AHL Assignments: 3/6/25
Today’s trade deadline also has minor-league implications. Players must be on an AHL roster at 2:00 p.m. Central in order to be eligible to play in the Calder Cup Playoffs. As such, teams will be ferrying a large number of waiver-exempt players to the minors this morning and afternoon before recalling them before the end of the league day for cap counting at 4:00 p.m. That allows them to bypass the new rule that players must play at least one game in the minors after being reassigned before they’re eligible for a recall again.
Here’s the rundown of today’s reassignments that will be announced during the blizzard of other moves today:
- The Flames will ferry winger Matvei Gridin to the Calgary Wranglers, Ryan Pike of Flames Nation reports. The 2024 #28 overall pick is in his first professional season and is already beginning to look like a natural fit in the Flames’ top nine, posting seven points through his first 18 NHL games while averaging 14:18 of ice time per night. Gridin’s 4.17 shot attempts per game are fourth on the team after Rasmus Andersson and MacKenzie Weegar were traded away. He’s also got 10 goals and 29 points in 36 games for the Wranglers, but with the Flames’ roster thinning out as they sell pieces off, he’ll be up in the NHL for the stretch run before returning to the playoff-bound Wranglers after the regular season ends.
- The Jets announced they’ve sent winger Walker Duehr and defender Isaak Phillips to AHL Manitoba. Both may find their way back down to Manitoba on a full-time basis before the end of the season as Winnipeg gets some of its IR-bound players back in the lineup, but for now, they’ll serve as depth pieces for the Jets as they potentially subtract more talents from their roster today.
- The Mammoth sent defenseman Dmitriy Simashev to Tucson, per PuckPedia. The 2023 sixth overall pick got into the Utah lineup for the first time since December last night. The rookie has been exceptional in the minors but has just one assist with a -9 rating through his first 25 career NHL outings.
- The Blackhawks assigned defender Ethan Del Mastro to Rockford, per PuckPedia. He’ll be back up after being recalled earlier in the week to replace Connor Murphy on the roster after he was dealt to the Oilers.
- The Penguins have sent down winger Avery Hayes to make him post-season eligible, per Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. The 23-year-old rookie has two goals through his first six NHL contests over the past several weeks, both of which came in his debut.
- The Avalanche have demoted winger Gavin Brindley to the AHL’s Colorado Eagles. Brindley is in his first full NHL season after being acquired from the Columbus Blue Jackets last year, scoring six goals and 12 points in 47 games, averaging 9:51 of ice time per game.
- The Rangers are making sure that AHL Hartford has reinforcements for the playoffs. New York has reassigned forwards Jaroslav Chmelar and Juuso Pärssinen. The former scored the first goal of his NHL career in a lopsided victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs.
- According to a team announcement, the Vancouver Canucks have reassigned netminder Nikita Tolopilo and defenseman Cole Clayton to AHL Abbotsford. Tolopilo has been a mainstay between the pipes for Vancouver over the last little while, managing a 3-5-2 record in nine starts this season with a .901 SV% and 3.27 GAA.
- Unlikely to make the playoffs this season, the Panthers are making sure the cupboards are stocked for the Charlotte Checkers’ playoff run. The Panthers have reassigned Tobias Björnfot and Sandis Vilmanis, allowing them to remain eligible for the postseason.
- The Kraken have reassigned forwards Jacob Melanson and Ryan Winterton to the AHL’s Coachella Valley Firebirds. The pair have combined for four goals and 19 points in 82 games for Seattle this season.
- According to Bill Hoppe of the Times Herald, the Buffalo Sabres have assigned Zach Metsa to the AHL’s Rochester Americans in a paper transaction. Metsa, 27, is in his first full NHL season, scoring two goals and four points in 31 games, averaging 9:45 of ice time per game.
- The best team in the AHL may be even better during the playoffs. To maintain their eligibility for the postseason, the Grand Rapids Griffins announced that captain Dominik Shine and defenseman Axel Sandin Pellikka have been reassigned in a paper transaction.
- According to Charlie O’Connor of PHLY Sports, the Flyers have reassigned Denver Barkey and Adam Ginning to AHL Lehigh Valley. Barkey has been an encouraging story of late, scoring two goals and 10 points in his first 26 games of NHL action.
- Murat Ates of The Athletic confirmed that the Winnipeg Jets reassigned defenseman Elias Salomonsson to retain his postseason eligibility. Salomonsson has been relatively disappointing for AHL Manitoba this season, registering one goal and nine points in 29 contests.
- Pushing back on the earlier report today indicating that the Canucks had recalled Ty Mueller, Brendan Batchelor of Sportsnet shared that he won’t be joining the Canucks. Vancouver will run with a bare-bones roster tonight against the Blackhawks.
