Examining 2025-26 European Pro Free Agent Signings
An NHL team’s chase of a Stanley Cup championship is relentless. Often, true contention requires a veteran team with management willing to go all-in on its current group of players, something that often takes the form of mortgaging the team’s future draft picks and prospects in exchange for immediate reinforcements. For clubs in this phase of the competitive cycle, taking advantage of every possible avenue to add talent is essential to extending their window to win.
The Chicago Blackhawks were able to supplement their championship teams in the mid-2010s thanks to shrewd scouting of European professional leagues, and a willingness to proactively source and give opportunities to talented, often undrafted free agent players from overseas. Chicago reaped the benefits of this approach, finding NHL-level contributors such as Antti Raanta, Erik Gustafsson, Kevin Lankinen, Jan Rutta, Michal Kempny, David Kampf, and, of course, star Artemi Panarin. Teams have attempted to mimic Chicago’s approach in the years since, to varying levels of success. Here, we’ll check in on notable players who signed with NHL organizations from European pro leagues for 2025-26.
Charle-Édouard D’Astous, LHD, Tampa Bay Lightning
Signed one-year at $775K NHL/$150K AHL/$200K Guaranteed from Brynäs IF, SHL
When a team signs an undrafted free agent from the European pro ranks, most hope those signings pay off the way the Lightning’s signing of D’Astous has. It was a long road for D’Astous to reach an NHL organization. After captaining the QMJHL’s Rimouski Océanic and winning the league’s Defenseman of the Year award, D’Astous began his pro career in the ECHL. While he only played sporadically in the AHL, his steep upward trajectory began in North America’s third-tier league.
In 2021-22, D’Astous broke out, scoring a whopping 45 goals and 87 points in 70 combined regular season and playoff games. The performance earned him the ECHL’s Defenseman of the Year award, as well as a contract in the Finnish Liiga with KooKoo.
In D’Astous’ second year with KooKoo, he managed 46 points in 54 games, which landed him Liiga’s Defenseman of the Year award and a contract in the SHL with Brynäs. D’Astous instantly translated his Liiga success to the SHL, scoring 39 points in 49 games and earning that league’s Defenseman of the Year honors.
The Lightning took notice of D’Astous’ rapid climb to the top of European pro hockey, and signed him to a modest one-year, two-way contract, likely with the expectation that he’d begin with their AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch, and go from there.
D’Astous did indeed start the year in Syracuse, but he didn’t last very long there. After scoring three points in his debut for the Crunch, D’Astous played an additional trio of games before earning a recall to Tampa Bay. The Lightning won seven of their first eight games with D’Astous in the lineup, and he quickly earned the trust of head coach Jon Cooper. After playing just 10:36 in his second NHL game, D’Astous earned 17:11 in his third contest and just a few weeks later was regularly crossing the 20-minute mark.
The strong offensive production from Europe has translated somewhat to the NHL, as D’Astous is scoring at a 32-point 82-game pace. But perhaps more impressively for a defenseman with no NHL experience entering the season, D’Astous is averaging 19:23 time on ice per game, with infrequent use on special teams. Among Lightning blueliners with at least 30 games played this season, D’Astous ranks No. 3 in time-on-ice per game, ahead of even veteran Erik Cernak.
Tampa Bay acted quickly to secure D’Astous’ services beyond this season, inking him to a one-year, one-way contract extension at a $875K value. Given D’Astous’ performances thus far in his NHL career, there is a strong chance he provides the team with surplus value on that cap hit. Although he’s just 43 games into his NHL career, it appears the Lightning may have found a bona fide NHL defenseman in D’Astous, who cost them nothing (besides his contract) to add into their organization. For a team whose prospect pool ranked last in the NHL entering the season according to Elite Prospects, finding hidden gems such as D’Astous (and former minor-league free agent Darren Raddysh) has helped replenish Tampa’s depth and extend the length of their competitive window.
David Tomasek, RW, Edmonton Oilers
Signed one-year, one-way at $1.2MM from Färjestad BK, SHL
Edmonton Oilers GM Stan Bowman was the lead hockey operations executive for those aforementioned Chicago Blackhawks teams, and as a result, it came as no surprise to see him mine the European professional leagues in search of NHL-caliber talent. The Oilers are looking to win a Stanley Cup on an immediate basis, and the pressure of that wide-open competitive window has caused the quality of the team’s prospect pool and overall organizational depth to decline. The salary cap simply doesn’t allow for a contending team to stockpile depth in its organization the way it might have been able in the past, and GMs such as Bowman have sought out alternative talent acquisition avenues in response.
Tomasek was the most expensive signing of the Oilers’ class of European pro free agents. He signed a one-year, one-way $1.2MM deal after a season where he led the SHL in scoring. Beyond his SHL experience, Tomasek had also proven himself at the international level, winning a gold medal with his native Czechia at the 2024 IIHF Men’s World Championship. A 6’2″, 210-pound winger, Tomasek was likely expected to be an instant ‘plug-and-play’ NHLer, a belief that is reflected in the size of his contract.
But while D’Astous’ success might have given the impression that standout players in top European pro leagues find the transition to the North American game relatively easy, the reality is there are more players who are unable to successfully cross the Atlantic than there are players who find their footing. Tomasek is an example of the former. He played in 22 games for the Oilers, averaging 10:45 time on ice per game, including 1:45 per game on the power play. He managed three goals and five points in that span, and before the calendar flipped to 2026, he agreed on a mutual contract termination with the Oilers.
Despite failing to carve out a role as an NHL player, Tomasek has been able to pick up right where he left off in the SHL with Färjestad. Since returning to Sweden’s top league, he has 11 points in 11 games.
Max Shabanov, RW, New York Islanders
Signed one-year, one-way at $975K (with $3.5MM in performance bonuses) from Traktor Chelyabinsk, KHL
Often, the European pro free agents that generate the most attention and hype in North America are the top KHL imports. There is a long history of KHL signings finding instant success in the NHL, such as the aforementioned Panarin, or more recently Andrei Kuzmenko, who scored 39 goals and 74 points in his first season in the NHL. Shabanov was widely considered to be the top KHL free agent of the cycle, and he followed the path of fellow KHL import signing Max Tsyplakov by signing with the Islanders.
While there might have been some expectation that Shabanov would hit the ground running the way Panarin or Kuzmenko did, given his stellar platform season in the KHL (67 points in 65 regular-season games, 20 points in 21 playoff games) that hasn’t happened yet. The 25-year-old has had his moments, but is currently sitting on just four goals and 16 points in 40 games, despite receiving 1:42 time on ice per game on the man advantage.
The biggest barrier Shabanov faces when it comes to translating his KHL success to the NHL is his size. Standing 5’8″, 168 pounds, Shabanov is undersized by NHL standards, and wingers of his stature typically need to have some sort of standout on-ice trait in order to produce at the NHL level. Goal scorers Cole Caufield and Alex DeBrincat bring an elite shot and goal-scoring instincts as traits that have driven them to stardom. 435-game NHL veteran Nathan Gerbe brought a high work ethic, relentless compete level, and consistent shift-by-shift impact to the table to help him carve out a bottom-six role.
