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Trevor Smith Signs AHL Contract With San Antonio

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Journeyman forward Trevor Smith will be back in the AHL next season, but for the first time in his career it won’t be on an NHL contract. The long-time pro has played on a one- or two-year two-way contract since his first full season in 2007-08, but that streak has come to an end. Smith has signed a one-way minor league contract with the San Antonio Rampage, the AHL announced today.

Smith, 33, has been a constant presence in the AHL for a long time, with at least one game played in eleven of the past twelve years, for a total of 593 games. During that time, he has also skated in 107 NHL games, including a career-high 54 games with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2014-15. The University of New Hampshire alum signed with the New York Islanders to begin his pro career and has since signed contracts with the Anaheim Ducks, Tampa Bay Lightning, Pittsburgh Penguins, Toronto Maple Leafs, and most recently a two-year deal with the Nashville Predators. Smith has always had incredible production in the AHL – 438 total points and .75 points per game – but transitioning that offense has been a constant struggle; Smith has only 20 career NHL points and has never cracked double-digits in a single season.

As such, it is no surprise that the aging Smith is no longer considered a valued NHL asset. Although just last season he scored 43 points in 66 games in the AHL, he has only one scoreless NHL game on his resume over the past three years and has a history of being a non-factor at the top level. Nevertheless, he will still be a major boost for the Rampage in 2018-19. The former captain of both the Toronto Marlies and Milwaukee Admirals will play an important leadership role in San Antonio and his offensive experience and ability will help the team succeed as well as assist in the development of top young St. Louis Blues forward prospects like Jordan Kyrou, Klim Kostin, Erik Foley, and Nolan Stevens. Smith’s NHL days may be over, but he can still be a difference-maker in the AHL, where he has thrived for more than a decade.

Central Notes: Tarasenko, Schmaltz, Keith

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The St. Louis Blues have done everything they can to retool their team to not only get them back into the playoffs, but make a deep run of it. They went out and acquired Ryan O’Reilly, signed Tyler Bozak, David Perron and Patrick Maroon and have two top prospects on the brink of joining their team in Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou.

However while answering mailbag questions, The Athletic’s Jeremy Rutherford (subscription required) suggests that the biggest improvement to the team should come from within as he believes that Vladimir Tarasenko has just scratched the surface of what he’s capable of. The 26-year-old has posted goal totals of 37, 40, 39 and 33 goals over the past four seasons, but he is more than capable of becoming the superstar that many felt he could be when he was drafted in the first round in 2010. Rutherford even compared him to Brett Hull.

However, the scribe says he needs to fix a few things if he wants to take that next step, including playing more relaxed and not let everything around him frustrate him. He also feels that although he’s coming off shoulder surgery this offseason, he needs to get into the best shape of his life and be more engaged on the ice.

  • Chicago Blackhawks’ Nick Schmaltz has come a long way since being viewed as a prospect two years ago. Now the team’s second-line center, who many view as the eventual successor to Jonathan Toews on the first line, Schmaltz feels he’s ready to take on a bigger role with the team, according to Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times. However, the first thing the 22-year-old must do is improve on his faceoffs. Schmaltz has struggled with faceoffs for two straight years, winning just 31 percent of his faceoffs in his rookie year, while improving to 40 percent this year (321 faceoffs won out of 801). Unfortunately, that number is still not good enough as the team hopes for closer to 50 percent.  “I’ve got some stuff that I’m going to continue to work on, especially in the faceoff circle,” Schmaltz said. “If I can continue to get that up, that’ll only help our team game with the puck.”
  • John Dietz of the Daily Herald interviewed Duncan Keith at the 11th annual Fan Convention on Friday and Keith, who scored just two goals on 187 shots, was quick to take the blame for the Chicago Blackhawks’ struggles last season that had them missing the playoffs for the first time in 10 years. The 35-year-old defender has averaged 25:13 of ATOI throughout his career, but saw those numbers decline to 23:50 last year and it might drop even further in the future. “I definitely take some of the blame from last year, knowing that there were certain things I could do better,” Keith said. “On the good things, I’ll continue to do that. Other things, I’ll try to work on and be better at.”

