Golden Knights Activate Adin Hill, Place Two On IR
The Golden Knights activated goaltender Adin Hill from long-term injured reserve on Thursday, per Jason R. Pothier and Ken Boehlke of Sin Bin Vegas. Netminder Carter Hart and winger Brandon Saad were placed on IR in corresponding moves, leaving the Knights with an open roster spot. They announced they’ve used that spot to recall forward Tanner Laczynski from AHL Henderson. With William Karlsson still on LTIR alongside Alex Pietrangelo on season-ending LTIR, Vegas remains cap-compliant.
Hill is expected to start tonight against the Maple Leafs, his first appearance in nearly three months. The 29-year-old has made just five starts this season and none since Oct. 20, when he sustained a lower-body injury in the first period against the Hurricanes.
It was an inauspicious start to the first season of Hill’s six-year, $37.5MM extension that he signed last March. Before exiting the lineup, he started the season on a cold run with a 1-0-2 record, .888 SV%, and 2.73 GAA. He allowed one goal above expected in 220 total minutes of action, per MoneyPuck.
Hart was signed in part due to concern over how much time Hill would miss. That experiment has been an early failure. Hart’s .871 SV% in 12 starts is the worst figure among the four netminders to suit up for Vegas this season. Among goaltenders with at least 10 appearances, only Leevi Merilainen and Petr Mrazek have allowed more goals above expected on a per-60-minute basis than Hart at 0.837.
Now, Vegas gets its true No. 1 back in the lineup. Akira Schmid has operated as the club’s de facto starter with a team-high 24 appearances and has provided great value for his $875K cap hit, logging a .896 SV% and 2.47 GAA with two shutouts and a 14-4-5 record. His 2.0 GSAx is first in Vegas and 34th in the league overall.
His rocky start aside, though, Hill is clearly the better long-term option. He’s never finished a season below .900 aside from a four-game run with the Coyotes in 2017-18 to open his NHL career. For a streaking Vegas team that’s struggled to get consistently above-average goaltending this season, his return could be an X-factor in them widening their lead in the Pacific Division.
Hart has already missed three games with a lower-body injury he sustained one week ago against the Blue Jackets. Since seven days have passed since his injury, he’s eligible to come off IR at any time. However, since he was administered a week-to-week designation last weekend, that won’t be coming anytime soon.
Saad is in the same boat in terms of his activation eligibility, sustaining an undisclosed injury in the Columbus game. He remains day-to-day and will presumably be an option sooner than Hart will. It’s been a trying season for the 33-year-old, who’s shooting at just 3.1% and has been limited to a 2-5–7 scoring line in 39 games with a -1 rating.
Laczynski’s recall comes as Vegas opens the roster flexibility to give itself injury insurance at forward. In addition to the injured Saad taking up a spot on the active roster for the last few games, Brett Howden has missed two contests with a lower-body injury and isn’t expected to be available against Toronto tonight, either.
It would be Laczynski’s season debut if he enters the lineup against the Leafs. The 28-year-old depth option was recalled once from Henderson in November but didn’t play. Now in his second year in the Knights organization, he suited up eight times last season and scored once while averaging 8:36 of ice time per game.
The 6’1″, 205-lb pivot has been the Knights’ most consistent minor-league producer since signing a two-year, league-minimum deal in 2024. After racking up 37 points in 41 appearances for Henderson last year to lead the team in scoring despite only playing in 57% of their games, he’s upped his production to 13 goals and 35 points in 32 games this season, along with a team-high +22 rating. He’s the biggest reason why the Silver Knights are tracking for their first season above .500 since 2021-22.
Image courtesy of Nick Wosika-Imagn Images.
Golden Knights Recall Carl Lindbom; Carter Hart Injured
According to a team announcement, the Vegas Golden Knights have recalled netminder Carl Lindbom from the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights. The transaction is undeniably in connection to Carter Hart‘s injury (video link) from yesterday’s contest against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
The Golden Knights don’t immediately need to place Hart on injured reserve given they had an open roster spot. Still, they may be headed in that direction regardless.
During the play in question, after being scored on by Columbus captain Boone Jenner early in the first period, Hart exited for the remainder of the contest. He was unable to make it down the tunnel on his own power, instead being helped by teammates and staff. There have been no additional updates to Hart’s status, though they may come tomorrow morning after practice.
