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Olle Lycksell

Senators Loan Olle Lycksell To AHL

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After tonight’s shootout loss to Buffalo, the Ottawa Senators announced that Olle Lycksell has been loaned to AHL Belleville. A depth forward, Lycksell has been back and forth between Belleville and Ottawa of late.

As a result of Lars Eller’s injury, Lycksell earned another call-up on December 13, and got into a game a week later against Chicago. He only played 7:17, but managed to notch an assist, his second point of the season, in seven total games. Simply unable to get adequate ice time since, the Swede will return to the AHL, where he is highly productive. Besides the best for himself, the transaction also may signal that Shane Pinto is on the cusp of a return.

Drafted in the sixth round back in 2017 by Philadelphia, Lycksell has impressively managed to stick around as a secondary option between the Flyers and Senators, skating in 52 career NHL games. He became an AHL All Star with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, but caught on with Ottawa over the summer in a one year deal. An unrestricted free agent at season’s end, based on all his activity so far, the 26-year-old figures to be surefire depth for the Sens when needed. 

A player whose sharpest skills are on the offensive side, Lycksell faces the challenge of trying to establish himself at the highest level in limited fourth line roles. Rejoining Belleville, who features AHL leading scorer Arthur Kaliev, Lycksell will vie for another shot and potentially extend his North American career. 

Senators Recall Olle Lycksell; Lars Eller To Miss An Extended Period

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The injury woes continue for the Senators as Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch relays that center Lars Eller has been ruled out for the remainder of their road trip and that he’s expected to miss extended time.  To add some extra forward depth to their roster ahead of today’s matinee against Minnesota, the team announced that they’ve recalled winger Olle Lycksell from AHL Belleville.

Lycksell has been up and down this season between Ottawa and Belleville, not getting a chance to play much at either level.  The 26-year-old has played in six NHL contests, picking up one goal and nine shots on goal while averaging a little over 10 minutes per night.  For his career, his production at the top level has been rather limited as he has two goals and ten helpers in 51 appearances; the others coming over parts of three seasons with Philadelphia.

Lycksell has been more productive with Belleville, however, tallying six points in nine games with them including four in his last four outings this month.  It’s unlikely that he’ll have a chance to play the same role with the big club, however, as he’ll likely be on the fourth line if he gets a chance to get in the lineup.

As for Eller, the veteran is dealing with a lower-body injury.  He has played in 28 games with the Sens this season, his first with them after coming over in unrestricted free agency on a one-year deal.  The 36-year-old has two goals and four assists while also winning over 60% of his faceoffs, a career-best rate.  Ottawa is second in the league in team faceoff percentage, so losing him will certainly be a damper in that category.

Senators Reassign Olle Lycksell

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Dec. 10: The Senators announced they loaned Lycksell back to Belleville on Wednesday morning. As expected, he did not play last night and was only around as last-minute insurance in case of an injury.

Dec. 9: Winger Olle Lycksell has been recalled by the Senators from AHL Belleville, according to a team announcement. They had an open roster spot after reassigning Hayden Hodgson to Belleville on Sunday.

The 26-year-old Lycksell has made six appearances across two previous stints on the active roster this season for the Sens. He was waived to begin the season but ended up making the opening night roster anyway. That lasted for a couple of weeks before he was eventually demoted to Belleville for the first time. Ottawa recalled him just a few days later, and he was back on the active roster for nearly a month until sustaining a concussion, putting him on injured reserve. When he was cleared to return in the later stages of November, Ottawa waived him again and sent him back to the B-Sens after he cleared.

Ottawa signed the 5’11” Swede as a Group VI unrestricted free agent this summer. A sixth-round pick of the Flyers in 2017, he’d remained in the Philly organization up until that point. He only arrived in North America in 2022, but has been a highly successful minor-league producer, notching 55 goals and 133 points in 142 games across four seasons. That includes a 3-2–5 scoring line in eight appearances for Belleville this year.

That production hasn’t carried over to the NHL, though. He’s not particularly physical and has often been miscast in a fourth-line role – skilled enough to provide scoring depth as an injury replacement, but not intriguing enough of a prospect to push for a top-nine minutes. As a result, he’s scored just two goals in 51 career NHL games, one of them coming this season.

Lycksell isn’t expected to play in tonight’s game against the Devils and looks to be in for another stint as an extra forward, per Claire Hanna of TSN. The Sens haven’t been shy about making frequent roster moves to keep their forward depth fresh this season. Lately, it’s been a rotation of Hodgson, Lycksell, and Stephen Halliday heading up and down to ensure no one is sitting in the press box for too long – serving a dual purpose of extending the former two’s waiver-exempt periods.

