Minor Signings: 07/03/26
Although the overwhelming majority of the heavy lifting is done for much of the league, teams continue to scour the free agent market to address their depth and improve their AHL affiliates. Today, several recognizable names have signed, and we will continue to update the list throughout the day. Here are today’s minor signings:
- The Syracuse Crunch, AHL affiliates of the Tampa Bay Lightning, have signed veteran defenseman Jarred Tinordi to a one-year AHL contract extension. As is customary with AHL deals, the financial terms were not disclosed and are not expected to be made public. The 34-year-old spent all of last season in Syracuse, posting eight points and 84 penalty minutes in 44 games. The 6’6″, 230-pound rearguard is a veteran of over 200 NHL games but hasn’t appeared at the game’s highest level since getting into 52 contests with the 2023-24 Chicago Blackhawks. He was a key penalty-killer for the Crunch last season and is likely to resume that role in the fall.
- The Rochester Americans (BUF) signed veteran center Matthew Peca to a two-year AHL contract. Peca, 33, spent the last three seasons as captain of the Springfield Thunderbirds before a trade to the Crunch late in 2025-26. An all-situations, do-it-all No. 1 center at the AHL level, Peca is expected to take on a substantial role for the Americans. Rochester is almost certain to lose its top center from last season, Konsta Helenius, to the NHL, so Peca’s signing is an important addition for the club. A former AHL All-Star, Peca scored 47 points in 63 games last season and has 404 points in 544 career AHL contests.
- The Thunderbirds, who made a deep postseason run despite trading Peca away in the middle of last season, have signed veteran AHL star T.J. Tynan to a one-year contract. Tynan, 34, has achieved just about everything a player could hope to accomplish at the AHL level: he’s a two-time league MVP, has led the league in assists three times, been named an All-Star four times, has served as team captain, and even won a Calder Cup title. While the 5’8″, 160-pound forward has been limited to just 31 career NHL games and hasn’t scored his first NHL goal, he has established himself as one of the AHL’s legitimate stars. While his goal-scoring is down into the single digits, he did manage 50 points in 67 games for the Colorado Eagles last season, and will almost certainly feature on the first line for the Thunderbirds in the fall.
- The Providence Bruins have made a signing to bolster their defense, adding blueliner Tobie Bisson on a one-year AHL contract. Although Bisson has yet to make his NHL debut, the 29-year-old has racked up 321 career games played at the AHL level and established himself as a legitimate top-four defenseman in the league. Bisson occupied a top-four role for the Laval Rocket in 2025-26, also serving as a key penalty killer for the club. That’s the kind of role Bruins fans can expect him to take on next season.
- The Utica Comets re-signed captain Ryan Schmelzer to a one-year AHL contract extension, per a team announcement. The 32-year-old pivot has captained the Comets since 2021-22, and has been a staple of the Devils’ minor-league teams since their affiliate was the Binghamton Devils. A native of Western New York, Schmelzer has stayed in the state for the entirety of his hockey career, stretching back to his junior hockey days captaining the Buffalo Jr. Sabres. He captained Canisius college and signed out of the NCAA with the ECHL’s Adirondack Thunder before joining Binghamton the following fall. While Schmelzer’s production has declined from his career-high of 52 points (2023-24 season) he still managed 27 points in 66 games last year. He is still waiting on the chance to make his NHL debut.
- The Comets also re-signed goaltender Jeremy Brodeur and forward Jack Malone, while adding defenseman Eamon Powell, forward Gabe Klassen, and goaltender Seth Eisele as free agents. Malone, 25, has spent the last two seasons with Utica and has 22 points in 103 career AHL games. Brodeur, 29, is the son of legendary New Jersey Devils goalie Martin Brodeur and posted a .908 save percentage in 41 games at the ECHL level last year. Powell, 24, had seven points in 23 games for Charlotte as a rookie AHL defenseman last season, and previously spent five years as a strong NCAA blueliner with Boston College. Klassen, 23, is a two-time WHL All-Star who scored 43 points in 65 ECHL games as a rookie pro in 2024-25. He made it to the AHL on a full-time basis last season and impressed, scoring 17 goals and 36 points in 56 games. Eisele, 27, has a .917 save percentage in 50 games played across his two-year ECHL career.