Before the injury, Hart had a relatively shaky start with his new team. Throughout his first six starts with the Golden Knights, Hart managed a 3-1-2 record with a .903 SV%. Unfortunately, he’s fallen off the rails since then, earning an .825 SV% over his last six starts on 114 shots.
Meanwhile, Lindbom returns to Vegas for his second stint of the year. Over his first recall in late-October, Lindbom picked up one win in seven starts with a .870 SV% and 3.14 GAA. He’s understandably been much better with AHL Henderson this year, managing a 6-3-4 record in 12 games with a .926 SV% and 2.08 GAA.
Golden Knights Reassign Jesper Vikman
Dec. 7: Vikman has been returned to Henderson, per a team announcement. He dressed as the backup to Akira Schmid, who posted a 24-save shutout against the Devils on Friday, because Hart was listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury. As such, Hart is expected to be available tonight against the Rangers.
Dec. 5: The Vegas Golden Knights announced this morning that they have recalled netminder Jesper Vikman from their AHL affiliate, the Henderson Silver Knights.
Since Vegas already has two goalies on its active roster, Carter Hart and Akira Schmid, the move appears to, at this moment, bring a third netminder into the fold for head coach Bruce Cassidy to choose from. It’s possible this recall is a response to the expected unavailability of one of those two netminders, but nothing of the sort has been reported at this time.
This transaction appears to be Vikman’s first regular-season NHL recall. The 23-year-old has yet to make his NHL debut, and while it’s more likely he’s been recalled at this time to serve in a reserve capacity, today’s move does at least give him the chance to skate in an NHL game for the first time.
A 2020 fifth-round pick out of Sweden’s AIK, Vikman earned an entry-level contract off the back of two strong seasons as a No. 1 goalie for the WHL’s Vancouver Giants. Vikman was an All-Star in the WHL, posting a .903 save percentage across 80 games, leading Vancouver to the postseason in both years he played there.
Vikman made the transition to pro hockey in 2023-24, and in each of the last two years, he’s split time between Henderson and the Golden Knights’ ECHL affiliates. Vikman has a career .885 save percentage across 31 AHL games, and a career .897 mark in 57 ECHL games.
So far this season, Vikman has gone 4-4-0 with Henderson, posting an .871 save percentage. Vikman is currently in one of the most important campaigns of his hockey career as a 23-year-old pending RFA. He is playing out the final year of his entry-level deal, and Vikman could be playing to secure his place in the Golden Knights’ organization beyond this season. Vegas already has prospect Cameron Whitehead signed beyond this season, and Carl Lindbom, who will also be an RFA, is the club’s strongest pro-level goalie prospect. Lindbom is widely considered to be a step above Vikman in terms of future projection.
While this recall won’t, in the grand scheme of things, impact Vikman’s chances of earning an extension as much as his performances in the AHL will, this recall still serves as an important opportunity for the player. Even if he doesn’t get the chance to make his NHL debut, he’ll still get to showcase his talents in front of Vegas’ staff in practice for the duration of his time on the NHL roster.
Pacific Notes: Sharks, Hart, Karlsson
The Sharks have not yet decided if they will loan forward Michael Misa or defenseman Sam Dickinson to play for Canada at the upcoming World Juniors, reports Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News. Misa is set to debut with the AHL’s Barracuda tonight while on a conditioning assignment, one that can last up to two weeks. The second overall pick back in June has been used quite sparingly this season, getting into just seven NHL games where he has a goal and two assists. Accordingly, he hasn’t officially activated the first year of his entry-level deal. If Misa plays out his AHL stint and then joins Canada’s roster, that would allow San Jose to wait until January before making a final call on keeping him in the NHL or sending him back to junior.
As for Dickinson, the 19-year-old has played much more frequently, getting into 21 games with the Sharks so far. However, he has been limited to just one goal and one assist after putting up 91 points in just 55 games with OHL London last season. Dickinson is averaging a respectable 14:27 per game of ice time but would have a much more prominent role at the World Juniors. With San Jose carrying eight healthy blueliners, they wouldn’t necessarily need to bring anyone up from the Barracuda to take his place on the roster if they were to loan Dickinson out.
More from the Pacific:
- Golden Knights goaltender Carter Hart is day-to-day with a lower-body injury, relays Danny Webster of the Las Vegas Review-Journal (Twitter link). He sustained the injury in his season debut on Tuesday against Chicago, one that saw him make 27 saves in a shootout victory over Chicago. Vegas recalled Jesper Vikman from AHL Henderson earlier today and they are using an emergency roster exception that lasts up to 48 hours to allow them to temporarily exceed the 23-player roster limit.
