Training Camp Cuts: 01/12/21
It’s the last day before NHL hockey returns, so teams will have to finalize their rosters and get ready for action. Though most of the heavy lifting was done yesterday, there will still be some cuts made today. We’ll keep track of them right here. This page will be updated throughout the day as more releases come in.
Buffalo Sabres (via team release):
F Andrew Oglevie (to Rochester, AHL)
F Arttu Ruotsalainen (to Rochester, AHL)
D Jacob Bryson (to Rochester, AHL)
D Mattias Samuelsson (to Rochester, AHL)
Carolina Hurricanes (via team release):
F Jeremy Bracco (to Chicago, AHL)
F David Cotton (to Chicago, AHL)
F Jason Cotton (to Chicago, AHL)
F Seth Jarvis (to Chicago, AHL)
F Stelio Mattheos (to Chicago, AHL)
F Jamieson Rees (to Chicago, AHL)
F Sheldon Rempal (to Chicago, AHL)
F Drew Shore (to Chicago, AHL)
F Spencer Smallman (to Chicago, AHL)
F Ryan Suzuki (to Chicago, AHL)
D Joey Keane (to Chicago, AHL)
D Maxime Lajoie (to Chicago, AHL)
G Antoine Bibeau (to Chicago, AHL)
Chicago Blackhawks (via team release):
F John Quenneville (to Rockford, AHL)
D Anton Lindholm (to Rockford, AHL)
D Nick Seeler (to Rockford, AHL)
G Matt Tomkins (to Rockford, AHL)
Detroit Red Wings (via team release):
F Riley Barber (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
F Kyle Criscuolo (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
F Turner Elson (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
F Taro Hirose (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
F Chase Pearson (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
F Evgeny Svechnikov (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
F Dominic Turgeon (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
D Joe Hicketts (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
D Brian Lashoff (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
D Dylan McIlrath (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
G Kaden Fulcher (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
G Pat Nagle (released)
Montreal Canadiens (via team release):
F Brandon Baddock (to Laval, AHL)
F Alex Belzile (to Laval, AHL)
F Joseph Blandisi (to Laval, AHL)
F Laurent Dauphin (to Laval, AHL)
F Jacob Lucchini (to Laval, AHL)
F Joel Teasdale (to Laval, AHL)
F Lukas Vejdemo (to Laval, AHL)
F Jordan Weal (to Laval, AHL)
D Otto Leskinen (to Laval, AHL)
D Gustav Olofsson (to Laval, AHL)
D Xavier Ouellet (to Laval, AHL)
G Vasili Demchenko (to Laval, AHL)
G Michael McNiven (to Laval, AHL)
G Cayden Primeau (to Laval, AHL)
F Kevin Lynch (to Laval, AHL)
Philadelphia Flyers (via team release):
F Pascal Laberge (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
F Zayde Wisdom (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
F Linus Sandin (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
F Tyson Foerster (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
F Matthew Strome (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
D Tyler Wotherspoon (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
D Mason Millman (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
D Chris Bigras (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
D Derrick Pouliot (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
D Egor Zamula (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
D Wyatte Wylie (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
G Felix Sandstrom (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
F Max Willman (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
G Roddy Ross (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
San Jose Sharks (via team release):
F Kurtis Gabriel (to San Jose, AHL)
F Antti Suomela (to San Jose, AHL)
D Trevor Carrick (to San Jose, AHL)
D Nick DeSimone (to San Jose, AHL)
D Fredrik Claesson (to San Jose, AHL)
St. Louis Blues (via team release):
F Sam Anas (to Utica, AHL)
F Dakota Joshua (to Utica, AHL)
F Tanner Kaspick (to Utica, AHL)
F Hugh McGing (to Utica, AHL)
F Curtis McKenzie (to Utica, AHL)
F Jake Neighbours (to Utica, AHL)
F Evan Polei (to Utica, AHL)
F Nolan Stevens (to Utica, AHL)
F Nathan Walker (to Utica, AHL)
D Scott Perunovich (to Utica, AHL)
D Mitch Reinke (to Utica, AHL)
D Steven Santini (to Utica, AHL)
D Tyler Tucker (to Utica, AHL)
