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Wild Prospect Charlie Stramel Enters NCAA Transfer Portal

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Transfer season has arrived in the NCAA with several players applying for transfers daily.  Among the list of players who entered today is Wild prospect Charlie Stramel, per Brad Elliott Schlossman of the Grand Forks Herald.

The 19-year-old was a first-round pick by Minnesota back in June, going 21st overall.  Stramel had a successful run in the U.S. National Team Development Program and then went to college for the 2022-23 campaign.  He had a quiet year offensively in 2022-23 but that is often the case for freshmen.  With a sound defensive game, the hope was that the offense would come along, making him a viable two-way threat and someone the Wild hope will be part of their long-term core.

However, things didn’t go quite according to plan this past season.  After putting up a dozen points in 33 games in 2022-23, they actually went down in his sophomore year as Stramel had just three goals and five assists in 34 contests and he wound up spending a good chunk of the year on the fourth line.  That’s not the type of progression Stramel or the Wild were hoping to see.

Now, Stramel will seek out a new place to play and a program where he will have a better opportunity to develop as a prospect.  Oddly enough, Max Olson and Michael Russo of The Athletic relay (subscription link) that Stramel has made it known that he doesn’t want to be contacted by schools.  Whether that means that he has a place to play in mind or if he wants to do his own research and then reach out to other programs remains to be seen.  Either way, wherever Stramel lands, expectations will be considerably higher for a player already halfway through his college career.

West Notes: Anhorn, James, Mangiapane, Danault

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The Jets have displayed interest in top college free agent defenseman Dylan Anhorn, Mike McIntyre of the Winnipeg Free Press reports. The Canadian blue-liner has displayed mutual interest in returning north of the border after spending five years in the American collegiate system with Union and St. Cloud State. Anhorn, 25, was one of many who had their 2020-21 season lost due to the COVID pandemic, permitting him to play a fifth year of NCAA puck this season. Serving as St. Cloud’s captain, the left-shot defender led the team with 27 assists and a +14 rating and totaled 33 points in 38 games. He’s been a veritable force in college ever since making the jump from the BCHL in 2019, tallying 36 points and a +2 rating in 66 games with Union before transferring to St. Cloud in 2022. He erupted for over a point per game there last season but had his campaign stunted by injuries, limited to 23 games. The 6’0″, 190-lb Calgary native was St. Cloud’s nominee for this year’s Hobey Baker Award and won an NCHC championship with the school in 2023.

Elsewhere in the Western Conference:

  • Blackhawks forward prospect Dominic James will return to the University of Minnesota-Duluth for his senior season in 2024-25, per Scott Powers of The Athletic. The alternate captain of the Bulldogs had his season end all the way back in October after just two games, recording one assist before undergoing season-ending surgery to address an upper-body injury. Chicago had considered offering him an entry-level contract, per Powers, but a jump to the professional ranks would have been difficult after such a lengthy period away from the ice. James, 21, went undrafted twice before Chicago took a flyer on him in the sixth round of the 2022 draft after a banner freshman season with the Bulldogs. Finishing with six goals and 18 points in 39 games, James helped them capture the NCHC championship and was named to the All-Tournament Team. He was also named to the U.S. national junior team, representing his country at the 2022 World Juniors with an assist in five games.
  • Flames winger Andrew Mangiapane could return tomorrow against the Jets after a three-game absence, head coach Ryan Huska told Pat Steinberg of Sportsnet 960. The 27-year-old sustained an undisclosed injury against the Blackhawks on March 26, causing his third, fourth and fifth absences of the season. It’s been another season of solid middle-six production for the diminutive winger, tied for sixth on the team in scoring with 13 goals and 38 points in 69 games. He’s averaging 16:06 per game, down from last season’s career-high of 16:49.
  • Kings center Phillip Danault will again be a game-time decision with an upper-body injury tonight in a crucial game against the Kraken, interim head coach Jim Hiller told Dennis Bernstein of The Fourth Period. Their playoff chances could drop south of 90% with a loss, per MoneyPuck, opening a small window for the Blues and Wild to make miracle late-season runs into playoff position. Danault was also listed as a game-time decision for Monday’s 4-3 loss to Winnipeg but did not play. Their top shutdown center hasn’t played since March 28 against the Oilers and has now missed two contests.

