Mammoth Reassign Ben McCartney, Kevin Connauton, Maksymilian Szuber
The Mammoth announced Monday they’ve reassigned forward Ben McCartney and defensemen Kevin Connauton and Maksymilian Szuber to AHL Tucson. That wipes their active roster of all the players they’ve summoned for practice purposes over the Olympic break, signaling they expect both of their Olympian skaters who advanced to the medal games, Clayton Keller and Olli Määttä, to be available Wednesday night against the Avalanche.
McCartney, 24, is in his fifth pro season, all in the Utah and Arizona organizations. He was a seventh-round pick by the Coyotes in 2020 and has panned out nicely for them and now the Mammoth as an impact winger for Tucson. He only has two NHL games to his name, coming with Arizona back in 2021-22, but has been a consistent scoring piece for Tucson in the interim and has been an alternate captain for the club since 2023.
This season, the physical winger’s game has assumed new heights. He’s already set new career highs with 21 goals and 46 points in 47 games and leads Tucson in scoring. Along with 2023 first-rounder Daniil But, who Utah returned to Tucson last week, he’ll be among the Mammoth’s top forward recall options down the stretch.
While McCartney had been practicing with the Mammoth for the better part of a week, Connauton and Szuber were both just summoned over the weekend. The two defenders are at polar opposite stages in their careers and have had wildly different campaigns in Tucson. Connauton, who turns 36 today, is a veteran of 360 NHL games but hasn’t played at the top level since 2022. He likely won’t be adding to that total as he’s had a nightmarish season in the AHL, recording just two assists and a -11 rating in 23 games.
Szuber, meanwhile, continues to build his way toward competing for an NHL roster spot. The 23-year-old has far outpaced the development the Coyotes expected of him when using a sixth-round pick on him in 2022. The Polish-born German ranks sixth on Tucson in scoring this season with a 10-14–24 line in 44 games, along with a +5 rating. That’s promising production for someone touted as a potential third-pairing shutdown piece on the left side.
Mammoth Recall Scott Perunovich And Kevin Connauton
With Olli Maatta still taking part in the Olympics, the Mammoth have brought up some extra defensive depth for practice. The team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled defensemen Scott Perunovich and Kevin Connauton from AHL Tucson.
Perunovich is in his first season with Utah after signing a one-year, two-way deal with them back in free agency. A veteran of 108 career NHL appearances, he has yet to make one this season as he has played exclusively with the Roadrunners, his first extended AHL run since 2022-23. The 27-year-old has been quite productive in Tucson, notching three goals and 27 assists in 43 games to lead all team blueliners in scoring.
As for Connauton, he has 360 career NHL outings under his belt but none since the 2021-22 campaign. The 35-year-old is in the second and final season of his two-way deal and has suited up in 23 games with the Roadrunners this season where he has two assists. At this point, it seems likely that both he and Perunovich’s time with the big club will be short-lived with Utah’s back end fully healthy coming out of the break.
With the recalls, Utah’s active roster now sits at 22 players, one shy of the maximum. It’s worth noting that the team has moved Maatta and winger Clayton Keller to non-roster status, so it’s possible that another player will be brought up for practice purposes over the next couple of days.
Waivers: 9/26/25
The following players have hit waivers for pending AHL assignments today as camp cuts continue, per Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic. Everyone waived yesterday cleared, per PuckPedia.
Columbus Blue Jackets
New York Islanders
F Liam Foudy, F Julien Gauthier, D Cole McWard, D Travis Mitchell
Utah Mammoth
Washington Capitals
D Calle Rosen, F Spencer Smallman
Fedotov is the most eye-popping name here, but it’s not unexpected. It was clear after they acquired the netminder from the Flyers that they didn’t anticipate having him on the NHL roster as part of a three-goalie rotation with Jet Greaves and Elvis Merzlikins and would place him on waivers during camp with the hope he’d clear and report to AHL Cleveland. Today is that day. They’re hoping his $3.275MM cap hit, albeit on an expiring deal, is enough of a deterrent for clubs not to claim the former KHL Goalie of the Year and highly-touted prospect. He posted a 6-13-4 record, .880 SV%, and 3.15 GAA in 26 appearances in his rookie season in Philly last year. If he clears and heads to Cleveland, he’ll still count for $2.125MM against the Jackets’ books.
