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Tomas Jurco

Minor Transactions: 7/26/24

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Beyond the odd re-signing, it has been quiet on the transactions front in recent days across the NHL.  However, there have been a handful of smaller moves with some NHL ties.  We’ll run the ones not already covered elsewhere here.

  • Former NHLer Tomas Jurco is on the move again as KHL Kunlun announced (Twitter link) that they’ve signed the winger to a one-year deal. Jurco played in 221 career NHL games between four different teams, tallying 22 goals and 31 assists.  The 31-year-old split last season between Switzerland and Russia and does have a history with Kunlun having spent the 2022-23 campaign with them where he set the franchise record for points per game average after recording 25 points in 32 contests with them.
  • Washington’s farm team in Hershey announced that they’ve signed forward Erik Mittendorf to a one-year deal. The 24-year-old split last season between AHL Utica and ECHL Adirondack.  With the Comets, Mittendorf picked up nine points in 24 games in his first taste of action at that level.  He was much more productive with the Thunder, however, tallying 18 goals and 14 assists in 36 games while tacking on six points in a dozen playoff contests.
  • The Henderson Silver Knights, affiliate of Vegas, announced a pair of recent moves. First, they re-signed blueliner Brandon Hickey to a one-year deal.  The 28-year-old will return for his third season with Henderson after he picked up eight points in 35 games in 2023-24.  They also re-upped forward Jett Jones on a one-year agreement.  The 21-year-old played his first professional campaign last season after spending parts of five years in the WHL.  Jones picked up five points in 31 games with the Silver Knights and added six more in 36 contests with ECHL Savannah.

Minor Transactions: 05/07/23

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It’s a busy day in the NHL, with three second-round playoff games on schedule. Both the New Jersey Devils and Toronto Maple Leafs are looking to avoid falling in potentially insurmountable 3-0 series deficits, while the Dallas Stars and Seattle Kraken are each looking to take the lead in their series.

In major junior hockey, Kraken prospect Ty Nelson and the North Bay Battalion have the chance to eliminate the Peterborough Petes aFnd reach the OHL finals tonight, possibly ending the seasons of top prospects Brennan Othmann and Owen Beck. Also in the OHL, Logan Mailloux and potential 2023 draft prospect Oliver Bonk reached the OHL finals, with a 5-1 victory over  Sarnia sSting team stocked with notable prospects such as Ethan Del Mastro, Christian Kyrou, Luca Del Bel Belluz, Sasha Pastujov, and Ty Voit.

As fans enjoy the hockey on offer today, teams across the hockey world are getting to work on offseason moves. We’ll keep track of those transactions here.

  • Former Detroit Red Wing and 221-game NHL veteran Tomas Jurco will not return to the KHL’s Kunlun Red Star for next season. Jurco scored a solid 25 points in 32 games for the KHL’s Chinese club, he was ultimately unable to help them avoid finishing as the second-worst team in the entire KHL, just ahead of HK Sochi. 2022-23 was Jurco’s second consecutive campaign in the KHL, as he spent last season in Kazakhstan with Barys Astana. Before that point, Jurco had settled in as more of an AHLer and even won his second Calder Cup in 2019 with the Charlotte Checkers, notching 18 points in 18 playoff contests.
  • Max Gerlach, a 25-year-old former WHL star, is on the move after leading the Slovakian Extraliga in both goals and points this past season. The Flower Mound, Texas native signed with HK Poprad, landing him with a mid-table side after spending last season with last-place finisher HC Presov, who were relegated from the Slovakian top division. It’s been quite the journey for Gerlach to reach the point of stardom in Slovakia, as he had stops in Switzerland, Austria, Sweden, and Italy before signing with Presov last year. He’s scored well at nearly every place he’s played, meaning it’s possible that Poprad have signed next season’s leading scorer in Gerlach.
  • Petr Jelinek, a longtime veteran of the Czech Extraliga, signed a two-year contract with HC Plzen, ending a nine-season run with Bili Tygri Liberec that included four seasons as the team’s captain. Jelinek helped the club with the 2015-16 Extraliga title and has in the past been one of the league’s top face-off takers. Jelinek, 38, has seen his offensive production decline in recent years (he scored four goals and 13 points in 49 games in 2022-23) and will now look to help Plzen reach the playoffs after a difficult season.

