Victor Rask, Zane McIntyre Clear Waivers
Jan 5: Both players have cleared waivers, according to Michael Russo of The Athletic. Rask is expected to be assigned to the taxi squad, where the Wild will receive $1.125MM in cap relief. McIntyre will be assigned to the Iowa Wild.
Jan 4: Per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Minnesota Wild placed forward Victor Rask and goalie Zane McIntyre on waivers today.
While McIntyre wasn’t in the Wild organization prior to today, the waiver placement means that he signed an NHL contract with the Wild today. He was previously with the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners on an AHL contract, appearing in three games and posting a .904 save percentage to go with a 2-1-0 record.
McIntyre has spent time on NHL rosters over the past few years but hasn’t gotten into a game since he played eight with the Boston Bruins in 2016-17. Those are the only eight NHL games he has under his belt, but he’s been a capable enough AHL man over the years and that’s the role he’ll play in Minnesota.
Rask’s waiver placement is partially salary-motivated, as the 28-year-old forward is in the last year of a contract that carries a $4MM cap hit. If he clears waivers, the Wild can save roughly $1MM on that hit while he’s in the minors.
He has four goals and six assists in 21 games this season, occasionally serving as a healthy scratch.
Snapshots: Three Stars, Corrado, McIntyre
Earlier today, the NHL released the Three Stars for last week, headlined by Calgary Flames goaltender Jacob Markstrom. The veteran netminder posted an incredible .989 save percentage in three appearances, allowing just one goal on 94 shots. That included a 45-save shutout against the Pittsburgh Penguins, and gave him the league lead in clean sheets and a .957 save percentage overall.
The second and third stars went to Drake Batherson of the Ottawa Senators and Alex Killorn of the Tampa Bay Lightning respectively, who each posted six points on the week. Batherson’s came in just two contests and included a four-point effort against the Washington Capitals which marked his first career hat trick. The 23-year-old forward is a huge part of what’s building in Ottawa and now has 61 points in 106 career games.
- Minor league journeyman Frank Corrado is looking for a new place to play after his KHL contract with Dinamo Riga was terminated. Corrado is in only his second season overseas after suiting up for the Chicago Wolves, Utica Comets, Toronto Marlies, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, Belleville Senators, Vancouver Canucks, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Pittsburgh Penguins in previous years. Still just 28, he likely could still land a job in the AHL if he is deciding to come back to North America.
- Zane McIntyre, who posted a .917 save percentage in the AHL last season and actually has eight NHL games under his belt, signed a professional tryout with the Tucson Roadrunners. The Roadrunners lost Ivan Prosvetov to the Arizona Coyotes last week, recalled because of the injury to Carter Hutton. McIntyre has plenty of minor league experience, including an All-Star selection last season.
Coyotes Sign Zane McIntyre To Tryout Contract
With training camps beginning in the near future, PTO season is basically upon us. The Coyotes had already put one player on their invite list in center Frederik Gauthier but GM Bill Armstrong confirmed to Craig Morgan of AZ Coyotes Insider reports (Twitter link) that goaltender Zane McIntyre has signed a tryout deal as well.
The 28-year-old was once viewed as one of Boston’s goaltenders of the future after a stellar three-year NCAA career at North Dakota but it didn’t really translate to much success at the professional level. He got into eight games with the Bruins back in 2016-17 but that’s it for his NHL experience. Last season, he spent most of the year in Vancouver’s system before being flipped to New Jersey for Louis Domingue at the trade deadline. Between the two minor league teams, he had a 15-10-2 record with a 2.80 GAA and a .908 SV%.
After not receiving any NHL interest early in free agency, McIntyre opted to go to the KHL, signing with Dinamo Riga. However, after posting a 4.65 GAA and a .796 SV% in six appearances, he was released on Monday which allows him to go to camp with Arizona.
On the surface, it would appear that the Coyotes are either eyeing McIntyre for the taxi squad role or to have him in the minors with Adin Hill serving as the mandatory third goalie. With only 44 contracts used out of 50, they’ll have ample room to sign him if he has a good showing when their training camp begins on January 3rd.
Zane McIntyre Signs In KHL
A former NHL goaltender has decided to take his talents overseas, as Zane McIntyre signs with Dinamo Riga of the KHL. McIntyre played in eight games for the Boston Bruins in 2016-17 but has been logging starts in an AHL crease ever since. When his 2019-20 contract with the New Jersey Devils expired, he became an unrestricted free agent.
