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Mackie Samoskevich

Evening Notes: Utah, Samoskevich, Morrissey, Harley

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The 4-Nations Face-Off championship has full grip of the hockey world’s attention, but there’s still plenty of buzz circling the NHL. The updates start with the Utah Hockey Club, who will be somewhere between buyers and sellers at this year’s Trade Deadline per Cole Bagley of KSL Sports.  Armstrong added that the team would be interested in adding, but many of their weaknesses are addressed by recent additions like Mikhail Sergachev, John Marino, Kevin Stenlund, and Nick DeSimone. That certainly paints the picture of a team eyeing defensive depth, but the return of top-four defender Sean Durzi could mitigate any insecurities.

Durzi has been out of the lineup since October 14th with a shoulder injury that required surgery. He played four games in a top-pair role before falling to injury – recording two points, a plus-two, and over 21 minutes in average ice time. The 26-year-old emerged as a legit top defender in the Los Angeles Kings’ 2022-23 season. He scored 38 points in 72 games and averaged roughly 20 minutes that year – his second NHL season. Durzi continued to improve with the Arizona Coyotes last year, improving to 41 points in 76 games and over 22 minutes of ice time. This year seemed to be a chance to continue growing before it was derailed by injury. How he returns from the prolonged absence, and what impact it has on the Utah blue-line, could go a long way towards determining the Hockey Club’s deadline approach.

Across the NHL, Florida Panthers youngster Mackie Samoskevich has shared he’ll be clear to play when the team returns on Saturday, per NHL.com’s Jameson Olive. Samoskevich was injured on February 6th – his first game back from a three-game absence due to illness. He missed an additional two games with the injury, but found his way back to full health during the 4-Nations break. The 22-year-old Samoskevich has 17 points in 48 games this season – marking the first scoring of his NHL career.

In other news, Team Canada was forced to scratch Josh Morrissey in the 4-Nations championship due to illness. He was replaced by injury fill-in Thomas Harley, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Harley was eligible to play despite not being on the initial lineup as Morrissey’s illness, and Shea Theodore’s upper-body injury left the team without six healthy defenders. Harley scored his first point of the tournament in the finals after playing in both matchups against Team USA. Morrissey also didn’t post any scoring during three tournament games – though he does have an impressive 46 points in 56 NHL games this season.

Injury Notes: Ristolainen, Rantanen, Samoskevich

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Earlier this morning, NHL deputy managing editor Adam Kimelman reported that Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen would be a game-time decision for tonight’s matchup against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman confirmed Ristolainen’s expected absence was due to injury concerns, not trade-related reasons.

In addition to today’s rivalry matchup, Ristolainen’s availability may affect Team Finland in the upcoming Four Nations Face-Off. Friedman suggests that the Flyers would like Ristolainen to participate if he is healthy; however, his current condition may prevent him from playing, becoming a more pressing issue.

Finland has already lost defensemen Miro Heiskanen and Jani Hakanpää to various injuries, and the potential loss of Ristolainen would further diminish their chances. Ristolainen has scored two goals and recorded 15 points in 54 games this season while averaging 20:31 of ice time for the Philadelphia Flyers. He is currently the highest-scoring active defenseman on Finland’s roster.

Other injury notes:

  • In another potential scare for Team Finland, the Carolina Hurricanes announced forward Mikko Rantanen wouldn’t be in the lineup this afternoon due to a lower-body injury after taking a shot off the foot in Thursday’s game against the Minnesota Wild. Thankfully, it doesn’t sound like Rantanen will miss the 4 Nations Face-Off based on a report from Frank Seravalli of the Daily Faceoff. He’s only mustered one goal and one assist through his first six games with the Hurricanes but he’s still arguably Finland’s top offensive talent.
  • According to David Dwork of The Hockey News, the Florida Panthers will be without forward Mackie Samoskevich tonight due to an upper-body injury. It’s not expected to be a long-term issue as Dwork noted he’s only considered day-to-day. The second-year product of the University of Michigan has scored eight goals and 17 points in 48 games for the Panthers this year.