- Missing the playoffs for the first time in a decade, the Maple Leafs are making sure AHL Toronto has additional firepower for their postseason run. According to Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun, the Maple Leafs have reassigned Easton Cowan and Jacob Quillan in a paper transaction. Despite being a higher-regarded prospect, Cowan only has two games of AHL experience.
- As expected, the Edmonton Oilers have reassigned forward Josh Samanski to the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors to ensure his postseason eligibility. Samanski has been exceptional for AHL Bakersfield this year, registering eight goals and 31 points in 43 games with a +6 rating.
This page will be updated throughout the day.
Jets Recall Isaak Phillips
Earlier this evening the Winnipeg Jets announced that Isaak Phillips has been recalled from AHL Manitoba. No corresponding transaction was required. He has jumped right into action tonight against Tampa Bay, as both Logan Stanley and Luke Schenn are out on the eve of tomorrow’s trade deadline.
Phillips, a 24-year-old defenseman, has been back and forth at times throughout the campaign as a depth option. Prior to tonight, it had led to just two games dressed with the Jets this year, from January 19-20. The Ontario native averaged 8:12 between them, not recording any statistics. He was last sent down on February 5.
Standing at 6’3″, the lefty was drafted in the fifth round by Chicago in 2020, impressively breaking into the NHL within two years, but eventually becoming passed up by other young defensemen on the roster. He was traded to Winnipeg last January, where he’s spent most time in the AHL with the Moose since. In 83 games across the last two years, Phillips has 27 points.
Set to move out some pieces after nearly a decade of consistent playoff appearances, Winnipeg could keep Phillips around for a longer period than normal as a seventh defender. The Moose are ranked 20th in the AHL, and as they offer familiar names such as Kale Clague and Ville Heinola, Phillips is the top option to fill in when needed without disrupting things down the ladder. Signed through next year before hitting restricted free agency, he’ll look to make an impact in a bid to take on a larger role with the team in 2026-27.
Jets Reassign Elias Salomonsson, Isaak Phillips
The Winnipeg Jets announced two reassignments as the team prepares for the Olympic Break: defensemen Elias Salomonsson and Isaak Phillips have been sent to the AHL’s Manitoba Moose.
Both Phillips and Salomonsson have been depth defensemen for the Jets this season, each splitting time between the NHL and AHL.
Salomonsson, 21, is a 2022 second-round pick and one of Winnipeg’s better defensive prospects. He’s played in 25 games at the AHL level this season, skating in a major role, and has gotten into 13 NHL games. In the NHL, Salomonsson is averaging 16:57 time on ice per game including sporadic usage on the penalty kill.
Phillips, 24, is in the middle of his first full season with Winnipeg after being acquired by the team in January of last year. He’s occupied a spot below Salomonsson on the depth chart, and has just two NHL games played this season. In the AHL, Phillips has scored 15 points across 35 games played in 2025-26, which ranks third on the Moose in terms of scoring by a defenseman.
With Manitoba sitting third place in the AHL’s Central Division, those reassignments will help reinforce their defense and give them greater odds of utilizing the Olympic break to make a push for the No. 2 spot in their division, which is currently being held by the Chicago Wolves.
Jets Recall Isaak Phillips
The Jets announced they’ve recalled defenseman Isaak Phillips from AHL Manitoba. He was up with them for nine days earlier this month, but since he played twice for Manitoba over the weekend after being sent down Friday, he’s eligible to be recalled again today.
The Blackhawks took Phillips, now 24, in the fifth round of the 2020 draft. He immediately jumped to the pros thanks to the pandemic and remained in the organization until last season, at one point ranking among the team’s top 15 prospects according to the Chicago Sun-Times in 2022. His NHL debut had arrived the season prior, and after he put up five points in 16 games with a 0.4 relative CF% at even strength across multiple call-ups in 2022-23, there were plenty of reasons for optimism.
Unfortunately, Phillips faltered when given a longer leash the following season. He made 36 appearances for Chicago from 2023-25 but managed only seven points with a -26 rating and porous possession metrics, getting outscored 39-13 when he was on the ice at 5-on-5. For a player whose profile was built around his defensive game, his negative net possession impacts during that time sank his momentum. After spending the vast majority of the first half of the 2024-25 campaign in the minors, the Jets acquired him in a prospect-for-prospect swap in January.
