Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Slovakia Names Vladimir Orszagh Head Coach For 2026 Olympics

at CDT | by 2 Comments

Former NHLer Vladimir Orszagh will be behind the bench for Slovakia at next year’s Winter Olympics, according to an NHL.com release today.

For Orszagh, it’s essentially a removal of an interim tag. He took over midway through last year’s international cycle after Craig Ramsay, who had been at the head of the Slovak program since the 2017-18 season, contracted pneumonia.

Ramsay had coached Slovakia to a bronze medal at the 2022 Winter Olympics with no NHL involvement, so Orszagh has some significant shoes to fill. The 48-year-old was a fifth-round pick of the Islanders back in 1995 and ended up recording 54 goals and 119 points in 289 career NHL games with them, the Predators, and the Blues between 1997 and 2006.

He played sparingly after leaving St. Louis, but did log a few appearances for Slovak club HC Banska Bystrica. He finally hung up his skates in 2010, following his second comeback attempt. Orszagh immediately began building his coaching resume, serving as an assistant for Banska Bystrica for two years before taking over as their head coach for the 2012-13 season.

He departed in 2014-15 to serve as an assistant for the short-lived KHL club HC Slovan Bratislava but returned to Banska Bystrica after one year, leading them to back-to-back Slovak Extraliga titles in 2017 and 2018. He also won back-to-back Czech Extraliga titles as an assistant for HC Ocelari Trinec in 2023 and 2024 before returning to Banska Bystrica, where he’s now in his third stint as the club’s head coach.

Orszagh was not on Ramsay’s staff for the 2022 medal, but he did serve as an assistant coach on their 2014 and 2018 Olympic teams. At this year’s World Championship, Slovakia, under Orszagh, finished sixth in Group A with a 2-4-1 record and did not advance to the playoffs.

Slovakia named five NHLers – Erik Cernak, Martin Fehervary, Simon Nemec, Martin Pospisil, and Juraj Slafkovsky – to its preliminary roster in June, along with longtime NHLer Tomas Tatar, who will play this season in Switzerland’s National League. They’ll likely be accompanied by some high-profile youngsters like recent first-round picks Dalibor Dvorsky (Blues) and Samuel Honzek (Flames) when the final rosters are released.

AHL Notes: Bjorgvik-Holm, MacKinnon, LaFontaine

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

While defenseman Ole Julian Bjorgvik-Holm didn’t receive a qualifying offer from the Blue Jackets last month, he’s nonetheless staying in the organization on an AHL deal with their affiliate, the Cleveland Monsters, per Aaron Portzline of The Athletic.

The Norwegian native is now 23 years old and was a fifth-round pick by Columbus back in 2020 from the OHL’s Mississauga Steelheads. He’s now played parts of four seasons in Cleveland but only managed to land a full-time role this past season, and that’s putting it generously.

The 6’3″ lefty is a two-way defender with a physical edge, functioning as a No. 6/7 option for the Monsters while posting seven points and 50 PIMs in 44 games last year. He spent most of 2023-24 with the ECHL’s Cincinnati Cyclones, where he displayed much more offensive upside with 33 points in 57 games.

He’s been a serviceable depth piece, and while Columbus was no longer willing to use a contract slot on him, Bjorgvik-Holm will at least get a chance to continue his development in a familiar environment. He’s now no longer eligible for a recall to the Jackets’ NHL roster unless he signs a new contract with them, and he remains an unrestricted free agent in the NHL’s eyes.

More news out of the AHL:

  • Also returning to Cleveland this season on an AHL contract is defenseman Will MacKinnon, Portzline notes. MacKinnon, 25, was a late-season pickup by the Monsters after serving as a depth AHL/ECHL option in the Devils organization with Utica and Adirondack since the beginning of the 2023-24 campaign. He played just two games for Cleveland after the trade but totaled 44 AHL appearances on the year with his time in Utica, posting four points and 42 PIMs with a minus-one rating. He and Bjorgvik-Holm will both compete to avoid ECHL reassignment and provide a depth complement to their more NHL-projectable prospects.
  • Goaltender Jack LaFontaine has signed a new deal to return to the AHL’s Coachella Valley Firebirds, the team announced. LaFontaine, 27, has spent the last two years in the Kraken organization on deals with Coachella Valley but has primarily played at the ECHL level with the Kansas City Mavericks. He posted a 2.22 GAA, .914 SV%, and sparkling 21-8-1 record in 31 games for them last season, so he might earn more time up with the Firebirds this coming year. The former University of Minnesota standout has a .900 SV% in 23 career AHL appearances and made his NHL debut with the Hurricanes back in 2021-22, logging a .780 SV% in two contests.