As of now, the trait that will allow Shabanov to have an extended NHL career has not fully emerged. But he has been able to at least stick on the Islanders’ roster to this point, and given his KHL pedigree, it’s not out of the question he finds his way. At a relatively minimal expense on their cap sheet, Shabanov’s signing remains a worthwhile gamble for New York.
Josh Samanski, C, Edmonton Oilers
Signed two-year ELC at $877.5K NHL / $85K AHL / $97.5K SB from Straubing Tigers, DEL
While the Oilers’ signing of Tomasek was grounded in the fact that he was a star and leading scorer in one of Europe’s best leagues, their signing of Samanski was more speculative. The 23-year-old undrafted German forward had a strong breakout season in the DEL, scoring 40 points in 52 games.
But unlike the names listed above, he was not considered one of the league’s best talents. But at 23 years old, he was at an earlier point in his developmental curve than those players, and the Oilers likely reasonably believed there was additional upside in his game that had not yet materialized, but could be drawn out by the team’s development staff. 
Edmonton signed Samanski to an entry-level deal, and so far, their investment has shown promise. He’s scored 28 points in 39 games for the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors, good for sixth on the team in scoring.
His performances also earned him an NHL opportunity, as he was on the Oilers’ NHL roster before the Olympic break. He has two assists in his five career NHL games thus far, and has averaged 9:21 time on ice per game.
Samanski’s physical tools give him a natural advantage in his chase of a bottom-six center role in the NHL, and given his solid progress so far in 2025-26, it’s not out of the question that the Oilers land a legitimate NHL player in Samanski.
A key storyline to watch in his development will be the progress of his defensive game. That will likely be the bedrock of Samanski’s value proposition to NHL teams, as the requisite tools for him to play an offensive top-six role are not evident in his game. The Condors have the AHL’s No. 12-ranked penalty kill, and Samanski is a regular shorthanded contributor in the AHL. It will be interesting to see if he gets a look on the penalty kill at the NHL level, where the Oilers have struggled this season.
A notable dimension to Samanski’s signing is that he is represented by Andy Scott of Octagon hockey; Scott also represents Oilers star Leon Draisaitl, who is the game’s leading German player.
Atro Leppänen, LHD, Edmonton Oilers
Signed one-year ELC at $877.5K NHL / $85K AHL / $97.5K SB from Sport Vaasa, Liiga
Scoring 60 points in Finland’s Liiga, which is a lower-scoring league in comparison to the NHL, is an impressive feat for any player. For Leppänen, who scored 63 points in just 60 games last season, his performance was doubly impressive due to the fact that he is a defenseman. His stellar offensive production meant he was likely to generate NHL interest, and Bowman’s Oilers scooped him up with a one-year entry-level deal.
Unlike Tomasek and Samanski, Leppänen has yet to debut for the Oilers at the NHL level. As a high-octane offensive defenseman with a defensive game that is still a work in progress, Leppänen was likely always going to take longer to reach the NHL. That was made especially true as Leppänen took some time to find his footing at the AHL level and battled injury. He’s a candidate to receive a recall if he can earn a greater level of trust on the defensive end in the AHL. If he can shore up that side of his game and even get some reps on Bakersfield’s penalty kill, a call-up could come.
The Oilers appeared pleased enough with Leppänen’s transition to North America that they inked him to a one-year contract extension on Feb. 2. The deal carries a hefty $360K AHL salary and $400K total guarantee, signaling the Oilers expect Leppänen to be at minimum a top-pairing defenseman and power play quarterback for Bakersfield moving forward. At the very least, the Oilers landed a quality AHL offensive blueliner at the cost of under $200K. In a league where top veteran defensemen such as Zac Jones and Calle Rosen can make upwards of $500K at the AHL level, those are not insignificant savings.
Viljami Marjala, LW, Edmonton Oilers
Signed two-year ELC at $775K NHL / $85K AHL / $97.5K SB from TPS Turku, Liiga
Another point-per-game Liiga player signed by the Oilers, Marjala is actually a former Buffalo Sabres draft choice whose rights the team elected to let lapse. Marjala enjoyed a rapid rise in Liiga after signing there at the end of his QMJHL career, and that landed him a shot in the Oilers organization. Alongside NCAA free agent signing Quinn Hutson, Marjala has been Bakersfield’s most lethal scorer this season with 41 points in 46 games.
The Oilers’ near-term competitive hopes and the competition that already exists along the wings might keep Marjala from making it to the NHL this season, but his performance is strong enough where Edmonton would at least be forced to consider him when pondering who to call up.
In a landscape where a large portion of European pro signings end up terminating their deals to return to their former leagues, Marjala’s success is a win for the Oilers organization, even if he hasn’t yet made his NHL debut. He stands a very real chance at cracking the 60-point plateau in the AHL. Like Leppänen, the fact that he costs under $200K playing on an ELC is driving real cost savings for the Oilers’ minor-league payroll. Veteran scorers in the AHL can cost more than double that if they’re on a two-way deal, and unlike some of the league’s more established scorers, Marjala does not occupy a “veteran” slot under the AHL’s Development Rule.
Anton Lundmark, RW, Florida Panthers
Signed one-year ELC at $877.5K NHL / $85K AHL / $97.5K SB from Timrå IK, SHL
While signing European professional free agents to entry-level contracts can be an avenue for teams to generate cost savings at the AHL level, it’s not a surefire strategy. Some players are able to quickly translate what made them successful in the SHL, or Liiga, to the AHL, and produce almost instantly from when they step onto North American ice. Other players find the adjustment more challenging, and end up returning to Europe midway through their North American debut season.
Lundmark, the Panthers’ SHL signing, is a player who fits into the latter category. The 24-year-old offers an impressive set of physical tools standing 6’4″, 192 pounds, but was unable to make a consistent impact at the AHL level. He played sparingly in Charlotte Checkers head coach Geordie Kinnear‘s lineup, averaging under 10 minutes time on ice per game. Lundmark and the Panthers hit the eject button on their partnership after just nine AHL games, despite the Checkers going 7-1-1 in games in which Lundmark played. By the middle of December, Lundmark was back with Timrå in the SHL, where he has four points in 14 games.
Anri Ravinskis, RW, Vancouver Canucks
Signed two-year ELC at $775K NHL / $85K AHL / $97.5K SB from HPK, Liiga
The Canucks’ signing of Ravinskis, an undrafted 23-year-old Latvian winger, was the end result of a year where the player rose rapidly through the ranks of pro hockey. He began the season in Finland’s second-tier Mestis, but joined HPK in December after scoring 21 points in 23 games. He ended the season on the Latvian national team at the 2025 IIHF Men’s World Championships, where he scored two points. Vancouver saw enough in Ravinskis to sign him to an entry-level deal, but thus far, his time in North America has been difficult.
