Headlines

  • Evgeni Malkin Considering Retirement In 2026
  • Devils’ Jesper Bratt Undergoes Surgery To Address Multi-Season Injury
  • Ducks Name Joel Quenneville Head Coach
  • Maple Leafs’ Anthony Stolarz Ruled Out For Game 2
  • Utah Hockey Club Announces Mammoth As Team Name
  • Blues’ Torey Krug Not Expected To Resume Playing Career
  • Previous
  • Next
Register
Login
  • MLB Trade Rumors
  • Hoops Rumors
  • Pro Football Rumors

Pro Hockey Rumors

  • Home
  • Teams
    • Atlantic
      • Boston Bruins
      • Buffalo Sabres
      • Detroit Red Wings
      • Florida Panthers
      • Montreal Canadiens
      • Ottawa Senators
      • Tampa Bay Lightning
      • Toronto Maple Leafs
    • Central
      • Chicago Blackhawks
      • Colorado Avalanche
      • Dallas Stars
      • Minnesota Wild
      • Nashville Predators
      • St. Louis Blues
      • Utah Mammoth
      • Winnipeg Jets
    • Metropolitan
      • Carolina Hurricanes
      • Columbus Blue Jackets
      • New Jersey Devils
      • New York Islanders
      • New York Rangers
      • Philadelphia Flyers
      • Pittsburgh Penguins
      • Washington Capitals
    • Pacific
      • Anaheim Ducks
      • Calgary Flames
      • Edmonton Oilers
      • Los Angeles Kings
      • San Jose Sharks
      • Seattle Kraken
      • Vancouver Canucks
      • Vegas Golden Knights
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Partners
    • MLB Trade Rumors
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Casey Mittelstadt

East Notes: Schneider, Mittelstadt, Flyers

October 31, 2020 at 2:28 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 3 Comments

Three weeks ago, reports surfaced that the Islanders were set to sign veteran goaltender Cory Schneider in what looked to be a number three role but that hasn’t yet materialized.  However, GM Lou Lamoriello told NHL.com’s Brian Compton that he expects a deal to get done:

There’s a good sort of chance of that transpiring. As you know, I had Cory in New Jersey and I think that he’s trying to resurrect his career, and with our coaching staff, I’ve had several conversations with Cory, so I think that rumor will come to fruition.

The 34-year-old hit the open market when New Jersey opted to buy out the final two years and $12MM of his contract earlier this month following a pair of tough years that saw him post a .897 SV% and a 3.22 GAA in 39 games.  In the ideal scenario for the Islanders, Ilya Sorokin thrives as the backup to Semyon Varlamov and Schneider isn’t needed but if the rookie falters, it appears they’ll eventually have an experienced veteran in place that can be called upon if needed.

More from the Eastern Conference:

  • Buffalo has been active with its restricted free agents lately with new deals for goalie Linus Ullmark plus forwards Sam Reinhart and Victor Olofsson, they still have some work to do. To that end, Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News reports (Twitter link) that talks for RFA forward Casey Mittelstadt were supposed to resume last week although clearly, nothing has been agreed upon yet.  The eighth-overall pick in 2017, Mittelstadt has struggled in his two full professional seasons when up with the Sabres but has fared much better with AHL Rochester.  He’s waiver-exempt to start next season so a two-way deal appears to be the likely outcome when a deal does get done.
  • While there are quite a few teams interested in UFA winger Mike Hoffman, it doesn’t appear as if the Flyers are one of them. NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Jordan Hall relays that while the team could certainly use the help of the man advantage that Hoffman can provide after they went 4/52 on the power play in the playoffs, they have not reached out to Hoffman’s camp at this time.  While they have a little over $4.8MM in cap room at the moment, a sizable piece of that will be earmarked for RFA defenseman Philippe Myers.

Buffalo Sabres| Lou Lamoriello| New York Islanders| Philadelphia Flyers Casey Mittelstadt| Cory Schneider| Mike Hoffman

3 comments

Atlantic Notes: Yzerman, Cholowski, Cozens, Mittelstadt

September 27, 2020 at 4:31 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg Leave a Comment

After a acquiring a 2021 second-round pick from the New York Rangers for taking on the contract of defenseman Marc Staal and his $5.7MM contract for one more year, the Detroit Red Wings still have $27.4MM in available cap space to spend. The question becomes, will general manager Steve Yzerman take more contracts on this offseason or was this a one-time deal?