Olle Lycksell Clears Waivers

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Saturday: Lycksell has cleared waivers for the second straight month, Garrioch reports.  That will pave the way for him to be reassigned to AHL Belleville.

Friday: The Senators have placed winger Olle Lycksell on waivers, Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia reports. He hasn’t played since Nov. 8 and has been on injured reserve while in concussion protocol, so today’s news indicates he’s been cleared to return. Because he was on IR, he won’t count against Ottawa’s active roster while on waivers and will instead carry a non-roster designation for the next 24 hours.

Lycksell, 26, was a sixth-round pick by the Flyers back in 2017. He remained in the Philadelphia organization until last summer, when he became a Group VI unrestricted free agent and signed a two-way contract with Ottawa. In parts of three seasons on the Flyers’ NHL roster, he churned out a 1-10–11 scoring line in 45 appearances with a -6 rating. On the whole, he had underwhelming possession impacts with a 49.2 CF% at 5-on-5 and averaged 10:53 of ice time per game. Combined with a relative lack of physicality, he wasn’t much of a fit in a bottom-six role and struggled to land a consistent spot despite some high-end scoring numbers in the minors. Over his three seasons with the Flyers’ AHL affiliate in Lehigh Valley, he was nearly a point-per-game player with a 52-76–128 scoring line in 134 appearances.

Since he signed a two-way deal with the Sens and he wasn’t viewed as a threat to grab a top-nine job on the wings, many expected him to land on waivers during training camp. He did just that, but wasn’t assigned to AHL Belleville, at least not immediately. He’s remained on Ottawa’s active roster for the vast majority of the season, aside from a four-day demotion to Belleville in October and his recent IR placement.

Lycksell was used sparingly as an extra forward, though. He hasn’t appeared in more than two consecutive games this season and has just six total appearances, including just one since Oct. 28. His showing was a mixed bag. He did average a shot on goal per game and recorded his second career NHL tally, but his possession impacts weren’t good in sheltered fourth-line minutes. At 5-on-5 with Lycksell on the ice, the Senators have been outscored 4-2, outshot 33-23, and outchanced 34-30. That’s despite Lycksell receiving just one defensive zone start this year.

Given his minor-league success, Lycksell might generate some interest on the waiver wire, but his poor defensive impacts this season and lack of demonstrated upside at the NHL level point toward him clearing. Since they’re comfortable enough to expose him to waivers, he might be in line for a lengthier stint in Belleville, where he went without a point in two appearances last month.

Senators Recall Stephen Halliday, Lassi Thomson

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Before they embark on a seven-game road trip that will take them into December, the Ottawa Senators have recalled some depth to their active roster. According to a team announcement, the Senators have recalled forward Stephen Halliday and defenseman Lassi Thomson from the AHL’s Belleville Senators.

Unfortunately, the recall was preceded by some negativity. According to multiple reports, Ottawa has placed defenseman Thomas Chabot and forward Olle Lycksell on their injured reserve. Chabot’s upper-body injury is expected to keep him out of the lineup for the next couple of weeks. However, the Senators didn’t entirely rule out that he could return by the end of the upcoming road trip.

Halliday, 23, has the opportunity to make his NHL debut throughout the duration of the recall. The Ohio State University alumnus was drafted with the 104th overall pick by the Senators in the 2022 NHL Draft and transitioned to professional hockey toward the end of the 2023-24 campaign.

Since then, he’s been one of the more productive forwards for the AHL Senators. Starting with a 10-game debut to conclude the 2023-24 campaign, Halliday has scored 20 goals and 72 points in 96 games with Belleville and was leading the team in scoring before the recall. Halliday was also impressive in his one postseason run, scoring two goals and nine points in seven games.

Still, there is some reason for concern due to Halliday’s performance on the defensive side of the puck. Despite leading the team in scoring last season, Halliday finished with a dreadful -20 rating, nine points lower than the next worst. Granted, the AHL Senators didn’t qualify for the 2025 Calder Cup playoffs, but the team as a whole only finished with a -17 goal differential.

Meanwhile, Thomson has had a far different trajectory with the Senators organization as a prospect. Drafted with the 19th overall pick of the 2019 NHL Draft, there’s no question that Thomson has fallen well short of expectations.

He began his professional career in North America at the end of the 2020-21 season, and primarily played with Belleville. Until the 2023-24 campaign, Thomson had scored 26 goals and 93 points in 202 AHL games with the Senators with a -28 rating. The disappointing performance led to Thomson leaving North America altogether last season, signing with the SHL’s Malmö Redhawks to a two-year deal.

