Morning Notes: Engvall, Burkholder, Kunc
New York Islanders forward Pierre Engvall has had a difficult run of things since signing his seven-year, $3MM AAV contract extension in the summer of 2023. The 29-year-old missed the entirety of the 2025-26 season with an ankle injury, and the year prior he saw his role in the NHL decline sharply. Without question, he’s hoping to rebound next season, and Stefen Rosner of The Elmonters reported that Engvall “is feeling better, and the hope is that he’ll be ready for training camp.”
Rosner also noted that “given the severity of the ankle injury, it’s fair to expect a gradual ramp-up before he’s back to full strength.” That Engvall still isn’t a guarantee to be at 100% health before training camp, despite missing the entire campaign due to his injury, is notable – underscoring just how severe Engvall’s injury was. The Islanders don’t have many viable routes to move off of the hefty financial commitment they made to Engvall, as he almost certainly wouldn’t be claimed off of waivers and his 16-team no-trade list makes finding a deal for him difficult. So their best hope for his future with the team is for him to be able to recover and rediscover the form that once made him a speedy 15-goal, 35-point forward.
Other notes from around the hockey world:
- The Boston Bruins have invited Colorado College captain Max Burkholder to their development camp, reports Mark Divver of New England Hockey Journal. The 22-year-old is an undersized right-shot defenseman who had a breakout sophomore campaign in 2024-25. That year, he scored 26 points in 37 games and was named to the NCHC’s Second All-Star team. A lower-body injury cost him all but three games this year, but he’ll still get the chance to show off his talents at development camp with the hope of potentially earning a pro contract down the line.
- Utah Mammoth pending RFA Michal Kunc has signed a two-year contract to return to his native Czechia, according to a team announcement. Brno is Kunc’s youth team and the club with whom he made his professional debut, though it’s his performances with HC Olomouc that earned him his shot in North America. Kunc spent the entirety of 2025-26 in the AHL with the Tucson Roadrunners, scoring 16 points in 43 games. The Mammoth have an extensive track record of mining the European leagues, and specifically Czechia, for free agent talent. While players such as Kunc and Ronald Knot, for example, have come and gone, they have had some success, most notably finding a No. 1 goalie in Karel Vejmelka from Brno.
Snapshots: Garand, Team Canada, Poirier
The New York Rangers are likely to give young goaltender Dylan Garand the inside track to become the team’s backup netminder next season, reports Vincent Z. Mercogliano of The Athletic. Veteran Jonathan Quick has been the No. 2 on Broadway for the last three seasons, but has played his final NHL game. Garand, 23, has been waiting in the wings, and it appears he’ll be given a strong chance to win the role at training camp next fall. The former CHL Goalie of the Year has been the No. 1 goalie for the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack for the last three years, and went 2-0-1 with a .948 save percentage in his first three NHL games this year. Garand was an AHL All-Star in 2024-25 and his playoff performances have been especially impressive, as he has a .927 save percentage in 17 games across two runs.
While Garand does seem ready for the NHL, Mercogliano did also say that Rangers GM Chris Drury will most likely add “some level of veteran competition” for Garand. The Rangers already have veteran Spencer Martin (72 career NHL games played) under contract at a one-way, league-minimum rate for next season. But Martin struggled this season (.864 save percentage in six NHL games, .873 in 22 AHL games) and isn’t likely to be a part of their long-term plans. According to Mercogliano, Drury could add another veteran beyond just Martin, “either on a cheap, short-term deal or a professional tryout contract,” to compete with Garand.
Other notes from around the hockey world:
- Hockey Canada has secured some significant commitments for its roster for the upcoming IIHF Men’s World Championship tournament, reports Darren Dreger of TSN. According to Dreger, Macklin Celebrini, Mark Scheifele, Mathew Barzal, and Morgan Rielly have all committed, landing the team some significant names from the NHL. Additionally, potential 2026 No. 1 overall pick Gavin McKenna will be on the roster as well. McKenna isn’t the first top prospect to play for Canada at Worlds in his draft year. Porter Martone played for Canada at last year’s tournament before he was selected No. 6 overall, while Adam Fantilli won the tournament in 2023 just shortly before he was selected No. 3 overall. Joining the team will give McKenna the chance to compete against men, something his main rival to be picked No. 1, Sweden’s Ivar Stenberg, has been able to do all year playing for Frolunda in the SHL.