- The Rocket have announced the signings of four players to AHL contracts. Defenseman Braden Haché, 23, has signed a two-year, one-way deal after registering 11 points and 120 penalty minutes in 72 games for the San Jose Barracuda last season. Goaltenders Hunter Jones and Kevin Mandolese have each signed one-year, one-way contracts. Mandolese, 25, split last season between spot starts for the AHL’s Crunch and Charlotte Checkers, and playing in 12 games for HKm Zvolen in the Slovak league. Jones, also 25, spent most of last season in the ECHL with Trois-Rivières Lions, going 17-10-1 with a .917 save percentage. The team also signed netminder Francesco Lapenna, 23, to a one-year, two-way deal. Lapenna made nearly 150 starts across four different QMJHL clubs in his junior hockey days, and has been one of the best goalies in Canadian USports hockey over the last three years. He dipped his toes in the waters of pro hockey late in 2025-26, posting a 5-0-1 record and .959 save percentage in six games with Trois-Rivières.
- Iowa announced the signings of six players to AHL contracts yesterday. Forwards Bradley Marek, Gerald Mayhew, Nick Rhéaume, and Braidan Simmons-Fischer signed one-year, one-way deals, while defenseman Mike Koster and forward Drew Kuzma signed one-year, two-way contracts. All but Rhéaume and Kuzma played for Iowa at some point last season. The biggest name here is Mayhew, a 33-year-old veteran who first played for Iowa in 2017. Mayhew has a career-high of 61 points in the AHL and led the team in scoring last season with 22 goals and 42 points. He also has 57 career NHL games played and 13 career NHL goals. Marek, 25, has 25 points in 109 games for Iowa across the last two years. Simmons-Fischer, who stands 6’7″, 220 pounds, posted 10 points in 40 ECHL games for the Allen Americans in 2025-26 and got into six games for Iowa. Rhéaume, 24, notched 15 goals, 33 points, and 137 penalty minutes for the ECHL’s Cincinnati Cyclones last season. Koster, a 2019 fifth-round pick, split last year between ECHL Iowa (38 games) and AHL Iowa (13 games), while Kuzma, 23, was a spring ECHL signing out of Lindenwood University and had eight points in 13 games for the Greensboro Gargoyles.
- The Calgary Wranglers signed three players to AHL contracts: Luke Philp, Carter Wilkie, and Ryder Boulton. Philp is the big name of the group as he has some NHL experience. The Canmore, Alberta native played for the Flames’ AHL affiliate (then based out of Stockton, California) from 2019 to 2022, posting 21 goals and 44 points in 66 games during the 2021-22 campaign. Philp has a career-high of 29 goals and 53 points in 60 AHL games from the 2022-23 season. This past season, he scored 35 points in 52 games for Färjestad BK of the SHL. Boulton, 20, is the son of former NHL enforcer Eric Boulton and scored eight points in 48 games for the OHL’s Brantford Bulldogs last season, winning an OHL Title and Memorial Cup. Wilkie, a 26-year-old center, was in the Flames organization last year and split 2025-26 between the AHL and ECHL levels.
- 28-year-old center Garrett Pilon, who has three times crossed the 40-point plateau at the AHL level, signed a deal with Barys Astana in the KHL. The move confirms his exit from North American professional hockey after an eight-year career spent mostly in the AHL. Pilon does have three career NHL games and has scored his first NHL goal. The 28-year-old is a 2016 third-round pick by the Washington Capitals who won a Calder Cup championship with the team in 2024. Pilon earned an AHL salary of $300K last season, playing out the final year of a two-year, two-way contract he signed in the summer after winning that championship.
- Former Detroit Red Wings forward Tomas Jurco has signed with his hometown team, HC Kosice of the Slovak Extraliga, according to a team announcement. A Kosice native, Jurco played for the club in youth hockey but left in 2009 to join the QMJHL’s Saint John Sea Dogs. A Calder Cup champion with 221 games of NHL experience, Jurco has spent the last half-decade in the KHL, most recently with Tolyatti Lada. While he has yet to feature in the country’s top domestic league, Jurco has represented Slovakia internationally, and was part of the country’s historic bronze medal win at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.
This page will be updated as more signings are announced throughout the day.