It was a relatively promising season in the SHL, with Thomson scoring 17 goals and 29 points in 50 games, and adding three more goals in eight postseason contests. As things would turn out, the Redhawks released Thomson after one season, allowing him to re-sign with the Senators this past offseason.

Senators Recall Olle Lycksell

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The Senators are bringing winger Olle Lycksell back up from AHL Belleville, the team announced. Ottawa had a pair of open roster spots after sending Arthur Kaliyev down to Belleville yesterday.

Lycksell and Kaliyev are essentially yo-yoing as Ottawa’s 12th forward while enforcer Kurtis MacDermid sits in the press box, and captain Brady Tkachuk remains on injured reserve after undergoing surgery on his hand last week. It likely won’t be the last time the Sens make this move. Both of them cleared waivers late in training camp. Players can remain on an NHL active roster for up to 30 non-consecutive days (or play 10 games) until they need waivers again to return to the minors. Swapping them out for each other every few days means delaying when they become waiver-eligible. Lycksell’s counter stood at 12 days before today; Kaliyev’s recall lasted four days.

Lycksell, 26, signed a two-way deal with the Senators over the summer. The four-year veteran was left on Ottawa’s opening night roster despite clearing waivers, but only played in two of five games before being sent to Belleville last Friday. He did not record a point and averaged 10:09 of ice time per game with two blocks and one hit. He’s also pointless with a minus-four rating through two appearances with the B-Sens in the past few days.

Originally selected in the sixth round by the Flyers back in 2017, Lycksell debuted with Philadelphia briefly in 2022-23. He got slightly more extended looks the following two seasons, but never logged more than 20 appearances in a campaign. He had a 1-10–11 scoring line in 45 games with the Flyers in parts of three years, but had much more success during that time with AHL Lehigh Valley, where he was nearly a point per game player. He had 52 goals and 128 points in 134 appearances there, working his way into an AHL All-Star Game appearance last season.

Lycksell reached Group VI unrestricted free agency this past offseason and landed with Ottawa, hoping for more opportunity. The 5’11” Swede has historically been an accurate shooter, but is finishing at just 2.2% during his NHL time. That needs to increase dramatically for him to have any hope of carving out a consistent role.

Evening Notes: Lycksell, Cooley, Zamula

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The Ottawa Senators assigned forward Olle Lycksell to the AHL’s Belleville Senators early on Friday. Lycksell appeared in two games with Ottawa this week, but sat out of the team’s most recent game on Thursday. He didn’t manage any scoring in those appearances.

Lycksell is in his first year in the Senators’ organization after signing a one-year, two-way, league-minimum $775K contract with the club on July 1st. He spent the last three seasons bouncing between the Philadelphia Flyers’ major and minor league rosters. He totaled 11 points in 45 NHL games, and 128 points in 134 AHL games with the Flyers. He’ll look to maintain near point-per-game scoring in the minors with Belleville. If he can, he could soon return to a depth role with Ottawa.

Other notes from around the league:

  • The Utah Mammoth have a colossal extension looming when top center Logan Cooley hits free agency next summer. But despite minimal talks of an extension, Cooley’s agent, Brian Bartlett, told the Daily Faceoff that he’s not worried about getting a deal done. Bartlett emphasized that Cooley still has plenty of time to work something out. There’s no doubt Mammoth fan will be watching closely for Cooley’s next contract, after he posted 109 points in 157 games with the club over his first two seasons in the NHL. He’s likely to sign a hardy extension that should cement his spot as Utah’s top center.
  • The Calgary Flames are interested in acquiring a big-bodied, left-shot defenseman per Daily Faceoff’s Anthony Di Marco, who adds that Flyers defender Egor Zamula could be a prime target. Zamula played in 120 games with the WHL’s Calgary Hitmen before beginning his pro career. Now, he’s found himself on the outside of Philadelphia’s daily lineup, despite mixed results. Zamula boasts a career stat line of 40 points in 157 games. He posted a career-high 21 points and plus-three in 66 games of the 2023-24 season, but fell to just 15 points and a minus-14 in 63 games last year. That dip in scoring could make him a relatively cheap acquisition, should Calgary swing a trade.

Senators Sign Hayden Hodgson, Hunter Shepard, Jackson Parsons

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The Ottawa Senators announced a flurry of free agent signings today, including a two-year, two-way deal with forward Hayden Hodgson and a one-year, two-way deal with goaltender Hunter Shepard, per a team release. The terms of those deals are not immediately known. Additionally, the team confirmed the previously reported signing of forward Arthur Kaliyev, along with forwards Wyatt Bongiovanni and Olle Lycksell, whose deals had also been reported earlier.