Ravinskis has not played since Jan. 31, and has just three points in 27 games. He typically plays a bottom-six role with little to no usage on special teams, a far cry from the role he played for HPK when he scored 17 points in the final 27 games of their season. Seeing as Vancouver is on the hook for another year at just under $200K guaranteed on Ravinskis’ deal, the hope will be that he can take a few steps forward in his game as he continues to acclimate to the North American pro game. He does have a big opportunity ahead of him to get his season back on track, as he’s part of Latvia’s national team for the ongoing Winter Olympics in Italy.
Wojciech Stachowiak, RW, Tampa Bay Lightning
Signed one-year at $775K NHL/$200K AHL from ERC Ingolstadt, DEL
Stachowiak, a 26-year-old forward from Poland, looked a few years ago as though he was overwhelmingly likely to spend his entire pro career in Europe. The former Michigan State Spartan had played in 72 games in Germany’s top league to that point with Ingolstadt, and had only managed 11 points. Then he had a breakout season in 2022-23 as Ingolstadt made a run to the DEL finals, scoring 16 goals and 34 points in 56 games.
That season served as Stachowiak’s arrival as a top-six talent at the DEL level. He followed his breakout season up with another two seasons of solid production, and capped off his DEL career scoring 11 points in 12 playoff games to help his club reach the league semifinals. The Lightning, likely believing Stachowiak’s two-way game could translate well to North America, inked the player to a one-year contract not too far above what he likely would have earned if he was in the age range to receive an ELC. So far, Stachowiak has been steady for the Crunch.
He’s scoring at a 17-goal, 32-point 72-game pace, and is factoring into both sides of his team’s special teams. Is an NHL future on the table for him? It looks somewhat unlikely at this point, but he’s at least providing the Lightning with a decent return-on-investment, and he could very well see an uptick in his production in the second half of the season, now that he’s more acclimated to the AHL game.
Simon Zajicek, G, Boston Bruins
Signed one-year ELC at $775K NHL / $85K AHL / $97.5K SB from HC Litvínov, Czech Extraliga
While there have been some skaters who have successfully made the transition to the NHL level as European pro free agent signings, there is arguably an even greater legacy of success in terms of these signings at the goalie position. Utah Mammoth starting netminder Karel Vejmelka is an example of this happening, signing out of the Czech league for 2021-22. Although he signed at a notably earlier stage of his career, Zajicek is likely hoping to follow a similar career path to Vejmelka.
The 24-year-old signed an ELC with Boston after leading the Czech Extraliga in save percentage in 2024-25. He went 15-13-0 in 29 contests with HC Litvínov, and added a .927 save percentage in three playoff contests. The Athletic’s Corey Pronman rated Zajicek as the top available European pro/NCAA/CHL free agent netminder last year, writing that Zajicek’s “quickness and smarts give him a legit chance to play games in the league.”
He hasn’t earned a recall to the NHL yet, but that’s more of a reflection of Boston’s depth at the position than anything else. Zajicek has gone 11-3-1 in 15 games with the AHL’s Providence Bruins, posting a .923 save percentage along the way. He’s behind one of the AHL’s best goalies in 27-year-old Michael DiPietro on the depth chart, though, and DiPietro has a .943 save percentage across 27 games this season. While Zajicek’s performance certainly should give the Bruins confidence in their investment in him, they likely won’t see him at the NHL level too soon.
Michal Postava, G, Detroit Red Wings
Signed two-year ELC at $877.5K NHL / $85K AHL / $97.5K SB from HC Kometa Brno, Czech Extraliga
The Bruins were not the only Atlantic Division contender to add a young free agent goalie from the Czech league. The Red Wings signed Postava, 23, from Brno, after he posted a .920 save percentage in 43 regular-season games and led his club to a league championship with a stellar .940 save percentage in a 17-game playoff run. The similarities to Zajicek don’t end there. Like Zajicek, Postava has also found instant success at the AHL level playing behind a very strong team. In 13 AHL games this season, Postava has a .937 save percentage. It’s difficult to parse how much that number has been inflated by how good AHL Grand Rapids has been this season, as starter Sebastian Cossa actually has the lowest save percentage of any goalie to suit up for the team this year, at a .928, which is still quite high.
With that said, the Red Wings have to at least be greatly encouraged by how Postava has started 2025-26 in the AHL. He’s firmly behind Cossa on the depth chart, but with Cossa likely to be in the NHL sooner rather than later (perhaps to replace 38-year-old Cam Talbot as Detroit’s No. 2 goalie next season), Postava could get the opportunity to be an AHL No. 1 as soon as 2026-27.
Photos courtesy of Nathan Ray Seebeck and Perry Nelson–Imagn Images
Big Hype Prospects: Hurlbert, Cullen, Ruck, Hemming
Welcome to PHR’s Big Hype Prospects series. Like the MLB Trade Rumors series of the same name, we’re taking a look at the performances of top prospects from across the hockey world. We’ll look at drafted prospects who are rising, others who are struggling, and prospects for the upcoming draft who are notable.
Five Big Hype Prospects
J.P. Hurlbert, C/RW, Kamloops Blazers (WHL)
47 GP, 31 G – 42 A – 73 TP, 33 PIM, +15
The 2026 class has its own version of a game-breaking forward dominating CHL scoring on the back of impressive skill. This year, it’s Texas-born J.P. Hurlbert, who landed with the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers after buying out of his contract with the U.S. National Team Development Program. That decision has proven incredibly fruitful in the season since, with Hurlbert now tied for the scoring lead among all CHL leagues. He has looked explosive all season long, with a next-level ability to operate the puck at full speed. That lets Hurlbert blaze by and through opponents en route to the net. His drives are capped off with strong finishing and playmaking abilities, focused on getting the puck into the low-slot. Hurlbert doesn’t shine as a physical player, but is rumored to be climbing NHL boards thanks to just how jaw-dropping his do-it-all offense can be. The NHL is currently watching Benjamin Kindel – a skill winger who faced an uphill battle physically – carve out his spot in the Penguins top-nine before his 20th birthday. Hurlbert will hope to be the next in line and could earn a top 20, or even top 15, selection.
Wyatt Cullen, LW/C, U.S. National Team Development Program (USA U18)
18 GP, 3 G – 12 A – 15 TP, 6 PIM, -4
The middle child of 21-year NHL veteran Matt Cullen is next up for the NHL Draft. Wyatt Cullen is pulling together a breakout season after sitting out parts of October and December due to an undisclosed injury. He has quickly made up for lost time, though, including pulling together a standout performance at this year’s CHL/NTDP Prospects Challenge. Cullen scored three points in three games in the cross-league matchup, a feat only matched by fellow 2026 prospect Mathis Preston and top 2027 prospect Sammy Nelson. That strong scoring has carried over to Cullen’s USHL action with the NTDP. He has four points in five USHL games – a mark that underscores just how central to the NTDP offense Cullen has been. He has been one of only a few NTDP forwards to truly flash this year, showing off an impressive ability to beat opponents head-on and find space through the neutral zone. Cullen is cool, calm,a nd collected with the onfidence needed to make plays tight around the net. He has brought a much-needed wave of skilled offense to the NTDP and ranks second on the club in points-per-game (0.81). With his mix of poise, size, and skill, Cullen could have a chance to beat out his dad’s draft selection – 35th overall in 1996.