Things didn’t go well for Phillips in Manitoba down the stretch, limited to eight points and a -11 rating in 39 games. This season, though, he’s flipped the script. The 6’3″ lefty is amid a resurgent campaign with 15 points in 35 games for the Moose, among the best offensive production of his professional career, along with a +5 rating that ranks near the team lead. That performance got him his first call-up as a Jet earlier this month when Colin Miller hit injured reserve. He played in two of the six games he was rostered for, deployed as a bottom-pairing defensive specialist while averaging just 8:12 of ice time per game.
With Miller, Haydn Fleury, and Neal Pionk still on IR, Phillips will again get the chance to serve as Winnipeg’s extra defenseman and maybe get some playing time as the Jets head out on a four-game road trip that will nearly take them to the Olympic break. He signed a two-year, two-way, $1.625MM deal with a $812.5K AAV as a restricted free agent last summer, so he’s not in a contract year.
Winnipeg Jets Reassign Isaak Phillips, Danil Zhilkin
According to a team announcement, the Winnipeg Jets have reassigned defenseman Isaak Phillips and forward Danil Zhilkin to the AHL’s Manitoba Moose. Each player was recalled relatively recently as injury insurance.
Unfortunately, it seems the transaction will not align with any positive updates regarding the injury situation. The Moose play tonight at home, allowing each player to play before being recalled for tomorrow’s contest against the Detroit Red Wings. Winnipeg remains without Haydn Fleury, Colin Miller, and Neal Pionk.
Phillips, 24, is in his second year with the Jets organization. Winnipeg acquired him from the Chicago Blackhawks last season as he was passed over on the team’s depth chart. Unfortunately, he hasn’t found more playing time with the Jets.
Still, he’s having a much better year in the AHL. Split between Manitoba and the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs, Phillips finished with four goals and 16 points in 67 games with a -3 rating. He’s nearly matched that output already this year, registering three goals and 13 points in 33 games with a +3 rating.
Meanwhile, Zhilkin, 22, is in his third professional season. He hasn’t had much success so far, but got off to a moderately good start this season, scoring seven goals and 14 points in 30 games. He has not scored in four NHL appearances, averaging 8:14 of ice time.
Jets’ Colin Miller Out Week-To-Week, Placed On IR
1/14/26: While Miller’s IR placement telegraphed to a certain extent that Miller’s absence would be an extended one, we now have a bit more clarity on his recovery timeline. Jets head coach Scott Arniel indicated today that Miller is week-to-week with his injury. As a result, the Jets are likely to need to increasingly rely on depth blueliners with a trio of established NHLers now sidelined on a week-to-week basis.
1/12/26: Back in action tomorrow, the Winnipeg Jets announced this afternoon that Isaak Phillips has been recalled from AHL Manitoba, while Colin Miller has landed on injured reserve.
Winnipeg, finally finding their game after an 11-game winless streak which possibly has sunk their season, has to reach deep into the organization’s defense stock for Phillips, especially with Haydn Fleury out, and Miller now banged up. If able to suit up this week, it would be Phillips’ first action as a Jet.
Miller, who has struggled considerably in what will likely be his third and final season with the team, left mid-game against New Jersey with a lower-body injury. At this point it is unclear when he will return, but with the 33-year-old a healthy scratch often, playing in just 15 games so far, it is not the biggest impact for the Jets as they desperately look to turn things around.
Phillips, 24, was acquired from Chicago just three days shy of exactly one year ago, as the team gave up prospect Dmitri Kuzmin last January to in exchange for a respectable NHL-capable depth defender. The Ontario native was a fifth round choice of Chicago in 2020, making 56 appearances for the team from 2021-2025, recording 12 points. After solid contributions for the rebuilders despite being a former fringe prospect, Phillips became expendable as he was passed up in favor of prospects with higher upside.
Since then, Phillips has yet to appear with the Jets, playing in 72 games for Manitoba over the last two seasons. A physical lefty standing at 6’3″, he earned a two year extension with Winnipeg last summer, which will keep him around through next year, followed by restricted free agent status. Interestingly, he gets the nod over other notable defenders in Manitoba. Prospect Elias Salomonsson, who last got a look in early December, will remain in the AHL, along with former standout prospects Ville Heinola and Kale Clague.
For now, Winnipeg will move forward with Phillips as a seventh defender, as Luke Schenn has re-entered the lineup, who is eager to prove himself to suitors as last week it was noted that the 36-year-old pending free agent would be open to a trade.
Naturally, Phillips figures to be the best option to come up as depth, without rocking the boat in Manitoba. The Jets will host the Islanders tomorrow, looking for their third straight win.
