Morning Notes: Fantilli, NCAA Men’s Tournament, Benn
If there was any doubt that University of Michigan center Adam Fantilli has solidified his placement as the presumptive second-overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, it’s shrunk massively over the past few weeks. Fantilli’s assist last night in Michigan’s Big 10 tournament championship victory gave him 11 points in four games at the tournament, setting the all-time record, as reported by NHL.com’s Mike Morreale.
Understandably, he took home Most Outstanding Player honors as well, guiding Michigan to their second consecutive tournament victory over the University of Minnesota. The freshman center enters the national tournament with 61 points in just 33 games this season, and his 1.85 points per game are the highest of any NCAA men’s player since Kyle Connor in 2015-16, also with Michigan.
Among the 2023 draft class, Fantilli’s impressiveness and brilliance have been overshadowed only by Connor Bedard this season. He’ll have one last chance to show what he can do in the college ranks during the national tournament before inevitably turning pro next fall.
More notes from the hockey world this morning:
- The 16 teams that will make up the field for the NCAA Men’s Hockey Tournament are set, according to ESPN’s John Buccigross. Minnesota, Quinnipiac, Michigan, Denver, Boston University, Harvard, St. Cloud State, Penn State, Ohio State, Michigan Tech, Minnesota State, Western Michigan, Cornell, Merrimack, Colgate, and Canisius will all participate in college hockey’s final set of games for 2023. The seeding and first-round matchups will be revealed later this evening after the conclusion of the women’s championships game between Wisconsin and Ohio State.
- With the playoffs just around the corner, a defensive depth piece in the Toronto Maple Leafs organization may be unavailable to them for a while. Jordie Benn was injured in last night’s AHL Toronto Marlies game and did not return, and Marlies head coach Greg Moore offered no postgame update. Benn, 32, has two points in 12 games while playing for the Maple Leafs this season but has fallen down the depth chart quickly after a flurry of trade deadline adds at the position.
Ethan Bear Activated From IR
Before their game against the Los Angeles Kings kicks off, the Vancouver Canucks have announced that defenseman Ethan Bear has been activated from the injured reserve. Bear is been out of the Canucks lineup for almost a month now, having not played since the team took on the Boston Bruins on February 25th.
Originally drafted by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2015 NHL Draft, Bear played three seasons in Edmonton, scoring a career-high 21 points during the 2019-20 season. After a down year in 2020-21, Bear was shipped off to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for forward Warren Foegele. With an already deep defensive core, Bear decided to request a trade away from the Hurricanes, waiting until he was traded to the Canucks on October 28th.
In his first full year in Vancouver, Bear has managed to score three goals and 11 assists through 46 games played. Although he has managed to secure a +5 +/-, Bear is also on the Canucks penalty kill, which is currently a league-worst 68.18%. Things haven’t been all bad for the Canucks in Bear’s absence, as the team has gone 7-3-0 in their last ten games, beating strong teams such as the Dallas Stars and Toronto Maple Leafs.
Goalie Notes: Thompson, Brossoit, Skinner, Brkin
As the Vegas Golden Knights took the ice for practice this morning, injured goalies Logan Thompson and Laurent Brossoit participated with the team. After a short media availability, Jesse Granger of The Athletic mentions that head coach Bruce Cassidy remains cautious on both, but that he expects both of the goalies to travel with the team in their upcoming western Canadian road trip.
Posting almost identical numbers to his first season in the NHL last year, Thompson has appeared in 36 games, going 20-13-3 with a .914 SV% and a 2.66 GAA. Brossoit on the other hand, seemingly injured for the entire season so far, has only appeared in three contests, going 1-0-2 with a .936 SV% and a 2.20 GAA. Although for most teams it would be a welcome return to have these goaltenders back in the lineup, recent trade acquisition Jonathan Quick has given the Knights a good problem to have. In 31 games this season for the Los Angeles Kings, Quick went 11-13-4 with a .876 SV% and a 3.50 GAA. Since coming over to Las Vegas, Quick has made five appearances, producing a record of 4-1-0, posting a .904 SV% and a 2.98 GAA.
