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Pacific Notes: Arizona Ownership, Klefbom, Pettersson, Gaudette, Hague

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With the state of the franchise constantly in question, Arizona Coyotes chairman and governor Andrew Barroway is looking for potential partnerships for his ownership of the franchise and has spoken to several interested investors, according to Arizona Sports Craig Morgan.

While it’s too early to know what role or control the other investors would have over the Coyotes, Morgan writes that there is no timetable on when or if there will be a new ownership structure in Arizona. The idea of adding investors to its ownership group would be able to infuse the struggling franchise with more money, but it could also help the team to tackle bigger needs, such as building a new arena or even a new practice facility.

Ironically, Barroway has only been the team’s sole owner for less than a year. He bought out the previous ownership group, IceArizona, that bought the team back in 2013. He did say when he completed the buyout that he’d be open to adding investors.

  • The Edmonton Oilers could find themselves looking hard to find a puck-moving defenseman this offseason in hopes of replacing Oscar Klefbom, who has been struggling after being their No. 1 guy a year ago during their playoff run. The Athletic’s Allan Mitchell (subscription required) writes that the Oilers must decide whether injuries have slowed Klefbom’s success or whether he isn’t the player they thought he was. The 24-year-old put up 12 goals and 36 points last year, but his numbers have dropped to just four goals and 19 points this season. Mitchell writes the team will look at several options to add to their defense, including potentially trading for Carolina’s Justin Faulk, Colorado’s Tyson Barrie and Boston’s Torey Krug. If Klefbom can regain his form from the 2016-17 season, he does have a affordable contract which will count $4.17MM per year until the 2022-23 season. However, if he continues to play like he did this season, Klefbom’s contract doesn’t look nearly as good.
  • Sportsnet’s Rick Dhaliwal spoke to Vancouver Canucks scout Lars Lindgren about the impressive play of the team’s 2017 first-round pick Elias Pettersson, who won the SHL scoring title Saturday. A rookie in the SHL, the 19-year-old put up 24 goals and 56 points this season, but the question is when will he be ready to join Vancouver? “Tough question, impossible to say,” Lindgren said. “When you look at him he still needs to build power but he is such a smart, smart player. Hopefully he becomes a franchise player. He does not collect all his points on the power play and his plus minus is great and that is a very good sign for me. He has a little Nicklas Backstrom in him and I like that. It is a big summer for him to get to the next level.”
  • Another top Canucks prospect, center Adam Gaudette, broke the 30-goal barrier this year with Northeastern University, according to Dhaliwal. He is just the seventh player in the NCAA to reach the 30-goal plateau since 2012-13. Vancouver hopes to convince the college junior to sign with the team after his season is over. The former fifth-round pick in 2015 has put up 68 goals in three seasons with the Huskies.
  • Vegas Golden Knights defensive prospect Nicholas Hague has been making a name for himself, according to David Schoen of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The 2017 second-round pick broke the 30-goal mark last month with his OHL team, the Mississauga Steelheads, and became the first OHL defenseman since 2000 to reach that plateau. Already signed to an entry-level deal back in September, the 6-foot-6, 215 pound defender is another significant asset for the Golden Knights.

Undrafted Free Agent Signings Dominating Juniors

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Given that each team generally has seven chances to makes a pick in the NHL Draft each year resulting in, until recently, 210 selections, and now 217 moving forward, the bulk of top players in the league come through the draft process. However, no matter the level – Canadian juniors, American juniors and the NCAA, and Europe – there are always players that slip through the crack. Sometimes those particular players don’t slip too far. Case in point: take a look at some of the top players in the CHL this season. A significant proportion of 2017-18’s most valuable players in the OHL, WHL, and QMJHL are not just undrafted, but have also already signed with an NHL team.

In the Ontario League, Aaron Luchuk is the poster boy for the year of undrafted signings. The 20-year-old Barrie Colts center signed an entry-level contract with the Ottawa Senators back in December. He’s rewarded them for taking a gamble on him by leading the league with 105 points thus far, including a league-leading 45 goals. This has been a major step up in his production of 60 points in 68 games in 2016-17. The 5’10” forward’s next step will be trying his hand at the AHL next season. Not far behind Luchuk is Sam Miletic, a fellow 20-year-old forward playing for the Niagara Ice Dogs. Miletic is fifth in the OHL with 86 points and also brings a good defensive sense to his game. Miletic signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins in September after recording 55 points in 65 games with the London Knights last season; Miletic had 54 points in just 35 games with London prior to being traded mid-season. Undrafted netminders are also making a splash in the OHL. The Detroit Red Wings signed 19-year-old Kaden Fulcher back in October and the Hamilton Bulldogs goalie has since been a top goalie in the league, currently fourth in goals against average and seventh in save percentage among starters. Boston Bruins prospect Kyle Keyser is right there with him, as the Oshawa Generals keeper is sixth in save percentage and seventh in goals against average among starters.

