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Blue Jackets Sign Charlie Elick, Caleb MacDonald To Entry-Level Deals

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The Blue Jackets announced entry-level deals for defensemen Charlie Elick and Caleb MacDonald today. Both begin next season. Elick’s is a three-year pact, while MacDonald’s is for two years. McDonald’s deal will carry a $925K cap hit and $97.5K signing bonus, per PuckPedia. Financial details of Elick’s deal haven’t been revealed.

Elick was already in the organization. Columbus selected the 19-year-old 36th overall in last year’s draft, making him the fourth pick of the second round. A 6’4″, 203-lb right-shot rearguard, he’s a smooth-skating defensive specialist with a penchant for physicality. The Austria-born Canadian national is coming off his third entire season in the Western Hockey League, split between the Brandon Wheat Kings and Tri-City Americans thanks to a midseason trade. He compiled 2-13–15 with 55 PIMs and a minus-six rating in 66 appearances between the clubs.

While not drafted for his offensive production, that’s still a semi-concerning downturn from his 2023-24 campaign with the Wheat Kings. In his draft year, he managed 4-23–27 in 65 games with a plus-four rating, winning a gold medal with Canada at the U18 World Championship.

Elick ranks No. 11 in the Blue Jackets’ prospect pool, per Scott Wheeler of The Athletic. He’s the second-place right-handed defender behind Luca Marrelli, who Columbus selected one round after him last summer and signed an entry-level contract in December.

MacDonald is a new addition to the system. Another big lefty (6’4″, 225 lbs), he’s a 22-year-old coming off his second collegiate season. The undrafted rearguard from Ontario played his freshman year with the University of Alaska-Fairbanks before transferring to North Dakota for his sophomore campaign. He did well in the spotlight against much tougher competition, posting 3-7–10 with a plus-seven rating in 35 games for the Fighting Hawks.

While hard-hitting like Elick, he offers more offensive upside. Before jumping to college, he was a junior ’A’ standout with the Whitecourt Wolverines of the Alberta Junior Hockey League. He put up 16-79–95 in 126 games there across three seasons, including a 9-50–59 run in 57 games in 2022-23 that got him named the league’s most outstanding defenseman.

MacDonald will presumably report to AHL Cleveland next season, while Elick doesn’t turn 20 until after New Year’s and thus remains ineligible for an AHL assignment in 2025-26. He’ll need to be sent back to the Americans and play out another season in juniors before jumping to the pros. His entry-level deal will slide one year as a result, pushing his expiry from 2028 to 2029. MacDonald’s deal isn’t slide-eligible and will run out in 2027. Both players will be restricted free agents when their contracts end.

Flyers Sign Ty Murchison To Entry-Level Contract

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The Flyers announced they’ve signed defense prospect Ty Murchison to a two-year, entry-level contract beginning in 2025-26. His contract carries an $860K cap hit with a $775K base salary, an $85K signing bonus, and an $80K minors salary each season, per PuckPedia.

A fifth-round pick by Philly in 2021 (No. 158 overall), the 6’2″ lefty is coming off his senior season at Arizona State. The 22-year-old is about as one-dimensional as it gets for a stay-at-home defender. He never totaled more than seven points in a season at ASU but posted a combined +17 rating over four years and logged heavy minutes as one of the NCAA’s most responsible shutdown men. Named the NCHC’s Best Defensive Defenseman this year, Murchison posted four assists, 48 PIMs, and a plus-six rating in 37 games in the Sun Devils’ first year of conference play.

Murchison turns pro after compiling 9-14–23 and 279 PIMs in 145 collegiate games. A California native and product of the U.S. National Development Team program, Murchison’s signing rights were set to expire on Aug. 15.

After a strong collegiate career, Murchison focuses on finding his niche in the Flyers’ system. This year, he wasn’t listed among Philly’s top 15 prospects in Scott Wheeler of The Athletic’s organizational rankings. His main internal competition likely comes from Hunter McDonald (No. 12), another big 22-year-old lefty in his first pro season with AHL Lehigh Valley following a two-year run with Northeastern. He’s had a strong first showing in the pros and projects as a capable bottom-pairing option in a few years, similar to the role Murchison will likely have if he carves out an NHL career.

Murchison’s deal makes him a restricted free agent in the summer of 2027. The Flyers now have 29 contracts on their books next season.