McIntyre, 28, was a sixth-round draft pick of the Bruins back in 2010 but didn’t make his professional debut until the 2015-16 season. After three outstanding seasons at the University of North Dakota, he joined the Providence Bruins where he quickly found success. In his sophomore year, McIntyre posted a .930 save percentage at the AHL level, leading the entire league and earning himself a spot at the minor league All-Star Game. It also landed him a chance with Boston, though those eight games may end up being his only stint in the NHL.
More recently, the Grand Forks native has struggled in the minor leagues, posting save percentages under .900 in each of the last two seasons. He’ll try to increase those numbers in the KHL, though of course, he’ll have to battle for playing time over there as well. Unless he experiences a huge step forward in play, it seems unlikely that we’ll ever see McIntyre at the NHL level again.
Training Camp Cuts: 09/23/19
Like always, we’ll keep track of all the training camp cuts right here. Keep checking back to see the updated list:
Anaheim Ducks (per team release)
F Alex Dostie (to San Diego, AHL)
F Brent Gates Jr. (to San Diego, AHL)
F Luke Gazdic (to San Diego, AHL)
F Johno May (to San Diego, AHL)
F Antoine Morand (to San Diego, AHL)
F Conor Riley (to San Diego, AHL)
F Deven Sideroff (to San Diego, AHL)
F Corey Tropp (to San Diego, AHL)
D Dawson Davidson (to San Diego, AHL)
D Scott Moldenhauer (to San Diego, AHL)
D Steven Ruggiero (to San Diego, AHL)
G Roman Durny (to San Diego, AHL)
G Olle Eriksson Ek (to San Diego, AHL)
F Chase Wouters (to Saskatoon, WHL)
D Matthew Hill (to Barrie, OHL)
G Lukas Dostal (to Ilves, Liiga)
Arizona Coyotes (per team release)
F Beau Bennett (to Tucson, AHL)
F Andy Miele (to Tucson, AHL)
D Dysin Mayo (to Tucson, AHL)
D Robbie Russo (to Tucson, AHL)
Calgary Flames (per team release)
F Byron Froese (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
F Justin Kirkland (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
F Buddy Robinson (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
F Rinat Valiev (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
D Andrew Nielsen (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
F Glenn Gawdin (to Stockton, AHL)
F Ryan Lomberg (to Stockton, AHL)
F Luke Philp (to Stockton, AHL)
F Matthew Phillips (to Stockton, AHL)
F Martin Pospisil (to Stockton, AHL)
F Adam Ruzicka (to Stockton, AHL)
F Eetu Tuulola (to Stockton, AHL)
D Robert Hamilton (to Stockton, AHL)
D Zac Leslie (to Stockton, AHL)
D Corey Schueneman (to Stockton, AHL)
D Alexander Yelesin (to Stockton, AHL)
G Tyler Parsons (to Stockton, AHL)
G Artyom Zagidulin (to Stockton, AHL)
F Jacob Pelletier (to Moncton, QMJHL)
D Alexandre Grenier (released from PTO)
Chicago Blackhawks (per team release)
F Jacob Nilsson (to Rockford, AHL)
F Philip Holm (to Rockford, AHL)
Columbus Blue Jackets (per team release)
F Zac Dalpe (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
F Markus Hannikainen (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
F Ryan MacInnis (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
D Adam Clendening (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
D Doyle Somerby (to Cleveland, AHL)
G Veini Vevilainen (to Cleveland, AHL)
Florida Panthers (per team release)
D Ethan Prow (to Springfield, AHL)
D Thomas Schemitsch (to Springfield, AHL)
G Philippe Desrosiers (to Springfield, AHL)
Nashville Predators (per team release)
F Colin Blackwell (to Milwaukee, AHL)
F Laurent Dauphin (to Milwaukee, AHL)
F Anthony Richard (to Milwaukee, AHL)
D Alexandre Carrier (to Milwaukee, AHL)
D Matt Donovan (to Milwaukee, AHL)
G Troy Grosenick (to Milwaukee, AHL)
New York Rangers (per team release)
F Connor Brickley (to Hartford, AHL)
F Timothy Gettinger (to Hartford, AHL)
F Nick Jones (to Hartford, AHL)
F Dawson Leedahl (to Hartford, AHL)
D Sean Day (to Hartford, AHL)
Pittsburgh Penguins (per team release)
F Andrew Agozzino (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
F Joseph Blandisi (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
F Joseph Cramarossa (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
F Thomas Di Pauli (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
F Ryan Haggerty (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
D Kevin Czuczman (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
D David Warsofsky (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
F Justin Almeida (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
F Anthony Angello (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
F Kasper Bjorkqvist (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
F Sam Lafferty (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