Canadiens To Sign Kevin Mandolese To PTO
The Canadiens are bringing goaltender Kevin Mandolese to training camp on a professional tryout, reports Frank Seravalli of Bleacher Report. He was scouring the KHL market for a guaranteed deal earlier in the summer but never landed one.
Mandolese, fresh off his 25th birthday, is a former Senators sixth-round draftee who’s since emerged as a steady minor-league presence. He’d spent his entire career in the Ottawa organization until last summer, when the Sens issued him a qualifying offer but ended up trading his signing rights to the Avalanche a couple of weeks later.
The Quebec native’s only NHL action came in 2022-23 amid a rash of injuries in Ottawa’s crease. He made three starts in February and March, performing above expectations with a .916 SV% and 3.29 GAA – only allowing 10 goals despite facing nearly 40 shots per game. For whatever reason, that strong initial showing never landed him another NHL opportunity.
Mandolese also didn’t play very much in the Colorado system last year. He made 19 appearances for the AHL’s Colorado Eagles, where he served as the primary backup to No. 3 option Trent Miner and had an 11-6-0 record in 19 showings with a .903 SV%, 2.87 GAA, and one shutout. The Avs did not issue him a qualifying offer at the end of last year, making him an unrestricted free agent.
Montreal is likely looking for a more experienced AHL option to have under contract. Starter Sam Montembeault is set in stone, but youngster Jakub Dobes will be battling with veteran free-agent pickup Kaapo Kähkönen for the No. 2 job in camp. If Kähkönen doesn’t make the team and is lost on waivers, that would leave Montreal with just three goalies under contract and top prospect Jacob Fowler without much help in AHL Laval as he kicks off his first professional season. As such, Mandolese will take a PTO with the Habs to start while they sort out whether they want to offer him a two-way NHL contract or only extend him a minor-league offer.
KHL Notes: Mandolese, Gettinger, Laferriere, Barron, Oligny, Edmonds
Multiple NHL-experienced players have signed on with Russian agency Winners in an effort to land deals in the KHL this summer, the agency announced. Among them is goaltender Kevin Mandolese, who hasn’t seen NHL ice since a three-game stint with the Senators in 2022-23 but has remained on NHL contracts since then.
The 24-year-old Mandolese has shown some promise as a depth netminder. A sixth-round pick by Ottawa in 2018, he did well in his only NHL action and recorded a .916 SV% and 3.29 GAA in that aforementioned trial. He remained in the Senators’ organization until last summer, when the Avalanche acquired his signing rights in a pick swap and subsequently signed him to a two-way deal for 2024-25.
He was recalled sparingly as injuries necessitated throughout the season, only getting into game action with the AHL’s Colorado Eagles. He fared decently well there but only got into 19 games, posting a 2.87 GAA and .903 SV% with an 11-6-0 record. Presumably looking for more stability than a two-way contract or an AHL deal for next season would provide him, Mandolese is now turning his attention toward overseas offers with some runway ahead of him to make an NHL return if he impresses.
Other names eyeing KHL moves:
- Also on Winners’ list is veteran winger Timothy Gettinger. The 27-year-old was a longtime farmhand for the Rangers and became a semi-frequent call-up option for them a few years ago, recording one assist in 16 NHL games between the 2018-19 and 2021-22 seasons. The 6’6″, 216-lb forward hasn’t reached the top level since, though. Now an unrestricted free agent, his offensive numbers in the AHL have been on the decline. He’s spent the last two seasons on two-way deals for the Red Wings, recording 41 points in 109 games for AHL Grand Rapids – including just seven goals in 54 games last season.
- Winners also now represents some players without NHL experience but who were still under contract with a club last season. One of them is 25-year-old forward Mathias Laferriere. He was a sixth-round pick of the Blues back in 2018 and has spent the vast majority of his four pro seasons in the AHL. The Penguins acquired him midway through last season in a swap of depth forwards, but he didn’t work his way up their depth chart and became a Group VI UFA. He managed 18 points in 55 AHL games last year between Springfield and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
- After spending the last four seasons in the Coyotes/Utah organization, winger Travis Barron is now looking for a KHL contract. A 2016 seventh-round pick of the Avalanche, Barron played out his entry-level contract with them but did so primarily with the ECHL’s Utah Grizzlies. He wasn’t qualified upon expiry in 2021 and instead signed an AHL deal with the Tucson Roadrunners, where he played for two years before signing an NHL contract with their Arizona parent. He signed another two-way contract with Utah last summer but is now a Group VI UFA, and the Mammoth don’t appear interested in retaining him. The nephew of longtime NHLer Andrew Cassels had 23 points in 67 games for the Roadrunners last year.
