AHL Notes: Studnicka, Conway, Bouchard, Jones, Howdeshell
The Providence Bruins face the tall task of defeating the Charlotte Checkers in their first-round match-up of the Calder Cup Playoffs, after Charlotte’s historic season earned them the top seed in the Eastern Conference. If Providence is able to do so, it will likely be in no small part due to the efforts of their newest addition. Forward Jack Studnicka, the Boston Bruins’ 2017 second-round pick and the player considered by many to be their top prospect, has joined Providence following the end of his junior season. In a strange turnaround, Studnicka and the stacked Niagara Ice Dogs simply could not figure out fellow Bruins prospect Kyle Keyser in net and were surprisingly knocked off by his Oshawa Generals in the second round of the OHL Playoffs. Oshawa had traded Studnicka to Niagara earlier in the season, yet somehow emerged from the match-up with their former captain. Now, Stunicka has to move on from his junior season and try to help Providence immediately in their own playoff run. He was able to make an instant impact last year, recording five points in five games with the P-Bruins. This time around, he could be an even bigger threat. Studnicka scored at better than a point-per-game pace with both Oshawa and Niagara this season, totaling 83 points in 60 games. He’s also trying to impress the Boston brass, as Studnicka’s OHL career is over and this is his first step toward cracking the Bruins’ roster next season. Adding a motivated and talented top prospect to the mix should be a major boost for Providence.
The P-Bruins have also added a local product to the roster, reports Mark Divver of The Providence Journal. Divver writes that Providence College senior Scott Conway has joined the team and has signed a one-year AHL contract as well. Conway, 24, is coming off an interesting collegiate career, in which he showed consistent success but also flashed next-level ability that never fully manifested. After his freshman year at Penn State University, in which he recorded a respectable 26 points in 34 games, Conway opted to leave the program and played the 2015-16 season outside of the NCAA with the BCHL’s Penticton Vees. Conway was a star in the BCHL, amassing a league-leading 116 points while skating alongside Colorado Avalanche center Tyson Jost and quickly committed to a new college team in Providence. Yet, in three seasons with the Friars, Conway’s numbers were no better than they were with the Nittany Lions. It’s thus unclear what the ceiling may be for the experienced English forward, who dominated the junior-A level, but failed to reach stardom at the college level. The Bruins likely got a good look at the local product and willing to see what he can bring to the table next season.
- Like Studnicka, two other highly-touted junior prospects have also joined their respective AHL teams for the playoff run. Defenseman Evan Bouchard, who played in seven games with the Edmonton Oilers to begin the season, has been assigned to the Bakersfield Condors, the team announced. Last year’s tenth overall pick notched 53 points in 45 games with the OHL’s London Knights this year and added another three points at the World Juniors with Team Canada. Bouchard is a near-lock to make the Oilers out of camp next season and can further improve those odds with a strong stretch of play for the Condors. Ben Jones, a seventh-round pick of the Vegas Golden Knights in 2017, has already proven to be a steal and will look to advance that title with his first pro experience. A teammate of Studnicka’s in Niagara, Jones led the team with 102 points on the year, but was held in check in the postseason compared to his fellow Ice Dogs standouts. Nevertheless, Jones will still be an exciting addition for the Chicago Wolves after a top-ten scoring season in the OHL. Having graduated from the junior level, this is also a peak into what’s in store for Jones next season in the pros.
- Like Conway, another promising undrafted prospect has been brought in by an AHL team just prior to the postseason, only that team didn’t qualify for the postseason. Forward Keeghan Howdeshell of the OHL’s Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds has signed a one-year deal with the Tuscon Roadrunners, his former club revealed. The Roadrunners are already looking ahead to next season after failing to grab one of the final spots in the Western Conference playoff picture, much like their parent club. Howdeshell, 21, finished tied for second in scoring for the Greyhounds this year with 77 points in 66 games. The U.S. National Team Development Program product seemed likely to be drafted but was instead passed over several times. He has since re-established his value and will look to translate his game to the pro level with Tuscon next season. A strong campaign could lead to Howdeshell earning an entry-level deal with the Arizona Coyotes.
Liam Foudy Joins Cleveland Monsters
The OHL’s London Knights were expected to be a contender for the Memorial Cup this season after several top prospects joined the program and they easily walked through their first round series with rival Windsor. It appeared as though the Guelph Storm were in for the same fate as the Spitfires after three games against the Knights, losing all of them by a combined score of 17-6. Then something amazing happened and Guelph turned around the series by winning the next four games and eliminating the powerhouse Knights from the OHL playoffs and Memorial Cup contention. With that, London players are able to join the AHL for a playoff run if their NHL organizations feel they are ready.
