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Blues’ Dylan Holloway Out Week-To-Week With Lower-Body Injury

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The Blues confirmed today that winger Dylan Holloway is considered week-to-week after suffering a lower-body injury during the first period of their 5-4 overtime win against the Penguins last night. With just five games left on their regular-season schedule, a return before the postseason begins is questionable at best. It’s unclear when Holloway sustained the injury, but he didn’t come out following the first intermission and didn’t return to the game.

St. Louis is almost certainly headed to the playoffs, boasting odds of 95.8% entering tonight’s games, per MoneyPuck. That’s on the back of an 11-game win streak, during which the 23-year-old Holloway ranks third on the team in scoring with 5-10–15 and a +13 rating.

That’s just a snapshot of the strong campaign Holloway has enjoyed after the Blues signed him and defenseman Philip Broberg to offer sheets, parting ways with a second and third-round pick as compensation to the Oilers after they failed to come to terms with the restricted free agents. After failing to record more than nine points in his first two seasons in Edmonton, the 2020 No. 14 overall pick has now firmly established himself as a top-six fixture in St. Louis. Skating most of the year on a line with Jordan Kyrou and captain Brayden Schenn, he ranks third on the team in scoring with 26-37–63 in 77 games. He boasts a +21 rating and 165 hits while averaging 16:49 per game, all the while only registering 10 PIMs on the year.

In addition to his scoring breakout, Holloway grades out as St. Louis’ best two-way forward this season. He leads the team with a +18.1 expected rating, and his 52.2 CF% at even strength trails only Kyrou. With Holloway on the ice at even strength, the Blues score 3.5 goals per 60 minutes and allow just 2.3.

That makes him a gargantuan loss, even with a playoff spot firmly within grasp. If his absence stretches into the postseason, that’s a huge dent into their chances of pulling off an upset over a divisional champion – likely either the Golden Knights or Jets – in the first round.

Holloway’s absence creates a major opportunity for 2022 first-rounder Jimmy Snuggerud, who moves into a top-six role after signing out of the University of Minnesota last week. He’ll skate alongside Pavel Buchnevich and Robert Thomas while Jake Neighbours slides down to take Holloway’s spot on the second line. The 20-year-old averaged 13:33 over his first two NHL appearances with the Blues and has one assist under his belt so far.

Image courtesy of Jeff Curry-Imagn Images.

USA Hockey Names Ryan Warsofsky Head Coach For 2025 Worlds

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USA Hockey announced today they’ve named Sharks bench boss Ryan Warsofsky as its head coach for the men’s national team at next month’s World Championship in Denmark and Sweden.

It’s the 37-year-old’s first time serving as a head coach at any level for the Americans, although it’s not his first experience with USA Hockey. He was an assistant under David Quinn, whom he replaced as San Jose’s coach last offseason, at the 2023 Worlds, culminating in a bronze game loss for the second consecutive season.

Warsofsky, a Massachusetts native, remains one of the more intriguing young coaches in the sport. He began coaching after a brief playing career in 2012, serving as an assistant coach at Division III Curry College for one year before making the jump to the ECHL as an assistant with the South Carolina Stingrays. He spent five years there, including the last two as head coach and director of hockey operations, before landing a gig in the Hurricanes organization as an assistant for their AHL affiliate, then in Charlotte. Warsofsky took over as Charlotte’s head coach a year later before assuming the role with the Chicago Wolves when Carolina switched affiliates.

After coaching the Wolves to a Calder Cup championship in 2022, the Sharks interviewed Warsofsky for their head coaching vacancy. They opted to hire Quinn but still took him on as an assistant. Two years later, he got the promotion. San Jose remains in the basement with a 20-45-10 record, but the Sharks’ point pace has jumped slightly since 2023-24, and their 5v5 possession numbers have improved significantly under Warsofsky. The Sharks are controlling 46.3% of shot attempts and 44.9% of scoring chances compared to 44.4% of shot attempts and 41.1% of scoring chances last year. Overall, San Jose is also scoring more and allowing less per game.

He’ll now be tasked with getting the USA its first medal at the Worlds since winning bronze in 2021. Their roster is expected to be slightly stronger in years past, with more available NHLers willing to participate in hopes of boosting their chances of making the Olympic roster next year.

Ducks Recall Ville Husso

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The Ducks have recalled goaltender Ville Husso from AHL San Diego after John Gibson left last night’s start with a lower-body injury, according to the AHL’s transactions log. In a corresponding move, the team reassigned prospect Damian Clara to replace Husso on San Diego’s roster. He was previously on loan to Liiga’s Kärpät.

