickly disappearing. Given the fact that German Rubtsov, he of four career NHL games, was the team’s first-round pick that season you might think the 2016 class is a write-off for Philadelphia. Not so, as the four picks after Laberge have all played in the NHL, including a goaltender by the name of Carter Hart, selected 48th overall.

  • One of junior hockey’s biggest programs is getting a high-profile coach, as Marc Savard has been hired by the Windsor Spitfires of the OHL as head coach. Savard had 706 points in 807 NHL games, including a pair of 95+ point seasons before his career was cut short by concussion issues. He served as an assistant coach with the St. Louis Blues in 2019-20, but this will be his first chance to run a high-level program. The Spitfires have won the Memorial Cup three times, most recently in 2017 when they had players like Mikhail Sergachev and Gabriel Vilardi leading the way. Savard has his own history of success in the OHL, twice leading the league in scoring (with 139 and 130 points) for the Oshawa Generals.
  • Matvei Michkov, a name you will hear more and more in the coming years, is making his debut for the senior SKA St. Petersburg squad today. Why is that impressive? Well, Michkov is just 16 years old and not eligible for the NHL Draft until 2023. The dynamic winger has carved through the Russian junior system scoring at will and was a big reason why his team won gold at the recent Hlinka-Gretzky Cup. While there are several incredible prospects set to be eligible in that 2023 draft, Michkov has a real shot to compete for the top spot.

Avs’ Oskar Olausson Joins OHL’s Barrie Colts

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Oskar Olausson is making a change to his development path. The Colorado Avalanche’s 2021 first-round pick is making the jump to North America after playing exclusively in Sweden to this point. And while Olausson, who signed his entry-level contract earlier this month, will likely be in training camp with the Avs, it is unlikely that he will play in the pros this season. Instead, the OHL’s Barrie Colts have announced that Olausson has signed with the team and the press release implies that they expect him to be on the roster this season.

Olausson, the No. 28 overall pick last month, was selected in the first round of the NHL Draft in July but actually slipped to Barrie in the second round of the CHL Import Draft in June. A top draft talent who played professionally for much of last season, including spending time in the SHL with HV71, most CHL teams likely felt that Olausson was not a realistic target to switch to the major junior route. The Colts’ gamble will pay off, as they add one of the best players of the draft class and arguably the best non-pro prospect that the Avalanche own. Olausson joins fellow first round pick Brandt Clarke (LAK) and recent overage selection Ethan Cardwell (SJS) on a Barrie roster that hopes to make waves in the OHL’s return to action.

A slick skater and creative offensive talent, Olausson’s ability is apparent. However, the 6’2″ winger also has size and adjusting to the North American game prior to being thrown into the pro fire could be a massive boost to his development. Olausson won’t be leaving Sweden behind entirely this season either; the top prospect is likely to star for his country at the World Junior Championships as well. If all goes well at NHL training camp, at the WJC, and in his debut season in the OHL, it may not be out of the realm of possibility that he lands in Colorado next season.

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