None of the four names from the Islanders were expected to make legitimate ploys for a roster spot. Foudy and Gauthier are experienced names who will be high on the list of recall options from Bridgeport when the season gets underway, though. The duo combined for just three NHL appearances in 2024-25 but were among the farm club’s leading scorers. McWard and Mitchell will have a harder time finding opportunities to fill in on the NHL blue line and are likely ticketed to spend the whole year in Bridgeport behind more intriguing depth options like Ethan Bear and Isaiah George.
Connauton, 35, has 360 games of NHL experience but hasn’t appeared at the top level since the 2021-22 season. He’s slated to spend a fourth consecutive season in the minors as a result. He’s playing out the back half of the two-year, two-way deal he signed with Utah last summer. He served as an alternate captain for the club’s AHL partner in Tucson, posting a 6-11–17 scoring line with a -5 rating in 56 appearances while racking up 78 PIMs.
Rosen signed a two-way deal with the Caps this summer after spending last year in the minors in the Avalanche organization, where he had 34 points in 62 games for the Colorado Eagles. He’s got semi-considerable NHL experience with 93 games under his belt and will be among Washington’s top recall options from Hershey should they need an offensive-minded defender to fill in. Smallman, 29, is entering his ninth professional season without any NHL action to speak of. He signed a two-year, two-way extension with the club back in April to keep him with Hershey through 2026-27. He posted a career-high 10-24–34 scoring line in 62 games for the Bears last year.
Utah Hockey Club Reassign Kevin Connauton
After claiming defenseman Nick DeSimone off waivers from the New Jersey Devils earlier today, the Utah Hockey Club had one too many players on their active roster. According to Belle Fraser of The Salt Lake Tribune, the team has reassigned defenseman Kevin Connauton to their AHL affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners.
Despite being recalled by Utah on two separate occasions during the 2024-25 NHL season, Connauton has yet to debut with the team in the NHL. In his second stint with AHL Tucson for the first time since the 2016-17 season, Connauton has recorded five goals and nine points in 24 contests.
Connauton joined the new Utah organization this past summer for their inaugural season, signing a two-year, $1.55 million contract. Although the team clamored to add more defensive depth to the entire organization in the offseason, Connauton had a legitimate chance to play in his first NHL game since the 2021-22 season after injuries to Sean Durzi, John Marino, Maveric Lamoureux, and Robert Bortuzzo earlier in the year.
Instead, Connauton has been passed by other candidates and pushed further down the depth chart with the acquisition of DeSimone. The former 83rd overall pick of the 2009 NHL Draft is in the twilight years of his career and has likely seen any future opportunity in the NHL pass him by.
Still, the veteran journeyman has put together a relatively lengthy NHL career with six different organizations. Connauton has scored 28 goals and 80 points in 360 NHL contests split between the Arizona Coyotes, Colorado Avalanche, Columbus Blue Jackets, Dallas Stars, Florida Panthers, and Philadelphia Flyers beginning in the 2013-14 season.
Utah Hockey Club Recalls Kevin Connauton, Places Robert Bortuzzo On IR
After losing Dakota Mermis on waivers yesterday, Utah has brought up some extra defensive depth. The team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled blueliner Kevin Connauton from AHL Tucson. While not announced by the club, rearguard Robert Bortuzzo was placed on IR to make room for Connauton on the active roster.
It’s the second recall of the season for the 34-year-old whose first stint with the big club didn’t last too long and was ended when Mermis was initially claimed off the waiver wire last month. A veteran of 360 career NHL appearances, Connauton last played in the NHL back in the 2021-22 season, splitting time between Florida and Philadelphia.
Connauton inked a two-year, two-way deal with Utah last summer, a contract that pays $775K in the NHL and $325K in the minors. He has played in 24 games with the Roadrunners this season, picking up five goals and four assists.
