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Prospect Notes: Halttunen, Port, Pridham

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Despite a solid start in the AHL, the Sharks have decided that prospect Kasper Halttunen is best served playing in junior.  The team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve loaned the winger to OHL London.  The 19-year-old was the 36th overall selection back in June following a strong first junior season with the Knights, one that saw him record 61 points in 57 regular season games plus 26 more in 18 playoff contests.  Halttunen played in six games in the minors with the Barracuda, collecting two goals and two assists and will now go back to a top junior program.

Other prospect news around the NHL:

  • Ducks prospect Vojtech Port is on the move as WHL Lethbridge has acquired him from Moose Jaw, per a team release. The 19-year-old blueliner was drafted by Anaheim in the sixth round in 2023.  Port had 15 points in 42 games last season between Edmonton and Moose Jaw but is off to a quiet start this season with just three assists in 19 games so far.  The Ducks only hold his rights until June 1st, 2025, so Port will need to be an impactful piece for his new team if he wants to earn an entry-level contract in the coming months.
  • Blackhawks prospect Jack Pridham is changing teams and leagues as OHL Kitchener announced that they’ve signed the forward for the remainder of the season. Chicago drafted the 18-year-old in the third round (92nd overall) back in June and he started the season with BCHL West Kelowna (collecting 10 points in 12 games) while waiting to go to Boston University next year.  However, now that CHL players can play in the NCAA starting next season, Pridham will play the rest of the year with Kitchener and then likely make the jump to college hockey as planned for 2025-26.

Wild Recall Liam Ohgren On Emergency Basis

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With winger Mats Zuccarello landing on injured reserve for the next few weeks and center Joel Eriksson Ek’s availability for tomorrow in question after exiting Thursday’s victory over Montreal, the Wild needed an extra forward.  They’ve now made that move, announcing the recall of Liam Ohgren from AHL Iowa on an emergency basis.

The 20-year-old broke camp with Minnesota and has played in seven games with them so far this season.  However, he was held off the scoresheet and his playing time dwindled quickly; he failed to reach eight minutes of playing time over his last three games.  As a result, they elected to send him down to the minors at the end of October in the hopes of getting him more minutes.

Ohgren got into four games with Iowa while on assignment, scoring four goals, three of which came in his last game back on Saturday against Rockford.  If he does get into Minnesota’s lineup, it’ll likely be a short-lived recall as they undoubtedly would prefer him playing in a top role in the minors over spot duty with the Wild so once Eriksson Ek is able to play, Ohgren will probably be sent back down soon after.

Hurricanes Recall Yaniv Perets

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With Frederik Andersen now out long-term, Carolina’s net belongs to Pyotr Kochetkov for the foreseeable future with Spencer Martin as his backup.  However, Kochetkov is day-to-day himself which meant the Hurricanes needed to call up another netminder.  That move was made with the team announcing that Yaniv Perets has been recalled from AHL Chicago.

The 24-year-old signed with Carolina as an undrafted free agent in 2023 following a stellar college career at Quinnipiac, capped off by a 34-4-3 record with a 1.49 GAA, a .931 SV%, and 10 shutouts in 41 games that season.

Last year, with the Hurricanes not having their own AHL affiliate, Perets primarily played with ECHL Norfolk where he put up a 2.99 GAA with a .889 SV% in 34 games while also making one relief appearance with Carolina, making one save in nearly 13 minutes of work.  This season, Perets has played in three games with the Wolves, putting up a 3.67 GAA with a .825 SV%.

The recall was made after 4:00 PM CT which means it won’t count against the salary cap until Saturday.  Even with his addition to the roster, the Hurricanes still have an open spot and can easily create another by moving Andersen to injured reserve.

Golden Knights Assign Akira Schmid And Grigori Denisenko To AHL

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The Golden Knights have made a pair of roster moves heading into tonight’s matchup against Utah.  The team announced (Twitter link) that goaltender Akira Schmid and winger Grigori Denisenko have been assigned to AHL Henderson.

Schmid was recalled two weeks ago to take the place of Ilya Samsonov, who was dealing with an undisclosed injury.  Samsonov returned to practice on Sunday and evidently has been cleared to return but won’t get the start.

Schmid got into one game while on recall, playing 33 minutes earlier this week in relief duty against Carolina, stopping all 12 shots he faced.  The 24-year-old has a career 2.85 GAA and a .900 SV% in 44 career NHL appearances and has a 3.56 GAA with a .885 SV% in six appearances with the Silver Knights so far this season.

