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Jordan Szwarz

Jordan Szwarz Re-Signs In DEL

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Adler Mannheim of the German DEL announced six contract extensions today, among them former NHL forward Jordan Szwarz. The 31-year-old has signed through 2025, potentially ending any chance of a North American return.

Originally selected 97th overall by the Phoenix Coyotes in 2009, Szwarz made his NHL debut in 2013 and played 50 games at the highest level over the years. A born leader, he was captain of three different AHL teams – the Portland Pirates, Providence Bruins, and Belleville Senators – before leaving for the KHL in 2020.

An all-around talent, he racked up 296 points in 478 AHL games before leaving. This year with Mannheim he has 13 points in 19 games and is playing a key role in the successful club.

Minor Transactions: 05/17/21

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With the playoffs underway for almost everyone, the taxi squad shuffle has ended. The unique season that saw more daily transactions than ever before is coming to an end, hopefully never to return. Still, there are going to be some moves from teams preparing for their first round matchups, or players signing overseas. We’ll keep track of the notable minor moves right here.

  • The Toronto Maple Leafs have sent Mac Hollowell and Scott Sabourin to the AHL, where they can play in the last few games of the season for the Toronto Marlies. The Maple Leafs are expected to be near full health when their series starts on Thursday, with Zach Bogosian, Riley Nash, and Zach Hyman all shedding no-contract sweaters lately. Interestingly, the Marlies will take on the Laval Rocket this evening, meaning Hollowell and Sabourin will be against Brendan Gallagher and Carey Price, who are on conditioning stints with the Montreal Canadiens AHL affiliate.
  • The Winnipeg Jets have dissolved their taxi squad, recalling Mikhail Berdin, Eric Comrie, Dylan Samberg, Marko Dano, David Gustafsson, Dominic Toninato and Kristian Vesalainen to the active roster. These “Black Aces” aren’t expected to go into the lineup (or at least not usually) but will practice with the team throughout the playoffs.
  • Former NHL forward Jordan Szwarz has signed a two-year deal with the Mannheim Eagles of the DEL, transitioning from the KHL where he spent last season. The 30-year-old played in 50 games during his long North American career, dominating at the minor league level but failing to ever get a long run in the NHL. This season he recorded 27 points in 51 games for Nizhny Novgorod.
  • Chris Bourque, who once suited up for the U.S. at the Olympic Games, has signed a new contract with ERC Ingolstadt in the DEL for the 2021-22 season. The 35-year-old forward (and son of NHL legend Ray Bourque), was an AHL All-Star for years before taking his talents to Germany in 2019. This season he recorded 42 points in 38 games, finishing fourth in league scoring.
  • The Carolina Hurricanes have recalled Antoine Bibeau, Maxime Lajoie and Ryan Suzuki from the AHL, giving them a few more Black Aces for their upcoming series. Suzuki, 19, scored 10 points in 26 games for the Chicago Wolves this season.

Minor Transactions: 10/20/19

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After a full slate of games Saturday, the NHL docket has just five matchups today. However, with injuries growing, several teams will be making roster moves today:

  • After being a healthy scratch for the past couple of games, the Florida Panthers announced they have loaned forward Henrik Borgstrom to the Springfield Thunderbirds of the AHL. The Panthers’ first-round pick in 2016 has struggled in Florida’s lineup through four games. He failed to score any points in that time and was averaging just 12:23 when on the ice. Borgstrom, who many felt would be a key prospect for the Panthers, played 50 games for Florida last year, scoring eight goals and 18 points. The hope is that a bigger role in Springfield can allow the 22-year-old to find his game in the minors.
  • The Buffalo Sabres announced they have sent goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen to the Rochester Americans of the AHL as he is ready to start his professional career after undergoing offseason hip surgery. The 20-year-old netminder was dominant in his one junior season last year after being taken in the second round in the 2017 draft. He won the OHL’s Most Valuable Player award and was just the sixth goalie to win the award. He finished with 38 wins, a 2.50 GAA and a .920 save percentage for the Sudbury Wolves.
  • After making his NHL debut for the Nashville Predators Saturday, the team announced today that they are assigning forward Yakov Trenin to the Milwaukee Admirals of the AHL. The 22-year-old forward, who was dominating early in Milwaukee’s season with four goals in three games, played 12:35 in his debut on Nashville’s third line. He will likely continue to develop his skills in the AHL until the team needs his services again.
  • The Columbus Blue Jackets announced they have assigned forward Markus Hannikainen to the Cleveland Monsters of the AHL. The forward was recalled nine days previously, but served as an emergency forward and never appeared in a game. The 26-year-old will return to Cleveland where he has a goal in two games. Hannikainen played in 44 games for the Blue Jackets last year.
  • The Ottawa Senators announced they have assigned forward Jordan Szwarz to the Belleville Senators of the AHL. The 28-year-old was recalled almost a week ago and saw action in three games, although when he did play, he saw little time on the ice, averaging 4:55 per game. The minor-league veteran will return to Belleville. He scored 23 goals for the Providence Bruins last season.
  • The Vegas Golden Knights added some depth to their team as the team announced they have recalled forward Nicolas Roy from the Chicago Wolves of the AHL, giving the team the maximum 23 players now and 13 forwards. Roy has yet to appear in an NHL game despite already spending some time on Vegas’ roster. The 6-foot-4 forward could be a valuable asset on the teams’ fourth line. He was acquired during the offseason as part of the trade that sent Erik Haula to Carolina. Roy has been scoreless in three appearances with the Wolves.
  • The Calgary Sun’s Kristen Anderson reports that the Calgary Flames have recalled forward Alan Quine from the Stockton Heat of the AHL. The 26-year-old forward has fared well in limited action with Stockton, posting a goal and five points in four games this year. He played 13 games with the Flames, scoring three goals and five points. Anderson writes that head coach Bill Peters suggested there was an injury on the Flames’ roster, but didn’t divulge that information. Fan 960 Radio Host Pat Steinberg reports the Flames consequently assigned defenseman Oliver Kylington to Stockton.

Minor Transactions: 10/14/19

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Get ready for a full day of hockey. Monday’s lineup features four games being held at 1:00pm home team local time, as well as 3:00pm, 5:00pm, and 7:30pm. Among the story lines to watch are the Wild, Devils, and Blackhawks seeking their first wins of the season, the Avalanche and Oilers looking to stay perfect, and a collision of the league’s two stingiest teams, the Ducks and Bruins. Also to watch for are the roster moves made to open up the third week of the season. Keep up with all of the action here:

  • The Ottawa Senators continue to routinely shuffle their forward group around early this season. After giving youngsters like Drake Batherson, Filip Chlapik, and Vitaly Abramov a chance already, the team has recalled a pair of veterans from AHL Belleville. The team announced that Nick Paul and Jordan Szwarz have been promoted to Ottawa. While Paul is a familiar name to Sens fans, Szwarz is a new free agent addition. The long-time AHL veteran and former Providence Bruins captain has played in 47 NHL games in his career, split between Arizona and Boston. His reliable two-way energy game could be more of the boost that the coaching staff feels they need right now rather than the offensive focus of the team’s top young prospects. This recall would also seem to indicate that there is a chance that Mikkel Boedker and Artem Anisimov are not ready to return to the lineup today as expected.
  • After flipping Kyle Capobianco to the AHL for Ilya Lyubushkin on Saturday, the Coyotes are now flopping. CapFriendly reports that Capobianco has been called back up from the AHL’s Tuscon Roadrunners. The move comes on the heels of an injury to Niklas Hjalmarsson on Saturday that will likely push either Capobianco or Lyubushkin into a starting role for the time being.
  • The Toronto Maple Leafs have made a somewhat surprising switch. The team announced that 19-year-old rookie defenseman Rasmus Sandin has been sent down to the AHL’s Marlies, while free agent addition and veteran blue liner Kevin Gravel has been recalled in his place. Sandin, considered by many to be Toronto’s top D prospect, had skated in all six games for the team thus far and recorded a pair of assists, strong possession numbers, and an even plus/minus rating. Although, Sandin’s ice time has been limited and his special teams role has been non-existent, so this could be about putting him in a better position to develop in the AHL. However, this may be more about adding Gravel than subtracting Sandin. The Leafs have surrendered at least three goals in four of their six games so far, including a 7-3 drubbing by the Tampa Bay Lightning. They may simply be looking to tighten things up on the back end and stay-at-home specialist Gravel can help. Gravel has recorded 137 blocked shots and 124 hits in 106 NHL games with the Los Angeles Kings and Edmonton Oilers.
  • Steven Oleksy worked his way up from the ECHL ranks early in his career and has been on an NHL contract every year since 2012. However, that streak was snapped this summer when the 33-year-old seemingly could not attract another two-way deal. His bad luck now continues, as the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins announced that they have released Oleksy from his tryout agreement. The veteran of 73 NHL games and more than 400 AHL games saw his production fall off somewhat last year in a season split between the San Diego Gulls and Toronto Marlies, but is simply looking for the opportunity to show he can still contribute. In all likelihood, Oleksy will land on his feet elsewhere in pro hockey sooner rather than later.
  • The Vancouver Canucks have granted starter Jacob Markstrom  a leave of absence to attend to a family matter. He is expected to re-join the team later this week. In the meantime, Vancouver announced that Zane McIntyre has been recalled to serve as the backup to Thatcher Demko. McIntyre, a free agent addition, has made eight NHL appearances in his career with the Boston Bruins, all back in 2016-17. Ironically, his lone call-up last season was to serve as backup to Jaroslav Halak while Tuukka Rask took a leave of absence himself. McIntyre was a star at the college level and has strong AHL numbers, but at 27 years old he no longer a prospect that the Canucks would be trying to force into play time. Expect them to lean on Demko until Markstrom returns.

