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Metropolitan Notes: Jenner, Werenski, Connauton, Konecny, Clutterbuck

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Blue Jackets center Boone Jenner will not require surgery for the back injury that kept him out for the final seven weeks of the season, relays Aaron Portzline of The Athletic (Twitter link).  He’s expected to be able to have a full summer of training and be ready for training camp in the fall.  The 28-year-old had a strong year offensively, notching 23 goals and 21 assists in just 59 games, the highest per-game rates of his career.  While his current contract is expiring this summer, Jenner signed a four-year extension last July at the same $3.75MM price tag.

More from the Metropolitan:

  • Still with Columbus, Portzline reports in a separate tweet that defenseman Zach Werenski underwent surgery this week to repair a broken nose. The procedure may keep him out of playing for the United States at the upcoming World Championships.  Werenski led all Blue Jackets blueliners in scoring this season with 11 goals and 37 assists in 68 games; his assist and point totals were both career bests.
  • Flyers defenseman Kevin Connauton told reporters, including Sam Carchidi of Philadelphia Hockey Now (Twitter link) that surgery won’t be needed on his knee injury that kept him out towards the end of the year. The 32-year-old played in 39 games this season between Florida and Philadelphia and is set to be an unrestricted free agent this summer.
  • Flyers winger Travis Konecny has declined an invitation to play for Canada at the upcoming World Championships, notes Charlie O’Connor of The Athletic (Twitter link). The 25-year-old came one assist shy of reaching his career high in assists with 36 this season but also had his lowest goals per game rate since his rookie campaign.
  • Islanders winger Cal Clutterbuck is expected to be ready to return next season, mentions Newsday’s Andrew Gross (Twitter link). The 34-year-old has been out since just before the trade deadline with a shoulder injury, one that ruled out any chance of him being traded.  Instead, New York signed him to a two-year extension, one that cuts his cap hit in half from 3.5MM to $1.75MM.

Snapshots: Jets, Behrens, Lehner, Zadina

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With Winnipeg now mathematically eliminated from playoff contention, interim head coach Dave Lowry told reporters, including Sportsnet’s Ken Wiebe (Twitter link), that center Mark Scheifele and winger Cole Perfetti aren’t expected to return by the end of the season.  Scheifele has missed the last couple of weeks with an upper-body injury while Perfetti has been out for more than two months with an upper-body issue of his own.  Perfetti, however, is expected to rejoin the team for practice sometime next week and could be a candidate to play for Canada at the World Championships next month for the second year in a row.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

  • After an impressive freshman season at the University of Denver, Avalanche defenseman prospect Sean Behrens told Peter Baugh of The Athletic (subscription link) that he sees himself remaining in college for one or two more years. The 19-year-old was a second-round pick (61st overall) last summer and had 29 points in 37 games as he helped lead the Pioneers to the NCAA title.  With Colorado moving blueline prospects Justin Barron and Drew Helleson at the trade deadline, Behrens is now clearly their top prospect on the back end.
  • Following Friday’s confusion of reports suggesting Robin Lehner was out for the season while Vegas head coach Peter DeBoer stated he expected the netminder at practice today, the Golden Knights issued a statement indicating that Lehner won’t skate today as he takes an additional maintenance day. However, the team remains hopeful that will be available to play tomorrow against San Jose.  This strange situation will drag out a little longer as a result.
  • Red Wings winger Filip Zadina won’t play again this season after undergoing an appendectomy back in Florida, relays MLive’s Ansar Khan. It was a tough year for the 22-year-old as he managed just 10 goals and 14 assists in 74 games.  While those were career highs, Detroit was undoubtedly expecting more from Zadina, the sixth-overall pick back in 2018.

USA Hockey Announces 2022 World Championship Coaching Staff

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The IIHF World Championship will begin next month in Finland, and former New York Rangers head coach David Quinn is set to lead the U.S. squad. Today, his staff has been announced, with Jeff Blashill of the Detroit Red Wings, Don Granato of the Buffalo Sabres, and Mike Hastings from Minnesota State University joining as assistants.

Blashill, head coach of the Red Wings for the last seven years, was actually head coach of the men’s national team at three previous World Championships. He also has experience with USA Hockey at the U18 and U20 levels and stops in both the AHL and NCAA. Several players that he is familiar with, including most prominently Dylan Larkin, could be in play for the U.S. at the event, as the Red Wings are set to miss the playoffs for the sixth consecutive season.

Granato, who took over as the head coach of the Sabres last season, has received many accolades for his work turning the team around. While they won’t reach the playoffs this year, huge developmental steps have been taken from several players. One of those is Tage Thompson, who could play a significant role if selected for the U.S. squad, along with several of his Sabres teammates.