D Jake Walman (to Utica, AHL)
G Evan Fitzpatrick (to Utica, AHL)
G Jon Gillies (to Utica, AHL)
F Matthias Laferriere (to Blainville-Boisbriand, QMJHL)
Vancouver Canucks (via team release):
F Jonah Gadjovich (to Utica, AHL)
F Lukas Jasek (to Utica, AHL)
F Kole Lind (to Utica, AHL)
F Will Lockwood (to Utica, AHL)
D Josh Teves (to Utica, AHL)
D Jett Woo (to Utica, AHL)
G Jake Kielly (to Utica, AHL)
Washington Capitals (via team release):
F Shane Gersich (to Hershey, AHL)
F Michael Sgarbossa (to Hershey, AHL)
F Phillippe Maillet (to Hershey, AHL)
D Lucas Johansen (to Hershey, AHL)
D Paul Ladue (to Hershey, AHL)
D Cameron Schilling (to Hershey, AHL)
Blues Sign Sam Anas
The Blues continue to build up their minor league depth, announcing via Twitter that they’ve signed winger Sam Anas to a two-year, two-way contract. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed but TSN’s Frank Seravalli reports that the deal carries a $725K AAV in the NHL and pays $300K in the AHL next season and $350K at that level in 2021-22.
The 27-year-old is coming off of a career year in the AHL in Minnesota’s system where he led not only Iowa in scoring but the entire league with 20 goals and 50 assists in 63 games, coming close to doubling his output from the year before. However, despite the uptick in production, Anas has yet to have a chance to play in an NHL game.
It will be interesting to see if he gets that opportunity with St. Louis. If not, he’ll be expected to be a top producer with AHL Springfield, assuming he makes it through waivers next season. With the year he just had, that isn’t a guarantee.
Minnesota Makes Three Roster Cuts
With teams heading into the bubble this weekend, final cuts to get to the 31-player maximum will soon be on the horizon. The Wild decided not to wait until the last minute to make their roster trims as they announced (Twitter link) that wingers Sam Anas and J.T. Brown plus defenseman Calen Addison are no longer participating in camp and their roster now sits at 31 players.
Brown is the most recognizable player on the list as he has 365 games of NHL experience over parts of seven seasons although this season was the first one since 2012-13 that he didn’t see any action at the top level. Instead, the veteran played exclusively with AHL Iowa, collecting nine goals and 13 assists in 62 games.
Anas, meanwhile, was much more productive with Iowa. He had 20 goals and 50 assists in 63 games which made him the team leader in scoring but also the AHL’s leader in assists and points. Despite that, the 27-year-old didn’t get an opportunity with Minnesota during the regular season and won’t get a chance to boost his stock heading into October’s free agent market.
As for Addison, he was part of the midseason trade that saw Jason Zucker head to Pittsburgh. The 20-year-old spent this season in junior with WHL Lethbridge, averaging just over a point per game in the process. He was more of a longshot to see action this postseason but this camp gave him a chance work with the Wild’s coaching staff for the first time which should help his development.
Minnesota Wild Re-Sign Sam Anas
The Minnesota Wild have locked up Sam Anas for a while, signing the minor league forward to a two-year, two-way contract extension. Anas was scheduled to become a restricted free agent this summer. He’ll now become an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2020.
Undrafted, Anas signed out of Quinnipiac University in 2016 after a huge junior season that saw him register 50 points in 43 games. The 5’8″ 160-lbs forward didn’t stop scoring when he turned pro, and put up 61 points this season for the Iowa Wild. That earned him the single-season franchise record in goals along with records for longest point streak and longest goal streak.
Though he didn’t get an opportunity in the NHL this season, that could be coming after the Wild signed him to another contract. The two-way nature of the deal suggests that he’ll still be spending time in the minors, but is a clear sign that he’s moving up the Minnesota depth chart. Should he make it into the league he would likely find success in offensive situations, but he’ll have to show that he can contribute at both ends in order to become a full-time NHL player.