Other notes:
- After the Edmonton Oilers defeated the Seattle Kraken earlier today, the NHL announced that after securing the 29th win of his career, Stuart Skinner has broken an Oilers’ rookie goalie record, which was previously held by Oilers’ legend Grant Fuhr. After signing goaltender Jack Campbell to a 5-year, $25MM contract this past offseason, Skinner has seemingly come out of nowhere to take the net in Edmonton. This season specifically, Skinner has gone 21-14-4 in 41 appearances, producing a save percentage of .912, and a goals-against average of 2.87.
- In correspondence with the recall of goaltender Zachary Fucale, the Hershey Bears have announced that they have signed Bailey Brkin to a professional tryout contract. Spending this season with the Iowa Heartlanders, the Wheeling Nailers, and the Reading Royals of the ECHL, Brkin has posted an overall record of 10-14-4.
Kaiden Guhle Will Sit Out Tonight
As their game against the Tampa Bay Lightning gets underway, the Montreal Canadiens announce that defenseman Kaiden Guhle will sit out of tonight’s game due to a lower-body injury. With quite a large amount of injuries already, Guhle will join the list of Canadiens unable to play.
In his first-ever season in the NHL, Guhle has fit in very well with Montreal this year. Drafted 16th overall in the 2020 NHL draft, the Edmonton Oil Kings alumni has put up 18 points in 44 games for the Canadiens this year. Although these may seem like rather modest numbers from a defenseman, he actually sits second on the Canadiens’ defense in points scored. With a list including Justin Barron, Jordan Harris, and Arber Xhekaj, Guhle complements a list of Montreal defensemen 22 years of age or younger.
As he has primarily played on a unit with David Savard, it appears that Mike Matheson will move up to the top unit tonight against the Lightning, and defenseman Chris Wideman will fill in for Guhle in tonight’s lineup.
Jeff Petry Will Sit Out Tonight
After recalling defenseman Mark Friedman earlier today, Rob Rossi from The Athletic reports Jeff Petry will be out tonight with an upper-body injury. As the Penguins look to pick up two crucial points against their division rival, New York Rangers, they will be without one of their better puck-moving defensemen.
In Pittsburgh’s last game against the Rangers on Thursday night, Petry received an elbow to the head from Rangers’ forward Tyler Motte. In playing just over a minute and a half of that game, Petry left the ice and did not return for the remainder of the game. According to Rossi, Penguins’ head coach Mike Sullivan did not give any updates as to how long Petry would be sitting out.
After being acquired from the Montreal Canadiens late last summer, Petry is currently second on the Penguins in scoring by defensemen, putting up 26 points in 52 games. After posting a statistically down year with possession numbers in his final season with the Canadiens, Petry has rebounded nicely, once again putting up strong Corsi For % with the Penguins this year. As the Penguins continue to fight for a wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, the injuries are starting to accrue, making their goal that much more difficult to reach in the final stretch.
Washington Capitals Recall Zachary Fucale
Following up on an earlier report from Tom Gulitti of the NHL announcing that Darcy Kuemper is out with an upper-body injury, the Washington Capitals have recalled goaltender Zachary Fucale from their AHL affiliate Hershey Bears. Fucale was last recalled to the Capitals on an emergency loan back in December of 2022, also filling in after Kuemper sustained an injury.
So far this season in the AHL, Fucale has managed to produce a record of 19-10-2, with a .899 SV% and a 2.57 GAA. Leading a Bears team that looks poised to make the playoffs, Fucale’s win totals are good for the sixth highest in the minor leagues. In his absence, goaltender Hunter Shepard will likely receive much of the starting minutes between the pipes.