Waivers: 9/30/25
The final day of September has once again brought a flurry of waiver activity. After 22 players were placed on waivers on Monday, all of whom cleared, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, another 22 players are on the wire today, per PuckPedia. They are as follows:
Calgary Flames
F Clark Bishop
F Dryden Hunt
D Yan Kuznetsov
F Sam Morton
Carolina Hurricanes
D Gavin Bayreuther
F Noel Gunler
F Tyson Jost
F Josiah Slavin
F Ryan Suzuki
Edmonton Oilers
New York Islanders
G Marcus Hogberg
F Matthew Highmore
New York Rangers
F Brendan Brisson
D Connor Mackey
Philadelphia Flyers
San Jose Sharks
F Shane Bowers
F Jimmy Huntington
F Oskar Olausson
F Pavol Regenda
G Jakub Skarek
Winnipeg Jets
D Tyrel Bauer
D Isaak Phillips
Some younger forwards stand out on today’s list. Olausson, Brisson and Suzuki were late first-round selections back in 2021, 2020, and 2019, respectively, but haven’t been able to grab a foothold on a full-time NHL roster spot just yet. Meanwhile, Gunler is only 23 and since he has spent a lot of his time since being drafted playing overseas, he’s still relatively inexperienced in North America with just 100 AHL games under his belt.
Among the blueliners, Phillips has seen NHL action in four straight seasons, all with Chicago, including a 33-game stint in 2023-24. Mackey was recalled and sent down many times on paper moves last season and has gotten into at least one NHL appearance in five straight years. Bayreuther is the most experienced of them all with 122 NHL outings but none since 2023-24.
With the belief that a few teams might be eyeing the goalie market, there are a trio of options available. Hogberg is the most experienced of the three with 57 NHL outings, including 15 last season. Skarek (two games in 2024-25) and Tomkins (six in 2023-24) joined new teams in free agency this summer and don’t appear likely to be claimed.
These players will be on waivers until 1:00 PM CT on Wednesday.
Jets Re-Sign Isaak Phillips To Two-Year Contract
The Jets have re-signed restricted free agent defenseman Isaak Phillips to a two-year contract, according to a team announcement. It’s unclear if it’s a one-way or two-way deal.
While playing his junior hockey with the OHL’s Sudbury Wolves, Phillips was drafted in the fifth round in 2020 by the Blackhawks. He got an early taste of pro hockey the following season when the OHL suspended operations due to COVID, playing for AHL Rockford in his post-draft year, and was able to remain there the following season thanks to his late September birthday. He bounced between leagues for much of his time with Chicago and successfully cleared waivers for the first time at the beginning of 2024-25.
Phillips, 23, was again shuttled between leagues through the early going of the campaign but was sent to the minors permanently in November. With his spot in the organization uncertain, the Hawks traded him to Winnipeg in January. He didn’t receive a recall after the trade, finishing the season with the AHL’s Manitoba Moose. He made just three NHL appearances in 2024-25, posting an assist and three hits while averaging a paltry 11:54 per game.
While a defensive defenseman first and foremost, Phillips had shown a degree of offensive competency in Rockford in the past that led some to believe he could have the all-around play necessary to become an everyday third-pairing piece. That wasn’t the case last season. He made 67 appearances between Rockford and Manitoba, only managing four goals and 16 points with a cumulative minus-three rating.
The 6’3″, 205-lb lefty may be valuable organizational depth for the Jets with his 238 games of AHL experience, but that lackluster showing in the minors doesn’t inspire confidence that he’ll realistically compete for a roster spot in the fall. Winnipeg has eight defensemen under contract who played at least 39 NHL games last season.
If Phillips doesn’t manage 24 NHL appearances over the next two seasons, he’ll be able to test unrestricted free agency early thanks to Group VI status. If he plays more than that, he’ll remain under Winnipeg’s control as an RFA upon expiry.
Jets Recall Five Black Aces
With their AHL affiliate’s season over, the Jets announced they’ve recalled five players from the Manitoba Moose to serve as extras for the remainder of their playoff run. Forwards Axel Jonsson-Fjallby, Mason Shaw, and defensemen Dylan Coghlan, Isaak Phillips, and Elias Salomonsson will travel with the Jets and practice with the club while technically being available for game action if necessary.
Jonsson-Fjallby did not appear for Winnipeg in the regular season, his first campaign without an NHL appearance since 2020-21. The 27-year-old Swede was on a one-way deal this year so he still received his league-minimum $775K salary, but the pending unrestricted free agent seems unlikely to remain with the Jets beyond this playoff run as a result. The fifth-round pick of the Capitals back in 2016 struggled to produce with Manitoba this year as well, limited to 12-15–27 in 65 games after posting 30 points in only 41 AHL contests last year. He last saw NHL ice for Winnipeg in the 2024 postseason and has 23 points in 99 career NHL games across three seasons.