- Longtime AHLer Jimmy Oligny already made the jump overseas last summer but is now looking for tougher competition in Russia. The 5’11” defenseman was a frequent farmhand for the Jets, although not on an NHL contract. He was the captain of their AHL affiliate, the Manitoba Moose, from 2021-24 in a reduced role. His only NHL contract came in 2018-19 on a two-way deal with the Golden Knights. A veteran of 473 AHL games, the 32-year-old spent last year in Slovakia with HKM Zvolen and Austria with the ICEHL’s Graz 99ers.
- Winger Lucas Edmonds was non-tendered by the Rangers last month following the expiry of his entry-level contract and is now looking at opportunities in Russia. The 24-year-old was a third-round pick by the Lightning in 2022 as an overager out of OHL Kingston, where he exploded for 113 points in 68 games in his final junior-eligible season. He never gained a true foothold in the AHL after turning pro, though, and was traded to New York midway through last year. He finished 2024-25 with only 11 points in 40 AHL games between Syracuse and Hartford.
Minor Transactions: 4/18/25
There will be several small roster moves today as playoff teams recall their required third goalie for practice and emergency backup purposes, and non-playoff teams conduct some end-of-season roster trimming. We’ll cover all those moves here:
- The Blues announced they’ve recalled goaltender Will Cranley from ECHL Florida to serve as their emergency backup. St. Louis selected the 23-year-old in the sixth round of the 2020 draft. He was previously added to the Blues’ practice roster for a day during the 4 Nations break while Jordan Binnington was traveling back from the tournament. He finished his second professional season with a 2.71 GAA, .896 SV%, two shutouts, and an 11-9-3 record in 23 ECHL games. He also logged a .867 SV% in a pair of appearances for AHL Springfield, the first of his career.
- The Stars added defensemen Lian Bichsel and Alexander Petrovic back to the active roster after reassigning them to AHL Texas yesterday for cap purposes. They needed the space to activate Tyler Seguin from long-term injured reserve for the final game of the regular season. They’re expected to serve as the third pairing in Game 1 of the first round against the Avalanche tomorrow, per Sam Nestler of DLLS Sports. It’ll be the postseason debut for Bichsel, Dallas’ first-round draft choice in 2022. They also recalled goaltender Ben Kraws from ECHL Idaho as their EBUG. An undrafted free agent signing out of St. Lawrence last year, the 24-year-old impressed with a 2.88 GAA, .910 SV%, five shutouts, and a 23-12-5 record in 40 games for Idaho. He also posted a 3.01 GAA and .889 SV% in three appearances for AHL Texas, logging a 2-1-0 record.
- Serving as the Avalanche’s EBUG will be Kevin Mandolese, the team announced. The 24-year-old has spent the year as Trent Miner‘s backup with AHL Colorado after being acquired from the Senators over the offseason. He has a 2.87 GAA, .903 SV%, 11-6-0 record, and one shutout in 19 games.
- Since the Wild’s AHL affiliate is one of the few to miss the cut for the Calder Cup Playoffs, they’re going with a higher-profile option for their EBUG. Top prospect Jesper Wallstedt will fill the role for them, according to a club announcement. The 2021 first-rounder is expected to succeed the retiring Marc-André Fleury as Filip Gustavsson‘s backup next season, but is coming off a disastrous injury-plagued campaign with Iowa. He finished the year with a 3.59 GAA, .879 SV%, one shutout, and a 9-14-4 record in 27 showings.
- The Panthers summoned Evan Cormier from ECHL Savannah to be their EBUG, per George Richards of Florida Hockey Now. The 27-year-old struggled with a 3.38 GAA, .887 SV%, one shutout, and a 17-13-4 record in 36 showings in 2024-25. He filled the same duties for the Cats in the first half of last year’s playoff run, signing a two-way deal at the trade deadline for the second season in a row.
