Ryan Hartman Suspended One Game
2:13 pm: Hartman has been suspended for one game as a result of the play, NHL Player Safety announced Wednesday afternoon.
9:07 am: The NHL’s Department of Player Safety announced that Minnesota Wild forward Ryan Hartman will face a hearing today for interference against Winnipeg Jets forward Nikolaj Ehlers during last night’s game.
The incident occurred with 8:30 left in a contentious game between the Central Division rivals. Hartman received two minor penalties on the hit, one for interference on Ehlers and one for roughing after the play. He laid an open-ice check on Ehlers after playing the puck, with Ehlers leaving the ice surface holding the back of his head. He did not return to the game.
This isn’t Hartman’s first time in hot water with the Department of Player Safety. The 28-year-old forward has been suspended once before, for a high hit in 2018 when he was playing for the Nashville Predators.
The Wild have nothing left to play for this season with one game remaining. A regulation loss last night and a Colorado overtime loss locked them into third place in the Central.
Still, a potential Hartman absence from the lineup harms the Wild at their most vulnerable position. With Joel Eriksson Ek already sidelined week-to-week and not expected to be ready for the beginning of the playoffs, the team could be involuntarily without their top two centers for their final game of the season against Nashville on Thursday.
Michael Benning Signs With Florida Panthers
2:11 pm: CapFriendly clarifies that the contract does in fact begin this season, meaning Benning will burn the first year of his entry-level contract and become an RFA in 2025. The contract carries a cap hit of $916,700.
1:06 pm: Florida Panthers defense prospect Michael Benning has ended his college career at Denver University and signed his entry-level contract with the team, reports Florida Hockey Now’s George Richards.
Benning is locked into a three-year contract starting next season, according to the Panthers, meaning he won’t be able to play in this year’s playoffs. He’ll become a restricted free agent in 2026. The 21-year-old was named the most outstanding player of the 2022 NCAA Men’s Frozen Four, where Denver won the national championship.
Panthers general manager Bill Zito offered a statement on Benning’s signing:
Mike is a gifted two-way defenseman who has had an outstanding collegiate career. We are thrilled for him to take the next step in his career with the Panthers and look forward to his continued development within our organization.
A 2020 fourth-round pick, Benning has excelled during his sophomore and junior seasons at Denver, seeing a massive improvement in his play on both sides of the puck. His offensive acumen is the most tantalizing part of his game, though, a theme sure to fit in with Florida’s scoring-heavy system.
If there’s a knock to Benning’s game, it’s a question of how his smaller stature will transfer to the NHL, especially as a defenseman. He stands 5-foot-9 and may struggle with the strength of NHL opponents.
Arizona Coyotes Recall Jan Jeník
The Arizona Coyotes have recalled forward Jan Jeník from the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners, according to a team tweet Wednesday.
Arizona needed an extra body from the minors after Laurent Dauphin sustained an upper-body injury in Monday night’s game against the Seattle Kraken. Jeník, 22, will suit up for Arizona’s final game of the season, a home matchup Thursday against the Vancouver Canucks.
The team’s third-round pick in 2018 has battled through injuries at times in his development, but Jeník has still managed to show offensive promise when healthy for extended periods of time. This season hasn’t been smooth for him, though, with injuries limiting him to 30 games with Tucson, where he’s recorded seven goals and 23 points.
Jeník made one NHL appearance earlier this season, playing just four minutes in a December 17 game against the Buffalo Sabres. The Czech prospect has four goals and an assist in 16 career games with the Coyotes thus far.
A skilled skater who makes intelligent plays, Jeník still has top-six upside as a prospect if he can manage to round out his game in Tucson next season. He may end up limited to a fourth-line role against Vancouver, though, replacing Dauphin’s spot on the roster.
Colorado Avalanche Re-Sign Callahan Burke
The Colorado Avalanche have re-signed depth forward Callahan Burke, the team announced Wednesday afternoon. The Denver Post’s Bennett Durando says it’s a one-year extension for Burke, who will remain in Colorado through 2024.
Burke, 26, will stick around as an impactful top-nine forward in the minors for the Colorado Eagles. Brought into the organization on an AHL contract by the Eagles out of the University of Notre Dame, Burke made his NHL debut earlier this season for an injury-ravaged Avalanche team. After playing in two games in December 2022, he’s still looking for his first NHL point.