“There’s so much uncertainty in the league right now,” Yzerman said on a Zoom call to reporters after the trade (via the Detroit Free Press). “We’re heading into the draft, we’re heading into free agency, we don’t really know when we’re starting, what the landscape is going to look like next year. So we’re all kind of going into uncharted waters. And for the Red Wings, we are in a position (where) we do have cap space that we can use it. And I hope to use it wisely. But one way we would like to try and use it is to acquire future assets should any teams be in a position where they really have to move contracts and don’t have any other options.”

Detroit does have some need for some veteran options to help out their young team that finished with a 17-49-5 record and in dead last. Assuming the Red Wings keep Staal, could they find other options to help fill some of those needed players on the roster. Of course, adding more and more picks is another option for Yzerman and the Red Wings.

“Nobody wants to give up picks or prospects, but sometimes you have to do what you have to do to make your team better, and we’re trying to — I don’t want to say take advantage of that, but find teams that are in a position that need to do that,” Yzerman said. “And again, we’re trying to add picks or prospects, and at the same time ice a team.”

  • Sticking with the Red Wings trade, The Athletic’s Max Bultman (subscription required) writes that with the likelihood of the team keeping Staal on the team for next season after Yzerman complimented his penalty killing abilities, it could be bad news for defenseman Dennis Cholowski. The team’s 2016 first-round pick has had two years to establish himself into the team’s defensive lineup, but has been unable to do that yet, spending half a season each year in the AHL. This could be a breakout season coming up for him. However, with Danny DeKeyser and Patrik Nemeth ahead of him on the left-defense depth chart and now with Staal added in, Cholowski will likely have to earn his way into Detroit’s lineup by beating out Staal in training camp. Of course, he could move over to the opposite side of the defense as well, but there are other obstacles in his way there too.
  • With the recent addition of Eric Staal as their new No. 2 center, the Buffalo Sabres could have the luxury of easing their two young centers into the Sabres’ lineup this year, according to The Athletic’s John Vogl (subscription required). Before the trade, the Sabres had penciled in 2019 first-round pick Dylan Cozens into the No. 2 center position and 2017 first-round pick Casey Mittelstadt as their No. 3 center. With Staal in the fold for at least one more year, that plan will change. The scribe writes that it’s possible the team could move one or both of them to the wing to add some top-six depth there now that Marcus Johansson was traded to Minnesota. Cozens could move over to the right side, while Mittelstadt could play on the left, giving the team quite a few options in training camp.

Buffalo Sabres| Detroit Red Wings| Steve Yzerman Casey Mittelstadt| Dennis Cholowski| Dylan Cozens| Marc Staal

0 comments

Buffalo Sabres Demote Casey Mittelstadt

December 15, 2019 at 5:17 pm CDT | by Zach Leach 1 Comment

In a significant, albeit not overly surprising move, the Buffalo Sabres have announced that center Casey Mittelstadt has been reassigned to the AHL’s Rochester Americans. This is the first career demotion for Mittelstadt, who has never played a game in the AHL. The 21-year-old has four goals and five assists in 31 games with the Sabres this season.

Mittelstadt was selected by Buffalo with the eighth overall pick in the 2017 NHL Draft out of Eden Prairie High School in Minnesota. After playing the following season with the University of Minnesota and dominating at the World Junior Championship, Mittelstadt joined the Sabres and made his NHL debut at the end of the 2017-18 campaign. Mittelstadt got off to a strong start in the pros with five points in his first six games. However, he has failed to build on that early success. Mittelstadt recorded 25 points in 77 games with the Sabres, a passable rookie season but not what the team was expecting. Mittelstadt also struggled with the defensive aspects of the game at the top level. He has started similarly this season, posting just nine points through 31 games thus far and the worst possession numbers of any Sabres forward.

At this point, a demotion had become inevitable. Mittelstadt’s ice time has been dwindling and he was a healthy scratch in three of the Sabres’ past four games. While GM Jason Botterill has clearly not been eager to send the first draft pick of his tenure in Buffalo to the AHL, new head coach Ralph Krueger does not share the same commitment to the young pivot. Poor optics aside, it is a better move to send Mittelstadt to the minors where he can work on his game rather than keep him in the NHL where his ice time is no longer guaranteed.

Additionally, it is about to become an embarrassment of riches in Rochester. Mittelstadt is joining a team that leads the AHL’s Eastern Conference and has picked up points in all but four of their 26 games so far this season, with just one loss since November 1st. Mittelstadt will be able to focus on improving his game without having to worry about carrying the Americans, who are receiving a balanced effort game in and game out. There is no indication of how long Mittelstadt will remain in Rochester, but until he earns his recall back to Buffalo, it’s hard to imagine the farm team not continuing their run of dominance.