Liam and Markus Ruck, RW and C, Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL)
Liam: 47 GP, 28 G – 38 A – 66 TP, 26 PIM, +24
Markus: 47 GP, 12 G – 53 A – 65 TP, 18 PIM, +21
The highest-scoring offense in the CHL is led in scoring by a pair of identical twins – Liam Ruck and Markus Ruck. The duo play an immensely complementary game, with Liam’s sniper shot and drive to the net boosted by Markus’ nifty passing and sharp, two-way vision. They served as the foundation of Medicine Hat’s offense to start the season, then found another gear when Calgary Flames prospect Andrew Basha returned from injury and lined up between the twins. That line has proven nearly unstoppable since Basha’s return, in total combining for 19 goals over just the last 11 games. Medicine Hat has rooted their offense in the top line, which – while boosted by Basha – still leans heavily on the individual skill, and next-level chemistry, between the Ruck brothers. The two are a phenomenon. With their heap of offense, many fans are wondering just how high they could go in the draft – or if they’ll get drafted to the same club and get to build on two great years at Medicine Hat.
Oscar Hemming, LW/RW, Boston College (Hockey East, NCAA)
7 GP, 0 G – 4 A – 4 TP, 8 PIM, -1
One of many top Finns in the 2026 draft class didn’t get his start until the midway point of the year. Oscar Hemming went through a true saga as he attempted to move from the pro pipeline in Finland to North American juniors. His IIHF eligibilty was even pulled into question, ultimately forcing Hemming to forgo plans for an OHL move in favor of joining the NCAA’s Boston College. He became college hockey’s youngest player when he joined the league. Despite facing the challenge of age and international move, Hemming hasn’t looked one bit out of place in his first taste of the NCAA’s toughest conference. Part of that is thanks to the winger’s 6-foot-4, 200-pound frame, which makes him hard to miss anytime he’s on the ice.
More than that, Hemming has continued flaunting the strong stickhandling and heads-up playmaking that wowed scouts at the 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup. He is an intuitive playmaker who attacks the slot with confidence and aggression. With his build, Hemming is hard to knock off hte puck or force out of the slot. He has taken on many of the traits that made his older brother, Dallas Stars prospect Emil Hemming, worthy of a first-round selection. For Oscar, the chance to hone those talents as a young player in a tough league could be enough to push him high up draft boards. With a pro frame to boot, Hemming could be a surprise addition to the top 15, or maybe the top 10, come draft day.
Minnesota Wild Open To Trading Jesper Wallstedt
The Minnesota Wild “would be open to dealing” top young netminder Jesper Wallstedt “if the right deal comes along,” The Athletic’s Michael Russo reported today. On Sportsnet’s 32 Thoughts podcast today, Elliotte Friedman echoed Russo’s report, adding that Wild GM Bill Guerin may have already attempted to deal Wallstedt as part of his longstanding efforts to acquire a top-six center.
As part of Russo’s report, he indicated that “the right deal” to include Wallstedt, from the Wild’s perspective, would be one that brings a pivot capable of filling the No. 1 center role to Minnesota. The Wild are, according to Russo, “aggressively looking” to add a top-six center to their lineup. 
That isn’t exactly fresh news, nor is it something that would come as any real surprise to anyone who takes a look at the Wild’s current depth chart at the position. But what is new are these concrete reports that the Wild are willing to include Wallstedt in a deal that fills their longstanding need.
On one hand, the Wild’s reported willingness to deal Wallstedt is somewhat surprising. That’s largely because of how excellent he’s been this season, which has supercharged his stock league wide. Wallstedt has a .914 save percentage through 21 games this season, and while he’s slowed down a little bit, he earned some votes in NHL.com’s midseason poll of Vezina Trophy candidates.
This breakout season has been a long time coming for Wallstedt, who has long been considered one of the game’s best prospects at the position. The 2021 first-round pick had a tough 2024-25 campaign, but impressed in his first two seasons in the AHL, posting .908 and .910 save percentages in 2022-23 and 2023-24, respectively. Under contract through next year at a $2.2MM cap hit, Wallstedt looks to be an emerging starting goalie, and one that could provide a significant amount of surplus value if given the right workload.
But what makes Wallstedt’s name surfacing in trade rumors less of a surprise is the wider situation Minnesota finds itself in at the goalie position. While Wallstedt could indeed provide a considerable amount of surplus value due to his $2.2MM cap hit, Minnesota isn’t positioned to truly take advantage of that. Wallstedt currently operates in a tandem with 27-year-old Filip Gustavsson, who has been one of the league’s better goalies since arriving in the Twin Cities. He has a .908 save percentage in 33 games this season, and is likely to be Minnesota’s go-to option in the playoffs, even if Wallstedt isn’t dealt.
Not only is Gustavsson Minnesota’s No. 1 netminder at this moment, his contract positions him to occupy that role for the foreseeable future, without much room for that to change. The $6.8MM AAV contract extension Gustavsson signed in October 2025 carries a full no-move clause for the first two years of its duration, before morphing into a 15-team no-trade clause. That NMC means the Wild are essentially locked into keeping Gustavsson as their starter for the next few years, a reality that makes trading Wallstedt all the more logical.
Wallstedt has long been projected to eventually become an impactful NHL goalie; As a result, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Gustavsson’s agent, Kurt Overhardt, negotiated the NMC into the first two years of Gustavsson’s deal with an eye towards warding against the possibility that his client could be dealt in order to pave the way for Wallstedt to take the reins as an undisputed No. 1 goalie in Minnesota.
Considering all of those factors, it becomes clear why the Wild are considering dealing Wallstedt, even though they likely know they’d be trading away a player who could be one of the league’s top goalies through the 2030s. The logic behind trading Wallstedt becomes even clearer when one considers how singularly focused the Wild are on maximizing their window to win as long as Quinn Hughes remains a Wild player.
Hughes’ contract is set to expire at the end of the 2026-27 season, and he has not given Minnesota any assurances that he’ll extend his deal and remain there. Consequently, it is in Minnesota’s best interests to not only maximize their chances of winning for the two playoff runs they have Hughes under team control for, but also to try to win as much as possible with Hughes in order to help convince him to sign an extension to remain in Minnesota.
Hughes had to play through some lean years as a member of the Vancouver Canucks, something he acknowledged weighed on him considerably. It’s likely, therefore, that whether or not a team is positioned to legitimately compete for a Stanley Cup will hold a great degree of influence over their odds of signing Hughes. And with Kirill Kaprizov now 28 years old, it’s clear the Wild’s competitive aspirations lie in players more around Gustavsson’s age (late twenties) than Wallstedt’s (early-to-mid twenties.)
As for who the Wild might target in any Wallstedt deal, that becomes more difficult to ascertain. The team is reportedly very interested in New York Rangers pivot Vincent Trocheck. But it’d be surprising to see New York trade Trocheck for a goalie seeing as the team already has star Igor Shesterkin locked into their starting role for the rest of the decade and beyond.