That’s what the Columbus Blue Jackets have done, assigning Liam Foudy to the Cleveland Monsters in time for the start of the Calder Cup playoffs. The Monsters start their first round series against the Syracuse Crunch on Friday, and could have the top prospect on the ice. Foudy, 19, recorded 68 points in 62 games for the Knights this season after the Blue Jackets made him the 18th-overall pick last June. The extremely athletic forward can do a little bit of everything on the ice and could potentially compete for an NHL spot in the fall, given the departures that may be on the horizon for Columbus.
Amazingly, Foudy will actually not be allowed to play in the AHL for the 2019-20 season as he won’t turn 20 until February 2020. That means he either has to make the Columbus roster or head back to London, in a league that he likely would dominate. It will be interesting to see what the Blue Jackets decide, as some organizations want their young prospects to get to that dominant level before moving on, while others like the rapidly challenge them during their developmental years.
Ian Mitchell Will Return To College For Junior Season
The Chicago Blackhawks won’t get to sign one of their top prospects just yet, as Ian Mitchell has informed the University of Denver that he will be back for his junior season. Mitchell explained his decision:
In the past few days since our season ended, I have had the chance to reflect on the year and the season our team had. It became clear to me during that time that I did not feel ready mentally or physically to leave Denver. I believe this is the best place for me to become a better hockey player and as a team we have an opportunity to do something very special next year. I would like to thank the Chicago Blackhawks organization for being so supportive and respectful of my decision to remain in school and continue my development. I am looking forward to next season.
Chicago will get another chance to sign Mitchell next spring, and he is not scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent until the summer of 2021. Though his decision today may worry Blackhawks fans that he will go that route and try to hit the open market after four years in college, he told Scott Powers of The Athletic (subscription required) that the plan is still to sign with Chicago down the road:
I really want to stress that I want to play for the Blackhawks, and by no way is this is my intention to go through that free agency loophole. They put a lot of faith in me and developed me a ton, the Blackhawks have. I want to honor that, and it’s a fantastic organization and I want to play for them for a long time.
While reassuring, it still means the team will not be able to directly control his development next season or have him at their disposal. The Blackhawks turned things around somewhat in the second half of the season and showed that they might be able to contend for a playoff spot in 2019-20, but will need some of their young defensemen to take big steps forward and contribute even more than they have. Mitchell may or may not have not been able to do that in the NHL right away, but he certainly won’t now—at least during the regular season.
The 20-year old defenseman will instead try to dominate the college ranks and take Denver back to another Frozen Four appearance. In 39 games this season he recorded 27 points, but could improve on that next year and even potentially contend for the Hobey Baker. He was a nominee this season but failed to make the final ten names, as the award eventually went to Cale Makar.
Carolina Hurricanes Sign Jacob Pritchard
Wednesday: The Hurricanes have officially announced the contract, noting that it will begin in the 2019-20 season and pay Pritchard $750K at the NHL level. GM Don Waddell released a short statement about his newest player:
Jacob had a very productive year playing for one of the top teams in college hockey at UMass. He was highly effective on the power play this season and we’re excited to see what he can do at the professional level.
Tuesday: Cale Makar drew a lot of the attention for the University of Massachusetts this season, and deservedly so, as the Hobey Baker winner proved last night that he is a truly elite player ready to make an immediate difference at the NHL level. However, he was not the only difference-maker on a Minutemen squad that made their first ever National Championship Game appearance this past weekend. Now, another key player is being recognized for his pro potential. According to UMass head coach Greg Carvel, graduate forward Jacob Pritchard has signed an entry-level contract with the Carolina Hurricanes.
While the Hurricanes have yet to officially announce the deal, Carvel is the most trusted source there is when it comes to Pritchard. The two share a close bond, as it was Carvel who originally recruited Pritchard to St. Lawrence University and coached him through his first year of college hockey. After Carvel left for Amherst, Pritchard played two more years for St. Lawrence before transferring to UMass to again play for his old coach. And it was this season with the Minutemen that he truly broke out and showed NHL upside. Pritchard recorded 47 points in 41 games while skating on UMass’ top line with All-American Mitchell Chaffee. While Chaffee and Makar received more accolades, Pritchard quietly finished tied for fifth in the NCAA in scoring, just two points behind Makar and five points ahead of Chaffee. He also tied for fourth overall in college hockey in assists.
Pritchard, 24, is only able to sign a one-year entry-level deal. Unlike Makar, it seems highly unlikely that the Hurricanes will rush to play their new addition in the postseason, meaning the team will get to take next season to evaluate the mature prospect before deciding what his next contract will look like. In the meantime, expect Pritchard to join the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers on an amateur tryout basis to continue his season in the minor league playoffs. In Pritchard, Carolina is getting a smart, creative offensive player. The left winger has strong offensive instincts, developed over time with the U.S. National Team Development Programs, two junior leagues, and two college programs. While his game is in his puck possession in open space and quick decision-making to set up goals, he can also attack the net and notched 16 goals for UMass this year. With an experienced game and versatile skill set, Pritchard should be able to adapt well to the pro game. The only question left is whether this late bloomer can continue to grow his game to the point that he can make an impact in the NHL. For that, he picked the right place, as Charlotte has had great success under head coach and assistant GM Mike Vellucci and the Hurricanes have reaped the benefits of well-prepared prospects. This bodes well for Pritchard at the next level.