- Carolina Hurricanes prospect Justin Poirier has transferred from the University of Maine to Penn State, reports Brad Elliott Schlossman of the Grand Forks Herald. The 19-year-old ranks as the No. 7 prospect in the Hurricanes’ system, according to Scott Wheeler of The Athletic. The Hurricanes selected Poirier in the fifth round, No. 156 overall, at the 2024 draft. That was a somewhat surprising result for a player who scored 69 goals across 85 regular season and playoff contests in his draft year. Poirier was able to translate his QMJHL scoring to the college level, posting 18 goals and 29 points in 27 games for Maine. There will be big shoes for him to fill in the Nittany Lions attack, as the team’s top three scorers from last season will all be playing pro hockey in the fall. Additionally, Penn State’s fourth-highest scorer, J.J. Wiebusch, transferred to Wisconsin.
Transaction Notes: Miller, Okhotyuk, Robins
Montreal Canadiens prospect Quentin Miller transferred from the University of Denver to Western Michigan University a week ago, Brad Elliott Schlossman of the Grand Forks Herald reported. He is one of two Canadiens goalie prospects to transfer this week, as 2025 fifth-rounder Alexis Cournoyer left Cornell University to join the Wisconsin Badgers on April 20. Miller, 21, was a fourth-round pick of the Canadiens at the 2023 draft. He won a QMJHL title and Memorial Cup as a backup with the Quebec Ramparts, and has been a tandem goalie at multiple levels for much of his time since being drafted.
Miller went 12-10-2 in 25 games for Denver this season, posting a .916 save percentage and 2.39 goals against average, but lost the No. 1 goalie spot to freshman sensation Johnny Hicks. The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler recently ranked Miller the No. 14 prospect in the Canadiens’ system, writing “The Habs will likely want to see him be the guy somewhere before they commit to signing him.” Miller has a clear lane to being the undisputed No. 1 in Kalamazoo – last year’s starter Hampton Slukynsky has turned pro after two years in college and incoming freshman Owen Lepak hasn’t been a team’s starter since 2023-24, when he led the NAHL’s Maryland Black Bears to the Robertson Cup Final.
Other notes from around the hockey world:
- Former Calgary Flames and New Jersey Devils defenseman Nikita Okhotyuk signed a three-year contract extension in the KHL, keeping him in Russia through May 2029. The Flames still hold Okhotyuk’s signing rights since they qualified him when his last NHL contract expired. The 25-year-old defenseman played in nine games as a Flame and has played in 67 career games at the NHL level, split between Calgary, New Jersey, and San Jose. Over the last two seasons with CSKA Moscow, Okhotyuk has skated in 129 contests and scored 23 points.
- Former San Jose Sharks prospect Tristen Robins plans to sign in North America for 2026-27, according to an official announcement from his former club Rytíři Kladno. Robins was a second-round pick of the Sharks in 2020 and skated in a total of 150 AHL games while a member of the organization. Robins looked to be pushing for an NHL role as recently as 2023, when he scored 38 points in 62 games as an AHL rookie. He earned three NHL games that season and was ranked as the organization’s No. 7 prospect by Scott Wheeler of The Athletic. He wasn’t able to build on that rookie campaign and ended up dealt from the Sharks organization in 2025. Playing on a one-year deal in the Czech league, Robins scored 18 goals and 35 points in 45 games, and will hope to earn another shot in an NHL organization this fall.
Blue Jackets Sign Boston Buckberger
The Columbus Blue Jackets have signed two-time NCAA national champion defenseman Boston Buckberger to a two-year, entry-level contract. The deal will start next season. He attended development camp with the Blue Jackets in 2025.
In the official team announcement, president of hockey operations and GM Don Waddell said of Buckberger:
Boston Buckberger is a smart, skilled defenseman who can play in all situations and has a championship pedigree. He was among the top scoring defensemen in college hockey this year and a big part of Denver’s championship team. We are very excited that he is now part of the Blue Jackets organization.