- The Penguins returned forwards Ville Koivunen, Joona Koppanen, Vasiliy Ponomarev, Samuel Poulin, Valtteri Puustinen, and defenseman Filip Král to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton after their late-season call-ups. They’ll aid the Baby Pens as they aim to capture a Calder Cup. Not joining them is top prospect Rutger McGroarty, who sustained a lower-body injury last week and isn’t yet ready to return.
- The Flames assigned forward Sam Morton and defenseman Hunter Brzustewicz to AHL Calgary after they made their NHL debuts in last night’s regular-season finale. Morton scored his first NHL goal in the outing, while Brzustewicz impressed with a plus-two rating. They’ll join the Wranglers for the postseason.
- The Toronto Maple Leafs have recalled enforcer Ryan Reaves from the minor leagues. Reaves recently played in his first AHL games since the 2010-11 season. He recorded one goal and, surprisingly, no penalty minutes in three games of play. The 38-year-old also recorded two assists and 28 penalty minutes in 35 NHL games this season. He’ll provide a boost of muscle to the Leafs lineup as they head towards a First Round matchup against the Ottawa Senators.
- Defenseman Emil Andrae has been reassigned to the minor leagues after holding down a routine role on the Philadelphia Flyers lineup since early March. Andrae split his time between the major and minor rosters this season, with seven points in 42 NHL games and 16 points in 25 AHL games. He was primarily a minor-leaguer last season and managed a stout 32 points, 66 penalty minutes, and minus-10 in 61 games. With the Flyers season over, Andrae will look to again support the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in a late-season push.
- The Edmonton Oilers have recalled depth forward Derek Ryan from the minor leagues. Ryan split time between the NHL and AHL this year, with one goal and six points in 36 games in the Oilers lineup. He also managed eight points in 13 AHL games. Ryan has played in the Stanley Cup Playoffs on five different occasions, racking up 10 points in 60 games. That includes appearing in 19 games of Edmonton’s run to the Stanley Cup Finals last season. Ryan contributed one assist to the effort. He’ll now be returned to the NHL roster to support another long run.
- The Rochester Americans are getting a wave of strong recruits, as the Buffalo Sabres have reassigned each of Jiri Kulich, Tyson Kozak, Noah Ostlund, and Isak Rosen back to the minor leagues. Rosen leads Rochester in scoring this season with 28 goals and 55 points in 60 games. Ostlund has 36 points in 44 games, while Kozak has 14 points in 31 games. Kulich has been the only of the bunch to spend the bulk of the season in the NHL. He carved out a top-six role through points of the season. Kulich finished what was his rookie NHL season with 15 goals and 24 points in 62 games.
This page will be updated throughout the day.
Avalanche Notes: Landeskog, Kempf, Mandolese
Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog has been ramping up his skating in recent weeks as he attempts to get ready to attempt a comeback in the playoffs. He’ll begin the next phase this weekend, as Evan Rawal of The Denver Gazette reports (Twitter link) that the winger will skate with the AHL’s Colorado Eagles today and then practice with the Avs on Monday. Landeskog hasn’t played since the 2022 playoffs when he helped lead Colorado to the Stanley Cup with continued knee trouble. With the team using Landeskog’s LTIR space to make additions at the trade deadline (including Brock Nelson and Ryan Lindgren), the 32-year-old can’t return for the stretch run but it looks as if there’s a chance he could be available to them for the playoffs.
More from Colorado:
- The Eagles announced the signing of defenseman Hank Kempf to a two-year contract beginning next season plus an ATO to finish up this year. The Avalanche acquired the 22-year-old from the Rangers in late February as part of the Lindgren trade and he recently wrapped up his college career at Cornell where he had seven points in 36 games this season. This contract means that the Avs intend to let Kempf’s NHL rights lapse, technically making him an unrestricted free agent in mid-August but they’ll keep him in the organization for now with this deal.
- Kevin Mandolese’s stint with the big club was short-lived. The Avalanche returned him to the Eagles, relays Meghan Angley of Guerilla Sports (Twitter link). He was recalled on Wednesday, serving as the backup on Thursday with Mackenzie Blackwood not in uniform for that game. The 24-year-old has played in 17 games with the Eagles this season, putting up a 2.86 GAA along with a .905 SV% and has just three career NHL appearances under his belt, all coming with Ottawa during the 2022-23 campaign.
