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Mike Vecchione

Snapshots: Vecchione, Forsbacka-Karlsson, Fucale

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After the Minnesota locked up hometown boy Justin Kloos earlier today, Michael Russo of the Star Tribune is hearing that another college free agent is being pursued by the Wild. Mike Vecchione, the nation’s leading scorer (tied) and finalist for the Hobey Baker trophy is on the radar of the Wild, is a free agent and being chased by many teams around the league, apparently including Minnesota.

The 24-year old went undrafted out of the USHL despite scoring everywhere he goes, and proved this year that he’ll be able to compete at the professional level. No lock for the NHL, the undersized forward does present some intriguing potential with his high-end skill and skating.

  • While Don Sweeney told reporters today that Charlie McAvoy would be heading to Providence on an amateur tryout, he also mentioned that Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson hasn’t yet made a decision whether he’ll head back to Boston University or not. The second-round pick of the Bruins scored 33 points in 39 games this season, and played exceptional in the NCAA tournament. His future lies in the NHL, but could use another year of dominance at the college level before transitioning to the professional game.
  • The Montreal Canadiens have recalled Charlie Lindgren from the AHL and returned Zach Fucale. Fucale had been on an emergency recall, but isn’t really an option for the Canadiens down the stretch. Lindgren at least has a full season of success at the AHL this year, and could potentially play  for the NHL club if they were in trouble. All this because Al Montoya has suffered a lower-body injury of some sort and is currently unavailable.

College Notes: Jost, Foo, Vecchione

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In the latest ’30 Thoughts’ column from Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet there are several interesting tidbits about some college players that have been eliminated from the NCAA tournament in the past few days. One of the most notable is Tyson Jost, the Colorado Avalanche prospect and 10th-overall pick from last summer. Friedman says that it’s tough to read the situation on Jost after his freshman season at North Dakota, and mentions there is still the possibility of him returning for a second year.

Jost had an incredible year, scoring 38 points in 35 games for UND while also starring for Team Canada at the World Juniors. The former BCHL superstar turned 19 less than two weeks ago, and would benefit from another year in the NCAA and a run at the Hobey Baker trophy. There is no rush for Colorado, who won’t be competing next season but consider Jost one of their untouchables going forward.

  • Friedman also touches on Mike Vecchione, the Union College star who is a free agent and can sign anywhere. Reports indicate that he’ll make a decision within the next 24 hours. On Monday it came out that Philadelphia was pushing hard for the 24-year old, though it’s not clear if they are still in the running today. The offensive dynamo tied for the leading point-scorer in the nation, and is a finalist for the Hobey Baker this season.
  • Spencer Foo, a teammate of Vecchione at Union, has told teams he won’t play pro hockey this season. That doesn’t mean that he’s definitely going back to school though, and LA Kings Insider Dan Rosen has heard that basically the entire league is interested in him. As Rosen notes at the end of his piece, Foo was an Edmonton Oilers fan growing up and Friedman notes that there is a lot of interest from the Canadian NHL clubs. The winger scored 62 points in 38 games this season and is another Hobey Baker finalist.
  • Rosen goes on to report that Steven Johnson, a Los Angeles Kings draft pick from 2014 will head back to school at the University of Minnesota for his senior year. The Kings will have just a few months to sign him after next season if they so choose, but he’ll have to take another step forward to earn an entry-level contract after graduation. Right now his entire game still needs polish and he’ll hopefully have the chance to step into a bigger role now that Jake Bischoff is off to the professional ranks.

College Notes: White, Vecchione, Foo, DeSimone

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The Senators are making progress in contract discussions with college center Colin White, his agent, Kent Hughes, told Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch (Twitter link).  The 20 year old was Ottawa’s first round pick (21st overall) back in 2015 and recently finished his second season at Boston College.  It has been reported for a while that they would like White to turn pro although the disagreement stems from when the contract should start.

If White signs starting next season, he would only be eligible to play at the minor league level on an amateur tryout deal but the Sens would get the three full years on his entry level contract.  However, if they were to sign him to a deal that started right away, he’d be eligible to play down the stretch and in the postseason.  However, White would reach restricted free agency (and a bigger pay day) one year sooner, something the team didn’t seem to be too interested in as of a few days ago.

Other notes from the NCAA:

  • With Union College being eliminated from the NCAA tournament, center Mike Vecchione is expected to draw plenty of interest. Among the teams that are high on signing him are the Flyers who are among the contenders to land him, reports Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer.  The 24 year old senior tied for the lead in NCAA scoring, recording 63 points (29-34-63) in just 38 games.  Vecchione has taken part in four different development camps over his career including ones with the Flyers and his hometown Bruins.  Carchidi notes that the forward is close to signing and that his goal is to play in the NHL this season, meaning that whoever signs him would have to burn the first year of his entry level deal right away.
  • Vecchione isn’t the only Union free agent that’s expected to generate interest. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that right winger Spencer Foo and defenseman Nick DeSimone will receive interest, including from several Canadian teams.  Foo finished just one point behind Vecchione while DeSimone set new career bests in goals (nine) and points (19).  Both players still have one year of college eligibility remaining so it’s not a guarantee that either will opt to turn pro.

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