Afternoon Notes: Hyland, Giroux, Grzelcyk
The Hershey Bears have signed Washington Capitals draft pick Brett Hyland to an AHL contract for the upcoming season (Twitter link). The 21-year-old was drafted in the seventh round of the 2023 NHL entry draft (200th overall) and joined the Bears on an amateur tryout this past April.
The Edmonton Alberta native spent parts of five seasons in the WHL with the Brandon Wheat Kings after being taken 24th overall in the 2018 WHL draft. He tallied decent offensive numbers in his final few seasons with the Wheat Kings and found his goal-scoring in his final year, netting 32 goals in 66 games.
Hyland will be joining a Bears team that has won back-to-back Calder Cup championships.
In other afternoon notes:
- Newly acquired Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk believes he will be in the mix to play in the Penguins top four defensive group next season (as per Seth Rorabaugh of Pittsburgh Tribune-Review). Grzelcyk told the media that injuries severely limited his play last season as evidenced by his dramatic drop in offensive production and being a healthy scratch for the final stretch of Boston Bruins playoff games. The 30-year-old had just two goals and nine assists in 63 games last season after posting four consecutive seasons with 20 or more points. The Penguins signed the Charlestown, Massachusetts native to a one-year $2.75MM contract on July 1st and given the struggles of Ryan Graves, it is very possible that Grzelcyk could be playing on one of the Penguins’ top two defensive pairings with either Kris Letang or Erik Karlsson.
- Ottawa Senators forward Claude Giroux joined the Coming In Hot Podcast and talked about his future with the Senators beyond the upcoming season. Giroux noted that he hasn’t spoken with the team or his family about a contract extension in Ottawa and hasn’t thought about it at this time. Giroux has one year left on the three-year deal he signed in 2022 and added that his focus is on having a strong season next year and helping Ottawa reach the playoffs for the first time since 2017. Giroux isn’t saying much but given the Senators’ lack of success, it makes sense for him to wait and see how the next year plays out before deciding to commit to the team long-term. Giroux is 36 years old and has yet to win a Stanley Cup, and while Ottawa is his home city, the chase for a championship could be something he considers with his next contract.
Capitals, Sharks Extend Bona Fide Offers To Five Prospects
The Washington Capitals and San Jose Sharks have taken the steps needed to retain their negotiating rights over five players, with the Capitals extending a bona fide offer to forwards Patrick Thomas and Brett Hyland, as well as defenseman Cameron Allen (Twitter link), while the Sharks have extended offers to forwards Brandon Svoboda and David Klee. A bona fide offer is the offer of a standard player contract that meets the requirements of an entry-level contract, including meeting the minimum salary and length requirements of an ELC. Offers stay open for 30 days after they’re extended, meaning the quintet of players will have throughout June to accept their offers. Accepting a bona fide offer waves a player’s rights to salary arbitration after the contract ends.
Washington’s list of now extended prospect rights is headlined by 2023 fifth-round pick Cam Allen, who’s seen his point totals decrease in each season since he joined the OHL in 2021-22. Allen posted 37 points in 65 games as a rookie, but followed it up with 25 points in 62 games last year and just nine in 25 games this year. He’s fallen a long way after being previously acclaimed as one of the top Canadian defenders in his age group. That merit was flaunted when Allen captained Team Canada at the 2023 World U18 Championship, recording four points in seven games as Canada raced to a Bronze Medal. Allen also served as an assistant captain for the Guelph Storm this season; a role he’ll likely maintain when he returns to Guelph for his final year of OHL eligibility next season.
Allen is flanked by forwards Patrick Thomas and Brett Hyland – Washington’s selections in the fourth and seventh rounds of the 2023 draft respectively. Thomas has one more year of OHL eligibility ahead of him, after posting a career-high 21 goals and 66 points in just 57 games with the Brantford Bulldogs this season. He’s a well-rounded, ‘jack of all trades’ forward whose physicality in the defensive end and heads-up positioning on offense have helped him contribute in all three zones. That two-way reliability has been a nice match for the much more aggressive Florian Xhekaj, though Thomas could certainly improve his own play-driving. At just 19, he’ll have plenty of time to continue adding those traits, should he return to the OHL next year. That question doesn’t extend to Hyland, who completed his fourth complete WHL season with the Brandon Wheat Kings this year, posting a career-high 32 goals and 59 points in 66 games. He’s seen his scoring grow in each year of his juniors career, ultimately totaling 145 points across 195 games in the WHL. Hyland should turn pro following his bona fide offer from Washington, though whether that means placement in the AHL or ECHL will likely be decided during training camp.
Meanwhile, the Sharks have extended offers to a pair of USHL forwards – including Brandon Svoboda, who’s won the league’s Clark Cup Championship in each of the last two seasons. He provided strong lineup flexibility to the 2023-winning Youngstown Phantoms, capable of playing either center or winger and being moved around the lineup plenty as a result. Svoboda posted 16 goals and 26 points in 59 games with Youngstown last season, adding one goal in nine playoff games. He began this season in Youngstown as well, recording 11 points in 25 games before being traded to the Fargo Force. Svoboda’s aware playmaking and nifty passing seemed much better placed in Fargo, where he tallied a combined 13 points across 24 games in the regular season and playoffs. He’s currently slated to move to Boston University next season. The lean, slick frame of Svoboda is juxtaposed by the burly Klee, who posted 15 goals and 40 points in 62 USHL games of his own this season. It was a major improvement from his 13 points in 57 games last season and helped Klee claw his way into a top-six role with the Muskegon Lumberjacks. Klee is currently committed to the University of North Dakota for next season. His strong, gritty style should continue to put him in a position to succeed in college, though he’ll need to find another layer if he wants to push towards a spot on what will soon be a very young Sharks lineup.
With this announcement, San Jose has also shared that goaltender prospect Mason Beaupit is set to re-enter the draft. Beaupit will join Minnesota Wild draftee Servác Petrovský as players with expiring rights who have re-declared for the draft. Beaupit moved to the BCHL this season, after four seasons in the WHL, posting nine wins and a .904 save percentage in 28 games with the Langley Rivermen. He’ll hope to find a better match in the 2024 Draft, and is likely to decide where he’ll spend next season after then.