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Minor Transactions: 09/03/20

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Minor, junior, and European leagues continue to prepare for the 2020-21 season with signings, trades, and loans. As always, we’ll keep track of the notable transactions right here:

  • The departing captain of Minnesota State University (Mankato) has signed his first professional contract, inking a deal with the Adirondack Thunder of the ECHL. Nick Rivera spent four years with the Mavericks, serving as captain the final two and scoring 60 points over 151 NCAA games.
  • Trevor Murphy, former NHL defenseman and long-time minor leaguer, has signed a new two-year contract with Kunlun Red Star in the KHL. Murphy, 25, had 27 points in 60 games for Kunlun last season, his first overseas after bouncing around the AHL for the last several years.
  • Two prospects for the 2020 draft are heading overseas to play in the Swedish third league. Connor McLennon and Ridly Greig, who both spent the 2019-20 season in the WHL, will play for Karlskrona HK this season amid the uncertainty in Canadian junior hockey. While both are likely to be picked in the upcoming draft, Greig’s name will draw much more interest as he could climb into the first round. The 18-year old forward was ranked 14th among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting.

Alexander Alexeyev Loaned To Yulaev Ufa

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The Washington Capitals have decided to let Alexander Alexeyev play in the KHL for the next few months, loaning him to Yulaev Ufa to begin the 2020-21 season. Alexeyev is expected to return to North America for NHL training camp, though it is not clear yet when that will actually take place.

Now 20, Alexeyev was the Capitals first-round pick in 2018 following their Stanley Cup victory. Selected out of the WHL, he played another year with the Red Deer Rebels before joining the Hershey Bears of the AHL for the 2019-20 season. Standing 6’4″, the two-way defenseman put up 21 points in 58 games as a minor league rookie.

The Capitals don’t have a ton of high-end prospects thanks to more than a decade of success, but the ones they do are quite interesting. Alexeyev has progressed nicely since his pick in 2018 and could potentially compete for an NHL job at some point next season. Washington does have two defensemen on the roster who are scheduled for unrestricted free agency, but it hasn’t been an easy blueline to crack for young players in the past as the organization is focused on contending.

The Russian-born Alexeyev hasn’t played there since 2015-16 but was routinely included in international junior tournaments while he played in the CHL. This KHL opportunity will be his first and one that he’ll likely try to take advantage of to show the Capitals front office he deserves even more of a shot when he comes back over.

Victor Soderstrom, Oliver Wahlstrom Loaned To AIK

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Two more top prospects have been loaned overseas, as a report from Sweden has both Victor Soderstrom and Oliver Wahlstrom set to join AIK (Allsvenskan). Those are two huge additions for the second league team, who will get to enjoy some elite talent while the AHL and NHL seasons are delayed.

Soderstrom’s connection was reported last week and he’ll represent a legitimate top-pairing option for AIK, at least for the next few months. The 19-year-old defender has already had great success in the SHL and should be a prime candidate to join the Arizona Coyotes in 2020-21 even at a young age. The 11th overall pick from 2019, Soderstrom has all the pieces to be an impact player in the NHL but needs to continue his development if he’s to reach his ceiling.

Wahlstrom meanwhile doesn’t have quite the same prospect shine, but that could be only because we’ve been hearing his name since he was nine years old. The 20-year old New York Islanders prospect still has huge offensive potential and recorded 22 points in 45 games with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers this season. Though Wahlstrom failed to record a point in nine NHL contests, it’s important to remember just how young he is—he still qualified for this year’s World Junior tournament.

Both prospects will be back by the time NHL training camp gets underway, but it’s hard to know exactly when that will be. Just yesterday, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet wrote that the owners will “wait as long as possible” to try and find a path towards having (some) fans in the stands next season. For now, they’ll get their reps in Europe.

NCAA Hockey To Allow Juniors Competition This Fall

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Given the unknown status of college sports this fall due to Coronavirus, the NCAA has decided to afford athletes the opportunity to play away from their college teams while remaining enrolled in classes. As USCHO details, outside competition will prove especially valuable to college hockey players. Pending school and conference approval, players will be allowed to compete for junior teams this season if their college seasons are postponed.

While a number of athletic conferences have delayed or cancelled “fall sports”, only the Ivy League has cancelled all sports for the fall semester. While the conference itself does not sponsor hockey, a number of its members play in the ECAC. They include Cornell, Harvard, Dartmouth, Yale, Brown, and Princeton. Depending on the state of COVID-19, other schools or conferences could end up postponing or cancelling competition this fall as well. It also stands to reason that this exception will be extended to the spring semester if the 2020-21 season is cancelled altogether by conferences or the NCAA.

In order for athletes to take part in outside competition this fall, there are some requirements. First and foremost, the schools cannot cover any expenses incurred by the athlete as a result of taking part in junior competition. The athletes must also be in good academic standing and enrolled in classes. Finally, no class time can be missed due to practice or competition with outside teams. Seeing as the vast majority of players who would be taking advantage of this opportunity would not also be able to be taking in-person classes, the class time rule would only apply to online classes with specific meeting times.