As Waddell mentioned, Buckberger made a name for himself on a national stage at Denver. He was an instant-impact defenseman for head coach David Carle, scoring 27 points in 44 games. He was able to build on that strong freshman campaign the following year, potting nine goals and 30 points in 41 contests. This season, he scored 10 goals and 28 points in 42 games.
While Buckberger has never been the Pioneers’ top offensive option from the blueline (Zeev Buium held that honor the first two seasons, and Eric Pohlkamp this year) he has nonetheless been able to consistently deliver value in whatever role he played. We named him as a player to watch in this year’s NCAA free agency class earlier this month, noting that “there might not be big upside” in Buckberger “returning for his senior season.”
That’s something Buckberger appears to have agreed with, as he elected to sign his entry-level deal and forgo returning to the Pioneers.
Columbus does have a track record to point to when it comes to developing top NCAA blueliners. They signed then-University of Michigan captain Nick Blankenburg in 2022, and he quickly became an NHLer for the Blue Jackets. He also impressed with the Nashville Predators and was a trade deadline addition of the Colorado Avalanche.
While Buckberger isn’t an exact one-to-one stylistic comparable for Blankenburg (he’s a bit bigger, for example), he’ll nonetheless likely hope to have an early career that resembles how Blankenburg’s has gone.
Boston Bruins Sign Max Lundgren
The Boston Bruins have signed NCAA free agent goaltender Max Lundgren to a one-year entry-level contract, per a team announcement.
The deal carries a $952.5K cap hit and will be for the 2026-27 campaign. This news comes just over a week after Lundgren told Mark Divver of New England Hockey Journal that he would be attending Bruins development camp this summer.
Lundgren, 23, was the No. 17-ranked NCAA free agent according to the team at Elite Prospects. The Swedish goalie has had a strong three-season run in North America since crossing the Atlantic in 2022. He put up a .913 save percentage in 41 games as the starter for the USHL’s Des Moines Buccaneers in 2022-23, and began a two-year run at Merrimack College in 2024-25.
He had a solid freshman campaign last season, posting a .909 save percentage despite going 8-13-0. But it’s his sophomore campaign that really positioned him to sign with an NHL team. In 39 games, Lundgren went 21-16-2 with a .920 save percentage.
Lundgren’s performance in his final NCAA game etched his name into Merrimack history. His 49 saves against UConn in the Hockey East tournament final gave his program, which entered the tournament as the No. 8 seed, its first-ever Hockey East playoff championship. Merrimack has been a member of the conference since 1989-90.
With his college career ending on a high note, Lundgren will now join the Bruins organization. It’s a big opportunity for Lundgren, who joins an organization with an excellent track record of developing goalies.
The Providence Bruins already have the reigning AHL Goalie of the Year in Michael DiPietro, who is under contract through next season. But the organization’s No. 4 and No. 5 goalies, Simon Zajicek and Luke Cavallin, respectively, are set to be RFAs this summer.
Cavallin, 24, has been excellent at the ECHL level (including a stellar playoff run last season that ended in a Kelly Cup title) but could end up seeking a spot in an organization with a goaltending depth chart more favorable to him getting AHL games. Zajicek, who is also 24, has a .920 save percentage in the AHL this season but has only gotten into 17 games. There is the possibility to consider that Zajicek, who led the Czech Extraliga in save percentage last season, could elect to return to Europe.
In any case, the Bruins have added a talented young goalie to an organizational pipeline at the position that is already well-stocked with talent. Whether the move is plainly about adding an additional young talent to their organization, or signals something more about the future of the Bruins’ other minor-league goalies, remains to be seen.
Cayden Lindstrom, Jackson Smith To Return To NCAA
Cayden Lindstrom and Jackson Smith, two of the Columbus Blue Jackets’ top prospects, will not turn pro at the conclusion of their respective freshman campaigns in college hockey. Instead, each will return and play their sophomore season in college, The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline reported today.
