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Dallas Stars Considering Buying Out Valeri Nichushkin

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The Dallas Stars have quite the to-do list this offseason, but perhaps the most challenging decision it has to make will have to do with its fringe prospects. The team has a number of interesting young forwards who might be ready to take on a full-time role in Dallas, but the last thing they want to do is have some of its fringe players to slow up the development of those prospects.

One key decision the Stars must make is what to do with forward Valeri Nichushkin, who signed a two-year, $5.9MM contract last offseason to return to Dallas after bolting for the KHL earlier in his career. SportsDay’s Matthew DeFranks writes that the team must decide whether they are better off without the 24-year-old, who failed to score a goal this year in 57 games, and buy him out.

The former 10th overall pick in 2013 started his NHL career strong with a 14-goal, 34-point season as a 18-year-old. However, injuries hampered him after that as he saw his playing time cut and Nichushkin opted to return to the KHL after his entry-level deal ran out. While his numbers in the KHL weren’t exactly overwhelming (27 goals over two seasons), the Stars had hoped that bringing him back this year would put him back on course to being a top-six winger for the team. Instead he struggled terribly, putting up just 10 assists in 57 games as he saw a career-low 11:55 of ATOI and also saw him as a healthy scratch for multiple games.

At $2.95MM, Nichushkin is the sixth-highest paid forward on the team and if the team values restricted free agents Brett Ritchie and Mattias Janmark as bottom-six depth options, they may feel it’s better to allow Nichushkin to leave and return to the KHL. If the team opts to buy him out, it would only cost them $700K in 2018-19, while costing them a reasonable $450K in 2020-21. However, with some interesting prospects close to ready to make an impact such as Denis Gurianov, Jason Robertson, Ty Delandrea and Joel L’Esperance, the team needs to make a little room for one or two of them.

CHL Announces Top Player Awards for 2018-19

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Just one year after being named the CHL Rookie of the Year, QMJHL’s Alexis Lafreniere of Rimouski Oceanic, took another huge leap in his development as the 17-year-old was named the Sportsnet’s Player of the Year after the CHL released its top award winners Saturday.

Lafrieniere, who is considered to be the leading candidate to be the first-overall pick in the 2020 NHL draft, scored 42 goals as a 16-year-old to garner Rookie of the Year honors in 2017-18 and while his goal totals dropped to 37 this season, his playmaking skills took off. Lafreniere tallied 68 assists and 105 total points and then took his game to another level in the playoffs when he scored nine goals and 23 points in 13 games. Tampa Bay prospect Alex Barre-Boulet was the 2017-18 winner, at the age of 21. Lafreniere beat two other key players, including the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks’ Joachim Blichfeld and goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen of the OHL’s Sudbury Wolves.

Defenseman Ty Smith was named the Superstore Defenceman of the Year. The 19-year-old, who will likely take the ice with the New Jersey Devils next season, posted seven goals and 69 points in 57 games this season for the Spokane Chiefs of the WHL. Ian Scott of the WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders won the Vaughn Goaltender of the Year Award. He put up 38 wins, posting a 1.78 GAA and a .932 save percentage. The 20-year-old goaltender is a product of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Rookie Quinton Byfield of the Sudbury Wolves walked away with the Wawanesa Rookie of the Year Award after scoring 29 goals and 61 points in 64 games.

Here is a list of all the CHL award winners:

Player of the Year: Alexis Lafreniere
Defenseman of the Year: Ty Smith
Goaltender of the Year: Ian Scott
Rookie of the Year: Quinton Byfield
Coach of the Year: Mario Pouliot
Scholastic Player of the Year: Dustin Wolf
Humanitarian of the Year: Charle-Edouard D’Astous
Sportsman of the Year: Justin Almeida
Top Scorer: Jason Robertson
Top Prospect of Year: Bowen Byram

 

 

Free Agent Profile: Justin Brazeau

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While many observers are caught up in the college free agent market right now, the prize among undrafted free agents hails from the junior ranks. Justin Brazeau, a 21-year-old winger from the OHL’s North Bay Battalion, is ready to be an impact pro player as soon as his season ends, which could be sooner rather than later.

