Minor Transactions: 10/4/25
With the preseason wrapping up today, some teams will be recalling players they’ve already cut to give them one more game or they will be returning players recently brought up for that purpose. We’ll keep track of those moves here along with any other minor transactions.
- The Sabres announced that defensemen Vsevelod Komarov and Zach Metsa have been returned to AHL Rochester. Komarov is entering his second professional season while Metsa was one of the top-scoring blueliners in the minors last season, notching 46 points with the Amerks.
- The Devils have brought up forwards Jack Malone and Matyas Melovsky from AHL Utica, per a team release. Malone had 13 points in 57 games with the Comets in his first professional campaign while Melovsky is entering the first year of his entry-level deal after putting up 83 points in 57 games with QMJHL Baie-Comeau last season.
- The Blackhawks announced that they’ve recalled more than half a lineup from Rockford for their preseason finale. Returning from AHL Rockford are goalie Mitchell Weeks, defenseman Cavan Fitzgerald, Taige Harding, and Kevin Korchinski, plus forwards Gavin Hayes, Paul Ludwinski, Martin Misiak, Samuel Savoie, Brett Seney, Aidan Thompson, and Dominic Toninato.
- Veteran defenseman Andrej Sustr was let go from his NHL PTO last weekend. However, he has found a new team to try out for as Stefan Rosner of The Hockey News relays (Twitter link) that the 34-year-old has inked a PTO deal with AHL Bridgeport. Sustr split last season between Czechia and Finland and hasn’t played in North America since 2022-23 when he split time between Minnesota and Anaheim’s farm teams.
- The Avalanche announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled forwards Chase Bradley, Maros Jedlicka, Taylor Makar, Jayson Megna, Tristen Nielsen, and T.J. Tynan, along with defensemen Sean Behrens and Alex Gagne from AHL Colorado. They were all cut earlier in training camp and should be sent back to the Eagles in short order following their game tonight.
- The Rangers announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled goalie Callum Tung and forward Casey Terrance from AHL Hartford. Tung will be entering his first full professional campaign after signing with New York out of college late last season while Terrance was acquired this past offseason as part of the Chris Kreider trade.
- As expected, a day after recalling forward Shane Bowers, defenseman Braden Hache, and goalie Jakub Skarek from AHL San Jose, the Sharks announced (Twitter link) that all three players have been returned to the Barracuda.
- A day after recalling him, the Oilers announced (Twitter link) that they’ve sent goaltender Matt Tomkins back to AHL Bakersfield. Tomkins is in his first season with Edmonton and cleared waivers earlier this week.
- The Lightning have brought a few players back for their preseason finale. The team has recalled forwards Dylan Duke, Boris Katchouk, Scott Sabourin, and Wojciech Stachowiak, plus defensemen Charle-Edouard D’Astous and Roman Schmidt from AHL Syracuse, per a team release.
Rangers Sign Callum Tung
4/1: The New York Rangers have officially signed Tung to a three-year, entry-level contract. Tung will turn pro after just one season in college. Tung will report to the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack for the remainder of the season, per Peter Baugh of The Athletic.
3/31: Earlier today, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that the Flames were interested in undrafted goaltender Callum Tung. It turns out they weren’t the only team seeking his services as Friedman reports (Twitter links) that the Rangers are closing in on signing the netminder with an official announcement expected on Tuesday.
The 21-year-old took over as the starting goalie at UConn down the stretch, playing in their first ever tournament games in school history in recent days where he beat Quinnipiac and lost to Penn State. On the season, he only suited up in 15 games, posting a 2.01 GAA and a .933 SV%. That earned him a spot on the Hockey East All-Rookie Team.
That’s Tung’s only NCAA experience as he spent last season with Alberni Valley of the BCHL where he put up a 2.80 GAA and a .917 SV% in 38 regular season games while recording a 2.11 GAA and a .940 SV% in 18 postseason contests. He seemed to be positioned to apprentice behind Florida prospect Tyler Muszelic for a year or two and then take over as the starter but Tung played his way into that role quicker than expected.
It’s rare for a goalie to make the jump after one college campaign, particularly one who played in fewer than half the games in that lone season. Knowing that, there’s a bit more risk-reward at play for New York. If this was just a late-season hot streak, New York will be committing three years largely based on that short stretch of games. On the other hand, if Tung is a later bloomer, they could have an intriguing prospect on their hands.
