New Jersey Devils Sign Reilly Walsh
The New Jersey Devils may not be landing the first-overall pick later tonight, but they won’t leave the day without some prospect news of their own. Reilly Walsh has decided to forego his senior year at Harvard and has signed a three-year entry-level contract. Harvard has already seen an exodus from the hockey program after announcing they won’t be playing this season. Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald made a statement on the signing:
We are excited to add Reilly to the Devils’ organization. Since being drafted in 2017, our staff has watched him blossom into the leader he is today, both on and off the ice. Walsh is a fast, puck-moving defenseman who has developed his all-around game this past season. He was a dynamic playmaker for Harvard, with an offensive mind that allowed him to easily transition and jump up into the play if needed. He has the skillset our club is looking for and adds to our stable of defensive professional prospects joining the organization.
Walsh, 21, could arguably be the second-best defense prospect in the Devils system (behind Ty Smith), despite being a third-round selection in 2017. Since then he has improved considerably, becoming a top puck-mover for Harvard this season and polishing his defensive play.
Getting him under contract now is actually perhaps a bigger deal than it seems. Walsh was set on returning to Harvard for his senior season and could have potentially become an unrestricted free agent next summer. The coronavirus situation obviously changed those plans, meaning he’ll jump into professional hockey and be under Devils control for several years.
He’ll certainly compete for an NHL job at training camp, but even if Walsh needs to spend some time in the minor leagues there is a good chance he’ll be in New Jersey before long. The team’s NHL defensive group is relatively young, but also has several names approaching unrestricted free agency. Fredrik Claesson and Dakota Mermis will both see their contracts expire this year, while Connor Carrick becomes a UFA in 2021. P.K. Subban and Will Butcher are set to hit the open market a year after that, meaning there will be opportunities in New Jersey for the taking.
Florida Panthers To Loan Aleksi Heponiemi To Sweden’s MODO
With a number of players choosing to head to Europe to get some playing time before the expected start date of December for the 2020-21 NHL season, the Allvenskan’s MODO announced they have acquired Aleksi Heponiemi on loan from the Florida Panthers for the 2020-21 season. Of course, he is expected to be recalled when NHL training camp begins, likely in November.
Heponiemi is one of the team’s top prospects. The 21-year-old was a second-round pick in the 2017 draft and played one more season with the Swift Current Broncos of the WHL, posting a 118-point season. He then signed a two-year pact with the Liiga’s Karput squad where he scored 16 goals and 46 points in 50 games in 2018-19. He opted out of his contract after that and signed with Florida, playing in the AHL last season where he struggled a bit. He tallied just three goals and 14 points in 49 games, but is still expected to challenge for a role in Florida next season.
The hope is that Heponiemi will get significant playing time with MODO even if it’s in the Allsvenskan as opposed to playing with Liiga. The forward hopes that will give him an advantage when he arrives to camp. The team will have several significant roster moves to make in the offseason. The team is expected to part ways with general manager Dale Tallon and must make decisions on whether it can retain high-priced forwards Evgenii Dadonov and Mike Hoffman. With a possiblility of several openings on the depth chart for next season, a ready-to-go Heponiemi could force his way into the lineup with a good training camp.
Tampa Bay’s Dominik Masin To Sign In KHL
Not making the postseason roster may have been the last straw for Tampa Bay Lightning prospect defenseman Dominik Masin. The 24-year-old, an impending restricted free agent this off-season, will be signing in the KHL. Amur Khabarovsk have announced on their official Instagram page, accompanied by a highlight reel, that they have come to terms on a contract with Masin. The terms were not disclosed.
Masin, a 2014 second-round pick, was at one time a top prospect for the Bolts. Tampa Bay selected the sturdy second-round pick out of the Czech Republic and he then went on to play for the OHL’s Peterborough Petes, who used a first-round pick in the CHL Import Draft to acquire his rights. Masin graduated to the pros in 2016 and has quietly been a key contributor for the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch in that time. Masin has recorded 58 points and +58 rating in 273 games with Syracuse, including a +36 rating in 2018-19 that was second-best in the entire AHL.
Yet, Masin has zero NHL appearances on his resume and has been blocked from opportunity by a Lightning team that has prioritized veteran depth on the blue line rather than promoting prospects. As a result, it is hard to predict how Masin will fare in the KHL and whether an NHL comeback may be realistic for him down the road. His performance in the minors shows good defensive ability and modest offensive ability, which could be enough for a top role on an Amur team that is lacking in star power. Whether he can make the most of that opportunity and boost his stock for a return to North America remains to be seen. The Lightning can retain his rights by issuing him a qualifying offer this off-season.