That Lindstrom has decided to remain in college hockey is not a massive surprise. The 20-year-old, who plays at Michigan State, missed all of 2024-25 as he managed a back injury that ultimately required surgery. Health issues stalled Lindstrom’s first year of development after he was selected No. 4 overall at the 2025 draft, and that has left Columbus likely more willing to be patient with his growth.
In addition to the impact his back surgery had on his development, another factor contributing to Lindstrom’s decision is his uneven freshman campaign. Portzline wrote that Lindstrom “has been challenged by NCAA-level hockey, perhaps more than most expected,” as he posted just three goals and 10 points in 29 games. He became more productive as the season went on, and showed real flashes of the talent that made him such a tantalizing prospect in his draft year.
But the reality Columbus has had to deal with is simply because of just how much time Lindstrom missed due to injury (even dating back to his draft campaign, when he was limited to 36 regular season and playoff contests in the WHL), he’s not on the same developmental timeline as the players drafted around him.
Both Beckett Sennecke (2025’s No. 3 pick) and Ivan Demidov (2025’s No. 5 pick) have been two of the league’s most impressive rookies this season. Columbus and Lindstrom would surely prefer for his development, in an ideal world, to have played out on an accelerated track the it has for those two wingers. But both Sennecke and Demidov have enjoyed good health over the last two years in a way Lindstrom simply has not.
With the Blue Jackets making a push for the playoffs this season, and boasting a deep group of centers that includes Adam Fantilli, Charlie Coyle, Sean Monahan, Cole Sillinger, and Boone Jenner (who has played more wing since the team added Monahan, but is a natural center), there is not an immediate roster need that might push the team to bring Lindstrom to the pro ranks early.
Instead, the team’s success at the position gives them the flexibility to keep Lindstrom in college and allow him to develop at his own pace. If he can have a healthy, productive sophomore campaign with the Spartans, it’s entirely possible we’ll see Lindstrom in the NHL next spring. Despite his injuries, Lindstrom could still very well end up a dynamic No. 2 center behind Fantilli for the team, giving the club an enviable set of promising young players at the position.
Pivoting to Smith, his return to Penn State for his sophomore season is more of a surprise. The No. 14 pick of the 2025 draft has had a strong debut campaign with the Nittany Lions, scoring 11 goals and 26 points in 34 games. He was named a second-team Big Ten All-Star and set the record for the most goals in a single season by a defenseman in Penn State program history.
According to Portzline, “the Blue Jackets have been delighted” with the improvement in Smith’s defensive game over the course of the season, and are content to have him spend another year in an environment where he’s excelling.
Columbus has been one of the league’s best teams since bringing veteran coach Rick Bowness behind their bench, and stand a real chance of reaching the playoffs. But despite having a real chance to play into the spring, it does not appear the Blue Jackets will be doing so with the help of some of their top prospects. Instead, Blue Jackets fans will likely be able to see both players at another rink in Columbus – at Ohio State, whenever the Spartans or Nittany Lions make the trip to play the Buckeyes.
Snapshots: Winterton, Pilling, Jarry
The Seattle Kraken announced today that forward Ryan Winterton has taken a temporary leave of absence to attend to a family matter. The Kraken did not provide further detail and requested that the privacy of Winterton and his family be respected. As is always the case with situations like these, what happens on the ice is secondary. With that said, Winterton’s absence does have lineup implications for a Kraken team that is still under pressure to chase down a playoff spot.
Winterton had missed Seattle’s last two games with an illness. Before then, he had been on one of the stronger runs of his young NHL career. He scored a goal and an assist in Seattle’s 6-2 win over the Florida Panthers on March 15, and had a solid five points in his last 11 games playing largely in a bottom-six capacity. When he was last in the lineup, Winterton occupied a fourth-line left wing spot, skating alongside Ben Meyers and Jacob Melanson. 21-year-old Jani Nyman, who has 18 goals and 27 points in just 29 AHL games this season, was placed into that fourth-line role with Winterton sidelined.