Arbitration Schedule For Remaining Cases Finalized

at CDT | by 3 Comments

The arbitration hearing dates for the few remaining unsettled cases have been finalized, PuckPedia reports:

F Kaapo Kakko, Kraken: July 25

G Arvid Soderblom, Blackhawks: July 28

F Maxim Tsyplakov, Islanders: July 29

D Dylan Samberg, Jets: July 30

D Conor Timmins, Sabres: Aug. 2

F Nicholas Robertson, Maple Leafs: Aug. 3

D Jayden Struble, Canadiens: Aug. 3

There are only seven out of this year’s initial 11 player-elected arbitration cases still without a resolution as the hearings approach. Winnipeg had three of the players on that list and has settled with two of them, reaching a two-year, $3.7MM settlement with Morgan Barron and a substantial six-year, $45MM deal for Gabriel Vilardi.

The Ducks also had two arbitration cases on that list, but settled with both of them in the past few days. Depth defenseman Drew Helleson got a two-year, $2.2MM contract, while emerging star goaltender Lukas Dostal signed a five-year, $32.5MM deal.

There were two team-elected arbitration cases this year, the Sabres’ Bowen Byram and the Mammoth’s Jack McBain, but both have been settled.

As for the seven players above, they can continue talks with their clubs on a new deal until the hearing begins. After that, they’re bound to the arbitrator’s decision.

Players who reach an arbitration hearing are only eligible to sign a one or two-year contract. Since the player filed for arbitration in all seven cases above, the team gets to choose the contract length after receiving the arbitrator’s decision on the AAV. However, only Robertson, Soderblom, and Struble would be eligible for two-year contracts. Everyone else is one year away from being eligible for unrestricted free agency status, so they can’t receive a multi-year arbitration award.

If the arbitration award exceeds $4.85MM in any case, the team can decline it and allow the player to become an unrestricted free agent.

International Notes: Vecchione, Andersson, Ratkovic-Berndtsson, Jurmo, Dickinson

at CDT | by 4 Comments

Veteran farmhand Mike Vecchione has signed on with Traktor Chelyabinsk of the Kontinental Hockey League, Tony Androckitis of Inside AHL Hockey reports. The Hershey Bears, where Vecchione had spent the last four seasons on both two-way deals with the Capitals and AHL-only contracts, said Monday that he would be heading overseas.

Vecchione, 32, last played in the NHL in a one-game call-up for Washington in the 2021-22 season. It was just his third career appearance, and he saw just over five minutes of ice time in a shootout win over the Hurricanes late in the year.

After also spending the following season on a two-way deal with the Capitals but not seeing any NHL recalls, Washington opted not to re-sign him. He remained in the organization on AHL contracts with the Bears, though, and finished fifth on the club in scoring last season with a 19-20–39 line in 68 games.

The former Union College standout was never drafted, but after erupting for an NCAA-leading 63 points in 38 games in his senior season at Union, he was the top college free agent in 2017 and made his NHL debut with the Flyers to end the season. Unfortunately, that never turned into anything resembling a full-time NHL role. The 5’10” forward has remained almost exclusively in the AHL ever since, recording 300 points in 473 career games over the last eight years with stops in Lehigh Valley, San Antonio, Colorado, and Hershey.

Vecchione is the second player who spent last season with the Bears to sign with Traktor in the past few days. Pierrick Dube, who was under an NHL contract with Washington for the last two years but was non-tendered last month, signed with them a few days back.

Here’s more from international waters:

  • Former lottery pick Lias Andersson has signed a two-year extension with Switzerland’s EHC Biel-Bienne through the 2027-28 season, the team announced. The 2017 No. 7 overall pick by the Rangers headed to the National League club last summer after being non-tendered by the Canadiens and flourished, recording a 15-18–33 scoring line in 40 contests to lead the team in points per game (0.825). He’ll turn 27 in October, and the chances of him ever building on his 110-game NHL career remain slim, but he’s surely happy with the fit after a couple of years of strong AHL production, with few additional NHL chances to show for it.
  • The Sabres have until June 1, 2026, to sign 2022 seventh-round pick Joel Ratkovic-Berndtsson before losing his rights, something they don’t appear likely to do based on his development trajectory so far. The 21-year-old just signed a one-year deal with Karlskrona HK, putting him in Sweden’s third-tier pro league – HockeyEttan – for 2025-26. The 6’0″ winger also spent most of last season in that league with Vasterviks IK, where he impressed with 29 points in 28 games, but failing to climb into a regular role in even the second-tier HockeyAllsvenskan at this stage of his development is essentially a disqualifier for any NHL potential. He only recorded one assist in nine second-tier games last season while on loan to Tingsryds AIF.
  • As expected, former Flames prospect Joni Jurmo has returned home after mutually terminating his entry-level contract earlier this month. The defenseman has signed a one-year deal with Liiga’s Kiekko-Espoo, per a club announcement. He last played in Finland’s top level in 2023-24, limited to five points and a plus-three rating across 46 games for Ilves and KooKoo.
  • After being non-tendered by the Blues last month, center Tanner Dickinson is headed to the Slovak Extraliga to play with HC Presov, the team announced on its Facebook page. St. Louis let the 23-year-old become an unrestricted free agent after he scored 15 points in 57 games for the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds last season. A 2020 fourth-round pick who had good scoring numbers in juniors, COVID and injuries completely derailed his development. The Ohio native only played 38 games combined in his first three post-draft seasons, only three of which were professional.

Maxime Lajoie Signs With Avangard Omsk

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

July 22: Lajoie has indeed joined Avangard on a one-year contract, the team said.

July 19: Playing time in the NHL has been hard to come by in recent years for unrestricted free agent defenseman Maxime Lajoie.  As a result, it appears that he may be changing things up for next season.  Artur Khairullin of Sport-Express reports (Telegram link) that the blueliner could be signing with Avangard Omsk of the KHL.

The 27-year-old made a good first impression back in 2018-19.  Not really on the NHL radar for Ottawa heading into training camp, he wound up making the team and played in 56 games with them before being sent down late in the season.  Unfortunately for him, Lajoie’s playing time at the top level has largely been sparse since then as he has managed just 21 more appearances between Ottawa, Toronto, and Carolina.

Last summer, Lajoie inked a one-year deal with Seattle worth a guaranteed $500K but after he cleared waivers in training camp, he was not brought up the rest of the way.  As a result, he spent the full season with AHL Coachella Valley and had a productive year, notching four goals and 34 assists in 70 games, putting him inside the top 20 for points by a defenseman.

That output was largely in line with his AHL production over his career.  Across four different organizations over parts of eight seasons, Lajoie has 34 goals and 160 assists in 378 games.  Notably, he qualifies as a veteran in the AHL, with teams only being able to play five of those (with more than 320 professional games) on any given night, a rule that has squeezed some capable players out of a job.

It’s unclear if that rule is hindering Lajoie now or if he’s merely looking to try something new since he has been cemented as an AHL regular but it appears he has at least one overseas option available to him now.  If he makes it known that he’s open to a move across the pond, Lajoie is someone who could command interest from other leagues as well.

Hurricanes Sign Ryan Suzuki, Ronan Seeley To Two-Way Deals

at CDT | by 4 Comments

The Carolina Hurricanes announced today that they have signed forward Ryan Suzuki and defenseman Ronan Seeley to one-year, two-way contracts. Suzuki will earn $775K at the NHL level and $130K in the AHL, while Seeley will be paid $813,750 in the NHL or $80,000 in the AHL.

Suzuki, 24, made his NHL debut last season, appearing in two games for the Canes and recording a plus-one rating while averaging 6:36 of ice time per night. The team’s first-round pick in the 2019 draft (28th overall), Suzuki had a slow start to his pro career but found his scoring touch last season, recording 59 points in 69 games for the AHL’s Chicago Wolves. That marked a 27-point jump from his previous career high. In 230 career AHL games, he has totaled 145 points.

Before turning pro, the 6’2″, 195-pound center appeared in 173 games for the OHL’s Barrie Colts (three seasons) and Saginaw Spirit (one season), where he put up 57 goals and 177 points. While Suzuki is likely to start next season in the AHL, he provides the organization with a quality depth piece if called upon.

Seeley, 22, was drafted by the Canes in the seventh round of the 2020 draft (208th overall). The 6’1″, 192-pound left-handed defender spent four seasons with the WHL’s Everett Silvertips, where he produced 102 points in 190 games. He then got off to a solid start in his pro career, posting four goals and 25 points in 70 games for the Wolves during the 2022–23 season. However, he hasn’t been able to replicate that level of production over the past two seasons, totaling just 24 points in 127 games during that span.

