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Training Camp Cuts: 10/7/23

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While teams have considerably whittled down their rosters compared to where they were just a weekend ago, there are still plenty more cuts to be made in the coming days.  Here are today’s roster trimmings excluding earlier waiver placements.

Buffalo Sabres (via team Twitter)

D Ryan Johnson (to Rochester, AHL)
F Lukas Rousek (to Rochester, AHL)

Calgary Flames (via team release)

D Nick DeSimone (to Calgary, AHL)
F Mathias Emilio Pettersen (to Calgary, AHL)
F Martin Pospisil (to Calgary, AHL)

Carolina Hurricanes (per team release)

G Yaniv Perets (to Norfolk, ECHL)

Columbus Blue Jackets (per team release)

D Marcus Bjork (to Cleveland, AHL)
D Jake Christiansen (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Joshua Dunne (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Brendan Gaunce (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Carson Meyer (to Cleveland, AHL)
D Billy Sweezey (to Cleveland, AHL)

Dallas Stars (via team Twitter)

D Alexander Petrovic (to Texas, AHL)

Detroit Red Wings (via team Twitter)

F Austin Czarnik (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
F Timothy Gettinger (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
F Taro Hirose (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
G John Lethemon (to Toledo, ECHL)
D Jared McIsaac (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
D Wyatt Newpower (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
D Brogan Rafferty (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
F Nolan Stevens (to Grand Rapids, AHL)

Nashville Predators (per ESPN’s John Buccigross)

D Marc Del Gaizo (to Milwaukee, AHL)

New Jersey Devils (via team Twitter)

D Santeri Hatakka (to Utica, AHL)
G Isaac Poulter (to Utica, AHL)

New York Rangers (per team Twitter)

F Jonny Brodzinski (to Hartford, AHL)
D Ben Harpur (to Hartford, AHL)

Philadelphia Flyers (via team Twitter)

F Wade Allison (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)

San Jose Sharks (via team Twitter)

F Ryan Carpenter (to San Jose, AHL)
F Oskar Lindblom (to San Jose, AHL)
F Quentin Musty (to Sudbury, OHL)
F Jacob Peterson (to San Jose, AHL)

Seattle Kraken (per team Twitter)

D Ryker Evans (to Coachella Valley, AHL)
F Shane Wright (to Coachella Valley, AHL)

Washington Capitals (per team Twitter)

F Nicolas Aube-Kubel (to Hershey, AHL)
G Mitchell Gibson (to Hershey, AHL)
F Alex Limoges (to Hershey, AHL)
D Dylan McIlrath (to Hershey, AHL)
F Joe Snively (to Hershey, AHL)
F Michael Sgarbossa (to Hershey, AHL)
G Hunter Shepard (to Hershey, AHL)

This post will be updated throughout the day.

Shane Wright Officially Granted Exemption, Can Play In The AHL This Season

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Seattle Kraken general manager Ron Francis has shared that, if Shane Wright doesn’t make the NHL roster, he will be eligible for an AHL assignment. This move was recently speculated by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.

CHL players are typically ineligible to play in the AHL until they are 20 years old on or before December 31 of the given season. Shane Wright won’t turn 20 until January 5, missing that cutoff by just five days. Another way to get out of the CHL-NHL agreement is to play four full seasons in the CHL, something Wright would have achieved had the 2020-21 OHL season not been canceled.

Because of these reasons, the OHL has granted Wright an exemption, following conversations between the Kraken, the NHL, and the OHL that date back months ago. These talks focused on how returning to the CHL wouldn’t benefit the former exceptional status recipient, especially after the tangled 2022-23 season that Wright had. Wright started the year with Seattle, before suffering an injury and getting assigned to the AHL’s Coachella Valley Firebirds for a conditioning stint. After eight games, Wright returned to the NHL for a single game, then left for the World Juniors, and when he came back, his OHL rights had been traded from the Kingston Frontenacs to the Windsor Spitfires – whom he spent the remainder of the season with. But after Windsor’s early postseason exit, Wright returned again to the AHL, playing in 24 playoff games with Coachella Valley.