Anaheim has recalled Husso frequently since acquiring him from the Red Wings in February, constantly as a fill-in for the oft-injured Gibson. This is Gibson’s third injury-related absence in the past six weeks, including a three-gamer in February and a seven-gamer last month. While the latter was due to a lower-body injury, it’s unclear if the injury he sustained last night against the Flames is related.

While Gibson’s absences have meant more playing time for the upstart Lukáš Dostál than for Husso, the third-stringer has made a start and a relief appearance for the Ducks since the move. He’s allowed five goals on 51 shots for a good .902 SV%, although his only decision was a 3-2 loss to Utah on March 12. When considering his nine appearances with Detroit, his numbers for the year are still underwhelming. The struggling 30-year-old has a 1-6-2 record, .874 SV% and 3.71 GAA in nine starts and two relief appearances across both clubs while allowing 7.0 goals above expected, per MoneyPuck.

A pending unrestricted free agent, Husso won’t earn anything resembling his current $4.75MM cap hit on the open market this summer. A two-way deal may even be necessary for him to land another NHL contract. He’s still been strong enough in the minors to command a No. 3 role, posting a 2.64 GAA, .910 SV%, and a 15-6-0 record in 22 appearances split between AHL Grand Rapids and San Diego.

With the Ducks now mathematically eliminated from playoff contention, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Husso remain up for the last two weeks of the campaign while Gibson gets an early start to his offseason.

As for Clara, the 20-year-old will get his first taste of life in North America to close his 2024-25 season. It didn’t go as well as he’d hoped overseas, posting a .879 SV% and 3.19 GAA in 21 appearances for Färjestad BK of the Swedish Hockey League before his late-season transfer to Finland. It’s worth noting that was Clara’s debut against top-level European competition – his breakout 2023-24 campaign was spent in the second-tier HockeyAllsvenskan, helping Brynäs IF gain promotion back to the SHL for this season with a .913 SV% in 34 outings.

The 6’6″ Italian improved his play down the stretch, logging a 2.49 GAA, .910 SV%, one shutout, and a 3-7-0 record in 10 showings with Kärpät to end the season. He’ll almost certainly serve as Italy’s starting netminder for the 2026 Winter Olympics, which they’ll participate in as the host country. A second-round pick by Anaheim in 2023, he adds to a decent complement of young goalies in the organization behind Dostál that also includes Calle Clang and Tomas Suchanek – neither of whom are available to San Diego right now because of injuries.

Sabres’ Tyson Kozak Out Week-To-Week With Hip Strain

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Sabres forward Tyson Kozak’s rookie season is all but over after he sustained a hip strain in Tuesday’s game against the Senators, head coach Lindy Ruff told reporters today (including Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News). He’s listed as week-to-week, and the organization is hopeful he’ll be able to join AHL Rochester for their postseason run after Buffalo’s regular season schedule concludes.

It ends a promising campaign for the 22-year-old, who made his NHL debut sooner than anyone expected. A seventh-round pick in 2021, the center is the first player from that round to see big-league action. He’s made 21 appearances since his first call-up in December, scoring 3-2–5 while posting a minus-two rating and averaging 10:29 per game. He won 46.2% of his draws – a solid number for a rookie – and put up passable possession metrics considering his defensively-oriented deployment at even strength.

Rochester certainly hopes they’ll get a healthy Kozak back for their postseason run. The Manitoba native was an important defensive presence in their top nine when on loan to them this year, posting 8-6–14 in 31 games with a plus-five rating. He’s likely shown enough at both levels this season to earn a job on Buffalo’s opening night roster next year as a cheap fourth-line option, although they may also prefer to give him another year of development in Rochester to see if he can boost his offensive ceiling.

Kozak will need a new deal this summer as a restricted free agent. He’s not eligible for arbitration. His qualifying offer will cost $813,750 on a two-way deal.

Red Wings Reassign Dominik Shine

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The Red Wings have assigned winger Dominik Shine to AHL Grand Rapids, per a club announcement. Their active roster is now at 24 with 13 healthy forwards.

Shine has played sparingly as of late, only suiting up in one of Detroit’s past eight contests. That came after four straight appearances coming out of the trade deadline. While routinely serving as the sole press box forward in case of injury, the Wings are getting Elmer Söderblom back in the lineup against the Hurricanes tonight and thus no longer need the insurance Shine’s presence provided. Söderblom had missed five of the last six games with an undisclosed injury.

Shine, 31, landed his first NHL contract earlier this season. He’s spent the entirety of his professional career in the Detroit organizations on AHL contracts with Grand Rapids – needless to say, patience finally paid off for the Michigan native. It was a two-year, two-way pact, so he’ll remain eligible for call-ups in 2025-26.

