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Liam Foudy Joins Cleveland Monsters

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The OHL’s London Knights were expected to be a contender for the Memorial Cup this season after several top prospects joined the program and they easily walked through their first round series with rival Windsor. It appeared as though the Guelph Storm were in for the same fate as the Spitfires after three games against the Knights, losing all of them by a combined score of 17-6. Then something amazing happened and Guelph turned around the series by winning the next four games and eliminating the powerhouse Knights from the OHL playoffs and Memorial Cup contention. With that, London players are able to join the AHL for a playoff run if their NHL organizations feel they are ready.

That’s what the Columbus Blue Jackets have done, assigning Liam Foudy to the Cleveland Monsters in time for the start of the Calder Cup playoffs. The Monsters start their first round series against the Syracuse Crunch on Friday, and could have the top prospect on the ice. Foudy, 19, recorded 68 points in 62 games for the Knights this season after the Blue Jackets made him the 18th-overall pick last June. The extremely athletic forward can do a little bit of everything on the ice and could potentially compete for an NHL spot in the fall, given the departures that may be on the horizon for Columbus.

Amazingly, Foudy will actually not be allowed to play in the AHL for the 2019-20 season as he won’t turn 20 until February 2020. That means he either has to make the Columbus roster or head back to London, in a league that he likely would dominate. It will be interesting to see what the Blue Jackets decide, as some organizations want their young prospects to get to that dominant level before moving on, while others like the rapidly challenge them during their developmental years.

Prospect Notes: Ginning, Luukkonen, Michaud

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The Philadelphia Flyers have had a near-annual influx of talented young defensemen join the team over the last few years, but they’ll have to wait a little bit longer for one of their next promising blue liners to make the jump. Adam Ginning, the Flyers’ 2018 second-round pick, has re-signed with his Swedish Hockey League club for another year. Linkoping HC announced today that Ginning had inked a one-year contract extension to stay with the organization that has groomed him since he was 13 years old. Now 19, Ginning just finished his first full season in the SHL and did not look out of place playing against older and more experienced competition. At 6’4″ and 205 lbs., Ginning plays a physical and technically sound defensive game and projects to be a shutdown defender in the NHL one day. Some more time in the SHL certainly won’t hurt his development, but Philadelphia is definitely hopeful that he will join the system sooner rather than later to begin working with their coaches and adjusting to the North American style of play.

  • The Buffalo Sabres will get a closer look at one of their top prospects ahead of schedule, as goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has joined the AHL’s Rochester Americans on an amateur tryout basis, the team announced. Luukkonen is likely to make his North American pro debut in the near future to cap off what has been a big season for the talented netminder. Luukkonen, a second-round pick of the Sabres in 2017, made the jump overseas this year to play for the OHL’s Sudbury Wolves and made an immediate impact. The 6’5″ keeper was a brick wall in net, leading the league in wins and shutouts and finishing in the top three in save percentage and goals against average. Luukkonen was arguably the best goalie in the OHL this year, but that wasn’t even the highlight of the campaign. Luukkonen also led Finland to a gold medal finish at the World Junior Championships earlier this year, posting a .932 save percentage and 1.80 GAA along the way. The Sabres hope that the next stop on Luukkonen’s path of dominance is the AHL and soon after the NHL.
  • One name that won’t be playing in the pros, in North America or Europe, for at least another year is NCAA forward Westin Michaud. Michaud, 23, just wrapped up his senior season at Colorado College, in which he finished second on the team with 30 points in 41 games. Competing in the ultra-competitive National Collegiate Hockey Conference against several elite programs, Michaud still managed to take major steps forward in each of the past three seasons and at least one rival school took notice. With a year of NCAA eligibility remaining after sitting as a freshman, Michaud has decided to spurn pro offers for now and leave Colorado College behind him to transfer to the University of North Dakota for a graduate year with the national powerhouse. The experienced center will likely slot into a top-six position with North Dakota and could be in for yet another jump in production. Joining an already-strong roster that also has an impressive recruiting class incoming, Michaud makes the Fighting Hawks a dangerous contender next season.