The OHL regular season has ended and the playoffs are set to get underway, beginning on Thursday. Brazeau suited up in all 68 games for the Battalion this season, recording 61 goals and 113 points. The massive output by the North Bay captain was good enough for the league lead in goals and second in scoring behind only top Dallas Stars prospect Jason Robertson. Yet, it wasn’t enough to place the Battalion among the top teams in the league. North Bay finished seventh in the Eastern Conference and face a daunting match-up with Robertson and the Niagara Ice Dogs in the first round.

If Brazeau and the Battalion do indeed make an early exit – a sweep would end the series by the middle of next week – Brazeau could sign his entry-level contract by the end of the month. Of course, as a junior player he could sign an ELC at any time, but at this point Brazeau seems willing to wait until his final year of juniors is officially over. He has likely had conversations with many teams already, but seems poised to look at all options for the next step in his career.

Brazeau should be able to choose freely any team in the NHL he likes for his first contract. The overage forward is more than just numbers; while many before him have dominated the junior level offensively only to flame out at the pro level, those players tend to be smaller in stature and able to skate around their opposition at the junior level. Brazeau is a different type of player entirely. At 6’6″ and 225 lbs., Brazeau is a bona fide power forward. He has great skill and offensive instincts, but can hold his own defensively with great size and strength. In fact, maybe the only weakness that could prevent him from continuing to be a contributor in the NHL is his skating. If he can improve upon his ability to get back and forth, Brazeau can be dangerous in both ends.

Potential Suitors

The short answer is that all 31 teams have likely checked in on Brazeau. A junior player of both this size and production are few and far in between and all of the NHL is on alert that Brazeau could be a special player. At the cost of an entry-level contract, it would be silly for any team not to take a chance on the big scoring forward.

However, there are some leaders in the pursuit. Of course, the Toronto Maple Leafs are always a top contender. An Ontario native, Brazeau could have the opportunity to play on a top team close to home, while the Leafs are desperate for affordable help as they face an impending cap crunch and could afford to add some more size up front as well. Similarly, Brazeau could choose to play relatively nearby in Ottawa, as the Senators need all the help they can get and Brazeau could immediately take on a major role.

Brazeau also has some history with a pair of NHL teams. The undrafted product did spend time at development camp with both the San Jose Sharks and Columbus Blue Jackets over the past few years and may have maintained relationships with those clubs. Both the Sharks and the Blue Jackets are talented teams on which Brazeau could find immediate success.

However, San Jose and Columbus, as well as Toronto, are deep up front. Brazeau wants to play as soon as possible and may not get that chance this season with one of those three teams. The Boston Bruins and Pittsburgh Penguins are two top contenders who do have flexibility in the top-nine and could be willing to give Brazeau a shot right away. The New York Rangers aren’t at the same competitive level as those teams, but are shockingly thin at right wing and Brazeau could hypothetically play

Projected Contract

Brazeau is going to sign an entry-level contract, so there is a limit on both base salary and potential bonuses, both of which he will likely max out. It will also be a three-year term, per the CBA. The key to signing the power forward will instead be who is willing or even able to burn the first year of the contract this season. Brazeau has shown that he has the size, skill, and competitive nature to play in the NHL and will want to prove that right away. The potential future star will also want to get another year closer to making real money. If a team can promise Brazeau play time this year, it will go a long way in locking him up. If such a landing spot doesn’t exist, he could opt for a team with which he can play the greatest role next season.

USA Hockey Makes Final Cuts For World Junior Championships

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After a 6-2 victory this morning over the Czech Republic in their final pre-tournament exhibition game, USA Hockey made their final cuts to their team before the World Junior Championships start on Dec. 26, according to NHL.com’s Mike Morreale. , The team released forwards Sean Dhooghe, Cole Coskey and Samuel Walker as well as cutting defensemen Michael Callahan, Ty Emberson and Joey Keane.