- Still with the Golden Knights, they’ve placed center William Karlsson on LTIR, PuckPedia reports (Twitter link). The move was needed to afford Vikman’s recall. Karlsson last played on November 8th, meaning that he has already missed the required 10 games and 24 days, assuming the placement was back-dated. The 32-year-old has four goals and three assists in 14 games this season and remains listed as out week-to-week.
Golden Knights Recall Carter Hart, Assign Carl Lindbom To AHL
Carter Hart’s two-week conditioning stint has come to an end, and the Golden Knights have recalled him, per the AHL’s transactions log. In a corresponding move, Vegas has reassigned netminder Carl Lindbom to AHL Henderson.
Hart’s suspension expires on December 1st, which stemmed from the Hockey Canada sexual assault trial during the summer months when he and the four other players charged were found not guilty. The suspension came from a joint agreement between the league and the NHLPA, with the players waiving their right to an appeal.
Hart is the only player of the five to have signed in the NHL for this season, as he inked a two-year, $4MM contract back in late October. The 27-year-old got into three games with the Silver Knights and allowed nine goals on 56 shots for a .839 SV% in his first game action since January 2024. For the time being, he’ll likely split starts with Akira Schmid, who has done pretty well since taking over the starter role in Adin Hill’s absence.
As for Lindbom, he had been up with Vegas since Hill was injured in late October. The 22-year-old saw his first NHL action while on recall, posting a 3.14 GAA and a .870 SV% in seven starts while he picked up his first win on Saturday against San Jose. Lindbom has only played twice for Henderson this season, but put up a 2.65 GAA and a .912 SV% in 36 games with them last season.
West Notes: Canucks Strategy, Hart, Hinostroza
Earlier today, we covered reports coming out of Vancouver that the Canucks had made it known across the league that key veteran players, namely, their pending unrestricted free agents, were available to other teams in trade talks. The Athletic’s Thomas Drance provided some more detail on the situation in Vancouver, reporting that the club’s “hockey operations leadership spent much of the day in high-level meetings” and emerged with “a growing belief that the time has come to proactively chart a clear direction for the franchise.” While Drance clarified that the team is unlikely “to publicly brand their overall approach” as a “rebuild,” the Canucks have decided to realign their priorities “into a younger overall direction.”
Perhaps the most alarming element of Drance’s reporting, at least for the Canucks’ short-term future, was his revelation that Canucks management “has seen enough to be skeptical of this group’s urgency and will to win on a consistent basis.” That impacts the Canucks’ immediate planning, as the team had long been rumored to be highly interested in acquiring an NHL-ready second-line center. That has now changed, with Drance writing that “the notion of paying futures for a second-line center upgrade will be off the table for the time being.” The Canucks are in a difficult spot, to be sure, and the looming unrestricted free agency of franchise face Quinn Hughes doesn’t help matters. But at the very least it appears the team is engaging in an honest interrogation of its own competitive chances, one that appears to have led to them selecting a more sustainable path to contention.
Other notes from the Western Conference:
- The Vegas Golden Knights are “expected to recall” netminder Carter Hart to their NHL roster as early as next week, according to TSN’s Chris Johnston. Hart, the former starting netminder for the Philadelphia Flyers, hasn’t played in an NHL game since the 2023-24 season. He was acquitted of charges in this past summer’s high-profile trial, and signed with Vegas in October. They sent him to their AHL affiliate, the Henderson Silver Knights, in November, and he has played in two games, posting a 1-1-0 record and a .875 save percentage. He’s expected to make one more start on his conditioning stint before joining the Golden Knights’ NHL roster. The Golden Knights remain without Adin Hill due to an injury, and have relied upon Akira Schmid and Carl Lindbom in Hill’s absence.
- Minnesota Wild head coach John Hynes provided the media, including The Athletic’s Michael Russo, with clarification on the recovery timeline of injured forward Vinnie Hinostroza. Hynes said that Hinostroza is likely to miss four-to-six weeks with his injury, a lower-body ailment he suffered on Nov. 21. Hinostroza, 31, was acquired by the Wild off of waivers from the Nashville Predators last season and has scored 13 points across 46 games with the team.
