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Austin Poganski

Arizona Coyotes Sign Olli Juolevi, Ten Others To PTOs

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The Arizona Coyotes have announced a slate of new and previously reported PTOs ahead of training camps kicking off next week, totaling 11 players:

D Peter DiLiberatore
F Hunter Drew
F Ryan Dzingel
F Patrick Harper
F Cameron Hebig
D Olli Juolevi
F Micah Miller
F Austin Poganski
D Austin Strand
F Colin Theisen
F Reece Vitelli

Nine of these players are new information. CapFriendly had reported that Dzingel and DiLiberatore had secured PTOs with the Coyotes last week.

The headlining name here is absolutely Juolevi, who’s fallen far off track since the Vancouver Canucks took him fifth overall in the 2016 NHL Draft. He spent last season entirely in the minors as a member of the Anaheim Ducks organization, recording 14 points and a -14 rating in 38 games with the AHL’s San Diego Gulls. Once appearing as a solid prospect after recording 13 points in 18 AHL games during his rookie pro season, injuries completely derailed Juolevi’s development, and if he lands a contract, will find himself with his fifth NHL organization at 25 years old.

The scope of the Coyotes’ PTOs here is not surprising. The team needs to ice a team during their busy preseason schedule, including three games on one day (September 23rd) while the main group is in Australia playing Global Series matches against the Los Angeles Kings. All of these players will likely lace up the skates in one of their North American-based split-squad games against the St. Louis Blues on that day.

A handful of these players are already under AHL contract with Arizona’s affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners, for next season: Drew, Hebig, Miller, and Vitelli. They’ve also temporarily contracted the services of Strand, who is under AHL contract with the independently-operating Chicago Wolves this season. Harper is signed to an ECHL deal with the South Carolina Stingrays, the second-tier affiliate of the Washington Capitals. Poganski and Theisen remain without contracts for 2023-24 – the latter did play last season in the Coyotes organization after graduating from Arizona State University.

Arizona is at 47 out of the maximum 50 contracts, meaning NHL contracts aren’t likely in the cards for anyone in this group. These transactions were purely made to get enough bodies around the team for their preseason schedule. However, this could lead to Poganski and Theisen landing AHL deals with Tucson for 2023-24.

Seattle Kraken Sign Four Players

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The Seattle Kraken have inked a pair of draft picks, signing Jacob Melanson and Ryan Winterton to three-year, entry-level contracts. Both players were selected in the 2021 draft and are still eligible to return to their junior teams this season, allowing these entry-level deals to slide forward.

Melanson, selected 131st overall in 2021, broke out this season with the Acadie-Bathurst Titan of the QMJHL, scoring 35 goals in just 54 regular season games. That was enough to earn the fifth-round pick this entry-level deal, though before he has any thought of professional hockey, he’ll have to go back and prove he can take his game to an even higher level in 2022-23.

Winterton meanwhile was picked much higher, 67th in 2021, and had an even better season for the Hamilton Bulldogs. The OHL champion posted 20 goals and 46 points in 37 games, while adding another 19 in 18 playoff games en route to the Memorial Cup finals. The young forward won’t turn 19 until September 4, a birthday that made him one of the very youngest players in the entire 2021 draft class. His future looks bright at the moment and the reward of an entry-level contract is a nice piece of motivation for his next OHL season.

The team has also announced contracts for Austin Poganski and Cameron Hughes, as they continue to load up their minor league system in preparation for the first season for the Coachella Valley Firebirds. Poganski has signed for one year, while Hughes is getting a two-year deal.

Filling an entire minor league roster is no joke, so Poganski and Hughes should both get lots of ice time with the Firebirds. Neither one should really be challenging for an NHL roster spot though, with very limited experience at that level. Poganski played 16 games for the Winnipeg Jets this year but failed to record a since point (he now has zero through 22 career matches), while Hughes has played just two games at the NHL level (and also has zero points).

Austin Poganski Placed On Waivers

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March 4: Poganski has cleared waivers, according to Chris Johnston of TSN, and can now be assigned back to the minor leagues.

March 3: The Winnipeg Jets have placed Austin Poganski on waivers, according to CapFriendly. This is the second time he has appeared on waivers, after clearing just before the season began. Because of the number of games he has played in since then, he now has to clear again before being assigned to the minor leagues.

The placement of Poganski on waivers is another positive move for the Jets, who had Nikolaj Ehlers back at practice today in a regular jersey. The 26-year-old Ehlers hasn’t played since January 18, but appears to be on the precipice of a return to the lineup. The team will need to make some cap-related changes in order to be able to activate him from long-term injured reserve, likely including moving Poganski off the roster.

There’s a chance the 26-year-old is claimed, but not a big one. The former St. Louis Blues forward has played in 16 games this season and 22 for his career, yet is still looking for his first NHL point. They haven’t been as hard to come by at the minor league level, where he has 21 in 31 games this season, but things have been much more desolate in the NHL. Of course, he wasn’t really given much offensive opportunity in Winnipeg, averaging just over nine minutes a night mostly in defensive-zone situations.

Though normally he would be a restricted free agent at the end of the year, Poganski is actually one of those who will qualify for Group VI unrestricted free agent status, given how few games he has played to this point.

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