As for Bortuzzo, he returned from injured reserve on Thursday against Calgary after recovering from a lower-body injury but only played 8:25 in that game before landing on IR today. Speculatively, he may have had a recurrence of that injury. The 35-year-old has a pair of assists along with 26 blocked shots and 20 hits through 16 games so far this season but is averaging a career-low 10:53 per game.
Minor Transactions: 12/14/24
It has been a busy Saturday on the transaction front across the NHL. We’ve covered several of them already but quite a few other teams have made minor moves. We’ll run through those here.
- Utah announced (Twitter link) that they’ve re-assigned defenseman Kevin Connauton to AHL Tucson. The veteran was recalled on Wednesday but with Utah claiming Dakota Mermis on Thursday, Connauton was no longer needed as a reserve defender. The 34-year-old has played in 17 games with the Roadrunners so far this season, notching three goals and three assists.
- The Senators announced (Twitter link) that forward Cole Reinhardt has been re-assigned to AHL Belleville, one day after being recalled. The 24-year-old has been quite productive in the minors so far, picking up five goals and ten assists in just 12 games which has helped earn him five games with Ottawa. In those outings, he has a goal and an assist, his first points at the NHL level.
- After being papered down on Thursday, the Blue Jackets have recalled goaltender Jet Greaves and winger Mikael Pyyhtia, per the AHL’s transactions log. Greaves made his 2024-25 Columbus debut on Thursday against Washington, making 35 saves on 37 shots in a losing effort. He has a 3.02 GAA and a .902 SV% in 15 appearances with the Monsters. As for Pyyhtia, the 22-year-old has played in 19 games with the Blue Jackets so far, collecting a goal and an assist while averaging 13:33 per night of playing time.
- After papering down defenseman Keaton Middleton and winger Givani Smith on Friday, the two are back up with the Avalanche, the team announced (Twitter link). Middleton has played in four games with the Avs this season in his first NHL action since the 2020-21 campaign; he has been held without a point while averaging 11:33 per night of ice time. Smith, meanwhile, was acquired as part of the Mackenzie Blackwood trade earlier this week after he cleared waivers. He has played in eight games between the two teams and is still looking for his first point of the season as well.
- After having his contract terminated earlier in the week, former San Jose prospect Valtteri Pulli has found his next home. HC Lugano of the Swiss NL announced that they’ve signed the blueliner for the remainder of the season. Pulli played in just two games with the AHL’s Barracuda before requesting his release earlier this week.
Utah Recalls Kevin Connauton
The Utah Hockey Club announced that they’ve summoned veteran blue-liner Kevin Connauton from AHL Tucson.
It’s the 34-year-old’s first recall since signing a two-year, two-way deal with the Utahns over the summer and marks his first time appearing on an NHL roster in-season since the 2021-22 campaign with the Flyers. As Belle Fraser of The Salt Lake Tribune points out, his recall indicates that veteran depth piece Robert Bortuzzo, who sustained a lower-body injury in yesterday’s shootout loss to the Wild, will miss at least tomorrow’s game against the Avalanche, if not longer.
Connauton has served as an alternate captain with Tucson this season, recording nine points and a -7 rating in 17 appearances. It’s his second go-around in the Utah organization if you choose to lump them together with the Coyotes – he played parts of four seasons in Glendale and Tucson between 2015-16 and 2018-19.
Whether the 6’2″ lefty sees his first NHL action in over two and a half years in the coming days remains to be seen. The Edmonton native has 360 NHL games under his belt in parts of nine years with the Stars, Blue Jackets, Coyotes, Avalanche, Panthers, and Flyers, scoring 28 goals and 52 assists for 80 points with a +5 rating while averaging 15:43 per game. His best season came in Arizona in 2017-18, recording 11 goals and 21 points in a career-high 73 appearances while logging 15:11 per game and laying the body 116 times.
Connauton successfully cleared waivers during the preseason. He can remain on Utah’s roster for up to 30 days or play 10 games before he needs them to return to Tucson. The first-year club now has a full 23-man active roster with $7.88MM in current cap space.