AHL| Buffalo Sabres| Ralph Krueger Casey Mittelstadt

1 comment

Sabres Notes: Mittelstadt, Salary Cap, Prospects

August 4, 2019 at 3:55 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg 1 Comment

The Buffalo Sabres have now signed all their restricted free agents and have a roster that looks to be close to ready for next season. However, with that in mind, there is still the question of who will be Buffalo’s second-line center, a hole the team struggled with all season. The team had high hopes that Casey Mittelstadt, the eighth overall pick in 2017, could fill that role immediately last season, but he struggled to adjust. While the hope was that the Sabres would find a replacement via trade or free agency this summer which would give Mittelstadt more time to develop as a third-line center, it looks like the team might have to hope that Mittelstadt can improve on his performance in his second NHL season.

In a mailbag column, the Buffalo News’ Lance Lysowski writes that it looks more and more likely that Mittelstadt will return to the second-line center role, although he points out that the team is likely going to have Sam Reinhart and Marcus Johansson to help him develop on that line. On top of that, with the cost of top-six centers nowadays, it’s likely that even moving Rasmus Ristolainen wouldn’t even be able to net themselves someone like Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Throw in the fact that the team is likely to have 2019 first-rounder and seventh-overall pick Dylan Cozens with the team by next season and the team might be better off working on developing their centers.

  • The Athletic’s Joe Yerdon (subscription required) writes that with the Buffalo Sabres having hit the salary cap ceiling after signing Jake McCabe and Linus Ullmark Saturday, the team has quite a few options in front of them to loosen the team’s salary cap situation before the season starts. The team’s best chance to do that is with a buyout, which they will get to do later this week, if the Sabres choose to. The most likely candidates are Vladimir Sobotka and Marco Scandella, but both come with cap hits towards next season, which doesn’t help the team next year, especially with Sam Reinhart and Brandon Montour likely needing new deals. A trade of Ristolainen would be another option, but also would likely come with salary coming back, which might defeat the purpose of the trade.
  • NHL.com’s Heather Engel looks at that the Sabres top five prospects, but also notes that their top two prospects are expected to miss training camp this year. Buffalo’s first-round pick in 2019, Cozens, had surgery to repair his left thumb that he injured during development camp and is expected to miss two to three months, making it unlikely he’ll be ready for training camp. Their second-best prospect, goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen had hip surgery in April and is expected to miss six months, not a good time when he was supposed to make his professional debut this season. The hope is that both players will be able to pick up where they left off last year despite missing some time at the start of the season.

Buffalo Sabres| Prospects Casey Mittelstadt| Dylan Cozens| Marco Scandella| Marcus Johansson

1 comment

Atlantic Notes: Backes, Kronwall, Reinhart, Zaitsev

June 23, 2019 at 11:05 am CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg 25 Comments

With the NHL salary cap set Saturday at $81.5MM for the 2019-20 season, cap room has become a premium. That became just as apparent Saturday when teams began unloading some of their expensive contracts, including Nashville’s P.K. Subban (to New Jersey), Tampa Bay’s J.T. Miller (to Vancouver) and Toronto’s Patrick Marleau (to Carolina). The latter trade of Marleau to the Hurricanes perhaps was the most interesting as Toronto also had to fork over a 2020 first-round pick as part of the package to unload Marleau’s $6.25MM contract.

That deal may become a precedent for teams hoping to move out a bad contract. In fact, because of that trade, The Athletic’s Fluto Shinzawa (subscription required) suggests that the Boston Bruins will likely have to keep forward David Backes on the roster for at least another year. The Bruins still owe $6MM to the 35-year-old Backes for another two seasons, which isn’t helping the team as they must re-sign a number of key free agents, including restricted free agents Charlie McAvoy, Brandon Carlo and Danton Heinen and also wouldn’t mind keeping unrestricted free agents Marcus Johansson and Noel Acciari. Backes has struggled the last couple of seasons, but his numbers really fell off this season as he posted just seven goals and 20 points in 70 games and has fallen into a bottom-six role.

While the team wouldn’t mind unloading that contract, Shinzawa writes that the Marleau deal, which has a similar number to Backes’ contract, except for one more year, would almost guarantee cost the Bruins a first-round pick (and possibly more) to unload, which they are unlikely willing to do.