Hodgson, 29, returns to the Senators organization after appearing in two games with Ottawa and 43 more with the AHL’s Belleville Senators last season. For his career, the 6’2″, 220-pound winger has appeared in nine career NHL games spanning three seasons, producing a goal and two assists.

Bongiovanni, 25, also remains in the Senators’ franchise after appearing in 54 games with Belleville last season, where he produced 22 goals and 33 points. While he has yet to appear in an NHL game, his production last season was a major step in the right direction, as he nearly doubled his previous highs in goals and points at the AHL level.

Lycksell, 25, comes to Ottawa after spending his entire professional career within the Flyers organization, which selected him in the sixth round of the 2017 NHL draft. Last season, Lycksell appeared in a career-high 19 games for the Flyers, registering five assists while averaging 11:53 of ice time per night. In 43 games for the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms last season, he produced 19 goals and 44 points.

Shepard’s one-year deal comes a year after he appeared in 39 games for the AHL’s Hershey Bears, where he compiled a 23-11-4 record, 2.80 goals against average, and a .891 save percentage. The 29-year-old Shepard, who was named an AHL all-star last season, has appeared in five games at the NHL level across two seasons with the Washington Capitals, including one start last season.

Additionally, the Sens signed goaltender Jackson Parsons to a three-year, entry-level contract. Parsons, 20, appeared in 52 games for the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers, registering a 37-12-3 record, 2.24 goals-against average, and a .920 save percentage. A native of Ottawa, Parsons received several key accolades for his play last season, including Goaltender of the Year in both the OHL and the Canadian Hockey League and the Leo Lalonde Trophy as the OHL Overage Player of the Year.

Two-Way Deals: 7/1/25

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As major signings come in around the NHL today with the 2025-26 league year beginning, teams are shoring up their minor-league depth as well by signing players to two-way contracts. We’re keeping track of those signings today in this article, which will be continuously updated. Deals are one year unless otherwise noted.

Boston Bruins

F Riley Tufte ($775K NHL) – Ty Anderson of 98.5 The Sports Hub
D Jonathan Aspirot ($775K NHL) – Ty Anderson of 98.5 The Sports Hub
G Luke Cavallin ($775K NHL) – Ty Anderson of 98.5 The Sports Hub

Buffalo Sabres

F Riley Fiddler-Schultz ($865K NHL/$90K SB/$35K PB/$85K AHL) – PuckPedia // two years, entry-level
F Carson Meyer ($775K NHL/$350K AHL Y1 – $375K AHL Y2) – PuckPedia // two years
D Mason Geertsen ($775K NHL/$425K AHL) – Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet // two years
D Zachary Jones ($900K NHL/$550K AHL) – PuckPedia
D Zach Metsa ($775K NHL/$250K AHL/$325K gt’d) – PuckPedia

Calgary Flames

D Nick Cicek ($775K NHL) – team release

Carolina Hurricanes

G Amir Miftakhov ($775K NHL/$100K AHL/$240K gt’d) – PuckPedia

Chicago Blackhawks

F Dominic Toninato ($850K NHL) – team release // two years

Colorado Avalanche

F T.J. Tynan (unknown) – team release
D Jack Ahcan (unknown) – team release
D Ronald Attard ($775K NHL/$450K AHL/$500K gt’d) – PuckPedia

Columbus Blue Jackets

F Owen Sillinger (unknown) – team release
D Christian Jaros (unknown) – team release

Dallas Stars

D Niilopekka Muhonen (unknown) – team release // three years, entry-level

Edmonton Oilers

D Riley Stillman ($775K NHL/$475K AHL) – PuckPedia // two years
G Matt Tomkins ($775K NHL/$400K AHL/$450 Y2 gt’d) – PuckPedia // two years

Florida Panthers

F Nolan Foote ($775K NHL/$150K AHL/$250K gt’d) – PuckPedia
F Jack Studnicka ($775K NHL/$450K AHL) – Chris Johnston of TSN/The Athletic
G Brandon Bussi ($775K NHL/$400K AHL) – PuckPedia
G Kirill Gerasimyuk (unknown) – team release // two years, entry-level

Los Angeles Kings

F Cole Guttman ($775K NHL/$450K Y1 – $475K Y2 AHL/$475K gt’d Y1 – $500K gt’d Y2) – PuckPedia // two years

Minnesota Wild

F Tyler Pitlick ($775K NHL/$300K Y1 – $350K Y2 AHL/$325K gt’d Y1 – $375K gt’d Y2) – PuckPedia // two years
D Ben Gleason ($800K NHL/$475K AHL) – PuckPedia

