Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

OHL

Overseas Notes: Guskov, Kochetkov, Postma

at CDT | by 1 Comment

Minnesota Wild prospect Matvey Guskov has reversed course on his development plan, and in a big way. The 19-year-old Russian forward, a fifth-round pick in 2019, has spent the past two seasons in the OHL with the London Knights. Even after an off-season trade to the North Bay Battalion, there was no indication that Guskov planned to leave North America. Whether due to the delayed start to the OHL season or for some other reason, that has now changed. Guskov has signed with the KHL’s CSKA Moscow, the top team of the program that he grew up in. However, this is not just until the OHL season resumes or even just for the 2020-21 season. CSKA has announced a three-year contract with Guskov, keeping him in Russia – and away from Minnesota – until at least 2023. The Wild are no strangers to playing the waiting game with Russian prospects; the club was finally able to sign 2015 pick turned KHL superstar Kirill Kaprizov this year. CSKA is one of the KHL’s best clubs and Guskov could very well beneift from his time spent there. However, it has to be frustrating for Minnesota to have another talented player skip out of team control and into the Russian void, especially one that seemed committed to the North American development route.

  • Since he was selected in the second round by the Carolina Hurricanes, things have not gone according to plan for goaltender Petr Kotchetkov.  The Hurricanes were happy to take the overager early in the second round in 2019 after he dominated the Russian minor league VHL and looked strong in a pair of KHL starts. However, he failed to take a step forward last season; his VHL numbers improved, but he struggled in his KHL opportunities and was eventually traded away by powerhouse SKA St. Petersburg. His play improved somewhat with Vityaz Podolsk, but he was still demoted to the junior-level MHL for some time as well, where he continued to struggle. So far this season, Kotchetkov had played exclusively on the KHL with Vityaz, however his play has again failed to live up to expectations. As a result, Kotchektov has been demoted to the VHL. He is headed back to HK Ryazan, the same team he made his name with in his draft year, showing full circle how the prospect has failed to improve since then. With a very weak pipeline in net and questions at the NHL level in the immediate future, the Hurricanes need to decide whether Kotchetkov, 21,  is still their potential goalie of the future and if so may need to bring him over to North America soon to try to get him back on track.
  • Defenseman Paul Postma has been unable to stay in one place for very long since leaving the NHL and is on the move again. The veteran over more than 200 NHL games with the Winnipeg Jets and Boston Bruins, Postma left North America 2017-18 after he was used sparingly by the Bruins. He landed with the KHL’s Ak Bars Kazan, where he was an All-Star and one of the best defensemen in the league in 2018-19. He jumped to Metallurg Magnitogosk last summer on a lucrative one-year deal, but ended up leaving the club early in the season. He eventually signed with HC Lugano of the Swiss NLA where he was again a productive player on the blue line. Yet, Postma opted not to stay in Switzerland either. Possibly waiting for an NHL offer, Postma has remained a free agent well into the seasons of many European leagues. He has finally landed with Austrian club Klagenfurter AC, where he should again be a dominant presence on a one-year deal. What happens after this contract expires is anyone’s guess, but Postma should have his pick in Europe if the interest in North America continues to be underwhelming.

Minor Transactions: 12/05/20

at CDT | by 1 Comment

With a mix of some leagues currently in action, others preparing to start, some postponing play, and others still trying to sort it all out, there has been a constant stream of minor moves with players jumping from league to league via signing, loan, reassignment, and more. Today has been no exception, as a number of players are on the move:

