Prospect Notes: Hallander, Fiddler, Ivankovic
Pittsburgh Penguins winger Filip Hallander has returned to his home country of Sweden for training after recovering from a blood clot per Seth Rorabaugh of Trib Live. Hallander only played in 16 games this season – 13 in the NHL and three in the AHL – due to the blood clot.
Bad health kept Hallander from playing through his NHL rookie season – his next step after posting 89 points in 102 games through two seasons in Sweden’s SHL. Hallander found his confidence in Sweden and looked to return a much more capable play-driver, after getting his first taste of the AHL between 2021 and 2023.
Hallander began the season with Pittsburgh and scored four points, before a three-game scoring lull earned him a bump to the minors. He added one more point with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton before being removed from the lineup.
Hallander is a confident puck-mover who uses his skill to beat defenders and rack up points. He has yet to prove that talent at the top flight, though he does have 62 points in 107 career AHL games. He will be evaluated by the Penguins for availability at 2026-27 training camp upon returning from Sweden. If he is cleared by doctors, next season could be Hallander’s first chance to dig his feet into an NHL role.
Other notes out of the prospect world:
- Seattle Kraken prospect Blake Fiddler has announced his commitment to the University of Denver. He will join a strong cohort of young defensemen headed to the National Championship winners, alongside top 2026 draft prospect Ben MacBeath and Ryan Lin. Fiddler offers a confident bit of puck-movement and physicality, blending well with Lin’s dynamo offense and MacBeath’s strong defensive presence. Their additions will give Denver more than enough to make up for the loss of Hobey Baker Award finalist and San Jose Sharks prospect Eric Pohlkamp. Fiddler, a Texas native, racked up 11 goals and 36 points in 63 games with the WHL’s Edmonton Oil Kings this season. He carved out a second-pair role and posted a career-high plus-23.
- Sticking with college hockey, Nashville Predators prospect and University of Michigan starter Jack Ivankovic will join Team Canada at the World Championship per Daily Faceoff’s Jeff Marek. This will be a golden chance for Ivankovic to prove his iron man abilities after missing a chunk of the season due to a lower-body injury. Ivankovic returned well ahead of schedule from that injury and led Michigan to a Frozen Four semi-final loss against the eventual championship-winning Denver Pioneers. The second-round draft pick set 25 wins and a .921 save percentage in 35 games with Michigan this season. His performance marked the most wins from a goaltender under the age of 19 since Tyler Wall posted 26 wins with UMass-Lowell in 2017 and Billy Sauer posted 25 wins with Michigan in 2007.
Evening Notes: Fiddler, Canucks GM Search, Laughton
Seattle Kraken prospect Blake Fiddler has committed to the University of Denver, shared in a post by College Puck NXT earlier today. The reigning National Champions (their third title since 2022) will bring in the 2025 second round selection out of the WHL’s Edmonton Oil Kings.
A 6’5” right-handed defenseman, Fiddler has a name which would ring a bell of any dedicated hockey fan of the last 20 years, son of Vernon Fiddler, who played forward in his 877 NHL games. As a result, he developed in an unconventional setting, a product of the Dallas Stars youth program.
Thought to be a potential late first-rounder last year, Fiddler fell slightly, as he isn’t thought to have the highest ceiling. Still, with many more flashy defensemen taken in this range often failing to make an NHL impact, the 18-year-old is a safe bet to become a solid shutdown righty with respectable offensive attributes, potentially a replacement someday for 33-year-old Adam Larsson in a middle-pairing role.
Until any of that though, Fiddler joins a Pioneers squad loaded with high end talent, alongside top 2026 defensive prospect Ryan Lin. Fiddler didn’t take a leap on the stat sheet in 2025-26, just three more points in one fewer game year-over-year, but his Oil Kings still had a strong season. With nothing else to prove in the WHL, the youngster will make a leap which should pay dividends in his long term development.
Elsewhere across the league:
- Fiddler was not the only son of a notable figure in the hockey world making headlines today, as Patrick Burke interviewed with the Vancouver Canucks for their general manager opening, per Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK. Son of longtime executive Brian Burke, who himself was once general manager of the franchise, Patrick is a highly respected figure across the league, serving as Vice President of Player Safety since 2021. Of course, the Brooklyn, New York resident has a background with player evaluation also, serving as a scout for the Philadelphia Flyers from 2006-13. It’s fair to call Burke a long shot for the job, but it’s a well deserved interview considering his contributions to the game across multiple facets. Vancouver is leaving no stone unturned as they search for their 13th general manager.
- Los Angeles Kings deadline acquisition Scott Laughton may have found a home out west, as he has a “high” interest level in re-signing, noted by The Fourth Period’s Dennis Bernstein. The veteran, who will soon turn 32, was a nice fit with the Kings enjoying an uptick in ice time, as well as a jump to his highest even strength corsi-for metrics in over five years (48%). Laughton notched five goals in 21 games wearing the silver and black as a dependable third line center. The Ontario native has a projected value of $3.038MM according to AFP Analytics, effectively the same from his current contract. Yet based on the demand for centers, it’s safe to assume Laughton could fetch more on the open market. As retired legend Anže Kopitar’s $7MM comes off the books, there’s plenty of room to lock up the player who they relinquished a second-round pick for last March.