It was a season filled with travel for Shane Wright – something Seattle will hope to avoid this year. Francis told the Seattle Times, “We’re going to come in and commit to giving Shane every chance to make our team. And if at some point we make a decision that he’s not going to make it, then we would look to assign him to Coachella Valley and I believe at that point we would be fine in doing that.”

Shane Wright recorded two points in eight NHL games last season. He’ll enter the 2023-24 campaign looking to build on those eight games and finally see through his rookie NHL season. But if that doesn’t work, this exemption gives Seattle a contingency plan.

Prospect Notes: Wright, Korchinski, Canadiens Rookie Camp

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2022 fourth-overall pick Shane Wright played for three club teams last season, skating in eight NHL games, eight regular-season AHL contests, and 24 games in the OHL. The CHL-NHL transfer agreement stipulated that he could only play in the AHL under very specific circumstances. Wright was allowed to play in 24 games on the Coachella Valley Firebirds’ run to the Calder Cup Final, and now it appears he could get a more extensive regular-season look in the AHL next season.

On the 32 Thoughts podcast, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said that he’s “under the impression” that Wright’s eligibility for the AHL next season “has been sorted out,” and that the CHL has agreed to allow Wright to play for Coachella Valley assuming he is unable to crack Seattle’s opening-night roster. Wright technically falls one OHL game played short of the CHL’s cut-off point for eligibility, as well as just a few days short based on his birthday. But with Wright so close to automatic eligibility for the AHL and clearly overqualified for another OHL campaign, it seems the CHL has elected to put Wright’s development first and allow him to begin his full-time pro career.

Some other notes from across the NHL:

  • The Chicago Blackhawks are hoping Kevin Korchinski will join Connor Bedard as a foundational piece of their next competitive era, and it appears that the 2022 seventh-overall pick could be primed to break into the NHL as soon as opening night. Korchinski, 19, spent last season patrolling the blueline of the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds, and he scored 73 points in 54 regular-season games. According to The Athletic’s Mark Lazerus, “it would take a pretty jarring faceplant at camp” for Korchinski to not make the Blackhawks’ opening-night roster. (subscription link) Korchinski is considered by many to be Chicago’s best prospect behind Bedard, so assuming he avoids that “jarring faceplant” he should make the team’s opening night all the more exciting for Blackhawks fans.
  • The Montreal Canadiens have announced their roster for their upcoming rookie camp, a group of names that features three invite players: QMJHL winger Isaac Dufort, 2018 Vegas Golden Knights fourth-rounder Slava Demin, and WHL goalie Jan Spunar. Another notable aspect of this announcement regards prospect Ty Smilanic, the 74th overall pick of the 2020 draft who the Canadiens acquired from the Florida Panthers in the Ben Chiarot trade. The 21-year-old was listed on the rookie camp roster, something Radio-Canada’s Marc Antoine Godin noted is a curious development seeing as Smilanic is a college prospect and NCAA players are typically excluded from rookie camp. There’s no official word yet on Smilanic’s plans for next season, but given Smilanic’s participation in rookie camp the possibility may exist that he won’t be returning to the University of Wisconsin to play a second season there.

Snapshots: Wright, DeBrincat, Gustafsson

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Shane Wright’s whirlwind season continues today as the Seattle Kraken announced he would be reporting to the AHL. Wright was the fourth overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft and started the season in the NHL with the Kraken but was a frequent healthy scratch. He played just eight NHL games, scoring one goal and two points and was sent to the AHL’s Coachella Valley Firebirds for a conditioning stint where he scored four goals in five games.

Wright was also loaned to Team Canada for the World Juniors and helped them win a gold medal by scoring seven points in seven games and serving as the team’s captain. He then returned to the OHL where he was traded by the Kingston Frontenacs to the Windsor Spitfires and proceeded to put up 15 goals and 37 points in 20 Junior games. Wright’s Spitfires were the top ranked team in the OHL’s Western Conference but were shockingly swept in the first round of the playoffs by the Kitchener Rangers.

Now that Wright’s Junior season is complete, he is eligible to play pro in either the NHL or AHL and the Kraken have chosen to assign him back to the Firebirds who are on the verge of their own postseason. They are in second place in the entire AHL and have just three regular season games remaining before the playoffs begin. It will be interesting to see how well Wright performs in the AHL playoffs after scoring one goal and three points in his four OHL postseason contests.

