Golden Knights Sign Trent Swick To Entry-Level Contract
The Vegas Golden Knights have signed 2024 sixth-round pick Trent Swick to a three-year entry-level contract. The deal is set to begin in the 2025-26 season. Swick is currently with the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers, where he’s scored 57 points in 55 games this season – second-most on the team.
Swick is a towering six-foot-six, 210-pound winger who skates smoothly, doesn’t take penalties, and gets back on defense. Those points are evidenced by his measly 38 penalty minutes and a strong plus-seven this year. His size limits what roles Swick can play in the offensive end, but he fills what’s asked of him well – holding space in the slot and using a long reach to disrupt opponents.
Swick had a breakout year last season. With the eyes of NHL scouts watching close, he jumped from 18 points in 33 games in 2022-23 to 62 points in 63 games last year. He found his niche as a passing catalyst for Kitchener’s smaller and more dynamic scorers. But Swick was distinctly helped along by an improved ability to hang onto the puck and work his way into space. He improved his play through traffic on and off of the puck, and continues to improve his scoring pace this year as a result.
With sixth-round acclaim and juniors scoring that, while strong, doesn’t jump off the page – it’s not likely that Swick will make an impact on the NHL roster in the short term. He’ll instead likely be forced to decided between the AHL and college hockey next season, with recent agreements between the CHL and NCAA opening the door for the soon-to-be 21-year-old to take either path. Should he turn pro, Swick’s body control in his lofty frame could earn Vegas’ attention very quickly. The New York Rangers have notably found their own successes leaning into their oversized forwards, with Adam Edstrom and Matt Rempe each carving niche roles in the Rangers bottom-six.
Trade Deadline Notes: Boeser, Sharks, Schenn
Vancouver Canucks winger Brock Boeser has reportedly turned down a five-year, $40MM contract extension per Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli, who adds that Boeser is looking for more term on his next deal. The $8MM cap hit on the rumored offer would be a $1.35MM bump from Boeser’s price tag this season.
Boeser is certainly due for a raise on his next deal, after posting the first 40-goal season of his career last year. His statement performance came after four straight seasons of failing to even reach 25 goals. It was largely helped along by a career-high 19.6 shooting percentage, over seven percent higher than his average of 12.7 percent in six seasons prior. And while Boeser has struggled to reach that same success rate this year, his 18 goals and 17.3 shooting percentage in 52 games suggest he may have really found a new gear to his scoring.
Boeser will be a top name leading into the Trade Deadline if Vancouver isn’t willing to commit to him for a longer term. His spike in scoring and inflated shooting percentage are certainly warning flags, but he could offer the experience of a 500-game pro for the cheap cost of a deadline rental. A short-sighted trade would leave Boeser open to pick his next team in unrestricted free agency, though if he’d get another $8MM offer could hinge on how well he scores through the end of the year.
Other Trade Deadline notes from out West:
- An NHL executive pointed out the potential chemistry between the San Jose Sharks and Buffalo Sabres defenseman Bowen Byram to Sheng Peng of NBC Sports. The 23-year-old Byram has been loosely circulated around trade rumors and could be a perfect addition to San Jose’s rebuild. The Sharks also have plenty to give up for the top-pair defender. Peng shares that there’s a sense Buffalo could use more size and grit. That motivation could make Sharks prospects like Quentin Musty or Kasper Halttunen enticing options. Both top prospects are performing well in the OHL this season. Musty has 43 points in just 26 games and Halttunen has 29 points in 27 games and 13 in his last 10. With the right mix of draft capital, either name could be enough to swing Byram away from Buffalo – though Peng notes he still doesn’t sense San Jose would pay such a price. He shares that the team could instead try and leverage some of their first-round draft picks to land big additions.