The Western League is littered with undrafted free agent signings among its top scorers. The Moose Jaw Warriors’ Brayden Burke has joined that group, having just signed with the Arizona Coyotes on Thursday. Burke, 21, is tied for second in league scoring with 113 points in just 61 games, a pace of nearly two points per game this season. Burke is undersized at 5’10”, 165 lbs., but has done well for himself in the WHL, which is traditionally a heavier league, and will soon turn his sights on the pros. Also in the top ten in scoring are another Penguin, Jordy Bellerive, and the Colorado Avalanche’s Ty Lewis. Both forwards signed prior to the season and have each taken a big step in 2017-18, currently tied for eighth with 89 points. Bellerive, who is only 18, jumped on the opportunity to sign with the defending Cup champs after being passed over in the draft, and the Lethbridge Hurricanes center is now making the Penguins just as excited about the deal. Lewis, 20, has stepped into the top scorer role for the Brandon Wheat Kings left behind by Nolan Patrick and has excelled. Cameron Hebig of the Regina Pats is next in line with 88 points on the year, after signing with the Edmonton Oilers. The WHL also features an impressive undrafted goalie of their own in Cole Kehler, a 20-year-old for the Portland Winterhawks who inked a deal with the Los Angeles Kings in December as well. Kehler has a big frame and a quick glove, which has helped him maintain the best goals against average and fourth-best save percentage among goalies with at least 40 appearances this year.

While the Quebec League doesn’t count as many exciting undrafted prospects among its best, it does feature two consistent torrid scorers who, until recently, had been ignored due to their small stature. Alex Barre-Boulet joined the pro-bound on March 1st, when the Tampa Bay Lightning signed him to an entry-level deal. Barre-Boulet, 20, may stand only 5’10”, 165 lbs., but he is enjoying his third-straight 80+ point campaign. In fact, he is far beyond that in 2017-18, with a league leading 109 points that dwarfs the next-best scorer by 15 points. The Blainville-Boisbriand Armada star has at least earned a shot at the NHL. So too has Maxime Fourtier, the Halifax Mooseheads captain who has at least 70 points the past three years. Fourtier is slightly bigger that Barre-Boulet and has clearly focused on rounding out his game this season, after signing with the Columbus Blue Jackets in November.

The 2017-18 season shows that the draft is not the end of the line. These standouts make up only a fraction of the talented undrafted players skating in the CHL, some of whom are soon to be signed, and an even smaller fraction of undrafted players across the globe. Talent is always there to discover, even if it doesn’t fully manifest by the age of 18, and these players are proof. Expect to see many of them at the NHL level some time in the not-to-distant future.

Florida Panthers Ink Riley Stillman To Entry-Level Contract

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The Florida Panthers announced they have signed defenseman Riley Stillman to an entry-level contract Sunday. The team’s fourth-round pick in the 2016 draft is also the son of former-NHL star Cory Stillman.

In Ryan Stillman, the Panthers sign a solid left-shooting defenseman, known for both his leadership and work ethic and occasional big hits. He is a quick skater, who has the ability to run the power play. He spent most of his junior career with the Oshawa Generals of the OHL, but was traded in late December to the Eastern Confernce-leading Hamilton Bulldogs for five draft picks. The 6-foot-1, 200-pound blueliner has four goals and 27 assists combined between the two teams this year.

Stillman’s leadership skills stand out as he was named assistant captain as a rookie for Oshawa at midseason during the 2015-16 season, a rare accomplishment.

Colorado Avalanche Sign Conor Timmins To ELC

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The Colorado Avalanche have inked another top prospect, signing defenseman Conor Timmins to a three-year entry-level contract. Timmins is currently injured and sitting out for the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, and will almost certainly see his contract slide and begin in 2018-19.

Timmins was selected 32nd-overall in 2017, and has seen his play take another step forward this season. The two-way defender was off to a roaring start with the Greyhounds before helping Canada to a gold medal at the World Junior Championships. Timmins was arguably Canada’s best defenseman, recording the highest +/- rating in the tournament with a +15, and being named one of the team’s top three players. Logging important minutes against other team’s top players is not a new concept to the 19-year old, who has an incredibly active stick in the defensive zone and breaks up plays early and often.