Panthers Recall Uvis Balinskis

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The Panthers have recalled left-shot defenseman Uvis Balinskis from AHL Charlotte, according to a team statement. The move comes under emergency conditions (per CapFriendly) after blue-liner Aaron Ekblad left yesterday’s loss to the Canadiens after the first period with an undisclosed injury and did not return.

Balinskis could slot in tomorrow against the Senators if Ekblad is out, although Tobias Björnfot and Josh Mahura are also available to play. It was a short-lived return to the lineup for Ekblad, who only played four games after a lower-body injury kept him out for most of March. It’s unclear how long Florida expects their 2014 first-overall pick to be unavailable, but it’s not an ideal finish to the season for Ekblad or his club, which is at risk of losing home-ice advantage in a potential first-round clash against the Maple Leafs after going 2-7-1 in their last 10 games.

This is Balinskis’ first NHL season after spending his professional career to date in Russia and Czechia. He’s made 22 appearances for the Panthers on his one-year, entry-level contract, notching a goal and two assists with an even rating while averaging 14:09 per game. The Latvian blue-liner was only recently assigned to Charlotte after Ekblad made his return last week and inked a two-year, $1.7MM extension with the Cats back in January.

Balinskis made the opening night roster with Ekblad and Brandon Montour beginning the campaign on the shelf after undergoing offseason shoulder surgeries but was assigned to Charlotte in December once the team was at full health on the back end. He’s been recalled three times since, including today.

Avalanche Sign Chris Wagner To One-Year Extension

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The Avalanche have signed veteran forward Chris Wagner to a one-year contract extension, the team announced. Financial terms were not disclosed but CapFriendly reports that it’s a two-way deal worth $775K in the NHL and $400K in the minors. Considering his current deal carries a $425K guarantee, it’s actually a small step back in terms of guaranteed pay. He’ll remain in the running for a fourth-line role next fall.

Wagner, 32, has played in parts of 10 NHL seasons but hasn’t been a full-timer since 2020-21 with the Bruins (two goals, three assists, five points in 41 games). Boston, who had him locked in for two more seasons at a $1.35MM cap hit at the time, placed him on waivers to begin the following season and assigned him to AHL Providence, where he spent the overwhelming majority of the remainder of his contract. He played just once for the Bruins in each of the 2021-22 and 2022-23 campaigns and was not re-signed when his contract expired last summer.

The Avs signed Wagner to a two-way deal once free agency opened, but he ruptured his Achilles tendon shortly after training camp began and began the season on IR. He was activated, waived, and promptly assigned to AHL Colorado in mid-January, and he’s since split the season between levels. Through 10 NHL games, he’s contributed a goal and an assist while logging a minuscule 7:39 per game. His poor possession metrics (48.6 CF% at even strength, -6.6 CF% rel, 40.7 xGF%) haven’t given head coach Jared Bednar much motivation to play him more. He’s seen more action in the minors, where he has four goals and four assists for eight points in 17 games with the Eagles.

Major turnover is coming to Colorado’s bottom six, with Andrew Cogliano, Brandon Duhaime, Joel Kiviranta, Zach Parise, and Yakov Trenin all on expiring deals. Extending Wagner now is a good indication the Avs expect him to take on some of those minutes next season, even in a limited 13th/14th forward role. He’ll also compete for minutes with youngsters looking to break into full-time roles next season, like Jean-Luc Foudy and Nikolai Kovalenko. In 370 career games with the Avs, Bruins, Ducks, and Islanders, the 2010 fifth-round pick has 38 goals and 27 assists for 65 points with a -24 rating and 202 PIMs.

