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NHL Seeking Agreement To Allow 19-Year-Olds Into AHL

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It appears a rumor from the preseason could soon come true. The NHL is seeking an agreement with the CHL that would allow teams to assign one 19-year-old to the AHL each season, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman on the latest Saturday Headlines. Friedman added that some general managers are seeking even more flexibility, and that negotiations will pull in voices from the NHLPA in addition to each league. A change to the format could be made as soon as next season.

This would represent yet another significant change in what Friedman dubbed “the Wild West of junior hockey in North America”. NHL draft picks make up the majority of top-end players throughout the CHL. They help drive attendance and sales, and losing even a few could be enough to bring noticeable change. At the same time, deciding where to assign CHL prospects who appear to have outgrown their junior league can often be an all-or-nothing choice.

The Calgary Flames are currently in a pickle with defense prospect Zayne Parekh, who sustained a week-to-week injury and could earn a brief AHL conditioning stint, but who could also benefit from prolonged AHL ice time after not yet finding his NHL footing. Parekh is currently ineligible for the AHL, facing the decision of whether to return to the OHL or continue fighting for NHL minutes, as the offensive defenseman recovers from injury.

The Nashville Predators faced a similar decision with reigning fifth-overall pick Brady Martin earlier in the year. Martin showed flashes of dominant play through the first three games of his NHL career. At his peak, he was playing alongside Ryan O’Reilly and Filip Forsberg, but the Predators opted to return him early after he scored only one assist. Martin has torn up the OHL since returning, netting 11 points in seven games with the Soo Greyhounds. It’s still early in the season, but Martin is on pace to rival the 100-point mark this season, after posting 72 points in 57 games last year.

In the cases of both Parekh and Martin, as well as numerous other NHL prospects, such as Seattle’s Jake O’Brien and St. Louis’ Justin Carbonneau, the AHL would seem to offer a smooth ramp into the systems and physicality of professional hockey. Instead of pursuing AHL eligibility, many teams have turned their attention to developing their prospects for the NCAA, where they face a significant jump in competition and play against players up to the age of 26. That bridge has led to the unprecedented decision to allow CHL players into the NCAA, which has built up pressure that offering a path to the AHL could relieve.

Finding a balance between player value in the CHL, NCAA, and AHL is the task the NHL and its general managers face. They will drive decision-making throughout the process, while also ensuring that each party is satisfied with their share. On the other side of those decisions lies a junior hockey landscape that is likely completely different from what the hockey world has come to know. With more precise, more incremental steps to the top flight laid out, the NHL’s relationship with its partner leagues could even become reminiscent of the MLB.

More information about the topic of 19-year-olds in the AHL is expected to be announced in March, following the next major meeting between the NHL, NHLPA, and general managers.

Flames’ Prospect Henry Mews Suffers Season-Ending Injury

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Calgary Flames prospect and University of Michigan defenseman Henry Mews will miss the rest of the season with a lower-body injury, per Matthew Auchincloss of The Michigan Daily. Mews was on the receiving end of a knee-to-knee hit delivered by University of Notre Dame forward Sutter Muzzatti on Saturday. The hit came in the first period, behind Michigan’s net. Mews was on the ice for a moment after but did get to the bench and down the tunnel under his own power.

Mews is among the Flames’ top prospects. To many, he’s already outgrown his third-round selection in the 2024 NHL Draft, after being highly acclaimed for much of the prior year. He’s a high-motor, offensive-defenseman who excels at pushing the puck down the ice and creating plays on the blue-line. That talent earned Mews 82 points in 68 OHL games last season, second-most of any OHL defender behind ’Defenseman of the Year’ Sam Dickinson.

That standing made Mews one of the top CHL talents to commit to the NCAA following the rule change this summer. He was expected to be an instant impact on Michigan’s blue-line, and lived up to the hype early on. Mews had nine assists and a plus-five through nine games before going down with injury, including four points in four games against tough opponents Notre Dame and Western Michigan University. His aggressive offensive immediately clicked with Michigan’s downhill style, and Mews looked noticeably stronger and more confident defensively than last season.

