Penguins Sign Owen Pickering
The Penguins have signed their top selection from the draft earlier this month, announcing that they’ve signed blueliner Owen Pickering to a three-year, entry-level contract. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The 18-year-old was the 21st pick by Pittsburgh earlier this month following a strong season with Swift Current of the WHL where he had 33 points in 62 games in his first full major junior season. Now standing 6’4, Pickering had a late growth spurt and will need some time to fill out his frame before he’s ready to even consider playing in the pros. He’s the first first-round pick from the Broncos since Boston took Jake DeBrusk 14th overall back in 2015.
Pickering’s contract is eligible to slide a year if he doesn’t play in ten NHL games next season (and it’s doubtful he will see any NHL action). As a result, he’ll still have three years left on his deal after this one, likely at a slightly lower cap hit assuming his contract has signing bonuses which is quite normal for first-round selections.
Harri Sateri Signs In Switzerland
While the Coyotes are among the teams that still have a vacancy to fill between the pipes, their backup down the stretch last season is moving on. Todd Diamond, the agent for goaltender Harri Sateri, told Craig Morgan of PHNX Sports (Twitter link) that his client has signed a one-year deal with EHC Biel-Bienne of the Swiss NLA.
The 32-year-old had a strong showing with Novosibirsk of the KHL last season, posting a 2.02 GAA along with a .926 SV% in 38 games. He also played extremely well in five appearances in the Olympics, helping to get him on the NHL radar. Just before the trade deadline, Toronto signed Sateri to be their backup goalie for the rest of the season but he had to pass through waivers first to get there. That didn’t happen as the Coyotes scooped him up off the wire to make him their backup for the final few weeks.
It was Sateri’s first NHL action since the 2017-18 campaign with Florida and suffice it to say, it didn’t go particularly well. Sateri had a 4.22 GAA with a .866 SV% in six appearances which certainly didn’t help his chances of securing a one-way deal to stay in North America so he’ll instead try his hand in the Swiss league instead. Meanwhile, Arizona’s current backup battle would be between Ivan Prosvetov and Jon Gillies with neither of them proving that they’re ready for full-time duty behind Karel Vejmelka just yet so GM Bill Armstrong likely still has some work to do on that front this summer.
Edmonton Oilers Sign Reid Schaefer
Another first-rounder has signed his entry-level deal. The Edmonton Oilers have announced that their top 2022 draft pick, Reid Schaefer, has signed a three-year entry-level contract.
Shaefer, 18, was the 32nd overall pick at the 2022 entry draft. The Oilers selected him at that slot after a small trade-down with the Arizona Coyotes, a deal that allowed them to get Zack Kassian‘s unwanted cap hit off their books.
Schaefer played his way into the first-round conversation thanks to a breakout season with the Seattle Thunderbirds. Schaefer’s WHL track record before this year was unimpressive, to say the least. He had played in 18 games in the WHL’s COVID-shortened 2020-21 season and scored just two assists.
This season, Schaefer’s role on the Thunderbirds grew and his production grew with it. Schaefer scored 32 goals and 58 points in 66 games and added six goals and 21 points in the Thunderbirds’ 25-game playoff run to the WHL final. Schaefer’s big six-foot-three frame is what intrigues scouts most about his game. Schaefer’s hard-nosed, physical style is becoming rarer and rarer as more and more emphasis gets placed on speed and skill, and that’s something the Oilers’ front office clearly values.
That’s not to say Schaefer isn’t skilled – you’re not going in the first round without some real offensive upside – but his game is more has more layers to it than the traditional high-scoring junior prospect. Schaefer was an important all-situations forward for the Thunderbirds, helping with significant minutes on both special teams units.
Schaefer signing this deal gives him a chance to show what he can do at Oilers training camp before likely being sent to the WHL for another season on the Thunderbirds. One thing to note is Schaefer was one of the oldest first-year prospects in the 2022 draft class, meaning he could have a shorter path to the professional ranks than his peers.
Carolina Hurricanes Sign Mackenzie MacEachern
The Carolina Hurricanes have made another free agent signing this evening, inking experienced forward Mackenzie MacEachern to a one-year, two-way contract, per a team announcement. The deal carries a $750k cap hit, $225,000 AHL salary, and $275,000 total guarantee. Hurricanes GM Don Waddell had the following to say about his newest addition:
Mackenzie is a big power forward who is willing to go to the dirty areas of the ice to score, he’s got NHL experience and is capable of contributing at this level.
MacEachern spent most of 2021-22 with the St. Louis Blues’ AHL affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds. In Springfield, MacEachern had 12 goals and 25 points, helping lead the Thunderbirds to the Calder Cup Final. MacEachern also got into 14 NHL games with the Blues, recording two assists. The 28-year-old MacEachern has 115 NHL games to his name and 11 career NHL goals.
As Waddell mentioned, MacEachern is a big power forward who can make an impact on both ends of the ice. He was a penalty killer for the Thunderbirds and should be a capable middle-six forward at the AHL level. This deal will allow MacEachern to compete for a spot on the Hurricanes’ roster during training camp before in all likelihood being sent to their AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves.