Here is the final 23-man roster:

F Evan Barratt (CHI)
F Noah Cates (PHI)
F Sasha Chmelevski (SJS)
F Logan Cockerill (NYI)
F Jack Drury (CAR)
F Joel Farabee (PHI)
F Jack Hughes (2019 draft eligible)
F Tyler Madden (VAN)
F Josh Norris (OTT)
F Jay O’Brien (PHI)
F Ryan Poehling (MON)
F Jason Robertson (DAL)
F Oliver Wahlstrom (NYI)

D Mikey Anderson (LAK)
D Quinn Hughes (VAN)
D Phil Kemp (EDM)
D K’Andre Miller (NYR)
D Dylan Samberg (WIN)
D Mattias Samuelsson (BUF)
D Jack St. Ivany (PHI)

G Kyle Keyser (BOS)
G Spencer Knight (2019 draft eligible)
G Cayden Primeau (MON)

Perhaps the biggest surprise was the release of Dhooghe, who many felt deserved to make the team. The undersized (5-foot-3, 150 pounds) Dhooghe has performed quite well in his sophomore year at the University of Wisconsin where he has already surpassed his goal total from last year. He has nine goals and 14 points in 18 games so far this year, but went undrafted last year despite incredible talent.

The team did keep two players who didn’t attend the WJC summer camp as both Madden and St. Ivany were able to prove their value to Team USA with their play in these exhibition games.

The team kept all three goaltenders on their roster, which shouldn’t come as much of a surprise as U.S. general manager John Vanbiesbrouck has kept three goaltenders on World Junior rosters seven of the last eight years with the exception of 2016.

USA Hockey Releases Preliminary World Junior Roster

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With just a few weeks left before the World Junior Championship gets underway in Vancouver, preliminary and selection camp rosters have been released for almost every participating country. One of the last to join the party is USA Hockey, who waited to reveal their group on the NHL Network.

The American group is one of the gold medal contenders again this year, and should be one of the most interesting groups to watch in the tournament. Littered with already drafted NHL prospects, they also will have potential first-overall pick Jack Hughes on the roster. The full group can be found below:

G Kyle Keyser (BOS)
G Spencer Knight (2019 eligible)
G Cayden Primeau (MTL)

D Mikey Anderson (LAK)
D Michael Callahan (ARI)
D Ty Emberson (ARI)
D Quinn Hughes (VAN)
D Joey Keane (NYR)
D Philip Kemp (EDM)
D K’Andre Miller (NYR)
D Dylan Samberg (WPG)
D Mattias Samuelsson (BUF)
D Jack St. Ivany (PHI)

F Evan Barratt (CHI)
F Noah Cates (PHI)
F Alexander Chmelevski (SJS)
F Logan Cockerill (NYI)
F Cole Coskey (undrafted)
F Sean Dhooghe (undrafted)
F Jack Drury (CAR)
F Joel Farabee (PHI)
F Jack Hughes (2019 eligible)
F Tyler Madden (VAN)
F Josh Norris (OTT)
F Jay O’Brien (PHI)
F Ryan Poehling (MTL)
F Jason Robertson (DAL)
F Oliver Wahlstrom (NYI)
F Sammy Walker (TBL)

Snapshots: Martinsson, Kovar, Niagara

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Eric Martinsson’s days with the Minnesota Wild seem to be numbered, but he’s not likely to be too upset about it. Swedish new source “Hockey News SE” reports that the Martinsson and the Wild have come to a mutual agreement that the recent free agent signing is to be placed on unconditional waivers in the near future for the purpose of terminating his contract. Martinsson, 26, signed with Minnesota back in May, looking to make the jump overseas after a successful stretch in the Swedish Hockey League with the Vaxjo Lakers. Instead of earning a spot on the NHL roster, Martinsson was in fact a relatively early cut from training camp. While the puck-moving blue liner has nine points through 13 games with the AHL’s Iowa Wild, he seems no closer to pushing for a chance in Minnesota than he did before the season began. As such, Martinsson would like to return home to Sweden and the Wild are expected to oblige him. Eric Martinsson is just the latest in a stream of players departing the North American minors to return to Europe this season, although Hockey New SE speculates that Martinsson’s return will be of considerable interest to many teams in the SHL.