A hypothetical three-team trade could land Trocheck in Minnesota and send Wallstedt to a goalie-needy team, with that third team sending skater prospects to New York. But including a third team is a major hurdle to clear, and one that makes it so Minnesota is likely to need to leverage other assets if they want to acquire Trocheck.
Considering teams that might covet Wallstedt, or at least have a more pressing need in net, a few other potential candidates emerge. On the most recent trade board made by The Athletic’s Chris Johnston, there were five centers listed that most would reasonably consider to be of the top-six caliber Guerin is seeking: Nazem Kadri, Elias Pettersson, Robert Thomas, Ryan O’Reilly, and Trocheck.
Unfortunately for the Wild, nobody in that group appears to be a real candidate to be traded in a deal involving Wallstedt. The Calgary Flames and Nashville Predators (employers of Kadri and O’Reilly, respectively) each have goalies (Dustin Wolf for Calgary, Juuse Saros for Nashville) whose presence would likely limit their interest in Wallstedt. The goalie situation of the Vancouver Canucks and St. Louis Blues are more up in the air, but Minnesota may not want to take on Pettersson’s hefty $11.6MM cap hit, and the Blues are unlikely to have much interest in dealing their No. 1 center to a divisional rival.
Among teams who would stand to benefit most from adding Wallstedt, the New Jersey Devils are a clear candidate. While backup Jake Allen has performed admirably, starter Jacob Markstrom has endured a brutal campaign. Adding Wallstedt might stabilize the Devils at a position that has caused them so much trouble in recent years, but it’s not a clean fit. Markstrom signed a two-year, $6.5MM extension in October, and has a full NMC through the end of the season. Allen has a full NTC through 2026-27, and is under contract (at an affordable $1.8MM AAV) through 2029-30. Fitting Wallstedt into that picture might not be realistic.
The Ottawa Senators have a clear need in net, but trading away a key center such as Shane Pinto or Dylan Cozens may be a less optimal route for the team to improve than simply attempting to get incumbent starter Linus Ullmark‘s game back on track.
The Montreal Canadiens have a clear immediate need in net due to the struggles of Sam Montembeault and Jakub Dobes, but the looming presence of top prospect Jacob Fowler could scuttle the possibility of a deal. While Montreal would certainly benefit from adding Wallstedt, trading away the kind of center Minnesota would demand in return (such as promising rookie Oliver Kapanen) might not be in the team’s best interests with Fowler so close to being NHL-ready.
This is all to say that as things currently stand, Wallstedt is one of the most interesting trade candidates heading into this year’s deadline. They have many different factors to contend with when deciding not only whether or not to trade him, but also what kind of deal to construct if he’s indeed traded. The numerous different considerations the club will need to navigate are fascinating, and make Wallstedt a clear player to watch moving forward.
Photos courtesy of John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
Penguins Recall Melvin Ferstrom From Loan, Assign To AHL
The Pittsburgh Penguins have opted for a change of scenery for a recent acquisition. Forward Melvin Fernstrom has been recalled from his loan to the SHL’s Orebro HK and assigned to the AHL, per a team release from Orebro and Tony Androckitis of Inside AHL Hockey.
Fernstrom had recently been assigned from the SHL to AIK of the HockeyAllsvenskan, Sweden’s second-tier league. He grew up playing in AIK’s youth hockey program before shifting to Orebro, and debuting with their U18 squad, at the age of 15. Now, Fernstrom will change teams once more, before he has a chance to debut with AIK’s top club.
Fernstrom racked up three goals, four points, and a minus-10 in 36 appearances with Orebro’s SHL lineup. This was his second season in the top league, after posting 17 points and a minus-10 in 48 games as a rookie last year. He settled into a third-line role this season and often faced a barrage of shots against on an Orebro club that’s allowed the fourth-most goals-against in the SHL. Fernstrom’s impact was often limited to shutting play down on one end and creating fastbreak chances on the other – though that posed an uphill battle for the pass-first center.
He was lauded ahead of the 2024 NHL Draft as a nimble playmaker capable of controlling the middle of the ice. That claim was enough to convince the Vancouver Canucks to draft Fernstrom in the third round, though his rights were traded in a package to Pittsburgh in exchange for Marcus Pettersson and Drew O’Connor last year. The Penguins signed Fernstrom to his entry-level contract this summer and will now take advantage of the AHL elgibility it grants him.
The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins currently rank second in the AHL’s Atlantic Division. They are tied for the fifth-most goals in the league, largely thanks to hot performances from Penguins prospects Tristan Broz and Avery Hayes. Fernstrom will add a responsible, two-way touch to shore up Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s center depth. He is likely to be eased into the lineup and sits on the outside of NHL hopes this season, pending a quick breakout in North American minors.
Flames Prospect Cullen Potter Sustains Season-Ending Injury
The Calgary Flames have been dealt bad news for a 2025 first-round pick. Arizona State University centerman Cullen Potter, the 32nd-overall pick in last year’s draft, sustained a season-ending upper-body injury in a January 10th match against Miami University. The injury occured on a hard hit from 2026 draft prospect Kocha Delic. Potter will undergo surgery and face a three-to-four month recovery process, head coach Greg Powers told reporters including Gabriella Chernoff of the Sun Devil Source.
Potter was a feature piece of a strong Sun Devils offense this season. He leads the team with 12 goals and has 26 points in 24 games. His season has been an encore to the breakout freshman season Potter had at ASU last season. He bought out of his contract with the U.S. National Team Development Program before his U18 season, opting instead to go to college for his draft season. The move seemed like a tall bet for the undersized, skilled-scorer but Potter stood up to the test. He scored 13 goals and 22 points in 35 games, second-most of all draft eligibles in college behind James Hagens.
Potter is the son of Jenny Potter, a former star of Team USA’s women’s national team. The elder Potter won one Olympic Gold, four World Championship Golds, and nine other international medals through a 20-year career that began when she was named an Olympian at 19. She was a high-speed, high-finesse scorer with a knack for filling all roles on offense. The younger Potter plays a similar style to his mom, bringing explosive speed and high skill to the offense.
Those talents have made Potter one of Calgary’s top prospects, a status that’s sure to stick even through an early end to his sophomore season. He will return to a starring role with the Sun Devils next season, flanked by fellow NHL draft picks and incoming recruits Benjamin Kevan, Nathan Behm, Brandon Gorzynski.
2026 NHL Draft Will Be Held In Buffalo
1/12: The NHL has officially announced that Buffalo will host the 2026 NHL Draft on June 26th and 27th per NHL.com’s Adam Kimelman.
1/9: The NHL Draft could be returning to Buffalo, New York this year. The Buffalo Sabres have made an earnest push to host the First Round of the 2026 NHL Draft, sources told Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News. A potential return to draft day in Buffalo was first teased by broadcaster John Buccigross on Thursday.
Buffalo has hosted three other NHL Drafts. It became the third American city to serve as host in 1991, seven years after the NHL moved away from a yearly trip to Montreal. The Quebec Nordiques drafted centerman Eric Lindros first-overall in Buffalo, but the future Hall-of-Famer refused to sign with the club, prompting a trade to Philadelphia in 1992. Meanwhile, the NHL Draft didn’t return to Buffalo until 1998, when the Tampa Bay Lightning drafted Vincent Lecavalier with the top pick. By then, the league had begun traveling to a new city every year for the Draft, which kept the league from returning to Buffalo again until 2016, when Auston Matthews landed with the Toronto Maple Leafs at first-overall.