  • The Detroit Free-Press’ Helene St. James reports that the Detroit Red Wings and general manager Steve Yzerman won’t change their offseason plan as they wait for defenseman Niklas Kronwall to make a decision on whether he wants to return for a 16th season. The veteran may not make a decision until late in the offseason. One reason to suggest that the 38-year-old could return is that he is 47 games shy of having played 1,000 games. The long-time Red Wings blueliner still fared well last year, scoring three goals and 27 points in 79 games.
  • The Athletic’s John Vogl writes that while the Buffalo Sabres need a second-line center to give Casey Mittelstadt time to adjust to the NHL, general manager Jason Botterill said that it is unlikely that Sam Reinhart will be moving there. Reinhart, originally drafted as a center when he was the second-overall pick in 2014, saw his career take off when the team moved him to the right wing position two seasons ago. Since then, he’s tallied 47 goals in those two years. “Look, it’s always a possibility there,” said Botterill. “You have to be open to it and we’ll see how things go with Ralph (Krueger) with that discussion, but I also think in the last year or so, he’s excelled on the wing and I think he’s in a position where he can drive a line from the wing.”
  • The Athletic’s Jonas Siegel reports that Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas said Saturday that there is nothing new on the trade front when it comes to moving defenseman Nikita Zaitsev. The team has made it clear to other teams they aren’t just going to use him as a salary dump. “We’re willing to try to accommodate him and work with him, but we need a similar player back,” Dubas said. “We don’t have the depth on D and we don’t want to rush our prospects.”

Boston Bruins| Buffalo Sabres| Carolina Hurricanes| Detroit Red Wings| Kyle Dubas| Steve Yzerman| Toronto Maple Leafs Brandon Carlo| Casey Mittelstadt| Charlie McAvoy| David Backes| J.T. Miller| Marcus Johansson| Nikita Zaitsev| Niklas Kronwall| Noel Acciari| P.K. Subban| Patrick Marleau| Salary Cap| Sam Reinhart

25 comments

Sabres Notes: Skinner, Pominville, Trade Options

June 8, 2019 at 8:21 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg 4 Comments

The Buffalo Sabres accomplished their biggest offseason task on Friday evening when it signed winger Jeff Skinner to a eight-year, $72MM extension. Regardless, despite being able to convince a top player to sign a long-term deal in Buffalo, there are a number of significant ramifications that go with the Sabres’ locking up the 27-year-old.

Skinner and Jack Eichel will now combine for 22.5 percent of the team’s salary cap, which is the sixth-highest number for teams’ top two players. While the Sabres have cap room to work with, the team may find themselves in trouble down the road, according to the Buffalo News’ Lance Lysowski. In fact, Buffalo general manager Jason Botterill may have trouble in a few years when he tries to sign some of the team’s other young pieces, including Sam Reinhart, Rasmus Dahlin, Brandon Montour and Casey Mittelstadt, which could give the team some issues with improving in the near future. All that for a team that didn’t come close to making the playoffs this past season.

  • The Athletic’s Jon Vogl (subscription required) writes that the Sabres had no choice but to sign Skinner to long-term deal. While the scribe admits that the money is significant, the team couldn’t have handled losing their first-line winger, considering the significant amount of cap space the franchise has both this year and next and the near-impossible task of replacing him. Not signing him would have been worse than overpaying him. Regardless, this should give Botterill an extended chance to prove that he is a competent GM as he will have to assemble the rest of the team’s roster for the next few years, even if Skinner doesn’t pan out over the long haul.
  • In a separate note, Lysowski also reports that the team is in discussions with  forward Jason Pominville and are hoping to bring the veteran back on a cheaper deal. While no longer a top-six option, the 36-year-old Pominville has worked effectively as a bottom-six forward who can produce some offense, as he potted 16 goals last season. The Buffalo News’ Mike Harrington adds that Buffalo should offer him a one-year deal between $2-2.5MM and have him play a big role on the team’s fourth line as well as the penalty kill unit.
  • Pierre LeBrun, in a notebook piece for The Athletic (subscription required), reports that Buffalo isn’t done making moves to improve its team this season. The Sabres are looking to add a second-line center and/or a top-six winger to its roster to improve its scoring for next season. LeBrun adds that one name that Buffalo has inquired on is Minnesota Wild winger Jason Zucker and he also wonders whether the team would consider taking on the contract of Kyle Turris in Nashville to fill their center void.

AHL| Buffalo Sabres| Minnesota Wild Brandon Montour| Casey Mittelstadt| Jack Eichel| Jason Pominville| Jason Zucker| Jeff Skinner| Kyle Turris

4 comments

Eastern Notes: Talbot, Skinner, Mittelstadt, Gagner

February 16, 2019 at 8:56 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg 6 Comments

The Philadelphia Flyers made a big trade late Friday when they sent current backup Anthony Stolarz to Edmonton in exchange for veteran goaltender Cam Talbot. The team hopes that Talbot can provide rookie Carter Hart with some guidance and help Hart’s transition to the NHL. The only problem is that Talbot will be an unrestricted free agent this summer and the team has to decide make sure they can lock up Talbot for the future.

