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2023 AHL All-Star Rosters Announced

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While the focus of many hockey fans is on the upcoming NHL All-Star festivities, the AHL is set to hold its own event to honor the league’s best players. Today, they announced the rosters for the 2023 AHL All-Star Classic, which will be held in Laval, Quebec on February 5-6. Todd Nelson (Hershey), Greg Moore (Toronto), Neil Graham (Texas), and Mitch Love (Calgary) will be the four head coaches.

The rosters are as follows:

Atlantic Division

F Will Cuylle, Hartford Wolf Pack
F Tyson Foerster, Lehigh Valley Phantoms
F Ethen Frank, Hershey Bears
F Matthew Highmore, Springfield Thunderbirds
F Vinni Lettieri, Providence Bruins
F Riley Nash, Charlotte Checkers
F Mike Vecchione, Hershey Bears

D Samuel Bolduc, Bridgeport Islanders
D Xavier Ouellet, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
D Cam York, Lehigh Valley Phantoms

G Brandon Bussi, Providence Bruins
G Joel Hofer, Springfield Thunderbirds

North Division 

F Alex Barré-Boulet, Syracuse Crunch
F Brandon Biro, Rochester Americans
F Gabriel Dumont, Syracuse Crunch
F Anthony Richard, Laval Rocket
F Logan Shaw, Toronto Marlies
F Egor Sokolov, Belleville Senators

D Justin Barron, Laval Rocket
D Noel Hoefenmayer, Toronto Marlies
D David Jiricek, Cleveland Monsters
D Darren Raddysh, Syracuse Crunch

G Nico Daws, Utica Comets
G Joseph Woll, Toronto Marlies

Central Division 

F Riley Barber, Texas Stars
F David Gust, Rockford IceHogs
F Tommy Novak, Milwaukee Admirals
F Lukas Reichel, Rockford IceHogs
F Brett Seney, Rockford IceHogs
F Sammy Walker, Iowa Wild

D Declan Chisholm, Manitoba Moose
D Thomas Harley, Texas Stars
D Max Lajoie, Chicago Wolves
D Brian Lashoff, Grand Rapids Griffins

G Yaroslav Askarov, Milwaukee Admirals
G Jesper Wallstedt, Iowa Wild

Pacific Division

F Thomas Bordeleau, San Jose Barracuda
F Michael Carcone, Tucson Roadrunners
F Seth Griffith, Bakersfield Condors
F Matthew Phillips, Calgary Wranglers
F Andrew Poturalski, Coachella Valley Firebirds
F T.J. Tynan, Ontario Reign

D Ryker Evans, Coachella Valley Firebirds
D Brad Hunt, Colorado Eagles
D Daniil Miromanov, Henderson Silver Knights
D Christian Wolanin, Abbotsford Canucks

G Lukas Dostal, San Diego Gulls
G Dustin Wolf, Calgary Wranglers

Snapshots: Korpisalo, Maatta, Hunt, Kazbekov

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Heading into the season, it seemed likely that Joonas Korpisalo was entering his final season with the Blue Jackets.  His re-signing allowed Daniil Tarasov to spend one more year in the minors before moving up to the NHL full-time in 2023-24.  However, as Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch suggests, Korpisalo’s performance this season coupled with his contract could make him one of their top trade chips heading into the trade deadline.  While his numbers aren’t great on their own (3.53 GAA, .903 SV%), they’re considerably better than Elvis Merzlikins’ by comparison (4.68, .864).  That, coupled with a low-cost $1.3MM expiring deal, could give them a chance to get a better draft pick they were offered the last time that Korpisalo was on the block.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