- The St. Louis Blues could be asking for as much as two first-round draft picks for captain Brayden Schenn, per Seravalli in his latest trade board. That’s notably the same price St. Louis asked for Pavel Buchnevich, who has five more points than Schenn this season, at last year’s Trade Deadline. The Blues couldn’t find a suitor, and it’s hard to envision they’ll make a match for Schenn at this price either. With Schenn boasting a full no-trade clause, it may take a silver tongue to convince veteran Blues GM Doug Armstrong to trade his captain… once again.
Sasha Pastujov Emerging As Top Prospect For Ducks
Ducks 2021 third-rounder Sasha Pastujov is among the hottest prospects in hockey this month. The 21-year-old winger sits atop all of the AHL’s active U22 players in per-game scoring, with 14 goals and 33 points through 32 games this season, giving him 1.03 points per game.
Pastujov has reached those heights on the back of a dazzling 12 points in his last 10 games, pushing him into exciting conversation. Only four other young minor-leaguers have topped a point-per-game average this season – Zachary L’Heureux, Frank Nazar, Luca Del Bel Belluz, and Marco Kasper. All four have since made their NHL debuts, while Pastujov continues to wait for the first call-up of his career. But in the depths of an Anaheim Ducks team that’s scored the fewest goals in the NHL this season, Pastujov’s breakout scoring could quickly demand recognition.
The title of overlooked top-scorer is far from a new one for Pastujov. He’s carried that burden since his youth hockey days in 2018-19 when he rivaled Dylan Duke and Red Savage for the scoring title on Compuware’s U16 team. The trio joined the NTDP for the following two years, where Pastujov again carved out a quick niche as a top-end scorer. He scored 50 points in his U17 NTDP season, tying Chaz Lucius for the team’s scoring title. Lucius faced substantial injuries in the following year, giving Pastujov a clear runway to the role of top scorer. He took that on in stride, netting a daunting 65 points in 41 games – 12 more than Duke, who played in nine more games, in second place. Even Duke, Pastujov’s longtime battery mate, recently made his NHL debut and scored his first career goal.
Pastujov followed his two years at the NTDP with two seasons in the OHL. He led the Guelph Storm in scoring with 76 points in 65 games of the 2021-22 season but lost his title streak when he joined the Sarnia Sting via a mid-season trade in 2022-23 – netting 98 points in 60 games, good for fourth in the league but second on the Sting.
That was Pastujov’s final year of junior hockey before joining the AHL last year – and he’s stayed red-hot as a pro. He scored a commendable 23 points in 46 games as an undersized AHL rookie. Perhaps looking to inspire those numbers a bit more, Anaheim opted to start Pastujov in the ECHL this season – but he quickly broke out of the league after netting 16 points in the first 12 games of the year.
He’s since been a force in the AHL and seems to be gaining steam with every point he adds. Pastujov is a slick, aggressive forward with a nifty shot and strong downhill drive. Those aspects of energy and determination are central to the Ducks’ identity, even if Pastujov’s lack of physicality is notably off-brand.
Still, he’s shown the ability to score at every single level and responded well to a challenging start to the year. The wind is behind Pastujov’s sails, and if Anaheim can’t find their scoring when they return from the 4 Nations Face-Off break, turning towards their perennial top-scoring prospect could be a golden chance to mend their offense while still looking towards the future.