Sam Carchidi of Philly.com writes that he spoke to Talbot who said that he choose to come to Philadelphia for a chance of a long-term stay and is open to signing an extension with the Flyers before July 1. Carchidi adds that Talbot said  it was a “tough season” in Edmonton and is looking for a fresh start with the Flyers and wants to take on the mentor role for Hart, who he is already familiar with.

  • Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News cautions fans to be patient when it comes to the Buffalo Sabres re-signing winger Jeff Skinner. The 26-year-old is one goal shy of his career-high of 37 goals and looks to have taken his game to another level. Unfortunately for Buffalo, Skinner has yet to sign an extension, which worries fans, especially now that the team is struggling. However, Harrington writes that the fact that Buffalo is falling out of the playoff picture will have no impact on Skinner’s decision. He wants to be in Buffalo and has told his agent that as well. He’s two hours from his home in Toronto and loves it in Buffalo next to Jack Eichel.
  • Sticking with Buffalo, Lance Lysowski of the Buffalo News reports that rookie center Casey Mittelstadt is expected to return to the lineup Sunday after missing the last two games with a lower-body injury. The 20-year-old Mittelstadt has eight goals and 19 points so far this season, but has been holding down the second-line center position for much of the season. although a pending return of Kyle Okposo could bump him to the third line.
  • One loser of the Ryan Spooner for Sam Gagner trade earlier today between the Vancouver Canucks and the Edmonton Oilers are the Toronto Marlies, according to the Toronto Star’s Kevin McGran. The AHL franchise, who is coming off a Calder Cup Championship last year, is trying hard to repeat and had the good fortune that Vancouver was willing to accommodate Gagner, who wanted to stay close to home in Toronto if he wasn’t going to play in the NHL. Vancouver opted to loan Gagner to the Marlies where he was the team’s second-line center. The trade takes a way a key veteran player for their run, who had posted 12 goals and 37 points in 43 games.

AHL| Buffalo Sabres| Edmonton Oilers| Injury| Philadelphia Flyers| Vancouver Canucks Anthony Stolarz| Cam Talbot| Carter Hart| Casey Mittelstadt| Jack Eichel| Jeff Skinner| Kyle Okposo| Ryan Spooner| Sam Gagner

6 comments

What Your Team Is Thankful For: Buffalo Sabres

November 25, 2018 at 2:57 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg 1 Comment

As the holiday season approaches, PHR will take a look at what teams are thankful for as the season heads past the one-quarter mark. There also might be a few things your team would like down the road. Let’s take a look at what’s gone well in the early going and what could improve as the season rolls on for the Buffalo Sabres. 

What are the Sabres most thankful for?

Can Sabres’ fans be any more thankful for the fact that the team, the same team that finished last in the standings one season ago, is currently in first place in the entire NHL with 34 points. That may be short lived as several teams just beneath them play before the Sabres go for their 10th straight win on Tuesday, but few could have predicted the success for second-year general manager Jason Botterill and head coach Phil Housley this season.

The Sabres shook up their entire roster from a year ago and made critical additions at every level, which included adding Jeff Skinner to their top line on offense, adding a number of solid players to their depth chart including Vladimir Sobotka, Patrik Berglund, Casey Mittelstadt, Conor Sheary and Tage Thompson, while adding 2018 first-overall pick Rasmus Dahlin (who has been as good as advertised) on defense. That doesn’t include the team’s success in goal. Those moves have stabilized the team’s defense as they ranked sixth in the league in goals against this year as well as having one of the best penalty killing units in the league as well.

Who are the Sabres most thankful for?

While it would make sense to put Skinner and his 18 goals in this spot, we can save him for later. The tandem that has really impressed this year has been the play of the Sabres goaltenders Carter Hutton and Linus Ullmark. The team, which struggled a year ago with Robin Lehner and Chad Johnson has thrived this year. Much of that could be the improvement of the team’s defense, but at the same time both goalies have been better than anyone had expected.

While Hutton was the top goaltender on the market this offseason, most people felt that Hutton was not capable of being a No. 1 goaltender, often comparing him to Carolina’s Scott Darling. However, Hutton has been better than advertised, already netting 11 wins and posting a solid 2.53 GAA and a .919 save percentage in 18 appearances. The untested Ullmark also has looked good, although the team has been careful to not overwhelm the 25-year-old. However in five appearances, he’s also posted a 2.52 GAA and an even more impressive .926 save percentage.