The 2026 Draft will be unlike any previously held in Buffalo, though. NHL general managers voted to decentralize the NHL Draft beginning last season. This format is more in-line with other professional sports leagues, like the NFL, and saw NHL management teams stay in their home city while draft prospects were greeted on stage by league personnel. The change in format was criticized by fans and media after the 2025 Draft wrapped up but NHL managers voted to uphold it headed into 2026.
That places a unique challenge on the next host to try and spark a format that landed flat last year. The heap of talent set for the first-round in 2026 could make that task a bit easier. The hockey world is in the midst of debating the first-overall chair after hopefuls Gavin McKenna, Ivar Stenberg, Keaton Verhoeff, and Chase Reid dueled out at the 2026 World Junior Championships. Stenberg – a standout in Sweden’s top pro league – earned the last laugh of the tournament with a Gold Medal win. Whether that trend will continue through June – and into host city Buffalo – is yet to be seen.
Big Hype Prospects: Zharovsky, Barlow, Nestrasil, Zajicek
Welcome to PHR’s Big Hype Prospects series. Like the MLB Trade Rumors series of the same name, we’re taking a look at the performances of top prospects from across the hockey world. We’ll look at drafted prospects who are rising, others who are struggling, and prospects for the upcoming draft who are notable.
Four Big Hype Prospects
Alexander Zharovsky, RW, Montreal Canadiens (Ufa Salavat Yulayev, KHL)
31 GP 11G 17A 28pts
The Montreal Canadiens are currently benefiting greatly from the nightly performances of star rookie Ivan Demidov, a hugely talented Russian winger with the kind of offensive ability that can dazzle fans on a nightly basis. Demidov’s excellent rookie season does not come as a huge surprise to most, as just last season he managed to lead his KHL team in scoring — a hugely impressive feat for an 18-year-old player.
And yet Demidov may not be the only Canadiens prospect to accomplish that feat. Zharovsky, the club’s top selection at the 2025 NHL Entry Draft, currently leads the KHL’s Ufa Salavat Yulayev in scoring with 28 points in 31 games. The next-highest scorer, veteran Jack Rodewald, has 25 points in 39 games. Just one other player on the team has reached the 20-point mark.
The fact that Demidov led SKA in scoring last season threatens to leave Canadiens fans somewhat jaded at the prospect of another youngster leading his KHL team in scoring. But they should be reminded that the KHL, Russia’s top professional league, is a circuit with a longstanding reputation of being notoriously difficult for teenage players to gain a foothold in. Demidov himself had to contend with this, sometimes finding himself in an extremely limited role in SKA’s lineup despite his obvious talent.
Zharovsky’s brilliant 2025-26 campaign thus far has served as a clear indication that the Canadiens likely nabbed a first-round caliber talent in the early portion of the second round of the draft. Zharovsky was one of the fastest-rising players of last year’s draft process. He barely registered on scouting radars early last season. NHL Central Scouting did not include him on their preliminary watch list last October, nor was he ranked in the midterm rankings in January. Central Scouting caught onto Zharovsky by the end of the season, ranking him No. 5 among international skaters in their final rankings.
Most public-facing outlets had Zharovsky ranked in the early to middle portion of the second round of the draft, as high as No. 35 (TSN’s Bob McKenzie) and as low as No. 49 (Corey Pronman of The Athletic). In his ranking, Pronman wrote that while Zharovsky’s MHL production “needs to be looked at with a grain of salt,” due to the fact that he managed those numbers “in the clear worst division in that league.” He finished writing Zharovsky “could be a bottom six wing,” but it’s clear the Canadiens disagreed.
In their media availability following the draft, the Canadiens’ co-directors of amateur scouting Nick Bobrov and Martin Lapointe indicated to the media that not only did they project Zharovsky as a future top-six winger, but they also had him ranked on their draft board inside the first round, right around the slot of the two first-round picks they ultimately dealt to the New York Islanders in the Noah Dobson trade.
While it’s still far too early to tell whether Zharovsky will live up to the Canadiens’ expectations or fall more in line with Pronman’s projection, the early returns have been extremely promising for Montreal. Just as he did in the MHL, Zharovsky’s KHL performance will likely be met with some skepticism due to the fact that the division Zharovsky plays in, the Chernyshev Division, is arguably the league’s weakest.
But it is nonetheless extremely impressive to see a winger of Zharovsky’s age lead his team in scoring in his rookie KHL campaign. Zharovsky was named a KHL All-Star and the league’s rookie of the month for October and November. He ranks second in scoring in the KHL among all players aged 22 and younger, behind only Chicago Blackhawks prospect Roman Kantserov, who is 21 years old. While we won’t know for some time whether Zharovsky will truly end up as the top-six offensive talent the Canadiens believe he can be, his progression at the moment has been highly encouraging.
Colby Barlow, RW, Winnipeg Jets (Manitoba Moose, AHL)
25 GP 2G 3A 5pts
Of the first 20 picks of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, just four selected players have yet to make their NHL debut: No. 5 pick David Reinbacher (MTL), No. 14 pick Brayden Yager (PIT, traded to WPG), No. 18 pick Barlow (WPG), and No. 20 pick Eduard Sale (SEA). While the pace of a prospect’s development is no sure indicator of that player’s future NHL success, and it must be repeatedly emphasized that player development is not a linear process, it is still notable when a highly-drafted prospect begins to fall behind his peers.
In Barlow’s case, he appears to have fallen behind quite considerably. This is actually not the first time Barlow has appeared in the Big Hype Prospects series, as he also was covered in a September 2024 article written by colleague Gabe Foley. Foley correctly noted that Barlow was a lock to be traded from his OHL team at the time (the Owen Sound Attack) and expressed some hope that the expected OHL trade would provide Barlow with some much-needed momentum in his final year before turning pro.
While OHL trades provided a spark for other CHL first-rounders to have hugely productive final campaigns in junior hockey (Conor Geekie and Matthew Savoie were two names specifically referenced by Foley) that didn’t happen for Barlow, who scored 32 goals and 61 points in 62 games as a member of the Oshawa Generals.
While Barlow did score at a higher rate in the second half of the year, and did follow up the regular season with a stellar postseason run (33 points in just 21 games), it appears he hasn’t been able to translate that momentum into tangible production to start his pro career.
Barlow is now 25 games into his first full season in the AHL, and he’s managed just five points.
The 20-year-old has long been viewed as a potential NHL sniper, with his shot credited as one of his standout tools. Pronman wrote in August that “Barlow’s calling card is his shot” but noted that “his offensive inconsistency is a concern.”
Elite Prospects’ Lauren Kelly wrote around the same time that Barlow’s “playmaking showed significant growth” in Oshawa, and that the development “bodes well for his move to the AHL.”