This page will be updated throughout the day

Tomas Jurco Signs In KHL

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For a long time, Tomas Jurco was one of those players who couldn’t seem to find a fit in the NHL despite outstanding AHL performances. The Detroit Red Wings draft pick burst onto the scene quickly after being selected 35th overall in 2011, but wasn’t able to hold on.

Now, with his last NHL appearance nearly two years ago, it seems his time in North America may be over.

The 29-year-old forward has signed another contract in the KHL, this one with Kunlun Red Star. Jurco played for Barys Nur-Sultan (who are back to Astana now) last season, scoring 11 points in 17 games.

One may have concluded that playing in the KHL was so that Jurco could take part in the Olympics, as he helped Slovakia qualify and then was part of their historic bronze medal performance. But a new NHL contract hasn’t followed, and he’ll now have a short season in China for 2022-23. The season there starts early, and Kunlun has already played 35 games – winning just 12 of them.

In 221 career games, Jurco scored 22 goals and 53 points, most of that production coming at the very beginning of his time in the NHL. He hasn’t scored a goal at that level since 2018, and it looks like he might not get another chance. A two-time Calder Cup champion, if Jurco ever does return to North America, it seems likely that it will be as an AHL player at this point.

Golden Knights Sign Tomas Jurco

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The Golden Knights have added to their winger depth.  Simon Cop of Oh My Hockey reports that the Slovak winger has signed a one-year, one-way contract with Vegas that pays the league minimum of $700K.  Jesse Granger of The Athletic (Twitter link) also confirms the terms.

The 27-year-old split last season between Edmonton and their AHL affiliate in Bakersfield.  With the Oilers, he played in a dozen games, recording two assists in his first NHL action since the 2017-18 season.  He was more productive in his injury-limited action in the minors, picking up four goals and three assists in eight games.  Jurco has a fair amount of NHL experience under his belt, playing in 213 games between Detroit, Chicago, and Edmonton, tallying 22 goals and 30 assists.

It’s likely that Jurco will at least start next season with AHL Henderson, the new affiliate of the Golden Knights.  He has been a productive veteran scorer at the minor league level in recent years when healthy and should serve as a capable first liner there that can come up and hold his own with the big club when injuries arise.

Pacific Notes: Raanta, Tuch, Roussel, Jurco

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It has been nearly eleven months since Coyotes goaltender Antti Raanta last made an appearance in an NHL game and his delay will last a little longer.  The team announced that he has been assigned to AHL Tucson on a conditioning stint and that netminder Adin Hill has been recalled to take his place.  Raanta played in just two periods during the preseason before sustaining a lower-body injury so given how long he has been off, the move is certainly understandable.  As a veteran, Raanta would have had to consent to the loan to the Roadrunners.

More from the Pacific Division:

  • The Golden Knights announced that they have recalled defencemen Nic Hague and center Nicolas Roy from Chicago of the AHL. Vegas didn’t have enough cap space to make these roster moves so they’ve transferred winger Alex Tuch to long-term injury reserve.  He was injured late in the preseason and is listed as out on a week-to-week basis.  He’ll need to sit at least ten games or 24 days before being eligible to be activated.
  • Canucks GM Jim Benning told TSN 1040’s Jeff Paterson (Twitter link) that winger Antoine Roussel has been skating on his own for a while as he works his way back from knee surgery. However, he’s still expected to be out until late November.  Between now and then, he’s a candidate to be placed on LTIR if Vancouver needs to recall anyone due to injury as they have less than $170K in cap room to start the season, per CapFriendly.
  • Oilers winger Tomas Jurco is expected to miss tonight’s game against Vancouver after undergoing an undisclosed medical procedure, notes Postmedia’s Jim Matheson. It’s not expected to keep him out for long, however, as he will not be placed on injured reserve.  Jurco cracked Edmonton’s lineup in training camp after spending all of last season in the AHL on a minor league contract.

Edmonton Oilers Sign Jujhar Khaira, Tomas Jurco

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The Edmonton Oilers have signed power forward Jujhar Khaira to a two-year contract that will carry a $1.2MM cap hit. The 24-year old was a restricted free agent who was issued a qualifying offer by the Oilers last week. The team has also signed free agent forward Tomas Jurco to a one-year deal worth $750K.

