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Peter Cehlarik

Switzerland, Slovakia Announce Olympic Rosters

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The 2022 Winter Olympics is inching closer, with pre-tournament games happening in just a few weeks. Several countries including the U.S. have announced the rosters that will compete next month and today two more revealed their NHL-less groups.

For Switzerland, it’s a roster with several familiar names including Gregory Hofmann, who only just terminated his contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Swiss finished tenth in 2018 after missing the quarterfinals because of a loss to the Czech Republic. This year they will have a chance at redemption, as they’re in a group with Czechia, the Russian Olympic Committee, and Denmark. The Swiss roster looks like this:

G Reto Berra
G Leonardo Genoni
G Joren Van Pottelberghe

D Santeri Alatalo
D Raphael Diaz
D Michael Fora
D Romain Loeffel
D Christian Marti
D Mirco Mueller
D Ramon Untersander
D Yannick Weber

F Andres Ambuhl
F Sven Andrighetto
F Christoph Bertschy
F Enzo Corvi
F Gaetan Haas
F Fabrice Herzog
F Gregory Hofmann
F Denis Hollenstein
F Denis Malgin
F Simon Moser
F Killian Mottet
F Sven Senteler
F Dario Simion
F Joel Vermin

Switzerland wasn’t alone announcing a roster today, as Slovakia also revealed the group that will travel to Beijing. Their group also has plenty of former NHL talent on it, though they’ll certainly be in tough during the group stage. Slovakia is in Group C, which also includes Finland, Sweden, and Latvia, meaning they’ll likely have to make it through the qualification playoff round.

Slovakia’s roster will look like this:

G Branislav Konrad
G Patrik Rybar
G Matej Tomek

D Michal Cajkovsky
D Peter Ceresnak
D Marek Daloga
D Martin Gernat
D Mario Grman
D Samuel Knazko
D Martin Marincin
D Simon Nemec

F Peter Cehlarik
F Marko Dano
F Adrian Holesinsky
F Marek Hrivik
F Libor Hudacek
F Tomas Jurco
F Milos Kelemen
F Michal Kristof
F Kristian Pospisil
F Pavol Regenda
F Milos Roman
F Juraj Slafkovsky
F Samuel Takac
F Peter Zuzin

Though Slovakia’s path to a medal will be difficult, their team should be very exciting. Nemec and Slafkovsky in particular are two names to watch, as top draft-eligible players for 2022. Nemec in particular has the ability to take over a game if given the chance, as he does on a routine basis for HK Nitra, his Slovakian club team. The 17-year-olds should be used to international competition by now, having both appeared at the World Championship last summer.

Canada Wins 2021 IIHF World Championship

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The 2021 IIHF World Championship came to an end today with Canada taking home the gold medal in a win over Finland. The Canadians won 3-2 in overtime against the Finns, on an Ottawa connection no less between Connor Brown and Nick Paul, to finish off an unlikely run. Though it sounds strange, no one expected Canada to come out on top after several early losses in group play and just narrowly making it into the playoff rounds. However, they proved that they should never be counted out, becoming the first team to ever win the tournament after losing their first three games.

The United States won the bronze medal earlier in the day, defeating Germany 6-1. The Americans actually exited group play with the points lead in the tournament, but due to Canada’s struggles it led to the two hockey powers clashing in the semifinals with Canada coming out on top. Germany continues its rise as a hockey nation, finishing fourth but nearly reaching the final with a 2-1 loss to Finland in the semis.

Other countries that impressed included Slovakia, which reached the playoff rounds behind 12 points in group play, and Kazakhstan, who totaled 10 points in group play and would have reached the next round – knocking out Canada – if not for a surprise regulation loss to Norway. Every nation in the 16-team tournament other than Italy picked up at least one win and four points. It was a tournament to forget for Sweden though; the elite hockey country only notched 10 points in group play and missed the cut.

