Minor Transactions: 12/18/24
With the holiday roster freeze coming up shortly, there has been an uptick in smaller moves around the NHL today, not to mention a trade of note. Here’s a rundown of those transactions plus an NHL-drafted prospect on the move at the junior level.
- The Kraken announced (Twitter link) that they have re-assigned winger Ryan Winterton to AHL Coachella Valley. The 21-year-old has found himself on the transactions log quite a few times already this season but has gotten into eight games with Seattle, picking up an assist while logging 10:22 per night of playing time. Winterton has been quite productive with the Firebirds though, tallying 15 points in 16 outings with them.
- The Hurricanes have returned winger Jackson Blake, goaltender Dustin Tokarski, and defenseman Riley Stillman to AHL Chicago, per the AHL’s transactions log. Carolina has made these moves all season long to bank a bit of cap space. Even with the roster freeze, emergency recalls are still permitted for a few more days so expect them to continue this for even after Thursday.
- Capitals prospect Cam Allen is on the move in the OHL. London announced that they’ve acquired the blueliner from Guelph in exchange for defenseman Noah Jenken and seven draft picks. Allen was once rated as a first-round pick but slid in his draft year (2023) to the fifth round, going 136th overall. Washington has already signed the 19-year-old who had 25 points in 27 games prior to the swap.
Capitals Sign Cam Allen To Entry-Level Contract
The Washington Capitals got some work done today regarding one of the draft selections from the 2023 NHL Draft. The organization announced they have signed defenseman Cam Allen to a three-year, entry-level contract with an average annual value of $866.7K at the NHL level.
The Capitals drafted Allen with the 136th overall pick of the 2023 NHL Draft out of the Guelph Storm program of the Ontario Hockey League. During his draft season, Allen scored five goals and 25 points for the Storm in 62 games which was good for third on the team in scoring amongst defensemen. There may be concerns about Allen’s discipline as he finished second on the team in penalty minutes with 72.
This past season, Allen only managed to suit up in 25 games for Guelph as he recovered from an injury towards the beginning of the season. The young defenseman scored two goals and nine points for the Storm down the stretch while collecting 23 penalty minutes and posting a -7 rating. Allen was largely ineffective in Guelph’s appearance in the OHL playoffs this year as he registered zero points in four games and the team was quickly swept in the first round by the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds.
Before the 2023 NHL Draft, Allen was ranked 12th among North American defensemen by NHL Central Scouting due to his play for Team Canada at the international level. During his draft year, Allen scored one goal and seven points over five games in the Hlinka Gretzky Cup and four assists in seven games during the under-18 World Junior Championship. Allen served as team captain on both renditions of Team Canada’s roster.