Kings To Recall Jeff Malott

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According to John Hoven of Mayor’s Manor, the Kings will recall forward Jeff Malott before their game Thursday with the Avalanche. L.A. has $1.757MM in current cap space, per PuckPedia, enough to fit Malott’s $775K cap hit without another transaction.

Malott was signed to a two-year, partial two-way deal last summer, and this will be his first stint on Los Angeles’ NHL roster this season. If he plays, it will be Malott’s second career NHL appearance after debuting with the Jets in the 2021-22 campaign.

The 28-year-old left-winger comes up after Tanner Jeannot sustained an upper-body injury last night against the Rangers, a game for which Alex Turcotte was also a late scratch due to an undisclosed injury. With only Akil Thomas on hand as an extra forward, Malott’s summons gives them another option to insert into the lineup if a third injury strikes their forward group.

What Malott lacks in NHL experience, he compensates for with his 6’4″, 201-lb frame and an increasingly strong minor-league track record. An alternate captain with AHL Ontario, he has 23-28–51 in 61 appearances to rank third in scoring. The hard-nosed winger also leads the Reign with 80 PIMs and ranks fourth with a +17 rating. His stay on the NHL roster will likely only last as long as the Kings’ injury troubles, but he’s an acceptable replacement for fourth-line minutes if necessary.

Kings Sign Jared Woolley To Entry-Level Contract

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The Kings announced that they have signed defenseman Jared Woolley to a three-year, entry-level contract beginning next season. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Woolley, 19, was a sixth-round pick by the Kings (No. 164 overall) last summer. The 6’5″, 207-lb lefty has spent the past two seasons with the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League, where he won a league championship as a rookie in 2023-24.

A two-way defender by trade, Woolley had a coming-out party this year. After playing a limited role on last year’s London squad, he saw expanded minutes this year and rose to the occasion. He posted a respectable 9-19–28 scoring line in 68 games, and his +49 rating ranked third on the club. He also racked up 75 PIMs.

He didn’t check in at all when Scott Wheeler of The Athletic ranked the Kings’ prospect pool earlier this year, so it’s safe to say public scouts remain conservative on NHL expectations for Woolley. Nonetheless, the Kings liked his season enough to get a deal done now and avoid potentially running out the clock on his signing rights, which were set to expire in June 2026.

Woolley’s deal is eligible for a one-year entry-level slide. Assuming he plays fewer than 10 NHL games next season, overwhelmingly the likeliest scenario, his deal will defer to the 2026-27 campaign and run through 2028-29. He’ll still be paid any signing bonuses owed to him for the 2025-26 campaign, lowering the cap hit of his deal slightly when it does go into effect. He’s too young for a full-time AHL assignment next year and will undoubtedly return to London for a third OHL season. If that’s the outcome, he won’t count against L.A.’s 50-contract limit.

Lightning Recall Cam Atkinson, Reassign Brandon Halverson

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According to a team announcement, the Lightning have recalled veteran forward Cam Atkinson from AHL Syracuse. The club has reassigned goaltender Brandon Halverson to Syracuse to stay under the salary cap. He was no longer needed on the roster after usual backup Jonas Johansson returned from a two-game personal leave for last night’s win over the Penguins. Their active roster remains at 22.

Atkinson, 35, is a two-time 30-goal scorer and veteran of 13 NHL seasons who joined the Lightning on a one-year deal last summer following a buyout by the Flyers. The forward’s time in Tampa has been inconsequential, posting 4-5–9 through 38 games while averaging just 8:47 per game. He hasn’t appeared in more than eight consecutive games for the Bolts this year and has only suited up three times since the 4 Nations Face-Off.

That tough showing led him to land on waivers for the first time in his career earlier this month, opening up some cap flexibility for Tampa ahead of the trade deadline. They’ve taken advantage of it, sending him down to Syracuse twice, but those assignments have purely been for salary cap management purposes. He hasn’t suited up for the Crunch, and it’s unlikely he will if he returns to them later this year.