Individually, it is no surprise that most of the leading scorers of the tournament were impact NHL players from the top teams in the tournament. Brown led the way with 16 points, while Canadian Andrew Mangiapane of the Calgary Flames was named MVP as one of the top scorers and sharing the lead in goals. American Conor Garland of the Arizona Coyotes finished second in points and Canadian Adam Henrique – who centered a line with Brown and Mangiapane – also among the leading scorers. However, two additional players in the mix will come as a surprise. Boston Bruins property Peter Cehlarik of Slovakia tied Mangiapane and Henrique with 11 points and Arizona Coyotes prospect Liam Kirk tied Mangiapane for the tournament lead with seven goals. In net, Calvin Petersen of the Los Angeles Kings was stellar for the U.S., recording a .953 save percentage and 1.29 GAA, but unheralded Finnish netminder Jussi Olkinuora was just as good. The former University of Denver standout and AHL/ECHL veteran has quietly been putting up impressive numbers for five years in Europe in the Liiga and KHL and may very well be on NHL radars now.

KHL Off-Season Opening Day Round-Up

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The KHL off-season opened today and the league did not waste any time in making moves that have meaning to NHL fans. A number of familiar names have hit free agency today and some are already agreeing to new deals. Meanwhile, others are being traded on the first day to do so, including the rights to some players currently in North America. Keep up with all of today’s action as the KHL’s clubs get their summers started early with significant moves:

  •  One of the first players to sign with a new team early this morning was former NHL forward Teemu Pulkkinen. A Detroit Red Wings draft pick who also spent time with the Minnesota Wild, Arizona Coyotes, and most recently the Chicago Blackhawks in 2017-18, Pulkkinen will be entering his fourth season in the KHL and is already on to his fourth different team. After splitting this season between Dynamo Moscow and Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, collecting 30 points in 46 games, Pulkkinen has signed a two-year deal with Traktor Chelyabinsk. The 29-year-old has scored at a .67 per-game clip in his KHL career and shows no signs of slowing down.
  • SKA St. Petersberg and Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod have made an interesting futures swap, trading the rights of two current NHLers. Torpedo received the rights to Edmonton Oilers winger Jesse Puljujarvi (as well as minor league forward Danil Voyevodin) while SKA landed the rights to young San Jose Sharks goalie Alexei Melnichuk. The deal is tricky on a number of levels; while Puljujarvi is undoubtedly the biggest name in the trade, it is Melnichuk who commanded the larger side of the return. It was also KHL powerhouse SKA who received the prospect netminder and gave up the established scorer. This could be a simple case of different likelihoods of those player rights having any value. While Puljujarvi previously left the Oilers for Europe, he has finally found his NHL stride in his return this season and is unlikely to leave again. Even if he does, Puljujarvi may just return home to the Finnish Liiga as well. On the other hand, Melnichuk was born and bred in the SKA system and the team may have some insight into his future plans. The 22-year-old keeper is valued by the Sharks and even made his NHL debut this year in his first season in North America, however his AHL play has underwhelmed and he doesn’t look like a realistic full-time NHL option for San Jose next season. If the young goalie grows tired of playing in the minors in North America, he would probably be happy to jump back to his old team and take on a starting role in the KHL.
  • Former Boston Bruins forward Joonas Kemppainen has signed a one-year extension to remain with SKA. The Finnish power forward didn’t work out in his lone NHL season back in 2015-16, recording five points in eleven games with Boston, but has been a productive player in the KHL for five years now. That includes a 15-goal, 29-point campaign with St. Petersberg this year that earned him an extension. The 33-year-old veteran is not a candidate to ever return to North America, but still has plenty to offer in Russia.
  • Vladimir Zharkov feels like ancient New Jersey Devils history at this point, but the former top prospect continues to produce in the KHL. Zharkov, 33, spent four seasons with the Devils early in his career and was a nice fringe piece, but lacked starting upside. In the KHL since 2012-13, Zharkov has become a reliable two-way forward and locker room leader, spending many years with top programs like CSKA Moscow and Salavat Yulaev Ufa. Now he’s off to the top team in the league, signing a two-year deal with recently-crowned Gagarin Cup champions Avangard Omsk, replacing the veteran presence of the departed Ilya Kovalchuk.
  • Torpedo jumped right back into the action, signing an exciting forward to a one-year deal. Marek Hrivik gave his all to a career in North America, developing in the QMJHL and spending six seasons primarily in the AHL for the New York Rangers and Calgary Flames. However, he never could earn a full-time opportunity and returned home to Europe in 2018. Even then, his first go-round in the KHL did not go all that well. However, after back-to-back stellar season in Sweden, he is ready to give it another try with Torpedo. Hrivik totaled 81 points in 90 games with the SHL’s Leksands IF these past two years and if that can translate to the KHL then the 29-year-old could become a star in Russia.
  • Another trade involving NHL property has landed, but this one could have more immediate dividends. Defending champions Omsk have acquired the rights to Boston Bruins prospect forward Peter Cehlarik from Yaroslavl in exchange for the rights to Anaheim Ducks defenseman Kodie Curran. Cehlarik, 25, is already in Europe, having left Boston this past off-season to join Leksands IF in Sweden. Cehlarik always showed great promise in the AHL, but couldn’t translate it to the NHL for the Bruins. After recording 20 goals and 40 points in 45 SHL games this season, Cehlarik may want to return to Boston, who continues to hold his rights, in an attempt to prove himself once more. However, the talented winger could be tempted to join the KHL’s current kings this off-season instead. As for Curran, 31, he already did his stint in Europe and made his return to North America. The Calgary native spent the previous four seasons in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden before earning his first NHL contract with the Ducks this past off-season. While he hasn’t see any action in Anaheim just yet, he has 11 points in 17 AHL games this season and his one-way, $1MM contract still has another year remaining. However, if Curran is still not being utilized by the Ducks after next season and doesn’t draw any other NHL offers as a result, he has a new home to return to in Europe in Yarolslavl.
  • After signing his entry-level contract with the Carolina Hurricanes, Pyotr Kochetkov has inked another deal – a one-year extension with Torpedo. The 21-year-old landed in Novgorod late in the season, but excelled down the stretch and in the postseason with save percentages of .931 and .932, respectively. Kochetkov could very well be in line for the starting role for Torpedo next season while playing on loan from Carolina.