He was riding a four-game point-streak entering Saturday’s matchup. His promising start makes a painful, and long-term, injury all the tougher to bear. Now, it will stick as the silver lining to a missed year, and fuel confidence in Mews’ ability to take on a top-pair role in his sophomore season. The Wolverines – who are carrying an unusual 11 defensemen on their roster – will most likely turn towards Anaheim Ducks prospect Drew Schock, and undrafted defenders Matthew Mania and Hunter Hady, to step up in Mews’ absence.

Islanders Recall Calum Ritchie, Assign Marshall Warren

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The New York Islanders have swapped promising prospects on the NHL roster. Top center prospect Calum Ritchie has been officially recalled, while defenseman Marshall Warren has been loaned back to the AHL. Ritchie was expected to make his Islanders debut in place of healthy scratch Mathew Barzal on Thursday, but had his travel impeded by weather conditions.

News of Ritchie’s recall will put the Islanders in an interesting position. The rookie had a clear path to an NHL role with Barzal out of the lineup for disciplinary reasons. But New York head coach Patrick Roy is very unlikely to keep his lineup star, and second-highest scorer, out of the lineup for consecutive games. With Barzal back in, the Islanders will need to scratch another forward to make room for Ritchie. Fourth-line centerman Kyle MacLean seems like the most reasonable option to step out, after posting no scoring, 19 penalty minutes, and a minus-five in six games this season. New York could also try to use this as a chance to spur underperforming scorers like Maxim Tsyplakov (one point in eight games) or Anthony Duclair (three points in 10 games).

No matter who they scratch, it’s hard to argue that Ritchie doesn’t deserve a hardy NHL look. He has scored in all three games he’s played with the AHL’s Bridgeport Islanders this season. That productivity continued even through a day-to-day injury that knocked Ritchie out of the lineup last week. He’s proven to be clearly capable in his first full pro season. Ritchie broke camp with the Colorado Avalanche at the start of the 2024-25 season, and scored one goal in his first seven NHL games before being reassigned to the OHL. His first game with the Islanders will be the two-way centerman’s next chance to prove he can stick in the NHL.

Meanwhile, Warren will head back to the minor-leagues after an exciting start to his pro career. He recorded two assists in his NHL debut last Saturday, and followed it up with a stout, bottom-pair performance on Tuesday. Warren leads Bridgeport in scoring even after a week with the NHL club, with five poitns through four games this season. He’s made confident impacts on both blue-lines this season, using a strong stick and decisive playmaking to take advantage of chances many other depth defenders would miss. Warren scored 17 points in 53 games of his AHL rookie season last year. That makes his jump this year a bit of a surprise, though certainly a welcome one amid an Islanders blue-line that’s struggled to score. A move back to the AHL will give Warren a chance to show he can hold onto his hot scoring beyond a couple of weeks. Should he remain on top of Bridgeport’s scoring, it’d be hard to imagine Warren staying in the minor leagues for long.

Flames Assign Matvei Gridin, Activate Jonathan Huberdeau

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The Calgary Flames have assigned winger Matvei Gridin to the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers to make room to activate Jonathan Huberdeau off of injured reserve. Huberdeau has been sidelined since sustaining an undisclosed injury in a preseason matchup against the Vancouver Canucks on October 1st. He missed the first seven games of Calgary’s season.

Gridin played in the first four games of his NHL career to start the season, but found his way to the press box after posting one goal and a minus-three. He is among Calgary’s top prospects, and is set to become one of just six 19-year-olds in the AHL. A taste of NHL minutes, and continued pro challenge in the minors, could be exactly what Gridin needs to grow his game.

He looked fast and flashy in the QMJHL last year, posting 96 points in 72 games over the course of the Shawinigan Cataractes’ full season. That performance earned him the QMJHL’s ’Rookie of the Year’ award. The 2024 first-round pick spent two seasons in the USHL prior to his draft. He scored 99 points in 108 total games in the league. That includes a league-leading 83-point season in 2023-24, the second-highest scoring season in Muskegon Lumberjacks history.