Atlantic Notes: Ullmark, Hakanpaa, Panthers, Cirelli

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The Senators won’t have goaltender Linus Ullmark back for tonight’s game against Minnesota.  However, Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch relays (Twitter link) that the veteran is nearing a return and is expected to accompany the team on its upcoming four-game road trip that begins on Monday.  Ullmark has missed nearly six weeks now due to a back injury.  He had settled in well before being sidelined with a 2.38 GAA and a .915 SV% in 23 appearances.  Fortunately for Ottawa, prospect Leevi Merilainen has played quite well since being promoted in Ullmark’s absence, helping the Sens not only hang around the playoff picture but actually enter play today in a top-three seed in the division.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic:

  • The Maple Leafs announced (Twitter link) that defenseman Jani Hakanpaa will not play in the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off due to his ongoing knee injury. He has been limited to just two appearances with Toronto this season, both of those coming in mid-November.  He becomes the second blueliner that Team Finland will need to replace with Miro Heiskanen also out of commission.
  • Panthers winger Mackie Samoskevich was scratched for today’s contest versus Chicago due to illness, relays Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald (Twitter link). The 22-year-old has done well in his first full NHL season, collecting 16 points in 47 games so far.  His spot in the lineup was taken by winger Jonah Gadjovich, who made his return after missing nearly six weeks with an upper-body injury.  Gadjovich picked up his second goal of the season early on in the game.
  • Lightning center Anthony Cirelli is listed as a game-time decision for tonight’s contest against the Islanders, relays team reporter Benjamin Pierce (Twitter link). It’s unclear if Cirelli is under the weather or just dealing with a minor injury.  Cirelli has 19 goals and 20 assists in 49 games this season while logging 18:56 per game, a career-high.  Considering his personal best in points is 45, he’s well on his way to establishing a new benchmark in that category as well.

Panthers Recall Mackie Samoskevich, Re-Assign Chris Driedger To AHL

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12/6: According to a team announcement, Florida reversed the swap before tomorrow’s contests against the San Jose Sharks. The news also means netminder Sergei Bobrovsky has returned from his personal leave.

12/2: The Panthers have made a pair of roster moves heading into tomorrow’s game against Pittsburgh.  The team announced (Twitter link) that goaltender Chris Driedger has been recalled from AHL Charlotte while winger Mackie Samoskevich has been re-assigned to the Checkers.

This is expected to be a short-term move for both players.  Veteran goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky did not accompany the team on the road with his wife expecting to give birth to their second child in the near future.  Because Florida doesn’t have enough cap space to recall Driedger outright, Samoskevich, their lone waiver-exempt player, is the roster casualty to allow the team to remain cap-compliant.

Driedger rejoined Florida back in the summer, inking a one-year, one-way deal worth $795K to serve as their third-string option behind Bobrovsky and Spencer Knight.  The 30-year-old has played in eight games with the Checkers so far this season, putting up a 3.22 GAA with a .885 SV%.  Driedger has 67 career NHL appearances under his belt (35 of which came in his first stint with the team), posting a 2.45 GAA with a .917 SV%.

As for Samoskevich, the 22-year-old is doing well in his first full NHL season.  He has played in 22 games with the Panthers so far, notching five goals and four assists while averaging 11:35 per game.  His nine points put him in the top ten in scoring among all NHL rookies.  Charlotte is off until Friday so there’s a good chance Samoskevich won’t even suit up in the minors while on assignment given that he’s likely to be brought back up by the weekend.

Panthers Notes: Forsling, Samoskevich, Streaming

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Gustav Forsling is 2024’s recipient of the Guldpucken, awarded by the Swedish Ice Hockey Association to the top Swedish player of the year, regardless of whether they’re playing at home or abroad. The 28-year-old Panthers defenseman led the NHL with a +56 rating and finished ninth in Norris Trophy voting last season.

The award was expanded to include Swedish nationals playing in the NHL in 2015. It’s been awarded by the Swedish governing body and voted on by writers for the Swedish newspaper Expressen since 1956 but was previously only handed out to Swedish Hockey League players.

Forsling is the second defenseman in a row to win the honor after former Sharks defenseman Erik Karlsson won it for the third time in 2023. The award has been exclusively given to NHL players since they became eligible. Others to win in the past nine years include Victor Hedman (twice), William Karlsson, Gabriel Landeskog and Robin Lehner.

The Linkoping native has emerged as one of the NHL’s premier two-way threats over the last few seasons, leading Panthers defensemen in points last year with 39 (10 G, 29 A) in 79 games. Forsling, Hedman and Erik Karlsson were the first three defensemen named to Sweden’s roster for next year’s 4 Nations Face-Off.

There’s more from the Panthers today:

  • Forward prospect Mackie Samoskevich has changed his representation as he enters the final season of his entry-level contract, joining Brian and Scott Bartlett of Barlett Hockey, per the agency (X link). He was previously represented by Pat Brisson of CAA Sports. The 21-year-old was a first-round pick of Florida in 2021 and made his NHL debut last season, going without a point and posting a -3 rating in seven games. 2023-24 was his first full professional campaign after a pair of seasons at the University of Michigan. On the farm with the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers, he led the team in scoring with 54 points (22 G, 32 A) in 62 games. He’s a strong candidate to open the season with the cap-strapped Panthers, potentially in a top-nine role.
  • The Panthers are one of the many teams parting ways with the Bally Sports family of regional sports networks, previously announcing they’ll have their games locally produced and distributed on various local stations by Scripps Sports for 2024-25. But for non-TV watchers, the team announced today a “strategic multi-year alliance” with ViewLift to offer a direct-to-consumer streaming platform. ViewLift also runs similar DTC streaming services for the Capitals and Golden Knights.

