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Poll: Who Is The Early Favorite For The 2025 Calder Trophy?

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The hockey world is in for a treat with the 2024-25 rookie class. A long list of top prospects seem destined for NHL roles, including former high-end draft picks and controversial prospects. Their pursuit of meaningful NHL ice time will be undercut by what’s sure to be an exciting race for the 2025 Calder Trophy. The NHL’s ’Rookie of the Year’ award stands as perhaps the most coveted and exclusive award in the league, having previously gone to franchise-defining talents like Connor Bedard this year, Kirill Kaprizov in 2021, and Cale Makar in 2020. With such a star-studded cast of contenders this year, the winner may have to reach the heights of that trio to win over voters.

That could prove an easy feat for the pair of Macklin Celebrini and Matvei Michkov – likely the leading favorites as things currently stand. Celebrini was the first overall selection in the 2024 NHL Draft and is coming off a dazzling junior hockey career. After winning both the USHL’s ’Rookie of the Year’ and ’Most Valuable Player’ awards as a 16-year-old in 2022-23, Celebrini became the youngest player to ever win the Hobey Baker Award as college hockey’s top player this season. His prowess is undeniable. He’s a defiantly special playmaker, with all of the tools needed to match top speeds. Celebrini is set for a top-line role with the San Jose Sharks, while Michkov will fight for the same recognition from the Philadelphia Flyers.

Michkov is making the jump to the NHL a year earlier than expected, after being released from his contract with the KHL’s SKA St. Petersburg this summer. He makes the move to North America after proudly leading HK Sochi. Despite playing on a farm club to SKA, Michkov has still managed 61 points in 77 KHL games over the last two seasons. His 41 points in 47 games this year marked the most of any U20 KHL skater since Kaprizov, the record holder, potted 42 points in 49 games in 2017. Where Celebrini is a quick-thinking and quicker-moving playmaker, Michkov is an all-skill scorer, capable of using a mix of incredibly agile skating, great stickhandling, and a knockout shot to embarrass opponents in the offensive end. The sky is the limit for the Russian phenom, who should finally receive proper support after spending the last two seasons on muddling rosters.

Celebrini and Michkov will be challenged for their spot by a long list of high-end forwards, including Will Smith – who could find himself playing second-fiddle to Celebrini in San Jose. Anaheim Ducks center Cutter Gauthier could also break into the conversation – undermining yet another boost to the Flyers’ prospect pool. But of the many contenders, it’s the dynamic duo of Logan Stankoven and Mavrik Bourque who seem most overlooked in early Calder talks.

Stankoven was a lightning bolt in his first taste of the NHL. The first-year pro fought his way to an NHL call-up with a then-league-leading 57 points in his first 47 AHL games. The scoring didn’t stop in Dallas, as Stankoven proceeded to score 14 points in 24 games – the highest scoring pace (0.58) of any first-year Star since Jason Robertson in 2021 (0.88) and John Klingberg in 2015 (0.58). Stankoven was just one game shy of losing rookie eligibility when Dallas’ season ended, though he was quickly slotted back into the lineup during the playoffs – which don’t count against Calder Trophy eligibility. He continued to hone his game in the race for the Stanley Cup, netting eight points in 19 games and earning a routine role in Dallas’ middle-six.

If not Stankoven, then it’ll be his electric centerman Bourque who wins the title for Dallas. The two forwards were unstoppable with the AHL’s Texas Stars last season, playing with a pace and chemistry that opponents simply couldn’t keep up with. Bourque stayed red-hot even after Stankoven’s call-up, ultimately leading the AHL in scoring with 77 points in 71 games and earning the Les Cunningham Award as the league’s MVP. That was despite last season being just the second pro year of Bourque’s career. He was impressive, and found a way to score consistently despite his oft-criticized frame.