Atkinson hasn’t dressed since March 13, when he scored a goal against Philly. He has three points in his last four games dating back to Feb. 9, so at least over the past couple of months, he’s been a good depth scoring option when inserted into the lineup. Tampa’s frequently dressed 11 forwards and seven defensemen in recent games, but after Erik Černák left last night’s game with an undisclosed injury, they may need to go back to the routine 12-6 lineup tomorrow against Utah. That could mean Atkinson’s return to the lineup – or Mitchell Chaffee, who’s been scratched six times in the last eight games. Either way, Atkinson’s recall guarantees they’ll have 12 forwards available if one sustains a last-minute injury before tomorrow’s game.

Halverson made his Tampa debut on this most recent recall, making his first career NHL start against Utah last Saturday. It didn’t go very well for the 28-year-old farmhand, who surrendered five goals on 24 shots for a .792 SV% in a 6-2 loss (Utah’s last goal was an empty-netter). Initially a second-round pick by the Rangers back in 2014, his lone previous NHL appearance came in relief of Henrik Lundqvist in February 2018.

The Michigan native has been strong at the minor-league level this year, though, posting a .913 SV% and 2.32 GAA with four shutouts in 34 games for Syracuse. While he began the year on a minor-league deal, that showing earned him an NHL contract from Tampa early last month. He’s been recalled a couple of times since then amid periods of unavailability from Johansson, who has a 7-5-2 record and .896 SV% in 15 appearances this season. His deal was for two years, so he’ll be back with the team as organizational depth next season.

Latest On Minnesota Wild Injuries

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March 26: The Wild returned Crotty to the minors late last night after he didn’t enter the lineup, per a team announcement.

March 25: Throughout each season, a handful of teams fall into the well of persistent injury bugs. For yet another year, the Minnesota Wild have found themselves firmly in that rut – with persistent injuries holding stars like Kirill Kaprizov, Joel Eriksson Ek, and Jonas Brodin to fewer than 45 games each. All three options remain sidelined as April rolls around, though recent updates could see them back in the fold soon.

Minnesota recalled depth defenseman Cameron Crotty under emergency conditions on Tuesday morning. The move was made in case Brodin – who sat out of Monday night’s 3-0 loss to Dallas for rest – was unable to go once again, per Michael Russo of The Athletic. But with Tuesday’s matchup against Vegas drawing close, Russo has updated that Brodin will in fact play per head coach John Hynes. Crotty could still get a chance to go, though – as Russo has shared that Declan Chisholm is day-to-day with a lower-body injury after blocking a shot from Matt Dumba on Monday.

Assuming he’s in, Crotty will be playing in just the second NHL game of his career on Tuesday, after debuting with the Arizona Coyotes last year. The right-shot 25-year-old has managed eight assists, 47 penalty minutes, and a minus-nine in 56 AHL games this season. Those totals are a slight downtick from the 13 points he potted in 64 games of the 2022-23 season, then repeated in 55 games of the 2023-24 season.

Crotty landed as the Wild’s emergency recall after top prospect and routine middle-man David Jiricek was himself injured in the Iowa Wild’s Monday night contest. Jiricek had seven assists in 27 AHL games. No specifics have been revealed about his injury or timeline, but Russo shares that he’s expected to be out for a while. None of Minnesota’s other AHL defensemen – including Carson Lambos, David Spacek, Joseph Cecconi, and Ryan O’Rourke – have yet made their NHL debuts.

Despite the mess of news surrounding the Wild’s blue-line, they’ll enter Tuesday’s game with positive momentum. Brodin is a major addition to the lineup, and showed flashes of bouncing back to form when he recorded an assist on Saturday, playing in his first game after a month-long absence due to injury. He skated in 21 minutes of action, just shy of the 22:38 in ice time that Brodin has averaged through 39 games this season. In those minutes, he’s recorded 19 points, 14 penalty minutes, and a plus-11. Those are strong numbers that, mixed with the rookie Crotty, should help make up for the hold Chisholm leaves on Minnesota’s bottom pair. Chisholm has 12 points, 10 penalty minutes, and a minus-five in 61 games this season. He’s playing through his first full year in the NHL after marking his rookie season last year.

The Wild have more good news waiting in their wings. Russo went on to share that stars Kaprizov and Eriksson Ek are both expected to begin skating this weekend. The pair have been in-and-out of the lineup, with Kaprizov missing 21 games and Eriksson Ek missing 14 with their current injuries. It’s an understatement to say the two are crucial to the Wild lineup. They operate as clear top-line and special teams options for the club, and each average near or north of 20 minutes of ice time each game. Kaprizov led the team in scoring at the time of his injury with 23 goals and 52 points in just 37 games. That mark put him on pace for an amazing 115 points, which would have upended his career-high, and the Wild single-season scoring record, of 108 points set in the 2021-22 season. Eriksson Ek has been far more modest, with just 24 points in 42 games – though his all-three-zones impact has made his absences noticeable.