Panthers Recall Seven Players Ahead Of Round Two

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The Florida Panthers have built out their list of black aces, recalling seven players ahead of the Stanley Cup Playoffs’ second round. The full list of call-ups includes forwards Mackie Samoskevich, William Lockwood, Justin Sourdif, and Rasmus Asplund; defenders Matt Kiersted and Mike Benning; and goaltender Magnus Hellberg, per Colby Guy (Twitter link). The group will join Spencer Knight, who was recalled on Thursday, and defenders Uvis Balinskis, Josh Mahura, and Tobias Bjornfot as Florida’s extra players.

This roster move gives Florida a chance to flex just how deep their roster goes, with each of Samoskevich, Lockwood, and Sourdif slotting into Florida’s lineup at some point this season, and six of the seven recalls boasting NHL experience. While none of the sextet has managed much NHL scoring, their experience could prove invaluable down the stretch. Samoskevich and Asplund provide a burst of speed and technical skill, while Sourdif and Lockwood should bring grit and physicality that’s always much-needed in the postseason. Meanwhile, both Kiersted and Benning offer a rangy, off-puck defense, with Benning adding strong puck-moving skills. Both defenders will slot behind the stockier Balinskis but should provide a stout, bottom-pair impact if called upon.

Florida is in a rare spot for a playoff team, only facing one injury and one illness to forwards Sam Bennett and Ryan Lomberg respectively. Head coach Paul Maurice shared that Bennett should return to the lineup at some point during the second round, though he remains ruled out for Game 1. Steven Lorentz has stepped up in Bennett’s absence, recording two points in four postseason games. Florida could turn towards Asplund for a depth centerman role if they’re looking for a spark, though it doesn’t seem any lineup changes are incoming after the Panthers’ emphatic Round 1 win.

Atlantic Notes: Levi, Comrie, Samoskevich, Newpower

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The Sabres swapped backup netminders on Sunday, announcing the recall of Eric Comrie from AHL Rochester while returning rookie Devon Levi to the minors. As such, the 22-year-old will get a handful of starts in Rochester over the next ten days or more while the Sabres are off for the All-Star break.

Buffalo’s three-goalie experiment to begin the season has ended. 24-year-old Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen now has a firm grasp on the starter’s crease, posting a 12-11-2 record, .909 SV% and 2.61 GAA in 26 games. All of those stats lead the team, as do his 2.4 goals saved above expected, per MoneyPuck.

The 22-year-old Levi hasn’t had the rookie season some had hoped for, but despite his subpar .891 SV%, he’s still been solid relative to the high shot quality he’s faced. Like Luukkonen, he’s performed slightly above average, stopping 1.5 goals saved above expected in his 20 appearances. Levi’s played only three times since the beginning of January, though, and without a clear path to the majority of the starts in Buffalo, the organization is rightfully interested in getting their youngster some more playing time. In three games with Rochester, Levi has a .903 SV% and a 2-1-0 record.

While Comrie has done well in the minors as of late, his NHL track record this season suggests he’ll be returned to Rochester once the Sabres’ schedule resumes next month. Injuries and poor play have limited him to seven appearances this year, in which he’s posted a 1-5-0 record and a .863 SV%. The 28-year-old will not need to clear waivers upon his return to the minors after passing through unclaimed on New Year’s Day unless he stays on the roster for more than 30 days.

Other transactions from the Atlantic Division today:

  • The Panthers loaned rookie forward Mackie Samoskevich to AHL Charlotte, per the NHL’s media site. The 21-year-old played in all four games since Florida recalled him one week ago, his first NHL action in nearly three months. The Panthers went a perfect four-for-four with Samoskevich in the lineup, but he didn’t manage to record a point and posted a -1 rating while averaging 11:39 per game. Their 2021 first-round pick is still looking for his first NHL point after making the team out of camp last October. He’s done quite well in the minors, however, ranking second on Charlotte with 11 goals and 15 assists for 26 points in 32 games.
  • Less than 24 hours after recalling him, the Red Wings returned defenseman Wyatt Newpower to AHL Grand Rapids, per a team announcement. Newpower, 26, was a healthy scratch for last night’s 5-2 win over the Golden Knights. Detroit has routinely brought up a defenseman from Grand Rapids on game days to serve as last-minute injury insurance while Ben Chiarot is sidelined with an undisclosed injury, routinely bringing up the more experienced Brogan Rafferty. They decided to give him a break from the roster turmoil yesterday, however, instead giving Newpower his first NHL summons since signing his entry-level contract three years ago.