The 5’11” winger has suited up nine times for Detroit this year, recording an assist, a minus-one rating, and 15 PIMs. He’s averaged just 8:39 per game but has been a physical factor in a fourth-line role with 16 hits. Offensively, he only managed five shots on goal on eight attempts and controlled 42.2% of shot attempts at even strength.

Barring further injuries to the Wings’ NHL forward group, Shine will finish the season back in Grand Rapids. He’s tied for second on the club in scoring with 11-26–37 in 53 games, trailing only AHL veteran Joe Snively and tied with fellow recent call-up Austin Watson, who sticks around as the extra forward for now.

Canadiens Sign Jacob Fowler To Entry-Level Contract

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April 4: Montreal made Fowler’s signing official this morning. PuckPedia has the terms of his deal, which carries a cap hit of $923K:

2025-26: $775K NHL salary, $95K signing bonus, $80K games played bonus
2026-27 + 2027-28: $885K NHL salary, $95K signing bonus, $500K Schedule ’A’ performance bonus

April 3: The Montreal Canadiens are expected to announce the signing of star goalie prospect Jacob Fowler to a three-year, entry-level contract beginning in the 2025-26 season on Friday. The move was first reported by Marco D’Amico of Responsible Gambler. It was seconded by PuckPedia and sources available to PHR. The move was also mentioned as the likeliest outcome by Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic on Wednesday. In alignment with LeBrun’s thoughts, PuckPedia has added that Fowler is expected to finish the season on a try-out agreement with the AHL’s Laval Rocket.

Fowler is near the very top of the list for best goalie prospects currently outside of North American pros. He’s been a terror in every league he’s played in, dating back to his junior debut with the USHL’s Youngstown Phantoms. Fowler moved to the USHL after growing up through Florida Alliance AAA and Selects Academy AAA – two programs with little in the way of superstar alums during his tenure. But he came into the USHL with full force, recording a tremendous 11-4-1 record and .927 save percentage in his first 18 USHL games playing in the latter half of Youngstown’s season. That mark continues to stand as the highest save percentage of any U18 goalie in USHL history, among those with more than 15 games played.

Fowler followed up his record-breaking introduction to the USHL with a legacy season in 2022-23. He posted an incredible 27-9-3 record and .921 save percentage through 40 games that season while leading Youngstown to a clear spot in the USHL playoffs. Not to be outdone, Fowler became a Youngstown legend in the postseason – recording an incredible 8-1-0 record and .952 save percentage in nine games played to lead the Phantoms to the first Clark Cup Championship in franchise history. He earned the USHL’s Goalie of the Year and Playoff MVP awards for his performances. More importantly, the Montreal Canadiens also landed Fowler with the 69th-overall pick in the ensuing 2023 NHL Draft. He was the sixth goalie off the board that year, after the second round saw Adam Gajan, Michael Hrabal, Trey Augustine, Carson Bjarnason, and Damian Clara all taken off the board.

With this move, Fowler becomes the third goaltender of his class to sign their first pro contract. He earned that deal with two fantastic seasons behind a loaded Boston College after his draft selection. Fowler stepped immediately into the Eagles’ starting role as a freshman last season and made them look genius for the decision. He only lost seven games on the season – posting a 32-6-1 record and a .926 save percentage in 39 games played. That performance earned Fowler the Hockey East ’Goaltender of the Year’ award, making him the first freshman to take home the hardware since Cayden Primeau in 2017-18. Primeau was himself the first freshman to win since Connor Hellebuyck in 2012-13 and Thatcher Demko in 2013-14.

In natural fashion, Fowler found a way to improve his performance this year. Behind a slightly weaker BC lineup, he recorded a 25-7-2 record and a .940 save percentage in 35 games. That was the second-highest save percentage of the college hockey season, behind only Alexander Tracy of Minnesota State. The brick-wall performance earned Fowler a unanimous vote for Hockey East’s ’Goalie of the Year’ award this season, making him just the fourth goalie to ever win it in back-to-back years and the latest since Primeau.

It is that momentum that Fowler will bring into his first pro games in the Montreal organization. But he might have even more reason to prove his worth after attending in person the NHL debut of BC teammates Ryan Leonard and Gabriel Perreault. Fowler will need the extra oomph to win out ice time on a Laval roster currently being spearheaded by none other than Cayden Primeau. The former Hockey East superstar Primeau has recorded a fantastic 19-2-1 record and .922 save percentage in 22 AHL games this season, though his year has been held just shy of truly spectacular by a .836 save percentage in 11 NHL games. Nonetheless, Primeau will be the Rocket’s clear-cut starter for the remaining nine games in their regular season.