Mirco Mueller Signs In SHL

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One of the last notable unsigned NHL free agents has found a new home for this season. Defenseman Mirco Mueller, most recently of the New Jersey Devils, has moved on from pursuing an NHL contract to sign in Sweden. The SHL’s Leksands IF has announced a contract with Mueller for the remainder of the 2020-21 season.

Mueller, 25, was arguably the best unsigned blue liner left on the open market prior to this signing. Among current free agents, Mueller trailed only veteran Ron Hainsey in games played, time on ice per game, and points. That wasn’t even a career-best season either, as Mueller posted personal highs across the board in 2018-19 with 11 points, 75 hits, and over 18 minutes per night in 53 games with the Devils.

While Mueller’s defensive efforts over the years deserve some scrutiny, he had been a good semi-regular defenseman for quite a few years with New Jersey and the San Jose Sharks. Still growing into his game, the young defender seemed like a player that an NHL team would have been willing to take a shot on. Instead, he should step into a major role for Leksands for the rest of the year. The team, which is in the middle of the pack in the SHL this year, boasts some talented former NHL forwards scoring at an impressive clip, such as Carter Camper, Carter Ashton, and Peter Cehlarik. However, they have not received much production from the blue line, an area where Mueller will be of major assistance. Given his age, NHL experience, a potential production in the SHL over the rest of the season, Mueller could be back in North America before too long.

Peter Cehlarik Signs In Sweden

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Even in May it was obvious that Peter Cehlarik’s tenure with the Boston Bruins organization was over after the young forward voiced his displeasure with head coach Bruce Cassidy. Cehlarik was in talks with teams in several different leagues but has settled on Leksands IF of the Swedish Hockey League, signing a two-year contract with the club.