 

Flames Sign Adam Ruzicka To Entry-Level Deal

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The Calgary Flames front office is staying busy even as the team battles in the postseason. The Flames have announced today that they have signed center Adam Ruzicka to a three-year entry-level contract. The clock was ticking on getting the 2017 draft selection under contract, but Calgary has done so and add a big and talented two-way forward to the pipeline.

Ruzicka, 19, has used the opportunities presented to him to show that he is a complete prospect and certainly worthy of a commitment from the Flames. The Slovakian forward initially played his junior hockey in the Czech Republic, where he put up good numbers, but really made a name for himself as the clear best player on Slovakia’s entries into international tournaments. Ruzicka finally made the jump overseas ahead of the 2016-17 season, after the OHL’s Sarnia Sting took notice and selected him in the CHL Import Draft. Ruzicka chose North America and the pursuit of an NHL career over a more immediate pro debut, as he was a first-round pick in the KHL Draft the same year, but opted to join Sarnia instead. After a strong debut season in the OHL, Calgary was happy to take Ruzicka in the fourth round after many expected he would go earlier. Ruzicka responded to any remaining doubts about his game by recording 36 goals and 36 assists for 72 points in 65 games last season. He started this year off the same way, with 37 points in 35 games, before he was traded to the Sudbury Wolves. The move only further ignited Ruzicka, who added another 41 points in 30 games, a total of 78 points on the year, and a team-leading ten points in the Wolves’ eight playoff games.

Ruzicka has more than shown that he can score at the junior level, but what makes him such a promising prospect for the Flames is that he also has the physical tools to translate that ability to the pros. Ruzicka stands 6’4″ and weighs in at over 200 lbs. and isn’t afraid to throw that frame around. An old-school center, Ruzicka is physical player with and without the puck, who can check, win battles, and possess the puck as well as anyone his age. His net front presence is also a major factor in his scoring numbers. Ruzicka has also shown some versatility by moving to the wing at times this season, adding yet another skill to his repertoire. There wasn’t much doubt that Calgary would get Ruzicka under contract before the June 1st deadline, but now that it is official, this is a prospect that Flames fans can really get excited about.

AHL Notes: Smith, Sadek, Boka, Afanasyev

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After wrapping up a four-year collegiate career at Bowling Green State University, defenseman Adam Smith was ready to turn pro. While the Nashville Predators were not prepared to offer the 2016 seventh-round pick an entry-level contract, the invisible hand of the market still guided Smith to the organization. The Predators’ AHL affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals, announced a two-year AHL deal with Smith today. The contract will begin with 2019-20, as Smith finishes out this season on an amateur tryout offer. Smith, 22, is not much of an offensive asset on the blue line, but played an important role for Bowling Green en route to an NCAA Tournament appearance as a dependable defensive presence. If he continues to progress over a couple years in the minors, Smith could find himself with an NHL deal with Nashville down the road.

  • Former Big Ten rivals Jack Sadek and Nick Boka have become teammates at the pro level this last month after the duo signed amateur tryouts with the AHL’s Iowa Wild. The defense pair are both recent draft picks of the Minnesota Wild – Boka in the sixth round out of the University of Michigan and Sadek in the seventh round out of the University of Minnesota, both in 2015 – but did not do quite enough in their college tenures to earn entry-level contracts right away. Instead, they were asked to show that they were worthy of a continued investment by the Wild, starting with a stint with the ECHL’s Allen Americans. Now, both players have been recalled by Iowa as the first step toward getting closer to an NHL deal. Both Sadek and Boka are right-handed shots with good size who improved over their four years in college, so there is a lot to like about the prospects. However, they both have work to do to earn an extended look with the organization.
  • The AHL may have another “true rookie” to look forward to next season. USHL standout Egor Afanasyev, who many see as a fringe first-round pick in the upcoming NHL Draft, appears destined to follow in the footsteps of fellow imports like Klim Kostin and Martin Kaut by jumping right to the pro level next year. Afanasyev de-committed from Michigan State University earlier this year and has not been looking to join another college program next season. Meanwhile, he was drafted into the OHL by the Ottawa 67’s and had his rights traded to the Windsor Spitfires this season, but there has been little to no talk of him joining the junior squad. Instead, the Russian-born power forward clearly prefers to play in the AHL next season. He does have the size to do so; Afansyev stands 6’3″ and over 200 lbs. and plays with an edge to match. He also has the skill, as he has scored at better than a point-per-game clip this season for the Muskegon Lumberjacks and the deeper analytics indicate he has been even better than that. Ultimately, the team that drafts Afanasyev will decide on what the best next step would be in his development, but as his draft stock continues to rise it is becoming increasingly likely that he makes his pro debut in 2019-20.