Fucale’s only action in the NHL in his career came last year with the Capitals, posting a 1-1-1 record, with a .924 SV% and a 1.75 GAA. Famously, Fucale became the first goalie in team history to record a shutout in his first-ever start, stopping all 21 shots in the team’s victory against the Detroit Red Wings.
Devils Notes: Wood, Bastian, Blackwood, Foote
Before the New Jersey Devils play against the Florida Panthers tonight, the lead reporter of the team, Amanda Stein, gave some important updates from the team’s practice earlier this morning. As the Devils begin a weekend back-to-back against the Panthers and the Tampa Bay Lightning, Stein reports that forwards Miles Wood and Nathan Bastian have not made the trip to Florida with the team.
Wood, one of the many upcoming free agents on the Devils’ roster, will miss his second straight game. After only playing three games during the 2021-22 season, Wood has again become a steady depth player for the Devils this year. Playing in his seventh season in New Jersey, Wood has reached the double-digit goal mark five times, with a career-high 19 goals coming during the 2017-18 season.
Much like Wood, Bastian has not played in the last few games for the Devils, having missed since the March 12th game against the Carolina Hurricanes. After being selected by the Seattle Kraken during their expansion draft, Bastian found his way back to New Jersey last year after a mid-season waiver claim. In his first full year back with the Devils, Bastian has also provided some depth scoring for the team, putting up six goals and six assists in 39 games played so far this year.
Other notes:
- Although he’s been one of the more injury-plagued goalies the last several years, Stein also mentioned that goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood was practicing with the team this morning. Having not played since the team’s game against the Winnipeg Jets on February 19th, Blackwood will still be out of the lineup tonight, however; it is good news to see him back out practicing with the team. In 17 games played this year, Blackwood has a record of 8-5, with a .900 SV% and a 3.04 GAA.
- Lastly, Stein mentions that forward Nolan Foote was also seen practicing with the team before their game in Sunrise. Drafted 27th overall in the 2019 NHL Draft, Foote has yet to crack the Devils’ lineup in a meaningful way. Playing only 16 games over the last three seasons, Nolan has scored a collective four goals and two assists for New Jersey. As he has played most of his games in the AHL, he has a career mark of 39 goals and 40 assists in 128 games played in hockey’s highest minor league system.
Metropolitan Notes: Kuemper, Trineyev, Pyyhtia, Lindgren, Nylander
Capitals netminder Darcy Kuemper left practice early today after sustaining an upper-body injury, notes NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti (Twitter link). At this point, it’s unknown if he’ll be available to play on Sunday in Minnesota. If he does miss time, it will be the second time that the 32-year-old has been out with an injury this season as he missed eight games back in December. Despite that, Kuemper has had a decent first year with Washington, posting a 2.77 GAA with a .910 SV% and a league-high five shutouts in 48 starts. If Kuemper can’t play, Charlie Lindgren will take over as the interim starter for the Caps.
More from the Metropolitan:
- Still with Washington, the Capitals have re-assigned forward Bogdan Trineyev from KHL Dynamo Moscow to AHL Hershey, per a team release. The 21-year-old had 13 points in 39 games during the regular season while adding a pair of assists in the KHL playoffs before being eliminated. Trineyev got into two games with Hershey in the playoffs last season and should have a chance to see more action with them this time around.
- The Blue Jackets announced that they have re-assigned winger Mikael Pyyhtia to AHL Cleveland. The 21-year-old spent the season with TPS in Finland, picking up just seven goals in 47 games after putting up 21 in 56 contests in 2021-22 which helped him earn an entry-level contract last May. His season over there came to an end so he will now get his first taste of action in North America down the stretch.
- While Ryan Lindgren was a full participant in practice today, the defenseman isn’t likely to play tonight, relays Larry Brooks of the New York Post (Twitter link). The 25-year-old has been out for the last four weeks with an upper-body injury. The Rangers opted not to place him on LTIR at the time, opting to play short players earlier this month as a result but in hindsight, they would have been able to get away with putting him there and then send players down once Lindgren is cleared to return, which should be quite soon now.
