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Los Angeles Kings Acquire Rights To Cole Krygier

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The Los Angeles Kings have made a minor move ahead of college signing season, acquiring the rights to defenseman Cole Krygier from the Florida Panthers in exchange for future considerations, per a team release.

Krygier, 22, was initially drafted by the Panthers in the seventh round of the 2018 NHL Draft. He has since played five seasons with Michigan State University, establishing himself as a hardworking, physical defender with a late-blooming goal-scoring touch.

Krygier wore an “A” on his sweater for his final season at Michigan State, leading the team’s defensemen in goals with 10. Across five seasons at Michigan State, Krygier has totaled 20 goals, 21 assists, and 193 penalty minutes in 160 games.

The trade likely occurred either because the Panthers had no interest in signing Krygier to an entry-level contract or Krygier had informed the Panthers he would not sign with them. Either way, it seems the Kings are interested in adding the 6’3″ left-shot defender to their organizational pool of prospects.

Krygier is the son of former Hartford Whalers, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, and Washington Capitals winger Todd Krygier. His brother Christian Krygier was also selected in the seventh round of the 2018 NHL Draft by the New York Islanders.

Chicago Blackhawks Expressing Interest In Hunter McKown

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Undrafted free agent signing season is well underway, and with the season over for all but 16 NCAA DI men’s hockey teams, activity on that front will only heat up over the next few days.

One name that could go off the board in the coming news cycles is Hunter McKown, a 20-year-old center coming off his junior campaign with Colorado College. The Athletic’s Scott Powers reports Monday morning that the Chicago Blackhawks, among other teams, are in the mix to land his services.

McKown has been a bit of a late bloomer, at least offensively. An August 2002 birthday, McKown has been passed over in the past three drafts, but it’s not hard to see why he was skipped over in his first eligible year in 2020. He spent his draft year campaign with the U.S. National U18 Team but recorded just one goal and 10 assists in 54 games in 2019-20.

Since then, it’s been a different story. As Elite Prospects notes, the hallmark of McKown’s game has been his defensive awareness, but his shooting has shown significant development in the college ranks. McKown led Colorado College in both goals (21) and points (28) in 38 games played this season, continuing what’s been a positive linear progression offensively since joining the school.

His all-around game reached such a point last season that he was named to the 2022 World Juniors roster for Team USA, where he registered an assist in four games.

As Powers notes, Chicago is expected to face stiff competition for McKown’s services on the open market. It’s been known to NHL teams for “some time” that McKown planned to turn pro after this season, giving multiple teams time to make their interest known and prepare offers.

Ottawa Senators Expected To Begin Contract Talks With Tyler Kleven

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The Ottawa Senators are gearing up to sign one of their top defensive prospects, reports Bruce Garrioch of The Ottawa Sun and TSN. Tyler Kleven’s college season has come to a close, and Garrioch notes that talks between the Senators and his agent, Craig Oster, “will likely begin soon.”

Kleven, 21, is a strong one-on-one defender and has decent zone exit skills, too. However, it’s his offensive game that showed signs of growth throughout three seasons at the University of North Dakota. After notching just two goals and 12 assists in 62 games with the United States National U18 Team during his draft year, Kleven’s offensive totals steadily grew in college. That growth culminated in an eight-goal, 18-point campaign in 35 games in 2022-23.

The 44th overall selection in the 2020 NHL Draft could join the Senators this year, although it’s unclear whether he would head to NHL Ottawa or AHL Belleville. Garrioch remarks he has “little doubt” that Kleven will want his entry-level contract to start immediately rather than deferring until 2023-24 and joining the Belleville Senators on a tryout for the remainder of 2022-23.

Kleven’s season came to an end last night with a 3-2 overtime loss to St. Cloud State in the NCHC semifinals. He didn’t record a point but registered a +1 rating.

Nashville Predators Assign Joakim Kemell To AHL

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One of the Nashville Predators’ best prospects is about to get his first taste of professional hockey in North America. Nashville today assigned 2022 first-round pick Joakim Kemell to the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals, per a tweet from the team’s affiliate.

Kemell, a right wing, spent the 2022-23 season on loan from Nashville to JYP in Liiga, the organization where he’s spent his entire junior and professional career so far. His offensive production took a step back from his draft year, though, scoring 15 points in 43 games after scoring 23 in 39 last year.

Things deteriorated for Kemell down the stretch, with his scoring growing more inconsistent as his ice time waned. He had a solid start to the campaign, going on a four-game point streak early on, but he couldn’t replicate his success throughout the season.

