HockeyAllsvenskan’s Djurgardens IF Signs Jonny Tychonick
Senators 2018 second-round pick Jonny Tychonick is heading overseas. After seeing his exclusive signing rights with the club expire late last offseason, he’s signing a one-year deal with Djurgårdens IF of the HockeyAllsvenskan, Sweden’s second-tier pro league.
Tychonick, 24, originally had his signing rights entrusted to the Sens indefinitely after they drafted him out of the British Columbia Hockey League, but that changed when he began his freshman season at the University of North Dakota the season following his draft. A fifth year of collegiate play in 2022-23 extended his exclusive signing window with Ottawa until Aug. 15 last year, but he instead opted to sign a minor-league contract with the Maple Leafs’ AHL affiliate, the Toronto Marlies.
Once a promising offensive talent, Tychonick had only 15 points in 52 games with North Dakota before transferring to Nebraska-Omaha for his junior, senior and graduate seasons. He failed to break out there, either but did have a reasonably successful overage year with 26 points and a +8 rating in 35 games. Still, that wasn’t enough for him to land an NHL deal with the Sens, or anywhere else for that matter.
He also played just four games for the Marlies this season after signing his deal, spending most of the campaign on assignment to the now-defunct Newfoundland Growlers of the ECHL. He had a strong first professional season there, racking up 43 points in 51 games, but it still didn’t draw interest in his services from NHL clubs.
Tychonick now opts to try his hand overseas and help the Stockholm-based Djurgårdens to promotion back to the Swedish Hockey League. They’re gearing up for their third straight season in the second-tier league after being demoted in 2022, losing the promotion series in back-to-back years.
Update On This Year’s August 15 Free Agents
Most NHL free agent business is dealt with in the early summer months. There is one important date later each year, however. August 15 marks the date when NHL teams lose their exclusive signing rights to most college-drafted players if they’ve graduated (or completed without graduating) college and are not yet signed to an entry-level contract.
Earlier this month, we published a list of players slated to hit the UFA market yesterday if not signed to an ELC within the coming days. However, the guidelines the NHL uses to determine a college graduate are some of the most complex sets of rules relating to contractual obligations in pro sports. That means it’s often impossible to glean a full list of players whose rights have expired (or not expired) until after the August 15 deadline has passed.
This year was no different, as CapFriendly issued multiple updates today on their X account regarding the list of August 15 free agents they’d made public earlier in the month. Three players who were slated to expire actually remained on their team’s reserve list: Calgary Flames 2018 fourth-round pick F Demetrios Koumontzis, Ottawa Senators 2018 seventh-round pick F Jakov Novak, and Senators 2018 second-round pick D Jonny Tychonick.
On the flip side, 12 players they expected to remain on teams’ reserve lists hit the free-agent market yesterday. With that in mind, we have a revised, accurate list of players who became unrestricted free agents yesterday. Asterisked players were not originally expected to come off their team’s reserve list.
Anaheim Ducks
*F Trevor Janicke (2019 fifth round, 132nd overall)
Arizona Coyotes
F John Farinacci (2019 third round, 76th overall)
*F Anthony Romano (2019 sixth round, 176th overall)
Boston Bruins
*D Dustyn McFaul (2018 sixth round, 181st overall)
Calgary Flames
*F Joshua Nodler (2019 fifth round, 150th overall)
Carolina Hurricanes
F Kevin Wall (2019 sixth round, 181st overall)
Chicago Blackhawks
F Jake Wise (2018 third round, 69th overall)
Colorado Avalanche
*F Matt Stienburg (2019 third round, 63rd overall)
Columbus Blue Jackets
D Robbie Stucker (2017 seventh round, 210th overall)
Detroit Red Wings
F Robert Mastrosimone (2019 second round, 54th overall)
*F Ethan Phillips (2019 fourth round, 97th overall)
Edmonton Oilers
F Skyler Brind’Amour (2017 sixth round, 177th overall)
Minnesota Wild
*D Marshall Warren (2019 sixth round, 166th overall)
New Jersey Devils
*D Case McCarthy (2019 fourth round, 118th overall)
*F Patrick Moynihan (2019 sixth round, 158th overall)
New York Islanders
D Christian Krygier (2018 seventh round, 196th overall)
F Jacob Pivonka (2018 fourth round, 103rd overall)
New York Rangers
*F Eric Ciccolini (2019 seventh round, 205th overall)
*F Riley Hughes (2018 seventh round, 216th overall)
Ottawa Senators
*F Luke Loheit (2018 seventh round, 194th overall)
Philadelphia Flyers
F Jay O’Brien (2018 first round, 19th overall)
San Jose Sharks
D Arvid Henrikson (2016 seventh round, 187th overall) Originally drafted by the Montreal Canadiens
Toronto Maple Leafs
D Ryan O’Connell (2017 seventh round, 203rd overall)
Winnipeg Jets
G Jared Moe (2018 sixth round, 184th overall)
Of the list above, Krygier and Pivonka are remaining in the Islanders organization on confirmed AHL contracts for 2023-24, although they remain eligible to sign with another NHL team should one come calling. All others are either returning to school for 2023-24, have contracts signed in other leagues, or are not signed for next season.
Notably, this is the official confirmation that the Flyers’ exclusive signing rights of O’Brien have lapsed. As compensation for not signing a first-round pick to their entry-level contract, the Flyers will receive a compensatory second-round pick from the league in the 2024 NHL Draft.
Snapshots: Tychonick, Ruotsalainen, Brink
An interesting signing took place this morning, permitted only by a technicality. Ottawa Senators 2018 second-round pick Jonny Tychonick signed a two-year AHL contract with the Toronto Marlies, beginning this season, according to the team.
While he’s signing with a team in the Maple Leafs organization, his NHL rights are still held by Ottawa, albeit for what will likely be a short period of time. Tychonick’s exclusive signing rights will expire on August 15, 2023, standard procedure for collegiate players who have exhausted their college eligibility and have not yet signed an NHL contract.
The move signals it’s unlikely Tychonick will sign an NHL deal with Ottawa by that time. After a pair of disappointing seasons at the University of North Dakota, Tychonick transferred to the University of Nebraska-Omaha in 2020, where he finally saw an offensive breakout this season as a fifth-year player, recording eight goals and 18 assists in 35 games.
More from around the hockey world this morning:
- Forward Arttu Ruotsalainen‘s time with EHC Kloten of the Swiss National League has ended, according to a team announcement. Ruotsalainen, 25, did not accept his qualifying offer from the Buffalo Sabres last offseason, instead opting for more opportunity in Europe, where he scored 42 points in 52 games with Kloten. If a return to the NHL is in the cards for Ruotsalainen this summer, it will be with Buffalo barring a trade, as the Sabres still hold the undrafted forward’s NHL rights.
- Sam Carchidi of Philly Hockey Now says the Philadelphia Flyers are expected to give winger Bobby Brink an NHL look soon. After an offseason hip injury cost him the beginning of the 2022-23 season, the 21-year-old Brink has 19 points in 31 games with the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms. The 34th overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft also had four assists in 10 games with the Flyers last year, his first stint in the NHL.