Free Agent Profile: Matt Grzelcyk

at CDT | by 5 Comments

After spending eight seasons with the Boston Bruins, defenseman Matt Grzelcyk signed a one-year prove-it deal with the Pittsburgh Penguins last offseason. While he got off to a slow start in Pittsburgh, Grzelcyk eventually found his stride, posting several career highs along the way, including points (40), blocked shots (101), and games played (82). He also averaged a career-high 20:37 of ice time per game.

For teams looking to add offense this late in free agency, Grzelcyk’s 40 points last season actually leads all remaining unsigned players. However, teams will truly be targeting a reliable third-pairing defenseman who can slide up the lineup and log big minutes when needed.

After a few disappointing seasons to end his stint with the Bruins, the Boston-native signed a one-year, $2.75 MM contract with Pittsburgh in hopes of rejuvenating his career. While he may not have done enough to earn a lucrative multi-year deal, Grzelcyk showed well despite Pittsburgh’s difficult situation and should still warrant a role with an NHL team in need of a left-handed depth option on the blue line.

As the top remaining free agent defenseman, Grzelcyk should find a new home soon. Grzelcyk, 31, is the only defenseman left on the board among ProHockeyRumors’ top 50.

Stats

2024-25: 81 GP, 1 G, 39 A, 40 PTS, -4, 16 PIMS, 101 blocked shots, 43 hits, 20:37 ATOI
Career: 527 GP, 26 G, 149 A, 175 PTS, +131, 253 PIMS, 542 blocked shots, 353 hits, 18:27 ATOI

Potential Suitors

While a reunion with the Penguins once seemed possible, the team’s recent addition of fellow veteran Matt Dumba may have officially closed the door on that option. While Pittsburgh has the cap flexibility to add Grzelcyk, the team currently has eight defensemen signed to one-way deals, with prospects Owen Pickering and Harrison Brunicke waiting in the wings. A hometown reunion with the Bruins also seems out of play, as Boston is limited in both cap space (approximately $2MM per PuckPedia) and need for a left-handed defender. With that said, plenty of other suitors should be in play, as contending teams like the Maple Leafs and younger teams looking to add veteran presence and leadership, such as the Blackhawks, could all benefit from Grzelcyk’s services. The Sharks appeared to be a potential fit for Grzelcyk at the start of free agency but have made blue line deals elsewhere this offseason.

Projected Contract

Before free agency, ProHockeyRumors ranked Grzelcyk as the 22nd-best free agent on the market, and predicted a three-year, $3.67MM AAV deal. He was ranked just ahead of Cody Ceci and Brian Dumoulin, who would both go on to sign multi-year deals with the Kings. However, this late in the process, Grzelcyk is probably more likely to land another one-year deal with a low salary. In fact, Grzelcyk may be looking at an identical contract to the one he signed in Pittsburgh last season, just south of $3MM.

Predators’ Jack Ivankovic Commits To University Of Michigan

at CDT | by 1 Comment

5:00 p.m.: According to an announcement from the program, Ivankovic has officially committed to the University of Michigan. The expectation is that he’ll join the team as a true freshman for the 2025-26 campaign.

1:01 p.m.: The fifth-highest netminder drafted in the 2025 NHL Draft is expected to bring his talents to the Big Ten Conference for the 2025-26 season. According to Jeff Marek of the Daily Faceoff, goaltender Jack Ivankovic is expected to commit to the University of Michigan.

Ivankovic will join the Wolverines’ roster after a few successful years with the OHL’s Brampton Steelheads. In two years with the team, Ivankovic managed a 39-17-9 record in 68 games with a .907 SV% and 2.93 GAA. Despite a strong performance in the OHL, Ivankovic’s draft stock declined slightly due to concerns about his size. He was selected by the Nashville Predators with the 58th overall pick.

The Mississauga, Ontario native has additionally had a brief international career with Team Canada. Last season, largely playing for Team Canada’s U18 team for the U18 IIHF World Junior Championships, collecting a 6-0-0 record in six games with an impressive .961 SV% and 1.05 GAA. In one tournament contest with the U20 team, Ivankovic suffered an overtime loss to Team Latvia.

It’ll be an entirely new goaltending tandem for the Wolverines during the 2025-26 campaign. The team’s starting netminder from last season, Logan Stein, has graduated, while the team’s backup, Cameron Korpi, has transferred to Union College for the 2025-26 season.

Interestingly enough, the only other netminder on Michigan’s roster is Julian Molinaro, also a Mississauga native, and a recent transfer from Northern Michigan University. There’s an expectation that Ivankovic’s commitment is for the 2026-27 season. Still, head coach Brandon Naurato may already be in contact with the Predators’ front office about Ivankovic beginning his college career sooner rather than later.

