Snapshots: Pekarcik, ECHL, Hurricanes
One St. Louis Blues 2023 draft choice has found a playing home for next season. 76th overall pick Juraj Pekarcik will be heading stateside to the USHL, committing to the Dubuque Fighting Saints for 2023-24 after spending his career until now in his native Slovakia.
This is a rather consequential choice for the QMJHL’s Acadie-Bathurst Titan, who just used the second overall pick on Pekarcik in this year’s CHL Import Draft. However, the USHL has had quite the influx of Slovak talent in recent seasons, and it makes sense Pekarcik would choose to go to a league where he knows what the development experience will be like. The 6-foot-2 winger doesn’t turn 18 until September and registered 20 points in 16 games with HK Nitra’s junior club in the Slovak U-20 circuit last season. He also added ten points in seven games for Slovakia at last year’s IIHF U-18 World Junior Championship.
More from across the league today:
- The Buffalo Sabres confirmed the Jacksonville Icemen as their next ECHL affiliate today, as expected. It amounts to a swap of affiliates between the Sabres and New York Rangers, now affiliated with the Cincinnati Cyclones, Buffalo’s previous affiliate in the second-tier minor league. The current Sabres team does have one connection to the Icemen – assistant coach Jason Christie, who coached the Icemen for four seasons before heading to the Sabres in 2021 and remains the ECHL’s all-time leader in games coached.
- Without an AHL affiliate to store their prospects next season, the Carolina Hurricanes have loaned a trio of Finnish prospects back to their home country, per team reporter Walt Ruff. 20-year-old defenseman Aleksi Heimosalmi will head back to Assat, where he’s spent the past two seasons on loan from Carolina after they selected him 44th overall in 2021. Right wing Tuukka Tieksola, their 2019 fourth-round pick, is heading back to Finland with Lukko after recording 24 points in 52 games with the AHL’s Chicago Wolves last year. Lastly, forward Ville Koivunen is heading back to Karpat, where he’s played most of his career to date after recording 28 points in 52 games with them last season. Doing this early in the summer gives Carolina less to worry about when figuring out where to assign their prospects closer to the start of the season.
Hurricanes Recall Six Players
With Carolina’s AHL affiliate in Chicago missing the playoffs, the Hurricanes have decided who will be part of their ‘Black Aces’ squad, announcing the recall of six players. Coming up to the big club are forwards Ville Koivunen, Vasily Ponomarev, Jamieson Rees, and Ryan Suzuki, defenseman Maxime Lajoie, and goaltender Zach Sawchenko.
Koivunen spent the bulk of this season with Karpat in Finland’s SM-liiga, picking up 28 points in 52 games before reporting to the Wolves last month. The 19-year-old got into a dozen games at the AHL level, picking up a goal. This is his first recall to the NHL.
Ponomarev played his first full campaign in North America this season and acquitted himself well, picking up a team-leading 24 goals along with 22 assists to put him second on the Wolves in scoring behind Malte Stromwall (who was not among the recalls). The 21-year-old has also yet to play at the NHL level.
As for Rees, his third AHL campaign saw him put up more points than his first two combined, collecting 14 goals and 28 points in 65 games to put him fourth on the team in scoring. The 22-year-old is in the second season of his entry-level deal and hasn’t yet suited up for the Hurricanes.
Suzuki was a first-round pick by Carolina back in 2018 (29th overall) but also hasn’t seen NHL action yet. The 21-year-old did show some improvement this season with the Wolves, picking up 13 goals and 19 assists in 50 games, career-highs on all three fronts.
Lajoie, however, does have some NHL experience under his belt including three games with Carolina this season. The 25-year-old has suited in 70 career contests at the top level, the bulk of which came back in 2018-19 with Ottawa. Lajoie led all Wolves blueliners in points this season with 11 goals and 34 assists in 63 games.
Sawchenko played in seven games with San Jose last season but didn’t see any NHL time with the Hurricanes this season. The 25-year-old signed with Carolina as a free agent last summer and led all Chicago netminders with 41 appearances this season where he posted a 3.10 GAA with a SV% of .895.
Barring multiple injuries, it’s unlikely that any of these players will get into a game during Carolina’s playoff run but they will get a chance to continue skating and working with team coaches in case they need to be pressed into action.
Carolina Hurricanes Sign Ville Koivunen
The Carolina Hurricanes weren’t done when they signed Aleski Heimosalmi earlier today. The team has also inked fellow second-round pick Ville Koivunen to a three-year entry-level deal. Hurricanes GM Don Waddell released a short statement:
Ville is a skilled, competitive winger. He continues to improve every year, and we are excited to watch him develop as a pro.
Koivunen, selected seven picks after Heimosalmi as the team’s third 2021 second-rounder, is coming off a brilliant season with Karpat’s junior program. He scored 49 points in 38 games in the U20 league, earning Rookie of the Year honors. He signed a multi-year agreement with the professional club earlier this year and could be in line to make his Liiga debut this season.
Like his fellow draft pick, the 18-year-old Koivunen will likely continue his development overseas for at least one season, perhaps more. He was also included on Finland’s Summer Showcase roster, meaning he could potentially be among the group that participates in the next World Juniors.
It’s that brilliant offensive upside that makes him so dangerous when playing against juniors, but will be tested at the professional ranks. Undersized, he’ll need to find a way to score even against bigger, more experienced defensemen to provide real value. If he can do it in Liiga, perhaps there will be an opportunity for him to come to North America in the near future. For now, his entry-level contract will slide forward while he plies his trade overseas.