- The Penguins recently reclassified Alexander Nylander’s recall from an emergency one to a regular one, notes Rob Rossi of The Athletic (Twitter link). In doing so, Nylander is allowed to remain up with the team even when it’s not an emergency situation but it also means they use one of their four allowable post-deadline recalls. They have two remaining now; the other was used on a paper transaction with Drew O’Connor.
Jonathan Toews Reportedly Considering Retirement
Many expected that this season was supposed to be Jonathan Toews’ final one with Chicago. However, it appears it might be his final one altogether as John Dietz of The Daily Herald reports that the veteran is believed to be seriously considering retiring at the end of this season.
Toews has been dealing with both long-COVID symptoms as well as Chronic Immune Response Syndrome with the pair of ailments causing him to miss the entire 2020-21 campaign. While he was able to play a regular role last season and through the first half of this one, the 34-year-old hasn’t played since late January. Last month, he released a statement acknowledging that he is still dealing with symptoms from both issues which took away any possibility of him being moved at the trade deadline. At this point, he hasn’t been ruled out for the season and Dietz notes that he has been around the team regularly over the last couple of weeks.
But even if Toews is able to return down the stretch, the lingering effects of these ailments appear to be likely to continue beyond this year which will present some complications for him moving forward if he opts to instead try to play next season. He turns 35 next month which would make him eligible for an incentive-based deal as long as it’s a one-year agreement which would give whoever signed him a chance to tie part of his compensation to games played. At this point in his career, is that really the best route for him to go? It appears that Toews is at least pondering that question as he considers his future.
He has spent his entire 15-year career with the Blackhawks, ranking sixth in franchise history in goals (371), eighth in assists (509), and sixth in points (880) while sitting fifth in games played. Of course, he also helped lead them to three Stanley Cups in 2010, 2013, and 2015 and regardless of what decision he makes (retire or try to play next season), Toews is a franchise icon in Chicago. Unfortunately, it appears as if there’s a legitimate possibility that he won’t be able to end his time with them – and perhaps his career – the way he wanted to.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
West Notes: Wild, McLeod, Afanaseyev, Kesselring
The Wild could get several key veterans back in their lineup shortly. Randy Johnson of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune relays that while defensemen Jonas Brodin and Jacob Middleton plus wingers Brandon Duhaime and Marcus Foligno weren’t in the lineup today, they could all be back for Sunday’s contest against Washington. Brodin has been out the longest, missing the last four weeks with a lower-body injury which has been a big blow to their back end. Middleton is dealing with an illness sustained earlier this week. Meanwhile, Duhaime has missed more than two weeks with a head injury while Foligno has been out for a week with a lower-body issue of his own. Minnesota is in the midst of a very close three-way battle for positioning in the Central and getting multiple veterans back at once could certainly give their lineup a nice boost.
More from the Western Conference:
- Postmedia’s Jim Matheson suggests that center Ryan McLeod is dealing with a shoulder injury. He was injured on Tuesday against Ottawa and didn’t suit up versus Dallas on Thursday. There’s no word on how long the 23-year-old will be out. McLeod’s in the middle of a decent sophomore season, notching 11 goals and 11 assists in 55 games despite spending a lot of that time in Edmonton’s bottom six.
- After papering him down, the Predators announced that they’ve recalled winger Egor Afanasyev to AHL Milwaukee. The 22-year-old made his NHL debut last weekend after being brought up and has gotten into three games with Nashville, logging 9:32 per night while being held off the scoresheet. Afanasyev also has 13 goals and 13 assists in 55 games with the Admirals in the minors this season.
- A day after being sent down, the Coyotes announced (Twitter link) that they have once again recalled defenseman Michael Kesselring from AHL Tucson on an emergency basis. The 23-year-old has played in three games with Arizona since being acquired just before the deadline, logging 18:35 per contest. The 23-year-old has also suited up three times for the Roadrunners since the swap, picking up a goal and an assist.