Washington Capitals Loan Aliaksei Protas To The KHL
The list of young players and prospects who will at least begin the 2020-21 season overseas continues to grow, with the Washington Capitals’ Aliaksei Protas now joining the list. The team announced that the young forward has been loaned to the KHL’s Dinamo Minsk in his native Belarus. Washington does specify though that Protas is expected to be recalled from the loan at the start of the WHL season or for Capitals training camp later this winter.
Protas, 19, was a third-round pick of the Capitals in last year’s NHL Draft and signed his entry-level contract with Washington almost immediately. A hulking center who stands 6’6” and 210 pounds, Protas’ skill finally caught up with his size this year as he recorded 31 goals and 80 points in 58 games to lead the WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders in both categories and help the team to a division title. With top 2020 prospects like Kaiden Guhle and Ozzy Weisblatt also on the roster, the Raiders could return to the top ranks of the WHL next season if Protas returns as expected.
In the meantime though, Protas joins a Minsk squad that has been collecting NHL prospects and should be a fun team to watch early next season. Florida’s Vladislav Kolyachonok, Minnesota’s Ivan Lodnia, Philadelphia’s Maxim Sushko, and New Jersey’s Yegor Sharangovich – all of Belarussian descent – will also join the team on loan, joining NHL vets such as Ryan Spooner and Rob Klinkhammer.
Moritz Seider Loaned To DEL
August 7: The Red Wings have made it official, announcing that Seider and Zadina have been loaned overseas. Seider is headed to Mannheim, while Zadina will join HC Ocelari Trinec for now. Both players should be back for training camp in North America at some point in November.
August 3: The Detroit Red Wings have a handful of exciting prospects in the minor leagues, but with the uncertainty surrounding the 2020-21 AHL season, they will need to find places to play for the next six months. Reports have already surfaced about Joe Veleno and Filip Zadina who could be headed to the Czech Republic to get into some game action, and now Moritz Seider is also headed overseas.
Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press reports that Seider will be loaned to Adler Mannheim of the German DEL, though the Red Wings retain the ability to recall him at any time. Seider played for Mannheim before being selected sixth overall in 2019, but spent this season with the Grand Rapids Griffins of the AHL.
There are few defensive prospects in the game that generate as much excitement as Seider, who was an immediate hit in Grand Rapids and has shown off his ability on the international stage. The 6’4″ right-handed shot is an all-situations defender that recorded 22 points in 49 games during his rookie season in the AHL. He is expected to challenge for a role on Detroit’s blueline before long, meaning he’ll likely be back in time to participate in NHL training camps in November.
Kasper Kotkansalo, another Red Wings draft pick, will also be headed overseas for the 2020-21 season. The third-round pick from 2017 has decided to leave Boston University and join Assat of the Finnish Liiga to continue his development. Kotkansalo, 21, had 25 points in 112 games for BU.
Overseas Notes: Swedish U20, Stutzle, Kozun
Sweden will hold a training camp for World Junior hopefuls later this month and today published a roster for the event. That group includes top 2020 draft prospects Alexander Holtz and Lucas Raymond who both could be selected in the first ten picks. Outside of that dynamic duo, however, there are several other interesting names that could be relatively high picks.
With events like the World Junior Summer Showcase and Hlinka-Gretzky tournament canceled, the scouting season for NHL teams will be much different.
- Tim Stutzle, another top prospect for the upcoming draft, spoke with Craig Button and J.D. Burke for the new Elite Prospects podcast. The German forward spoke about learning a lot from former NHLer Ben Smith, and touched on his insatiable drive to win (or perhaps hatred of losing). Stutzle took home the DEL Rookie of the Year award this season after scoring 34 points in 41 games and is the top-ranked international skater according to NHL Central Scouting.
- Brandon Kozun will remain in the KHL, this time signing a contract with Dynamo Minsk for the 2020-21 season. The 30-year old forward played just 20 games in the NHL before leaving for the KHL in 2015 but has had a ton of success overseas. An Olympic bronze medal with Team Canada in 2018 and three All-Star games has been the reward for Kozun, who had 22 points in 47 games this season.
Minor Transactions: 08/05/20
With six NHL playoff games a day suddenly on the docket, summer days are now filled with hockey. Yet, the qualifying round and round robin games are not the only news-makers in the hockey world. Here are some minor moves from across several levels, including an NHL loan, a pair of AHL extensions, and some NCAA commitments:
- With the delayed start to the season among North American leagues, there has been a rash of overseas loans among NHL prospects in recent weeks. Florida Panthers prospect Rodrigo Abols has now also joined that list. Abols, a late 2016 pick out of Latvia, is set to return to the SHL’s Orebro HK to begin next season, the team announced. Abols played in the AHL with the Springfield Thunderbirds this season, but previously played with Orebro for the two seasons prior. He will return to Sweden on a short-term loan for now that expires in mid-November, allowing for the young forward to compete in training camp and in the AHL if the Panthers so desire, but it would also not be a surprise to see the project player stay in the SHL for the year.