If MacEachern doesn’t make the Hurricanes’ roster and is sent to Chicago, it will actually be his second tour of duty with the Wolves. MacEachern made his professional debut there in 2016-17, signing with the Wolves after a successful career with the Michigan State Spartans in the NCAA.
MacEachern is useful depth for the Hurricanes and should help the Wolves in their attempt to defend their Calder Cup title.
Carolina Hurricanes Sign Malte Stromwall
The Carolina Hurricanes have added an intriguing KHL player, signing Swedish forward Malte Stromwall to a one-year, two-way contract with a $750K cap hit and a $175K total guarantee. Hurricanes GM Don Waddell had the following to say about his newest free agent addition:
“This is a player we’ve been tracking for a while, Malte is a tremendous skater with high-end skill coming off a very productive season in the KHL.”
Waddell is certainly right about Stromwall, as he enjoyed a breakout 2021-22 campaign in the KHL. Stromwall, coming off of a disappointing 21-game run with SKA St. Petersburg to end 2020-21, came to Dynamo Minsk and made an immediate impact. He finished second on the team in scoring with 19 goals and 32 points in just 38 games, doing so on a flawed Minsk team that finished second-to-last in the KHL’s Tarasov Division. Stromwall saw significant time on Minsk’s power play as their most reliable goal-scoring option.
Stromwall doesn’t have extensive experience in North America, and his last stint on this side of the pond was several years ago, when he played in the New York Rangers organization. Stromwall looked out of place on North American ice and had only six points in 44 AHL games. The Hurricanes are adding Stromwall with the hope that he can be more productive this time around.
He’ll head to their training camp with an outside chance to make their team if he plays extremely well. In all likelihood, though, Stromwall will head to the defending Calder Cup Champion Chicago Wolves and look to prove that he can be an offensive difference maker on smaller North American ice surfaces.
Nashville Predators Sign Joakim Kemell
And we have another entry-level deal announced tonight, this time for Nashville Predators first-rounder Joakim Kemell.
Kemell, 18, was the 17th overall pick at the 2022 draft and the first pick of the Predators’ six-player 2022 draft class. A product of Finnish club JYP Jyvaskyla, Kemell made headlines this season for his blazingly fast start to the Liiga season. Kemell was scoring at an unheard-of rate but eventually slowed down as the season wore on. Kemell finished with 15 goals and 23 points in 39 points, a very impressive total for a draft-eligible prospect who was just 17 years old for most of the season.
Kemell’s best weapon in his offensive toolbox is his shot. He can pick apart goaltenders who dare to leave areas of the net open for him to target and is aggressive in using his shot as often as possible. There are some worries about his shot selection and tendency to stay on the perimeter of play, but those issues should improve as he matures and gains more experience in professional hockey.
By signing this entry-level deal, the Predators have unlocked a host of options for Kemell’s development path next season. They could let him compete for a spot on the team in training camp, and potentially even let him stay in the Predators’ organization in North America if they deem that the best option for his development. They’d also have the option of loaning him back to Liiga where he would in all likelihood take on a bigger role on one of Liiga’s youngest teams.
Whatever path they choose, bringing Kemell into the fold in Nashville has provided the team with an immediate boost to the quality of their prospect pool, which had declined in recent years. Kemell has the chance to be an impact top-six winger and now that he’s signed with the team it’ll be up to the Predators’ development staff as well as Kemell himself to determine if he lives up to the hype.
Winnipeg Jets Sign Elias Salomonsson
The Winnipeg Jets have inked a member of their most recent draft class to an entry-level deal. The Jets announced today that second-round pick Elias Salomonsson has signed a three-year entry-level deal with the club.
Salomonsson was the 55th overall pick at last Thursday’s draft and is one of the younger players in the draft class. He’s still just 17 years old and won’t turn 18 until August 31st. The Jets took him out of Skelleftea, a club in Sweden. Salomonsson split time last season between Skelleftea’s SHL and junior-level teams, and his 10-game stint in the SHL was extremely impressive given his age. Salomonsson had 11 goals and 22 points in 35 games at the U-20 level and zero points in his 10 SHL games, although he played in a very sheltered role.
Salomonsson is a smooth-skating blueliner with polished two-way ability. He has a lot of room to grow and with the right development could blossom into a top-four defenseman. His entry-level deal gives him the chance to earn a spot in Winnipeg at training camp, though in all likelihood he will return to Sweden and take on a larger role with his home club.
The new SHL-NHL agreement stipulates that Salomonsson cannot be sent to the AHL because he is under the minimum age and isn’t a first-round pick. So, if the Jets preferred to send him to their AHL affiliate for next season they won’t have the option to do so as they would have in prior years.
Toronto Maple Leafs Sign Calle Jarnkrok
Free agent “frenzy” may be over, but there are still players available looking for contracts. The Toronto Maple Leafs have added one of those players, forward Calle Jarnkrok. The team has announced the deal, and the contract is a four-year contract with a $2.1MM average annual value.