What would the Sabres be even more thankful for?

More production from their youth. The team is very young and is loaded with talent at the AHL level as well. And while players like Dahlin have been impressive, the team could take another step in the right direction if they can develop some of their young core even quicker. Dahlin has played well sharing No. 1 defenseman duties with Rasmus Ristolainen, but he’s capable of even more. The team has gotten just four goals from Mittelstadt and would like to see him develop into a consistent presence in the top six at some point.

Others like Thompson, who has suddenly starting showing off some offense with three goals in his last four games, as well as Evan Rodrigues need to continue to develop as well to allow the team to reach peak efficiency both now and in the future. The team is also loaded with a number of prospects including defensemen Lawrence Pilut and Brendan Guhle, while they have several potential options at forward as well in C.J. Smith, Daniel O’Regan and Alexander Nylander waiting for an opportunity.

What should be on the Sabres’ Holiday Wish List?

The team has made it clear they intend to work on an extension with Skinner next month, but the team really needs to make sure it can lock down the 26-year-old who leads the team in scoring this year and is only six goals away from beating his 24 goals from last season with Carolina. Skinner’s deal will be the main contract the team must deal with this offseason as the team has just three unrestricted free agents (Jason Pominville and Matt Moulson being the others). Skinner’s pairing with Jack Eichel has produced a powerful top line in the NHL and should only get better as the two continue to get comfortable with each other.

With the expiring contracts of Moulson and Pominville, although the team may want to attempt to retain the latter, there should be plenty of money to lock up Skinner now, so they won’t have to worry about him losing him this summer.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Buffalo Sabres| Jason Botterill| Phil Housley| Thankful Series 2018-19 Alexander Nylander| Carter Hutton| Casey Mittelstadt| Chad Johnson| Conor Sheary| Evan Rodrigues| Jack Eichel| Jason Pominville| Jeff Skinner| Linus Ullmark| Matt Moulson| Patrik Berglund

1 comment

Poll: Who Will Win The Calder Trophy In 2018-19?

September 17, 2018 at 7:29 pm CDT | by Zach Leach 10 Comments

The Athletic’s NHL Draft and prospects guru Scott Wheeler has released the first definitive list of candidates for the Calder Trophy in 2018-19, and the order may surprise some people. Admittedly, the list is in the context of fantasy hockey, but Wheeler’s rankings are true to how he thinks Calder voting will unfold if each rookie hits their stat projections. As such, it’s not this year’s first overall pick, Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin, at the top of the list, but presumptive top-six center for the Vancouver Canucks, Elias Pettersson. Pettersson will be put in a much better position to rack up points than will Dahlin, the next-best candidate, as potentially one of the three best scoring forwards for the Canucks and traditionally productive forwards have a better shot at the Calder than (relatively) equally productive defensemen.

Coming in at number three is Boston Bruins forward Ryan Donato, who led both the NCAA and Olympics in goals last season and will look to win a top-six role for Boston and continue to find the back of the net at an alarming rate. Playing alongside either Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron or David Krejci and Jake DeBrusk is an easy way for Donato to quickly become an elite scorer at the NHL level. The fourth-ranked candidate is second overall pick Andrei Svechnikov of the Carolina Hurricanes, who – like Pettersson – will be given an immense amount of responsibility right away as a top-six winger who is arguably already one of the three most skilled forwards on the team. However, Svechnikov is one of three Hurricanes rookies on Wheeler’s list, which could take away from his case. Rounding out the top five is Dahlin’s fellow rookie in Buffalo, center Casey Mittelstadt, who scored at nearly a point-per-game pace in the college ranks and in a brief stint with the Sabres to end the year. Mittelstadt should face favorable match-ups this season with the lines anchored by Jack Eichel and Patrik Berglund drawing considerable attention from the opposition.

Wheeler’s top twenty Calder Trophy candidates are as follows:

  1. C Elias Pettersson, Vancouver Canucks
  2. D Rasmus Dahlin, Buffalo Sabres
  3. RW Ryan Donato, Boston Bruins
  4. RW Andrei Svechnikov, Carolina Hurricanes
  5. C Casey Mittelstadt, Buffalo Sabres
  6. RW Filip Zadina, Detroit Red Wings
  7. C Dylan Strome, Arizona Coyotes
  8. C Henrik Borgstrom, Florida Panthers
  9. C Martin Necas, Carolina Hurricanes
  10. D Miro Heiskanen, Dallas Stars
  11. RW Dylan Sikura, Chicago Blackhawks
  12. RW Eeli Tolvanen, Nashville Predators
  13. C Filip Chytil, New York Rangers
  14. LW Brady Tkachuk, Ottawa Senators
  15. LW Valentin Zykov, Carolina Hurricanes
  16. RW Kailer Yamamoto, Edmonton Oilers
  17. C Anthony Cirelli, Tampa Bay Lightning
  18. LW Kristian Vesalainen, Winnipeg Jets
  19. C Sam Steel, Anaheim Ducks
  20. RW Vitaly Abramov, Columbus Blue Jackets