While Gridin develops in the minors, Huberdeau will look to keep up his momentum from last season. He scored 16 points in 18 games to finish the 2024-25 season, pushing him to 28 goals and 62 points in 81 games on the year. It was Huberdeau’s highest-scoring season since he posted 115 points with the Florida Panthers in 2021-22. His dip in scoring with the Flames has shadowed his last three seasons, but he showed a click next to Morgan Frost and Matthew Coronato that could propel the Flames’ offense this season. Coronato currently leads Calgary in scoring, with three points in five games. Frost has two points.

Evening Notes: Markstrom, Willander, Mancini, NHL Top 10

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The New Jersey Devils could be the next team to extend their starting goaltender. On the heels of a five-year, $34MM contract extension for Minnesota Wild goaltender Filip Gustavsson, the Devils are now working out a new deal for Jacob Markstrom, per The Fourth Period. Markstrom is entering the final year of a six-year, $36MM contract originally signed with the Calgary Flames in 2020.

Markstrom earned a second-place finish in Vezina Trophy voting on the second year of his last contract, after posting 37 wins and a .922 save percentage in 63 games of the Flames’ 2021-22 season. He fell drastically in 2022, landing at a .895 save percentage in 59 games with Calgary, and only rebounded to a .905 in 48 games of 2023-24. That prompted a summer trade to greener pastures, landing Markstrom with a playoff contender in the New Jersey Devils. He posted a middling .900 save percentage in 49 games of his first season with the Devils. That’s far from the .910 mark that Markstrom routinely challenged at his peak, but on a well-rounded Devils squad, average numbers from the aging veteran have proven supportive enough. He is sure to take a big hit on both term and salary in his next contract, which could take him through the rest of his career.

Other notes from across the league:

  • The Vancouver Canucks made a pair of important decisions earlier today. They have assigned top defense prospects Tom Willander and Victor Mancini to the minor-leagues, after both clung to the camp roster to nearly the final day. Mancini played his first full season in the pros last year. It was certainly eventful, spread between NHL and AHL ice time with the New York Rangers and Canucks, and ending with a Calder Cup win with the Abbotsford Canucks. In total, he recorded eight points in 31 NHL games and 21 points in 54 AHL games on the season. Meanwhile, Tom Willander was a core piece of the National Championship runner-up, the Boston University Terriers. He posted 24 points in 39 games with the club – one point fewer, in one game more, than he managed in his freshman season. Willander is nonetheless a pillar of consistency on both ends of the ice, and will look to prove that soon with his pro debut in Abbotsford.
  • The NHL has announced their top-10 players, wrapping up their Top 50 Players series just two days before Opening Night. The list is, of course, headlined by Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid. His teammate, Leon Draisaitl, holds the third spot, while Colorado Avalanche superstars Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar hold #2 and #4 respectively. The rest of the list includes, in turn: Lightning winger Nikita Kucherov, Panthers center Aleksander Barkov, Penguins center Sidney Crosby, Jets goalie and reigning MVP Connor Hellebuyck, Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy, and Canucks defender Quinn Hughes. It’s hard to argue any other names should be featured on the list, though Panthers fans may feel salt in the wound seeing their captain, and perennial Selke Trophy candidate, landing in the top-10 on the heels of a season-ending injury.

Transaction Notes: Oilers, Ducks, Senators

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As the preseason winds down and rosters take form, several teams have recalled players, having already cleared waivers, who are set to fill out NHL rosters before (most likely) being reassigned to their respective AHL clubs. 

The Edmonton Oilers announced today that they recalled forwards Viljami Marjala, James Hamblin, and Connor Clattenburg from AHL Bakersfield in advance of tonight’s preseason tilt in Seattle. 

Hamblin, an undrafted Edmonton native, proudly has 41 games under his belt for the Oil, but is expected to return to Bakersfield and continue to lead the Condors, in his sixth season with the team. 