Draft Notes: Moore, Saarela, Wright

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It was a disappointing season for the University of North Dakota, as the historic program exited their conference tournament early and failed to qualify for the NCAA Tournament. However, one down year hasn’t impacted their recruiting power and the program has another impressive group of young players arriving next season. Among those already committed were U.S. National Development Team Program forward Judd Caulfield and goaltender Cameron Rowe, as well as USHL scorer Shane Pinto and BCHL standout Massimo Rizzo. All four players are almost certainly going to be drafted in June, making for a star-studded group as it is, but North Dakota added yet another draft prospect today. Cooper Moore, an all-league defenseman from The Brunswick School in Connecticut, announced his own commitment today to join the Fighting Hawks next year. The mobile blue liner was better than a point-per-game scorer this season and among the top five scoring defensemen in all of New England prep school hockey. The latest rankings from NHL Central Scouting listed Moore as the No. 86 skater in North America, likely putting him in the fourth or fifth round range in the draft. It’s a strong addition for North Dakota, who likely will have an eventual No. 1 defenseman in Moore.

  • Regardless of when he is drafted and by whom, it seems forward Antti Saarela plans to continue his development in his native Finland. Saarela, the brother of Carolina Hurricanes prospect Aleksi Saarela, is hoping to have the edge on his brother in terms of draft position. Whereas Aleksi was a late third-round pick in 2015, Antti is projected by most to be a late second- or early third-round pick this year. But even if a team spends considerable draft capital on Saarela, they may not get him to North America right away. Liiga club Ilves has announced that they have signed Saarela, a free agent, to a two-year contract. Saarela leaves his previous team, Luukko, where he was used sparingly in just 24 games, despite recording 10 points in that limited action. If Ilves is prepared to give Saarela a greater role, the young winger would likely play out that contract before making the jump across the Atlantic. This is unlikely to dissuade interested teams though; Saarela is still raw and likely several years from competing for an NHL job. Plus, his offensive upside is worth making the pick on the long-term project.
  • While the NHL Draft has the attention of most pro hockey fans, another important draft will take place this weekend. The OHL Priority Selection Draft will get underway on Saturday, as another class of junior stars – many of whom will be NHL draft picks in the future – will find out where they’re headed. However, the owners of the first overall pick are planning to get the party started early. The Kingston Frontenacs teased fans today with a blurred picture of the player they will take at No. 1, promising to reveal the name on Friday. The reason Kingston is likely so eager to make the announcement is that many assume the pick to be a foregone conclusion. 15-year-old forward Shane Wright, who was granted Exceptional Player Status, is expected to be the pick and a generational talent for Kingston. OHL insider Brock Otten states that the selection has essentially been confirmed, so here is a question with more intrigue: will this be the only time Wright is selected first overall in a draft? The dynamic center is undoubtedly the early favorite to go No. 1 in 2022, but a lot can change between now and then.