Hastings meanwhile is the lone assistant from outside of the NHL, coming to the Worlds after leading his Minnesota State Mavericks all the way to the national championship game this year. Hastings has been with the program for a decade and helped turn it into one of the most dominant teams in the NCAA, posting winning percentages above .800 in each of the last three years. Nathan Smith, the Mavericks standout who recently debuted with the Arizona Coyotes seems a likely candidate for the team if they so choose, after his outstanding junior season. Dryden McKay, winner of the Hobey Baker and a Mavericks legend, could also be in the mix, depending on the team’s goaltending situation.

The tournament begins on May 13 in Tampere and Helsinki.

David Jiricek Not Part Of Czechia Training Camp Roster

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March 28: Unfortunately, after additional testing, Jiricek will not be able to take part in the camp. He has been ruled out for health reasons and replaced on the camp roster by David Kvasnicka. That chance to show what he can do on the international stage will have to wait.

March 25: Among the top prospects for the 2022 draft, there are really only two defensemen that stand out as candidates to go in the top ten. One of them is Simon Nemec, the Slovakian standout who would have played in the U18 Worlds, U20 World Juniors, and the Olympics all in the same season, had COVID restrictions not put some of that action on pause. Nemec is a star in the Slovakian league already and will likely suit up for his country at the World Championships, as he did last year.

The other is David Jiricek, whose draft stock was relatively uncertain after an early injury at the World Juniors. He hasn’t played since then, meaning it wasn’t clear at all whether scouts would get another chance to see him playing at a high level before this summer’s draft. Good news, Jiricek was named today to Czechia’s training camp roster for the World Championships, suggesting he could be ready to play in the May tournament, well ahead of the July draft.

The first thing you’ll notice about Jiricek, 18, is how mobile he is for a 6’3″ defenseman, seemingly floating around the ice both with the puck and without it. In 29 games at the highest level in Czechia, he recorded five goals and 11 points, his second full season with HC Skoda Plzen, even as a teenager. While some will undoubtedly prefer Nemec when it’s all said and done, Jiricek has ranked ahead of him at several stages. At the mid-season rankings, NHL Central Scouting had Jiricek fourth among all European skaters, with Nemec sixth. Bob McKenzie’s TSN mid-season scout poll published in January also had Jiricek as the top defenseman, this time seventh (Nemec ranked ninth).

While other defensemen may still make late pushes (Pavel Mintyukov and Denton Mateychuk come to mind), Jiricek and Nemec appear to be battling for the honor of being the first blueliner off the board in July. An appearance at the World Championship, where he could be on the ice against NHL talent, would certainly give the former a chance to impress.

Of course, NHL talent that is eliminated will also be joining the group, and other more veteran names from Europe. David Krejci, for instance, is expected to join the Czechia team a week or two before the tournament.

Snapshots: Muzzin, Oilers, Russia

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When defenseman Jake Muzzin landed on long-term injured reserve earlier in the week, speculation ramped up that the Toronto Maple Leafs could make an unexpected big splash at the Trade Deadline with some added salary cap flexibility. However, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported on yesterday’s edition of 32 Thoughts that Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas is telling teams around the league that if Muzzin “is healthy enough to return before the end of the regular season, they’re not going to hold him out until the playoffs.” That’s to say that the team isn’t operating under the assumption that they’ll have the full $4.47MM in deadline cap space that CapFriendly suggests. While the team is still in a position to add a solid depth piece, or even a higher-end middle-six forward with some salary retention, any chance of Toronto being among the deadline’s biggest buyers is likely gone at this point.

Some more hockey notes on this Sunday:

IIHF Cancels U18 Women’s World Championship, Other Events

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Dec 24: The IIHF has made it official, canceling six tournaments for January. President Luc Tardif released the following statement:

These are hard facts to have to face, and as with last year we must take the difficult decision to cancel men’s and women’s IIHF events, including the women’s U18 top division now for the second year in a row. 
 
It is the consensus of the IIHF Medical Committee that the organizers would not have the capability to manage an outbreak of the virus, especially with the rapid transfer of the Omicron variant that we have seen in the NHL and other leagues.

Dec 23: ESPN’s Emily Kaplan reported today that the International Ice Hockey Federation is cancelling all of its events scheduled for January 2022 due to the continued spread of COVID-19, including most notably the U18 Women’s World Championship for a second straight year.

Other cancelled events are the Division IIB and Division III Men’s World Junior Championships and the Division IA, 1B, and Division II U18 Women’s World Championships.

