Capitals Assign Hunter Shepard And Matthew Phillips To AHL
The roster shuffling in Washington continues. After recalling both players on an emergency basis in recent days, the team announced that goaltender Hunter Shepard and winger Matthew Phillips have been returned to AHL Hershey.
Shepard was brought up on Thursday following Darcy Kuemper being banged up in practice the day before. However, the veteran was between the pipes on Friday against Carolina, meaning emergency conditions no longer existed so Shepard needed to go back down or be converted to a standard recall.
The 28-year-old made his NHL debut this season, getting into four games with the Capitals, posting a 3.19 GAA and a .894 SV%. Shepard has spent most of the year with Hershey and has done quite well, putting up a 25-3-3 record with a 1.80 GAA and a .927 SV% in 31 games, leading the league in GAA and SV%.
As for Phillips, he was brought up on an emergency basis on Friday but didn’t play which meant emergency conditions no longer existed for him as well. The 26-year-old is in his first season with Washington and has a goal and four assists in 31 games with the Caps. He also has three points in five games with Hershey. He’s set to become a Group Six unrestricted free agent for the second straight summer and might be hard-pressed to secure another one-way contract after getting one from the Capitals back in July.
Wild Recall Jesper Wallstedt
It appears the availability of one of Minnesota’s netminders is in question for this afternoon as, according to the AHL’s transactions log, the Wild have recalled goaltender Jesper Wallstedt from AHL Iowa. In a corresponding move, Iowa signed netminder Peyton Jones to a tryout agreement to replace Wallstedt on their roster.
The 21-year-old is widely considered as one of the stronger goalie prospects league-wide although his NHL debut back in January didn’t go too well as he allowed seven goals on 34 shots in a loss to Dallas. However, Wallstedt has fared well in the minors, posting a 2.76 GAA and a .908 SV% in 43 starts at that level this season. He has one year left after this one on his entry-level deal, one that carries an AAV of $925K.
Assuming that one of Marc-Andre Fleury or Filip Gustavsson is unavailable against Winnipeg, Wallstedt’s recall can be classified as an emergency promotion and thus not count against Minnesota’s four recall limit. However, Wallstedt would have to be returned to the minors as soon as the emergency conditions end.
Atlantic Notes: Stutzle, Cirelli, Jeannot, Stillman, Greenway
Senators forward Tim Stutzle won’t play tonight against New Jersey due to an upper-body injury, relays Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch (Twitter link). The injury was sustained in Thursday’s game against Florida. It has been a bit of a trying year for the 22-year-old; while he has already set a new career-high in assists with 52, he has also been limited to just 18 goals in 75 games. For context, he had 39 last season. Stutzle is in the first season of an eight-year, $66.8MM contract that was signed back in September 2022 and it’s fair to say that expectations will be higher for him next season.
Elsewhere in the Atlantic:
- The Lightning won’t have center Anthony Cirelli or winger Tanner Jeannot in the lineup this afternoon against Pittsburgh but neither player is expected to be out long-term, notes team reporter Chris Krenn (Twitter link). With a playoff spot now officially clinched as of Friday, they’re opting to err on the side of caution. Cirelli is one point shy of tying his career high as he has 43 through 75 games so far while Jeannot’s first full season in Tampa Bay hasn’t gone as planned as he has been limited to just 13 points in 50 appearances.
- Sabres blueliner Riley Stillman is done for the year after undergoing surgery to fix a lower-body injury, per an announcement from AHL Rochester (Twitter link). After being on an NHL roster full-time the last two years, the 26-year-old played exclusively in the minors this season, notching six points in 47 games for the Americans. A restricted free agent with arbitration eligibility and a $1.35MM qualifying offer, Stillman looks like a strong non-tender candidate unless he’s willing to agree to a cheaper deal before qualifying offers are due in late June.
- Still with Buffalo, winger Jordan Greenway took part in practice today in a non-contact jersey, relays WGR 550’s Paul Hamilton (Twitter link). The 27-year-old has missed the last week with an upper-body injury. Greenway has 24 points in 62 games this season and with the Sabres still hanging around the playoff picture, they’d certainly like to get him back in the lineup soon.
Several College Free Agents Sign AHL Contracts
Somewhat surprisingly, there haven’t been many college free agents that have been able to land NHL contracts that begin right away. That has resulted in some of the more notable remaining free agents ultimately settling for AHL deals. Here’s a rundown of those moves.
- Defenseman Dylan Anhorn inked an ATO agreement along with a one-year contract for next season with AHL Manitoba, per a team release. The 25-year-old was linked to Winnipeg earlier this week and they’ll be able to get him on their affiliate without committing an entry-level contract to him. Anhorn was quite impactful for St. Cloud State this season, notching six goals and 27 assists in 38 games to finish second on the team in scoring.