One thing that is not changing is that NCAA athletes may not take part in CHL competition. The OHL, WHL, and QMJHL are considered pro leagues under the NCAA’s definition of “amateurism” and anyone playing in these league’s forfeits their NCAA eligibility. The same can be said for European pro leagues. This outside competition exception is likely to impact the USHL more than any other junior league. However, the Canadian Junior-A leagues and European junior leagues could also see an influx of talent, especially for those foreign athletes with immigration issues who are choosing to stay home this semester.

One way or another, this is a win-win for the game of hockey. College athletes are given added flexibility that will allow them to play, junior leagues will receive a boost in talent, and NHL teams will get a full season of scouting for those prospects who otherwise might have been sitting out this fall.

Prospect Notes: Rossi, Fleming, Soderstrom

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For prospects eligible to be selected in the 2020 draft, right now is a time of uncertainty. Those who may go in the top few picks often want to challenge for an NHL roster spot immediately, but it’s not clear exactly when training camp will even start. The NHL is hoping to get the 2020-21 season underway in December, but there’s no telling exactly when games will actually begin at this point.

Earlier this summer, Alexis Lafreniere, the consensus top prospect, decided he will not play in Europe and instead spend the offseason training. Today, Scott Wheeler of The Athletic reports that another top prospect has come to the same conclusion. Marco Rossi, who was ranked sixth by NHL Central Scouting among North American skaters and is expected to go in the top-10 picks, will not sign with a European club for the start of the season and is instead training in the hopes of making an NHL roster right away. Wheeler adds that he believes Rossi does have the talent to make the NHL right away. The Austrian-born center scored 120 points in 56 games for the Ottawa 67’s this season.

  • Another future NHL draft pick has made a decision on where he’ll play down the road, as Maddox Fleming commits to the University of Notre Dame. Fleming, 16, is a top prospect for the 2022 draft and will be joining USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program for the next two seasons. Notre Dame would come after that, though it’s important to remember that commitments are often changed. Fleming already stands 5’11” 174-lbs and recorded 52 points in 42 games for the prestigious Shattuck St. Mary’s prep team this season.
  • Victor Soderstrom may be the next top NHL prospect being loaned out to another league to get some game action, as the Arizona Coyotes defenseman has been linked to AIK in Sweden by Johan Svensson of Expressen. Soderstrom played in the SHL the last two seasons, but is expected to compete for a spot on the Arizona roster as soon as this year. The 11th overall pick from 2019 has quickly turned into one of the best defensive prospects in the world, landing 15th overall in Wheeler’s recent list of the top drafted prospects.

David Gustafsson Loaned To Allsvenskan

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Among the players being loaned out to European leagues, it’s no longer only prospects that are years away from making an NHL impact. Now teams are starting to find landing spots for young players who have a good shot at making the roster when the 2020-21 season starts too. David Gustafsson, who played 22 games with the Winnipeg Jets this season, has been loaned to Tingsryds AIF of Sweden’s Allsvenskan (second tier).

Gustafsson, 20, scored his first NHL goal with the Jets but was held scoreless otherwise and managed just seven points in 13 AHL contests. Still, he’s a big part of their future after being selected 60th overall in 2018 and making an impact at the SHL level.

This move is a bit curious, given he’s already competed and succeeded at the highest level in Sweden, but it will certainly give Gustafsson a chance to build on his game and get some confidence coming into NHL training camp. The Jets release specifically states that the young forward will return when the 2020-21 season begins in North America.

Snapshots: Stamkos, Gallagher, Slovakia

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With the Tampa Bay Lightning preparing to face the rival Boston Bruins in the second round in a collision of arguably the two best teams in the NHL, the Bolts were hoping to be at full strength with face of the franchise Steven Stamkos back in the lineup. However, that won’t be the case. Head coach Jon Cooper told the media, including The Athletic’s Lightning writer Joe Smith, that Stamkos is still not available due to injury. Rather than reiterating the indefinite timeline of Stamkos’ rehab, Cooper merely stated “It’s pointless to keep asking about it.” Stamkos is still battling a core injury suffered back in March and has far exceeded the initial six-to-eight week timeline with the player and team still seemingly having no idea of when he might be ready to return. If Stamkos cannot return to face Tampa’s potentially toughest test in Boston, the odds are that he may not play in the postseason at all.

  • Fan favorite Montreal Canadiens forward Brendan Gallagher had his season come to an end prematurely as he suffered a broken jaw on a cross check from Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Matt Niskanen in Game Five of the teams’ first round series. Gallagher only ended up missing one game, as the Habs were eliminated by a Game Six loss on Friday night. Meeting with the media today, GM Marc Bergevin updated Gallagher’s status, announcing that he underwent successful surgery in Toronto and is returning to his home in British Columbia today. Additionally, Bergevin revealed that Gallagher had been injured long before his run-in with Niskanen, suffering a hip tear in Montreal’s qualifying round series against the Pittsburgh Penguins. However, he played through the injury and it was solely that broken jaw that kept him from playing in the Canadiens’ season finale.
  • Several other recently-eliminated players could be back in action sooner rather than later. Sport SK in Slovakia reports that several members of the Slovakian Tipsport Liga are expecting active NHLers to be acquired via contract or loan to begin working out and playing prior to NHL training camps beginning in November. HK Kosice may have the largest haul still to come, with Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Martin Marincin and Calgary Flames prospect Martin Pospisil to be loaned to the team and Ottawa Senators RFA Christian Jaros and free agent forward Tomas Jurco expected to sign. Tampa Bay defenseman Erik Cernak also has ties to the club, but with the Lighting still alive in the postseason and hoping to sty that way for a while longer, he may not need the early start for next season. Slovan Bratislava, which has already received a handful of prospects on loan, are expecting another in the more high-profile Martin Fehervary, the promising defenseman from the Washington Capitals.