  • Veteran forward Jan Kovar is also pondering a return to Europe. Kovar signed with the New York Islanders this summer after years of success in the KHL and in his native Czech Republic. Kovar was expected to not only compete for a job with the Isles, but potentially even center a scoring line. Instead, Kovar proved to be a poor fit with the team in camp and did not crack the starting lineup. His contract was quickly terminated, but in holding out hope for another NHL opportunity, he signed with the AHL’s Providence Bruins. Kovar has nine points in ten games with Providence, while their parent club, the Boston Bruins, have struggled with injuries and consistency, but no contract offer seems to be coming. The Providence Journal’s Mark Divver now reports that Kovar has not practiced with the team in two days and is supposedly weighing overseas contract offers. Divver believes that Kovar has offers in the KHL and NLA, as well as back home in the Czech Republic, but no such opportunities in North America. Divver additionally questions whether Kovar plays with the requisite pace to succeed in the NHL, a criticism that has come up frequently during his brief efforts this season.
  • Less than 25 games into the season doesn’t seem to be too early for a blockbuster trade in the Ontario Hockey League. The Kingston Frontenacs, with just seven win thus far the second-worst record in the league, have cashed in on two of their best assets. The Niagara Ice Dogs announced today that they have acquired Jason Robertson and Jacob Paquette from Kingston. Robertson, a second-round pick of the Dallas Stars in 2017, has back-to-back 80+ point seasons and is currently fourth among OHL scoring leaders with 38 points and second in goals with 23. Paquette, a seventh-round pick of the Nashville Predators in 2017, is a big, physical defender and a locker room leader as well. Niagara is currently tied for second in the Central Division and tied for sixth overall in the league, but will almost certainly see a considerable boost from this trade. Yet, Kingston also received a king’s ransom in the deal. The Ice Dogs surrendered a total of eleven future draft picks, including three second-rounders and three third-rounders, as well as promising draft-eligible defenseman Billy Constantinou and forward Ian Martin. The Frontenacs may have disappointed their fans by virtually giving up on the season less than halfway in, but will reward them with a solid flow of talent for years to come.

USA Hockey Announces Summer Showcase Rosters

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The World Juniors are still several months away, but we’ll get a look at those players vying for spots this weekend at the 2018 World Junior Summer Showcase. The tournament begins on Saturday in Kamloops, British Columbia and runs through August 4th, pitting teams from around the world against each other as a warm up for the winter tournament. USA Hockey will submit two teams as usual, and today announced the rosters for each along with the coaching staffs.

Team Blue will be led by Scott Sandelin and Chris Clark, who currently work for the University of Minnesota-Duluth and Columbus Blue Jackets respectively. Their roster will feature some exceptional talents including returning names like Brady Tkachuk and Dylan Samberg. The full Blue roster is as follows:

F Evan Barratt (CHI, 90th overall, 2017)
F Sasha Chmelevski (SJS, 185th overall, 2017)
F Logan Cockerill (NYI, 201st overall, 2017)
F Paul Cotter (VGK, 115th overall, 2018)
F Sean Dhooghe (undrafted)
F Jon Gruden (OTT, 95th overall, 2018)
F Logan Hutsko (FLA, 89th overall, 2018)
F Brandon Kruse (VGK, 135th overall, 2018)
F Jacob McGrew (SJS, 159th overall, 2017)
F Ryan Poehling (MTL, 25th overall, 2017)
F Brady Tkachuk (OTT, 4th overall, 2018)
F Jake Wise (CHI, 69th overall, 2018)

D Josh Ess (CHI, 215th overall, 2017)
D David Farrance (NSH, 92nd overall, 2017)
D K’Andre Miller (NYR, 22nd overall, 2018)
D Tommy Miller (undrafted)
D Alec Regula (DET, 67th overall, 2018)
D Dylan Samberg (WPG, 43rd overall, 2017)
D Reilly Walsh (NJD, 81st overall, 2017)