AHL Notes: Penguins, Kurashev, Kings, Rangers, Motte

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The Pittsburgh Penguins have tapped the pipeline from Northeastern University yet again, as the organization as brought in the Huskies’ top-scoring forward from this season on an AHL contract. The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins have announced that Brandon Hawkins has signed a contract for the 2019-20 season and the slick right winger will join the team on an amateur tryout for the rest of this season. Hawkins, 24, took an interesting path through his collegiate career, but it all worked out. Hawkins played two seasons at Bowling Green State University before opting to transfer to Northeastern, but was forced to sit a year due to NCAA transfer rules before playing two more years. Yet, in his fifth and final college season, Hawkins put together 21 assists and 33 points to lead all Huskies forwards. Hawkins will be an asset at the minor league level for the Penguins and could push for an NHL deal with a strong season. The intriguing forward is yet another Northeastern standout to turn pro lately; star goaltender Cayden Primeau (MTL) and dynamic defenseman Jeremy Davies (NJ) both signed entry-level contracts, while Liam Pecararo has joined the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds on an ATO. The Huskies are holding out hope that Tyler Madden (VAN) doesn’t unexpectedly join the pro ranks as well.

The WBS Penguins also added Jan Drozg to their roster on a tryout basis to close out the year. Drozg, 20, is a 2017 fifth-round pick of Pittsburgh’s who signed his entry-level contract last month. After another dominating offensive season for the QMJHL’s Shawinigan Cataractes – 62 points in 60 games and another six points in six playoff games – Drozg is eyeing the pro level. This brief stint in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton is just a precursor to what should be a full-time role next season, potentially with a chance to see some games in Pittsburgh if things go well.

  • Another promising prospect joining his drafted organization on an ATO is Chicago Blackhawks’ breakout star Philipp Kurashev. Kurashev was a fourth-round pick out of the QMJHL just last year, but has drastically improved his stock this season with 65 points in 59 games for the Quebec Remparts, as well as another five points in the team’s first round playoff series, on top of a point-per-game performance for Team Switzerland at the World Juniors. The 19-year-old will look to make it a trifecta of strong showings in his time with the AHL’s Rockford Ice Hogs. Kurashev is a long shot to make the Blackhawks out of camp next year, but it never hurts to get a look at a prospect against pro competition.
  • Two other teams adding interesting prospects to their affiliates’ rosters are the Los Angeles Kings and New York Rangers. The Kings have brought in two 2018 draft picks on ATO’s in fourth-round forward Aidan Dudas and sixth-round goaltender Jacob Ingham. The pair of OHLers each made strides this season and L.A. can now see how they do with the Ontario Reign when the competition is raised. The Rangers have also added a junior player, but alongside two college free agents. Jake Elmer, an undrafted forward who enjoyed a breakout season with the WHL’s Lethbridge Hurricanes, signed an ELC with New York in March and will get his first taste of the AHL down the stretch before turning pro full-time in the fall. Joining him for now and hoping to land AHL contracts are Harvard University captain Lewis Zerter-Gossage and American International College captain Shawn McBride. The pair of experienced locker room leaders will look to make a good impression on the Hartford Wolf Pack.
  • While some junior and college players are just now embarking on their first pro experience, some in the AHL are already looking ahead to their next pro gig. Iowa Wild goalie C.J. Motte, who played largely in the ECHL this season but performed well in a handful of AHL games, has reportedly already signed his next contract and it isn’t with Iowa. Instead, Motte is heading to Austria to join the EBEL’s HC Innsbruck, the team announced. With the NHL off-season coming significantly later than many of the European markets, this kind of overlap isn’t uncommon. However, it is strange for Motte to still be playing with one team having already committed to another as soon as the season ends.

Vegas’ Cody Glass Among Several Notable AHL Additions

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When the Portland Winterhawks’ season ended in the WHL playoffs the other night, fans of the Vegas Golden Knights knew what would come next. Vegas has reassigned junior forward Cody Glass to the AHL’s Chicago Wolves to continue his season as the team takes a close look at how their top prospect competes at the pro level. Glass has his sights set on an NHL roster spot next season, but for now he’ll look to continue his outstanding junior season with the playoff-bound Wolves.