A two-time Big Ten champion with Notre Dame in 2018 and 2019, it’s been a long road to NHL relevancy for Burke. Yet he’s managed to work his way into a rather important spot for the Eagles, where he sits third in scoring with 37 points (16 goals, 21 assists) in 68 games.
Burke was a pending restricted free agent with arbitration rights before agreeing to the extension. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2024.
Minnesota Wild To Recall Sammy Walker, Nick Swaney
The Minnesota Wild have recalled forwards Sammy Walker and Nick Swaney from AHL Iowa ahead of their final game of the regular season against the Nashville Predators tomorrow, The Athletic’s Michael Russo reports.
Minnesota could square off against Nashville without the services of three forwards who dressed for last night’s game against Winnipeg: Marcus Johansson, Ryan Hartman, and Sam Steel. Johansson’s status for Thursday is questionable after sustaining an upper-body injury on a cross-check from Jets defenseman Neal Pionk, while Steel left the game in the second period with an undisclosed illness. Meanwhile, Hartman is facing a suspension today for a hit on Jets forward Nikolaj Ehlers.
Hence the recalls, which could yield an NHL debut for Swaney, 25, in the team’s last game of the 2022-23 regular season. Born in Lakeville, Minn., Swaney was a 2017 seventh-round pick of the Wild and won back-to-back NCAA championships with the University of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs in 2018 and 2019. In just over two seasons of play in Iowa since, Swaney’s recorded 33 goals, 35 assists, and 68 points in 114 games.
This is a familiar refrain for Walker, though, who’s now earned the fourth recall of his rookie season. The 23-year-old free agent signing out of the University of Minnesota has a goal in eight appearances with the NHL Wild this year while also leading the AHL Wild in goals with 26.
Neal Pionk Avoids Suspension, Earns Fine For Cross-Checking
Winnipeg Jets defenseman Neal Pionk has been fined $5,000 for cross-checking Minnesota Wild forward Marcus Johansson during a heated game between the two teams last night, the NHL Department of Player Safety said Wednesday morning. This is the maximum allowable fine under the Collective Bargaining Agreement.
The incident occurred late in the third period of the game, which the Jets won 3-1. Pionk received a major penalty for cross-checking Johansson, but the league felt that the infraction deserved further punishment.
Johansson was in obvious discomfort after the play, which caused him to fall to the ice. His injury status is currently unknown.
The game between the Jets and the Wild was a physical affair, with other incidents drawing the attention of the league. Wild forward Ryan Hartman is facing a potential suspension for a hit on Jets forward Nikolaj Ehlers, which occurred earlier in the game. The league is expected to make a ruling on Hartman’s status later today.
The decision to hold a hearing for one incident but not the other is sure to draw ire from some. Both incidents had some perceived level of intent, depending on who you ask, and both resulted in potential injuries to the opposing players.
Calgary Flames Recall Dustin Wolf
The Calgary Flames are giving their fans something to look forward to after a disappointing 2022-23 campaign. Top goalie prospect Dustin Wolf has been recalled from the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers, per the team, and will likely make his first NHL start tonight against the San Jose Sharks.
After being eliminated from playoff contention earlier this week, the Flames will let Wolf show what he can do in the best league in the world. He has very little left to prove in the minors, stonewalling the AHL with a 41-9-2 record, seven shutouts, and a .932 save percentage this season in 53 games.
A Calder Cup win is the next empty checkbox for Wolf, who has very quickly cemented himself among the top young netminders in the world after falling to the seventh round of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft.
With both Jacob Markstrom and Daniel Vladar signed through 2025, however, Wolf may have to wait a while to become a full-time NHLer despite being near-ready. The 21-year-old from Gilroy, California, could force the Flames to trade Vladar this offseason, who had a .892 save percentage in 27 games in 2022-23.
Minor Moves: Bussi, Ginning, Samuelsson
The Boston Bruins recalled goaltender Brandon Bussi from the minors on an emergency basis, according to a team release Wednesday morning. Bussi’s recall comes in response to Linus Ullmark leaving yesterday’s game with an undisclosed injury, which head coach Jim Montgomery later told reporters was a precautionary move.