Honorable Mentions: C Vladislav Kamenev, Colorado Avalanche; LW Jordan Greenway, Minnesota Wild; C Robert Thomas, St. Louis Blues; LW Andreas Johnsson, Toronto Maple Leafs; C Michael Rasmussen, Detroit Red Wings; C Lias Andersson, New York Rangers; D Sami Niku, Winnipeg Jets; D Evan Bouchard, Edmonton Oilers; RW Daniel Sprong, Pittsburgh Penguins

What do you think? Who will be the NHL’s Rookie of the Year and take home the Calder Trophy at the end of the season? The favorite? The first overall pick? Another top candidate? Or a name not even mentioned here?

Anaheim Ducks| Boston Bruins| Buffalo Sabres| Carolina Hurricanes| Chicago Blackhawks| Colorado Avalanche| Columbus Blue Jackets| Dallas Stars| Detroit Red Wings| Edmonton Oilers| Florida Panthers| Los Angeles Kings| Minnesota Wild| NCAA| Nashville Predators| New York Rangers| Olympics| Ottawa Senators| Pittsburgh Penguins| Prospects| Rookies| St. Louis Blues| Tampa Bay Lightning| Toronto Maple Leafs| Utah Mammoth| Vancouver Canucks| Winnipeg Jets Andreas Johnsson| Andrei Svechnikov| Anthony Cirelli| Brad Marchand| Brady Tkachuk| Casey Mittelstadt| Daniel Sprong| David Krejci| Dylan Sikura| Dylan Strome| Eeli Tolvanen| Elias Pettersson| Filip Chytil| Filip Zadina| Henrik Borgstrom| Jack Eichel| Jake DeBrusk| Jordan Greenway| Kailer Yamamoto| Lias Andersson| Martin Necas| Michael Rasmussen| Miro Heiskanen| Patrice Bergeron| Patrik Berglund| Rasmus Dahlin| Robert Thomas| Ryan Donato| Sami Niku| Valentin Zykov| Vladislav Kamenev

10 comments

Rosters Announced For Rookie Showcase, All-American Prospect Game

August 17, 2018 at 3:47 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

The NHLPA hosts a Rookie Showcase every season for the players recognized as the most likely to make an impact at the NHL level in the near future. Some of these names have already played a few games in the league, but many are still waiting for their first opportunity to suit up as professionals. This group is not a ranking of the top prospects in the league and is missing several names that would be included in such a list. Still, it gives a glimpse at the next generation of NHL stars.

The game will be held on August 26th at Mastercard Center in Toronto, and is used mostly as a marketing tool for some of the league’s young stars. The full roster is as follows:

G Carter Hart (PHI)
G Ilya Samsonov (WSH)

D Evan Bouchard (EDM)
D Daniel Brickley (LAK)
D Travis Dermott (TOR)
D Miro Heiskanen (DAL)
D Timothy Liljegren (TOR)
D Juuso Valimaki (CGY)

F Vitaly Abramov (CBJ)
F Rasmus Asplund (BUF)
F Rudolf Balcers (SJS)
F Drake Batherson (OTT)
F Kieffer Bellows (NYI)
F Henrik Borgstrom (FLA)
F Ryan Donato (BOS)
F Dillon Dube (CGY)
F Adam Gaudette (VAN)
F Jordan Greenway (MIN)
F Jordan Kyrou (STL)
F Casey Mittelstadt (BUF)
F Michael Rasmussen (DET)
F Dylan Sikura (CHI)
F Nick Suzuki (VGK)
F Robert Thomas (STL)
F Gabriel Vilardi (LAK)
F Filip Zadina (DET)

In a different event, the seventh USA Hockey All-American Prospects Game will be held on September 19th at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota. 42 US-born players that are eligible for the 2019 NHL Entry Draft will face off, with star center Jack Hughes leading the way. The group this year includes an incredible amount of talent though, and likely will include several future first-round picks. The full roster is below:

Read more

G Spencer Knight
G Cameron Rowe
G Isaiah Saville
G Dustin Wolf

D Benjamin Brinkman
D Braden Doyle
D Ethan Frisch
D Drew Helleson
D Michael Koster
D Zachary Jones
D Case McCarthy
D John Prokop
D Jayden Struble
D Henry Thrun
D Alex Vlasic
D Marshall Warren
D Cade Webber
D Cameron York

