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Stars/Wild Notes: Wallstedt, Eriksson Ek, Pavelski

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With the Iowa Wild’s quick elimination from the AHL’s Calder Cup Playoffs, The Athletic’s Michael Russo reports the Minnesota Wild are expected to call up their complement of Black Aces today to be around the team while their playoff run continues. While most won’t be called up after Iowa’s exit meetings, Russo said that top goalie prospect Jesper Wallstedt has already been recalled and will serve as the third goalie behind the team’s tandem of Filip Gustavsson and Marc-Andre Fleury.

Wallstedt, 20, didn’t have the playoff performance he wanted in Iowa, recording a .897 save percentage in two overtime losses as Iowa lost their best-of-three series against the Rockford IceHogs. It doesn’t diminish what was a promising stretch run to the season for him, wrapping up his first pro season in North America with a .908 save percentage and a shutout in 38 games for Iowa. Selected 20th overall in the 2021 NHL Draft, Wallstedt remains one of the best goalie prospects in the league and should gain valuable experience from being around the Minnesota team for the rest of their postseason.

  • After attempting to return from injury in Game 3 and skating just one shift, things aren’t looking up for the health of Wild center Joel Eriksson Ek. Head coach Dean Evason told reporters today Eriksson Ek hasn’t skated since his latest injury, as he’s still in the process of evaluation and “not close” to returning to the lineup. Eyes now turn to Sam Steel and Frédérick Gaudreau, who have both performed well so far in the series, to shoulder Eriksson Ek’s absence.
  • On the flip side, Dallas Stars winger Joe Pavelski continues to progress in his recovery after a hit in Game 1 that caused him to enter concussion protocol. Pavelski skated with the team today for the first time since the injury, and head coach Peter DeBoer told reporters Pavelski’s progressed in his recovery each day. It remains unclear whether Pavelski will return this series.

Marco Kasper Likely Out For Season

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The Detroit Red Wings received some disappointing news on Wednesday regarding one of their young prospects. According to head coach Derek Lalonde, forward Marco Kasper is unlikely to play for the remainder of the season due to a lower-body injury.

The news is a setback for Kasper, who was hoping to finish the season strong during his first NHL call-up. It also represents a missed opportunity for the Red Wings to evaluate one of their prospects at the NHL level, albeit for a short time.

Kasper, still just 18, was selected by the Red Wings as the eighth overall pick of the 2022 NHL Draft. The Austrian-born forward had been playing with Rögle BK of the SHL this season before coming to North America, where he tallied eight goals and 15 assists in 53 games of league play. Kasper played 14:59 in his NHL debut against the Toronto Maple Leafs last Sunday before leaving the game late.

Detroit is not yet mathematically eliminated from playoff contention, but as they’re able to finish the season with a maximum of 89 points, their playoff hopes are essentially zero. Kasper will now try to gain some stability and comfortability with the Red Wings during training camp in a handful of months, hoping to contend for a roster spot in 2023-24.

Philadelphia Flyers Recall Ronnie Attard

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With the season winding down, the Philadelphia Flyers are giving another NHL look to one of their better defense prospects. The team recalled Ronnie Attard from the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms on Monday, per a team tweet.

In his first full professional season, the 24-year-old Attard has taken on a big role in the minors and responded well. The 2019 third-round pick out of Western Michigan University has 30 points in 64 games with Lehigh Valley in 2022-23, leading the team’s defense, and his +9 rating is second among Phantoms defenders.

After signing his entry-level contract late last season, Attard played in 15 games down the stretch for the Flyers, recording two goals and two assists. His NHL appearances on this recall will be his first since then.

With Rasmus Ristolainen sidelined day-to-day with an upper-body injury, there’s increased opportunity for Attard to get into the lineup. He could play in a second-pairing role alongside Travis Sanheim, a spot currently held by seldom-used veteran Justin Braun, who has just two assists in 47 games this year.

Avalanche Sign Sam Malinski To Two-Year Pact

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The Colorado Avalanche announced the signing of former Cornell University defenseman Sam Malinski to a two-year contract to begin next season, the team announced on Twitter.

Malinski, 24, recently completed his senior season, during which he served as captain, and recorded 8 goals and 18 assists for 26 points in 34 games. He is set to join the Colorado Eagles for the remainder of this season on an amateur tryout, and will join the team for its AHL playoff run.

Malinski will turn 25 in July, making him ineligible to sign a three-year entry level contract. He joins an Avalanche organization that has a lack of defensive prospects, and will likely need to show out early with the Eagles to climb the organizational depth chart.