Khaira, 24, was unable to take hold of the opportunity that presented itself last season on the Oilers, and recorded just three goals and 18 points in 60 games. On a team starved for production from the wing, the 6’4″ power forward was unable to give them any sort of offensive game and instead was limited to playing a physical, bottom-six role. There is still upside in the third-round pick, but Khaira will need to show he can be more than a fourth-line option this season under new head coach Dave Tippett or his opportunity at the NHL level may start to disappear.

If he wants to learn, Jurco knows all about opportunity disappearing. The 26-year old forward was selected 35th overall by the Detroit Red Wings in 2011 and for a time looked like a future staple in the NHL lineup. He was even traded for a third-round pick at the 2017 deadline because the Chicago Blackhawks believed he could deliver on his offensive potential. He didn’t, and before long Jurco would be accepting an AHL contract with the Charlotte Checkers just to stay in North America. After an outstanding playoff run with the Checkers though, the Oilers will give him another chance on an NHL contract in training camp to make an impact at the highest level.

Overseas Notes: Tomek, Johansson, Avangard

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A difficult and winding developmental path will now take Philadelphia Flyers prospect Matej Tomek back to his native Slovakia. The 22-year-old goaltender, a third-round pick in 2015, has had a tough go of it in North America. Initially selected out of the NAHL, after dominating the second-tier U.S. junior league in his first season, Tomek has since struggled to find his place. Tomek first spent two seasons at the University of North Dakota, but made zero appearances as a freshman and had just two poor outings as a sophomore. He opted to leave the program in search of more opportunity, spending the following season with the USHL’s Waterloo Blackhawks, where he regained some confidence but still left scouts wanting more. Tomek made his return to the college ranks this past season, playing for the University of Nebraska-Omaha. Yet, again Tomek fell into a backup role and disappointed with an .845 save percentage and 4.73 GAA in five games. Likely the smart move, Tomek has decided to take a break from North American hockey for a while and HK Dukla Trencin of the Slovak Extraliga has announced a one-year contract with the young, local product. Although 22 already, Tomek’s rights belong to the Flyers until August of 2021, so one or two good seasons in Slovakia could keep his NHL hopes alive despite his recent struggles.

  • The Swedish Hockey League regular season champs are watching as their core is dismantled this off-season by NHL signings. Farjestad BK, who surprisingly lost in the semifinals despite dominating the regular season, have already seen their top two scoring forwards, Oskar Steen and Joakim Nygard, sign with Boston and Edmonton respectively, prospect Fabian Zetterlund join New Jersey, and goaltender Adam Werner inked with Colorado. Now, a fifth name could also depart for North America. Hockey News SE reports that two-way center Linus Johansson has been drawing NHL attention and at least one unnamed team has made a concrete offer. The big 26-year-old forward is expected to make his decision in the coming days. Johansson is actually not a stranger to North America, having played a season in the NAHL back in 2011-12. The late-blooming forward was never considered an NHL prospect coming up through junior hockey and only debuted in the SHL in 2016. However, he has impressed in three seasons as a well-rounded player and physical force and now must decide if he wants to try taking his game to the highest level.
  • Give the KHL’s Avangard Omsk some credit; the team is not short on confidence as they approach this off-season. Insider Igor Eronko writes for Sport-Express that free agent targets include veteran UFA Jason Spezza, as well as RFA’s Sven Andrighetto, Teddy Blueger, and Zemgus Girgensons, and recent Calder Cup winner, Tomas Jurco. While there has been some speculation that the Colorado Avalanche may not qualify Andrighetto, it’s hard to imagine that he wouldn’t be able to find an NHL opportunity if that is his priority. There has been nothing to imply that either Blueger or Girgensons are looking to leave their respective teams. Spezza, while coming off a disappointing stint with the Dallas Stars, is a former standout NHL center who easily remains top-50 free agent this summer. Jurco may be the only realistic name on the list, but kudos to Omsk for putting those names out there and being aggressive on the NHL free agent market. We’ll soon see how that works out for them.