Ducks Sign Coulson Pitre, Yegor Sidorov To Entry-Level Deals

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The Ducks have signed right-wing prospects Coulson Pitre and Yegor Sidorov to three-year, entry-level deals beginning next season, per a team release. PuckPedia reports Sidorov’s contract carries a cap hit of $865K and pays him a $775K base salary, a $90K signing bonus, a $35K games played bonus, and an $82.5K minors salary each season. Pitre’s deal is slightly lower-value, carrying a cap hit of $858K. It carries the same base and minor salary as Sidorov’s but has no games played bonus and reduced signing bonuses – $85K in year 1 and $82.5K in years 2 and 3. Both players are represented by Dan Milstein’s Gold Star Hockey agency.

Anaheim selected both players in the third round of last year’s draft, 20 picks apart. They selected Pitre with their 65th overall pick and later selected Sidorov with the 85th overall pick, acquired from the Wild in a March 2022 trade for enforcer Nicolas Deslauriers.

Pitre, 19, has put up relatively consistent point totals across three seasons with OHL Flint. The Newmarket, Ontario, native lost out on what would have been his first OHL season in Windsor when the league suspended operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021. He was traded to Flint just prior to the 2021-22 campaign, where he put together a strong rookie season with 23 goals and 44 points in 52 games.

That showing earned him OHL All-Rookie Team honors, making it clear he was on the path toward NHL selection the following offseason. He just cracked the point-per-game mark in his draft year, logging 25 goals and 60 points in 59 games, before dropping to 55 points in 55 games this season.

It was far from a breakthrough season, but Pitre doesn’t project as a top-six scoring winger. Still, he’s a rather well-rounded talent and combined a bang-and-crash game with an accurate release, carrying appeal to NHL clubs as a third-line checking winger who can contribute 10-20 goals a season. He, along with Sidorov, failed to crack The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler’s ranking of Anaheim’s top 15 prospects, but that’s more a testament to their top-five depth than anything else.

Sidorov, also 19, was an overage selection, initially eligible but passed over in 2022. A breakout season with WHL Saskatoon last season changed teams’ minds on the Belarusian winger, though, and his team-leading 40 goals in 53 games earned him top-100 love after being a fringe player on most draft boards the year prior. The gifted sniper turned things up a notch this season, cracking the 50-goal mark and adding 38 assists for 88 points in 66 games. Internationally, he was part of Belarus’ contingent at the 2022 D1A World Juniors that won a gold medal and earned promotion to the top-level tournament, although they’ve since been barred from participating due to safety concerns and the country’s involvement in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

He’ll be 20 in June, so unlike Pitre, he’s ineligible for an entry-level slide. Sidorov’s ELC will begin next season regardless of where he plays, while Pitre’s could defer to 2025-26 if he plays fewer than 10 NHL games. Pitre and Sidorov join Blackhawks prospect Nick Lardis as 2023 third-round picks to ink ELCs today.

Blackhawks Sign Nick Lardis To Entry-Level Deal

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The Blackhawks signed left-wing prospect Nick Lardis to a three-year, entry-level contract Wednesday, per a team announcement. The deal carries a cap hit of $897K.

Lardis, 18, was picked up by Chicago last summer, heading to them with the 67th overall pick in the 2023 draft. The Ontario-born winger has been a much-improved talent this season with OHL Brantford, notching 29 goals and 50 points in an injury-plagued campaign that limited him to 37 games.

The speedy sniper is a top-10 talent in a top-10 prospect pool. In The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler’s 2024 rankings, he was the ninth-ranked prospect in the organization. His skating is his biggest threat, both in terms of his straight-line speed and edgework, but he has quite a capable shot as well. He lacks over-the-top size at 5’11” and 165 lbs, somewhat limiting his appeal on draft day last year, but was a solid value selection at the time. Early returns look very promising. Since beginning his major junior career in 2021, he’s amassed 84 goals and 152 points in 169 games for Peterborough and Brantford/Hamilton.