Even with all of the acclaim of the aforementioned forwards, the award could still find its way to other hands. Shakir Mukhamadullin in San Jose, Lane Hutson in Montreal, and Olen Zellweger in Anaheim are all prime candidates from the blue-line, while Dustin Wolf in Calgary and Yaroslav Askarov in Nashville stand as favorites in net – though the latter will have to fight his way above Juuse Saros. It seems the Calder Trophy debate could go in one of countless directions when the first puck is finally dropped – but who do you think will win out? Will it be dazzling star prospects Celebrini or Michkov? Will defensive supports overtake the top scorers? Or will a player like Brad Lambert subvert everyone’s expectations? Let us know by voting in the poll below and discussing in the comments!

Who Will Win The 2025 Calder Trophy?
Matvei Michkov, Philadelphia 45.36% (450 votes)
Macklin Celebrini, San Jose 28.43% (282 votes)
Lane Hutson, Montreal 8.47% (84 votes)
Cutter Gauthier, Anaheim 7.76% (77 votes)
Will Smith, San Jose 6.05% (60 votes)
Olen Zellweger, Anaheim 2.02% (20 votes)
Shakir Mukhamadullin, San Jose 1.92% (19 votes)
Total Votes: 992

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Flames Re-Sign Dustin Wolf To Two-Year Deal

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The parade of unsigned RFAs inking deals today continues. Joining the list is Flames top goaltending prospect Dustin Wolf, who PuckPedia reports has signed a two-year, $1.7MM deal. It’s a two-way pact in 2024-25 ($850K NHL/$275K AHL) before transitioning to a one-way structure in 2025-26 ($850K). He has a $375K salary guarantee this season. The team made Wolf’s deal official shortly after the initial report.

It looks to be a short-term bargain pact for one of the best young goalies in the world. Wolf, 23, was a seventh-round pick back in 2019 but has been dominant in the juniors and minors since. The California native won the Western Hockey League’s top goaltender award in his final two seasons with the Everett Silvertips and followed that up by winning the AHL’s top goalie award in each of his first two professional seasons. Over the last four seasons, Wolf has a 2.29 GAA, .926 SV%, 11 shutouts and a 97-32-10 record in 141 games with the Calgary Wranglers and Stockton Heat.

Things haven’t been quite as smooth at the NHL level for Wolf, though. The 6’0″ netminder has gotten spotty action the past two years but was relied upon more heavily as a third-string option last season, starting 15 games and making two relief appearances. He was below average in that run, posting a .893 SV% with a 3.16 GAA and a 7-7-1 record. Putting such a young goalie behind a non-playoff team is always a tough ask, though.

But with Jacob Markstrom traded to the Devils and no other notable moves in the Calgary crease, Wolf projects to start next season on the NHL roster, working in tandem with Daniel Vladar. It would be surprising to see the Flames take advantage of the two-way structure of his deal this fall, although it is worth noting he’s still waiver-exempt. That changes in 2025-26. Behind Wolf and Vladar, the Flames’ third-string option is 27-year-old Devin Cooley, who had a .870 SV% in six games for the Sharks to end last season. It was his first time seeing NHL action.

Wolf will be 25 years old upon expiry in 2026 and will still be an RFA. He’ll be eligible for salary arbitration at that time.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

AHL Shuffle: 4/19/24

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Half the league has played their last games for the 2023-24 campaign, while the other half is gearing up for postseason action starting tomorrow. Either way, squads are making roster adjustments today, whether it’s assigning players back to the minors after their NHL seasons came to a close or recalling reinforcements for their playoff runs. We’ll keep track of all of today’s moves here:

  • The Bruins have recalled center John Beecher and defenseman Mason Lohrei from AHL Providence. Both will be available for tomorrow’s Game 1 of Boston’s first-round series against the Maple Leafs. The pair of youngsters were assigned to the minors throughout the last week for playing time down the stretch after spending most of the campaign on the NHL roster. They’ll likely be scratches for tomorrow’s contest, but after combining for 93 games played in the regular season, head coach Jim Montgomery won’t hesitate to plug them into the playoff lineup.
  • The Flames have assigned forwards Matthew Coronato and Adam Klapka, defenseman Ilya Solovyov, and goaltender Dustin Wolf to AHL Calgary. The NHL club’s regular season came to an end last night in a 5-1 win over the Sharks, a game all four players involved in today’s transaction played in. Wolf, one of the league’s top goaltending prospects, ended his season on a high note with 16 saves on 17 shots after putting up underwhelming numbers down the stretch for the Flames. All four will play major roles for the Wranglers over the next couple of weeks, at the very least, as they’ve clinched a spot in the Calder Cup Playoffs.
  • The Capitals have recalled goaltender Mitchell Gibson from ECHL South Carolina. The 24-year-old, who has no NHL experience, is in his first full season of pro hockey after spending the last four seasons in collegiate hockey at Harvard. He’ll serve as a Black Ace and emergency backup as their first-round matchup against the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Rangers gets underway. A fourth-round pick of the Caps back in 2018, he has a .899 SV%, 2.56 GAA, three shutouts, and a 22-14-3 record in 42 appearances with South Carolina this year, as well as a .915 SV% and a perfect record in two showings with AHL Hershey.
  • In a similar move, the Predators have brought up netminder Gustavs Grigals from ECHL Atlanta. Undrafted, the Latvian had spent the season in the Nashville organization on a minor-league contract before receiving a two-way deal from the Preds on deadline day. The 25-year-old was excellent last year for UMass-Lowell after transferring from the University of Alaska-Fairbanks, posting a .924 SV% in 24 games and earning Hockey East Third All-Star Team honors. He’s adjusted decently well to the pro ranks, posting a .900 SV% and three shutouts behind a defensively challenged Atlanta squad in 34 appearances with an 11-19-0 record.
  • The Blackhawks have assigned forward prospect Lukas Reichel to AHL Rockford to finish his season. Chicago expected the 21-year-old to take a major step forward in his development this season and supplant himself as a top-six fixture for the future along with Connor Bedard, but it didn’t work out that way. The 2020 first-round pick was arguably among the worst players in the league this season, limited to five goals and 16 points in 65 games with a -29 rating despite seeing second-line looks for much of the season. His average ice time dipped to almost 14 minutes per game by the end of the campaign, however.
  • The Jets have assigned forwards Nikita Chibrikov, Parker Ford, Brad Lambert, and goaltender Collin Delia to AHL Manitoba. Winnipeg recalled the foursome yesterday to provide reinforcements for yesterday’s regular-season finale against the Canucks. Chibrikov and Lambert made their NHL debuts, with the former notching his first NHL goal in the process. Delia backed up Laurent Brossoit while Jennings Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck was given the night off entirely, while Ford was a healthy scratch. Delia was again recalled under emergency conditions later Friday, suggesting he’ll be available as a Black Ace/emergency backup for Game 1 against the Avalanche on Sunday.
  • The Coyotes have made likely the final group of transactions in franchise history, returning forwards Dylan Guenther, Josh Doan, Aku Raty, and defensemen Michael Kesselring and Vladislav Kolyachonok to AHL Tucson. The sale of the team’s hockey operations to Salt Lake City-based Smith Entertainment Group was approved by the NHL’s Board of Governors yesterday, rendering the Coyotes franchise inactive and establishing a new franchise in Utah. The five youngsters will finish the season in the Calder Cup Playoffs with the Roadrunners. Some of these players, likely Guenther and Doan at a minimum, will travel to Salt Lake City and will be a part of that team’s opening-night squad next season. The others may remain in Tucson, which is expected to serve as the Utah franchise’s minor-league affiliate.
  • The Oilers have assigned defenseman Philip Broberg and winger Adam Erne to AHL Bakersfield. The pair were recalled earlier in the week to allow the Oilers to rest stars like Connor McDavid and Evan Bouchard before kicking off their first-round playoff series against the Kings in a few days. They’ll return to playoff-bound Bakersfield for now but will be among the first in line for recalls if necessary.
  • The Kings have assigned forward Alex Turcotte to AHL Ontario. He’d spent most of the last week in the minors on an LTI conditioning loan, but was activated off LTIR and reinstated to the NHL roster on Tuesday. He didn’t play in the Kings’ final game of the regular season last night, though. The 23-year-old presumably won’t be in their Game 1 lineup against the Oilers and will report for playoff action with the Reign.
  • The Islanders have summoned goaltender Jakub Skarek from AHL Bridgeport, per the league’s media site. The 23-year-old comes up to serve as the extra/reserve netminder as the Islanders begin their first-round series with Bridgeport eliminated from playoff contention. The 2018 third-round pick has again struggled in the third-string spot, posting a .888 SV% and 7-22-6 record in 36 appearances for the AHL Isles this year. He was passed over for recalls earlier in the regular season in favor of veteran Kenneth Appleby.