F Jake Lucchini (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
F Sam Miletic (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
F Oula Palve (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
D Niclas Almari (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
D Pierre-Olivier Joseph (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
G Emil Larmi (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
F Nathan Legare (to Baie-Comeau, QMJHL)
F Samuel Poulin (to Sherbrooke, QMJHL)
San Jose Sharks (per team release)
F Joakim Blichfield (to San Jose, AHL)
F Ivan Chekhovich (to San Jose, AHL)
F Sasha Chmelevski (to San Jose, AHL)
D Nick DeSimone (to San Jose, AHL)
F Noah Gregor (to San Jose, AHL)
D Thomas Gregoire (to San Jose, AHL)
F Artem Ivanyuzhenkov (to San Jose, AHL)
F Jayden Halbgewachs (to San Jose, AHL)
F Joel Kellman (to San Jose, AHL)
D Nikolai Knyzhov (to San Jose, AHL)
G Joseph Korenar (to San Jose, AHL)
F Ivan Kosorenkov (to San Jose, AHL)
F Tristan Langan (to San Jose, AHL)
F Maxim Letunov (to San Jose, AHL)
D Keaton Middleton (to San Jose, AHL)
F Jeremy Roy (to San Jose, AHL)
G Zach Sawchenko (to San Jose, AHL)
G Andrew Shortridge (to San Jose, AHL)
F Marcus Vela (to San Jose, AHL)san
F Jeffrey Viel (to San Jose, AHL)
F Evan Weinger (to San Jose, AHL)
F Vladislav Kotkov (to Chicoutimi, QMJHL)
D Tony Sund (to TPS, Liiga)
Vancouver Canucks (per team release)
F Reid Boucher (to Utica, AHL)
F Francis Perron (to Utica, AHL)
D Ashton Sautner (to Utica, AHL)
G Zane McIntyre (to Utica, AHL)
Boston Bruins Add Maxime Lagace
In need of an established third-string option in net, the Boston Bruins have opted to sign Maxime Lagace to fill the role. TVA’s Renaud Lavoie reports it is a one-year, two-way deal for the 26-year-old and worth the minimum $700K at the NHL level. The former Vegas Golden Knights keeper will spend next season with AHL Providence barring any injuries to top tandem Tuukka Rask and Jaroslav Halak.
Lagace wasn’t needed much as a third-sting option for Vegas this season as he only appeared in one game for the Golden Knights, but he saw quite a bit of action in the Golden Knights’ inaugural season when he became the starting goaltender for a stretch after the team lost both Marc-Andre Fleury and Malcolm Subban to injury. He appeared in 16 games that year, but struggled with a 3.92 GAA and a. 867 save percentage. He split time with Oscar Dansk this year in with the Chicago Wolves, but took more of a backup role to him, especially in the Calder Cup playoffs as Lagace appeared in just three games of their Calder Cup Finals run. However, his numbers remained solid in the AHL, where he put up a 2.43 GAA and a.914 save percentage in 33 appearances.
Lagace will replace Zane McIntyre who the Bruins were going to lose in free agency. The team hopes that Lagace can help mentor 21-year-old Dan Vladar, who showed some flashes of success at the AHL level, but also proved to be quite inconsistent and wouldn’t be able to help much at the NHL level. Lagace should be able to fill that void.
Snapshots: Boston Black Aces, Bellemare, Luostarinen
With a long layoff coming until their next matchup, Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney revealed the team’s Black Aces during a press conference earlier today, according to Boston Globe’s Matt Porter. The 12 players are expected to help the NHL team practice and likely to get some practice games in before the Stanley Cup begins on May 27.
The Black Aces will include forwards Anton Blidh, Paul Carey, Peter Cehlarik, Trent Frederic, Zachary Senyshyn, Jack Studnicka and Jordan Szwarz; defensemen Jeremy Lauzon, Urho Vaakanainen and Jakub Zboril; and goaltenders Kyle Keyser and Zane McIntyre.
- Golden Knights center Pierre-Edouard Bellemare will be seeking a multi-year contract on the open market, reports David Schoen of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The 34-year-old was an important part of the bottom six group in Vegas over the past two seasons; his faceoff prowess and ability to kill penalties should help him garner some interest for teams looking to upgrade their fourth line. However, with several pricey extensions kicking in for next season, it’s unlikely that Vegas will be able to afford to retain him unless he’s willing to take a pay cut on the $1.45MM he received in each of the last two seasons.
- Hurricanes prospect Eetu Luostarinen will miss the remainder of the World Championships due to a knee injury, the IIHF announced. The 20-year-old was held off the scoresheet in four appearances. Luostarinen has one more left on his current contract with KalPa Kuopio of the Finnish SM-liiga and will likely make the jump to North America following the 2019-20 season.