  • The Ottawa Senators are going to do everything they can to keep Alex DeBrincat next season. According to Bruce Garrioch of TSN, Senators general manager Pierre Dorion has said he will extend a qualifying offer to DeBrincat if there is not a long-term deal already in place this offseason. The 25-year-old winger has scored 27 goals and 66 points in 80 games during his first season with the Senators. Though his cap hit is $6.4MM, he is making $9MM this season so a qualifying offer would be a one-year extension for the 2023-24 season matching this year’s salary of $9MM.
  • Erik Gustafsson was prepared to play for the Toronto Maple Leafs tonight but left during warmup and was ruled out of the game. The Maple Leafs released a statement saying Gustafsson would not play due to an upper-body injury. Luke Schenn took his place in the lineup on short notice. Gustafsson has played nine games with the Maple Leafs since being acquired at the trade deadline, and has four points, including a three point night against the Montreal Canadiens in his last outing.

Windsor Spitfires Acquire Shane Wright

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As first reported by The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler and affirmed by Ryan Kennedy of The Hockey News, the Windsor Spitfires have acquired high-end Seattle Kraken prospect Shane Wright from the Kingston Frontenacs ahead of the OHL trade deadline.

Wright will be headed along with a conditional 14th-round pick in 2025, while Kingston will receive:

  • Ethan Miedema
  • Gavin McCarthy
  • 2nd round pick 2023 (OTT)
  • 3rd round pick 2023 (SOO)
  • 4th round pick 2024 (NIA)
  • 6th round pick 2024 (NIA)
  • 4th round pick 2025 (NIA)
  • Conditional 5th round pick 2024 (HAM)
  • Conditional 6th round pick 2025 (ER)

The move will allow Wright to compete for an OHL championship, something the Kraken obviously wanted as they delayed his return as long as possible. The 19-year-old center played eight games in the NHL, five in the AHL, and seven with Team Canada at the recent World Junior Championship before being sent back. He’ll now join a Windsor team that is on the heels of the London Knights for first place in the Western Conference and sits 23-9-4 on the year.

Selected fourth overall by Seattle last summer, Wright had 94 points in 63 games last season for the Frotenacs, after missing the entire 2020-21 season due to COVID restrictions. His contract with the Kraken will slide, meaning he will not become a restricted free agent until 2026 at the earliest. It could potentially even slide again, as he only turned 19 a few days ago. That means Wright still won’t be eligible to play in the AHL at the start of 2023-24, causing more headaches for the Kraken if they deem him not quite ready to compete at the NHL level.

Latest On Shane Wright

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After the Seattle Kraken assigned 2022 fourth-overall pick Shane Wright back to the OHL this morning, it quickly became apparent that he would not remain a member of his current team, the Kingston Frontenacs. They are fifth in the Eastern Conference, but at just two games over .500, OHL championship and Memorial Cup aspirations aren’t in their future this season.

Obviously, both for Wright personally and his development, it makes sense for him to be in a more competitive situation as he finishes out his junior career. The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler today named the Ottawa 67’s, Barrie Colts, Peterborough Petes, and London Knights as “expected players” in a Wright trade, which would need to occur within the next four days. The OHL’s trade deadline is on Tuesday, January 10.

Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek added on, saying he didn’t think a Wright trade was necessarily imminent but that Kingston general manager Kory Cooper would meet with Wright, his family, his agent, and Kraken representatives to discuss trade options. Wright has a no-trade clause in his agreement with Kingston.

Ottawa may make the most sense for Wright, given their situation. The 67’s are first in the OHL, maintaining a spectacular 26-6-1-1 record through 34 games. Their strong suit is defense, surrendering only a league-best 87 goals. Scoring is a needed area of improvement, though. The 2023 draft-eligible Luca Pinelli is tied with the overage Cameron Tolnai for the team lead in scoring, although they both have just 39 points in 34 games. They’re solid totals but not staggering for the junior level.

Wright, who scored four goals in five games with the AHL’s Coachella Valley Firebirds and had seven points in seven games at the World Juniors, should clear the point-per-game mark by a mile. He still managed 94 points in 63 games with Kingston in 2021-22 despite not playing at all the season prior.