This page will be updated throughout the day.

Flames Notes: Offseason, Zary, Goaltending

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Flames GM Craig Conroy has been quite busy this year, moving away several notable veteran pending free agents to kick-start a rebuild or a retool of some sort.  However, they will have ample cap space to work with as a result of losing a lot of those players.  Speaking with Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli, Conroy indicated that he wouldn’t mind adding a veteran player or two but reiterated that the priority remains to have their younger players play.  He added that the ideal term of a contract for those veterans would be two or three years.  That will almost certainly have Calgary out of the mix for the top names on the open market but there should be plenty of players who could fit the bill for them in the early days of free agency in July.

More from Calgary:

  • Speaking of one of their younger players, winger Connor Zary has been activated off injured reserve, relays FlamesNation’s Ryan Pike (Twitter link). The 22-year-old started off the season with ten points in six games in the minors and has been up with Calgary since then.  Zary has done well in his first taste of NHL action, notching 12 goals and 17 helpers through 50 games so far while averaging 15:20 per game.  That playing time could go up down the stretch once the Flames – who are ten points out of the last Wild Card spot – are officially eliminated from postseason contention.
  • With Dustin Wolf now up for the rest of the season due to Dan Vladar’s season-ending hip surgery, Postmedia’s Wes Gilbertson suggests that the youngster should see some regular action down the stretch backing up Jacob Markstrom who was recently activated off IR. Wolf has put up a .897 SV% in ten games so far this season after another dominant showing in the minors where he sits fourth in the minors in save percentage at .923 in 35 appearances.  With plenty of speculation about Markstrom’s future, it stands to reason that Calgary would like to get Wolf some regular action over the final month to evaluate if he’s ready to take over as the starter or if they’d want to get a netminder back if they do move Markstrom in the offseason.

Calgary Flames Recall Dustin Wolf, Jacob Markstrom Out With Injury

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The Calgary Flames have recalled top prospect goaltender Dustin Wolf from their AHL affiliate, the Calgary Wranglers, per a team announcement. In the same announcement, the Flames disclosed that starting netminder Jacob Markstrom is considered day-to-day with a lower-body injury.

Today’s transaction will mark the fifth time this season that Calgary has recalled Wolf from the minors. Throughout those five emergency call-ups, Wolf has suited up in six games for the Flames, producing a 1-3-1 record with a .878 save percentage and a 3.91 goals-against average.

Much like last season, Wolf is producing much better at the AHL level, and could be on pace for back-to-back Aldege Bastien Memorial Award and Harry Holmes Memorial Award finishes. While the Wranglers compete for a playoff spot in the AHL’s Pacific Division, Wolf has produced a 20-11-3 record while maintaining a .923 SV% and 2.43 GAA.

Only a few weeks ago, some trade speculation surrounded Markstrom and the New Jersey Devils, indicating that Calgary may be ready to transition Wolf to the NHL full-time. Unfortunately for the young goaltender, no deal came to fruition, and he will likely need to wait for next season to become a full-time member of the Flames active roster.

Keeping on Markstrom, Calgary very publicly backed out of the reported trade with New Jersey due to his strong play in the net. Since January 17th, Markstrom has produced a 9-4-0 record in 13 games, making 340 saves on a total of 373 shots.

Flames Make Multiple Roster Moves

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The Flames recalled forward Dryden Hunt from the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers and activated goaltender Daniel Vladař off injured reserve in simultaneous transactions Friday morning, according to a team announcement. To clear the two necessary roster spots, the team assigned forward Cole Schwindt and netminder Dustin Wolf to the Wranglers.

Hunt, 28, has played in four games for the Flames this season, all coming within the first few weeks of the campaign after he made the NHL roster out of training camp. He has not been recalled since the Flames placed him on waivers and reassigned him to the minors in early November.