It’s worth noting that this cancellation does not affect the current Men’s World Junior Championship in Edmonton and Red Deer, where pre-tournament games got underway today. It was also held last year in a bubble format, while the U18 Women’s Championship was cancelled.

Last year’s U18 Men’s Championship was not affected, and as of now, the IIHF still plans to hold the 2022 U18 Men’s Championship in April.

Hockey Canada Announces 2022 World Junior Championship Roster

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As always, Hockey Canada’s selection camp for the World Junior Championship was a who’s who of top prospects. The group vying for a spot on the 2022 entry was immensely deep and talented, so much so that some truly talented names didn’t even make the camp roster. Of course, this means that some very difficult cuts had to be made as well. With camp wrapping up early Sunday afternoon, Hockey Canada has announced the expected roster for the 2022 WJC:

G Brett Brochu (2022 draft eligible)
G Sebastian Cossa (DET)
G Dylan Garand (NYR)

D Lukas Cormier (VGK)
D Kaiden Guhle (MTL)
D Carson Lambos (MIN)
D Ryan O’Rourke (MIN)
D Owen Power (BUF)
D Donovan Sebrango (DET)
D Ronan Seeley (CAR)
D Olen Zellweger (ANA)

F Connor Bedard (2023 draft eligible)
F Xavier Bourgault (EDM)
F Mavrik Bourque (DAL)
F Will Cuylle (NYR)
F Elliot Desnoyers (PHI)
F Ridly Greig (OTT)
F Dylan Guenther (ARI)
F Kent Johnson (CBJ)
F Mason McTavish (ANA)
F Jake Neighbours (STL)
F Cole Perfetti (WPG)
F Justin Sourdif (FLA)
F Logan Stankoven (DAL)
F Shane Wright (2022 draft eligible)

The camp invitees that did not make the roster include forwards Zach Dean (VGK), William Dufour (NYI), Luke Evangelista (NSH), Jack Finley (TBL), Hendrix Lapierre (WSH), Joshua Roy (MTL), and Ryan Tverberg (TOR) and defensemen Daemon Hunt (MIN) and Vincent Iorio (WSH).

Of note, while many elite drafted prospects will grace the Canadian roster, it’s two undrafted names that will draw substantial spotlight. Wright and Bedard are the presumptive top picks in each of the next two NHL Drafts and will get their shot to further cement that status on the biggest international stage for U20 players.

The 2022 World Junior Championship will be held in Edmonton and Red Deer, Alberta this year. The tournament begins on December 26 and culminates with the gold medal game on January 5.

Snapshots: Capuano, Tardif, Asselin

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With the divisional playoffs now over, the days of the North, East, West, and Central (sort of) are over. Teams are already shifting their mindsets back to the Atlantic, Metropolitan, Pacific, and the true Central, working out how best to beat out their division rivals and make the postseason next year. After taking a step forward this season, albeit against lesser competition, the Ottawa Senators are no exception. The long-time bottom-dwellers are just as cutthroat in their pursuit of success, even if that means handicapping one of their own. Joe MacDonald of the Worcester Telegram & Gazette reports that the Senators have blocked associate head coach Jack Capuano from interviewing for the Buffalo Sabres’ head coach vacancy. Buffalo will be Ottawa’s divisional rival once again next season and beyond and the team will not lose a valued member of their staff with inside knowledge of the organization to one of their most frequent competitors. After leading Team USA to a bronze medal and the best record in group play at the recent IIHF World Championships, Capuano’s name is back in the mix as a head coach candidate. The long-time New York Islander bench boss is still held in high regard around the league and the Sabres may not be the only team kicking his tires. Perhaps the Senators will let him go elsewhere, just not within the Atlantic Division.

  • After wrapping a strong junior career in the QMJHL, capped off by a stellar run with the Victoriaville Tigres that ended with a league title, Ben Tardif was expected to have some NHL interest. The 21-year-old forward had scored at better than a point-per-game clip in each of the past two seasons, culminating in 11 goals and 22 points in 19 games for Victoriaville en route to the President’s Cup. However, Tardif seemingly did not receive the attention he might have expected and has settled for an AHL contract. The Colorado Eagles announced that they have signed Tardif to a two-year contract. The Colorado Avalanche obviously have some stock in the move as well, hoping that Tardif can use the time to round out his game and show that his offense can translate to the pro level. If he succeeds, Tardif will find himself in a great spot as part of an Avs club that looks like it will contend for many years to come.
  • One player whose career Tardif will likely be following is Samuel Asselin. A QMJHL star himself –  a Memorial Cup champion and league-leading goal-scorer – Asselin too was surprisingly unable to land an NHL contract after his junior career ended. Like Tardif, he signed a two-year deal with the AHL’s Providence Bruins instead. Following a point-per-game, All-Star season in the ECHL last year, Asselin was a full-time member of the P-Bruins this season and showed that there is more to his game than scoring ability with a gritty, high-energy style. And other teams took notice. Mark Divver of The New England Hockey Journal writes that NHL competitors are sniffing around Asselin and time is running out for the Bruins to lock him in to an entry-level contract. The club holds the right of first refusal to match any competing offer, but only while Asselin remains under contract. Once the off-season arrives, Asselin could depart with Boston having nothing to show for two years of development.