G Kyle Keyser (BOS, free agent)
G Keith Petruzzelli (DET, 88th overall 2017)

Team White will be led by Steve Miller and Pat Mikesch, who currently work with Ohio State University and the Green Bay Gamblers respectively. Their club may be even more exciting as it includes potential 2019 first overall pick Jack Hughes along with his brother Quinn Hughes and plenty of other high-end talents. The full roster is as follows:

F Noah Cates (PHI, 137th overall, 2017)
F Cole Coskey (undrafted)
F Jack Drury (CAR, 42nd overall, 2018)
F Joel Farabee (PHI, 14th overall, 2018)
F Curtis Hall (BOS, 119th overall, 2018)
F Jack Hughes (2019 eligible)
F Ivan Lodnia (MIN, 85th overall, 2017)
F Grant Mismash (NSH, 61st overall, 2017)
F Josh Norris (SJS, 19th overall, 2017)
F Jay O’Brien (PHI, 19th overall, 2018)
F Jason Robertson (DAL, 39th overall, 2017)
F Oliver Wahlstrom (NYI, 11th overall, 2018)

D Matt Anderson (undrafted)
D Mikey Anderson (LAK, 103rd overall, 2017)
D Quinn Hughes (VAN, 7th overall, 2018)
D Joey Keane (NYR, 88th overall, 2018)
D Phil Kemp (EDM, 208th overall, 2017)
D Ben Mirageas (NYI, 77th overall, 2017)
D Mattias Samuelsson (BUF, 32nd overall, 2018)

G Spencer Knight (2019 eligible)
G Cayden Primeau (MTL, 199th overall, 2017)

42 Players Invited To Team USA Summer Showcase

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The World Junior Summer Showcase is a tournament designed to help prospects demonstrate their skills and vie for a spot on their respective World Junior Championship squads. Today, USA Hockey released the list of 42 names that have been invited to the showcase, including several returning players. Highlighted by potential top-5 pick Quinn Hughes and his brother Jack Hughes—who is an early favorite for first-overall in 2019—the USA should have a good chance of bringing home gold at the 2019 tournament. The full list is below:

G Kyle Keyser (BOS, free agent)
G Spencer Knight (2019 draft eligible)
G Keith Petruzzelli (DET, 88th overall, 2017)
G Cayden Primeau (MTL, 199th overall, 2017)

D Matt Anderson (2018 draft eligible)
D Mikey Anderson (LAK, 103rd overall, 2017)
D Josh Ess (CHI, 215th overall, 2017)
D David Farrance (NSH, 92nd overall, 2017)
D Quinn Hughes (2018 draft eligible)
D Joe Keane (2018 draft eligible)
D Phil Kemp (EDM, 208th overall, 2017)
D Ben Mirageas (NYI, 77th overall, 2017)
D K’Andre Miller (2018 draft eligible)
D Tommy Miller (2018 draft eligible)
D Alec Regula (2018 draft eligible)
D Dylan Samberg (WPG, 43rd overall, 2017)
D Mattias Samuelsson (2018 draft eligible)
D Reilly Walsh (NJD, 81st overall, 2017)

F Evan Barratt (CHI, 90th overall, 2017)
F Noah Cates (PHI, 137th overall, 2017)
F Sasha Chmelevski (SJS, 185th overall, 2017)
F Logan Cockerill (NYI, 201st overall, 2017)
F Cole Coskey (2018 draft eligible)
F Paul Cotter (2018 draft eligible)
F Sean Dhooghe (2018 draft eligible)
F Jack Drury (2018 draft eligible)
F Joel Farabee (2018 draft eligible)
F Jon Gruden (2018 draft eligible)
F Curtis Hall (2018 draft eligible)
F Jack Hughes (2019 draft eligible)
F Logan Hutsko (2018 draft eligible)
F Brandon Kruse (2018 draft eligible)
F Ivan Lodnia (MIN, 85th overall, 2017)
F Jacob McGrew (SJS, 159th overall, 2017)
F Grant Mismash (NSH, 61st overall, 2017)
F Josh Norris (SJS, 19th overall, 2017)
F Jay O’Brien (2018 draft eligible)
F Ryan Poehling (MTL, 25th overall, 2017)
F Jason Robertson (DAL, 39th overall, 2017)
F Brady Tkachuk (2018 draft eligible)
F Oliver Wahlstrom (2018 draft eligible)
F Jake Wise (2018 draft eligible)