Central Notes: Blackhawks, Toews, Kyrou, Makar

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For a rare change of pace, the Chicago Blackhawks prospect camp was dominated by the team’s defensive prospects, which included several big names including 2018 first-round pick Adam Boqvist. The Athletic’s Scott Powers (subscription required), who posts his 20 takeaways from development camp, writes the most important fact is that of all their blueline talent, four of those players have the potential to develop into top-four talent, including Boqvist, 2017 first-rounder Henri Jokiharju. 2018 first-rounder Nicolas Beaudin and 2017 second-rounder Ian Mitchell.

That’s a big improvement for a club that hasn’t produced a top-four defenseman since they drafted Niklas Hjalmarsson back in 2005. The team has had multiple failures when drafting defenseman in the first two rounds since then or have traded them in deals to improve their NHL club instead, including Simon Danis-Pepin (2nd-2006), Akim Aliu (2nd-2007), Dylan Olsen (1st-2009), Justin Holl (2nd-2010), Stephen Johns (2nd-2010), Adam Clendening (2nd-2011), Dillon Fournier (2nd-2012) and Carl Dahlstrom (2nd-2013).

  • NHL.com’s Tracey Myers writes that Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews hit the ice for the second time this offseason last week and said he is working on little parts of his game to improve after a slightly down season last year that saw the Blackhawks miss the playoffs. While his 20 goals and 52 points were solid, his progression has shrunk in each of the last two seasons. “I think the biggest thing is just feeling good and getting back to feeling strong and fast,” Toews said. “As I’ve mentioned a few times, it’s just getting rid of old injuries and just feeling healthy again. I’m kind of taking advantage to work in that area.”
  • In a mailbag series, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Jeff Gordon writes that top prospect Jordan Kyrou, who has finished up his junior career, will have a tough time earning a spot in the St. Louis Blues’ rotation next season after the team went out and acquired David Perron, Tyler Bozak, Patrick Maroon as well as the potential return of Robby Fabbri from injury. With the exception of an amazing training camp, Kyrou is likely to start the season with the team’s AHL affiliate. Kyrou, who posted 39 goals and 109 points with the OHL’s Sarnia Sting last season, should be ready contribute soon as injuries at some point will likely allow the team to give Kyrou some time with the NHL club.
  • Rick Sadowski of NHL.com writes that Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar believes he needs more time in college before he is ready to step into the NHL. Makar, the Avalanche’s 2017 first-round pick (fourth overall), struggled out of the gate at the University of Massachussetts – Amherst, but started to pick it up in the second half of the season and improved even more after a stint at the World Junior Championship. “I had very high expectations going into my first NCAA season,” said Makar. “I’m very tough on myself. I think I’m my biggest critic. I want to work on my consistency. I struggled with that a little bit last year.”

St. Louis Blues Must Decide Who To Move If They Want To Improve

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One reason the St. Louis Blues struggled this past season was their lack of quality players in their top-six. If the Blues want to upgrade their center position this offseason which is believed to be their biggest need, the team must be willing to move some of their assets to do that. Some potential possibilities to fill that gap could range from the Buffalo Sabres’ Ryan O’Reilly to the Edmonton Oilers Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.

In a mailbag segment, St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Jeff Gordon writes that the most obvious trade asset the team has is on defense. The team is loaded there with captain Alex Pietrangelo, Colton Parayko, Joel Edmundson, an expected bounce-back season of veteran Jay Bouwmeester, and the improved play of rookie Vince Dunn. The most obvious trade chip would be Parayko, a promising draft pick back in 2012, who has put up three solid seasons, but hasn’t taken that next step into a star player. Already locked in for another four years at $5.5MM AAV, the team may still not be ready to move on from him as their expectations are high on him.