Lardis will likely return to Brantford next season, as he still needs a bit more development time. Making Chicago’s roster out of camp appears unlikely, and he’s too young for assignment to AHL Rockford per the NHL/CHL transfer agreement. If he plays fewer than 10 NHL games next season, his ELC will defer to 2025-26. Given his age, he’s only eligible for a slide once, not twice. In that very likely event, he’d become an RFA upon expiry in 2028.

Kraken Sign Victor Ostman To Entry-Level Deal

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The Kraken have signed goaltender Victor Östman to a two-year, entry-level contract, per a team announcement Wednesday. It’s the maximum allowable ELC with a cap hit of $950K.

Östman, 23, was one of the top goaltenders on the college free-agent market. Undrafted out of the Swedish junior circuit in 2019, Östman came over to North America for his age-19 season and suited up in major junior play for the USHL’s Chicago Steel behind a stacked roster that included multiple current NHLers, namely Sabres defenseman Owen Power, Flames winger Matthew Coronato, and Golden Knights forward Brendan Brisson. He jumped to the collegiate ranks during the COVID pandemic, locking down the starters’ net during a shortened season at the University of Maine and never looking back. He’s been their go-to option in the crease ever since, posting a .905 SV%, 2.82 GAA, five shutouts, and a 35-38-7 record in 86 appearances.

Curiously, while the team in front of Östman vastly improved this season, his senior campaign was the worst of his collegiate tenure. Maine made the NCAA tournament for the first time in 12 years on the backs of brothers Bradly Nadeau (a Hurricanes first-round pick) and Josh Nadeau, but Östman struggled to the tune of a .892 SV%, his first season under .900 at any level in five years. He essentially split starts this season with countryman and freshman Albin Boija, who vastly outperformed him with a .916 SV%, 2.01 GAA, and two shutouts in 18 appearances.

The Swedish big man (6’4″, 205 lbs) will begin next season under contract with Seattle but could finish out 2023-24 on an ATO with AHL Coachella Valley. Both Kraken-contracted netminders in minors, Chris Driedger and Ales Stezka, are pending UFAs, while 2022 second-round pick Niklas Kokko is under contract and could come to North America after an exceptional campaign in the Finnish Liiga split between Kärpät and Pelicans. Östman’s step back this season suggests full-time AHL work may be a bit too much to ask out of the gate, and he could begin the season on assignment to ECHL Kansas City if one of Driedger or Stezka is brought back and Kokko is brought over from Finland.

Östman will be an RFA when his ELC expires in 2026.

Central Notes: Dadonov, Hakanpaa, Niederreiter, Toffoli, Hayes

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Injured Stars skaters Evgenii Dadonov and Jani Hakanpää haven’t yet returned to full team practices, but head coach Peter DeBoer is optimistic they’ll be options when the playoffs kick off on April 20, Brien Rea of Bally Sports Southwest reports. Both are sidelined with lower-body injuries, although only Dadonov is on long-term injured reserve. His role has been filled expertly by rookie Logan Stankoven, who’s mustered six goals and 12 points in 17 games since making his NHL debut in late February. The 35-year-old is only a season removed from being one of Dallas’ more important secondary scorers in last year’s run to the Western Conference Final, potting four goals and 10 points in 16 playoff games. However, he’s been limited to 23 points in 50 games this season after inking a two-year, $4.5MM extension to remain in Dallas over the summer. As such, there’s no guarantee he enters the playoff lineup ahead of Stankoven even if healthy, and the skill winger isn’t the best fit for a fourth-line role.