Minnesota has seen a surge from their 23-year-olds in the absence of their stars. Winger Matt Boldy now leads the team in scoring with 23 goals and 60 points on the season. Center Marco Rossi isn’t too far behind him, with 22 goals and 54 points in as many games. The pair will likely both take a hit to their ice time and special teams usage when Minnesota is back to full health, though their breakout performances are a clear indication of what’s soon to come for the Wild.

Stars Sign Trey Taylor To Entry-Level Deal

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The Stars signed left-shot defenseman Trey Taylor to a two-year entry-level contract earlier this week, per a team release. The deal begins next season, but he’ll finish out 2024-25 on a tryout with AHL Texas. His contract carries a cap hit of $975K and includes a base salary of $877.5K, a signing bonus of $97.5K, and a minors salary of $85K each season, according to PuckPedia.

Taylor turns pro after recently completing his junior season at Clarkson University, where he was teammates with recently-signed Dallas prospect Ayrton Martino. Unlike Martino, Taylor wasn’t already in the Stars’ system. Undrafted after initially becoming eligible for selection in 2020, the 6’2″ lefty didn’t even touch college hockey until what would have been his DY+3 season. After spending time in high-level juniors with the Vernon Vipers of the British Columbia Hockey League and the Youngstown Phantoms of the United States Hockey League, the B.C. native jumped to Clarkson for the 2022-23 campaign.

After not making much of an impression in a depth role in his freshman year, Taylor impressed in expanded usage in 2023-24. He put together a dominant two-way performance for Clarkson, posting 4-13–17 in 35 games while adding a +20 rating that earned him ECAC Best Defensive Defenseman honors. This season, Taylor improved offensively with a 9-20–29 scoring line in 39 games while serving as an alternate captain, repeating his performance as the conference’s best shutdown defenseman as well.

A sound collegiate performance should allow him to step in as an impact defender at the AHL level somewhat seamlessly. The road ahead to NHL minutes on the Stars’ blue line is less clear, especially on a team with Thomas Harley, Esa Lindell, and Lian Bichsel penciled in as its top three left-side defenders for years to come, so it’ll be interesting to see if he gets reps on his off side in Texas. He’ll be under contract through 2026-27, after which he’ll be a restricted free agent.

Prospect Notes: Kirsanov, Pinelli, Hage

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With the end of the season nearing, news surrounding some of the league’s top prospects is beginning to ramp up. The Los Angeles Kings are the focal point of the latest updates, after news that Russian defender Kirill Kirsanov could sign with the team at the end of the season, per Scott Coffman of Mayor’s Manor.

The Kings drafted Kirsanov in the third round of the 2021 NHL Draft, just months after his rookie season in Russia’s KHL came to a close. He tallied just three points in 29 games in his first pro year, but showed upside as a heavy and physical presence in the defensive end. Kirsanov continued to plant his feet in the KHL in the subsequent three seasons, routinely rivaling 25 games and a few points each year. He’s found a bit more stride with Novgorod Torpedo this season, with a career-high seven points in a career-high 34 KHL games – though his best impact remains close to his end boards. It will be the six-foot-two, 220-pound frame that Los Angeles looks forward to in signing the 22-year-old Russian, as they look to find the hefty compliment for impactful youngsters like Brandt Clarke and Jordan Spence.

Other notes across the prospect world:

  • The Columbus Blue Jackets have assigned 2023 fourth-round draft pick Luca Pinelli to the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters. Pinelli’s OHL season with the Ottawa 67s came to an end on Sunday. He closed the season with a team-leading 37 goals and 71 points in 52 games. That’s just narrowly ahead of his scoring pace last season, when he potted 48 goals and 82 points in 68 games. But Pinelli’s story tood tall this year, as he led a 67s roster that struggled to score when he was off the ice. Ottawa managed just 205 goals as a team, good for third-lowest in the OHL. Pinelli is a speedy puck-handler who pushes transition – and carries surprising heft and strength on the puck for his five-foot-nine frame. He’ll be an interesting prospect to watch in the pros, after scoring 252 points in 246 career games, and four seasons, in the OHL.
  • Top Montreal Canadiens prospect Michael Hage has decided to return to the University of Michigan for his sophomore season, per Marco D’Amico of RG Media. Montreal drafted Hage 21st overall in the 2024 NHL Draft, after he scored 33 goals and 75 points in 54 USHL games as the Chicago Steel’s top center. He followed that performance with 13 goals and 34 points in 33 games in Michigan’s top-role this year – good for second in scoring on the Wolverines behind 23-year-old junior T.J. Hughes’ 38 points. Hughes is viewed by many as a top college free agent this summer. His signing could open a clear path for Hage to become Michigan’s true star scorer next year. On top of many returnees on a young roster, Hage will be joined by 2025 NHL Draft prospects Cole McKinney and Aidan Park in 2025-26.

Red Wings Recall Sebastian Cossa, Petr Mrazek And Cam Talbot Out

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The Detroit Red Wings have recalled top goalie prospect Sebastian Cossa under emergency conditions. Detroit is currently dealing with a mix of unavailability and injury in their goaltending room. Petr Mrazek sustained an undisclosed injury just two minutes into the team’s Monday win over Utah, after catching the stick of Dylan Guenther in a netfront collision. Backup Alex Lyon took over for Mrazek and led Detroit to a 5-1 victory. Lyon will have to man the starter’s net for a second night in a row on Tuesday, with Cam Talbot also out of the lineup for undisclosed reasons, per Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press. Talbot has only played four games in the month of March, and just one in the last week.

With Mrazek and Talbot on the shelf, Cossa will receive his first NHL call-up since December. He made his NHL debut in relief of Talbot on his last recall, and managed to lead Detroit to a shootout victory in 45 minutes of ice time. Cossa was returned to the minors in the days after, where he’s been up to his usual antics. He has a 19-11-5 record and .913 save percentage through 35 games on the year and is in firm control of the Grand Rapids Grffins’ starting role. This now marks the fourth consecutive season that Cossa has posted a .913 save percentage. Dating back to his 2021-22 season, Cossa has managed the exact same mark through 46 WHL games, 46 ECHL games, 40 AHL games last year, and now 35 games this year. The performances have been shockingly unwavering through the start of his pro career.

Detroit will be able to hold onto Cossa for 30 days or 10 games before his emergency recall expires. With a full house in the goaltending room, it’s hard to picture Detroit hanging onto their minor-league starter for too long – especially as the Griffins pursue a playoff chase of their own. Mrazek has managed a team-leading .902 save percentage in five games since joining Detroit at the Trade Deadline. Lyon is closely challenging that title, though – with a .944 on Monday bringing his year-long save percentage up to a .901. While Cossa seems like a surefire bet to post a .913 wherever he goes, Detroit might find more comfort in sticking with their vets through the end of the year. The Red Wings are currently three points behind an Eastern Conference Wild Card, down a game.

Sabres Sign Tyler Kopff To Entry-Level Deal

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The Sabres have signed forward Tyler Kopff to a two-year, entry-level contract beginning with the 2025-26 season, per a club announcement. He’ll finish out the season on a tryout with AHL Rochester. Per PuckPedia, his deal carries a cap hit of $975K and breaks down as a $877.5K salary with a $97.5K signing bonus each season.

Kopff, 21, is an undrafted free agent coming off his sophomore season at Brown University. The New Jersey native was first eligible for the 2021 draft but spent the year in the state high school system and was far too down the competition ladder to warrant a selection.

He’s produced well everywhere he’s gone since then, though. He jumped to junior ’A’ hockey for his age-18 and age-19 seasons in British Columbia with the Coquitlam Express, posting 42-51–93 in 107 BCHL games over two seasons. Over two years at Brown, he’s added 15-31–46 in 62 games.

He thus leaves college early to turn pro in the Sabres organization, a decision undoubtedly influenced by his 6’4″, 205-lb frame that should make adjusting to the AHL level an easier task. He’s likely not ticketed for an NHL call-up anytime soon, but he gives Buffalo another project for Rochester who should be able to step in immediately as a depth scorer with size.

His deal will expire in the 2027 offseason, making him a restricted free agent. Buffalo now has 26 deals on the books for 2025-26.

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