To go with that defensive prowess, Timmins also has 35 points through 30 games in the OHL this year and can contribute offensively in different ways. Not a pure powerplay quarterback like his future teammate Cale Makar, Timmins instead distributes the puck effortlessly at even-strength, and often springs teammates for chances heading into the offensive zone. Of his 83 assists the last two seasons, only 21 of them have been with the man advantage.

In Colorado, they can look forward to many years of Timmins manning the right side, as long as his development continues as it has the last year. Though the injury is stealing valuable time from his junior career, there is still plenty of time for him to grow and improve in the professional ranks next year. Born in September, Timmins was one of the older players in his draft class and could make an impact in the AHL as soon as next year. For a team that was without much to look forward to on defense just a year ago, Colorado now boasts three top prospects (including Samuel Girard) that could make their group one of the best in the coming years.

Canadian Juniors Could Change Approach To Foreign Goalies

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In 2013, the Canadian Hockey League (CHL), the overarching body in major junior hockey that governs the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), Western Hockey League (WHL), and Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), decided to ban teams from drafting European goalies. The CHL holds an annual Import Draft in which all 60 teams across the three leagues are given two chances to draft foreign talent in an attempt to fill their two import slots on the roster for the following season. Sometimes the players who are drafted come over and other times they don’t. However, five years ago, CHL president David Branch and company decided to no longer take the risk of bringing in foreign keeper who could then in turn block young North American goalies by not allowing teams to select them in the import draft. While the idea was to protect the development and value of homegrown products, the result was a weaker product across the CHL and a more difficult time for their business partners in the NHL to evaluate foreign goalies.

In fairness, the decision was made after a stretch of dominant play by European keepers at the major junior level. In 2010-11, the top save percentage in both the OHL and QMJHL belonged to imports: Petr Mrazek and Christopher Gibson. Not long before, Michal Neuvirth was one of the OHL’s best as well. In the mid-2000’s, Ondrej Pavelec controlled the QMJHL, leading the league in goals against average in back-to-back seasons among other accomplishments, and is arguably still the league’s best goaltender in history.

This isn’t to say that Canadian and American goalies didn’t also flourish at that time as well, which calls the decision back into question. This was always a concern of quality over quantity, as the vast majority of teams still employed a North American starter and often a local backup or two as well. The CHL may have been concerned with the talent of some foreign prospects overshadowing Canada’s best, but they could never have honestly argued there was a lack of opportunity due to imported players. Top 2018 draft-eligible CHL prospects Andrei Svechnikov and Filip Zadina are both imports, yet they would never ban forwards.

Nevertheless, the CHL made a decision which clearly hurt their own competition level by excluding some of the top junior-level goaltending talent in the world without any evidence that it was truly hurting their domestic counterparts. Now, years later, the league is rethinking that decision. John Matisz of the Toronto Sun reports that the league is considering lifting the ban on foreign goalies, and for good reason. The ban has simply made it harder for NHL team to evaluate European keepers – with foreign leagues often dominated by older, experienced players, while the top young skaters come overseas – but hasn’t stopped them from being drafted into the pros at the same rate as CHL goalies. Meanwhile, top prospects such as Ukko-Pekka Luukonen (Buffalo), Filip Gustavsson (Ottawa), and 2018-eligible Jakub Skarek still reside overseas, but could surely benefit nearly any team in the CHL. The major juniors face little risk that a reversal would harm them in any way.

Interesting enough though, it may still be in European goalies’ best interests to remain in Europe and for NHL teams to focus on those who stay and face older, professional talent. The list of foreign goaltenders who played major junior in Canada and remain in the NHL – Mrazek, Neuvirth, Pavelec, Peter Budaj, Philipp Grubauer, Jaroslav Halak, Anton Khudobin, Marek Langhamer, Robin Lehner, and the most recent CHL import star, Oscar Dansk – all have one thing in common: they aren’t bona fide starters. Meanwhile, the likes of Sergei Bobrovsky, Henrik Lundqvist, Pekka Rinne, Tuukka Rask, and Andrei Vasilevskiy avoided North America until turning pro, and it worked out much better for them. With a new class of European goalies likely to join the CHL sooner rather than later, we’ll see if that trend continues.

Canucks Sign Darren Archibald; Call Him Up From AHL

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The Vancouver Canucks have rewarded one of their minor league contributors with an NHL contract. The team announced this afternoon that they have signed 27-year-old Darren Archibald to a minimum deal for the remainder of the season. On top of that, they have recalled Archibald from the AHL’s Utica Comets and he may soon make the return to an NHL lineup that few saw coming.