  • With the ECHL planning to get underway next week, some NHL and AHL players have begun to be reassigned to the “AA” level to get a jumpstart on their seasons and many more moves are likely to come over the next few days. For now, the Boston Bruins have made the decision on a pair of young players, assigning goaltender Kyle Keyser and forward Matt Filipe to the Jacksonville Icemen, the Bruins’ temporary affiliate for this season. Keyser, 21, saw very limited action last year in his first pro season but the former OHL standout is looking to prove with his  play this year that he too belongs in the “goalie of the future” conversation with top prospects Dan Vladar and Jeremy Swayman. Filipe, 22, is set to make his pro debut after signing with the Bruins out of nearby Northeastern University. The former Carolina Hurricanes prospect plays with size and a nose for the net, which served him well as a reliable producer in the NCAA.
  • A pair of Oshawa Generals stars are getting their seasons started overseas. With the OHL not getting started until at least February, the Generals announced that NHL prospects Ty Tullio (EDM) and Allan McShane (MTL) have been loaned to Slovakia. The pair will join MHK Liptovsky Mikulas of the Slovakian Extraliga until the time that they are either recalled by their NHL clubs or by Oshawa for training camp. McShane and Tullio finished second and third respectively in scoring last season for the Generals, with 67 and 66 points apiece.
  • Although Finland’s hockey seasons are currently on pause, the Dallas Stars do not plan to recall top prospect Ty Dellandrea right away, according to Matthew DeFranks of the Dallas Morning News. Dellandrea has been playing with the Liiga’s JYP this past month, recording three points in six games, and will continue practicing with the team for the time being. The Liiga is tentatively scheduled to return to action on December 20, but that start date is not guaranteed. With the NHL hoping to be up and running by mid-January with two weeks of training camp beforehand, Dellandrea may still be recalled before he can play with JYP again. The Stars hope that Dellandrea can compete for a roster spot this year and will want to make sure that he is in attendance for day one of training camp.

Jean-Luc Foudy To Play In Sweden

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

For many junior prospects, it has now been the better part of a year since they played any competitive hockey. That’s unacceptable for many trying to continue their development, so seeking out opportunities overseas is priority number one. For Jean-Luc Foudy, it has resulted in a loan to Morrums GolS IK in Sweden’s third-tier Hockeyettan.

Foudy, 18, was just selected 75th overall by the Colorado Avalanche last month, but currently doesn’t have a place to play. He is a member of the Windsor Spitfires of the OHL, who haven’t yet started their season (or released a concrete schedule) and was not invited to Canada’s World Junior selection camp. For now, he’s going to suit up in Sweden, playing there until the OHL starts back up. If it doesn’t, his agreement lasts for the entire Hockeyettan season.

It’s important for prospects to get playing time, especially ones like Foudy who have a standout skill but lack polish in other areas. Foudy, brother of Columbus Blue Jackets Liam Foudy, is an incredibly fast skater, perhaps the quickest in the entire 2020 draft class. Unfortunately, he lacks some of the other skills that made his brother a first-round pick and notably has just 23 goals in 126 OHL games.

It’s important to remember that even once a player is drafted, he isn’t actually signed to a professional contract and thus not guaranteed a pro career. Foudy has not yet signed his entry-level deal with the Avalanche, and though in his specific case that is still a likelihood, some prospects that miss out on development time will never even get an offer. There are not endless jobs for young players out there, nor will all of them wish to travel overseas when they are still just teenagers. But with junior leagues still so uncertain—the QMJHL, which is playing, has been a complicated mess of scheduling and travel thanks to COVID-19 outbreaks—the bold ones will seek out opportunity elsewhere.

Minor Transactions: 11/20/20

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

It’s the dog days of…November? The NHL offseason is moving like molasses these days, with no one-way UFA contracts handed out for the last two weeks. While things may be ramping up again at the end of the month, minor leagues and those in Europe have still continued to finesse their rosters recently. We’ll keep track of the notable moves right here:

  • Philip Holm has signed a contract with Metallurg Magnitogorsk for the 2020-21 season, bringing him back to the KHL. Holm has tried multiple times to start a career in North America, but ended up playing just a single NHL game with the Vancouver Canucks in 2017-18. His latest NHL deal, signed with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2019, was terminated in January in order for him to play in Switzerland. He’ll now be in Russia, trying to find some stability.
  • Lawton Courtnall, son of former NHL forward Russ Courtnall and nephew of Geoff Courtnall, will start his professional career with the Wheeling Nailers this season. The 24-year-old forward spent the last four years at Western Michigan University but has now signed a one-year ECHL deal.
  • Top draft prospect Mason McTavish is trying to go to Switzerland to play for the upcoming season, according to Scott Wheeler of The Athletic. McTavish, 17, is eligible for selection in 2021 and scored 29 goals in his rookie OHL season. Switzerland may seem like an outside the box choice, but McTavish was actually born there when his father, Dale McTavish, played in the NLA. The young forward’s plans have “hit some snags” according to Wheeler, meaning he is currently skating in Ottawa while his representatives try to work through the issue.
  • Former Blue Jackets prospect Maxime Fortier has signed a one-year contract with Wichita of the ECHL.  The 22-year-old signed with Columbus as an undrafted free agent back in 2017 but didn’t progress past the minor league level in his first two professional seasons which resulted in him not receiving a qualifying offer last month.

Pavel Gogolev Signs In Sweden

at CDT | by 3 Comments

In 2019-20, the OHL had six players that recorded at least 40 goals and 85 total points. Nick Robertson, the Toronto Maple Leafs top forward prospect, led the way with 55 goals in just 46 games. Jack Quinn, who was selected eighth overall this fall by the Buffalo Sabres came in second in the goal-scoring race, tallying 52. Connor McMichael, the Washington Capitals wunderkind, hit the twine 47 times, Arthur Kaliyev, a Los Angeles Kings second-round steal notched 44 and Nashville Predators prospect Philip Tomasino recorded exactly 40 goals in his 100-point breakout season.

The sixth and final member of the 40/85 club was Pavel Gogolev, who shares little else with the rest of the list. Gogolev, who turned 20 earlier this year, went undrafted in his first two years of draft eligibility, despite being the 79th-ranked North American skater by NHL Central Scouting in 2018. This is a player who, after coming to Canada as a young teenager, went eighth overall in the 2016 OHL Priority Selection. After experiencing some ups and downs throughout the first few years of his junior career, Gogolev was a force with the Guelph Storm this season, scoring 45 goals and 96 points in just 63 games, his powerful shot finding the back of the net from all over the offensive zone.

By the end of September, as pundits were finishing their draft boards for the upcoming event, Gogolev’s name surfaced again. It was his third year of draft eligibility, and this time it looked certain that someone would take a chance. Corey Pronman of The Athletic even ranked him 50th on his final list, though as it turns out, that was quite a bit too high.

In fact, Gogolev would go undrafted for the third time. It appeared as though he may return to the Storm for an overage year, but the 20-year-old forward has now signed in Sweden, according to Guelph Today. Gogolev will join Vasby IK in the second tier of Swedish professional hockey (Allsvenskan) and try to continue his development there. According to his Storm GM George Burnett, the young forward will continue to search for a pro contract in North America, but has signed for the rest of the Allsvenskan season.

Fringe prospects like Gogolev need to take every opportunity they can to get on the ice and put film together for scouts around the world. With the uncertainty still surrounding the OHL season, it makes sense for him to take a deal somewhere else. Though he’s off the North American radar for now, his name is still one to remember down the road.

Philip Tomasino Loaned To Team Canada

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Philip Tomasino feels he is ready to play in the NHL. But for now, he’ll be suiting up against 46 other top prospects at the Team Canada World Junior Championship selection camp. Tomasino has been loaned to Team Canada today, a move that will happen for many more prospects over the coming hours and days as the young players get ready for a month-long camp that will determine the tournament roster.

Tomasino, 19, was the 24th overall pick in 2019 and is coming off an incredible 100-point season in the OHL. Earlier this summer and before the 2020 draft, Scott Wheeler of The Athletic ranked Tomasino as the 20th-best drafted prospect in the entire league. Wheeler explained that the “result is likely a top of the lineup player and dynamic powerplay option who is equal parts scorer and playmaker.” Not bad for a late-first, but exactly what the Predators need as they look to find a real star to build their forward group around.