He also fits into Ottawa’s game plan as a defensively responsible center and could take some of the load from players like Pinelli to open up their offensive games.

Seattle Kraken Re-Assign Shane Wright To OHL

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Fresh off of leading Team Canada to victory at the World Junior Championships, Shane Wright’s status for the rest of the season has been made clear.

The Seattle Kraken have reassigned the forward to his junior team, the Kingston Frontenacs, meaning he will spend the rest of the season chasing the Memorial Cup. That chase may not take place in Kingston, though, as NorthStar Bets’ Chris Johnston tweets that the expectation is that Wright will be traded to another OHL team.

Kraken general manager Ron Francis issued the following statement regarding Wright’s status:

We’re very proud of Shane’s performance at the World Juniors, helping captain Team Canada to a gold medal. He has a bright NHL career ahead of him with the Kraken and now has an opportunity to lead his junior team as they compete for a Memorial Cup. We look forward to watching him the rest of this season and wish him well.

It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster season for Wright, who somewhat surprisingly fell to the number-four slot at the 2022 draft. The now 19-year-old center began the year with the Kraken, but played sparingly and was frequently a healthy scratch.

The Kraken exploited a little-known feature of the NHL-CHL transfer agreement that allowed Wright to spend two weeks in the AHL. After a successful five-game stretch there where Wright scored four goals, was recalled back to Seattle, played in one game, scored his first NHL goal, and then left to captain Canada’s World Juniors squad.

Now back in the OHL, Wright will look to have a dominant rest of the season and help his team win the Memorial Cup. Wright’s OHL performance last year was seen as somewhat disappointing, as he failed to lead the Frontenacs on a deep playoff run and didn’t post the dominant production many expected.

He’ll now get another chance to have the overwhelmingly productive OHL campaign many were expecting, and with some NHL experience under his belt and a WJC win in his back pocket, he’s in a prime position to succeed.

Afternoon Notes: Schedule, Stone, Sabres, Team Canada Captains, Hershey Bears

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More hockey? You’d be hard-pressed to find a fan who wouldn’t want it. Earlier this week, there had been some discussions about the NHL potentially expanding the season back to an 84 game schedule for the first time since the 1993-94 campaign. Last night on Hockey Night in Canada’s 32 Thoughts segment, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman expanded on those rumors with an idea of what that schedule might look like, and how the league could get there.

In effect, the schedule would be expanded an additional two games to promote intra-division rivalries, such as the one between the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers or the one between the New York Rangers and New York Islanders, both of which have seen their head-to-head matchups drop off in recent years. As Friedman details, the schedule would consist of four games against each of the other teams within the division, three games each against each team in the opposing division, and two against each team in the opposite conference. To balance things out, each team’s slate of preseasons games could be cut down. It doesn’t appear that any change is imminent, however Friedman adds that there is a willingness to discuss the change between the league and the NHLPA, however there hasn’t been much dialogue on the subject recently.