AHL Notes: Calder Cup Champions, Poturalski, Christoffer

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The Calder Cup Playoffs came to an end last night with a fitting finish to a dominant season for the Charlotte Checkers. The Checkers are your AHL champs this season, as the Carolina Hurricanes’ affiliate took home the title for the first time since moving to Charlotte in 2010, and did so behind a historic effort. Charlotte finished the regular season with an impeccable 51-17-7-1 record, one of the best in league history, accumulating 110 points, eight more than the next-best team in the league. They then stormed through the postseason, losing just four games in four rounds, including a second-round sweep of the perennial powerhouse Hershey Bears and a quick five-game win in the Final over the Chicago Wolves. The Wolves kept it interesting at the end, but the Checkers escaped with a 4-3 win last night to seal the series. Leading the way for Mike Vellucci’s high-flying squad this season were forwards Andrew Poturalski, Morgan Geekie, and Tomas Jurco – the AHL’s top three scorers in the playoffs – as well as Martin Necas, Aleksi Saarela, and Nicolas Roy. On the blue line, Jake Bean and Trevor Carrick had dominant campaigns. In net, Alex Nedeljkovic had the lion’s share of starts, regular season and postseason, and may have proved himself ready for a shot at the NHL, while Dustin Tokarski was stellar in the backup role throughout.

  • Poturalski, in particular, deserves specific accolades and the recognition has already come from the league. Poturalski was named the recipient of the Jack Butterfield Award as the AHL’s postseason MVP. The 25-year-old forward out of the University of New Hampshire recorded 23 points in 18 games, five more than the next in line, which included a dozen goals. It capped off an incredible season in which Poturalski led the Checkers with 70 points on the year, again way ahead of the pack with 16 more points than Saarela in second, and finished fifth in league scoring. Were it not for Daniel Carr, whose 71 points came in just 52 games with the Chicago Wolves, Charlotte’s success and the weight that Poturalski carried to get them there would have made him a likely candidate for regular season MVP as well. Yet, he may get rewarded this off-season nonetheless. Poturalski is a Group 6 unrestricted free agent and set to hit the open market. He saw only two games of NHL action over three seasons in the Hurricanes’ organization and is likely ready to pursue other opportunities elsewhere. There is no doubt that Poturalski, one of the youngest names on the market, will get considerable attention this summer after the season he had.
  • Former Edmonton Oilers prospect Braden Christoffer is headed elsewhere next season as well. The 24-year-old forward once looked like a hidden gem after going undrafted but finishing his junior career off strong in the WHL in 2014-15. The Oilers signed him to a three-year entry-level contract in hopes of big things, but when that contract expired last summer, Christoffer had just 28 AHL points to show for three years of effort. He hung around the organization this season on an AHL contract with the Bakersfield Condors, but failed to improve. As a result, he’s looking to rejuvenate his pro career by moving overseas to a league without much star power. Stjernen of Norway’s Get Ligaen announced that they have inked the young forward to a contract and were excited about the addition. Stjernen’s lone North American player from last season, Peter Lindblad, was their leading scorer, so it makes sense that they would be happy about another import joining the team. A fresh start seems to be exactly what Christoffer needs as well.

Snapshots: Chiasson, Sabres, Jurco

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Alex Chiasson is the most prominent unrestricted free agent that the Oilers have to re-sign but it doesn’t appear as if they’re in a big hurry to get a deal done.  His agent Pat Morris told Postmedia’s Jim Matheson that they’ve spoken but that there haven’t been serious discussions just yet.  The winger is coming off of a career season that saw him score 22 goals, more than he tallied in the previous two years combined.  That will certainly have him in line for a raise after making the league minimum in 2018-19 but with his previous track record and Edmonton’s cap situation, finding the right price point could be tricky.  Matheson suggests a deal similar to that of Zack Kassian’s (three years with a $1.95MM AAV) could make sense but is new GM Ken Holland going to be comfortable paying that to someone who has needed training camp PTOs to get contracts the last two seasons?

Elsewhere around the NHL:

  • The re-signing of winger Jeff Skinner should change their focus in free agency, suggests Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News. Instead of looking to shop at the top end of the market, GM Jason Botterill may instead look to shore up their depth, an area that was a concern this past season.  As things stand, the Sabres have a little over $62.5MM in commitments for next season, per CapFriendly and several RFAs in need of new deals still.  However, depending on how much the salary cap goes up, Botterill could still have enough money to try to add an impact piece this summer.
  • Winger Tomas Jurco has drawn interest from several NHL teams about a deal for next season, reports John Dietz of the Daily Herald. As he’s currently only on a minor league contract, he’s free to talk to teams now and doesn’t have to wait for the interview period to open up after the draft.  The 26-year-old, who has over 200 NHL games under his belt, has been quite productive for Charlotte in the AHL playoffs, averaging over a point per game so far.  The Checkers can put an end to the Calder Cup Finals later tonight as they’re up 3-1 in their best-of-seven series against Chicago.