Flyers’ Porter Martone Commits To Michigan State University

at CDT | by 5 Comments

4:32 p.m.: According to a post on Martone’s Instagram, he’s indeed taking his talents to East Lansing, Michigan, for his collegiate career if he doesn’t make the Flyers’ roster.

7:08 a.m.: Winger Porter Martone, taken No. 6 overall in this year’s draft by the Flyers, could be making the jump from the CHL to the NCAA this season. He’s expected to announce his commitment to Michigan State later today, reports Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.

That’s assuming he doesn’t sign his entry-level contract and attend training camp with Philadelphia. A few weeks ago, that sounded like a more plausible outcome without a clear path for Martone to land a roster spot without an explosive preseason performance.

Now, however, there’s likely going to be an opportunity for one of the Flyers’ young wingers to capture a spot in their top-nine out of the gate. They’re still uncertain if Tyson Foerster will be ready to start the regular season after undergoing surgery to address an infection in his elbow.

There’s still no guarantee Martone would have won that battle ahead of some older names in Philadelphia’s prospect pool, namely internal favorite Alex Bump. Even if he did, it may not have been a full-season arrangement and could have resulted in Martone returning to his junior team, the OHL’s Brampton Steelheads, after playing nine games to avoid burning the first year of his entry-level contract.

If Martone, the Flyers, or both parties are convinced his development wouldn’t benefit from another season in the OHL, an NCAA commitment is the next best option. Since Martone was drafted from one of the CHL’s sub-leagues, he is ineligible to play for the Flyers’ AHL affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, in 2025-26 aside from a conditioning stint or after Brampton’s season ends.

Since he’s somewhat of an elder statesman of the 2025 draft class thanks to his October 2006 birthday, Martone could be in line to have a dominant freshman season with the Spartans. His 6’3″, 205-lb frame already made him one of the most physically domineering forwards in the class, and he plays a power forward game that lends itself to his size being used as an advantage.

That should help him in his transition to playing against older, more physically built-out opponents in the Big 10 and NCAA at large, but it’s not as though offensive skill isn’t still among the primary calling cards of his game. The Ontario native remains a high-end puckhandler and shooter and led Brampton in scoring last season, posting a 37-61–98 line in 57 regular-season games.

There was some speculation that Martone may link up with surefire 2026 first overall pick Gavin McKenna at Penn State after the latter’s recent commitment, but it doesn’t appear to be coming to fruition. Instead, the two left-wingers will be conference opponents, with the Spartans landing a high-end consolation prize after finishing as the runner-up in the recruitment chase for McKenna.

Mathias Emilio Pettersen Signs With SHL’s Djurgårdens IF

at CDT | by 1 Comment

After a few productive years in the American Hockey League, forward Mathias Emilio Pettersen is taking his career back to Europe. According to a team announcement, Pettersen has signed a two-year contract with the SHL’s Djurgårdens IF.

Despite being a native of Manglerud, Norway, most of Pettersen’s playing career has come in the United States. After a few decent years in the United States Hockey League, the Calgary Flames selected Pettersen with the 167th overall pick of the 2018 NHL Draft. Instead of joining a Canadian junior program or returning home to Norway, Pettersen committed to the NCAA’s University of Denver, beginning play in the 2018-19 season.

He was nearly a point-per-game player with the Pioneers, scoring 19 goals and 65 points in 76 career games, with a +9 rating. Unfortunately, the University of Denver was eliminated in the Frozen Four by the University of Massachusetts during Pettersen’s freshman campaign, and the tournament was cancelled the following year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fortunately, the Flames believed Pettersen was ready for the next step, and he began playing for their AHL affiliate at the time, the Stockton Heat, beginning in the 2020-21 campaign. Over the next four seasons, he became a quality secondary scorer for the Heat and eventually the Calgary Wranglers, scoring 45 goals and 114 points in 203 games. Calgary eventually traded Pettersen to the Dallas Stars at the 2023-24 trade deadline for Riley Damiani.

His scoring pace noticeably decreased after he joined the Stars, which likely contributed to his move to Europe. In 82 games, all with Dallas’ AHL affiliate, the Texas Stars, Pettersen scored 13 goals and 37 points with a -11 rating.

Pettersen will join an exciting team in the SHL, at the very least. The 2025-26 season will be Djurgårdens IF’s first back in the SHL after earning a promotion at the end of last season. They’ll be led by a pair of first-round picks from the 2025 NHL Draft, Anton Frondell (Chicago Blackhawks) and Victor Eklund (New York Islanders).

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

scroll to top