OHL Announces 2017-18 All-Star Teams

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The OHL is one of the best development leagues in the world when it comes to NHL players, with a huge portion of the best players in the league coming from the Ontario ranks. While being the best of the best at the junior ranks doesn’t by any means guarantee success in professional hockey, it is still a nice stepping stone on the way. Today, the OHL released their first, second and third All-Star teams for 2017-18, and they include quite a few interesting NHL prospects.

First Team All-Stars:

LW Boris Katchouk, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (Tampa Bay Lightning, 44th overall, 2016)

C Morgan Frost, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (Philadelphia Flyers, 27th overall, 2017)

RW Jordan Kyrou, Sarnia Sting (St. Louis Blues, 35th overall, 2016)

D Nicolas Hague, Mississauga Steelheads (Vegas Golden Knights, 34th overall, 2017)

D Evan Bouchard, London Knights (2018 draft eligible)

G Michael DiPietro, Windsor Spitfires (Vancouver Canucks, 64th overall, 2017)

Second Team All-Stars:

LW Sam Miletic, Niagara IceDogs (undrafted, signed with Pittsburgh Penguins)

C Aaron Luchuk, Barrie Colts (undrafted, signed with Ottawa Senators)

RW Taylor Raddysh, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (Tampa Bay Lightning, 58th overall, 2016)

D Sean Durzi, Owen Sound Attack (2018 draft eligible)**

D Conor Timmins, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (Colorado Avalanche, 32nd overall, 2017)

G Jeremy Helvig, Kingston Frontenacs (Carolina Hurricanes, 134th overall, 2016)

Third Team All-Stars:

LW Adam Mascherin, Kitchener Rangers (Florida Panthers, 38th overall, 2016)*

C Gabriel Vilardi, Kingston Frontenacs (Los Angeles Kings, 11th overall, 2017)

RW Jason Robertson, Kingston Frontenacs (Dallas Stars, 39th overall, 2017)

D Cam Dineen, Sarnia Sting (Arizona Coyotes, 68th overall, 2016)

D Joey Keane, Barrie Colts (2018 draft eligible)**

G Matthew Villalta, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (Los Angeles Kings, 72nd overall, 2017)

*Expected to re-enter draft if unsigned by Florida
**Went undrafted in first year of draft eligibility

Jason Robertson Signs With Dallas Stars

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The Dallas Stars have signed one of their top prospects, inking Jason Robertson to a three-year entry-level contract. Robertson was eliminated from the OHL playoffs last week when his Kingston Frontenacs were knocked out by the Hamilton Bulldogs.

Robertson was the Stars’ second-round pick last June, 39th-overall. The 18-year old winger had quite the year in the OHL, scoring 40+ goals for the second consecutive season and posting a career-high 87 points. That offensive performance doesn’t come like many of his skilled contemporaries, who dart in and out of traffic to create chances. Instead, Robertson uses his big frame to protect the puck down low and take it hard towards the net. Critiqued for his skating ability, he’ll need to continue to improve his stride and quickness at the next level.

Fortunately, his strength on the puck, defensive awareness and hard shot make up for any speed deficiencies and create a nice professional profile for Robertson moving forward. He’ll likely return to Kingston next season, where he could become an even more impressive offensive threat as he fills into that 6’3″ frame even more. He already led the entire OHL in shots on goal this season, something he could repeat playing alongside Gabriel Vilardi if they both return to the junior ranks.

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