Other notes from around the NHL:
- The Minnesota Wild have interest in signing NCAA free agent center Nathan Pilling of the University of St. Thomas, Michael Russo and Joe Smith of The Athletic reported today. Pilling, who turns 22 in June, ended his first campaign of college hockey with 15 goals and 29 points in 38 games. The Calgary native, who was a point-per-game pivot in his final campaign in the WHL, has previously been tied to two NHL teams. He attended the development camp of the San Jose Sharks in 2024, and the Ottawa Senators in 2025. Pilling was ranked as the No. 5 NCAA free agent by the team at Elite Prospects, with the outlet projecting him as a “potential bottom-6 checker” with “versatile upside.”
- Veteran netminder Tristan Jarry will return to the crease for the Edmonton Oilers at some point during the team’s upcoming two-game road trip, head coach Kris Knoblauch told the media today. Jarry hasn’t made a start since surrendering seven goals in a loss to the Dallas Stars, which was on March 12. The 30-year-old began the season with a strong 14 games for the Pittsburgh Penguins, posting a .909 save percentage and 9-3-1 record. He’s struggled mightily since his trade to Edmonton, though, putting up a grisly .855 save percentage and 4.17 goals-against average in 15 games. With the Oilers looking to build momentum and lock down a playoff spot in a wide-open Pacific Division, they’ll be hoping Jarry can rediscover some of the form he had at the start of the season.
Snapshots: Benak, Cruikshank, Heartlanders
Minnesota Wild prospect Adam Benak announced on social media today that he has committed to play college hockey at Western Michigan University. Benak, a 2025 fourth-round pick of the Wild, has elected to join the reigning NCAA champions, presumably for the 2026-27 season. Benak is currently playing for the Brantford Bulldogs of the OHL, where he has been one of the league’s most productive 18-year-old players. Of players his age, Benak’s 68 points in just 42 games ranks third in total points and second in scoring rate.
The move to college hockey will be the next test for a player who has found a way to be a productive force at the USHL level, OHL level, and on the international stage. Entering the season, Benak was ranked as the No. 15 prospect in the Wild’s system by the team at Elite Prospects, with scout Sebastian High writing that while he has middle-six upside, his “path to an NHL role is long and winding,” in large part due to his status as an undersized forward. Today’s announcement settles that the next step for Benak on his road to pro hockey will be the NCAA, and scouts will likely be curious to see if he’ll be able to translate his quality production from junior hockey to the college ranks.
Other notes from around the NHL:
- The AHL’s Hershey Bears announced that veteran forward Grant Cruikshank has signed a one-year AHL contract extension to remain with the organization for the 2026-27 season. The 27-year-old has had a solid 2025-26 campaign, setting a career-high for games played (52), goals (nine), and points (14) in a single AHL season. After a five-year college career, Cruikshank began his time as a professional in the ECHL, but after scoring 43 points in 35 games as a rookie, he quickly elevated himself to the AHL side of the AHL/ECHL bubble. Last season, he got into 31 games for the Bears, and this year, he’s been able to carve out a regular role in head coach Derek King’s lineup. He’s become a far more regular fixture on the Bears’ penalty kill, a unit that ranks No. 15 in the AHL, and it’s his development into a reliable defensive forward that has likely earned him this early extension. While he may not have a clear path to the NHL, he could look forward to a long AHL career as a penalty-killing defensive forward, perhaps in the mold of longtime Bridgeport forward Jeff Kubiak.
- The ECHL’s Iowa Heartlanders announced today that the league’s Board of Governors approved the team’s decision to voluntarily suspend operations for the 2026-27 season. In their announcement, Heartlanders owner Michael Devlin called the move “an incredibly difficult decision” but one that “is the most responsible course” as the team reviews options for the franchise’s long-term sustainability. The Heartlanders are the ECHL affiliate of the Minnesota Wild, and have players who are signed to, or have previously signed, NHL contracts on their roster, including Elliot Desnoyers, Cameron Butler, and Stevie Leskovar. Iowa went 36-25-11 last season but has fallen to 19-30-5 this year, No. 28 of 30 teams in league standings. According to HockeyDB, they rank last in the ECHL in average attendance per game.