  • Prior to their game this afternoon against Ottawa, the Red Wings announced (Twitter link) that they activated defenseman Olli Maatta off injured reserve. The 28-year-old is off to a nice start in his first year with Detroit, notching 10 points in 25 games heading into today’s action while logging nearly 20 minutes per game.  That’s a pretty good early return on the one-year, $2.25MM that Detroit gave him early in free agency.
  • A day after being papered down to the minors, the Avalanche announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled defenseman Brad Hunt from AHL Colorado. The 34-year-old inked a two-year deal with the Avs in the summer and has played in four games with the big club so far, collecting an assist while logging a little over 10 minutes per game.  He has been quite productive with the Eagles though, notching six goals and 14 helpers in 22 games at the minor league level.
  • There was some sad news in the OHL with the league jointly announcing with London that forward Abakar Kazbekov passed away today at the age of 18. Kazbekov was the first-overall pick from the 2021 OHL U18 Priority Selection and had played in 21 games in parts of two seasons with the team including in Friday’s game against Owen Sound.

Colorado Avalanche Recall Brad Hunt

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The Colorado Avalanche continue their daily roster changes, recalling Brad Hunt from the minor leagues. The veteran defenseman (who is no relation to Avalanche forward Dryden Hunt) will slot in on defense while Jacob MacDonald moves back to forward. After clearing waivers, Martin Kaut was sent down to make room.

Hunt, 34, has shown he’s still too good for the minor leagues this year, racking up six goals and 20 points in 22 games. This is his first time playing in the AHL since 2016-17, when he forced his way up to the NHL despite being an undersized, undrafted defenseman. There was no stopping Hunt in the minors; he has 229 career points in 309 AHL games, including 63 goals. Last season with the Vancouver Canucks, he added 17 points in 50 games, showing he could still be a capable offensive piece at the highest level.

This likely won’t be a long-term fix, though, as the Avalanche are close to getting two impact forwards back. Artturi Lehkonen and Valeri Nichushkin are both very close to getting back into the lineup, with the latter even being a game-time decision this evening. The defending champs are just 13-10-1 this season thanks to a huge number of injuries, and will try to start turning the corner as they get players back.

Alexandar Georgiev will get the start against his former team.

Waivers: 09/29/22

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Waivers will officially open today, meaning teams around the league can start cutting eligible players with the purpose of sending them to minor league clubs. While the full list will come out at 2 pm ET, some have already started announcing their initial placements. You can see all of the day’s cuts here, but we’ll also keep track of just the waiver portion in this post.

Arizona Coyotes

F Michael Carcone
F Jean-Sebastien Dea

Colorado Avalanche

F Charles Hudon
F Spencer Smallman
D Andreas Englund
D Brad Hunt
D Joshua Jacobs
G Jonas Johansson

Los Angeles Kings

F Austin Wagner

New York Islanders

F Richard Panik
G Kenneth Appleby

New York Rangers

F C.J. Smith
F Turner Elson

This page will be updated throughout the day

Brad Hunt Signs With Colorado Avalanche

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11:55am: The team has officially announced the signing of Hunt.

9:55am: The Colorado Avalanche could be adding some veteran presence on the blueline, as Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK TV tweets that Brad Hunt will sign a two-year contract with them.

Hunt, 33, has probably played more in the NHL over the last several years than you remember, including 50 games with the Vancouver Canucks this season. The undersized puck-mover has shown himself to be a strong seventh option that can come into the lineup and contribute when necessary, though he won’t be logging big minutes when he does.

In his 241-game career, which includes stops with the Edmonton Oilers, Vegas Golden Knights, Minnesota Wild, and Canucks, Hunt is averaging just over 15 minutes a night and has 76 points. In Colorado, he will be behind such a deep group that even when he does get into the lineup, he might not see the ice that much.

Still, for a club looking to repeat as Stanley Cup champions, inexpensive experience is key in free agency. Hunt can replace someone like the outgoing Ryan Murray, who played 37 games during the regular season and then was not dressed in the playoffs.

Canucks Notes: Hunt, Petan, Lammikko

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After playing in 50 games for the Vancouver Canucks this season, Brad Hunt is set to hit the open market and check out his options around the league according to Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK TV. The 33-year-old undrafted defenseman had 17 points and averaged more than 15 minutes a night, filling in on the powerplay at times.