- Winger Riese Gaber has signed with AHL Charlotte through the 2025-26 season, the team announced. The 24-year-old is believed to have had some NHL interest in free agency a couple of years ago after a strong sophomore year with the University of North Dakota but he decided to stay in school. Gaber’s offensive numbers never really dropped – he had 34 points in 40 games this season – but the fact they leveled off coupled with his 5’8 stature likely hindered him on the open market this time around.
- Goaltender Blake Pietila has signed an ATO with AHL Cleveland, per a team release. The 24-year-old has been one of the more consistent goalies in the NCAA in recent years and posted a 2.12 GAA and a .921 SV% in 141 appearances across five seasons at Michigan Tech. However, given his size (6’0), it seemed unlikely that he’d be able to get an entry-level deal right away considering the emphasis many NHL teams place on size for their netminders.
- Defenseman Garrett Pyke has inked an ATO for the rest of this season plus a one-year deal with AHL Colorado, the team announced. The 24-year-old spent this past season at the University of North Dakota, setting new personal benchmarks in assists (22) and points (25).
Canadiens Recall Justin Barron, Announce Injury Updates
The Canadiens will be without a pair of defensemen for their game tonight against Toronto. The team announced (Twitter link) that Kaiden Guhle is listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury while Arber Xhekaj is also out with an upper-body injury; he is undergoing further evaluation to determine how long he might be out. In a corresponding move, blueliner Justin Barron was recalled from AHL Laval on an emergency basis which means he won’t count against their post-deadline four-recall limit.
Guhle, who was injured early in Thursday’s game against Tampa Bay, is once again playing a big role on Montreal’s back end this season. Through 70 games, he has six goals and 16 assists along with 178 blocked shots and 141 hits. The 22-year-old sophomore leads the Canadiens in blocks and sits second among their blueliners in ATOI, logging a little under 21 minutes a night.
As for Xhekaj, he broke camp with the Canadiens but was sent to Laval for seven weeks midseason before being recalled in late January where he has been a regular in the lineup since then. The 23-year-old has three goals and seven assists along with 125 hits and a team-high 81 penalty minutes in 44 games with Montreal in just under 16 minutes a night while he added 11 points in 17 contests with the Rocket.
Barron, meanwhile, has split the season between the NHL and AHL. He has played in 41 games with Montreal (a career-high) and has a dozen points to his credit while averaging a little less than 19 minutes per contest. However, the 22-year-old has spent most of the second half of the year in the minors and hasn’t been as impactful as expected although he still has 11 points in 30 AHL contests.
Senators Recall Bokondji Imama
The Senators have decided to bring up some extra grit for their game tonight against New Jersey. The team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled winger Bokondji Imama from AHL Belleville.
It’s the first recall of the season for the 27-year-old who is in his first season with Ottawa after signing with them as a Group Six unrestricted free agent last summer. Imama has played in 53 games in the minors so far this season, collecting three goals and seven assists along with 115 penalty minutes. It’s the fourth time in the last five years that Imama has surpassed 100 penalty minutes in the minors.
Imama also has nine career NHL appearances under his belt from his time with Arizona. In those, he has a goal and ten penalty minutes to his credit while averaging a little over six minutes a night. It has been more than a year since Imama has seen NHL action and getting a game or two in at the top level certainly can’t hurt his cause as he heads towards unrestricted free agency this summer.
Ducks Recall Alex Stalock On An Emergency Basis
With John Gibson unavailable to dress tonight against Seattle, the Ducks needed a backup goaltender. In a move they have made several times, the team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve brought up Alex Stalock on an emergency basis. The emergency designation means he won’t count against their post-deadline recalls.
This is the sixth recall of the season for the 36-year-old who has been returned to the minors within 48 hours of the promotions each time; it wouldn’t be shocking if that trend continued as long as Gibson is clear to return on Sunday versus St. Louis. With his NHL time being short-lived this season, Stalock has yet to see regular season action with Anaheim so far.
Instead, Stalock has served as the veteran third-string option with AHL San Diego this season, playing in just 13 games behind prospects Tomas Suchanek and Calle Clang. With his playing time being limited, it’s no surprise that he has struggled, posting a 3.81 GAA and a .889 SV% in 13 appearances. Those numbers certainly won’t help his cause when he hits the open market as an unrestricted free agent in July.
Blue Jackets Recall Two, Assign Trey Fix-Wolansky To AHL
On the heels of providing several injury updates earlier in the day, the Blue Jackets have made several roster moves. The team announced that they’ve brought up defenseman Nick Blankenburg and goaltender Malcolm Subban on an emergency basis while winger Trey Fix-Wolansky was re-assigned to AHL Cleveland.