List Of NHL-Affiliated Prospects In The Ontario Hockey League
The Canadian Hockey League trade deadlines are in the rearview mirror. That makes it a good time to take stock of where NHL teams have their prospect pool skating ahead of the big league deadline. We’re taking a look at how many prospects each team has in the world’s top junior association, starting with the Ontario Hockey League:
Anaheim Ducks
F Ethan Procyszyn (North Bay Battalion)
F Beckett Sennecke (Oshawa Generals)
D Konnor Smith (Brampton Steelheads)
F Carey Terrance (Erie Otters)
Buffalo Sabres
G Ryerson Leenders (Brantford Bulldogs)
F Ethan Miedema (Kingston Frontenacs)
Calgary Flames
F Jacob Battaglia (Kingston Frontenacs)
D Henry Mews (Sudbury Wolves)
F Luke Misa (Brampton Steelheads)
D Zayne Parekh (Saginaw Spirit)
Chicago Blackhawks
D Ty Henry (Erie Otters)
F Nick Lardis (Brantford Bulldogs)
F Martin Misiak (Erie Otters)
F Alex Pharand (Sudbury Wolves)
F Jack Pridham (Kitchener Rangers)
F A.J. Spellacy (Windsor Spitfires)
F Marek Vanacker (Brantford Bulldogs)
Colorado Avalanche
F Christian Humphreys (Kitchener Rangers)
F Calum Ritchie (Oshawa Generals)
Columbus Blue Jackets
G Nolan Lalonde (Soo Greyhounds)
D Luca Marelli (Oshawa Generals)
F Luca Pinelli (Ottawa 67’s)
Dallas Stars
D Tristan Bertucci (Barrie Colts)
F Brad Gardiner (Barrie Colts)
F Emil Hemming (Barrie Colts)
F Angus MacDonell (Brampton Steelheads)
Detroit Red Wings
G Landon Miller (Soo Greyhounds)
Edmonton Oilers
D Beau Akey (Barrie Colts)
F Connor Clattenburg (Flint Firebirds)
G Nathaniel Day (Flint Firebirds)
F William Nicholl (London Knights)
F Sam O’Reilly (London Knights)
F Brady Stonehouse (Peterborough Petes)
F Dalyn Wakely (Barrie Colts)
Los Angeles Kings
G Carter George (Owen Sound Attack)
F Liam Greentree (Windsor Spitfires)
D Matthew Mania (Flint Firebirds)
D Jared Woolley (London Knights)
Minnesota Wild
D Stevie Leskovar (Brampton Steelheads)
Montreal Canadiens
D Owen Protz (Brantford Bulldogs)
Nashville Predators
D Andrew Gibson (Oshawa Generals)
F Joey Willis (Kingston Frontenacs)
New Jersey Devils
F Cole Brown (Brantford Bulldogs)
New York Islanders
F Jesse Nurmi (London Knights)
New York Rangers
F Nathan Aspinall (Flint Firebirds)
Ottawa Senators
D Matthew Andonovski (Kitchener Rangers)
D Gabriel Eliasson (Barrie Colts)
F Lucas Ellinas (Kitchener Rangers)
D Tomas Hamara (Brantford Bulldogs)
F Blake Montgomery (London Knights)
Philadelphia Flyers
F Denver Barkey (London Knights)
D Oliver Bonk (London Knights)
F Jett Luchanko (Guelph Storm)
F Noah Powell (Oshawa Generals)
Pittsburgh Penguins
F Cooper Foster (Ottawa 67’s)
D Finn Harding (Brampton Steelheads)
D Emil Pieniniemi (Kingston Frontenacs)
San Jose Sharks
F Igor Chernyshov (Saginaw Spirit)
D Sam Dickinson (London Knights)
F Kasper Halttunen (London Knights)
F Quentin Musty (Sudbury Wolves)
Seattle Kraken
D Jakub Fibigr (Brampton Steelheads)
F Andrei Loshko (Niagara IceDogs)
F Carson Rehkopf (Brampton Steelheads)
F Nathan Villeneuve (Sudbury Wolves)
St. Louis Blues
D Quinton Burns (Kingston Frontenacs)
D Lukas Fischer (Sarnia Sting)
D Adam Jiříček (Brantford Bulldogs)
D Matthew Mayich (Ottawa 67’s)
Tampa Bay Lightning
F Ethan Hay (Kingston Frontenacs)
F Kaden Pitre (Flint Firebirds)
Toronto Maple Leafs
F Easton Cowan (London Knights)
D Ben Danford (Oshawa Generals)
F Sam McCue (Flint Firebirds)
Utah Hockey Club
F Owen Allard (Soo Greyhounds)
F Cole Beaudoin (Barrie Colts)
F Noel Nordh (Soo Greyhounds)
Vancouver Canucks
F Vilmer Alriksson (Brampton Steelheads)
F Riley Patterson (Barrie Colts)
F Anthony Romani (Barrie Colts)
Vegas Golden Knights
F Trent Swick (Kitchener Rangers)
F Tuomas Uronen (Kingston Frontenacs)
Washington Capitals
D Cam Allen (London Knights)
F Ilya Protas (Windsor Spitfires)
F Patrick Thomas (Brantford Bulldogs)
Winnipeg Jets
F Colby Barlow (Oshawa Generals)
F Kevin He (Niagara IceDogs)
F Jacob Julien (London Knights)
F Kieron Walton (Sudbury Wolves)
Pacific Notes: Kraken, Bordeleau, Terrance
Due to a disappointing 24-29-4 record this season, the Seattle Kraken have been an oft-mentioned potential seller leading up to the trade deadline. With this in mind, Kate Shefte of The Seattle Times analyzed some potential trade candidates for the Kraken.