Montreal Canadiens

F Alex Belzile (unknown) – team release
D Nathan Clurman ($775K NHL/$125K AHL/$140K gt’d) – PuckPedia

New Jersey Devils

D Calen Addison ($775K NHL/$325K AHL/$400K gt’d) – PuckPedia
F Angus Crookshank ($775K NHL/$425K AHL/$475K gt’d) – PuckPedia // two years, one-way in 2026-27

New York Islanders

F Matthew Highmore (unknown) – team release
D Ethan Bear ($775K NHL/$325K AHL/$425K gt’d) – PuckPedia
D Cole McWard (unknown) – team release

New York Rangers

D Derrick Pouliot ($775K NHL/$400K AHL/$425K gt’d Y1 – $450K gt’d Y2) – PuckPedia // two years

Ottawa Senators

F Wyatt Bongiovanni ($775K NHL/$160K AHL) – PuckPedia
F Olle Lycksell ($775K NHL/$450K AHL/$500K gt’d) – Darren Dreger of TSN

Philadelphia Flyers

F Lane Pederson ($775K NHL/$525K AHL) – PuckPedia

San Jose Sharks

F Jimmy Huntington (unknown) – team release
F Samuel Laberge (unknown) – team release
F Colin White ($775K NHL/$425K AHL/$475K gt’d) – PuckPedia
D Cole Clayton (unknown) – team release

St. Louis Blues

F Matt Luff ($775K NHL/$400K AHL) – PuckPedia

Tampa Bay Lightning

F Nicholas Abruzzese (unknown) – team release
F Tristan Allard (unknown) – team release // two years, entry-level
F Boris Katchouk (unknown) – team release
D Simon Lundmark ($775K NHL/$250K AHL/$350K gt’d) – PuckPedia // two years
G Ryan Fanti ($775K NHL/$80K AHL) – PuckPedia

Utah Mammoth

F Kailer Yamamoto ($775K NHL/$500K AHL) – PuckPedia
D Scott Perunovich ($775K NHL/$400K AHL/$500K gt’d) – PuckPedia

Vancouver Canucks

F Joseph LaBate ($775K NHL/$350K AHL) – PuckPedia
F Mackenzie MacEachern ($775K NHL/$575K AHL) – PuckPedia // two years
D Jimmy Schuldt ($775K NHL/$500K AHL) – PuckPedia // two years

Winnipeg Jets

F Phillip Di Giuseppe ($775K NHL/$450K AHL) – PuckPedia
D Kale Clague (unknown) – Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet

Flyers’ Olle Lycksell Clears Waivers, Assigned To AHL

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Apr. 8th: Philadelphia announced that Lycksell has successfully cleared waivers. The team also shared that they have reassigned Lycksell to their AHL affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.

Apr. 7th: The Flyers placed winger Olle Lycksell on waivers today, per Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. The move is presumably to get him some playing time with AHL Lehigh Valley down the stretch. As a pending Group VI unrestricted free agent, there’s no risk of a claim since he’d be ineligible to dress for his new team for its final few regular season games.

Lycksell was a healthy scratch against the Canadiens on Saturday, the first time he’d been one since being brought back up to the NHL following the trade deadline. While historically a productive player in the minors and top-level European leagues, he hasn’t carried that offensive momentum to the NHL. He has five assists and a minus-three rating in 19 showings for the Flyers this year. All of that offense came in his 13 post-deadline appearances.

Selected by Philadelphia in the sixth round of the 2017 draft, the 25-year-old Swede has produced above a point per game for the second consecutive year in the minors. He’s recorded 17-24–41 in 40 games with Lehigh Valley, and his 1.03 points per game since the beginning of last season rank eighth in the AHL among players with at least 50 games played. He has 50-75–125 in 131 appearances for the Phantoms since arriving in North America in 2022.

Back in his home country, the 5’11” forward put up 42-53–95 in 221 career Swedish Hockey League games with Linköping HC, Färjestad BK, and Växjö Lakers HC. He could be headed back to one of those clubs this summer, with the Flyers set to lose team control over his signing rights. He’s certainly shown enough at the AHL level to get a lucrative two-way deal from another NHL club, but he may prefer to return home for more stability and a guaranteed role.

Since Lycksell was on the Phantoms’ roster on trade deadline day, he’s eligible to suit up for Lehigh Valley in the Calder Cup Playoffs, to which they’ve clinched their berth already. He remains their leading scorer despite his extended stints on the NHL roster this year.

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