Minor Transactions: 04/25/19
The second round is coming up and all four wild card entries are still alive. The NHL playoffs is a wild and crazy ride this season but hockey fans everywhere are loving it. As the eight remaining teams prepare for action in the coming days, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves right here.
- Clark Bishop is back up with the Carolina Hurricanes as the team prepares for their second round matchup with the New York Islanders. Bishop has bounced up and down during the postseason due to the injuries to Andrei Svechnikov and Micheal Ferland, and will once again be considered an insurance policy for the start of round two.
- The Boston Bruins have recalled Zane McIntyre to serve as a third goaltender while they get set to face the Columbus Blue Jackets. In addition, the team has assigned Kyle Keyser to the minor leagues after his OHL team was eliminated from the junior playoffs.
- Joe Cannata is on his way to the Colorado Avalanche, recalled today from the minor leagues. Cannata played most of the season at the ECHL level, but can give the team an extra practice goaltender for the time being.
- Dylan Gambrell, Lukas Radil and Josef Korenar are on their way to San Jose, joining the Sharks after their AHL club was eliminated from the playoffs last night. The San Jose Barracuda lost in four games to the San Diego Gulls, meaning the Sharks will have some extra bodies hanging around for their playoff run.
Boston Bruins Make Several Roster Moves
The Boston Bruins are back in action tomorrow night against the Winnipeg Jets, and have made several roster moves in preparation. First of all, the team has placed Tuukka Rask on injured reserve retroactive to January 19th with a concussion and recalled Zane McIntyre to take his place in net. Rask suffered the concussion against the New York Rangers and will not play in tomorrow night’s game. The team has also recalled Peter Cehlarik and Trent Frederic while assigning Ryan Donato and Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson to the Providence Bruins.
The most interesting name in that bunch is Frederic, who was practicing as the third-line center today and would be making his NHL debut. The 20-year old forward was an extremely divisive pick when selected 29th overall in 2016, given that he was ranked well outside the first round by almost every scouting service. NHL Central Scouting had him as the 47th best North American skater for instance, but the Bruins felt as though he was a surefire NHL player despite his relatively low ceiling. After finding great success at the University of Wisconsin, Frederic has continued his development at the AHL level where he has 17 points in 37 games this season.
Recalling the responsible two-way center is as much about his progress as it is about the Bruins deadline plans, as they need to find out what they have in their system before reaching for a rental to help them down the stretch. If Frederic can step in and play reasonably well, perhaps the team doesn’t need to go out and spend big on an addition. It also gives them more information for the summer when they’ll have to figure out how to move forward with their current aging forward core. Frederic might not be up for long, but these are important games to see what he can provide.
Goaltender Cameron Rowe Commits To North Dakota
Aaron Dell, Zane McIntyre, Cam Johnson, …Cameron Rowe? The young goaltender certainly hopes that he will be the next in a line of recent stud goalies to come out of the University of North Dakota. The U.S. National Development Program announced today that their keeper has committed to join the Fighting Hawks next season.
Rowe, 17, is a draft-eligible prospect who is regarded as one of the handful of goalies guaranteed to be selected in the 2019 NHL Draft. The Illinois native is in his second season with the USNTDP and led the U-17 squad with 43 appearances last season. This year, he’s sharing the U-18 net with fellow draft-eligible stopper Spencer Knight. Knight, who many feel is the top goalie prospect in the 2019 draft class and looks like a presumptive first-round pick next June, actually began making U-18 starts last year and has outperformed Rowe so far this year. The Boston College commit may even have the inside track to starring for the U.S. World Junior squad this year. While Rowe has had a tough time adjusting to the tougher competition so far this season, he continues to get his fair share of starts next to Knight and will likely improve as the year goes on, even if he remains overshadowed.
If anything, the fact that North Dakota was interested in Rowe is proof enough that he is a talented goaltender. The collegiate powerhouse has had immense success developing goalies of late. San Jose Sharks backup Dell was the first in line, helping the team to conference championships in each of his three seasons from 2009 to 2012, in addition to several individual accolades. Current Boston Bruins’ third-string McIntyre came next and in 2014-15 won the Mike Richter Award as the best goalie in the NCAA and was a finalist for the Hobey Baker award as the best player in college hockey. Most recently, New Jersey Devils prospect Johnson led the team to a National Championship in 2015-16. Interestingly enough, Dell and Johnson were never drafted and McIntyre was a seventh-round flier. Rowe, considered a legitimate NHL prospect already, may just have a chance to be the best of the bunch.