As for Denisenko, his time with the big club was short-lived as he was only brought up on Wednesday.  However, he did suit up that night against Anaheim, receiving a little more than eight minutes of ice time in his first NHL game of the season.  The 24-year-old has been productive in Henderson this season, picking up a goal and six assists in ten appearances with them.

With the assignments, Vegas now has two vacancies on its active roster.

Sabres Recall Jiri Kulich, Place Tage Thompson On IR

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The Buffalo Sabres have placed top-line forward Tage Thompson on injured reserve retroactive to November, 11th, shares Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News. Buffalo has recalled top prospect Jiri Kulich in a corresponding move.

Thompson was pulled from Buffalo’s Monday loss to Montreal after the first period with a lower-body injury. He ended his night with one goal in 6:49 of ice time, continuing his scoring streak into its fourth game. He went on to miss Buffalo’s Thursday win over St. Louis, and will now miss at least one more game before being eligible to return on November 18th. He’s continued to stand as one of Buffalo’s absolute best, currently leading the team with 11 goals, 18 points, and 114 shot attempts through 16 games. Thompson has scored an NHL-leading 10 of his goals at even-strength.

Buffalo also announced that winger Jordan Greenway has been playing through an injury and is now questionable for Saturday night. The news is a bit of a surprise, with Greenway continuing to serve in a go-to bruiser role over the last five games. He only has one point, but has added 16 hits and one fight in that span. That emerging injury has prompted Buffalo to bring Kulich back to the NHL lineup after four games in the AHL. He was productive in a return to the minors, totaling two goals, three points, and 17 shots. The Sabres will hope that spur of scoring will spark Kulich’s game at the NHL level as well, with the rookie currently sitting with just one goal in eight NHL games this season.

Sam Lafferty stepped into the lineup in Thompson’s absence, while Ryan McLeod filled his hole on the top line. McLeod recorded one goal and one assist with the boosted minutes, and should hang onto a strong hold of ice time. Meanwhile, Lafferty and Kulich will battle for the role of fourth-line center, unless Greenway is unable to play.

Metro Notes: Capitals, Couturier, Johnson, Letang

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Washington Capitals general manager Chris Patrick spoke openly about the team’s direction with Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic after reacquiring veteran forward Lars Eller from the Pittsburgh Penguins. Patrick told LeBrun that he got the sense that Eller would be traded somewhere else before the Trade Deadline, or even the New Year, prompting the Capitals to act sooner rather than later. Despite the early buy, Patrick said he still sees the move as a Deadline deal. He told LeBrun, “We said, ‘Maybe at the deadline, we should be looking at center depth. We were looking at (pending) UFAs and players who might be available, and Lars is obviously top of that list.”

Eller may be a defense-first depth forward in his old age, but reacquiring him is a strong statement of confidence from the Capitals after a 10-4-1 start to the season. They find themselves tied with the New York Rangers – who swept Washington in the first round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs – and Patrick emphasized that the on-ice product feels much improved. That’s in part a result of strong performances from Washington’s young talents – like Aliaksei Protas, Connor McMichael, and Rasmus Sandin. Those players give Washington a foundation to build on, and Patrick closed by pointing towards the retooling of teams like Dallas and Florida – who each managed to build lineups with strength top-to-bottom without sacrificing their future. That will be the long-term path that Washington tries to mimic, though they’ll first try to match the playoff success of the top-end teams they now find themselves among.

Other notes from the Metropolitan Division:

  • Philadelphia Flyers captain Sean Couturier is questionable for the team’s Saturday matchup against the Buffalo Sabres shares Kevin Kurz of The Athletic. Couturier missed Philadelphia’s Thursday game against Ottawa with a lower-body injury. He’s managed eight points in 16 games so far this season, while also filling a routine role on the team’s power-play. Morgan Frost will likely slot in for Couturier in the event of another absence, after playing 13:44 in the team’s Thursday win. He contributed one hit and five faceoff wins to the game.
  • Despite the lineup facing injury concerns, Saturday’s game will be celebratory for 2006 first-overall pick Erik Johnson, who sits one game shy of 1,000. He spoke openly about the achievement with Jackie Spiegel of The Philadelphia Inquirer, sharing how “mind-blowing” it is to near 1,000 games after nearly retiring a few years ago. Johnson spoke about the list of injuries he endured between 2019 and 2021, capped off by a concussion in January of 2021. Johnson cites that injury as giving him the mental reset he needed to reprioritize his health. He’s now set to become the 12th player from the 2006 NHL Draft – and the 133rd defender – to pass the 1,000-game mark.
  • Star Pittsburgh Penguins defender Kris Letang is sick and didn’t travel with the team to their Friday game in Columbus, shares Josh Getzoff of Sportsnet Pittsburgh. Letang has one point in Pittsburgh’s last five games and six points in 18 games on the full season. He remains a clear top-pair defender despite the lagging scoring, averaging 23 minutes of ice time and remaining a focal point of the power-play. He could be replaced by rookie Owen Pickering, who Pittsburgh recalled earlier today. Pickering is the Penguins’ top defense prospect and hasn’t yet made his NHL debut.

