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Ludwig Persson

East Notes: York, Persson, Rangers Coaches

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Despite his tumultuous 2024-25 season, Cam York was cemented as a key part of the Philadelphia Flyers’ future when the club signed him to a $5.15MM AAV contract extension that runs through the 2029-30 season. Today at training camp, new Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet confirmed the importance of York to the club’s short and long-term plans, stating that York “has been keeping that pattern pretty high” in terms of the consistency of his performance. As relayed by The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz, Tocchet added that he hopes York will be able to “can carry his own pair” for the club this season.

Tocchet’s point about York potentially carrying his own defensive pairing is notable as York spent significant time paired with Travis Sanheim in 2024-25. Sanheim is the Flyers’ top defenseman, and separating York from Sanheim would be a large show of faith in York’s abilities. York has so far spent time in camp paired with young blueliner Helge Grans, who has played in just six career NHL games. Being the steady veteran a rookie partner can rely on is a large responsibility for an NHL defenseman, and should Tocchet elect to deploy York in that matter, it would further underline just how dramatically York has elevated his stock in Philadelphia since he was benched for a full game under interim coach Brad Shaw.

Some other notes from the Eastern Conference:

  • Training camp is the setting where aspiring NHLers look to make their mark and steal a spot on an NHL roster, and each year there are young players who come out of nowhere to leave a strong impression on their team’s management, even if they don’t ultimately land an NHL role that year. That exact scenario could end up playing out in Washington, where 2022 third-round Capitals draft pick Ludwig Persson has, per The Hockey News’ Sammi Silber, really “stood out” in the early portion of camp. The Swedish winger turns 22 in October and spent last season in the Finnish Liiga, scoring 16 points in 52 games for Jukurit. Persson got the chance to skate with established NHLers Connor McMichael and Tom Wilson at camp on Saturday, and while it’s difficult to see him ultimately making the team’s opening-night roster (he has just one game of professional experience in North America), his early camp performance could make him a prospect to watch moving forward for Capitals fans.
  • The Athletic’s Peter Baugh and Vince Z. Mercogliano reported from New York Rangers training camp today that head coach Mike Sullivan has revealed how his staff of assistant coaches will split their responsibilities this upcoming season. Sullivan told the media that assistant David Quinn, the former Rangers head coach, will work with the team’s defensemen and run the club’s power play. Quinn ran Sullivan’s power play with the Pittsburgh Penguins last season and managed a strong sixth-place leaguewide finish in success rate. Assistant Joe Sacco, the former Boston Bruins interim head coach, will run the club’s penalty kill and work with Rangers forwards. The Bruins’ penalty kill ranked 24th in the NHL last season, killing penalties at a 76.3% rate.

Capitals Loan Ludwig Persson To Liiga’s Jukurit

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For the second season in a row, the Capitals have loaned 2022 third-round pick Ludwig Persson to Finland. The 20-year-old forward will suit up for Jukurit in the top-level Liiga this year, the team announced today.

Persson, 20, has yet to play a game in the Washington organization despite signing his entry-level contract nearly two years ago. The Gothenburg, Sweden native has taken a tour of European leagues instead. The Caps first loaned him to BIK Karlskoga of the Swedish second-tier HockeyAllsvenskan, where he was a decent depth contributor in his first full year of professional hockey with 15 points in 45 games.

things changed for the better last year after the Capitals loaned Persson to IPK, which plays in Mestis, Finland’s second-tier pro league. Persson quickly became a star for the Iisalmi-based club, leading them in scoring with 55 points (10 goals, 45 assists) in 48 games. He added 19 points in 19 playoff games as IPK took home its first Mestis championship since being promoted from the third-tier Suomi-sarja in 2016.

Clearly ready for increased competition, Washington will have Persson try his luck in a top-level Euro league for the first time since a lone appearance with Frölunda HC of the Swedish Hockey League in 2022-23. He’ll join a Jukurit team that boasted a 30-20-3-7 record last season, its second-best since being promoted from Mestis in 2016.

It could be Persson’s last season in Europe before arriving in North America with AHL Hershey. While Persson’s entry-level contract had slid the past two seasons since he failed to play in at least 10 NHL games in each campaign, he’s no longer eligible for a slide. His deal will go into effect beginning with 2024-25 and will cost $814,999 against the cap if in the NHL through 2026-27, reduced from its initial $878.3K since he’s had $190K worth of signing bonuses paid out during the slide years.

Washington Capitals Loan Ludwig Persson To Mestis’ IPK

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The Washington Capitals have loaned forward prospect Ludwig Persson to Finnish team IPK in the Mestis, the country’s second-tier professional league, for the 2023-24 season, per an announcement from the team.

Washington selected the 19-year-old Swede with the 85th overall pick in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft and signed him to an entry-level contract days later. This is the second straight season the Capitals have loaned Persson out to a European club to continue his development.

Persson spent last season on loan with BIK Karlskoga in the HockeyAllsvenskan, Sweden’s second-tier pro league. His point totals didn’t jump off the page there, as he recorded four goals and 11 assists for 15 points in 45 games, but Karlskoga finished in the middle of the pack in the 14-team league, and it’s rather difficult for a teenager to carve out much of a role for themselves in European pro hockey unless they have an elite trajectory. By moving him to a different environment, Washington hopes there will be more ice time for Persson with IPK and, hopefully, a more fruitful development season.

By loaning him out, Washington also defers the start of Persson’s entry-level contract for a second and final season. His three-year, $2.85MM deal will kick in with the 2024-25 season and run through 2026-27. He’ll be a restricted free agent at the end of the contract.

In their 2022 Draft Guide, Elite Prospects called out Persson’s hockey sense as the most noticeable aspect of his game, saying he “consistently displays an understanding of positioning and spacing on the ice and of how to open up gaps in the opposing coverage with his skating, especially off of the rush.” If he can carve out an NHL role, Persson projects as a bottom-six playmaking winger.

To create room on the roster, IPK mutually terminated the contract of 20-year-old undrafted defenseman Aapo Siivonen, who had signed on with them earlier this summer after completing his tenure in the Finnish junior circuit.

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