Cehlarik, 25, will be a restricted free agent that the Bruins can retain exclusive rights with temporarily by issuing a qualifying offer, but it is hard to think he ever really makes an impact for the organization again. One of the most consistent scorers for the Providence Bruins during his time in North America, he received only 40 games at the NHL level and recorded just 11 points.

A third-round pick in 2013, Cehlarik has plenty of offensive talent and could potentially turn up in a few years as a European free agent drawing interest in the NHL. It won’t be until 2022 at the earliest.

Peter Cehlarik Linked To HC Lugano

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Last month, Bruins forward Peter Cehlarik voiced his frustration with head coach Bruce Cassidy in an interview with TA3 in his native Slovakia and indicated that he was looking for a change of scenery.  That change doesn’t appear to be coming with another NHL team though.  Instead, he appears to be heading overseas.  His agent Louis Leitch told Mattias Persson of HockeyNews.se last week that he was fielding interest from teams in Russia, Sweden, and Switzerland.  It appears he’ll be heading to the latter of the three countries as a report from Flavio Viglezio of Corriere Del Ticino in Switzerland has the 24-year-old close to signing with HC Lugano of the Swiss NLA.

After a strong rookie AHL season in 2016-17 that also saw him get into 11 games with Boston, it looked as if Cehlarik was going to be a part of their future core.  However, he hasn’t progressed much since then and wound up clearing waivers this season.  He played in 48 games with AHL Providence this year and picked up a respectable 16 goals and 21 assists while adding an assist in three contests with the big club.

As a restricted free agent with arbitration eligibility this offseason, the Bruins can retain his NHL rights by issuing him a qualifying offer.  However, with Cehlarik expressing his desire to leave on top of what appears to be stagnated development, they could also just decide to cut bait altogether by non-tendering him later this offseason.

Snapshots: Egle, Handemark, Cehlarik

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Over the past two years, Clarkson University forward Haralds Egle has been one of the best and most consistent scoring forwards in college hockey. An undrafted prospect out of the USHL, the Latvian-born winger just completed his final collegiate season but truly began to hit his stride last year. In total, Egle accumulated 33 goals and 72 points in 71 games over the past two seasons, leading a national contender. Now, Egle is ready to take on the pros. The AHL’s Manitoba Moose have announced a two-year deal for the 23-year-old scoring forward. Latvia remains an under-represented nation in the NHL, but if Egle’s NCAA ability translates to the AHL its very possible that his he could be the next name from his country to join the ranks of the elite.

  • Swedish forward Fredrik Handemark is no stranger to the NHL rumor mill, with the most recent reports naming the Detroit Red Wings and San Jose Sharks as suitors should the SHL veteran choose to make the jump this off-season. It appears he has made his choice though, as Swedish news source Aftonbladet reports that Handemark is expected to sign with the Sharks this summer. After posting a career-high 14 goals and 38 points this season, the 26-year-old Malmo Redhawks captain has decided to take the next step in his career with San Jose. While the terms have not been confirmed, Aftonbladet expects Handemark to sign a one-year entry-level contract with a $900K AAV, which could prove to be a bargain for the Sharks if the Swedish star can replicate his production at the next level.
  • Boston Bruins forward Peter Cehlarik may be eyeing a move to the opposite side of the Atlantic. Slovakian news source TA3 reports that the local product may be considering a move to Europe, namely the SHL, after another season in which he was unable to secure a consistent NHL job. Cehlarik, 24, played his developmental years in Sweden and was drafted by Boston from Lulea HF in 2013. In his four years since coming over from Europe, Cehlarik has played in at least three NHL games each season, including a career-high 20 in 2018-19. However, his considerable scoring ability – 136 points in 185 career AHL games – has not translated to the NHL, where he has just 11 points in 40 games. Beyond just his production, Cehlarik has struggled to find a natural fit in the Bruins’ lineup and has been passed up on the organizational depth chart. A restricted free agent this summer, Boston may qualify Cehlarik as a useful minor league depth player, but he could opt instead to chase a starring role back in the SHL.