Hakanpää’s absence hasn’t been as lengthy, not suiting up since March 16 against the Kings. The 32-year-old Finn had been pushed down the depth chart anyway, thanks to the emergence of Thomas Harley in a top-pairing role and the acquisition of Chris Tanev from the Flames, taking him out of his usual second-pairing role alongside countryman Esa Lindell. When he returns to health, it’ll be in battle with Nils Lundkvist for bottom-pairing minutes alongside veteran anchor Ryan Suter. Still an incredibly competent shutdown blue-liner, Hakanpää has two goals and 12 points in 64 games this season, his third in the Lone Star State. His possession metrics remain below average but are still in an excusable range given his extreme defensive-zone usage at even strength, although his short-handed metrics have taken a tumble. He’s one of their most relied-upon penalty-killers when healthy, averaging 3:16 per game.

Other updates out of the Central:

  • Jets winger Nino Niederreiter will be out at least one week after sustaining a laceration on the back of his leg from a skate cut against the Kings on Monday, head coach Rick Bowness said today (via John Lu of TSN). Bowness called the injury “a pretty bad gash” and said it would have been more severe had Niederreiter not been wearing Kevlar socks. Niederreiter’s return timeline will keep him out of the next three games, but he could re-enter the lineup in a key battle for playoff positioning against the Stars next Thursday. The 31-year-old has once again excelled as a remarkably consistent two-way middle-six winger, potting 18 goals and 33 points in 75 games this year in spite of slightly reduced minutes. He potted four points in five games in Winnipeg’s first-round loss to the Golden Knights last year and will be a secondary X-factor if Winnipeg wants to escape a likely showdown with the Avalanche in a few weeks. Niederreiter will be replaced in tomorrow’s lineup against the Flames by trade-deadline pickup Tyler Toffoli, Bowness confirmed. He’d missed Winnipeg’s tilt against Los Angeles with an illness. Toffoli has been a solid pickup for Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff, scoring four goals and two assists for six points in 11 games. He’s now reached the 30-goal plateau in back-to-back seasons for the first time.
  • Blues center Kevin Hayes has the flu and is questionable for a practically do-or-die game against the Predators tomorrow, Lou Korac of NHL.com reports. He’s expected to travel with the club as they embark on a three-game road trip, though, and could return soon after if he misses the Nashville contest. Their already slim postseason chances would drop to around 1% with a regulation loss and 2% with an overtime loss, per MoneyPuck. They’re three points back of the Kings for the final wild-card spot in the West with one more game played, although L.A. is on a three-game losing streak. Hayes has disappointed after coming over in an offseason trade from the Flyers, notching 13 goals and 29 points in 75 games in a bottom-six role. It’s the worst offensive output of his 10-year career by a significant margin. If he’s unable to suit up against the Preds, Nikita Alexandrov and Zachary Bolduc are both extras on hand and available to enter the lineup.

East Notes: Couturier, Rasmussen, Danforth, Kuraly

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A difficult season for Flyers captain Sean Couturier continues. The 31-year-old sustained an undisclosed injury in Monday’s 4-3 overtime loss to the Islanders, and head coach John Tortorella is “not sure when he’ll be back,” he told reporters today (via Jordan Hall of NBC Sports Philadelphia). He carries a day-to-day designation, though, and hasn’t specifically been ruled out of Friday’s contest against the Sabres. He’s without a point and has a -4 rating in six games since returning from back-to-back healthy scratches in mid-March, not the response he or Tortorella was looking for. Couturier’s recent struggles have been a significant reason why the Flyers’ playoff chances have dropped by about 25% in the past few weeks, as they now find themselves in a nearly neck-and-neck race with the Capitals and Red Wings for two playoff spots. He’s logged over 15 minutes in a game just twice since the beginning of March and has played mostly fourth-line minutes since his healthy scratches. The 2011 eighth-overall pick has at least managed to remain mostly healthy after missing most of the last two seasons due to back injuries, but his offensive impact has been greatly diminished with 11 goals and 36 points in 70 games, his worst point-per-game pace in nine years.