There weren’t many surprises in her article as Shefte noted Brandon Tanev, Yanni Gourde, Oliver Bjorkstrand, Jaden Schwartz, and Andre Burakovsky as trade pieces for Seattle. All five players have been mentioned in trade rumors throughout the season largely due to the Kraken’s disappointing record.
Shefte did note forward Eeli Tolvanen and defenseman Jamie Oleksiak, who hadn’t previously been mentioned in trade rumors before. In all fairness, it doesn’t seem likely that Seattle will move either player, given Tolvanen quickly re-upped on a two-year contract with the team last offseason and Oleksiak has a 16-team no-trade clause built into his contract.
Other Pacific notes:
- Semi-regular San Jose Sharks’ forward Thomas Bordeleau is facing supplemental discipline at the AHL level. The AHL’s Player Safety Committee announced that Bordeleau is suspended for one game for cross-checking Colorado Eagles’ forward Chris Wagner on Wednesday. Due to the suspension, he’ll miss the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda game tonight.
- In a scary incident in last night’s game between the OHL’s Erie Otters and Owen Sound Attack, Otters captain and Anaheim Ducks’ prospect Carey Terrance was taken to the hospital due to an injury. Approximately 12 hours later, the Otters announced that Terrance had been discharged from the hospital and would continue with the team on their current road trip.
Michael Andlauer Sells OHL Team To Hyman Family
Ottawa Senators majority owner Michael Andlauer has sold the Brantford Bulldogs of the Ontario Hockey League to current Edmonton Oilers forward Zach Hyman and his family (as per CHCH News). Andlauer bought the Bulldogs back in 2015 when they were the Belleville Bulls, he moved the club to Hamilton where they went on to win the OHL Championship in 2018 and 2022. The Bulldogs were then moved to Brantford in 2023 due to the Hamilton arena (First Ontario Centre) undergoing extensive renovations and several disagreements between the city and the Bulldogs.
No official announcement has been made as of yet, but one is expected on Monday after the OHL Board approves the sale (as per TSN’s Darren Dreger). A press conference is expected to happen sometime in the middle of next week.
Once it is official, it raises a lot of questions about whether the team will stay in the city of Brantford, the Bulldogs home for the past two seasons. Brantford has information listed on the city’s website that outlines plans to build a $140MM sports and entertainment center that would presumably house the Bulldogs. The website mentions that construction could start this year, with 2027 as the target date to open up a new facility. However, with a new ownership group coming in, those plans could change. Hyman’s father, Stuart Hyman, is a developer in the Toronto area and is expected to be part of the ownership group along with his son.
Pacific Notes: Kane, Stonehouse, Zary, Kovalenko
Originally anticipated to be returning to the lineup in 2025, that hasn’t been the case for Oilers winger Evander Kane as he is not particularly close to a return. Speaking with Sportsnet’s Mark Spector, GM Stan Bowman indicated that while Kane has been doing his rehab, he doesn’t have any new information about his potential return. However, Bowman added that more clarity should be coming soon on that front. Edmonton has been operating under the cap this season instead of using LTIR in an effort to give themselves a bit of cap flexibility for when Kane returns. However, if Kane isn’t able to return during the regular season, the Oilers could then dip into LTIR, allowing them to go over the cap by up to $5.125MM which would open up more avenues heading to the trade deadline.