Now, he gets a chance to regain some confidence and some scoring touch in Milwaukee. He joins other notable Preds prospects, such as goalie Yaroslav Askarov and forward Egor Afanasyev, as the Admirals continue their stretch run.

Columbus Blue Jackets Sign Cameron Butler

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The Columbus Blue Jackets have dipped their toes into the pool of undrafted free agent prospects, signing Cameron Butler to a three-year entry-level contract that kicks in next season.

General manager Jarmo Kekalainen released the following:

Cameron is a physical forward with size, strength, toughness and tremendous character and leadership. He is a hard-working, competitive player and we are excited to welcome him to the Blue Jackets family.

The 6’4″ Butler currently plays for the Oshawa Generals of the OHL, where he has been an intimidating force all season. With a career-high 24 goals and 49 points in 59 games, while racking up 111 penalty minutes, he has developed into an effective power forward (on a team full of them) that now has a chance to play pro hockey.

Now 20, the question for Butler moving forward will be whether his late-blooming offense will continue, or whether he tops out as a physical presence at the next level. There have been plenty of players to make it to the NHL without much scoring touch, but it is a much more difficult route.

He’ll likely join the Cleveland Monsters next season and test himself at the AHL level.

Philadelphia Flyers Sign Will Zmolek

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4:54 p.m.: CapFriendly reports Zmolek’s one-year ELC carries a cap hit of $920K, broken down across a base salary of $825K, a signing bonus of $95K, potential performance bonuses up to $30K, and a minor salary of $82.5K.

9:35 a.m.: College free agent signing season is upon us, as seasons end across the country for the unlucky programs that did not advance in their conference playoffs. Today, the Philadelphia Flyers have gotten in on the action, inking Will Zmolek to a one-year entry-level contract.

The deal will begin in 2023-24, but Zmolek is headed to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the AHL on a tryout contract for the rest of this season.

Coming off an impressive senior season with Bemidji State, Zmolek is a 23-year-old undrafted free agent who brings a little of everything to the table. He’s big, standing 6’4″, 209 lbs, physical, has shown an improved offensive game, and was a locker room leader for the Beavers.

Nominated for this year’s Hobey Baker, Zmolek recorded 21 points in 36 games and led the club in blocked shots. He enters a Philadelphia system that once looked full of defensive prospects but has seen several fail to take the next step. With his age and experience, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Zmolek play NHL minutes next season in a limited, or part-time role.

He’ll turn 24 in April, meaning only a one-year contract was possible. Zmolek will be a restricted free agent in the summer of 2024.

Columbus Blue Jackets Sign Corson Ceulemans

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3:48 p.m.: PuckPedia reports that Ceulemans’ deal carries a cap hit of $925K, with his salary structure the same in all three years of the contract. He’ll earn $832.5K in NHL salary, $92.5K in signing bonuses, and $80K in minors salary each season.

3:11 p.m.: The Columbus Blue Jackets have signed defenseman Corson Ceulemans, a 2021 first-round pick, to a three-year entry-level contract beginning in the 2023-24 season, the team announced today. The team did not disclose financial details, although they noted he will be joining the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters on a professional tryout for the remainder of 2022-23.

Ceulemans, 19, leaves his college hockey career at the University of Wisconsin just a day after the school announced the firing of head coach Tony Granato. The school won a Big Ten regular-season title in the COVID-marred 2020-21 season, but Ceulemans’ two-year stint there wasn’t met with any team success.

He did impress offensively, recording 15 goals and 45 points in 67 games there across his freshman and sophomore campaigns. A two-way defender, Ceulemans’ public draft rankings ranged wildly due to a COVID-stifled eight-game stint with the AJHL’s Brooks Bandits being his sole league play during his draft year. He ended up going to the Blue Jackets in the late first round, 25th overall, after the team selected both Kent Johnson and Cole Sillinger before him.

Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen had the following words on one of his top prospects:

Ceulemans is an outstanding young defenseman who excels at both ends of the ice and we are thrilled that he is beginning his professional career this spring. He combines size and strength with excellent mobility and a knack to produce offensively and we are excited about his future with our organization.

With his collegiate season over, Ceulemans will join the Monsters, although he likely won’t get any playoff experience. Cleveland sits last in the North Division with a 23-25-6 record.