Elsewhere out East:

  • Red Wings forward Michael Rasmussen won’t play against the Rangers on Friday due to an undisclosed injury and has been awarded a day-to-day designation, head coach Derek Lalonde said today. The 2017 ninth-overall pick has a career-high 33 points and was one of four Red Wings to play all 75 games this season. He’s unlikely to reach the offensive ceiling expected of a top-10 pick, but the 24-year-old sits among one of Lalonde’s most trusted shutdown forwards and has averaged 15:11 per game, also a career-high, while shifting from center to wing for most of the campaign. 60.3% of his even-strength zone starts have come in the defensive end, leading all qualified Red Wings forwards and trailing only Moritz Seider among skaters. Robby Fabbri is expected to slide into a top-nine role with Rasmussen out, while Daniel Sprong returns to the lineup as the fourth-line right wing.
  • Blue Jackets forward Justin Danforth is dealing with an illness and is questionable for tomorrow’s clash against the Islanders, head coach Pascal Vincent told Jeff Svoboda of the team’s official site. If he’s ruled out, they’ll need to make an emergency recall from AHL Cleveland, as they aren’t carrying any healthy extras on the roster. Saddled with short-term injuries, Columbus has cycled through a multitude of youngsters as of late that they’d certainly rather have playing important developmental minutes in the minors down the stretch. One player nearing a return is Sean Kuraly, who Vincent said practiced today and is close to returning but won’t be ready tomorrow. He carried a week-to-week designation after sustaining a lower-body injury against the Canadiens on March 12. Danforth has played only once since returning from a concussion that sidelined him for nearly a month, posting zeros across the board in 9:31 of ice time in a 4-1 win over the Avalanche on Monday.

Capitals Reassign Matthew Phillips

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The Capitals have loaned right-winger Matthew Phillips to AHL Hershey, GM Brian MacLellan announced today. His roster spot goes to Tom Wilson, who is eligible to return tomorrow against the Penguins after serving a six-game suspension for high-sticking Maple Leafs forward Noah Gregor.

Phillips, 25, has actually been recalled multiple times over the past two weeks, appearing on Washington’s roster on three separate emergency loans since Wilson’s suspension. He only entered the lineup in the first game of Wilson’s absence, skating just over four minutes in a 7-6 shootout win over the Hurricanes on March 22. Barring further injuries or suspensions, this transaction is likely Phillips’ last of the regular season.

It’s been a tumultuous campaign for the top minor-league producer, who landed his first one-way contract in free agency with the Caps last summer. However, he hasn’t spent the entire season in the Washington organization – he was claimed off waivers by Pittsburgh when the Capitals attempted to assign him to the minors in mid-Februrary. After a three-game stint in the ’Burgh, he landed on waivers again in early March, upon which Washington reclaimed him and sent him directly to Hershey.

Unfortunately for the 5’8″ winger, his strong recent history at the AHL level hasn’t translated to the majors. He’s been rendered ineffective in 31 NHL games with the Caps and Pens this season, limited to one goal and four assists with poor possession impacts. It’s quickly becoming clear the 2016 sixth-round pick is best suited for the minor-league level, where he has a goal and two assists in limited action (five games) with league-leading Hershey.

He should play a key role in Washington’s affiliate’s quest to win back-to-back Calder Cup championships. The Alberta native was electric over his previous two seasons in the Flames organization, scoring 67 goals and 144 points in 131 regular-season games for AHL Stockton/Calgary. Upon expiry of his one-year, $775K contract, he’s set to remain under team control this summer as an RFA.

The Caps managed a 3-2-1 record in their last six contests without Wilson, keeping pace in the Eastern Conference wild-card race. They hold the second wild-card spot ahead of Wednesday’s action with 82 points, one back of the Flyers, who occupy third place in the Metropolitan Division, although they’ve played two fewer games. Events are transpiring toward a three-team coin flip for the final two spots, with odds slowly evening out between Philadelphia (61.9%), Washington (54.8%) and Detroit (42.8%), per MoneyPuck. A crucial overtime win over the Flyers earlier this week has the Islanders back in the playoff conversation too, although they can likely only afford one loss in their seven remaining games with only a 22.7% chance at postseason play.

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