Glass, 20, was the first draft pick in Golden Knights history, selected No. 6 overall in 2017. Arguably the best 200-foot center prospect in all of hockey, Glass is an elite offensive talent, armed with next-level vision and quickness, but also possesses a responsible, two-way game. In 2017-18, Glass notched an incredible 102 points in 64 games and added another 13 points in a dozen playoff games. While injuries limited him to just 38 games this season, Glass was even more productive, recording 69 points in 38 games, a clip of nearly two points per game that led the WHL. While the Winterhawks captain wasn’t able to do enough to advance his team further into the postseason, Glass could be an immediate difference-maker for the Wolves in his first AHL action.

Vegas was not alone in moving an intriguing junior prospect to the pro level. In fact, the Vancouver Canucks have added not one but two talented defensemen to the roster of the AHL’s Utica Comets, the team announced. Jett Woo of the WHL’s Moose Jaw Warriors and Mitch Eliot of the OHL’s Sarnia Sting are both AHL-bound after their teams exited the postseason. Woo and Eliot each signed their entry-level contracts with Vancouver this season and are getting their first taste of the pro game. Woo, 18, is looking like a steal by the Canucks as a second-round pick last year after he exploded for 66 points in 62 games this season. That dimension of his game had previously been seen as limited, but Woo obviously has taken a big step in his development and it will be interesting if can continue to produce in the AHL. As for Eliot, he earned an NHL contract after first proving his offensive ability. Eliot struggled greatly for two years at Michigan State University before leaving for the OHL, but found his game this season in Sarnia with 55 points in 66 games. Eliot has some work left to do on his game, but he did enough early on for Vancouver to make an ELC offer in December and the 21-year-old will now have time to develop in Utica moving forward.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have made a similar junior reassignment, moving forward Semyon Der-Arguchintsev from the OHL’s Peterborough Petes to the AHL’s Toronto Marlies. SDA, a third-round pick last year, is an undeniably skilled forward who continues to struggle with consistency and complete play. While he had yet another solid junior campaign, recording 46 points in 62 games, his goals dropped off by 50% and he finished just sixth on the team in scoring. He also had defensive issues yet again this season. SDA may be a player who benefits more in his development from being a role player in the AHL rather than continuing to play in the OHL. The Leafs can gauge that decision better after the talented Russian joins the Marlies.

Vancouver made yet another move today, as Cornell University’s Mitchell Vanderlaan was added to the Comets roster on an amateur tryout offer. Vanderlaan, a four-year starter for the Big Red, enjoyed his best season to date as a senior with 30 points in 36 games. Vanderlaan is significantly undersized at 5’7″ and 179 lbs., but that hasn’t stopped him from playing a well-rounded game. If he can hold his own in this brief AHL stint, he could be in line for a contract in Utica next season. Another college standout signing an ATO is Quinnipiac University’s Craig Martin. A solid, two-way forward, Martin registered 30 points in 38 games in his final college season, establishing himself as a prospect with pro ambitions after three up-and-down seasons prior. It has at least earned him a look, as Martin has joined the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds, the affiliate of the Florida Panthers. A strong performance will surely earn him a longer look next season.

 

Eastern Notes: Fritz, Crawford, Daccord, Byron, Strome

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The New York Islanders have lost some depth as forward Tanner Fritz is expected to miss six to eight weeks after undergoing surgery to repair a blood clot in his hand, according to NHL.com’s Cory Wright.

He had a little bit of a blood clot between two fingers, so they had to do some surgery and he’ll be out six to eight weeks. The operation was 100% successful. It’s just the nature of the type of procedure that was done, that it’ll take that bit of time. He’s fine. It’s unfortunate for Tanner, who came in and did so well, but as I said, he’ll be fully recovered.”

While the 27-year-old Fritz has only appeared in eight games for the Islanders this season, he was recalled on March 21st after veteran Valtteri Filppula was injured, giving Fritz the opportunity to play in the team’s last three games. Fritz was averaging only 10:49 of ice time with the Isles, but has been solid with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers of the AHL where he has 12 goals and 37 points in 57 games. As for Filppula, head coach Barry Trotz said that he has been skating, but there is still no timetable for his return.

