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Tomas Suchanek

West Notes: Zellweger, Mintyukov, Suchanek, Canucks, Ritchie

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The Ducks received trade interest in young defensemen Olen Zellweger and Pavel Mintyukov, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports in his latest 32 Thoughts podcast (audio link).  The 21-year-olds are believed to be a big part of Anaheim’s future but were in and out of the lineup at times, something that Friedman notes resulted in both players going to management about their playing time.  Zellweger had 20 points in 62 games last season while Mintyukov had 19 in 68, a drop of nine points from his rookie-season performance.  Despite the trade interest, Friedman relays that Anaheim doesn’t have any interest in moving either youngster.

More from out West:

  • Still with the Ducks, prospect goaltender Tomas Suchanek has fully recovered from the torn ACL sustained last summer just after development camp, relays Derek Lee of The Hockey News. The 22-year-old impressed in his first professional season back in 2023-24 where he put up a 2.92 GAA and a .910 SV% in 29 games with AHL San Diego, earning him an entry-level contract along the way.  As things stand, Suchanek seems likely either to be the backup with the Gulls behind Ville Husso or starting at ECHL Tulsa to give him a shot at more playing time.
  • The Canucks showed strong interest in center Christian Dvorak earlier this week, Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK reports (Twitter link). Dvorak ultimately signed a one-year, $5.4MM contract with Philadelphia while Vancouver is believed to have put a three-year pact on the table worth around $4MM per season.  The 29-year-old had 33 points in 82 games with Montreal last season while winning nearly 56% of his faceoffs.
  • Wild prospect Ryder Ritchie announced on his Instagram page that he has committed to play for Boston University for the upcoming season. The 18-year-old was a second-round pick by Minnesota last year, going 45th overall.  Ritchie spent last season with WHL Medicine Hat, collecting 61 points in 53 regular season games and averaging a point per game in 18 playoff outings.  He then capped off the campaign with four goals and an assist in four Memorial Cup appearances.

Snapshots: Kane, Ducks, Seider, Malone

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For the past several months, there has been plenty of speculation about the availability of Oilers winger Evander Kane (or lack thereof).  Even following a report last month that he would be undergoing surgery, there is still some uncertainty about how long he might be out for.  It appears that we should soon have some clarity on that front as GM Stan Bowman indicated on a recent Oilers Now segment (audio link) that they’re hoping to have an update on Kane in the next seven to ten days.  Kane played through a sports hernia injury for much of last season and the playoffs but still managed to put up 24 goals and 20 assists in 77 regular season appearances.  Edmonton’s roster movement this summer has positioned themselves to operate without necessarily needing LTIR so even if Kane will be out long-term, they may not choose to put him there when the season starts.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

  • The Ducks announced (Twitter link) that third-overall pick Beckett Sennecke suffered a fractured foot during offseason training that will keep him out for six to eight weeks. Meanwhile, the team also revealed that goaltender Tomas Suchanek had successful surgery to repair a ruptured ACL and will miss six to eight months.  Sennecke was a late-riser heading into the draft with his selection coming as a surprise to many.  The injury will derail any outside chance he had at making the team but he should be good to go by the time the World Juniors come around.  Suchanek, meanwhile, posted a 2.92 GAA and a .910 SV% in 29 games with AHL San Diego last season and was in position to likely be Anaheim’s third-string option this year.  This injury likely led to today’s earlier signing of Oscar Dansk to a one-year deal.
  • Earlier today, The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta relayed that the Red Wings were making progress on a long-term contract for RFA winger Lucas Raymond. Later in the day, he added (Twitter link) that Detroit and RFA Moritz Seider are also working away at a long-term pact.  The 23-year-old has been a key cog on the back end for the last three seasons, recording at least 42 points while logging over 22 minutes a night in each of them.  Detroit has over $17MM in cap room, per PuckPedia, which should be enough to get both key youngsters signed to long-term agreements.
  • Back in April, it was reported that veteran winger Brad Malone would be calling it a career. It was made official today with Malone announcing it on his Twitter page.  Malone played in 217 career NHL games between Colorado, Carolina, and Edmonton, while also seeing time in a dozen AHL campaigns, spanning 552 contests.  His days in hockey aren’t over, however, as OHL Oshawa announced that they’ve hired Malone as their Player Development Coach.

Ducks, Tomas Suchanek Agree To Entry-Level Deal

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6:34 p.m.: Suchanek’s deal carries an $870K cap hit, per CapFriendly. The deal pays him a $775K base salary, a $95K signing bonus, an $80K games played bonus, and an $82.5K minors salary in all three seasons.

2:25 p.m.: The Ducks have signed goaltender Tomas Suchanek to a three-year, entry-level deal beginning next season, per a team release. Eric Stephens of The Athletic reported earlier Thursday that the two sides were close to a deal. No financial details have been reported.

Suchanek, 20, is a name familiar to World Juniors watchers. Undrafted, he stole the show at Czechia’s 2023 tournament, posting a .934 SV% and 1.51 GAA in seven games en route to a silver medal and an All-Star Team nod. Again passed over in last summer’s NHL draft as a potential overage selection, Suchanek, who had spent the last two seasons with the WHL’s Tri-City Americans, found a professional home with the Ducks’ AHL affiliate in San Diego.

After suiting up in some preseason games for the Ducks on a tryout, he began the season on loan from San Diego to ECHL Tulsa. There, he had a decent showing with a .906 SV% and a 3-5-0 record in his first eight professional games. However, below-average play from the Ducks’ NHL-contracted goalies in San Diego, youngster Calle Clang and veteran Alex Stalock, paved the way for Suchanek to get a recall to the AHL in November.

He hasn’t looked back, proving himself as the best netminder out of the three with a .919 SV%, 2.56 GAA, 12-6-3 record, and two shutouts – all team-highs. They’re exceptionally strong numbers, given his age and the weakness of the club in front of him, which sits four points out of a playoff spot in the league’s Pacific Division.

Suchanek has decent size at 6-foot-2 and 181 lbs, and he’s put up strong numbers at every level since arriving in the North American circuit from Czechia in 2021. In a scouting report last year, Elite Prospects called him a “low-risk, high-reward selection” for teams looking for goalie help in the later rounds of the 2023 draft but cited his overall refinement, post integration, and footwork in the crease as some trouble spots in his game.

He’ll finish the season on an AHL contract, so he won’t make his major league debut before the summer. However, he’ll be eligible to do so as soon as next fall and will remain under contract with Anaheim through 2027, at which point he’ll be an RFA.

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