Shaw also did not make an NHL appearance in 2024-25. It was his first professional season outside the Wild organization, which drafted him in the fourth round in 2017 but did not tender him a qualifying offer last summer after he recovered from his fourth ACL surgery (twice in each knee). After landing a two-way deal with Winnipeg a few days later, Shaw cleared waivers at the beginning of the season and reported to Manitoba. The 26-year-old posted a 17-20–37 scoring line with 114 PIMs and a -21 rating in his first non-injury plagued season since 2021-22. Winnipeg can retain the 26-year-old’s signing rights with a qualifying offer this summer, but he’s eligible for salary arbitration.
[RELATED: NHL Arbitration-Eligible Free Agents For 2025]
Coghlan is the only member of the group to appear in a regular-season game for the Jets this year. He skated in six games in December and January after spending the first two months of the season as a healthy scratch. After clearing waivers, he was assigned to Manitoba for the rest of the season in mid-January. While he went without a point in his six big-league games, the two-way righty lit up the minors with a 12-16–28 scoring line in just 36 appearances for the Moose. He’s one year removed from leading the AHL in goals by a defenseman but sits firmly in the No. 10 spot on Winnipeg’s defense depth chart behind names like Ville Heinola, Colin Miller, and Logan Stanley.
Phillips played early in the season with the Blackhawks but didn’t see a recall to the Jets’ roster after they acquired him via trade in January. The 2020 fifth-rounder has 2-10–12 with a -37 rating in 56 career appearances with Chicago over the past four years. A pending RFA with arbitration rights, the young shutdown blueliner had 3-5–8 with a -11 rating in 39 appearances for Manitoba after the trade.
Salomonsson has yet to make his NHL debut but is likely Winnipeg’s top prospect at this point. The 20-year-old rearguard adjusted well in his first season in North America in 2024-25, logging heavy minutes for Manitoba and finishing second among their defensemen in scoring behind Coghlan with 5-22–27 in 53 games. The smooth-skating 6’2″, 185-lb righty is a long shot to make next season’s opening night roster but is likely to at least make his big-league debut within the next 12 months.
Jets Acquire Isaak Phillips From Blackhawks
12:33 p.m.: Winnipeg made the trade official Wednesday afternoon, confirming it’s a one-for-one swap.
11:49 a.m.: The Jets are finalizing a trade to acquire defenseman Isaak Phillips from the Blackhawks in exchange for 21-year-old defense prospect Dmitri Kuzmin, Darren Dreger of TSN reports Wednesday.
Phillips, 23, is a 6’3″ lefty who Chicago drafted in the fifth round in 2020. He has 56 NHL games to his name already, but just three have come this season.
Aside from a few recalls in the first few weeks of the campaign, Phillips has spent 2024-25 entirely in the AHL with Rockford. Now in his fifth professional season, getting an early start thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic shutting down the OHL’s operations in 2020-21, he has eight points in 28 games on the farm with 54 PIMs and a plus-eight rating.
Phillips has an eye-popping -37 rating in his brief NHL career, although it’s hard to judge a still-raw defender on one of the league’s worst teams during that timeframe. Even still, relative to his Chicago teammates during that time, his possession numbers have been poor.
Chicago has controlled 42.4% of shot attempts with Phillips on the ice since his debut in 2021-22, 3.7% worse than their share without him. That’s a significant margin for a player whose primary calling is their defensive skills, although he has also provided 12 points, 47 blocks and 89 hits.
He still has upside, though, and Winnipeg was likely on the hunt for a slightly more experienced recall option than what they had in the system. The younger Kuzmin heads the other way, with the Blackhawks gaining a riskier but higher-ceiling talent in the swap.
The Jets drafted the Belarusian native 82nd overall in 2021, and he promptly came over to North America to suit up in the major junior ranks. The 5’10” lefty posted 103 points and a +18 rating in 122 games with the OHL’s Flint Firebirds across two seasons before turning pro with the Winnipeg organization in 2023.
Only this season has Kuzmin established himself as a semi-regular in the AHL. He split 2023-24 between the Jets’ AHL affiliate in their backyard and their ECHL affiliate in Norfolk, and his numbers didn’t pop off the page in either league.
This season, Kuzmin has been limited to a goal and three assists for four points with a minus-nine rating through 21 appearances. It’s clear things weren’t quite working out for the puck-mover in Winnipeg’s system, so he’ll get a fresh start in the Windy City with a year and a half left on his entry-level contract.
The swap won’t affect either team’s roster count or salary cap,, as both are actively on AHL assignments. However, the Jets will need to work with Phillips, who will be a restricted free agent with arbitration rights at the end of the season.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.