That means Fowler will be in contention with backups Connor Hughes and Luke Cavallin for ice time. Hughes has posted a stout 15-11-3 record and .906 save percentage in 28 games – earning the edge in most games played on the team while Primeau was with the NHL lineup. Cavallin hasn’t been nearly as exciting, with a 1-1-0 record and a .897 save percentage in three AHL games. With plenty of hype behind him, Fowler shouldn’t have a problem earning one or two games before the end of the year. Should he perform well, he could quickly become a glue guy for a Laval team with high playoff hopes in mind. The Rocket rank on top of the AHL with 92 points as the season is drawing to a close and will be a favorite to go the distance – especially after they add a star prospect with a rich history of taking home multiple pieces of hardware.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Sabres Recall Noah Östlund

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The Sabres announced they’ve recalled 2022 first-round pick Noah Östlund from AHL Rochester. The 21-year-old forward could be in line to make his NHL debut tomorrow against the Lightning. Center Tyson Kozak sustained a lower-body injury in Tuesday’s win over the Senators and is day-to-day, so assuming Jordan Greenway and Joshua Norris remain sidelined tomorrow as well, Buffalo needed to make a recall from Rochester to give them 12 healthy forwards.

The promotion comes amid a vital season developmentally for Östlund. It’s his first in North America after logging his previous professional experience in his home country of Sweden, and the adjustment across the Atlantic has been smooth. The 5’11” pivot has missed a chunk of the year with an injury but still ranks fifth on Rochester in scoring with 19-17–36 in 44 games, leading their forwards with a +20 rating.

His game’s hallmarks – speed, playmaking, and defensive acumen – have been on display. His lack of size means he topped out at No. 5 in Buffalo’s prospect rankings by Scott Wheeler of The Athletic in January, but he still tabbed him as a top-100 prospect (No. 90) league-wide. He’s done what he’s needed to do so far to reaffirm his ceiling as a second or third-line center for the Sabres in a couple of years, a position they’re looking to fill out after trading away Dylan Cozens and Casey Mittelstadt in back to back seasons.

Östlund was one of three first-round picks Buffalo held in 2022 – their own, the Golden Knights’ (acquired in the Jack Eichel trade), and the Panthers’ (acquired in the Sam Reinhart trade). They selected Östlund with the Vegas pick at No. 16, using their own selection to select Matthew Savoie and Florida’s pick to select Jiri Kulich. Savoie has since been flipped to the Oilers for Ryan McLeod, while Kulich has 14-7–21 in 54 games with the Sabres in his rookie outing in 2024-25. Early returns are strong on all three of those selections yielding players with lengthy NHL careers.

Where he slots in the lineup to begin his NHL career remains unclear, but he could replace Kozak in an insulated fourth-line role between Sam Lafferty and Beck Malenstyn. He still has two seasons left on his entry-level contract, so he won’t be a restricted free agent until 2027.

Image courtesy of Marc DesRosiers-Imagn Images.

Capitals Recall Hunter Shepard

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The Capitals have recalled goaltender Hunter Shepard from AHL Hershey, the team announced today. The move comes after No. 1 netminder Logan Thompson left Wednesday’s loss to the Hurricanes with an upper-body injury after the first period and did not return. He’ll presumably miss tonight’s clash with the Blackhawks while Shepard backs up Charlie Lindgren.

With the playoffs just over two weeks away, an injury scare to Washington’s breakout star between the pipes is far from good news. Thompson will almost certainly be a Vezina Trophy finalist in the coming weeks, ranking ninth in the NHL with a 2.49 GAA and .910 SV% while placing second in the league with 26.0 goals saved above expected, per MoneyPuck. He’s run cold as of late, logging a .780 SV% in his last three outings, but has a remarkable 31-6-6 record on the year and put pen to paper on a six-year, $35.1MM extension in January.

The Caps haven’t issued a timeline for his return and he’s still being evaluated, so there should be more clarity on Thompson’s absence in the coming days. In the interim, the 29-year-old Shepard is an intriguing third-string option for Washington. He made his NHL debut last season, posting a 2-1-1 record with a .894 SV% and 3.19 GAA in four spot starts throughout the campaign. An undrafted free agent signing by Hershey out of the University of Minnesota-Duluth back in 2020, he’s in the back half of the two-year, two-way deal he signed with the Caps in 2023 and will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.