With Ullmark banged up earlier in the week as well, Bussi saw his first NHL recall on April 9 after signing an entry-level contract with Boston last year. It’s Bussi’s third transaction between Boston and AHL Providence in the past four days, as he was returned to the minors after serving as backup for Sunday’s game against the Flyers. The 24-year-old has played 31 games with Providence this season, posting a 21-5-4 record, a 2.38 goals-against average, and a .925 save percentage. As Boston Hockey Now’s Joe Haggerty noted, Bussi could be in line for his first NHL start down the stretch with Boston’s record-setting regular season drawing to a close.
Also from around the NHL beat this morning:
- Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Adam Ginning has been sent back to the AHL, according to The Athletic’s Charlie O’Connor. The 23-year-old made his NHL debut yesterday in the team’s overtime win against Columbus, recording two hits, two blocked shots, and a minor penalty in 16:40 of ice time. Drafted 50th overall in 2018, Ginning has been among the Lehigh Valley Phantoms’ best defensive players this season and will play a pivotal role on the team during the Calder Cup Playoffs.
- Former Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Philip Samuelsson is on the move overseas, joining the DEL’s Straubing Tigers for the 2023-24 season, per the league. Samuelsson, a 2009 second-round pick, recorded 31 points in 47 games last year for the DEL’s Fischtown Penguins and last played in North America in 2018-19. He recorded only 13 games of NHL action during his time with the Penguins and Arizona Coyotes, failing to record a point.
Detroit Red Wings Reassign Amadeus Lombardi To AHL
In a release Wednesday morning, the Detroit Red Wings announced they have reassigned center Amadeus Lombardi to the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins from the OHL’s Flint Firebirds.
Lombardi had an impressive season with the Firebirds after the Red Wings selected him in the fourth round (113th overall) of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. The 19-year-old skated in 67 games and led the team in all major offensive categories with 45 goals, 57 assists, and 102 points.
His more supplementary stats also ranked among the team’s leaders, recording a +23 rating, 10 power-play goals, 24 power-play points, two shorthanded goals, five game-winning goals, and 207 shots. Lombardi finished third in the OHL’s scoring race and became the first player in Flint franchise history to reach the 100-point plateau. He also recorded seven points (five goals, two assists) in seven postseason contests.
Lombardi was initially eligible for the 2021 NHL Draft. However, he wasn’t selected after the COVID-related shutdown cost him what would’ve been his first OHL season. After recording 59 points in 67 games with Flint in 2021-22, Detroit selected him as an over-age player.
He signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the team in December 2022. The deal will slide to next season after Lombardi didn’t play in any NHL games in 2022-23.
A small but skilled center, Lombardi will likely return to Flint for his third season of junior hockey in 2023-24. While Grand Rapids sits last in their division and is eliminated from playoff contention in the AHL, Lombardi will get his first taste of professional hockey over the team’s two remaining games.
NHL Officially Announces Australia Global Series
After many months of rumors, the NHL confirmed a set of Global Series games for Australia for the 2023-24 season late Tuesday night. The Arizona Coyotes and Los Angeles Kings are set to play the first-ever NHL games in the Southern Hemisphere in Melbourne, Australia, on September 23 and 24 during the preseason.
Set to take place at Rod Laver Arena, known as the main venue for the Australian Open, the games mark a significant step in the NHL’s mission to increase the sport’s global reach and expand its international strategy. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman offered a statement on the games:
The Arizona Coyotes and Los Angeles Kings are two of our League’s rising young teams and among our most innovative and adventurous franchises. We look forward to their two games at Rod Laver Arena and know this history-making visit will thrill our many avid fans in Australia and cause so many more throughout the sports-loving nation to be captivated by our great game.
This will not be the first international trip for either team. The Kings played two preseason games in China in 2017 and have played games in Austria, Germany, England, and Sweden. Meanwhile, Arizona has played one preseason game in Latvia and two regular-season games in Czechia, all in 2010.
The announcement reaffirms the NHL’s fervent approach to international exposure since intercontinental travel became viable after the spikes of the COVID-19 pandemic. Six teams made trips abroad last season, with a total of six Global Series games spanning the preseason and regular season.