Breaking down exactly why Barlow’s offensive momentum appears to have stalled at the AHL level isn’t a simple task. He does get to play with some talented linemates, currently skating alongside 2022 first-rounder Brad Lambert and 2021 second-rounder Nikita Chibrikov.
But neither Lambert nor Chibrikov have been particularly productive this season. Despite having linemates that are, on paper, of high quality, Barlow hasn’t had the chance to play all that much this season. He ranks last in average ice time per game among all Moose skaters with at least 20 games played this season.
Given Barlow’s struggles in his rookie AHL campaign and the Moose’s apparent reluctance to play him higher in the lineup on a regular basis, it could be that a change of scenery ends up the best outcome for both Barlow and Winnipeg.
Barlow has, without question, thus far failed to live up to the Jets’ investment of a first-round pick in him. And Barlow could argue that the Jets have similarly failed to give him the kind of high-minute AHL role that would allow him to build momentum early in his pro career.
As the Jets look to plot their way forward amidst a deeply disappointing 2025-26 NHL campaign, they could seek to acquire reinforcements for their NHL roster via trade. If they end up doing so, Barlow could be one of the top prospects the Jets elect to trade in one of those transactions.
Vaclav Nestrasil, RW, Chicago Blackhawks (UMass Amherst, NCAA)
18 GP 10G 10A 20pts
If there’s one single player archetype that is most widely coveted across the NHL, a strong argument could be made that it’s a forward who combines devastating size and physicality with a high level of offensive skill. Those players come few and far between, and when one manages to establish himself at the NHL level, there’s usually no shortage of teams trying to line up to acquire his services.
Selected No. 25 overall at the 2025 NHL Entry Draft, Nestrasil has a very real chance of becoming that kind of player at the NHL level. The 6’5″, 190-pound winger still has a ways to go in terms of his physical development to reach that point, but the start to his collegiate career has been extremely impressive.
The Blackhawks’ selection of Nestrasil No. 25 overall was met with some skepticism. The player managed only 42 points in 61 USHL contests as a member of the Muskegon Lumberjacks, which is below the typically expected level of production for a first-round pick.
Though Nestrasil’s 13 points in 14 playoff games did help Muskegon win the Clark Cup Championship, his eventual draft ranking varied wildly in the public sphere. The team at Elite Prospects ranked him No. 26 on their board, but most other outlets ranked him somewhere in the 35-45 range. He was even ranked as low as No. 65, by TSN’s Craig Button.
While most scouts commended Nestrasil’s energy level, non-stop motor, and ability to impact a game even when he couldn’t score, many questioned whether he’d be able to bring a level of consistent production that would justify the investment of a first-round draft choice.
Nestrasil’s first 18 games of college hockey have gone a long way towards addressing — but not permanently silencing — those skeptics. He has managed 10 goals and 18 points, good for second on the team behind undrafted 22-year-old Jack Musa.
Because other freshmen players are also having an incredible start to their NCAA career (Pittsburgh Penguins 2025 first-rounder Will Horcoff has 19 goals in his first 20 games, for example), Nestrasil’s sharp improvement in offensive production over last season has flown more under the radar than it perhaps deserves to. But if any Blackhawks fans decide to tune into Amherst games this season, it’s possible they could be watching a long-term linemate for franchise face Connor Bedard.
The team is still searching for long-term pieces to pair Bedard with, and Nestrasil’s compete level, size, physicality, and offensive touch could complement the star center quite well. There’s still a ways to go before Nestrasil reaches that point, but so far in his NCAA career, Nestrasil’s stock appears to be rapidly rising.
Simon Zajicek, G, Boston Bruins (Providence Bruins, AHL)
12 GP 10-1-1, .934 sv% /1.93 GAA
The history of free agent imports from European professional leagues is a spotty one. Where there have been teams that have found considerable success bringing over star players from top European pro circuits, others have seen their investments flame out and quickly return to the other side of the Atlantic. For every Karel Vejmelka or Alexander Radulov there appears to be five Jan Kovar‘s or Jakub Jerabek‘s.
The Bruins have traded away a considerable number of draft picks over the last half-decade as a result of the organization’s push to win the Stanley Cup within that time frame. Those moves have depleted the Bruins’ prospect pool, and left their scouts with fewer resources at their disposal to replenish that pool of prospects.
One route organizations in that sort of a position often take to try to maintain a pipeline of young players despite having fewer draft picks is signing free agent players from the NCAA, the CHL, or the European pro circuit. Edmonton Oilers GM Stan Bowman is an example of a hockey operations executive that has been aggressive in his targeting of European free agents, and he had some success doing so with the Chicago Blackhawks, landing long-term NHL players such as Antti Raanta, Erik Gustafsson, and most notably, Artemi Panarin.
The Bruins appeared to try to replicate his approach this past summer when they signed Zajicek, a netminder from the Czech Extraliga. In his age-23 season, Zajicek led the Extraliga in save percentage, putting up a .930 mark across 29 games played. The year prior, he posted a .909 save percentage across 20 games for HC Litvínov.
Zajicek was signed to form a tandem with AHL star Michael DiPietro, and despite his inexperience in North American pro hockey, Zajicek has been stellar to start his AHL career. Through 12 games, Zajicek has gone 10-1-1 with a .934 save percentage. His performance, along with the strong performances of DiPietro, have helped Providence rank No. 2 in the AHL in fewest goals surrendered so far in 2025-26.
While it’s too early to tell whether Zajicek’s performance is truly a reflection of a promising NHL future or more of a product of a high-quality defensive environment around him, his stellar form to start the year does suggest that he may end up making a push for an NHL role in Boston or somewhere where there is more of a pressing need for goaltending.