Other transactional notes from today:

Although none of the players are expected to remain with their NHL clubs by season’s start, it stands a chance for them to make an impression, and for fans to get to see some former notable prospects skate at the highest level.

Red Wings’ Nate Danielson Out Indefinitely Among Injury Updates

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The race for an NHL roster spot has been cut short for one of the Detroit Red Wings’ top prospects. Centerman Nate Danielson sustained an injury during the team’s Saturday preseason loss to the Buffalo Sabres, head coach Todd McLellan relayed to Ansar Khan of Michigan Live. No specifics were provided on Danielson’s injury or timeline to return. McLellan also shared that defenseman Simon Edvinsson will continue to sit out of the next two preseason games, but is expected to be at full health for opening night. Edvinsson has missed the majority of training camp with a lower-body injury.

This news will come as a major blow for Danielson, who was making the Red Wings’ decisions tougher with his camp performances. He had averaged just over 11 minutes of ice time through three preseason games and was one of only seven Red Wings to score a goal. Now, the 2023 ninth-overall selection will be sidelined in a move that’s sure to default him to the AHL when he’s back to full health. Danielson played through his first professional season with the Grand Rapids Griffins last season. He emerged as one of the club’s top three centers by the end of the year, and notched a commendable 12 goals and 39 points in 71 games. Danielson was highly regarded through a four-year career in the WHL, where his shifty playmaking earned him 217 points in 199 career games. He’s expected to be main pillar in Detroit’s new era, but will need to overcome this new injury before he can solidify that standing with a strong sophomore season.

The Red Wings’ lineup will get some relief with positive news on Edvinsson’s recovery. He was a core piece of Detroit’s blue-line last season, averaging over 21 minutes of ice time through 78 games in his first full NHL season. Edvinsson made good work of the minutes, notching 31 points – second-most among Red Wings’ defenders behind Moritz Seider’s 46 points. He’ll be in line for a premier role again this season, and could close the gap in scoring with Seider, assuming Edvinsson remains in line to take the ice on opening night.

Canadian Notes: Stolarz, Leafs, Canucks

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More details have been revealed about the looming contract extension for Toronto Maple Leafs starting goaltender Anthony Stolarz. The latest reports claim that Stolarz’s next deal will land in the realm of a four-year, $16MM contract, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman and NHL.com’s Kevin Weekes. That figure would come in just shy of the five-year deals recently signed by Kevin Lankinen and Karel Vejmelka, who served as comparable contracts in the negotiation process.

It’s no surprise to see the 31-year-old Stolarz leaning towards a team-friendly deal. He was a goaltending phenom for the Leafs last year, recording a 21-8-3 record and .926 save percentage through 36 games. It was an impressive follow-up from Stolarz’s 16 wins and .925 Sv% in 27 games of the 2023-24 season. But those two seasons, along with 28 games in 2021-22, were the most he’s played in a single NHL season. He has yet to prove he can stand up to a full starting workload, despite defaulting to that position for Toronto when healthy. A contract extension and bid of full health will put Stolarz in a position to prove his might over a full year as soon as next season.

Other notes from the Great North:

  • Sticking in Toronto, it appears the team could soon shop around some of their surplus bottom-six wingers. Players like Calle Jarnkrok, David Kampf, and Nicholas Robertson could end up on the trade block, per David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period on the latest episode of Hello Hockey. Toronto is certainly facing a wealth of veteran wingers who have failed to break out of depth minutes – a growing problem as the team looks to promote top prospects like Easton Cowan. Clearing out some space could put the Leafs into position to stock the shelves, and bet on their top youngsters, ahead of a year where they’ll need big performances without 100-point scorer Mitch Marner.
  • Pagnotta went on to share that the Vancouver Canucks could be one of the teams looking to reel in bottom-six talent. Vancouver is expected to lean on youngsters like Linus Karlsson and Aatu Raty, as well as depth veterans Drew O’Connor and Teddy Blueger, when the season kicks off. There’s certainly opportunity for upgrading that depth sooner rather than later, though reeling in a hardy impact could cost Vancouver valuable draft capital or a solid prospect.