Penguins Activate Matt Nieto, Place Blake Lizotte On IR

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The Pittsburgh Penguins have swapped around forwards on their injured reserve, activating Matthew Nieto (knee) but shelving Blake Lizotte (concussion). Lizotte suffered his injury after a shot from linemate Drew O’Connor hit him in the face. He immediately left the game, ending his night after just 3:36 in ice time.

This is the second concussion of Lizotte’s season – with the first suffered during the pre-season and holding him out of Pittsburgh’s first 11 games. It also earned him three weeks on IR, from October 7th to October 31st. Lizotte has played in seven games since, netting two goals on eight shots. It’s the first time in Lizotte’s seven-year career that he’s played outside of the Los Angeles Kings, though the change of scenery hasn’t come with a prime lineup role. Lizotte is averaging just nine minutes in ice time, nearly three minutes lower than he ever averaged with the Kings. He scored 39 goals and 108 points in 327 games with L.A., with a single-season high of 11 goals and 34 points in 2022-23.

Lizotte will be quickly replaced by veteran forward Nieto, who’s making his first return to the NHL since suffering a knee injury on November 30th of last season. The injury ended his season after just 22 games and four points. He received surgery soon after but would have to go under the knife for a second time in April after suffering an additional injury while rehabbing. Nieto was held out through the start of this season, not skating until he began a conditioning assignment with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on November 9th. He scored a goal in his season debut – his first AHL game since 2014 – marking his only point in two conditioning games.

Nieto should be primed for a hardy role right out of the gate, with Pittsburgh now facing injuries to each of Cody Glass, Kevin Hayes, and Lizotte. Glass is also on IR with a concussion, while Hayes is week-to-week with an unspecified upper-body injury. Pittsburgh will be two roster spots over the limit when Glass and Lizotte return. Their only waiver-exempt forward is Vasili Ponomarev – which could prompt a tough choice between Lizotte, Nieto, Samuel Poulin, and Valtteri Puustinen.

Ducks’ Robby Fabbri Undergoes Meniscus Surgery, Out Six Weeks

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Ducks winger Robby Fabbri underwent surgery on Friday morning to repair a torn meniscus and will be out for around six weeks, Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press reports.

It’s another entry on a long list of injuries for the 28-year-old throughout his nine-year NHL career. He sustained the tear on Sunday against the Blue Jackets and missed Wednesday’s game against the Golden Knights after landing on injured reserve earlier in the day.

Anaheim acquired Fabbri, who’s in the final season of a three-year, $12MM contract, from the Red Wings on July 4 along with a 2025 fourth-round pick in exchange for goalie prospect Gage Alexander. He has just two goals in 14 games with the Ducks while averaging 16:33 per game, skating primarily on a line with Mason McTavish and Trevor Zegras that’s been one of the worst in the league defensively at even strength. They’re allowing 5.06 expected goals against per 60 minutes, per MoneyPuck, the worst among any forward line with at least 50 minutes together this season.

Fabbri recorded 18 goals and 32 points in 68 games last season for Detroit. It was the most games he’d played in a season since his rookie campaign back in 2015-16. He went nearly two years between games at one point during the first few years of his career with the Blues due to a torn ACL in his left knee, followed by a groin injury. He sustained a second ACL injury in 2022 that also took significant bites out of his 2021-22 and 2022-23 campaigns with the Red Wings.

A first-round pick by St. Louis in 2014, Fabbri should return around Christmas given a six-week timeline. That puts him out for roughly 20 games, including the contest he already missed earlier this week against Vegas.

Avalanche To Reassign Chris Wagner

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Nov. 15: Wagner has cleared waivers and will be assigned to the AHL, according to Friedman. Ivan and Kovalenko were also recalled earlier today as expected.

Nov. 14: The Avalanche placed forward Chris Wagner on waivers Thursday for the purpose of assignment to AHL Colorado, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports. The club also papered forwards Ivan Ivan and Nikolai Kovalenko down to the minors, but they’re expected back tomorrow.

Wagner, 33, cleared waivers already at the beginning of the season but has made 12 appearances for the Avs, so he needs to clear them again to return to the minors. The veteran has played in Colorado’s last 10 games but is projected to be a healthy scratch tomorrow against the Capitals with Jonathan Drouin, Valeri Nichushkin and Miles Wood all returning to the lineup.