While he may not be a household name, Hunt’s NHL experience–208 games over the last five seasons alone–should draw some interest as a depth option around the league. The presence of Jack Rathbone as the next young puck-mover for the Canucks and Travis Dermott’s midseason acquisition essentially makes Hunt disposable, as they have more than enough options on the left side.

Here’s more on the Canucks from Dhaliwal:

  • The Canucks will not be re-signing Nic Petan. The 27-year-old forward is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent later this month, after playing in 18 games this season for the Canucks. It’s been a long, unsuccessful grind for Petan at the NHL level, playing 154 total games over parts of seven seasons, and not more than 18 in a single year since 2016-17.
  • Contract talks are ongoing between Vancouver and Juho Lammikko, one of the team’s few remaining restricted free agents. Lammikko, 26, had seven goals and 15 points in 75 games for the Canucks this season, after the team acquired him from the Florida Panthers in the Olli Juolevi deal. Coming off a one-year, $750K contract, Lammikko is eligible for arbitration and is one year away from UFA status.

Injury Notes: Hughes, Dunn, Stars

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The Vancouver Canucks have yet to play with a healthy core this season, and unfortunately, that trend will continue tonight. While winger Brock Boeser will be back in the lineup as reported earlier today, now defenseman Quinn Hughes is injured and will miss tonight’s game, per The Athletic’s Thomas Drance. After signing a six-year, $47.1MM extension prior to the season starting, Hughes has performed well with two points in three games while logging 27:39 a night. Veteran defenseman Brad Hunt draws into the lineup in his place, according to the team’s line rushes.

More injury notes ahead of tonight’s games:

  • After missing the past two games with an injury, The Athletic’s Ryan S. Clark reports Seattle Kraken defender Vince Dunn will return to the lineup. Slotting back onto a pair with Jeremy Lauzon, Dunn has an assist in two games but has played just 15:08 per game, a far cry from the role he was expected to play with the team. He’ll have to work overtime now in order to work his way back into the team’s top-four.
  • The Dallas Stars are missing both John Klingberg and Jason Robertson for tonight’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, per the Dallas Morning News’ Matthew DeFranks. Both remain day-to-day as Robertson has yet to slot into the lineup this season, while Klingberg played just 10:21 of the Stars’ first game. It’ll be tough to knock off the Penguins, who have yet to lose in regulation, without two key players.

Canucks Expected To Sign Jaroslav Halak And Brad Hunt

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The Canucks appear to have found their replacement for Braden Holtby who will officially be bought out later today.  ESPN’s Kevin Weekes reports (Twitter link) that Jaroslav Halak is expected to sign a one-year, $1.5MM deal with Vancouver; the contract will also contain $1.5MM in performance bonuses.  Meanwhile, CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal adds (via Twitter) that they will be signing defenseman Brad Hunt.

Halak had spent the past three seasons with Boston but had decided earlier this month that he’d be moving on.  The 36-year-old suited up in 19 games with the Bruins last season, posting a 2.52 GAA with a .905 SV% but had been relegated to third-string status with Jeremy Swayman impressing down the stretch.  He will be tasked with serving as a veteran mentor for Thatcher Demko but his track record is strong enough to push for playing time should Demko falter as well.  The inclusion of bonuses in the deal will give Vancouver a bit more short-term flexibility as they could use the bonus cushion and ultimately defer some of the costs to next season.

As for Hunt, he has been a role player with the Wild for the past three seasons.  He had an impressive campaign offensively in 2019-20 with eight goals and 11 assists in 59 games but he was limited to just a dozen appearances with Minnesota last season.  The 32-year-old will likely have a similar role as he did with the Wild, serving as a reserve defender that can step in when injuries arise or when the power play needs a boost.

