Snapshots: Pekarcik, ECHL, Hurricanes
One St. Louis Blues 2023 draft choice has found a playing home for next season. 76th overall pick Juraj Pekarcik will be heading stateside to the USHL, committing to the Dubuque Fighting Saints for 2023-24 after spending his career until now in his native Slovakia.
This is a rather consequential choice for the QMJHL’s Acadie-Bathurst Titan, who just used the second overall pick on Pekarcik in this year’s CHL Import Draft. However, the USHL has had quite the influx of Slovak talent in recent seasons, and it makes sense Pekarcik would choose to go to a league where he knows what the development experience will be like. The 6-foot-2 winger doesn’t turn 18 until September and registered 20 points in 16 games with HK Nitra’s junior club in the Slovak U-20 circuit last season. He also added ten points in seven games for Slovakia at last year’s IIHF U-18 World Junior Championship.
More from across the league today:
- The Buffalo Sabres confirmed the Jacksonville Icemen as their next ECHL affiliate today, as expected. It amounts to a swap of affiliates between the Sabres and New York Rangers, now affiliated with the Cincinnati Cyclones, Buffalo’s previous affiliate in the second-tier minor league. The current Sabres team does have one connection to the Icemen – assistant coach Jason Christie, who coached the Icemen for four seasons before heading to the Sabres in 2021 and remains the ECHL’s all-time leader in games coached.
- Without an AHL affiliate to store their prospects next season, the Carolina Hurricanes have loaned a trio of Finnish prospects back to their home country, per team reporter Walt Ruff. 20-year-old defenseman Aleksi Heimosalmi will head back to Assat, where he’s spent the past two seasons on loan from Carolina after they selected him 44th overall in 2021. Right wing Tuukka Tieksola, their 2019 fourth-round pick, is heading back to Finland with Lukko after recording 24 points in 52 games with the AHL’s Chicago Wolves last year. Lastly, forward Ville Koivunen is heading back to Karpat, where he’s played most of his career to date after recording 28 points in 52 games with them last season. Doing this early in the summer gives Carolina less to worry about when figuring out where to assign their prospects closer to the start of the season.
Finland Announces Preliminary 2023 World Juniors Roster
One of the most consistent teams in recent years at the World Junior Championships has announced its preliminary roster for the 2023 edition of the tournament. Finland released its preliminary 25-player roster of three goalies, eight defensemen, and 14 forwards.
Finland will need to cut two players from this list to get down to the maximum roster size of 23 players, which should be announced in the coming days. The tournament begins in 12 days on December 26. Finland’s full roster is as follows:
F Niko Huuhtanen (TBL 224th overall, 2021)
F Lenni Hämeenaho (2023 eligible)
F Konsta Kapanen (undrafted)
F Oliver Kapanen (MTL 64th overall, 2021)
F Aleksanteri Kaskimäki (STL 73rd overall, 2022)
F Joakim Kemell (NSH 17th overall, 2022)
F Ville Koivunen (CAR 51st overall, 2021)
F Brad Lambert (WPG 30th overall, 2022)
F Jere Lassila (undrafted)
F Verner Miettinen (undrafted)
F Jani Nyman (SEA 49th overall, 2022)
F Sami Päivärinta (undrafted)
F Topi Rönni (CGY 59th overall, 2022)
F Kalle Väisänen (NYR 106th overall, 2021)
D Kalle Ervasti (undrafted)
D Aleksi Heimosalmi (CAR 44th overall, 2021)
D Aron Kiviharju (2024 eligible)
D Aleksi Malinen (NYI 189th overall, 2021)
D Ville Ruotsalainen (undrafted)
D Otto Salin (LAK 148th overall, 2022)
D Jimi Suomi (undrafted)
D Topias Vilén (NJD 129th overall, 2021)
G Niklas Kokko (SEA 58th overall, 2022)
G Aku Koskenvuo (VAN 137th overall, 2021)
G Jani Lampinen (undrafted)
Kiviharju, who is still just 16 and not draft-eligible until 2024, will be a name to watch. Considering Finland will likely only cut one skater from this current roster, he stands a decent chance to make the team and show what he can do on the biggest junior international stage. He notched six assists in six games at last year’s under-18 tournament for Finland.
Finland Announces Preliminary Rosters For 2022 WJC
While the focus is on the Stanley Cup Final right now, fans will have some more hockey to watch later this summer, when the rescheduled World Junior Championship takes place in August. The event, which was postponed from its normal late-December timeslot because of a COVID-19 outbreak, will kick off on August 9 in Edmonton, Alberta.