Blankenburg is in his third season with Columbus after signing as an undrafted free agent and has seen NHL action in all three years including six appearances this season where he has been held off the scoresheet. The 25-year-old has battled back issues in the minors which has limited him to just 21 games with the Monsters despite spending most of the season at that level. He has fared well offensively in the AHL, picking up 13 points. The pending restricted free agent won’t be waiver-exempt next year and is expected to push for a full-time spot next season.
As for Subban, he was acquired from St. Louis at the trade deadline to give them some extra organizational depth between the pipes down the stretch. The 30-year-old has a 3.12 GAA and .901 SV% in 35 AHL contests so far this season. Subban, a pending unrestricted free agent, also has 86 career NHL appearances under his belt but with Elvis Merzlikins and Vadim Tarasov unavailable, Jet Greaves will likely serve as the starter in the short term.
Fix-Wolansky, meanwhile, was recalled on an emergency basis yesterday but with Johnny Gaudreau expected to return Saturday, emergency conditions no longer exist so he had to be sent down. The 24-year-old is averaging more than a point per game in the minors for the second straight year, collecting 24 goals and 34 assists in 53 games so far. Fix-Wolansky has an assist in ten games with the Blue Jackets as well. He’s signed on a two-way deal through the 2024-25 season.
Blackhawks Notes: Murphy, Johnson, Veterans
The Blackhawks have been without blueliner Connor Murphy for nearly three months with an undisclosed lower-body injury. Speaking with reporters today including Charlie Roumeliotis of NBC Sports Chicago, the veteran indicated he was dealing with an osteitis pubis injury, the same issue that has sidelined San Jose’s Logan Couture for most of the season albeit a less severe case. Murphy took part in a full practice today and is targeting a return sometime next week. While there isn’t anything left for Chicago to play for in the standings, getting a few games under his belt before the campaign comes to an end would certainly be worth it for Murphy to confirm that he had indeed fully recovered from this issue.
More from Chicago:
- Blackhawks forward Reese Johnson suffered a setback as he works his way back from a concussion, Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times notes. The 25-year-old has missed nearly four weeks and had been skating at one point but has stopped since then. At this point, a return in the final two weeks of the season seems unlikely. Johnson collected two goals and three assists in 42 games with Chicago while adding 109 hits; he’ll be a restricted free agent with arbitration rights this summer.
- Heading into the season, many expected Chicago to move veterans Jason Dickinson and Petr Mrazek. As pending unrestricted free agents, the thought was they’d hold down a roster spot and then be moved at the trade deadline for draft picks but both signed two-year extensions instead. Scott Powers of The Athletic posits (subscription link) that the Blackhawks could use more players like that, short-term veterans that can make a bigger impact than anticipated and then stick around a little longer. Adding pieces like that would raise the floor of the team when they eventually look to emerge from their long-term rebuild.
Metropolitan Notes: Phillips, Harkins, Werenski, Svechnikov
The Capitals have once again brought forward Matthew Phillips up from the AHL on an emergency loan, per a team release. It’s the fourth recall for Phillips in the past few weeks after Washington re-claimed him off waivers from the Penguins in March. Why exactly Phillips has been added to the roster ahead of tonight’s game against the Hurricanes is unknown – no Capitals forwards are carrying injury designations other than T.J. Oshie, and Nicolas Aubé-Kubel was already available as an extra forward. There may be a few undisclosed game-time decisions in the works up front. Phillips, 25, has a goal and four assists in 31 appearances with the Caps and Pens this season.
Other updates from the Metro:
- Moving over to Pittsburgh, winger Jansen Harkins was cleared for contact Friday and was a full participant in practice, head coach Mike Sullivan told Matt Vensel of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The 26-year-old has been on LTIR since March after undergoing hand surgery and has now missed 15 games, but he could be an option for the final few tilts of the season as the Penguins try to sneak their way into the postseason. The high-end AHL scorer has had no offensive impact in 43 NHL appearances this season, going without a goal and posting four assists in 43 games while averaging just over eight minutes a night.
- Blue Jackets star defenseman Zach Werenski will join the United States national team after the end of the regular season in preparation for the 2024 World Championship in Czechia, he told Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch. In doing so, the 26-year-old is strengthening his candidacy for the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off and the 2026 Winter Olympics, as Team USA GM Bill Guerin has made it clear national team hopefuls for those big-ticket tournaments should attend this year’s World Championship if possible. Today, Werenski was named the Blue Jackets’ nominee for the 2024 Masterton Trophy, churning out All-Star-caliber minutes this year after missing most of 2022-23 due to shoulder surgery.
- The Hurricanes will be without winger Andrei Svechnikov at home against Washington tonight due to illness, per a team announcement. The 2018 second-overall pick has been limited by injuries to 55 games this season but has played solid hockey, churning out 17 goals and 46 points. He’s gone through quite a cold stretch over the past few weeks, though, only recording a goal and two assists in his last 12 games with a -5 rating. He’ll look to reset and rebound before the playoffs begin on April 20.