More from the Pacific:
- Still with the Oilers, prospect Brady Stonehouse is on the move in the OHL as Peterborough announced that they’ve acquired the winger from Ottawa. Edmonton signed the 20-year-old as an undrafted free agent back in 2023 and he is burning the first year of his entry-level deal at the junior level. In 18 games with the 67’s prior to the swap, Stonehouse had five goals and five assists.
- The Flames are expected to have more information on how long they’ll be without forward Connor Zary on Friday, relays Sportsnet’s Eric Francis (Twitter link). The 23-year-old suffered what looked to be a serious knee injury against Anaheim on Tuesday and the belief is that he may be facing an extended absence. After spending some time in the minors last season, Zary has been a full-timer with Calgary this season and had a solid first half before the injury, picking up 10 goals and 22 assists in his first 40 games.
- Sharks winger Nikolai Kovalenko will not play tomorrow against Utah due to an upper-body injury, notes Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now (Twitter link). The injury was sustained on Tuesday versus Vegas. Kovalenko has fared relatively well since being acquired last month from Colorado, notching a goal and five assists in a dozen games with San Jose after tallying just eight points in 28 games with the Avs. He’s listed as out day-to-day.
Snapshots: Edstrom, Lauko, Cristall, McCue
In an appearance on 102.5 The Game (audio link), Predators GM Barry Trotz indicated that he has been getting calls about prospect center David Edstrom. One of the key pieces coming to Nashville in the Yaroslav Askarov trade, Edstrom is coming off a strong showing for Sweden at the World Juniors that saw him pick up six points in seven games while he has 13 points in 22 games with SHL Frolunda as well. One of their better prospects, it’d be difficult to see them flipping Edstrom so soon unless the Preds drastically turn their fortunes around in the coming weeks to become buyers at the trade deadline.
Elsewhere around the hockey world:
- The Wild announced (Twitter link) that they have placed winger Jakub Lauko on LTIR retroactive to December 14th. The move comes just one day after they exited LTIR with the activation of Jacob Middleton. PuckPedia notes (Twitter link) that today’s recall of David Jiricek allowed them to get his bonuses into their LTIR pool which could be useful if Lauko’s stint on LTIR is a lengthy one. The bonuses would stay in their pool even if Jiricek is subsequently reassigned to the minors again. Lauko has four points and 48 hits in 24 games while averaging ten minutes a night of playing time.
- With the trade deadlines fast approaching in the CHL, there have been some notable moves made in recent days. The latest of those saw WHL Spokane acquire Capitals prospect Andrew Cristall, per a team release in exchange for a prospect and five draft picks including a pair of first-round selections. The 19-year-old was rated by some as a first-round pick in 2023 although he ultimately slipped to 40th overall. After putting up an impressive 111 points last season, Cristall is on pace to beat that this year with 26 goals and 34 assists in just 28 outings. Already signed to his entry-level deal, Cristall will be playing professionally next season.
- Maple Leafs prospect Sam McCue is on the move in the OHL as Flint announced that they’ve acquired the winger from Owen Sound. The 19-year-old was a seventh-round pick last year, going 216th overall in his second year of eligibility and will be eligible to play in the minors next season. McCue has 18 goals and 13 assists in 35 games so far this season.
Snapshots: Guentzel, Holmstrom, Chernyshov, Bains
It’s one of the busiest nights of the hockey year. Unlike in years past, the Winter Classic is no longer a standalone event. The NHL has 12 other games on the docket, all backlit by Team Canada taking on Team USA in an exhilarating World Junior Championships tournament. The heap of action has pulled together sparked plenty of news from around the league.