Gordon writes if the team decides to make Parayko off-limits to teams, then the team would have to consider moving other key assets such as Edmundson and Dunn as well as a few of their young forward prospects such as Tage Thompson, Klim Kostin and Samuel Blais as well as the Winnipeg Jets’ 2018 first-round pick which they got in the Paul Stastny deal. While the preference would be for the team not to trade off any of their talented prospects, if they want to upgrade their roster, the team must consider moving some of them. While the team has made Jordan Kyrou, who is coming off an elite season in juniors, and Robert Thomas, their 2017 first-round pick who has dominated in the junior playoffs, the team might have no choice but to consider using Thompson, Kostin or Blais to bait a team into a trade.

Edmundson will be a restricted free agent this summer and while he has been hampered by injuries, he’s proven to be an excellent defensive blueliner. Dunn had a great first season as well. Thompson, the team’s 2016 first-rounder, split time between the Blues and the San Antonio Rampage of the AHL. He could earn a bigger role next year, but scored just three goals in 41 games in the NHL last year. Kostin, the team’s other first-round pick in the 2017 draft, struggled adjusting to the North American game as an 18-year-old in the AHL, but is considered to have great skills. Blais also split time between leagues, but managed to get into just 11 games with the Blues.

However, the real question is what will they be willing to give up for a top-six center? Or is there another way to get one.

 

CHL Announces Top Players Awards for 2017-18

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The CHL announced their top player awards Saturday with Alex Barre-Boulet garnering the Sportsnet Player of the Year Award. The 21-year-old who played for the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada of the QMJHL, tallied 53 goals and 116 points to capture the award, beating out Everett Silvertips goaltender Carter Hart and the Sarnia Stings forward Jordan Kyrou. The 5-foot-9 Barre-Boulet, who went undrafted, signed an entry level contract in March with the Tampa Bay Lightning and will likely report to their AHL franchise next year.

While Hart fell short of winning the Player of the Year award, he didn’t walk away without one as the Philadelphia Flyers prospect won the Vaughn Goaltending of the Year award for the second time. The 19-year-old who starred for Team Canada at the World Juniors as well, blew the competition away with a 1.60 GAA in 41 games and putting up an impressive .947 save percentage. He beat out Windsor Spitfires Michael DiPietro and Rouyn-Noranda Huskies’ Samuel Harvey.

The Vegas Golden Knights picked up another award as prospect Nicolas Hague won the Superstore Defenseman of the Year award. The second-round pick in 2017 from the OHL’s Mississauga Steelheads totaled 35 goals and 78 points in 67 games last season. He beat out Moose Jaw Warriors Kale Clague and Acadie-Bathurst Titan’s Olivier Galipeau.

Andrei Svechnikov of the Barrie Colts won the Sherwin Williams Top Prospect Award as the Barrie Colts winger put up 40 goals in his rookie year in the OHL. Svenchikov is considered by many to be the second player to come off the board in the 2018 NHL Draft. He beat out Spokane Chiefs defenseman Ty Smith and Halifax Mooseheads Filip Zadina.

Here is a list of all the CHL award winners:

Player of the Year: Alex Barre-Boulet
Defenseman of the Year: Nicolas Hague
Goaltender of the Year: Carter Hart
Rookie of the Year: Alex Lafreniere
Coach of the Year: Drew Bannister
Scholastic Player of the Year: Alexandre Alain
Humanitarian of the Year: Garrett McFadden
Sportsman of the Year: Aleksi Heponiemi
Top Scorer: Jayden Halbegwachs
Top Prospect of Year: Andrei Svechnikov

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

Western Notes: Former Stars, Turris, Kyrou, Heiskanen

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After a disappointing showing in the 2017-18 season that saw the Dallas Stars fall out of the playoffs early, SportsDay’s Mike Heika takes a look at former Dallas Stars players who got an opportunity to compete in the playoffs, asking the question of whether trading away players is the way to go or should teams keep all their players?