Minor Transactions: 11/07/19

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The NHL schedule is packed with action tonight as 22 of the league’s teams take the ice. Among them are the Colorado Avalanche who will try to right the ship against a division rival, and the New York Islanders who will go for an 11th-straight win against the Pittsburgh Penguins. As teams prepare for the action, we’ll be right here keeping track of all the minor moves.

  • The Boston Bruins have recalled Zachary Senyshyn and Peter Cehlarik from the minor leagues before their game tomorrow night. Senyshyn had two assists in his first game of the season on Tuesday despite playing just under 11 minutes. The 22-year old forward is finally getting a chance to show what he can do at the NHL level.
  • As expected, the Vegas Golden Knights have recalled both Nicolas Roy and Nicolas Hague from the minor leagues. The team had sent them down to save some cap space while they were between games.
  • The same was true with the Islanders, who today recalled Seth Helgeson and Otto Koivula once again. Koivula is still waiting to make his NHL debut, but is at least making an NHL salary whenever he spends a day with the big club.
  • Brandon Davidson is back in the NHL, this time with the Calgary Flames. The 28-year old defenseman has been recalled by the team to replace Oliver Kylington, who has been sent back to continue his development. Davidson has 162 NHL games under his belt, but hasn’t been a regular for several years.
  • Adam Werner has been recalled by the Colorado Avalanche as an extra goalie while Philipp Grubauer was missing from practice today. The team has yet to give an explanation, but Pavel Francouz appears to be the starter for the time being.

Minor Transactions: 11/2/19

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It’s a very busy Saturday across the NHL with a total of 28 teams in action so there is likely to be plenty of roster movement throughout the day.  We’ll keep tabs on those here.

  • The Islanders announced (Twitter link) that they have placed winger Andrew Ladd on LTIR and have assigned him to Bridgeport of the AHL on a conditioning stint. The veteran has been out all season as he works his way back from ACL surgery.  The transfer to LTIR prior to the placement is noteworthy as that classifies the assignment as a Bona Fide Long-Term Injury Conditioning Loan.  That means Ladd will be down for a maximum of three games or six days unless the team petitions the Commissioner’s Office for a two-game extension if they believe more time is needed.
  • The Blue Jackets have recalled winger Kole Sherwood from AHL Cleveland and sent winger Jakob Lilja to the Monsters, per a team release. Lilja has had a sparing role with Columbus this season, logging less than nine minutes a night on their fourth line so this should be an opportunity to get him some more playing time.  Meanwhile, Sherwood is tied for second on Cleveland in goals in the early going this year; this will be his second career NHL stint after getting into a pair of games last season.
  • Peter Cehlarik is back up with Boston as the team announced his recall from AHL Providence. The winger saw action in one game last weekend with the Bruins before returning to Providence where he has ten points in seven games this season.  He’ll take the place of winger Brett Ritchie who won’t play tonight due to an infected cut.
  • The Stars have assigned winger Nicholas Caamano to AHL Texas, per the AHL’s Transactions Page.  The rookie has a goal in eight games with Dallas this season but is averaging less than ten minutes per game so this will be an opportunity for him to get some more playing time.  It also suggests that winger Blake Comeau is ready to return from injury.
  • The Canucks announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled defenseman Oscar Fantenberg from his conditioning loan with Utica (AHL).  He has yet to play with Vancouver this season which is why he agreed to go to the minors to get some game action in.  He suited up in two games with the Comets during that stretch.
  • CapFriendly reports that the Anaheim Ducks have assigned forward Max Jones to the San Diego Gulls of the AHL. The 21-year-old has played 12 games for Anaheim this season, but he has tallied just one assist in that time and recently saw his playing time decrease, including just playing 7:32 Friday night. A first-round pick in 2016, Jones will likely head back to San Diego to work on his all-around game and to build confidence back.
  • The Athletic’s Craig Morgan reports that the Arizona Coyotes have activated defenseman Jordan Oesterle from injured reserve after the 27-year-old missed the last six games with a head injury after taking a shot to the back of his head on Oct. 17 against Nashville. Oesterle is expected to play Saturday against Colorado. He has played in six games this year before the injury, picking up two assists in that span.