Florida Panthers Recall Mackie Samoskevich

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The Florida Panthers have once again recalled Mackie Samoskevich, according to Florida Hockey Now’s George Richards. Unlike some prior recalls, Samoskevich actually has a clear path to playing some NHL games in this recall, as the team’s incumbent fourth-line right winger William Lockwood is currently serving a three-game suspension.

The Panthers reassigned Rasmus Asplund back to the AHL yesterday, and have now brought up Samoskevich to take his place on the active roster. With Lockwood suspended, Samoskevich could play on the Panthers’ third or fourth line at the right wing positon.

Samoskevich, 21, is the 2021 24th overall pick who is currently playing his rookie season as a full-time pro player. Samoskevich spent the last two seasons at the University of Michigan, scoring 43 points in 39 games in his final run there.

So far this season Samoskevich has been a quality AHLer, scoring 11 goals and 26 points in 32 games. He’s still waiting on his first NHL point, and now with this recall he could very well earn it before likely heading back to AHL Charlotte.

Florida Panthers Reassign Mackie Samoskevich

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01/10/24: After a five-day stay on the NHL roster, Samoskevich has been reassigned to AHL Charlotte. He didn’t manage to get into any games while on this most recent recall, and instead served as a healthy scratch for the team’s back-to-back victories against the Colorado Avalanche and St. Louis Blues. He’ll now resume his top-of-the-lineup role with the Checkers.

01/05/24: The Florida Panthers have recalled forward Mackie Samoskevich from their AHL affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers. According to The Hockey News’ David Dwork, forward Nick Cousins has been placed on injured reserve, clearing the roster spot to be occupied by Samoskevich.

Samoskevich, 21, began the season with the Panthers but was sent down to the AHL after two games. He’s played in a total of three NHL games this season, but his most recent one was in late October. Samoskevich has been strong in what has been his rookie AHL campaign and is now up to nine goals and 22 points in 27 games.

The 21st overall pick at the 2021 draft, Samoskevich is a highly-ranked prospect due to his strong work ethic and impressive offensive skill. He was above point-per-game at Michigan in his final season there and has played his way into the NHL picture in Florida over the last year.

Jonah Gadjovich has drawn into the Panthers’ lineup in Cousins’ absence, but Samoskevich could end up taking that spot moving forward. Samoskevich doesn’t provide the kind of physicality Gadjovich does, but swapping them out would allow Ryan Lomberg to return to the team’s fourth line alongside Will Lockwood and Kevin Stenlund.

That would place Samoskevich in Cousins’ old role next to Anton Lundell and Eetu Luostarinen on the third line, which would give that line a bit more of an offensive spark compared to what Lomberg typically can provide.

Atlantic Notes: Petry, Bennett, Samoskevich

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Detroit Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde told the media, including MLive’s Ansar Khan, that veteran defenseman Jeff Petry is healthy and will play in tomorrow’s game in Boston. Petry has been out with a lower-body injury and has not played since October 21st.

Petry’s return to the Red Wings lineup again puts into focus the logjam of quality defensemen the team is currently dealing with. With Petry healthy, a veteran such as Justin Holl or Olli Määtta would need to exit the lineup in order for Petry to play. Petry himself has been a healthy scratch at times this season, and it’s possible this impressive blueline depth and the ability for Lalonde to rotate his defensive lineup has helped contribute to Detroit’s stellar start to the season.

Some other notes from the Atlantic Division:

  • Florida Panthers team reporter Katie Engleson relays word from head coach Paul Maurice who says forward Sam Bennett and defenseman Dmitry Kulikov are game-time decisions for the team’s Saturday game against the Seattle Kraken. Yesterday, we covered Bennett nearing a return to play and now Maurice has clarified his status, saying he’s not guaranteed to be in the lineup on Saturday. As for Kulikov, he’s occupied an important second-pairing role next to Niko Mikkola and any injury-related absence from him would represent a significant blow to a Panthers blueline already lacking in depth.
  • Florida Hockey Now’s George Richards reports that the Panthers have returned forward Mackie Samoskevich to the team’s AHL affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers. Samoskevich, the team’s 2021 first-round pick, broke camp with the Panthers but was sent down for the Checkers’ road trip to Toronto. He was recalled on the 25th and played 8:16 in the Panthers’ last game. Now he returns to the AHL for what will be his rookie AHL campaign.

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