All of the same players are eligible for the event, even if they have since turned 20, meaning there is a much bigger pool of talent to pick from this year. That’s led to Finland naming a preliminary roster and a challenger roster, which will battle at a camp this summer according to Lassi Alanen of Elite Prospects.
The main roster:
G Leevi Merilainen
G Rasmus Korhonen
G Juha Jatkola
D Matias Rajaniemi
D Ruben Rafkin
D Ville Ottavainen
D Joni Jurmo
D Eemil Viro
D Topi Niemela
D Kasper Puutio
D Petteri Nurmi
D Aleksi Heimosalmi
D Rami Maatta
F Samuel Helenius
F Roni Hirvonen
F Oliver Kapanen
F Ville Koivunen
F Juuso Maenpaa
F Aatu Raty
F Joakim Kemell
F Kalle Vaisanen
F Brad Lambert
F Kasper Simontaival
F Joel Maatta
F Roby Jarventie
F Elias Koponen
F Eetu Liukas
F Roni Karvinen
Sweden, Finland Announce Preliminary WJC Rosters
The 2022 World Junior Championship is right around the corner, set to kick off on December 26 in Edmonton and Red Deer, Alberta. For the U.S. and Canada, selection camps over the next few weeks will pare down rosters to the eventual 25 names that will take part in the tournament. For Finland and Sweden, many of those decisions have already been made. The two hockey powerhouses released their rosters today, though there could still be some slight changes if someone like Alexander Holtz becomes available.
Finland:
G Leevi Merilainen (OTT)
G Joel Blomqvist (PIT)
G Juha Jatkola (undrafted)
D Ruben Rafkin (undrafted)
D Ville Ottavainen (SEA)
D Eemil Viro (DET)
D Topi Niemela (TOR)
D Kasper Puutio (FLA)
D Petteri Nurmi (undrafted)
D Aleksi Heimosalmi (CAR)
D Rami Maatta (undrafted)
F Roby Jarventie (OTT)
F Juuso Maenpaa (undrafted)
F Samuel Helenius (LAK)
F Roni Hirvonen (TOR)
F Kalle Vaisanen (NYR)
F Ville Koivunen (CAR)
F Oliver Kapanen (MTL)
F Sami Paivarinta (undrafted)
F Kasper Simontaival (LAK)
F Joel Maatta (undrafted)
F Brad Lambert (2022 draft eligible)
F Aatu Raty (NYI)
F Olli Nikupeteri (undrafted)
F Joakim Kemell (2022 draft eligible)
Sweden:
G Jesper Wallstedt (MIN)
G Calle Clang (PIT)
G Jesper Vikman (VGK)
D Helge Grans (LAK)
D Emil Andrae (PHI)
D Anton Olsson (NSH)
D Mans Forsfjall (undrafted)
D Simon Edvinsson (DET)
D Leo Loof (STL)
D Victor Sjoholm (undrafted)
D Joel Nystrom (CAR)
F Daniel Ljungman (DAL)
F Fabian Lysell (BOS)
F Ake Stakkestad (undrafted)
F William Eklund (SJS)
F Zion Nybeck (CAR)
F Elias Stenman (undrafted)
F Albert Sjoberg (DAL)
F Oskar Olausson (COL)
F Isak Rosen (BUF)
F Elliot Ekmark (FLA)
F Theodor Niederbach (DET)
F Oskar Magnusson (WSH)
F Daniel Torgersson (WPG)
Carolina Hurricanes Sign Aleksi Heimosalmi
The Carolina Hurricanes have added to their Finnish contingent once again, this time signing draft pick Aleksi Heimosalmi to a three-year entry-level contract. Hurricanes GM Don Waddell released a short statement:
Aleksi is a highly skilled, two-way defenseman. We’re excited for him to take the next steps in his development.
Selected 44th overall in 2021, Heimosalmi is expected to make his Liiga debut this season for Assat after signing a three-year deal with the Finnish team earlier this year. With this new deal in place with Carolina, it’s not clear if the young defenseman will spend that entire time overseas, but for this season at least it is likely he continues his development in Europe.
Not only did Heimosalmi find a ton of success at the junior level for Assat, but he also dominated the U18 World Juniors, earning Best Defenseman honors for the whole tournament after racking up eight points in seven games. The smooth-skating defender has quite a way to go before he challenges for an NHL spot, but there’s no rush thanks to a strong depth chart in Carolina.