As an undrafted free agent out of the NCAA, Malinksi is further along in his development than players who join the pro ranks at a younger age, but being more experienced, he will be expected to try and carve out a meaningful role with the Eagles before being considered for an NHL call up in the coming years.

Calgary Flames Sign William Stromgren

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The Calgary Flames have signed one of their better forward prospects, inking Swedish forward William Stromgren to his three-year entry-level contract on Wednesday. The contract will begin next season, making him a restricted free agent in 2026. He will report to the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers on an amateur tryout for the remainder of the 2022-23 season.

Stromgren, selected 45th overall in the 2021 NHL Draft, played in the SHL full-time for the first time this season. In 45 games with Brynäs IF, however, he recorded just eight points.

His production should be taken with a grain of salt, however. Brynäs finished near the bottom of the league and lost their relegation series, meaning they’ll be demoted to the second-tier Allsvenskan next season. With Stromgren already coming over to the city on an ATO, it appears that he’ll stay in North America next season rather than having Calgary loan him back to Sweden to help with Brynäs’ efforts to rejoin the SHL.

A big and fast winger, Stromgren also registered an assist in seven games at this past year’s World Junior Championship for Sweden. Set to turn 20 over the summer, Stromgren will look to find some more offensive opportunity in the minors.

Boston Bruins Sign Trevor Kuntar To Entry-Level Contract

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The Boston Bruins have signed forward Trevor Kuntar to a two-year, entry-level contract, the team announced on Wednesday. The contract begins in the 2023-24 season and carries a cap hit of $867,500.

Kuntar, 21, was drafted by the Bruins in the third round (89th overall) of the 2020 NHL Draft. He recently completed his junior season at Boston College, where he tallied 13 goals and 16 assists in 34 games.

Kuntar was a key contributor for Boston College this season, helping the Eagles reach the quarterfinals of the 2023 Hockey East men’s tournament as the eighth seed, forcing second-ranked Merrimack to double overtime before ultimately losing 1-0. He finished third on the team in scoring behind Philadelphia Flyers first-round pick Cutter Gauthier and Anaheim Ducks prospect Nikita Nesterenko, who’s already signed his entry-level contract and played NHL games after the conclusion of the Eagles’ season. Kuntar also won a Hockey East championship with Boston College during his freshman season in 2021.

The 6-foot, 196-pound forward is known for his scoring ability combined with his physical game, which makes him an effective net-front presence. He’s expected to add some needed depth to the Bruins’ weak prospect pool and could play NHL games before his contract expires in 2025, with Boston looking for cheap, young talent.

The team did not say whether Kuntar would sign an amateur tryout with Boston’s AHL affiliate, the Providence Bruins, and make his professional debut there before the end of the 2022-23 season.

Columbus Blue Jackets Loan Cole Sillinger To AHL

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The Columbus Blue Jackets are playing for the draft lottery these days, but have found an opportunity for one of their young talents. Cole Sillinger has been loaned to the Cleveland Monsters of the AHL to compete in a Calder Cup chase. Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen explains:

This is a great opportunity for Cole to join the Monsters as they continue to push for a berth in the Calder Cup Playoffs. Taking on additional responsibilities and playing games with playoff implications, and hopefully games in the playoffs, is hugely important to the development of a young player like Cole.

Zach Werenski was in a similar position a few years ago and the experience helped him individually and from a team perspective as it resulted in a Calder Cup championship.

This appears to have been the team’s plan for some time. At the trade deadline, the team “papered” him to the minor leagues, sending him down and recalling him on the same day. That made him eligible for the AHL playoffs, despite never actually leaving the NHL club at that point.

In fact, Sillinger has never played in the AHL at all. The 19-year-old forward stepped directly into the NHL after being selected 12th overall in 2021, and has played for the Blue Jackets ever since. While his rookie season went exceptionally well, the young center has just three goals and 11 points in 64 games this year, showing the same sophomore slump many top prospects experience.

Los Angeles Kings Acquire Rights To Cole Krygier, Sign To AHL Tryout

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Mar 21: The Ontario Reign announced the signing of Cole Krygier to an amateur tryout. This will allow him to join the AHL roster for the remainder of the season, but he is still slated to be an unrestricted free agent this summer. The Kings hold his NHL rights until August 15, and Krygier will become a UFA at that point if he is not signed for the 2023-24 season.

Mar 20: 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.

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