He points out several former Stars, including defensemen Patrik Nemeth, Jamie Oleksiak, as well as Matt Niskanen, as well as the Vegas Golden Knights’ trio of forwards James Neal, Reilly Smith and Cody Eakin.

The scribe writes that while Nemeth was lost to waivers to Colorado, it was unlikely that he was going to get an opportunity to play, while Oleksiak who the team traded away to Pittsburgh for a fourth-round pick, also would have found playing time remote with their group of young defenseman like Esa Lindell, Julius Honka, and Stephen Johns.

Neal and Niskanen were both traded back in 2011 for Alex Goligoski. Heika points out that while that trade looks bad now, Goligoski was a major contributor for years with the Stars as one of their top defensemen. Eakin was lost in the expansion draft, but freed up enough cap room to add Martin Hanzal via free agency, although so far that hasn’t worked out as well as they wanted. Smith went to Boston to get Tyler Seguin, which no one would complain about, although despite having already played for four teams, Smith might be the guy they could use the most.

  • Team Canada announced that they have added Nashville Predators center Kyle Turris for the IIHF World Championships in Denmark. He should add some veteran depth to a strong Canadian team. Turris, whose Predators were eliminated Thursday, had a solid year between Ottawa and Nashville, putting up 16 goals and 35 assists, but struggled in the playoffs. He failed to score and only had three assists in 13 games.
  • St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Jeff Gordon answers questions in a mailbag column, but says that St. Louis fans shouldn’t hold their breath when it comes to the status of prospect Jordan Kyrou joining the St. Louis Blues out of training camp next season. The 20-year-old center is one of the team’s most heralded prospects after putting up 109 points in 56 games with the OHL’s Sarnia Sting this past season. However, Gordon writes it’s far more likely that Kyrou will start the season in the AHL and shuttle back and forth to gain experience.
  • Dallas Stars prospect Miro Heiskanen has been making his mark at the World Championships in Denmark for Team Finland. At 18 years old, the 2017 third-overall pick helped his team to a victory over Team Canada Saturday, which included a key save to a likely goal by Connor McDavid. His success on the ice likely means that he is ready to join the Stars next season. “It’s nice to face those guys and see where I am,” Heiskanen said. “It’s a good test to play them, maybe I will play them next year in the NHL. I want to play there as soon as possible, that’s my goal.”

Jordan Kyrou Wins OHL Most Outstanding Player

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The St. Louis Blues may have missed the playoffs this season, but they received some good news today when Jordan Kyrou was named the OHL’s Most Outstanding Player and awarded the Red Tilson Trophy. Kyrou, a Blues second-round pick from 2016, registered 109 points in just 56 games this season while also winning a gold medal at the World Junior Championship.

Kyrou is an outstanding skater who dominated the OHL this season, finishing just six points behind Aaron Luchuk for the scoring title despite playing in 12 fewer games. His 70 assists were tied with Morgan Frost for the league lead, helping him become the first Sarnia Sting player to ever win the Red Tilson. The trophy is a prestegious honor, with plenty of past recipients going on to long prosperous NHL careers. Alex DeBrincat, Mitch Marner, Connor McDavid, Connor Brown and Vincent Trocheck are the past five winners, with other names like John Tavares, Eric Lindros and Doug Gilmour all having taken a turn.

While it may be unlikely for Kyrou to duplicate some of those careers, many believe he’s poised to become a difference-maker at the next level. The Blues have several top end prospects ready to break onto the professional scene, with Kyrou leading the charge next season. Whether he begins the year at the AHL level or cracks the Blues out of training camp is still to be seen, but there is little doubt that the spotlight will follow him next season.

Amazingly, it’s not just Kyrou’s offense that is remarked on when scouts take in one of his games. Relentlessly effective in his own zone, he’ll be challenged at the next level to keep up his excellent defensive work ethic and become the two-way player many believe he can be. Junior hockey can sometimes fail to expose weaknesses in players who have a standout ability as Kyrou does in his skating, only to be revealed in the professional ranks against similarly skilled players.