While Igor Shesterkin is entrenched as the starter for the long haul after signing an eight-year extension earlier this season, New York’s future second-string option is more up for grabs. Dylan Garand is the current favorite for that spot should the Rangers eventually promote from within once Jonathan Quick calls it a career. They also have Hugo Ollas and Talyn Boyko under contract but they’re more long shots to contend for an NHL spot. That should give Tung a chance to work his way up their depth chart over the next few seasons although that was the plan at the college level and he wound up beating that timeline well in advance.
Flames Interested In Callum Tung
The Flames are among the teams interested in signing college free agent netminder Callum Tung out of UConn, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet said on Monday’s 32 Thoughts podcast.
Tung, 21, backstopped UConn to its first national tournament appearance in program history this season. While they won their regional semifinal matchup against Quinnipiac, they lost in overtime to Penn State last night in the regional final, ending their campaign.
The freshman didn’t have a huge workload this season, only making 15 appearances. He stole the crease from Panthers draft pick Tyler Muszelik late in the season, finishing the year with a sterling 2.01 GAA and .933 SV% with a 10-4-1 record.
Tung, a British Columbia native, appeared at Calgary’s development camp last year. The 6’3″, 198-lb netminder is a late bloomer, only graduating to a full-time player at the junior ‘A’ level last season with the Alberni Valley Bulldogs of the British Columbia Hockey League. Nonetheless, his quick ascension over the past couple of seasons has him looking to turn pro just two years after logging significant time in the junior ‘B’ Pacific Junior Hockey League.
As Friedman notes, the Flames face an uphill battle in landing him. They’ve already made one splash on the goalie market in college free agency this year, signing 23-year-old Owen Say out of Notre Dame. That gives them five goalies signed or under team control for next season, not including the goalie who ended Tung’s season last night. Penn State’s Arsenii Sergeev is a Flames prospect, going to them in the seventh round of the 2021 draft. Ironically, he transferred from UConn last summer and could also sign his ELC with the Flames after leading the Nittany Lions to their first Frozen Four appearance.
Snapshots: Firkus, McCoshen, Tung
Seattle Kraken forward prospect Jagger Firkus has won the CHL’s David Branch Player of the Year Award, after posting a Canada-leading 126 points in 63 games with the WHL’s Moose Jaw Warriors. He was the star of a Moose Jaw team rife with NHL talent, including Pittsburgh Penguins prospect Brayden Yager, who took home the league’s ‘Sportsman Player of the Year’ Award. Firkus and Yager were joined by Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Denton Mateychuk in Moose Jaw, forming a dominant team that won the WHL Championship and recently ranked third in the Memorial Cup.
Firkus signed his entry-level contract with Seattle ahead of the Memorial Cup and will now turn his sights towards pushing for the NHL lineup this off-season. The Kraken boast a strong prospect pool, including Shane Wright, Carson Rehkopf, and Jani Nyman – all players who could vie for an NHL opportunity of their own next season. That’ll mean plenty of competition for Firkus as he looks to adjust his aggressive offense to much tougher competition.
Other notes around the league:
- Former Florida Panthers defenseman Ian McCoshen has signed a one-year contract with the KHL’s Kunlun Red Star (Twitter link). The move continues McCoshen’s tour across international hockey, after bouncing from a 2022 stint in Finland to a 2023 stint in Czechia, where he scored 12 points in 50 games with Liberec Bili Tygri HC. McCoshen is a veteran of just 60 NHL games, scoring seven points, though he did play in 174 games across five seasons in the AHL. He managed a season-high of just 11 points over his AHL career, a number he’s since topped in both Finland and Czechia. He’ll look to do the same in China next season, though the one-year deal could suggest another move coming soon.
- BCHL goaltender Callum Tung will be attending both the Calgary Flames and Florida Panthers development camps, shares his Alberni Valley Bulldogs (Twitter link). Tung took over the Bulldogs’ starting role this season, posting 22 wins and a .917 save percentage across 38 regular season games. He managed to get even hotter in the postseason, winning 11 of 18 games and setting a .940 save percentage, though Alberni Valley ultimately fell to the Penticton Vees in the BCHL Championship. Tung remains eligible for the 2024 NHL Draft, after going overlooked in 2022 and 2023. Tung isn’t currently committed to the NCAA either, suggesting he could be ready for a big challenge should he earn it at an NHL development camp.