Most notably, Tampa Bay Lightning winger Jake Guentzel returned to the team’s practices in a no-contact jersey on Tuesday, per NHL.com’s Eduardo A Encina. It was his first time skating since suffering an upper-body injury in the team’s Saturday game. He was designated as day-to-day, and missed his first game of the season on Sunday. Tampa Bay have until Thursday to prepare for a three-game slate this weekend. Guentzel’s return to the ice could be an indication that the Bolts will be getting another star scorer to support the effort.
Guentzel has been fantastic in his first season in Tampa Bay. He’s recorded 20 goals and 37 points through 33 games this season. That equals out to a 1.12 points-per-game scoring pace, which stands as the highest of Guentzel’s nine-year career and puts him on pace for 50 goals and 91 points across 81 games. He’ll need to return soon to uphold those numbers, and continue contributing to a Lightning top-six with three players outscoring him.
Across the Eastern Division, the New York Islanders have lost forward Simon Holmström to an upper-body injury. He has been designated as day-to-day, per a team announcement, and missed his first game of the season on Tuesday. Holmstrom has been a rare bright spot in the Islanders lineup, posting nine goals and 22 points across 37 games so far. He’s nearly past his career-high of 25 points set in 75 games last season, and has slowly climbed the Islanders lineup as a result. The Islanders scored just one goal in his absence on Tuesday, pulling their record to 4-6-0 in their last 10 games. All four of those wins required four-or-more goals, meaning New York now faces the challenge of maintaining their offense without one of their top scorers.
Traveling to the other coast – San Jose Sharks prospect Igor Chernyshov has shared that he hopes to return to game action in January, per Curtis Pashelka of Mercury News. Chernyshov – the fisrt pick of the second round in last year’s draft – has been skating with Sharks staff to support his recovery. He was a top prospect in last year’s class, with many even dubbing him a first-round talent. But a shoulder surgery in August has so far held him out of all 2024-25 action. He is expected to head to the OHL’s Saginaw Spirit when he returns to full health.
Finally, Vancouver Canucks winger Arshdeep Bains has changed agents, now represented by Wasserman’s Darren Hermiston per PuckPedia. Bains is in the final year of his entry-level contract. He began the year in the minor leagues, but was the clear top option on Vancouver’s call-up chart. He’s already been recalled seven times this season, resulting in Bains stepping into 11 NHL games. Unfortunately, he hasn’t done much to make the call-ups stick – with just one assist and a -4. He’s been much more active in the minors, recording 11 points, 20 penalty minutes, and a -5 in 12 games. Bains ranked second on the Abbotsford Canucks in scoring last season with 55 points in 59 games. His change of representation months before a new deal could be a step towards fighting for a hardier chance at the top flight.
Minor Transactions: 12/18/24
With the holiday roster freeze coming up shortly, there has been an uptick in smaller moves around the NHL today, not to mention a trade of note. Here’s a rundown of those transactions plus an NHL-drafted prospect on the move at the junior level.
- The Kraken announced (Twitter link) that they have re-assigned winger Ryan Winterton to AHL Coachella Valley. The 21-year-old has found himself on the transactions log quite a few times already this season but has gotten into eight games with Seattle, picking up an assist while logging 10:22 per night of playing time. Winterton has been quite productive with the Firebirds though, tallying 15 points in 16 outings with them.
- The Hurricanes have returned winger Jackson Blake, goaltender Dustin Tokarski, and defenseman Riley Stillman to AHL Chicago, per the AHL’s transactions log. Carolina has made these moves all season long to bank a bit of cap space. Even with the roster freeze, emergency recalls are still permitted for a few more days so expect them to continue this for even after Thursday.
- Capitals prospect Cam Allen is on the move in the OHL. London announced that they’ve acquired the blueliner from Guelph in exchange for defenseman Noah Jenken and seven draft picks. Allen was once rated as a first-round pick but slid in his draft year (2023) to the fifth round, going 136th overall. Washington has already signed the 19-year-old who had 25 points in 27 games prior to the swap.