It has been a long, strange path for Archibald, but one that shows that loyalty and hard work pay off. The big, 6’3″ Canadian winger was undrafted out of the OHL, but signed an entry-level contract with Vancouver in 2010. After three years spent mostly back in junior, with the AHL’s Chicago Wolves, and with the ECHL’s Kalamazoo Wings, Archibald re-upped with the Canucks in 2013-14 and finally got to make his NHL debut. Archibald skated in 16 games with Vancouver that season, an made an impression with his physical play, but failed to make much of a dent on the score sheet with just three points. Archibald spent most of the season and all of the following season down in the minors with the Comets, but then in 2015, he didn’t receive an extension offer from the Canucks. Rather than bolting overseas, Archibald remained committed to Utica and has played on a minor-league deal with the team for each of the past three seasons.

Last year, Archibald found his scoring touch and set a franchise record (albeit for a young franchise) in goals in a season with 23. He entered the year already holding the second-place spot in career games played, goals, and points for Utica and was most penalized Comet in team history. Back when he re-signed with team this summer, we posited that another strong season could earn him another shot at the NHL. With 16 points in 25 contests thus far and a continued physical dominance of the AHL-level – and in some preseason NHL action – that has come to fruition. As much as this could be a kind act by the Canucks towards a loyal veteran player, it is also fairly easy to see Archibald playing a reliable checking line role for the team down the stretch. If the Comets’ alternate captain continues to work hard at the next level, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that he could start next season with an NHL contract.

Morning Notes: World Juniors, Thomas, Savard

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The World Juniors have come and gone, and once again scouts all across the league have started to adjust their rankings and projections. One such prognosticator, Corey Pronman of The Athletic, goes in depth on what he saw at the tournament and his main takeaways.

Pronman agrees with the rest of the writers who voted Casey Mittelstadt as tournament MVP, after the Buffalo Sabres prospect looked dangerous on every shift. Even with Buffalo struggling once again this season, there may be a light on the horizon in Mittelstadt. The eight-overall pick from 2017 has found immediate success at the University of Minnesota, and looks ready to turn pro after just one season in the NCAA. While he’s made no indication on whether he’ll be a one-and-done, the Sabres will undoubtedly make a pitch in the spring to bring him aboard.

  • Speaking of World Junior prospects, the London Knights of the OHL have traded St. Louis Blues’ prospect Robert Thomas to the Hamilton Bulldogs for a package that includes five draft picks, stretching all the way to 2026. Thomas, selected 20th-overall in 2017, didn’t have an outstanding tournament for Team Canada but is still an intriguing prospect for the Blues. His defensive ability and versatility all while being an outstanding offensive producer makes it easy to envision him transitioning to the professional ranks with success. If he doesn’t crack the Blues out of camp next season he can still return to the junior ranks, and could be a returnee at the World Juniors next year as one of Canada’s top options up front.
  • David Savard’s wallet is a little lighter this morning, after being fined $5,000 for slashing Vincent Trocheck last night. Savard wasn’t given a penalty on the play, but didn’t avoid the gaze of the Department of Player Safety. While this obviously isn’t a suspension, it will be taken into account on any further disciplinary action from the league.

Atlantic Notes: Mete, Howard, Brassard, Raddysh

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The Montreal Canadiens announced that World Junior Championship gold medalist defenseman Victor Mete will return to the team on Friday, Jan. 12, according to Sportsnet’s John Shannon. After tomorrow’s game against Vancouver, the team will go on its five-day bye week and will return for their first practice on that Friday, with their next game to be played on Jan. 13 against the Boston Bruins.

Mete left the team to join Team Canada after playing against the St. Louis Blues on Dec. 5, but many felt that when he left, he would eventually be returned to his junior team due to the fact that his playing time had begun to decrease over the previous weeks. However, it looks like he will return to the Canadiens’ lineup. Grant McCagg of Recrutes.ca adds that despite the fact that Mete will return to Montreal, that doesn’t suggest the team won’t still send him to his junior team. While the team has already burned the first year of his entry-level contract, the team has until his 40th game to decide whether they want to push back his first year of free agency. The 19-year-old has played in 27 games this year.