Blackhawks Sign Lukas Reichel

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June 9: Now that the tournament is over, the Blackhawks have officially signed Reichel to his three-year entry-level contract. The deal comes with a cap hit of $925K. Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman released a statement on his newest forward:

Lukas made tremendous strides in his second year as a professional. The game appeared to slow down for him this past season, which allowed his play-making skills to be on full display. Bringing him over to North America is the logical next step for his continued development and we’re excited to be able to add such a young, dynamic player to our forward group.

May 22: After being drafted last fall, Blackhawks prospect Lukas Reichel estimated that he was a couple of years away from being ready for the NHL.  However, after a strong season with Eisbaren Berlin in Germany where he worked his way up the lineup down the stretch while transitioning from the wing to center, that timeline could be accelerated.  To that end, Reichel’s agent Allain Roy told Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times that the expectation is that the youngster will sign his entry-level deal at the conclusion of the World Championships.

The 19-year-old was a late riser in the 2020 draft and went from being ranked as a second-round pick by some agencies to the 17th pick by Chicago after a good first season with Berlin.  He followed that up by finishing fifth in scoring with Berlin this season on a veteran-laden team with 10 goals and 17 assists in 38 games while chipping in with five more points in nine playoff contests.  That helped him earn an invite to the Worlds where he is tied for the tournament lead in scoring through the first few days with two goals and three helpers in just two games.  His presence at that tournament prevents him from being signed right away which is why they’ll have to wait a couple of weeks.

Chicago doesn’t have to have Reichel in the NHL right away, however.  Though he’s still junior-aged, he is eligible to play with AHL Rockford since he wasn’t drafted out of the CHL and that might not be a bad idea for his development to ease his transition to the smaller North American ice surface.  In that event, his deal would be eligible to slide a year if he plays in nine or fewer NHL games next season.  Either way, Reichel should be playing under the watchful eye of the organization in 2021-22.

Evening Notes: Carlo, Olympics, OHL Draft

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The Stanley Cup Playoffs are down to just four series and the start of the off-season is still a ways away, but that doesn’t mean the hockey news cycle slows down. There have been quite a few notable announcements today, including one that involves one of those few remaining active teams. After taking a hard, but clean check from New York Islanders forward Cal Clutterbuck, Boston Bruins defenseman Brandon Carlo was forced out of Game Three on Thursday with an apparent head injury. Carlo has a history of concussions, including missing time earlier this season, and after his head made contact with the boards, the big defender struggled to get back up and had to be helped off the ice. The expectation of course was that Carlo could miss considerable time as a result of the check; however, the initial reports suggested that Carlo was feeling good after the game. Well, the Bruins will sit Carlo for at least Game Four, the team has announced, perhaps just out of an abundance of caution. The hope is that Carlo can return sooner rather than later, especially with fellow blue liners Kevan Miller and Jakub Zboril also injured and Steven Kampfer out for the year. In the meantime, Jeremy Lauzon will be elevated to Carlo’s spot on the second pair and Jarred Tinordi will sub into the lineup.

  • It appears that the NHL is using the ongoing IIHF World Championships to work with the international governing body on an agreement for the upcoming Olympics. TSN’s Gord Miller relays word from IIHF officials that “significant progress” has been made on terms of NHL participation in the 2022 Winter Games. The two sides have been discussing the topic in-person for the first time while in Riga, Latvia this week and appear to be on the right track. Olympic participation in Beijing, China in 2022 and Milan, Italy in 2026 was negotiated as part of last year’s Collective Bargaining Agreement extension, but was pending an agreement between the NHL and IIHF as well. It seems that such an agreement is now getting close.
  • The OHL wrapped up their two-day Priority Selection Draft on Saturday. The opening of the draft made headlines on Friday, with American Quentin Musty being selected first overall and Oakville Rangers U16 program contributing five of the next ten picks. However, it was pick No. 267 today that stole the show. The Sarnia Sting selected goaltender Taya Currie with the pick, making her the first female player to ever be drafted into the OHL. It is quite the honor for Currie, but she now faces the difficult decision of committing to the men’s junior game or instead reserving her NCAA eligibility to play the women’s game at the next level.

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