That said, even with his excellent season and strong development, Tomasino is not a lock to make the Canadian roster. The forward group that has been invited to camp is incredible, with names like Kirby Dach, Dylan Cozens, Quinton Byfield, and Connor McMichael all expected to take huge roles on the team. This will be Tomasino’s final chance to make the team and a great place for him to show he’s ready for the next step, but he’ll have to battle with some very talented prospects for the limited available spots.

Agent Notes: Survey, Peterson, Clarke

at CDT | by 8 Comments

While general managers and other NHL executives are usually seen as the ones with the most insight on the free agent and trade markets and player values, on the other side of the table agents also have their fingers on the pulse of the game. The Athletic’s Craig Custance recently asked 21 of the top NHL player agents to answer some questions on recent results, the current off-season, and what to expect in the future. Among the most noteworthy responses were their thoughts on how teams have performed in the fall markets. A major rivalry may be renewed, as the highest vote-getter for best off-season was the Montreal Canadiens, while the Boston Bruins received the most votes for incomplete off-season. While agents liked how Montreal has added up front, they have concerns about Boston’s defense in the wake of Torey Krug’s departure. As for projecting upcoming moves, some may be surprised to hear that the top vote-getter for “highest profile player you expect to change teams in the next year” was Buffalo Sabres superstar Jack Eichel (tied with Winnipeg’s Patrik Laine), as many felt that Eichel and new addition Taylor Hall will not be enough to right the ship in Buffalo and one or both will be gone next summer. As for the coming season, two-thirds of those polled believed the 2020-21 season will exceed Custance’s over/under of 55.5 games in length. The vast majority also feel that NBC will retain exclusive television rights in the league’s new contract, but many feel ESPN will be a factor and could at the very least force a split. For more on the opinions of the NHL’s top agents, check out the rest of The Athletic’s survey results.

  • One high-profile agent could soon be changing his allegiance from the player side to the team side. TSN’s Frank Seravalli reports that Brett Peterson of Acme World Sports is in talks to join former colleague Bill Zito with the Florida Panthers. Zito, recently named GM himself, already added one fellow former player agent in Paul Krepelka as an assistant GM but could fill the other AGM vacancy with Peterson. The Boston College grad has over a decade in the business, having joined Acme back in 2009.
  • The agent for top 2021 prospect Brandt Clarke is reportedly trying to get creative. Clarke, a real candidate to go first overall in next year’s NHL Draft, is currently without a place to play as he waits for the OHL to kick off in February. Wanting as much exposure this year as possible, Swedish source Expressen writes that Clarke is considering a move to Vasby IK of the minor league Allsvenskan for the time being until he can return to the Barrie Colts. The elite two-way right-handed defenseman would step into an immediate top role with Vasby, even as he makes his pro debut, as the club is dead last in the Allsvenskan and desperate for help. In what could prove to be a savvy move by his agent, if Clarke can help turn the struggling Vasby club around, it could provide the boost to his draft stock that lands him at No. 1.

Snapshots: Reverse Retro, Holtby, Tomasino

at CDT | by 10 Comments

The NHL may have lost a lot of revenue when they were forced to hold the playoffs in empty buildings, but they’re about to make a heck of a lot in merchandise sales. The league and Adidas revealed their designs for the Reverse Retro jerseys today to plenty of excitement (and disgust) from fans all over the world. Early favorites online seem to be the Colorado Avalanche’s Nordiques-based throwback, a return to green for the New Jersey Devils, and an homage to the North Stars by the Minnesota Wild.

Feelings seem a bit more mixed on the return of Wildwing for the Anaheim Ducks and for many of the other throwback uniforms. A healthy debate is surely what the league was hoping for with the new threads as they try to recoup some financial losses.