  • Expect Ottawa Senators interim coach Marc Crawford to be a serious candidate for the team’s head coaching position, according to Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch. While general manager Pierre Dorion has a list of many candidates, the team won’t allow their search for a president of hockey operations to interfere with their hunt for a head coach. Crawford deserves consideration for that position as he has made a difference on the Senators’ young squad. Belleville head coach Troy Mann is another serious candidate for the Senators’ coaching vacancy.
  • Garrioch reports that Dorion and goaltending coach Pierre Groulx watched Arizona State goaltender Joey Daccord Saturday and are expected to try to sign the collegiate goaltender. Daccord had a breakout year with Arizona State as the junior put up 21 wins, a 2.36 GAA and a .926 save percentage. He was the team’s seventh-round pick in the 2015 draft.
  • TVA’s Renaud Lavoie reports that Montreal Canadiens forward Paul Byron, who has missed two games with an upper-body injury, was back on the ice Sunday, but still needs to pass some tests before he is cleared to play. The 29-year-old Byron has 15 goals and 30 points in 54 games and could be available to play for Montreal on Tuesday if all goes well.
  • The Lehigh Valley Phantoms, the AHL affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers, announced that prospect Matthew Strome has been reassigned from his OHL team, whose season recently ended. Strome, the team’s fourth-round pick in the 2017 draft, just wrapped up his fourth year with the Hamilton Bulldogs, posting 28 goals and 79 points. He signed his entry-level contract in March of 2018 and will finish out the season with the Phantoms.

Jan Jenik Signs With Arizona Coyotes

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Though news had leaked out yesterday about a possible deal, today things became official. Jan Jenik has signed his three-year entry-level contract with the Arizona Coyotes, after his OHL season came to an end recently. Injured right now, he is expected to report to the Tucson Roadrunners if he can recover in time to get into any game action.

The 18-year old center was selected 65th overall by the Coyotes last June, and split this season between the Czech Republic and OHL. In 27 games with the Hamilton Bulldogs he recorded 30 points, but still hasn’t quite found his footing at the North American level. Technically he is eligible to go right to the AHL next season, but could return to junior to continue developing his skills and learn to dominate his age group.

Some may remember Jenik from the recent World Juniors, where he was left out of game action for much of the tournament only to look more than comfortable when he finally entered. Though his two assists certainly weren’t good enough to change the tournament outcome, he’ll almost certainly be back for the Czechs in a much bigger role next time around. Jenik will turn 19 on September 15th, and could quickly find himself jumping up prospect boards if he can continue to take steps offensively.

Prospect Notes: Jenik, Sadek, Hughes

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Though the team hasn’t announced the deal yet, Jan Jenik has announced that he has signed an entry-level contract with the Arizona Coyotes (h/t Craig Morgan from The Athletic). Jenik is currently dealing with an injury but his junior team the Hamilton Bulldogs were recently eliminated from the OHL playoffs meaning he could jump to the AHL to get a look at the professional level.

Jenik, 18, was selected 65th overall in 2018 and split this season between the Czech Republic and OHL. In 27 games for the Bulldogs he recorded 30 points, but could potentially go back to the junior ranks next season to continue his development. Another lottery ticket for the Coyotes, we’ll have to wait to see when they actually announced the contract.

  • The Iowa Wild have signed Jack Sadek to an amateur tryout, allowing the 21-year old defenseman to get his feet wet at the professional level after a season in the NCAA. The seventh-round pick finished his career at the University of Minnesota with an 18-point season, but will have to prove he deserves an NHL contract in Minnesota. Sadek technically will become an unrestricted free agent in August if he waits that long, but a minor league pact could keep him in the Wild organization.
  • The time has come for Vancouver Canucks prospect Quinn Hughes, who will make his NHL debut tonight after nursing a foot injury. Hughes signed his first NHL contract after deciding to leave the University of Michigan, and will be must-see action for prospect watchers all around the league. The talented defenseman is a dynamic skater and brings some incredible offensive upside to the table. With five games left in the season for the Canucks, Hughes could actually earn himself a $25,000 bonus if he suits up in all of them according to CapFriendly.

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