- The Ontario Reign, AHL affiliate of the L.A. Kings, have announced one-year extensions for forwards Blaine Byron and Jacob Doty. Byron, a former Pittsburgh Penguins prospect and a University of Maine standout, has been a force in the AHL through three pro seasons. Byron has recorded 72 points in 136 games, including a career-high 34 in 53 games this season. Acquired by Ontario from Springfield mid-season, Byron was one of the Reign’s best players down the stretch and could be in for a big 2020-21 season. Doty, a 27-year-old journeyman, made his return to the AHL this season but recorded just one point in 18 games for Ontario. However, he provides experience and work ethic for the young farm team.
- Harvard University has made headlines lately for losing players, both current and committed, due to the Ivy League’s ban on fall sports this year. However, they got some good news today in the form of a commitment from twin brothers with a well-known last name. Marek and Daniel Hejduk, the sons of career Colorado Avalanche star and Stanley Cup champ Milan Hejduk, each announced on Twitter today that they have committed to play at Harvard. While the 16-year-olds are still at least two seasons away from joining the Crimson, Marek is already slated to join the U.S. National Team Development Program next year and Daniel could follow. The pair seem likely to have some NHL Draft prospects by the time they are ready to move to the NCAA.
- As for another brother duo headed to the college ranks, 16-year-old defenseman Seamus Powell announced on Instagram that he will follow his brother Eamon Powell to Boston College. Eamon, a USNTDP graduate who is set to join the Eagles this coming season, is a 2020 NHL Draft prospect expected to be selected in the second or third round in November. Seamus, a comparable small, offensive defenseman, will join the USNTDP this coming season and will be draft eligible in 2022, when he is also expected to enroll at BC.
Nico Gross To Play In Switzerland
He didn’t sign his entry-level contract, but Nico Gross will still be playing professional hockey this season. The New York Rangers draft pick is headed to Switzerland to play for EV Sug of the NLA following a successful OHL career.
The 20-year old Gross was selected 101st overall in 2018 by the Rangers, but since he was coming out of the CHL they owned his exclusive rights for just two years. In June, those rights expired without the team signing him, giving him a chance to re-enter the draft whenever it is held this fall.
In the meantime, a return to Switzerland makes plenty of sense for a player that is still one of the top Swiss-born prospects in the world, especially given the uncertainty of the 2020-21 AHL season.
A member of the Swiss World Junior squad on three different occasions, Gross was a strong two-way presence for the Oshawa Generals, even wearing an “A” as an alternate captain this season. He recorded 33 points in 53 games, and while that may not put him on an NHL track he’s still a name to keep an eye on moving forward.
Washington Capitals Loan Damien Riat, Tobias Geisser To NLA
The Washington Capitals have found some playing time for a pair of prospects, loaning Damien Riat and Tobias Geisser to the NLA for the 2020-21 season. Riat will play for Geneve-Servette HC, while Geiser will suit up for EV Zug. Both players will continue in Switzerland until NHL training camps open, likely sometime in November.
It’s not like these two will be unfamiliar with the league, as both played in the NLA this season and in the past. Riat spent 2019-20 with Biel HC, scoring 22 points in 36 games, but played three seasons with Geneve-Servette between 2015-2018. The fourth-round pick will have to wait to come over to North America after signing his two-year entry-level contract in March.
Geisser meanwhile has a little different of a story. The 21-year old signed his entry-level deal in 2018 and played the entire 2018-19 season with the Hershey Bears. That’s where he started 2019-20 as well, but he ended up loaned back to Switzerland (EV Zug in particular) after just seven games. Geisser has just a single point in 54 career AHL games, but has always been known more for his play in the defensive end.
Kirill Maksimov Assigned To KHL
The Edmonton Oilers continue to find places for their minor league prospects to play for the next several months, this time assigning Kirill Maksimov to CSKA Moscow in the KHL.
Maksimov, 21, played in 53 games for the Bakersfield Condors this season, registering 13 points in limited minutes. Interestingly enough, though Maksimov was born in Russia he has played in North America since he was a young teenager, first in the GTHL and then the OHL. The fifth-round pick has plenty of offensive skill but found himself relatively low on the depth chart as a rookie.
That may be a trend, given how talented the CSKA squad normally is. A KHL powerhouse almost every season, they may be losing top names like Kirill Kaprizov and Mikhail Grigorenko, but still have loads of skill that Maksimov will have to compete with for playing time.
Like many other prospects, Maksimov will likely get a chance to return for NHL training camp in November, but getting him back on the ice and into game action is obviously the most important goal here.