  • Detroit Red Wings goaltender Jimmy Howard will miss tomorrow night’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning with a lower-body injury, according to MLive’s Ansar Khan. He was injured during the second period in Friday’s game against the Florida Panthers. The timing of the injury is both good and bad, writes the scribe, as Howard has been playing great hockey over the past couple of weeks as he has allowed just 10 goals over his past six starts. However, the team will go on their bye week after tomorrow, which should give him time to heal.
  • While commenting on trade rumors regarding the Ottawa Senators, Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun writes that one player who is generating a lot of interest is center Derick Brassard. However, Garrioch adds that there is no way the team will move the veteran who the team believes is part of their solution. Brassard is well known for his playoff scoring success. In 78 career playoff games, the 30-year-old has 22 goals and 33 assists.
  • Tampa Bay Lightning prospect Taylor Raddysh was the subject of a major OHL trade today in which the Erie Otters traded Raddysh and Detroit Red Wings defensive prospect Jordan Sambrook to the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds for 16-year-old prospect Hayden Fowler and nine draft picks, according to the Erie Otters. The Otters, who won the 2017 OHL champsionships with Raddysh and Sambrook, are struggling this year with a 12-20-6-1 record. The Greyhounds, however, have the best record in the league at 33-3-2-1 and should only get better now with those top additions. Raddysh, Tampa Bay’s second-round pick in 2016 had 15 goals and 29 assists in 30 games for Erie, but had 42 goals and 109 points a year ago in 58 games.

Morning Notes: Vilardi, Montoya, Wisniewski

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The OHL trade of Los Angeles Kings’ prospect Gabe Vilardi is now official, and also includes New York Rangers draft pick Sean Day. The pair will head from the Windsor Spitfires to the Kingston Frontenacs in exchange for 16-year old Cody Morgan and eight draft picks that stretch all the way to 2028. Windsor is tearing apart the program a year after hosting and winning the Memorial Cup, a common practice in the CHL.

Vilardi, the 11th-overall pick in 2017 has recently been cleared to return to game action after a back injury kept him out for the first half of the season. He’ll bring an intense offensive presence to the Frontenacs, while Day gives them a veteran defenseman with good two-way upside. Day was allowed into the OHL at just 15 years old, but hasn’t found quite the same heights as his fellow “exceptional talents” like John Tavares, Aaron Ekblad and Connor McDavid. The pair should make Kingston a tough team to face as the league heads towards the playoff push.

  • Al Montoya was back at Montreal Canadiens practice today for the first time since being ruled out with a concussion on November 9th. As Eric Engels of Sportsnet reports, the injury had occurred several days earlier, but symptoms developed slowly. The Canadiens currently employ Antti Niemi as their backup to Carey Price, but could potentially waive the netminder once again when Montoya is ready to return. Niemi has played for three teams already this season, and could find himself on the move again.
  • The official roster for Team USA at the Pyeongchang Olympics will be announced today during the Winter Classic in New York, but apparently former NHL defenseman James Wisniewski has made it. That’s according to former teammate R.J. Umberger and TSN’s Darren Dreger, who both tweeted congratulations to the 33-year old. Wisniewski spent last season split between the AHL and KHL after attempting a comeback, and skated in the DEL’s second tier this year in his attempt to make the Olympic squad. A former 51-point defenseman for Columbus, Wisniewski was once a deadly powerplay quarterback and could assume that role again in the February Games.

Snapshots: Brassard, Dahlen, Vilardi

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With the news that Ottawa is willing to listen on basically everyone except Erik Karlsson and Mark Stone, rumors have swirled around players like Derick Brassard for the last few days. One of the rumored destinations is Columbus, where Brassard played early in his career and who are in need of center help with both Brandon Dubinsky and Alexander Wennberg still out of the lineup. Brassard spoke to George Richards of the Columbus Post-Dispatch about the idea of going back to the Blue Jackets:

Let’s say it this way: I will play hockey anywhere. I have good memories but my job is to play hockey here. I’ll play anywhere. I wouldn’t refuse to go anywhere in the world or anywhere in the east. I have really good memories of playing in Columbus, we had a lot of fun.

Brassard played 309 games in Columbus to start his career, but really came into his own with the New York Rangers before heading to Ottawa. The center has one more year on his deal after this one, which carries a $5MM cap hit. He also has a partial no-trade clause, but it seems like that wouldn’t be a problem for the Senators if they decided to deal him.

  • The Vancouver Canucks went after prospect Jonathan Dahlen last trade deadline, and acquired him when they dealt Alex Burrows to the Ottawa Senators. Now other teams in Sweden are after him this year, as he continues his development. Rick Dhaliwal of NEWS 1130 reports that several teams are making a “big push” to bring Dahlen in, likely to give him a chance in the SHL. The 20-year old forward has scored 27 points in 23 games for Timra in the Allsvenskan (Sweden’s second league) and looks ready to take the next step.
  • It’s trade season in the OHL, and Jon Rosen of LA Kings Insider believes that top prospect Gabe Vilardi is about to be sent to the Kingston Frontenacs. Vilardi was part of the Memorial Cup-winning Windsor Spitfires team last season, but hasn’t yet made his season debut due to injury. With him close to a return, it seems like he’ll be joining the surging Frontenacs.

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