Lineup Notes: Boston, Buffalo, Big Names Scratched

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Fresh off a decisive win over the St. Louis Blues on Saturday, the Boston Bruins’ forward lines will look a little different when they face the New York Rangers tonight. The team has announced that bottom-six forwards Chris Wagner and Joakim Nordstrom will both miss the game due to injury. However, the release does not make it sound as if either player is at risk of missing significant time, especially since both played the entire game last night with normal ice time. Wagner is listed as being out as a result of a shot block against the Blues, although no actual injury is listed and the aggressive winger may just need the night off for soreness. Nordstrom has been in and out of the lineup frequently in the young season, dealing with an undisclosed upper-body injury. Today’s news adds even more mystery to his condition, as the Bruins state he is dealing with an “infection issue”. With these two absences coming on top of the injuries to David Krejci and Karson Kuhlman – Kuhlman is expected to join Krejci on IR to create roster space – Boston is shorthanded up front and added that they will recall Peter Cehlarik from AHL Providence. Cehlarik, who played in 20 NHL games last season, leads Providence with six goals and eight points in eight games. The Bruins hope that he can provide the same offensive spark that Anders Bjork has since he was recalled. Tonight should also mark the return to action of David Backes, who has played in five games so far this season and has been held without a point.

  • The Buffalo Sabres have gotten off to a hot start this season and their lineup has been almost identical night in and night out. That is about to change. The team has issued an injury report that includes two new additions in Marco Scandella and Jimmy Vesey. The pair both missed Buffalo’s last game, with Scandella suffering from a lower-body injury and Vesey an upper-body injury. Although the specific injuries are not expanded upon in this new report, Scandella is listed as being out two to three weeks, while Vesey is considered week-to-week. It is a blow to the chemistry and consistency that the Sabres have enjoyed so far this season, especially on the back end where they lose their veteran defensive leader. However, in more positive news, defenseman Brandon Montour has been upgraded to day-to-day and a return to the lineup could be imminent. Montour began the year on the injured reserve with a hand injury, but is nearing his season debut and will provide a major boost for Buffalo.
  • At this point in their respective careers, both Brent Seabrook and Bobby Ryan are known more for their notorious contracts than for their performance. Yet, both are fixtures in their respective lineups. However, reports out of both Chicago and Ottawa state that Seabrook and Ryan will each be a healthy scratch tonight. It is only the second career scratch for both players in their careers and the first under their current head coaches. Per the Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch, Senators head coach D.J. Smith revealed that Ryan would be a scratch, after recording just three points through the team’s first ten games. Ryan, who is in the fifth year of a seven-year, $50.75MM contract, had been relegated to a fourth line role based on his production, but Smith reportedly does not feel he is a good fit as an energy forward. The team has recalled Filip Chlapik to take his place in the lineup and there is no indication of when Ryan may return. Ryan has not cracked 50 points in any of the past three seasons and has three seasons remaining at a $7.25MM cap hit. As for Seabrook, his contract is arguably even worse. The 34-year-old defenseman still has five years remaining on an eight-year, $55MM contract that carries a $6.875MM cap it. Seabrook’s game has fallen off in both the offensive and defensive departments over the past two years and things are only getting worse. The veteran rearguard has just one point in nine games and a -5 rating, on pace for a career worst in both categories. According to The Athletic’s Scott Powers, Blackhawks head coach Jeremy Colliton will sit Seabrook in favor of untested rookie Dennis Gilbert. Colliton also indicated that Seabrook did not take his benching well. It could be the beginning of an even uglier situation in Chicago. Powers’ colleague Mark Lazerus points out that with Seabrook scratched alongside Zack Smith, the Blackhawks will have over $10MM in salary – approximately 12.4% of the salary cap ceiling – watching from the press box tonight.

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