Photos courtesy of Perry Nelson-Imagn Images
2026 NHL Draft Eligible Players At World Juniors
The World Junior Championships kicked off early on Friday. The tournament brings together the top U20 players from 10 countries around the world. Rosters typically contain a mix of NHL players, NHL prospects, undrafted players looking for a second chance, and future draftees hoping for a good first impression. Pro Hockey Rumors has compiled a list of all 75 players eligible for the 2026 NHL Draft competing in this year’s World Junior Championship tournament:
Team Canada
D Carson Carels
D Ethan MacKenzie
F Gavin McKenna
D Keaton Verhoeff
Team Czechia
D Vladimír Dravecký
F Adam Novotny
D Jakub Vanecek
Team Denmark
F Lasse Bærentsen
D Jesper Bank Olesen (re-entry candidate)
D Jeppe Bertram (re-entry candidate)
F Elias Borup Olsen (re-entry candidate)
F William Bundgaard (re-entry candidate)
F Lucas Cilan Hjorth Jensen
D Viggo Damgaard (re-entry candidate)
F Oliver Dejbjerg Larsen (re-entry candidate)
F Oliver Green
F Albert Grossmann (re-entry candidate)
D Emil Saaby Jakobsen
D Markus Jakobsen (re-entry candidate)
D Frederik Rundh (re-entry candidate)
F Martinus Uggerhøj Schioldan
Team Finland
F Onni Kalto (re-entry candidate)
F Jasper Kuhta (re-entry candidate)
D Juho Piiparinen
F Oliver Suvanto
D Arttu Välilä (re-entry candidate)
F Matias Vanhanen (re-entry candidate)
Team Germany
D Max Bleicher (re-entry candidate)
F Lenny Boos (re-entry candidate)
F Gustavs Griva (re-entry candidate)
D Fabio Kose (re-entry candidate)
F Timo Kose (re-entry candidate)
F Elias Schneider (re-entry candidate)
D Finn Serikow (re-entry candidate)
F Mateu Späth (re-entry candidate)
F Dustin Willhöft (re-entry candidate)
Team Latvia
F Rudolfs Berzkalns
F Dmitrijs Dilevka (re-entry candidate)
F Karlis Flugins
F Roberts Janis Polis
F Martins Klaucans
F Olivers Murnieks
D Rolands Naglis (re-entry candidate)
F Bruno Osmanis (re-entry candidate)
D Krisjanis Sarts (re-entry candidate)
F Daniels Serkins (re-entry candidate)
D Alberts Smits
F Kristians Utnans (re-entry candidate)
Team Sweden
F Viggo Björck
D William Håkansson
F Casper Juustovaara Karlsson
F Ivar Stenberg
Team Slovakia
D Michal Capos (re-entry candidate)
F Tomas Chrenko
F Jakub Dubravik (re-entry candidate)
D Adam Goljer
D Adam Kalman (re-entry candidate)
D Matus Lisy (re-entry candidate)
F Alex Misiak (re-entry candidate)
F Samuel Murin (re-entry candidate)
F Adam Nemec
F Tomas Pobezal (re-entry candidate)
D Luka Radivojevic (re-entry candidate)
F Andreas Straka (re-entry candidate)
F Tobias Tomik
F Lukas Tomka (re-entry candidate)
Team Switzerland
F Mike Aeschlimann (re-entry candidate)
F Lenny Giger (re-entry candidate)
F Cyrill Henry (re-entry candidate)
F Kimi Körbler (re-entry candidate)
D Nik Lehmann
F Paul Mottard (re-entry candidate)
F Lars Steiner
D Guus Van der Kaaij (re-entry candidate)
Team United States
D Chase Reid
D Dakoda Rhéaume-Mullen (re-entry candidate)
Boston College Eagles Sign Oscar Hemming
2026 NHL Draft prospect Oscar Hemming has officially signed a commitment agreement with the NCAA’s Boston College Eagles. This news ends what has turned into a small saga for the projected first-round pick. Hemming has not yet played a league game this season – not due to injury, but instead due to a strange conflict between Finland’s Liiga, the OHL, and the BCHL. On the other side, Hemming won’t appear in any of those leagues and instead heads to a BC team in need of another difference-maker.
Hemming grew up through the Kiekko-Espoo youth hockey program in Finland. He stood out as a star at every level and broke into the U20 league as a 16 year old last season. He scored 10 points in 18 games with Kiekko-Espoo’s top youth club. It was a great breakthrough that set Hemming up to be a pillar of the U20 club, and maybe break through to the Liiga lineup, this season. More importantly, another strong season would lock the physically-mature Hemming into a high NHL draft pick, which could return the Finnish club a hardy development fee from the NHL.
Instead, Hemming announced after the conclusion of the 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup his plans to sign with the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers. The move would have pushed Hemming into a starring, and potentially pretty easy, as the motor of Kitchener’s offense.
But Kiekko-Espoo disputed the decision, arguing that Hemming should stay in Finland for the season. The argument didn’t carry much impact at first – until the IIHF declared that Hemming would lose his eligibility if he joined Hockey Canada.
To get around that, Hemming instead signed with the Sherwood Park Crusaders in the BCHL, a league not overseen by Hockey Canada. That appeared to thwart any concerns, but ultimately wouldn’t come together as Hemming looked to ensure no conflict with the IIHF. Now, it seems no home in Canada will work out, leaving one of Finland’s top prospects to move to American college hockey.
Luckily, it seems Hemming will now indeed find a place to play, while getting an education on top of it. Hockey East will offer great competition, giving Hemming a chance to really hone the gritty and strong game that has earned him so much attention. He is a true puck hound, who seeks out possession and excels at bullying his way through opponents.
The 6-foot-4, 200-pound forward fires hard shots from high in the offensive zone, and crashes the net hard in search of rebounds. He should be a welcome addition to BC’s top-six, where he’ll offer a power-forward compliment to the likes of Boston Bruins prospect James Hagens and Nashville Predators prospect Teddy Stiga. Hemming is a left-hand shot.
Hemming is the younger brother of Dallas Stars prospect Emil Hemming, who was selected 29th overall in the 2024 NHL Draft. The younger Hemming carrries as much, if not a little bit more, favor than his older brother. A quick adjustment to the college flight could earn Hemming attention as a top-10 or top-15 pick. He will hope to beat his brother’s selection by a few picks otherwise. The news of Hemming’s NCAA commitment is the latest excitement in a run of news around the NCAA.
The story of Hemming’s saga was first reported by Josh Brown of the Waterloo Region Record.
Canadiens Sign Bryce Pickford To Entry-Level Contract
12/24: The Canadiens have made Pickford’s entry-level contract official. It will formally begin in 2026-27. He could move to the AHL as soon as next season, with his 20th birthday coming in April. For now, Pickford will try to use this Christmas Eve gift as motivation to win another championship in Medicine Hat.
12/23: The Montreal Canadiens are approaching an agreement on an entry-level contract with defense prospect Bryce Pickford per Sportsnet’s Eric Engels. This news comes on the heels of a serious hot streak for Pickford. He is in the midst of a six-game goal streak and eight-game point streak with the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers. That featured a run of five consecutive games where Pickford scored the game-winning goals. Now, with Medicine Hat on a 10-day break for the holidays, Pickford could land his first pro contract.
Pickford, the 81st-overall pick in the 2025 draft, is among the most unique prospects in hockey. The 6-foot-1, 181-pound defenseman has racked up 25 goals, 44 points, and 37 penalty minutes in 31 games this season, while serving as Medicine Hat’s captain. He generates break-ins, shots, and scoring chances at an unrivaled rate for a defenseman – especially one who still makes a physical impact in the defensive end. His one-on-one defense and positioning leave a bit to be desired, keeping Pickford from being a full 200-foot star consistently, but his explosivity has been hard to stop on a strong Tigers lineup.
Pickford’s offense, next to star prospect Gavin McKenna, helped propel Medicine Hat to the WHL Championship and a Memorial Cup Final loss last season. He scored 13 goals and 24 points in 18 playoff games. Pickford also went to Memorial Cup with the Seattle Thunderbirds in 2022-23, his first year in the WHL, but only scored three points in 17 playoff games. In total, he has racked up 153 points in 243 WHL games between the regular and post seasons.
Many debate Pickford’s upside. He has the frame, jump, and shooting to take over offense but concerns about his skating and defense kept him from being drafted in 2024, his first year of eligiblity. An entry-level contract will serve as a nice bode of confidence from Montreal’s brass in the midst of another strong season.