The undrafted free agent signed by the Panthers in 2016 has done quite well in his latest minor-league stint, posting seven goals and 22 points with a +11 rating in 23 games. The veteran of over 200 NHL games is on his fourth NHL team in the last two seasons after bouncing between the Rangers, Avalanche and Maple Leafs in 2022-23.

Calgary acquired Hunt in a deadline swap of minor-league forwards from Toronto at last year’s trade deadline, but he did not play for the team in the season’s final weeks. He reached unrestricted free agency without an extension in hand on July 1. Still, the Flames brought him back to the organization one day into the signing period with a two-year, two-way deal worth $1.55MM that pays him a minimum guaranteed salary of $400K this year and next.

Hunt scored three goals in 37 games split between the trio mentioned above of squads last season, averaging a career-low 8:04 per game. His expected -2.2 rating was also a career low. He is, however, two years removed from posting a career-high 17 points in 76 games with the Rangers in the 2021-22 campaign.

Vladař returns to the active roster after missing the last three games with a lower-body injury sustained off-ice. He hasn’t played since starting three straight games in mid-January, backing up starter Jacob Markström in five straight before landing on IR last week. The 26-year-old has a career-low .888 SV% and 3.27 GAA, not counting his five-game stint with the Bruins in 2020-21, and has a 7-7-2 record in 16 starts. This year is his third season backing up Markström after being brought over from Boston for a third-round pick in the summer of 2021.

While Markström’s high-end performance this season has generated a significant amount of trade interest, Vladař could be a chip for the Flames to move out if dealing the final three years of Markström’s $6MM AAV deal becomes too much of an obstacle in-season. The 26-year-old is signed through next season at a $2.2MM cap hit.

Schwindt returns to the Wranglers after playing 7:40 in yesterday’s 6-3 loss to the Sharks, posting zeros across the board. He has 2 PIMs, one shot on goal, and a -1 rating in four NHL showings this season dating back to late January.

The latest NHL shot for the 22-year-old Wolf didn’t go as planned. Calgary’s top goalie prospect conceded six goals on 31 shots against the division-worst Sharks last night, dropping his NHL SV% in 2023-24 to .878 through five starts and one relief appearance. The 6-foot California native has still performed at an elite level with the Wranglers, though, recording a .927 SV%, four shutouts, and an 18-7-2 record in 28 games.

Flames Place Daniel Vladař On IR, Recall Dustin Wolf

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Sportsnet’s Pat Steinberg is reporting that the Calgary Flames have placed goaltender Daniel Vladař on the injured reserve with a lower-body injury and recalled netminder Dustin Wolf from the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers.

According to Julian McKenzie of The Athletic, Vladař’s injury occurred in warm-ups last night and not in any game action. The 26-year-old hasn’t played since a 3-1 loss to the Edmonton Oilers on January 20th. The native of Prague, Czech Republic has struggled this season with a 7-7-2 record with a 3.27 goals against average and a .888 save percentage. While those metrics sometimes don’t paint the whole picture of a goaltender’s performance, Vladař’s underlying numbers have been poor as well. In 16 games this season, Vladař has posted a goals saved above expected of -6.7 (Money Puck).

Wolf hasn’t fared any better at the NHL level, going 1-2-1 in five games with a 3.46 goals against average and an .893 save percentage. His underlying numbers have been even worse as Wolf has given up 5.2 more goals than expected despite playing just five games. At the AHL level, Wolf’s numbers have been a different story, as the 22-year-old has appeared in 28 games and has a sparkling .927 save percentage to go along with a 2.27 goals-against average and an 18-7-2 record.

The Flames used an EBUG today at practice as they are out East to take on the New York Islanders tomorrow and Wolf has yet to arrive. There has been speculation that the club could move out a goaltender and it will be interesting to see if Vladař’s injury cools those rumors.

Snapshots: Tippett, Wolf, Barkov

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Philadelphia Flyers forward Owen Tippett has suffered a lower-body injury and will be out on a day-to-day basis, the team announced today. The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz adds that Tippett was “walking around fine after the game and the hope is it’s just a mild ankle sprain.” There was some fear that Tippett might miss more time, but that appears to not be the case. The Flyers will nonetheless be without Tippett on a short-term basis, though.