Waivers: 09/26/19

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With the NHL regular season approaching quickly, many players will be put on waivers over the next several days. We’ll keep track of all of them right here:

Anaheim Ducks

F Andreas Martinsen
F Andrew Poturalski
F Chase De Leo
D Jani Hakanpaa
G Kevin Boyle

Boston Bruins

F Paul Carey
F Brendan Gaunce
D Alexander Petrovic*

Calgary Flames

G Jon Gillies

Chicago Blackhawks

F John Quenneville

Colorado Avalanche

D Jacob MacDonald
D Dan Renouf

Montreal Canadiens

F Matthew Peca
F Phil Varone
F Dale Weise
D Karl Alzner
D Xavier Ouellet

New York Islanders

F Travis St. Denis
F Matthew Lorito
F Cole Bardreau
D Kyle Burroughs
D Seth Helgeson
G Christopher Gibson
G Jared Coreau

New York Rangers

F Steven Fogarty

Ottawa Senators

F Nick Paul
F Jordan Szwarz

Vegas Golden Knights

F Patrick Brown
F Curtis McKenzie

*Petrovic was in Bruins’ training camp under a professional tryout. Waivers would indicate that the team has signed him to a standard player contract.

Training Camp Cuts: 09/26/19

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Like always, we’ll keep you aware of all the training camp cuts right here. Keep checking back to see the updated list:

Anaheim Ducks (per team release)

F Alex Broadhurst (to San Diego, AHL)
D Hunter Drew (to San Diego, AHL)
D Zack Hayes (to San Diego, AHL)
F Justin Kloos (to San Diego, AHL)
F Jack Kopacka (to San Diego, AHL)
D Patrick Sieloff (to San Diego, AHL)
D Chris Wideman (to San Diego, AHL)
G Anthony Stolarz (to San Diego, AHL)

Boston Bruins (per team release)

F Ryan Fitzgerald (to Providence, AHL)
F Joona Koppanen (to Providence, AHL)
F Zach Senyshyn (to Providence, AHL)
F Pavel Shen (to Providence, AHL)
F Oskar Steen (to Providence, AHL)
D Jeremy Lauzon (to Providence, AHL)
D Urho Vaakanainen (to Providence, AHL)
G Kyle Keyser (to Providence, AHL)
F Paul Carey (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
F Brendan Gaunce (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
D Alexander Petrovic (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)

Buffalo Sabres (per team release)

F Dylan Cozens (to Lethbridge, WHL)

Carolina Hurricanes (per team release)

F Morgan Geekie (to Charlotte, AHL)
F Janne Kuokkanen (to Charlotte, AHL)
F Steven Lorentz (to Charlotte, AHL)
F Eetu Luostarinen (to Charlotte, AHL)
F Stelio Mattheos (to Charlotte, AHL)
D Jake Bean (to Charlotte, AHL)
D Kyle Wood (to Charlotte, AHL)
G Alex Nedeljkovic (to Charlotte, AHL)
D Jesper Sellgren (to Lulea HF, SHL)
F Ryan Suzuki (to Barrie, OHL)

Colorado Avalanche (per team release)

D Bowen Byram (to Vancouver, WHL)
F Martin Kaut (to Colorado, AHL)
F Sheldon Dries (to Colorado, AHL)
F Logan O’Connor (to Colorado, AHL)
F Michael Joly (to Colorado, AHL)
G Hunter Miska (to Colorado, AHL)
D Jacob MacDonald (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
D Dan Renouf (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)

Edmonton Oilers (per team release)

F Kailer Yamamoto (to Bakersfield, AHL)

Florida Panthers (per team release)