Prospect Notes: Calder Cup Final, Telegin, Phillips

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The finale of the AHL season gets underway tonight, as the Charlotte Checkers, affiliate of the Carolina Hurricanes, are set to host the Chicago Wolves, affiliate of the Vegas Golden Knights, in Game One of the Calder Cup Final. Neither squad is very familiar with being in this title series; the Wolves are making their first appearance as Vegas’ affiliate, given their parent club just wrapped up it’s second season in existence, while the Checkers have appeared twice in the final, most recently in 1991. The match-up that everyone will be watching for in the series is Cody Glass, the No. 6 overall pick in 2017 and the first draft selection in Vegas’ history, versus Martin Necas, the No. 12 pick in 2017 and Carolina’s top prospect. However, Necas has taken a back seat to several other Checkers forwards this postseason. After scoring 70 points in 72 games to finish fifth in league scoring in the regular season, Andrew Poturalski’s 18 points thus far also lead the postseason. It’s worth noting that Poturalski will be a Group 6 unrestricted free agent this summer and could be on the move in search of more NHL opportunity. Necas’ fellow AHL rookie, Morgan Geekie, has been right up there with Poturalski in playoff scoring, registering 15 points so far. Tomas Jurco and Aleksi Saarela have also played well for the Checkers, as has experienced defenseman Trevor Carrick. As for the Wolves, it has been goaltender Oscar Dansk leading the way, posting a .921 save percentage and 2.16 GAA through 14 starts. Up front, it’s been the veterans getting the job done, with Tomas Hyka, Curtis McKenzie, and Tye McGinn all among the AHL’s top ten in scoring this postseason. Rookie defenseman Zach Whitecloud has also been a revelation and continues to make a strong case for playing in Vegas next season. Everything considered, this should be a balanced, hard-fought series between two talented teams who are excited to be in the final. The schedule for the Calder Cup Final can be found here.

  • The Winnipeg Jets made a nice value addition this morning, signing Russian power forward Andrei Chibisov. As the team attacks their difficult salary cap situation this summer, affordable impact deals could be crucial and the team hopes Chibisov will pan out. Unfortunately, one of his fellow countrymen won’t be joining him in Winnipeg. Ivan Telegin, a draft pick of the Atlanta Thrashers all the way back in 2010, has opted to re-sign with his KHL club, CSKA Moscow. The team announced a new three-year deal with Telegin that likely rules out any potential future in the NHL. There was some thought that Telegin would consider returning to North America, where he previously played three seasons in the OHL and one season in the AHL, following a career-best KHL campagin. Telegin recorded 22 points in 49 games this season, production levels he hadn’t reached since his junior days. A player of similar size and ability to Chibisov, Telegin would have been another bottom-six option for Winnipeg, but with a long-term extension in Russia and his draft rights set to expire, it seems the pairing was never meant to be.
  • According to Jess Myers of the Grand Forks Herald, Pittsburgh Penguins prospect Clayton Phillips is on the move. Phillips, a third-round pick in 2017, just wrapped up his sophomore season at the University of Minnesota, but it appears it will be his last. Myers reports that Phillips is expected to transfer out of Minnesota and to a different NCAA institution. This likely means that he will have to sit out of college hockey next season due to NCAA transfer rules. In the meantime, Phillips is expected to return to the USHL’s Muskegeon Lumberjacks. The 19-year-old defenseman initially joined the Gophers earlier than expected, jumping in midway through the 2017-18 season. Sources that Myers spoke with felt this was a mistake, as he was not yet mature enough for the college game. It showed, as he was held scoreless in eleven games and got into frequent penalty trouble. This past season, Phillips improved to the tune of ten points in 34 games, but struggled defensively and simply wasn’t playing to the level that he, the university, nor the Penguins likely expected. A year back in juniors could be good for Phillips development, as the mobile blue liner can regain confidence in his abilities. Myers then speculates that he could join Penn State University or Colorado College in 2020.
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