Blue Jackets’ Scott Ford To Interview For NCAA Coaching Vacancy
The Columbus Blue Jackets have granted permission for assistant coach Scott Ford to interview for the vacant head coaching role at Brown University’s men’s hockey program, according to The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline.
Portzline added that there would be “further conversations” between GM Don Waddell and head coach Rick Bowness if Ford ends up offered the job. Ford’s name first came up regarding the role in a report from New England Hockey Journal’s Mark Divver.
Brown is currently without a permanent head coach after former bench boss Brendan Whittet stepped away from the program on Jan. 28 to take a family medical leave. The University noted as part of its announcement that when he returns from leave, “Whittet will transition into a new role in athletics administration.” Whittet became head coach at Brown in 2009-10 after a decade as an assistant coach at Dartmouth College. His most successful campaign came in 2012-13, when he led Brown to the finals of the ECAC tournament..
Ford, 46, is a Brown alumnus who captained the program in 2003-04 and was that year named his conference’s top defensive defenseman. He’s in his second season as an assistant coach in Columbus, brought there as a member of former head coach Dean Evason’s staff. He remained on staff after the Blue Jackets swapped head coaches and hired Bowness, but like many assistants who are holdovers from a prior bench boss, his future in Columbus is likely somewhat uncertain.
Seeing as Whittet remained in his position for well over a decade, it’s unlikely Ford will have an abundance of opportunities to become the head coach at his alma mater – a factor that could impact his interest in making the NHL-to-NCAA move. NCAA coaches often enjoy a significantly greater degree of job stability than NHL coaches, and especially assistant coaches. Not only does that mean the Brown head coaching role, once filled, is unlikely to become vacant again for quite some time, it also means an NHL coach with an uncertain future given the departure of his former boss could be particularly attracted to an NCAA vacancy. That, combined with the fact that Brown is Ford’s alma mater, give Ford all the reason to be interested in the head coaching role at Brown.
While it’s too early to tell whether Ford will ultimately land in Rhode Island, this is a storyline for Blue Jackets fans to look out for as the Olympic break continues.
Snapshots: Clara, Reschny, Olsen
Anaheim Ducks prospect Damian Clara had a performance for the ages today in Italy’s loss to Sweden in the group stage of the Winter Olympics. In front of a home crowd, Clara gave Italy a chance to upset the Swedes, making 46 saves. Per The Hockey News’ Derek Lee, Clara was forced out of Italy’s loss with what appeared to be a lower-body injury while making a save. There has not been any word on the extent of Clara’s injury, or if he will be fit to play in Italy’s next game, which is Friday against Slovakia.
If Clara is not fit to play, Italy will turn to Milan native Davide Fadani, who has a .922 save percentage in 22 games this season with Swiss National League side EHC Kloten. Clara, 21, was a 2023 second-round pick of the Ducks, and has spent this season playing in Sweden’s top pro league, the SHL. Through 30 games with Brynäs IF, Clara has an .888 save percentage.
Other notes from around the hockey world:
- Calgary Flames 2025 first-round pick Cole Reschny is questionable for the University of North Dakota’s games this weekend against the University of Miami (Ohio), according to Brad Elliott Schlossman of the Grand Forks Herald. Reschny left UND’s game last weekend with a lower-body injury. The former WHL Victoria Royals star has had a strong start to his NCAA career, scoring 25 points in 24 games. He could be a large part of the Flames’ future, as he was ranked as the league’s No. 76 skater prospect by the team at Elite Prospects.
- Former Winnipeg Jets prospect Ryan Olsen was released by the ECHL’s Wichita Thunder today, ending his three-week stint in Kansas. The 2012 sixth-round pick helped the Colorado Eagles, now of the AHL, to a Kelly Cup championship in 2018, and has moved around since that point. He spent the following two seasons in the AHL, including a 17-goal, 34-point season with the San Antonio Rampage in 2018-19, before moving to Germany’s second division. Olsen spent the last two seasons in the DEL2 before beginning this season in Germany’s third division. His stint in Wichita, which ends with zero points in six games played, was Olsen’s first opportunity in North American pro hockey since October 2023.