Shepard’s big-league debut came amid one of the more decorated seasons we’ve seen from an AHL netminder in quite some time. He was unquestionably the top goalie in minor hockey in 2023-24, leading the league in GAA (1.76) and SV% (.929) while taking home the league’s Baz Bastien Memorial Award for the top goaltender. Naturally, he was awarded a First All-Star Team nod and helped guide Hershey to its second straight Calder Cup championship.

However, his numbers have cratered in 2024-25. In 37 appearances, Shepard has a 2.81 GAA, .891 SV% and three shutouts. That’s still good for a 22-11-3 record behind a strong skater core in Hershey, but it’s a far cry from the outright dominance he’s shown in previous years – enough to call into question whether Washington will offer him a new deal this offseason. With a playoff berth locked up, he could still see some NHL action down the stretch in order to allow Lindgren and Thompson rest ahead of the postseason, though.

Evening Notes: Mrazek, Soderblom, Holloway, Stastney

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The Detroit Red Wings received split injury updates early on Thursday. Head coach Todd McLellan shared that goaltender Petr Mrazek will continue to sit out with a head injury, but that winger Elmer Soderblom could return from his undisclosed injury on Friday, per Max Bultman of The Athletic. Both players have missed Detroit’s last four games.

The Red Wings have maintained a duo of Cam Talbot and Alex Lyon while Mrazek’s been absent – the same tandem they ran before acquiring Mrazek at the Trade Deadline. Talbot has returned to the starting role after briefly missing time in March – and quickly found a hot streak. He’s posted a .922 save percentage and 2.48 goals-against average in four games since returning – though the low numbers have only led to a 1-2-1 record. His performances have lifted up Alex Lyon’s struggles as of late, with a 1-4-0 record and .843 save percentage in his last five games. Detroit will hope that pair continues to balance each other out as they continue to chase the Eastern Conference Wild Card.

Meanwhile, Soderblom will return looking to find his spark again after netting two goals in his last three games before injury. The pair doubled Soderblom’s year-long totals up to that point, pushing him to four goals and 10 points in 23 games this season. The six-foot-eight winger is playing through his rookie season in the NHL, though he did appear in 21 games and score eight points last season. He’ll step back into a role in Detroit’s bottom-six when he’s good to go.

Other notes from around the league:

  • St. Louis Blues winger Dylan Holloway exited their Thursday night game against the Pittsburgh Penguins before the second period with a lower-body injury. He appeared to sustain the injury on a check from Penguins rookie Rutger McGroarty early in the first period. Holloway has been a major proponent of St. Louis’ 10-game winning streak. He’s scored 15 points across the streak, and was riding an 11-game scoring streak of his own before the early exit. That scoring brought Holloway up to 26 goals and 63 points in 77 games this season. Any missed games as a result of this injury would be his first as a Blue.
  • Across the Central Division, the Nashville Predators were without defenseman Spencer Stastney for Thursday’s game against the Dallas Stars due to an upper-body injury. He was slated to serve as the team’s seventh dressed defenseman in the matchup, but in his absence, the Predators decided to instead promote rookie forward Ozzy Wiesblatt to the rotation. Stastney has tallied three points, all assists, in 22 games this season and filled a minimal role in Nashville’s lineup as of late.

Kraken Reassign Ryan Winterton

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4/3: The Kraken have reassigned Winterton to the minor leagues after he started in the team’s Wednesday night win over Vancouver. He recorded 12:22 in ice time and no scoring in the shutout victory.

4/2: The Kraken announced late last night that they’d recalled right-winter Ryan Winterton from AHL Coachella Valley under emergency conditions. While it’s unclear who, it looks like they have a couple of question marks up front as they kick off a road trip that will take them up to their final two games of the season.

If he’s needed tonight against the Canucks, he’ll be making his first NHL appearance since Dec. 17. A 2021 third-round pick, Winterton has logged 17 showings for the Kraken over the past two years. The 21-year-old has only one assist to his name and a minus-eight rating. He averaged 9:49 per game and has poor possession numbers, controlling 44.5% of shot attempts and 45.9% of expected goals at even strength despite starting 55.7% of his shifts in the offensive zone.

The 6’2″ winger has looked good in the minors, though. Through two professional seasons with the Firebirds, he’s posted 39-31–70 in 111 games with a +34 rating, working out to 0.63 points per game. His offensive pace has jumped slightly this season, recording 35 points in 53 games after hitting that mark in 58 appearances in 2023-24. He ranks fifth on Coachella Valley in scoring.

Winterton is the No. 7 prospect in the Kraken’s system, per Scott Wheeler of The Athletic, likely topping out as a defensively responsible third-line winger with some scoring upside. He’s got another year left on his entry-level contract with a cap hit of $828,333 and will be a restricted free agent in 2026.

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