F Anthony Greco (to Springfield, AHL)
D Ian McCoshen (to Springfield, AHL)
G Chris Driedger (to Springfield, AHL)

Montreal Canadiens (per team release)

F Matthew Peca (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
F Phil Varone (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
F Dale Weise (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
D Karl Alzner (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
D Xavier Ouellet (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)

New York Rangers (per team release)

F Daniel O’Regan (to Hartford, AHL)

Ottawa Senators (per team release)

F Parker Kelly (to Belleville, AHL)
G Marcus Hogberg (to Belleville, AHL)
F Nick Paul (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
F Jordan Szwarz (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)

Vegas Golden Knights (per Jesse Granger, The Athletic)

F Reid Duke (to Chicago, AHL)
D Dylan Coughlan (to Chicago, AHL)

Senators Sign Forward Jordan Szwarz

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The Ottawa Senators continue to bring in talent from their division rivals, signing former Providence Bruins captain Jordan Szwarz per a team release. It is a one-year, two-way contract for Szwarz worth $800K in the NHL. Szwarz, 28, has skated in 47 NHL games with the Bruins and Coyotes in his career.

Szwarz, 28, has been an excellent minor league player for nearly a decade, and is coming off his third consecutive 20 goal season for the Providence Bruins. That kind of offensive consistency at the AHL level is exactly what the Belleville Senators were looking for, after their team was led almost entirely by young prospects that will likely be graduating to the NHL in the upcoming years.

Free Agent Focus: Boston Bruins

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Free agency is now just a few days away and there are quite a few prominent players set to hit the open market while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign. The Boston Bruins have a several important restricted free agents they will have to focus on as they will have to lock up some of their top young defenders, while they also have a couple useful unrestricted free agents. The question will be whether they are willing to pay up to keep them.

Key Restricted Free Agent: D Charlie McAvoy – With all the talk around the league of high-priced expectations for many of the top restricted free agent forwards around the league, arguably the best restricted free agent defenseman in McAvoy has seemingly flown under the radar. McAvoy has been amazing and has quickly taken over as the future of the Bruins defense, posting 14 goals and 60 points over the past two years with Boston. The 21-year-old has been the perfect offensive addition on the blueline since arriving after two years at Boston University. If there was something that could be holding McAvoy back, it would be his inability to stay healthy as he played just 63 games in his rookie year and then played even less last year in 54 games total. Despite that, the RFA should pick up a big pay raise over the $1.26MM he made last season.

D – Brandon Carlo – In many ways, Carlo is the opposite of McAvoy. The 22-year-old is not known for his offense, but is a defensive player who has needed time to develop and only more recently has he developed into a shutdown defender that Boston had envisioned when they drafted the 6-foot-5 blueliner in the second round back in 2015. While he isn’t likely to come anywhere close to the money that McAvoy should receive, Carlo has become a key player on the team’s top-four and should only continue to get better.

F – Danton Heinen – One thing the Boston Bruins need are top-six wingers to continue posting the offense they are used to. The question is whether Heinen is that guy for them. After putting up 16 goals and 47 points in his rookie season, many people suspected that Heinen would continue to thrive in that role. Instead, he struggled putting the puck into the net and eventually found himself put on the team’s third line as he failed to produce, finishing the season with just 11 goals and 34 points. The question is which player is he? The team must decide that, likely ending up with a short-term deal so that Heinen can prove that he deserves to be paid.

Other RFAs: F Peter Cehlarik, F Ryan Fitzgerald, Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson

Key Unrestricted Free Agents: F Marcus Johansson – The team fared quite well at the trade deadline, acquiring players who truly helped the franchise reach the Stanley Cup this season. One of the key players was Johansson, who had struggled in two seasons with New Jersey, but proved to be a big contributor in the playoffs, putting up four goals and 11 points in 22 playoff games. Unfortunately, his success could have priced himself out of Boston’s salary cap plans, but there is hope that both teams could still work out a deal. However, the team may be forced to look elsewhere if the 28-year-old can net himself an impressive offer from another team later this week.

F – Noel Acciari – Six goals and 14 points may not sound like much, but the 27-year-old has become a fixture on Boston’s fourth line. While the team could survive without him, Acciari is well known for his hard-hitting style of play and his willingness to sacrifice his body to help the team. In fact, the fourth-liner suffered a broken sternum, yet still played through it throughout the playoffs, something that any team might appreciate. Regardless, the team has made an offer and Acciari opted not to accept it, so the team could end up losing him, although a deal remains possible.