Regardless, the Blues will be happy that Kyrou took the necessary steps forward this season to win the award. Many believed from the start of the year that he would challenge for the scoring title, and had he not spent time away with the Canadian national junior team, he likely would have. Though the Sting were eliminated in the second round of the OHL playoffs, Kyrou will have plenty of other chances in what is expected to be a long career.

Snapshots: Brind’Amour, Provorov, Brodziak

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With the departure of head coach Bill Peters who exercised his opt-out clause and left the team, the Carolina Hurricanes will have to start looking for a head coach along with a new general manager. However, former captain and now assistant coach Rod Brind’Amour has said that he would like the job, according to Chip Alexander of The News & Observer.

Alexander says that Brind’Amour is not publically campaigning for the job, but believes after eight years as an assistant coach, he’s ready to become an NHL head coach.

“If you never try, you’ll never know,” Brind’Amour said Saturday. “The reason for saying ‘why not?’ is I’ve been doing it for eight years and I really believe I can help out one way or the other and see if I can put us over the hump. I don’t think as an assistant I’m going to get any better or learn any more. So now’s the time. … They’re going to find the best guy to do it and if it’s me, that’s great, and if not I understand. But I felt like I could at least step up and see if it could happen.”

Alexander says that Hurricanes’ new owner Tom Dundon likes Brind’Amour, including his work ethic, hockey sense and his ability to relate both to players and management.

  • Philadelphia Flyers general manager Ron Hextall would not give a medical update on defenseman Ivan Provorov, who was injured Friday when he collided with Pittsburgh’s Brian Dumoulin and crashed into thte boards late in the game. It looked as if he injured his shoulder, according to Philly.com’s Sam Carchidi. Provorov’s availability for Game 6 is essential if the Flyers want to force a Game 7. He was critical in shutting down Sidney Crosby by playing a career high 30:07 of playing time Friday and was a key member of the penalty kill. The scribe writes the good news is that Provorov was not wearing a sling on his way to the team bus after the game, but Hextall, who is very secretive likely won’t reveal his status until right before the game.
  • Tom Timmermann of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes that veteran forward Kyle Brodziak’s time with the St. Louis Blues could likely be over. With the influx of multiple prospects and with a likely shakeup of the current roster, the 34-year-old veteran could easily find himself on the open market. With the potential additions of some of their top prospects such as Jordan Kyrou, Robert Thomas, Samuel Blais and the possible return of Robby Fabbri, the team is likely to move on from some of their veterans, including Brodziak and veteran Scottie Upshall, who was in the same boat a year ago, but was brought back when injuries mounted.

Jordan Kyrou Assigned To Chicago Wolves For AHL Playoffs

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Jordan Kyrou has turned into one of the most intriguing prospects in the league, and now his season will continue after the St. Louis Blues assigned him to the Chicago Wolves for the remainder of the season. Kyrou’s Sarnia Sting were eliminated from the OHL playoffs on Sunday, but he’ll get a chance to keep playing as the Wolves are headed to the AHL playoffs. He should feel right at home after playing one game for the Wolves last spring.

Kyrou had another outstanding season, recording 109 points in just 56 games while taking home a gold medal with the Canadian World Junior team. He led the Canadians with 10 points in the tournament, something he’s getting used to recently. The 19-year old is an outstanding offensive player, capable of creating consistent opportunities off the rush for himself and teammates. His skating ability is near unparalleled in the junior ranks, and will likely allow him to find immediate success at the professional level.

Chicago isn’t technically the Blues’ affiliate, instead partnered with the Vegas Golden Knights this season, but still has a strong relationship with St. Louis. Kyrou will be playing under Golden Knights’ coaching staffs, and will be heading to a different AHL organization next season. That is of course if he doesn’t make the NHL out of training camp, something that isn’t entirely out of the question.

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