Now in the second season of his second stint with the Avalanche organization, Wagner has one goal and a -5 rating in 12 showings with the club this season. The 2010 fifth-round pick of the Ducks also made one appearance for AHL Colorado earlier in the year after clearing waivers.

After spending a brief chunk of the 2015-16 campaign with the Avalanche between a waiver placement and waiver claim by the Ducks, Wagner returned to Denver in 2023 when he signed a two-way deal in free agency. Wagner totaled 14 points in 21 AHL games last season and also had a goal and an assist in 13 appearances for the Avs down the stretch, his most games played in a season since appearing in 41 with the Bruins in 2020-21. He signed a two-way extension back in April to keep him off last summer’s unrestricted free agent market, now set to be a UFA in 2025.

With a league minimum cap hit on an expiring deal, there is a fair amount of risk of Wagner being claimed if a team decides they’re in need of short-term help among their depth forwards. The Predators are currently last in the league by points percentage and thus have first dibs, with the Canadiens, Sharks, Ducks, Blue Jackets, and Blackhawks next in line.

Kings Recall Erik Portillo, Jacob Moverare

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The Kings announced that they’ve recalled goaltender Erik Portillo and defenseman Jacob Moverare from AHL Ontario, with the former coming under emergency conditions. Defender Caleb Jones and Darcy Kuemper were placed on injured reserve in corresponding transactions to open roster space.

It’s the first NHL recall for the 24-year-old Portillo. Selected in the third round of the Sabres in the 2019 draft, the Sweden native was a star at the University of Michigan, where he compiled a .918 SV% in 87 games from the 2020-21 to 2022-23 seasons and won two Big 10 conference championships.

With Buffalo already having Devon Levi and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen in the goaltending pipeline, though, there wasn’t a real spot for Portillo in the Sabres organization when he was ready to turn pro. Near the end of his final season at Michigan, Buffalo dealt him to the Kings for a 2023 third-rounder that became defenseman Gavin McCarthy.

After Portillo’s season ended in late April 2023, he signed his entry-level contract with Los Angeles and reported to Ontario. That’s where he’s played all 44 games of his professional career, compiling a 2.56 GAA, .915 SV%, two shutouts, and a 27-13-3 record over the past two seasons. He also posted a 2.16 GAA, .916 SV%, one shutout, and a 5-3-0 record in eight Calder Cup Playoff games for Ontario earlier this year.

The Kings could also have opted to give veteran Pheonix Copley a summons while Kuemper is on the shelf. They’ve already done so this year, recalling him for a week in October while Kuemper was dealing with a lower-body injury. However, he surrendered two goals on 12 shots in his lone appearance, relieving David Rittich in a 6-2 loss to the Maple Leafs back on Oct. 16. As such, they’ll give the younger Portillo a chance at some action as Rittich’s backup for the time being.

Moverare, 26, is in the first season of a two-year, one-way extension worth $1.55MM, which he signed back in March. The 2016 fourth-round pick lost a training camp battle for a roster spot to Jones, who inked a two-way deal in free agency over the summer. He cleared waivers at the beginning of October and headed to Ontario, where he has two assists and a team-leading +8 rating in 11 games.

In 45 NHL games over the past three seasons, the 6’3″ Moverare has shown he’s capable of being a no-fuss option in third-pairing minutes. He only has a goal and two assists to his name and has seen limited minutes, averaging 13:08 per game, but has a +2 rating and has controlled 51.5% of shot attempts when deployed at even strength.

As for Jones and Kuemper, it’s unclear when exactly they’ll be back in the lineup. They were both left Los Angeles’ last game, a 4-2 loss to the Avalanche on Wednesday, with injuries. The IR stint means they’ll miss at least seven days, meaning they won’t play Saturday against the Red Wings but are eligible to return on Wednesday next week against the Sabres.

Jones, 27, has spent most of this season in the press box. His appearance against Colorado was his first since Oct. 29 against the Sharks and ended a streak of seven straight healthy scratches. He’s averaged 12:49 per game when in the lineup and has a -2 rating through five games with four blocks and nine hits. He’s crushed his limited minutes against easy competition, though, posting a career-best 65.3% shot-attempt share at even strength.

For the 34-year-old Kuemper, it’s the second time he’s hit the shelf this season. That’s to be expected given his lengthy injury history, but the Saskatchewan native has been decent when healthy in his second stint with the Kings. Acquired from the Capitals for Pierre-Luc Dubois over the summer, the 2022 Stanley Cup champion has a 4-2-3 record, .899 SV%, 2.65 GAA, one shutout, and a -0.3 GSAA in 10 starts.

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