Other UFAs: G Zane McIntyre; F Mark McNeill; F Gemel Smith; F Lee Stempniak; F Jordan Szwarz

Projected Cap Space: The Bruins currently sit a little more than $12MM under the cap ceiling, according to CapFriendly, but still must add McAvoy, which could end up being pricey, while also having to sign Carlo and Heinen. That should take a chunk of that cap space, but the team should still have the ability to sign one of their unrestricted free agents or even find a couple of cheaper options on the unrestricted free agent market on Monday.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Snapshots: Boston Black Aces, Bellemare, Luostarinen

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With a long layoff coming until their next matchup, Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney revealed the team’s Black Aces during a press conference earlier today, according to Boston Globe’s Matt Porter. The 12 players are expected to help the NHL team practice and likely to get some practice games in before the Stanley Cup begins on May 27.

The Black Aces will include forwards Anton Blidh, Paul Carey, Peter Cehlarik, Trent Frederic, Zachary Senyshyn, Jack Studnicka and Jordan Szwarz; defensemen Jeremy Lauzon, Urho Vaakanainen and Jakub Zboril; and goaltenders Kyle Keyser and Zane McIntyre.

  • Golden Knights center Pierre-Edouard Bellemare will be seeking a multi-year contract on the open market, reports David Schoen of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The 34-year-old was an important part of the bottom six group in Vegas over the past two seasons; his faceoff prowess and ability to kill penalties should help him garner some interest for teams looking to upgrade their fourth line.  However, with several pricey extensions kicking in for next season, it’s unlikely that Vegas will be able to afford to retain him unless he’s willing to take a pay cut on the $1.45MM he received in each of the last two seasons.
  • Hurricanes prospect Eetu Luostarinen will miss the remainder of the World Championships due to a knee injury, the IIHF announced. The 20-year-old was held off the scoresheet in four appearances.  Luostarinen has one more left on his current contract with KalPa Kuopio of the Finnish SM-liiga and will likely make the jump to North America following the 2019-20 season.

Colorado Avalanche, Boston Bruins Recall “Black Aces”

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Recalls and reassignment are few and far between these days, with just eight teams still alive in the NHL and AHL alike. A flurry of activity occurred today though, as two surviving Stanley Cup Playoffs contenders have called up a number of players from their AHL affiliates, who both ducked out of the Calder Cup Playoffs with first-round losses. According to the AHL, both the Colorado Avalanche and Boston Bruins have recalled their “black aces”, the group of minor league players brought up largely to practice with the NHL team during the postseason once their own season is over. With the salary cap not a factor in the postseason, most big league teams often choose to bring up a large number of AHLers for the experience, as well as emergency depth, and the Avs and Bruins have done just that.

Little more than a paper move for the Avalanche, the team has called up five players from their neighboring affiliate, the Colorado Eagles. The group includes goaltender Pavel Francouz, defenseman Anton Lindholm, and forwards A.J. Greer, Dominic Toninato, and Logan O’Connor. Each of these players has logged time with the Avs this season, with Greer leading the way with 15 games while the others all played in at least two. The skaters played minimal roles and combined for just three points, but Francouz, a veteran import from the KHL, was clutch in two relief appearances with a .943 save percentage and 1.96 GAA. Yet, it is Francouz who is least likely to see any playoff action as the third-string keeper. With lineup regular Matt Calvert battling an injury, one of the forwards could in fact make an appearance in this postseason. Greer and O’Connor, who finished second and third respectively in Eagles scoring, would be the top candidates.

Boston’s recruits are not coming from far away either, as they have called up a whopping 13 players from the nearby Providence Bruins. Forwards Anton Blidh – who signed an extension earlier today – Paul Carey, Peter Cehlarik, Ryan Fitzgerald, Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson, Trent Frederic, Zach Senyshyn, Lee Stempniak, Jack Studnicka, and Jordan Szwarz and defensemen Jeremy Lauzon, Urho Vaakanainen, and Jakub Zboril have joined the club. Amazingly, all but Fitzgerald, Studnicka, and Szwarz have suited up for Boston this season and Szwarz played in a dozen NHL games last year. The least experienced name is actually the most exciting, as this will be Studnicka’s first non-training camp experience with the Bruins. The 20-year-old, who most consider the Bruins’ top prospect, is fresh off a 73-point regular season and point-per-game postseason in the OHL and his NHL debut is highly anticipated. However, it is very unlikely to come in these playoffs. In fact, the Bruins are deep at every position as is and it would be a surprise to see any of their “black aces” take the ice outside of extenuating circumstances. On the other had, the team could use some energy and offense in their current series, so who knows.

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