Golden Knights Assign Carter Hart On Conditioning Loan
According to a team announcement, the Vegas Golden Knights have assigned netminder Carter Hart to the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights on a conditioning loan. In a corresponding roster move, Jason Pothier and Ken Boehlke of SinBin report that Adin Hill has been placed on the injured reserve, likely retroactive to October 20.
It’ll be Hart’s first appearance in a professional setting since the 2023-24 season. Hart, as well as four others, were involved in the Hockey Canada sexual assault trial during the summer months and found not guilty.
Per the additional punishment agreed to by the NHL and the NHLPA, the five players from the assault trial were barred from signing a contract until October 15, and could not return to NHL ice until December 1. Accordingly, it’s reasonable to assume that Hart’s conditioning stint will last until then.
Although he didn’t maintain the same production as in his first two NHL seasons, Hart remained consistent during his last three years with the Philadelphia Flyers.. From the beginning of the 2021-22 NHL season until he was suspended during the 2023-24 campaign, Hart managed a 47-56-20 record in Philadelphia with a .906 SV% and 2.99 GAA.
It’s anyone’s guess as to how Hart will perform upon his return. It’s one thing to return to the game’s highest levels after two years removed, and it’s another to return after going through the stress and embarrassment of a high-profile lawsuit. At any rate, the Golden Knights believe he has more left in the tank, signing Hart to a two-year, $4MM deal on October 25.
Meanwhile, Hill is designated for the IR after nearly a month away from the ice. Still, despite missing a month due to a lower-body ailment, Hill is expected to return within the next few weeks if his recovery timeline goes according to plan. He has a 1-0-2 record through five games to start the season with a .888 SV% and 2.73 GAA.
Golden Knights Sign Carter Hart To Two-Year Deal
Oct. 25: The Golden Knights have registered the contract, PuckPedia reports. The deal carries a $1.45MM signing bonus this season with a league-minimum salary of $775K. In 2026-27, Hart will make $1.775MM in salary with no signing bonus.
Oct. 24: Vegas will be converting Hart’s tryout into a two-year contract as expected. It’ll be worth $4MM with an average annual value of $2MM, Darren Dreger of TSN reports.
Oct. 16, 12:31 p.m.: The Golden Knights announced that Hart will be joining the organization, although there isn’t a guaranteed contract yet – he’ll begin his work on a tryout with AHL Henderson, Chris Johnston of The Athletic and TSN reports. Vegas’ full statement is as follows:
Following the reinstatement decision agreed on by the National Hockey League and the National Hockey League Players’ Association, goaltender Carter Hart will be joining the Vegas Golden Knights organization. The Golden Knights are aligned with the process and assessment the NHL and NHLPA made in their decision. We remain committed to the core values that have defined our organization from its inception and expect that our players will continue to meet these standards moving forward.
Oct. 16, 8:30 a.m.: The Vegas Golden Knights are nearing a deal with free agent netminder Carter Hart, insider Frank Seravalli reported on his Victory+ show yesterday. Seravalli said, “I’d expect Hart’s deal to be two years,” a bit north of the league-minimum salary.
Elite Prospects’ Cam Robinson seconded Seravalli’s report and provided a little more detail, stating that Hart’s deal is expected to be a two-year, $1.8MM AAV pact. Hart, who Wasserman’s Judd Moldaver reps, became eligible to sign an NHL contract yesterday but is not eligible to play until December 1st.
That Hart isn’t eligible to play until December is notable given a recent injury to starter Adin Hill during the team’s road win against the Calgary Flames two days ago. There has been no further update on Hill’s status, but since Hart remains ineligible to play for the next month and a half, the Golden Knights will have to look elsewhere to reinforce their position in the crease should Hill miss any time.
While no deal with Hart has been officially announced to this point, Vegas’ interest in Hart has been widely reported, even going back to September, when The Athletic’s Chris Johnston called the team a front-runner to secure the netminder’s services.
It was reported earlier that month that Hart would receive interest from multiple NHL teams, which is notable as the other four Hockey Canada players acquitted of charges this summer in connection to an alleged sexual assault have been met with more muted NHL interest.
Center Michael McLeod was at one point expected to sign a deal with the Carolina Hurricanes, but ultimately agreed on a three-year extension with Avangard Omsk of the KHL, the side he played for in 2024-25.