  • Things didn’t look good for Vegas Golden Knights captain Mark Stone last night when he went down in obvious pain during the third period of the team’s game against the New York Islanders. The winger struggled to get off the ice with the assistance of his teammates, but surprisingly was able to come back and join them in the final moments of the game. Unsurprisingly, after the game, Vegas head coach Bruce Cassidy was asked about the status of his star forward, telling The Athletic’s Jesse Granger that the hope is Stone’s injury is “just a stinger,” but he wouldn’t know much more until today. Cassidy added that Stone was not 100% when he rejoined the team late in the game. So far, no additional information has come out about Stone’s status. Vegas next plays at home on Monday against the Sabres.
  • Yesterday, the Buffalo Sabres were able to get forward Kyle Okposo back from injury and Jeff Skinner back from suspension, but were without defensemen Owen Power, Jacob Bryson, and Ilya Lyubushkin. The team didn’t have much information on Power or Bryson, and the same holds true today, however according to The Buffalo News’ Mike Harrington, Ilya Lyubushkin is set to return tomorrow against Vegas. Noticeably absent from the ice this morning were defensemen Rasmus Dahlin and Mattias Samuelsson, but as Harrington adds, both were absent simply for rest purposes.
  • With the World Junior Championship just eight days away, Hockey Canada announced its leadership group for this year’s World Juniors team. Captaining the group will be Seattle Kraken forward and fourth-overall pick in 2022, Shane Wright. Assisting him will be Arizona Coyotes forward Dylan Guenther, Dallas Stars draft pick and current Kamloops Blazers forward Logan Stankoven, Anaheim Ducks draft pick and Quebec Remparts forward Nathan Gaucher, as well as Chicago Blackhawks draft pick and Mississauga Steelheads defenseman Ethan Del Mastro. Canada will kick things off against Czechia on December 26th.
  • Many don’t necessarily think about when an NHL team chooses to recall a player from their affiliate, it could set off a chain reaction of needs within their system, and that’s just what happened with the Washington Capitals and their goaltenders. When Darcy Kuemper went down a couple of weeks ago, the team recalled Hunter Shepard, which Hershey was able to cope with by recalling Clay Stevenson from the ECHL. No problem. But, when Washington also recalled Zachary Fucale yesterday in the wake of Shepard’s upper-body injury, Hershey was forced to sign an emergency back-up to a PTO for their game last night. Today, the Bears were able to smooth things out in net prior to their game against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms this afternoon, bringing up netminder Tyler Wall from the South Carolina Stingrays, Hershey and Washington’s ECHL affiliate. In a corresponding move, defenseman Martin Has has been sent to South Carolina. While this is a relatively minor move, it does give context for the transactions NHL teams make that sometimes seem to be done just for the sake of doing them.

Shane Wright Loaned To Team Canada For World Juniors

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Dec 8: As expected, the Kraken have officially loaned Wright to Team Canada.

Dec 7: Seattle Kraken top prospect Shane Wright is expected to report to Team Canada’s selection camp for the 2023 World Junior Championship tomorrow, per TSN’s Darren Dreger.

When Wright wasn’t named to Canada’s selection camp roster announced Monday, some eyebrows were raised. But Canada could not add him to their roster until the Kraken loaned him there, and after the team’s plan of getting Wright back into a game after his AHL conditioning stint, it appears that’s exactly what Seattle will do.

The 2022 fourth-overall pick scored his first NHL goal last night, making it two points in eight games with the Kraken. Appearing in five games with the AHL’s Coachella Valley Firebirds, he sniped four goals in just five games, proving he belongs in professional hockey.

Yet the Kraken don’t have a choice in where they send him long-term this year: it’s either the NHL or juniors, given his age and the NHL-CHL transfer agreement. Given Wright’s limited role on the team, and with Seattle sitting pretty in a playoff spot, it seems Wright is destined to return to junior hockey when the tournament concludes.

Wright joins an offense loaded with talent, including defenseman Brandt Clarke, who was loaned to Team Canada by the Los Angeles Kings just hours ago.

Seattle Kraken Recall Shane Wright

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With his conditioning stint over, Shane Wright is back in the NHL – for now. The young forward scored four goals in five games during his time with the Coachella Valley Firebirds, a move that was only allowed after he faced five consecutive healthy scratches in the NHL. He has now been recalled just in time for a game against the Montreal Canadiens, if the team decides to put him in the lineup.

(UPDATE: Head coach Dave Hakstol has confirmed to reporters including Kate Shefte of the Seattle Times that Wright will play against the Canadiens.)

Wright, 18, can play in two more NHL contests without burning the first year of his entry-level contract, and you can be sure he wants one of them to come against Montreal. After long being expected to go first overall in the 2022 draft, Wright was passed over by the Canadiens in favor of Juraj Slafkovsky, before seeing his name drop two more spots to finally come off the board fourth to Seattle.

Later today, Hockey Canada will be announcing their group for the upcoming World Junior Championship, which could be another option for the young forward. Playing at the tournament could keep him fresh without forcing the Kraken to send him back to the OHL. Once they do that, there is no recalling him, and there has been some debate over whether the team wants him to play for Kingston (the team that holds his rights) at all. In January, trade restrictions lift in the OHL, meaning Wright could be dealt to a different organization, one that the Kraken are comfortable sending him back to.

For now, though, he’s back in the big leagues and earning the NHL portion of his two-way contract.

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