COVID Protocol Related Absences: 02/17/21

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Each day, the NHL will publicly release the list of players that are unavailable to their respective teams due to being in COVID-19 Protocol. Here are today’s results:

Colorado –  Samuel Girard, Hunter Miska
Los Angeles – Andreas Athanasiou
Minnesota –  Jonas Brodin, Victor Rask, Carson Soucy, Cam Talbot
New Jersey – Nico Hischier
NY Rangers – Filip Chytil
Ottawa – Ryan Dzingel
Philadelphia – Justin Braun, Morgan Frost, Claude Giroux, Travis Konecny, Scott Laughton, Oskar Lindblom, Jakub Voracek
Vegas – Tomas Nosek

As a reminder, inclusion on this list does not mean that a player has tested positive for Coronavirus or even that they have been confirmed as a close contact to another positive person. Included in the NHL’s list of possible reasons for someone being on the list is are the following:

(1) an initial positive test which remains unconfirmed until confirmatory testing is completed pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (2) mandated isolation for symptomatic individuals pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (3) required quarantine as a high-risk close contact in accordance with the Positive Test Protocol; (4) isolation based on a confirmed positive test result and/or; (5) quarantine for travel or other reasons as outlined in the COVID-19 Protocol

Players removed today:  Casey Mittelstadt, Buffalo Sabres; Tyson Jost, Colorado Avalanche; Gabriel Landeskog, Colorado Avalanche; Brad Hunt, Minnesota Wild; Dmitry Kulikov, New Jersey Devils; Travis Zajac, New Jersey Devils

Once again, there were no new additions to the list. The Sabres are now completely free after having a substantial outbreak and the Avalanche also have their captain out of the protocol. Things continue to trend in the right direction.

The Devils, who once had 19 players on the list at once, now have just Hischier held out and should be able to get their season back on track.

COVID Protocol Related Absences: 02/16/21

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Each day, the NHL will publicly release the list of players that are unavailable to their respective teams due to being in COVID-19 Protocol. While the league is still waiting for a report from the Kings here are today’s results for the other 30 teams:

Buffalo – Casey Mittelstadt
Colorado –  Samuel Girard, Tyson Jost, Gabriel Landeskog, Hunter Miska
Los Angeles – TBA
Minnesota –  Jonas Brodin, Brad Hunt, Victor Rask, Carson Soucy, Cam Talbot
New Jersey – Nico Hischier, Dmitry Kulikov, Travis Zajac
NY Rangers – Filip Chytil
Ottawa – Ryan Dzingel
Philadelphia – Justin Braun, Morgan Frost, Claude Giroux, Travis Konecny, Scott Laughton, Oskar Lindblom, Jakub Voracek
Vegas – Tomas Nosek

As a reminder, inclusion on this list does not mean that a player has tested positive for Coronavirus or even that they have been confirmed as a close contact to another positive person. Included in the NHL’s list of possible reasons for someone being on the list is are the following:

(1) an initial positive test which remains unconfirmed until confirmatory testing is completed pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (2) mandated isolation for symptomatic individuals pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (3) required quarantine as a high-risk close contact in accordance with the Positive Test Protocol; (4) isolation based on a confirmed positive test result and/or; (5) quarantine for travel or other reasons as outlined in the COVID-19 Protocol

Players removed today: Dylan Cozens, Buffalo Sabres; Curtis Lazar, Buffalo Sabres; Jake McCabe, Buffalo Sabres; Brandon Montour, Buffalo Sabres; Rasmus Ristolainen, Buffalo Sabres; Nikita Gusev, New Jersey Devils

The Sabres had several players come off again today, though Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News confirmed this morning that Montour and McCabe shouldn’t have been included on yesterday’s list either. Both of those two practiced yesterday as well. The Sabres are back in action tonight against the Islanders after suffering a 3-1 loss in their first game in more than two weeks last night.

With no new additions today, the list of names has been dramatically reduced from a week ago.

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