  • Who will be in net for the Vancouver Canucks when they first slip on their new alternate jersey? Speculation on who will be Vancouver’s starter this season continues after the team signed Braden Holtby in the offseason. Satiar Shah of Sportsnet believes that it will be Holtby over Thatcher Demko to start the year at least, given the team invested $8.6MM over two seasons in the veteran netminder. It is important to remember though that the Canucks back-loaded Holtby’s contract heavily, meaning he’ll make only $2.9MM in 2020-21. With the Seattle Kraken looming and their expansion draft scheduled for next summer, Holtby could end up only playing a single year in Vancouver. Whether he’s the starter on opening day remains to be seen, but Demko will certainly be battling for the spot after posting an .985 save percentage in four playoff appearances.
  • Philip Tomasino doesn’t want to just play for Team Canada at the upcoming World Juniors and then return to junior, he wants to play for the Nashville Predators this season. The 19-year-old forward spoke with Adam Vingan of The Athletic recently and stated quite clearly that he feels he is ready to take that next step to play professionally at the highest level. Tomasino, the 24th-overall pick in 2019, scored 100 points in just 62 games this season in the OHL and is off to the WJC selection camp for the next month where he’ll battle a loaded forward group for a final roster spot.

Buffalo Sabres Sign Jack Quinn

at CDT | by 4 Comments

Welcome to Buffalo, Jack. The Sabres have signed their top draft pick, inking Jack Quinn to a three-year entry-level contract. Quinn was selected eighth overall in last month’s draft and plays for the Ottawa 67’s of the OHL. Today, he’s headed to the World Junior selection camp for Team Canada where he’ll compete over the next month against the country’s top players. Sabres GM Kevyn Adams released a statement on the pick:

…You see the ability for him to keep getting better. His athleticism is high. Just a lot of the metrics that we look at when we’re scouting, he met and some. This was just a player that, the more work we did, the more excited we got.

Quinn, 19, was one of the best goal-scorers in the draft this year after lighting the lamp 52 times in 2018-19. That put him second in the entire OHL behind only Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Nick Robertson, who had 55. There were some questions about how much was because of Quinn’s development jump and how much was due to playing beside the league’s top-scorer, Marco Rossi, but those concerns obviously didn’t slow down Buffalo. Quinn was actually taken just ahead of the 5’9″ Rossi, who Minnesota snapped up at ninth overall.

Of course when you think of the way the Sabres are built, it makes a lot of sense to bring in an elite right winger that is expected to play in the top-six relatively quickly. The team doesn’t have a ton of talent on that side behind Sam Reinhart, even if Dylan Cozens starts his career on the wall before eventually moving to the middle of the ice. Quinn shouldn’t have a ton of resistance if he continues to score at the rate he showed last season.

Even though he dominated OHL competition, it will be a fight for Quinn at the upcoming selection camp. The Canadian roster is absolutely loaded with forward talent this year, meaning there will be some surprising cuts before the tournament gets underway.

Devils Prospect Nicolas Daws Signs In Germany

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

While there is optimism that the NHL will be getting underway soon, we’re still nearly three months away from the OHL getting its next season going.  As a result, a handful of their players have signed overseas.  The latest is Devils prospect Nicolas Daws as EHC Ingolstadt of the DEL announced that they’ve signed the 19-year-old.

Daws went undrafted in his first year of eligibility but a strong showing last season with Guelph (plus making Canada’s World Junior team) helped earn him a third-round selection (84th overall) last month.  He posted a 2.48 GAA with a .924 SV% and five shutouts in 38 games with the Storm last season to earn himself OHL Goalie of the Year honors.  While he is eligible to turn pro, he could also return to the OHL for his final year of eligibility.

This will actually be a return home of sorts for Daws who was born in Germany and carries dual citizenship.  There was no announcement of how long this deal will be for but at the very least, he’ll get a chance to get some game action before either returning to junior or heading to one of New Jersey’s minor league affiliates.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

scroll to top