Afternoon Notes: LaFontaine, Luukkonen, Predators

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The New York Islanders have announced that prolific centerman Pat LaFontaine will be inducted into the team’s Hall-of-Fame. LaFontaine spent eight years with the Islanders beginning in 1983, when New York drafted him third overall. He also spent seven years with New York state’s other NHL clubs – six years with the Buffalo Sabres, and one year with the New York Rangers. LaFontaine ended his career with 1,013 points in 865 games – enough to earn an induction into the NHL Hall Of Fame in 2003, alongside Grant Fuhr.

The Islanders managed to land the 1983 third overall selection in the midst of four consecutive Stanley Cup wins, after trading Dave Cameron and Bob Lorimer to the Colorado Rockies in 1981. The move proved to be franchise-defining, awarding them a young superstar in LaFontaine to help replace aging vets like Butch Goring. LaFontaine did just that, contributing 25 points in his first 31 NHL games to help push New York to a Stanley Cup Final loss in 1984 – and then taking reigns for the organization when Mike Bossy retired in 1987. LaFontaine’s 105 points in 1989-90 made him just one of four Islanders to break the century mark. He left Long Island with 566 points in 530 games – good for ninth in all-time scoring for the franchise.

Other notes from around the league:

  • Buffalo Sabres goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen returned to the practice sheet after missing the start with a lower-body injury. He said he expects to be fully ready for the start of the season, and that his absence was due to a flare up with a minor injury late in the summer. His return will be great news for the Sabres, who seem set to roll out the 26-year-old as their starter for a third season. Luukkonen posted a stout .910 save percentage and 27-22-4 record in 54 games of the 2023-24 season; but fell to a .887 save percentage and 24-24-5 record last season. He’ll look to return to a positive record as he faces a similar workload this year.
  • Nashville Predators centerman Zachary L’Heureux is listed on the roster for a team scrimmage on Thursday, after missing the last few days with an injury. Defense prospects Tanner Molendyk and Cameron Reid also returned from injury ahead of the scrimmage. L’Heureux seems well set on earning a roster spot out of camp, while Molendyk will likely head to the AHL, and Reid would need a colossal performance to avoid a return to the OHL. The trio are three of Nashville’s top prospects – and should be exciting names to watch as they face off against organizational teammates in Thursday’s scrimmage.

Sabres Cut Three Players From Training Camp

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Moving quickly toward getting their team down the required 23-man roster, the Buffalo Sabres have returned three prospects to their respective junior programs after the first day of training camp. The Sabres announced that defensemen Simon-Pier Brunet and David Bedkowski, and netminder Samuel Meloche have been cut from the roster.

Brunet will return to the QMJHL’s Victoriaville Tigres after spending the last three years with the Drummondville Voltigeurs. Buffalo selected the 19-year-old with the 123rd overall pick of the 2024 NHL Draft, and he scored eight goals and 32 points in 60 games with a +10 rating last season with the Voltigeurs. The Sabres likely expect a slow-paced development, given that Brunet has already committed to the NCAA’s Merrimack College for the 2026-27 season.

Meanwhile, Bedkowski could take even longer to reach the NHL, if he does. The 6’5″, 220lbs, 18-year-old blue liner spent last year with the OHL’s Owen Sound Attack, scoring three goals and seven points in 30 games with a whopping 73 PIMs. The former 71st overall selection of the 2025 NHL Draft makes his presence known by his high-level physical play and his ability to fight.

Like Brunet, Meloche is another QMJHL product, this time with the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies, who has also committed to an NCAA program for the 2026-27 season. Last season, as the Huskies’ starter, Meloche recorded a 30-14-6 record in 51 games with a .900 SV% and 2.90 GAA, along with five shutouts. Meloche, 18, was drafted with the 116th overall pick by the Sabres in the 2025 NHL Draft and has committed to Northeastern University.

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