Avalanche Recall Kevin Mandolese
The Colorado Avalanche have recalled goaltender Kevin Mandolese ahead of their upcoming three-game road trip. This is Mandolese’s second recall of the season, after previously spending four days on the NHL roster in November.
It seems clear that Mandolese’s call-up is solely for depth. He has served as Colorado’s AHL backup this season, setting a 10-6-0 record and .905 save percentage in 17 appearances. But Mandolese has begun splitting the role with Adam Scheel, who has a 10-2-2 record and .904 save percentage in the AHL this season, including three shutouts. The 25-year-old Scheel is one year older than Mandolese, and will now step into the full AHL backup role while Mandolese supports the Avalanche.
This recall could give Mandolese a chance to play in his first NHL game since the 2022-23 campaign, when he managed a .916 Sv% in three games with the Ottawa Senators. Those have been the only NHL games of his career to this point. He’s also tallied a career .898 Sv% in 83 games and five seasons in the AHL, and a .921 in 15 games in the ECHL. The Avalanche are expected to start backup Scott Wedgewood on Wednesday, per team play-by-play announcer Conor McGahey. It is Wedgewood’s second consecutive start. He was backed up by usual starter Mackenzie Blackwood on Monday, but Mandolese’s presence could give Colorado a chance to give Blackwood a break from the lineup. Blackwood has started in all but 10 of Colorado’s 37 games since the start of 2025.
Avalanche Place Alexandar Georgiev On IR, Recall Two
The Colorado Avalanche have placed starting goaltender Alexandar Georgiev (upper-body) on injured reserve, retroactive to November 13th. Georgiev sat out of the team’s Friday loss to Washington. This move rules Georgiev out of the team’s Monday match against Philadelphia, though head coach Jared Bednar told Colleen Flynn of Colorado Hockey Now that the netminder will join the team on their upcoming four-game road trip. He’ll be eligible to return as soon as Thursday.
This move downgrades Georgiev to an extended absence after he received a day-to-day designation on Saturday. He’s started 10 games this season, setting a bleak 4-5-0 record, .863 save percentage, and 3.56 goals-against-average. It’s a continuation of the skid that he hit last season and the prolonged struggles are starting to cost Georgiev ice time. Backup Justus Annunen has played in nine games this year, posting an improved .881 save percentage and 5-3-0 record.
In a corresponding move, Colorado has also recalled forward T.J. Tynan and goaltender Kevin Mandolese. Mandolese will become the fifth goaltender to take to the Avalanche bench this season, earning the chance after posting a 4-2-0 record and .905 save percentage in six AHL games this season – one more win, but the same save percentage, as goalie partner Trent Miner in the same number of games. Mandolese has built a hardy career in the minors, posting 32 wins and a .897 save percentage across 72 games, and five seasons, in the AHL. He’s proven even stronger in 15 ECHL games, and even boasts a .916 save percentage through three career appearances in the NHL. With Georgiev’s return likely just around the corner, Mandolese should be confined to a backup role on this recall.
Meanwhile, Tynan will return to offering offensive depth behind Parker Kelly and Joel Kiviranta. Tynan was assigned to the AHL ahead of this weekend, and recorded three assists in the Colorado Eagles’ Saturday win over Ontario. That scoring brought him to seven points – all assists – in eight AHL games this season. He’s also recorded one assist in seven NHL games. Tynan is still searching for his first NHL goal – with just two assists through 28 career games in the NHL. He’s likely headed for the press box on this recall, unless Bednar chooses to rotate out fourth-line pieces.
Colorado Avalanche Sign Kevin Mandolese
Only one day after acquiring his signing rights from the Ottawa Senators, the Colorado Avalanche made quick work signing their new goalie. The organization announced they have signed goaltender Kevin Mandolese to a one-year contract for the 2024-25 season. Although the deal’s financial terms were not disclosed in the press release, the expectation is that it will be a two-way contract for the league minimum salary at the NHL level.