A month ago, Ottawa Senators GM Steve Staios commented that both his organization and forward Alex Formenton agreed that “a fresh start” would be the best option for both sides. Still, thus far, Formenton hasn’t been able to secure another NHL team to play for. He is currently playing out a four-month contract (that contains an option to extend for the rest of the 2025-26 season) with Swiss National League side HC Ambri-Piotta.
The final two players involved in this past summer’s trial, defenseman Cal Foote and forward Dillon Dube, remain free agents. Foote spent 2024-25 with HK 32 Liptovsky Mikulas of the Slovak Extraliga, while Dube played for Dinamo Minsk in the KHL. There has not yet been much reporting indicating serious NHL interest in either player. The only notable report that was issued regarding either player came from The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta, who noted that the Toronto Maple Leafs would not be interested in signing Dube.
As a result, it appears Hart is, by far, the most likely candidate of this group of players to receive an NHL contract in the short-term future. Hart is also, among the group, arguably its most accomplished NHL player.
The 27-year-old was once one of the more promising goalies in the sport, playing to solid results (.906 career save percentage across 227 games) for the Philadelphia Flyers. While the Flyers mostly struggled during Hart’s tenure, especially later on, he did backstop them on one playoff run, posting a .926 save percentage in 14 games during the 2019-20 season. That Flyers team fell in seven games to the New York Islanders in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
In Vegas, Hart would potentially have the opportunity to get a real chance to play games for one of the NHL’s leading Stanley Cup contenders. The Golden Knights, who currently sit first in the Pacific Division with a 2-0-2 record, are loaded with high-end veteran talent, including center Jack Eichel, defenseman Shea Theodore, and wingers Mitch Marner and Mark Stone.
Hill, the team’s starter, backstopped the team to its first-ever Stanley Cup championship in 2023, but the 29-year-old doesn’t have an extensive resume as a number-one goalie. While he started to achieve real success on a Stanley Cup-winning team, he has also made 50 starts in a season just once in his career.
Whether Hart has a path to being Vegas’ long-term number-one goalie is unclear at this stage.
Hill was signed to a six-year, $6.25MM AAV contract extension in March, signaling the Golden Knights’ commitment to him as their top netminder moving forward. But the Golden Knights have shown a willingness to make aggressive moves to maximize their competitive chances in the past, especially in net, such as when they acquired and extended netminder Robin Lehner despite the presence of Vezina winner Marc-Andre Fleury on their roster.
As a result, assuming Hart does sign in Vegas, and assuming he can play well upon his return to the NHL, a potential long-term future in Vegas cannot be counted out, even though Hill has signed that hefty extension. If the Golden Knights feel, down the line, that Hart gives them the best chance to win long-term, everything they have done and accomplished as an organization thus far suggests they won’t hesitate to re-sign Hart, even with Hill signed. Worth noting here is that under the reported terms of Hart’s expected contract (two years, $1.8MM AAV), Hart would become eligible to sign a contract extension on July 1st.
Bringing that up may be getting a little bit ahead of things, though, as the reality is Hart has not played competitive hockey since he left the Flyers in January of 2024. While he was once seen as a promising young netminder, it’s difficult to project how a player will perform, especially a goalie, after missing so much time. The Golden Knights, though, based on all of the available reporting, clearly believe in Hart’s NHL future, and appear poised to sign a two-year contract with the player that reflects that belief.
Photo courtesy of Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
Hurricanes No Longer Pursuing Michael McLeod, Carter Hart
Oct. 3: While the two sides were close to a deal, talks between the Hurricanes and McLeod are no longer ongoing and won’t result in him joining Carolina. The breakdown wasn’t compensation-related, Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic reports. It’s worth noting the club faced significant pushback from season ticket holders following Pagnotta’s report. In kind, they’re no longer a potential landing spot for goaltender Carter Hart, who was charged in the same case and was previously linked to Carolina.
Sep. 18: The Hurricanes are expected to register a contract for center Michael McLeod after he becomes eligible to sign with an NHL club on Oct. 15, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports Thursday. Until then, McLeod remains suspended by the league in relation to allegations of sexual assault made against him and four other NHL players that resulted in not-guilty verdicts at a trial in London, Ontario, in July. While he is eligible to sign then, he cannot return to play until Dec. 1.