Tippett, who will turn 25 in February, is in the midst of his second full season with the Flyers. It took the 2017 10th overall pick some time to get going at the NHL level, but he’s now up to 18 goals and 30 points in just 46 games on the season. After scoring a career-high 27 goals last year, Tippett is now on pace to score 32 goals, which would be a career-best. With Tippett out, the Flyers will lean on players such as Travis Konecny, Joel Farabee, and Cam Atkinson more heavily to provide goal-scoring.

Some other news from across the NHL:

  • The Calgary Flames have reassigned netminder Dustin Wolf to their AHL affiliate the Calgary Wranglers. With starting goalie Jacob Markström set to return after an absence of just over a week, Wolf’s reassignment to the Wranglers will allow him to get some game action, the kind that is unavailable to him when the Flames have a fully healthy crease.
  • Florida Panthers team reporter Jameson Olive reports that captain Aleksander Barkov will not travel with the team to Nashville as he recovers from a lower-body injury. Head coach Paul Maurice has said that he is hopeful Barkov will be able to play on Wednesday against the Arizona Coyotes. While the Panthers have a strong team regardless, they’re certainly an improved group when Barkov is healthy. The former Selke and Lady Byng Trophy winner has played exceptional two-way hockey this season and has scored 46 points in 40 games.

Calgary Flames Recall Dustin Wolf

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With regular starting netminder, Jacob Markstrom, out for the next few days with a lower-body injury, the Calgary Flames have recalled top goalie prospect Dustin Wolf to fill the crease void. This will mark the third call-up for Wolf this season, with the other two coming as emergency loans in early November and December, respectively.

For Wolf, it is hard to name a more anticipated goalie prospect throughout the league. Last season playing for the Flames AHL affiliate, the Calgary Wranglers, Wolf rather famously produced a 42-10-2 record in 55 games, maintaining a .932 save percentage and 2.09 goals against average. His production over the course of last season was good enough to earn him the Les Cunningham Award, Aldege Bastien Memorial Award, Harry Holmes Memorial Award, President’s Award, and First Team All-Star honors.

Although his numbers are technically down this year in the AHL, he is once again getting off to a tremendous start. In 23 games played for the Wranglers, Wolf is once again carrying a solid 16-6-1 record, while carrying a .929 SV% and 2.27 GAA. Throughout his previous two call-ups to the Flames, Wolf has managed to play in five games, touting a 1-2-1 record with a .893 SV% and 3.46 GAA.

In recent weeks, there have been conflicting reports throughout the NHL that Calgary may entertain offers for Markstrom at this year’s trade deadline, although the proposed deal would require a large amount of assets headed back to the Flames. At any rate, whether it be by moving out Markstrom for a massive return, or finding a landing spot for backup goalie, Daniel Vladar, the sense around Calgary is that the Flames will need to make a move in the near future to clear out a full-time role for Wolf at the NHL level.

Calgary Flames Activate Jacob Markström

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The Calgary Flames have activated netminder Jacob Markström off of injured reserve. In corresponding moves, defenseman Ilya Solovyov and netminder Dustin Wolf have been reassigned to the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers.

Markström has been out of the Flames’ lineup since December 2nd, but when healthy he’s been the team’s undisputed number-one goalie. Now that his broken finger has recovered enough to allow him to play, Markström will resume that number-one role for the Flames.

Although he hasn’t been in strong form for over a year, but as recently as 2021-22 he posted a .922 save percentage in 63 games played. At his best, Markström can be one of the league’s best goalies, and the Flames need him to play like that if they want to re-enter the Western Conference playoff picture.

Heading back to the AHL is Wolf, one of the league’s top goalie prospects. He’s absolutely dominated that level over the course of the last two seasons, but hasn’t quite found his footing in the NHL yet.

As for Solovyov, he made his NHL debut this season at the age of 23. The 2020 seventh-round pick has averaged 14:59 in his six games of NHL experience so far this season and has registered two assists.

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