The Avalanche acquired Mandolese’s signing rights and a seventh-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft in exchange for a sixth-round pick in 2026. The soon-to-be 24-year-old goaltender should start next season with the team’s AHL affiliate in Loveland, CO, and could even feature with the organization’s ECHL affiliate, the Utah Grizzlies.
Mandolese has spent the last four years of his career in the Senators’ organization while primarily playing for the Belleville Senators of the AHL. Serving the majority of the time as the team’s backup goaltender, Mandolese recently put together a 10-9-2 record in 23 games during the 2023-24 AHL season while collecting a .901 save percentage and 3.07 goals against average in the process. He has not featured in an NHL contest since the 2022-23 season as he procured three games with Ottawa where he secured a 1-2-0 record in three contests in addition to a .916 SV% and a 3.29 GAA.
The young netminder could earn the role of starting goaltender for the first time with the AHL’s Colorado Eagles as the Avalanche are expected to graduate Justus Annunen to the full-time backup position in the NHL. The Eagles will deploy a combination of Mandolese and Trent Miner during the 2024-25 AHL season with the former likely receiving a plethora of the starts.
Colorado Avalanche Acquire Kevin Mandolese
The Ottawa Senators and Colorado Avalanche got together on a minor trade today as the Senators announced the team had sent the signing rights to goaltender Kevin Mandolese and a seventh-round pick in 2026 to the Avalanche in exchange for a sixth-round pick in 2026. Colorado has also confirmed the trade.
Mandolese will join the second organization of his career after spending his entire professional life with the Senators organization after being selected by the team with the 157th overall pick of the 2018 NHL Draft. He’s mostly spent time as the backup for the organization’s AHL affiliate, the Belleville Senators, as he’s earned a 28-28-5 record in the last four years in 66 games while posting a .896 save percentage and 3.30 goals against average.
He has fared slightly better in the ECHL with the Atlanta Gladiators and Allen Americans in limited action by posting a 6-7-1 record over the last three years in 15 contests while recording a .921 SV% and 2.77 GAA. Mandolese will likely end up with Colorado’s AHL affiliate, the Colorado Eagles, and could even spend time with the Utah Grizzlies, the organization’s ECHL affiliate.
The native of Montreal, Quebec suited up in three games for the Senators during the 2022-23 NHL season and stopped 109 of 119 shots. Mandolese recorded two quality starts in his only NHL appearances and earned the only NHL win of his career after stopping 46 shots against the New York Islanders.
Senators Notes: Mandolese, Zub, Sanderson
The Ottawa Senators have assigned goaltender Kevin Mandolese to the AHL’s Belleville Senators. Mandolese’s demotion comes as no surprise given that the Senators activated netminder Anton Forsberg off the IR earlier today. The 23-year-old didn’t see any NHL action during his most recent recall and hasn’t played in the NHL since last season when he dressed in three games for Ottawa going 1-2 with a .916 save percentage.
Mandolese’s AHL numbers have remained comparable to the ones he posted last season as the native of Montreal, Quebec is sporting a 6-7-2 record with an .895 save percentage and a 3.38 goals-against average with Belleville. The former sixth-round pick has good size at 6’4” tall but he hasn’t been able to put it all together or fill out his frame as he plays smaller than most netminders of his stature.
In other Senators notes:
- The Ottawa Senators were forced to play tonight’s game against the Columbus Blue Jackets without the services of defenseman Artem Zub. The 28-year-old has been dealing with a lower-body injury and was unable to dress this evening. Zub had been playing in the top four and was rolling offensively as of late with seven assists in his last 11 games. Zub could return to the lineup on Thursday night when the Senators take on the Anaheim Ducks but there is no word yet on his status going forward.
- The Ottawa Senators were also without the services of defenseman Jake Sanderson. Bruce Garrioch of The Ottawa Sun tweeted that the Senators would be forced to dress just five defensemen tonight with Zub and Sanderson out of the lineup. The 21-year-old is also dealing with a lower-body injury and told reporters earlier today that he would like to get back into the lineup at some point during the team’s upcoming Florida road trip. Given that timeline, it is fair to guess that the former fifth-overall pick will miss the next two or three games as Ottawa doesn’t visit the state of Florida until early next week. Sanderson has been good this season as he has taken another step forward for Ottawa registering seven goals and 17 assists in 47 games.