“The events that transpired after the 2018 Hockey Canada Foundation Gala in London, Ontario, prior to these players’ arrival in the NHL, were deeply troubling and unacceptable,” the NHL said in its statement announcing the suspensions last week. “The League expects everyone connected with the game to conduct themselves with the highest level of moral integrity. And, in this case, while found not to have been criminal, the conduct of the players involved certainly did not meet that standard.”
McLeod, 27, was a first-round pick of the Devils and remained with the franchise up until he was formally charged with sexual assault in January 2024. He hasn’t played an NHL game since then and became an unrestricted free agent when New Jersey opted not to qualify him last year. He spent the 2024-25 season in the Kontinental Hockey League with Kazakhstan’s Barys Astana and Russia’s Avangard Omsk before returning to Canada this summer to stand trial.
He was a bottom-six faceoff specialist during his time with the Devils, going 58.3% on draws for his career to pair with 85 points in 287 appearances across six seasons. He managed a 6-13–19 scoring line in 35 games for Barys and Avangard last year.
The Hurricanes will now add him to a bottom-six mix that’s already filled out nicely. The path for McLeod to play an everyday center role will be muddy if the team rolls with Logan Stankoven as its second-line center – something head coach Rod Brind’Amour trialed in the first day of camp today after deploying him on the wing after acquiring the young forward from the Stars in last year’s Mikko Rantanen trade. That would leave Jordan Staal and Jesperi Kotkaniemi anchoring the third and fourth lines, meaning McLeod may have to shift to the wing to get back into an NHL lineup. He’ll be competing with names like William Carrier, Mark Jankowski, Tyson Jost, and Eric Robinson for minutes and a roster spot.
Transaction Notes: Hart, Pilut, Felcman
The Athletic’s Chris Johnston provided an update today on the status of free agent goaltender Carter Hart, who is one of the five Hockey Canada players set to become eligible to sign NHL contracts on October 15th after being acquitted of sexual assault in Ontario Superior Court in July.
According to Johnston, Hart “has started to zero in on the most attractive options for where he might attempt to reboot his career.” Johnston specifically named the Vegas Golden Knights and Carolina Hurricanes as two front-runners, alongside “one or two” other teams who are “still in the mix” to sign the player.
Johnston reported that Hart’s “main priorities remain finding a landing spot that comes with a clear path to playing time on a team that’s set up for success,” and both Carolina and Vegas certainly fit the bill. The Golden Knights look set to enter the season with Adin Hill and Akira Schmid as their NHL tandem, and Schmid played in just five NHL games last season. Carolina looks to be in a stronger position in terms of their current goalies, with Frederik Andersen and Pyotr Kochetkov already under contract. But Andersen, 35, has dealt with persistent injury troubles over the last three seasons, and Kochetkov had an uneven season in 2024-25, posting an .898 save percentage. Those two factors could help explain why the Hurricanes are considering adding another goaltender into the mix. Regardless, it appears Hart is getting closer to finalizing the franchise with which he’ll attempt to return to NHL action.
Some other transaction-oriented notes from across the hockey world:
- Former Buffalo Sabres defenseman Lawrence Pilut signed a one-year contract with the Swiss National League’s SC Rapperswil-Jona Lakers, according to a team release. The 29-year-old will return to action after missing the entirety of 2024-25 recovering from a torn Achilles. Pilut is a two-time AHL All-Star who last played in North America in 2022-23, when he scored 28 points in 47 games for the AHL’s Rochester Americans and managed to dress for 17 NHL contests. The former SHL Defenseman of the Year and SHL Champion joins a Rapperswil-Jona squad that currently sits fifth in league play with a 4-2 record. Their roster currently boasts multiple former NHL and AHL players, including 2011 first-rounder Nicklas Jensen, 2014 first-rounder Julius Honka, 2015 first-rounder Jacob Larsson, and former 48-point scorer Victor Rask.
- Chicago Blackhawks 2023 third-rounder Jiri Felcman has signed a one-year contract extension with his current club, the Swiss National League’s SCL Tigers. The 20-year-old broke into Switzerland’s top league as a 19-year-old last season, ultimately scoring 10 points across 43 combined regular season and playoff games. He has yet to sign his entry-level deal in Chicago, and the Blackhawks hold the exclusive rights to sign Felcman until June 1st, 2027, per PuckPedia. This extension shouldn’t impact the Blackhawks’ signing decision but instead serves as a nice show of faith in a player recently ranked by EliteProspects as the Blackhawks’ No. 26 prospect.