F John Beecher
F Kaden Bohlsen
F Matthew Boldy
F Cole Caufield
F Judd Caulfield
F Ryder Donovan
F Ryan Drkulec
F John Farinacci
F Michael Gildon
F Jack Hughes
F Aaron Huglen
F Trevor Janicke
F Arthur Kaliyev
F Owen Lindmark
F Robert Mastrosimone
F Garrett Pinoniemi
F Shane Pinto
F Nicholas Robertson
F Grant Silianoff
F Austen Swankler
F Luke Toporowsi
F Alex Turcotte
F Danny Weight
F Trevor Zegras

Dallas Stars| NHLPA| Prospects Adam Gaudette| Casey Mittelstadt| Daniel Brickley| Drake Batherson| Dylan Sikura| Filip Zadina| Henrik Borgstrom| Ilya Samsonov| Jordan Greenway| Jordan Kyrou| Kieffer Bellows| Michael Rasmussen| Miro Heiskanen| NHL Entry Draft| Nick Suzuki

0 comments
« Previous Page
Load More Posts
    Top Stories

    Evgeni Malkin Considering Retirement In 2026

    Devils’ Jesper Bratt Undergoes Surgery To Address Multi-Season Injury

    Ducks Name Joel Quenneville Head Coach

    Maple Leafs’ Anthony Stolarz Ruled Out For Game 2

    Utah Hockey Club Announces Mammoth As Team Name

    Blues’ Torey Krug Not Expected To Resume Playing Career

    Islanders Prefer Ken Holland For GM Vacancy

    Devils Sign Arseni Gritsyuk To Entry-Level Deal

    New York Islanders, Utah Hockey Club Win 2025 NHL Draft Lottery

    Lane Hutson, Macklin Celebrini, Dustin Wolf Named Calder Trophy Finalists

    Recent

    Kraken Expected To Sign Tyson Jugnauth

    Ken Holland Top Contender For Kings GM Position

    Offseason Checklist: Anaheim Ducks

    Islanders To Interview Jarmo Kekalainen For GM Position

    Oilers Recall Collin Delia

    Evgeni Malkin Considering Retirement In 2026

    Latest On Rick Tocchet

    These Players Could Be Traded Before The Draft

    Stefan Matteau Announces Retirement

    D.J. Smith Interviewing For Multiple Head Coach Vacancies

    Rumors By Team

    Rumors By Team

    • Avalanche Rumors
    • Blackhawks Rumors
    • Blue Jackets Rumors
    • Blues Rumors
    • Bruins Rumors
    • Canadiens Rumors
    • Canucks Rumors
    • Capitals Rumors
    • Devils Rumors
    • Ducks Rumors
    • Flames Rumors
    • Flyers Rumors
    • Golden Knights Rumors
    • Hurricanes Rumors
    • Islanders Rumors
    • Jets Rumors
    • Kings Rumors
    • Kraken Rumors
    • Lightning Rumors
    • Mammoth Rumors
    • Maple Leafs Rumors
    • Oilers Rumors
    • Panthers Rumors
    • Penguins Rumors
    • Predators Rumors
    • Rangers Rumors
    • Red Wings Rumors
    • Sabres Rumors
    • Senators Rumors
    • Sharks Rumors
    • Stars Rumors
    • Wild Rumors

    Latest Rumors & News

    Latest Rumors & News

    • Brock Boeser Rumors
    • Scott Laughton Rumors
    • Brock Nelson Rumors
    • Rickard Rakell Rumors
    • Mikko Rantanen Rumors

    Pro Hockey Rumors Features

    Pro Hockey Rumors Features

    • Support Pro Hockey Rumors And Go Ad-Free
    • 2024-25 Salary Cap Deep Dive Series
    • 2025 Trade Deadline Primers
    • 2025 NHL Free Agent List
    • 2026 NHL Free Agent List
    • Active Roster Tracker
    • Arbitration-Eligible Free Agents 2025
    • Draft Lottery Odds 2025
    • Trade Tracker
    • Pro Hockey Rumors On X
    • Pro Hockey Rumors Polls
    • Waiver Claims 2024-25

     

     

     

    Navigation

    • Sitemap
    • Archives

    PHR Info

    • About
    • Privacy Policy
    • Commenting Policy

    Connect

    • Contact Us
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • RSS Feed

    Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

    scroll to top

    Register

    Desktop Version | Switch To Mobile Version