Prospect Notes: Thomson, Mysak, Wilkes-Barre

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The Ottawa Senators have loaned Lassi Thomson back to his Finnish club for the start of the 2020-21 season to get the young defenseman playing in meaningful games. Thomson, the 19th overall pick from 2019, signed his entry-level contract last year but spent the season playing in Finland with Ilves. Even suiting up at that level as a teenager is impressive, but Thomson recorded 13 points in 39 games while also logging big minutes for the World Junior club. Senators GM Pierre Dorion explains why he’ll be back in Finland to start the season:

Playing league games is beneficial to any young player’s development. To Lassi’s credit, he expressed a desire to do so and it’s something that we very much support. Starting the year with the same Finnish team for which he (Thomson) played last season provides him with his best preparation opportunity ahead of our next training camp.

The important note is ahead of training camp, when Thomson will likely be back on North American ice to show the Senators up close what he can do. As with any rebuilding team, there will be opportunity galore for young players with the kind of upside Thomson possesses, but with plenty of other names on the depth chart he’ll have to really show he’s ready before they burn a year of his entry-level contract by putting him in NHL games.

  • After playing a half-season for the Hamilton Bulldogs of the OHL, Jan Mysak will be returning to the Czech Republic for the time being. The 2020 draft prospect scored 25 points in 22 games for Hamilton after coming over midseason and could potentially be picked in the first round come October. NHL Central Scouting ranked him the 28th best skater in North America, but he’ll be back overseas to prepare for his professional career.
  • The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins have signed Felix Robert and Luke Stevens to AHL contracts for 2020-21, bringing in a pair of prospects that have aged-out of their respective amateur programs. Robert was a linemate of Penguins prospect Samuel Poulin this season with the Sherbrooke Phoenix of the QMJHL and led the team in scoring with 92 points in just 46 games. The 21-year old went undrafted but used his experience to dominate the competition this season even standing just 5’8″. Stevens meanwhile was a fifth-round pick of the Carolina Hurricanes in 2015 but failed to sign a contract with them and became an unrestricted free agent last weekend. Through his four years at Yale, he recorded 35 points in 101 games.

Edmonton Oilers Loan Philip Broberg To SHL

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When the Edmonton Oilers strode to the podium and selected Philip Broberg eighth overall last year, they were bound to receive a lot of criticism. After all, top offensive talents (who happened to be from North America) like Trevor Zegras and Cole Caufield were still on the board, along with one of the best goaltending prospects in the world in Spencer Knight. But Edmonton had seen something in Broberg that made him their choice, a selection that had seemingly been locked in weeks before the draft. A year later and Broberg impressed the Oilers brass enough in camp to keep him throughout the return to play tournament, even getting him into their exhibition game against the Calgary Flames.

Edmonton is extremely excited about Broberg’s development, which makes it come as no surprise that today he was loaned back to Skelleftea AIK of the Swedish Hockey League. The 19-year-old defenseman played there this season, recording eight points in 45 games while also suiting up for Sweden at the World Juniors. An incredible skater, he also possesses the size and strength to compete with professionals.

The release does not indicate whether Broberg will return for an NHL training camp in November, but you can bet that if the Oilers feel it is the best thing for his development, he’ll be back in North America quickly. Should they decide he’s not ready yet for the NHL, his contract will slide forward again due to his young age. That would mean his three-year entry-level deal could extend through the 2023-24 season. Interestingly though, he does have a European Assignment Clause in his deal, which means he could potentially block an assignment to the AHL in 2020-21.

Eetu Luostarinen Loaned To KalPa

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Eetu Luostarinen has had quite the year. After signing his entry-level contract last spring, the young forward made the jump to North American pro hockey, playing for the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL. A month into the season, he earned himself a recall to the NHL where he played in eight games for the Carolina Hurricanes, before returning to anchor a line in the minor leagues.

Even though things were going fairly well in his rookie season, he found himself moving to a new organization in February when the Hurricanes traded him (along with three others) for Vincent Trocheck.

Now, after finishing his season with five scoreless games for the Springfield Thunderbirds, Luostarinen will return to Finland’s Liiga and play for KalPa again. The Florida Panthers have loaned the 21-year-old forward back to his old club team until the end of November when he will presumably return for NHL training camp.

Selected 42nd overall in 2017, the 6’3″ center was excited to get another chance to play in Finland as he continues his development. For prospects still looking to make their mark, getting a chance to start playing overseas before training camp is a bonus. Luostarinen has two years remaining on his entry-level deal.

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