Jarnkrok, 30, split 2021-22 with the Seattle Kraken and Calgary Flames. He arrived in Seattle as their choice from the Nashville Predators at the expansion draft, and was traded to Calgary for three draft picks. Jarnkrok played 66 games last season and scored 12 goals and 30 points in 66 games. Jarnkrok’s offensive production throughout his career has been largely consistent, and he’s finished around the 30-point range with around 15 goals in most of the years he’s spent in the NHL.
Jarnkrok offers positional versatility, as he can play center and the wing, and plays a 200-foot game that coaches can trust. The Maple Leafs lost speedy middle-six winger Ilya Mikheyev to the Vancouver Canucks earlier this week, so Jarnkrok can slide into their lineup and play his role as a two-way middle-sixer and penalty killer. Jarnkrok has featured on penalty kills in the past and got sporadic time on the Flames’ penalty kill and second-unit time on the Kraken’s penalty kill.
At 30 years old, the four-year term for Jarnkrok may be a bit risky. But his $2.1MM cap hit is definitely affordable, and if he can play to his normal 15-goal, 30 to 35-point form in Toronto this deal will be a solid investment for GM Kyle Dubas, and the sort of signing that coach Sheldon Keefe will greatly appreciate.
Buffalo Sabres Sign Three Draft Picks
The Sabres have gotten down to business today, earlier finalizing a deal with free agent defenseman Lawrence Pilut and now finishing up entry-level deals for their three first-round picks: Matthew Savoie, Jiri Kulich, and Noah Ostlund.
While all three deals were announced simultaneously, the development paths for each of the players is likely to be very different. Savoie, the first pick of the three, was drafted ninth overall after a brilliant season for the Winnipeg Ice of the WHL. Savoie, who plays center in Winnipeg, will in all likelihood return to the Ice for 2022-23 and spend another season starring on a contending WHL club.
Ostlund, the second pick, was picked 16th overall out of Djurgardens in the SHL. He’s perhaps best known for being the playmaking center on Djurgardens’ line of 2022 first-rounders, often sharing the ice with Minnesota Wild prospect Liam Ohgren and Vancouver Canucks prospect Jonathan Lekkerimaki. Ostlund signs his entry-level deal and can potentially be sent to the AHL’s Rochester Americans if he doesn’t make the Sabres out of training camp. The new NHL-SHL agreement would stipulate that Ostlund returns to Sweden, but both his status as a first-rounder and Djurgardens’ relegation to HockeyAllsvenskan means Ostlund is a candidate to play in the AHL next season. Ostlund could also take the route of fellow Djurgarden product Alexander Holtz, who spent most of the year after he was drafted in the SHL while also getting 10 AHL games under his belt to familiarize himself with the North American game.
The last of the three first-rounders the Sabres’ signed today, Kulich, was selected 28th overall. Kulich, who spent his draft season with Karlovy Vary HC of the Czech Extraliga, has a few options to choose from for where he wants to play next season. Kulich said in his media availability after the draft that he hoped to play in the NHL next season, but the track record of 18-year-old late first-rounders making an immediate jump to the NHL is thin. Kulich will have the opportunity to play in Rochester if that’s where the Sabres choose to send him, or he could always return to Czechia and get another season of European pro hockey under his belt. One other option for him would be going to the CHL, where his rights are owned by the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles of the QMJHL, although that is not the likeliest option, despite the fact that he was selected third overall at the 2022 Import Draft.
All three players are extremely talented forwards, and two of them have experience playing against men already. With their entry-level deals signed, the Sabres will be able to help each player along their development paths so that they can reach Buffalo and become difference-makers as efficiently as possible.
Nick Blankenburg Signs Two-Year Contract
The Columbus Blue Jackets have signed young defenseman Nick Blankenburg to a two-year contract worth a total of $1.65MM, after impressing in his short stint at the end of the season. Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports that the deal is one-way in both years and will pay $800K in 2022-23 and $850K in 2023-24 ($825K AAV).
Blankenburg, 24, was signed out of the University of Michigan as an undrafted free agent and immediately made an impact, scoring three points in seven games with the Blue Jackets at the end of the season. He was a restricted free agent this summer without arbitration rights, meaning this deal suggests he is truly in the team’s NHL plans moving forward.
And why not, given the level of play he showed at the end of the year. You may think a defenseman who stands just 5’9″ and weighs in under 180 lbs would be one that plays on the perimeter but not Blankenburg, who racked up 19 hits in that seven-game tryout at the end of the year. Blue Jackets Jarmo Kekalainen even noted that in his statement today:
Nick is a hard-nosed, competitive, smart defenseman who really impressed us after his arrival late last season. He has great potential, and we are very excited to watch his continued growth and development with our club.
The fact that he has built-in chemistry with Blue Jackets top prospect Kent Johnson from their time at Michigan doesn’t hurt, as the two joined the organization at basically the same time. They will likely both feature on the NHL roster this season, though Blankenburg will have to compete for any playing time he wants. He’s the eighth defenseman signed to a one-way contract, and has some pretty established talents in front of him on the depth chart.