Waiver Wire: 9/30/24
Another 12 players have hit the waiver wire today as part of training camp cuts across the league, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports. All of the 25 players on waivers yesterday cleared without incident, he adds.
Colorado Avalanche
Edmonton Oilers
Los Angeles Kings
Minnesota Wild
F Travis Boyd
F Brendan Gaunce
F Devin Shore
San Jose Sharks
F Justin Bailey
D Jimmy Schuldt
St. Louis Blues
Utah Hockey Club
Minor Free Agent Signings: Central Division
With over 180 deals signed during the first day of free agency yesterday, some smaller names may have gotten lost in the shuffle. Here’s a list of names that have inked two-way deals with Central Division clubs since the market opened yesterday, per CapFriendly. Some of these may have been included in our main coverage yesterday, while others went under the radar. All contracts carry the league-minimum $775K cap hit unless stated otherwise). Those listed here are likely to begin 2024-25 with each team’s AHL affiliate.
Chicago Blackhawks
none
Colorado Avalanche
F Joel Kiviranta (one year)
Dallas Stars
D Kyle Capobianco (two years)
F Cameron Hughes (one year)
F Kole Lind (one year)
Minnesota Wild
F Travis Boyd (one year)
D Joseph Cecconi (one year)
D Cameron Crotty (one year)
F Brendan Gaunce (two years)
G Troy Grosenick (one year)
F Ben Jones (two years)
F Devin Shore (one year)
F Reese Johnson (one year)
Nashville Predators
D Nick Blankenburg (two years)
F Vinnie Hinostroza (two years)
F Jake Lucchini (two years)
G Matt Murray (one year)
St. Louis Blues
none
Utah Hockey Club
D Kevin Connauton (two years)
F Miko Matikka (three years, $870K entry-level cap hit)
Winnipeg Jets
none
Utah Signs Ian Cole, Kevin Stenlund, Kevin Connauton
The Utah Hockey Club continues to add on defense. They’re bringing in veteran Ian Cole on a one-year, $3.1MM contract, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.
Later, TSN’s Darren Dreger reported Utah is adding center Kevin Stenlund on a two-year deal worth $2MM per season. Dreger adds they’re signing defenseman Kevin Connauton to a two-year, two-way deal worth $775K.
Utah marks Cole’s sixth team in the last five years. The 35-year-old defenseman spent last season on a one-year pact with the Canucks, where he served as a serviceable bottom-four shutdown blue-liner. In 78 regular-season appearances, he had 11 points and a +10 rating while averaging 18:41 per game. While his possession metrics were strong for his difficult defensive usage, he had some difficult moments in the postseason and was viewed as a more unlikely candidate to re-sign in Vancouver than names like Filip Hronek and Tyler Myers.
In Utah’s first year, Cole projects to slide into a bottom-pairing role on the left side behind Mikhail Sergachev and Juuso Välimäki, although he can play the right side if necessary. He’ll be relied on heavily to swallow penalty kill minutes and help absorb the loss of top PKers Travis Dermott and J.J. Moser, who aren’t returning after spending last season with the Coyotes.
Stenlund, meanwhile, earns the biggest payday of his life after centering the Panthers’ fourth line in their run to the 2024 Stanley Cup. After spending a few seasons bouncing between the NHL and AHL, he cemented a full-time roster spot in Florida this season and missed just one regular-season game, recording a career-high 11 goals and 15 points in the process. Like Cole, he won’t have much of an impact offensively but should work alongside existing forwards Nick Bjugstad, Lawson Crouse and Alexander Kerfoot as Utah’s top-used forwards shorthanded.
Connauton, meanwhile, is slated for minor-league minutes with the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners. The 6’2″, 205-lb defender spent last season with the Ontario Reign while under contract with the Kings, serving as an alternate captain and logging 18 points and a +18 rating in 61 games. He previously played a pair of games for Tucson while a member of the Coyotes organization in the 2016-17 campaign, posting a goal and two assists. The 34-year-old brings 360 games of NHL experience across 10 seasons should his services be needed in Salt Lake.