San Jose Sharks Acquire Henry Thrun

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The San Jose Sharks said they would be going after prospects and young players instead of draft picks, and today they proved it. The Sharks have acquired the rights to Henry Thrun from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for a 2024 third-round pick. Thrun currently plays for Harvard and would need to sign an entry-level contract this summer, or become an unrestricted free agent.

The 21-year-old defenseman wasn’t going to sign with Anaheim. Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek explained:

While we are disappointed Henry chose to not sign with our club, we appreciate being notified of his intentions in advance of him becoming a Unrestricted Free Agent. We wish him the best of luck in his career.

For a player they weren’t going to sign, Anaheim has done rather well to recoup a third-round selection. Thrun was picked 101st overall in 2019, meaning they’re moving up quite a few spots, regardless of where San Jose finishes in 2024.

Still, with how well the 6’2″ defenseman has developed in college, it is disappointing for the Ducks to lose him. Thrun has always been an excellent puck-mover for Harvard, and has 26 points in 28 games this season. While there’s no guarantee that production will carry over to the NHL level, Anaheim is still looking for all the talented prospects they can as they move through a rebuild.

For San Jose, nothing is guaranteed, either. Thrun could still decide to wait until August to become a free agent, able to choose which team to land with as he starts his professional career. We’ve seen that scenario play out in the past, like when the Buffalo Sabers acquired Jimmy Vesey’s rights, only to have him sign with the New York Rangers instead.

Still, the Sharks are excited about Thrun as a prospect. General manager Mike Grier released the following:

Henry is a very good two-way defenseman with high character and leadership skills. He was named captain for Harvard this year and has a solid pedigree as a player, earning All-American honors last season after helping guide Harvard to an ECAC Championship.

It is a reasonable risk for the Sharks, and one that hints at their plans moving forward. The team is not satisfied tearing things down and collecting draft picks—they want players that can make an impact much quicker than that.

Morning Notes: Knies, Shore, Studenic

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The Toronto Maple Leafs are one of the teams rumored to be interested in several top names at the trade deadline, but they might have their late-season addition already in the system. Matthew Knies has 17 goals and 31 points in 30 games this year for the University of Minnesota and is “likely” to sign with the Maple Leafs at the end of the college season, according to Joshua Kloke of The Athletic.

Knies also joined Leafs Morning Take with Nick Alberga and Jay Rosehill and explained he believes he can be a production pro player this spring, after choosing to go back to college last year. The 20-year-old winger recently came in at No. 42 in Scott Wheeler’s ranking of the best drafted prospects across the league.

  • Devin Shore has been sent back to the AHL once again, leaving the Edmonton Oilers with the opportunity to activate Kailer Yamamoto if they can clear just $1.125MM in cap space. That happens to be the exact amount that is buried when a player costing more than that is sent to the minor leagues. Jesse Puljujarvi remains the most likely player to be waived, though there are countless other ways the Oilers could clear the room, including the trade market.
  • Speaking of bouncing back and forth, Marian Studenic is on his way back to the Texas Stars today. The 24-year-old forward played fewer than ten minutes for the Dallas Stars yesterday, his third appearance of the season. As one of the few teams not currently using long-term injured reserve relief, Dallas can bank cap space between games by reducing their roster as much as possible.

Injury Notes: Pageau, Tinordi, Faber

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The New York Islanders are without one of their best depth pieces tonight against the Ottawa Senators. Jean-Gabriel Pageau is out for tonight’s game against his former team with an upper-body injury and is day-to-day, per the team.

Pageau sustained the injury at practice yesterday, says Stefen Rosner of NYI Hockey Now. Reportedly, Pageau was “clipped” during a drill and was slow to get up, yet stayed on the ice for the remainder of practice. The 30-year-old center has 10 goals and 29 points in 56 games this season. This is his first absence of the 2022-23 campaign.

  • Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Jarred Tinordi is out for the remainder of tonight’s game against the Montreal Canadiens with an undisclosed injury, the team said. The Chicago Sun-Times’ Ben Pope notes that Tinordi had fallen awkwardly on a shift in the first period. Tinordi, 30, was claimed on waivers by the Blackhawks at the beginning of the season and has suited up in 26 games, recording five points.
  • One of the best prospects in hockey on one of the best teams in college hockey is out long-term. The Athletic’s Michael Russo agreed with reports today that Minnesota Wild defense prospect and University of Minnesota captain Brock Faber is out week-to-week with an upper-body injury. Acquired from the Los Angeles Kings in the Kevin Fiala trade, Faber has 20 points in 30 games with Minnesota this year after representing the United States at the Olympics and World Junior Championships last season.

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