Fortunately for UMass fans, this was an expected departure and will likely be the last core player to leave this off-season. Although Chaffee had a great season, he is an undrafted prospect and only a sophomore and it would be a surprise to see him turn pro. San Jose Sharks draft picks Mario Ferraro and John Leonard are also sophomores are there has been little talk of either signing this summer. A pair of standout freshmen, defenseman Marc Del Gaizo and goalie Filip Lindberg, stand a decent chance of being selected in June in their second time through the NHL Draft, but neither one would then turn pro immediately. The losses of Makar and Pritchard will certainly be felt, but otherwise the team will return the bulk of their lineup next season, plus top recruit and presumptive mid-round draft pick Zachary Jones. The ride is not over in Amherst.
Snapshots: Makar, Minnesota, Turcotte
Cale Makar scored his first NHL goal in his first NHL game last night for the Colorado Avalanche, with it eventually becoming the game-winning tally in a 6-2 victory. While the fans in Colorado may feel like giving him the Conn Smythe already, the accountants of the team may have something to say about that. CapFriendly tweets out the interesting performance bonus structure of Makar’s deal, which includes a $25,000 bonus for playing in five playoff games, a $107,500 bonus for playing in his tenth playoff game, and a $787,500 bonus for winning the Conn Smythe as playoff MVP.
Obviously Makar winning a trophy like that is incredibly far-fetched, but it does just add another layer to his outstanding debut. The young defenseman is expected to take on a substantial role with the team next season and doesn’t seem to be afraid of anything. Nathan MacKinnon even told reporters today (video via Altitude Sports Radio) that the 20-year old was calling for the puck on the play that resulted in his first career goal.
- The Minnesota Wild have announced a new 10-year extension on their lease of the Xcel Energy Center, which will now extend through 2035. The team did not find much success on the ice this season, but is still a thriving organization in one of the best hockey markets in the world and will now have some extra stability moving forward. The arena opened back in 2000 when NHL hockey returned to Minnesota in the form of the expansion Wild, and has housed them ever since.
- Alex Turcotte has been added to Team USA for the upcoming U18 World Championship, set to kick off later this week in Sweden. The 18-year old forward is expected to be a top draft selection this June, ranking fourth on the final Central Scouting rankings among North American players. Turcotte was dealing with an injury recently but looks like he’ll be able to take part in the tournament that is often a final showcase for draft-eligible prospects.
NHL Central Scouting Releases Final 2019 Rankings
The NHL Central Scouting has released their final rankings for the 2018 Entry Draft, listing the best prospects in both North America and the rest of the world. Though Jack Hughes is still expected to be taken with the first-overall pick, Kaapo Kakko is giving him a run for the top spot while the rest of the top ten is anyone’s guess.
At this year’s Draft Lottery, the New Jersey Devils, New York Rangers and Chicago Blackhawks were able to secure the top three selections. The full draft order can be found here. These scouting lists will help to inform who your team might have a chance at, though obviously anything can happen. The top-5 North American and International skaters are listed below:
North America:
- Jack Hughes, USA U-18, NTDP
- Bowen Byram, Vancouver Giants, WHL
- Kirby Dach, Saskatoon Blades, WHL
- Alex Turcotte, USA U-18, NTDP
- Dylan Cozens, Lethbridge Hurricanes, WHL
International:
- Kaapo Kakko, TPS, Finland
- Vasily Podkolzin, Neva St. Petersurg, Russia
- Victor Soderstrom, Brynas, Sweden
- Ville Heinola, Lukko, Finland
- Philip Broberg, AIK, Sweden
While Hughes and Kakko leading their respective lists doesn’t come as much of a surprise, there are some interesting other rankings to be found. Byram’s rise to the second spot for North America is sure to draw plenty of attention, as he passes over his WHL rivals in Dach and Cozens from the midterm ranking. Byram has had an incredible season for the Giants with 71 points in 67 games and offers real first-pairing NHL upside. Arguably the best defenseman available in the class, he won’t have to wait long to hear his name on draft day.
Not to be outdone, undersized defenseman Heinola jumps up several spots from the midterm after a similarly excellent season in Finland. Though the doesn’t have the eye-popping point totals that Byram does—Heinola scored 14 points in 34 games—the fact that he recorded a regular shift in a professional league is impressive enough. Add that to a World Junior gold medal and things have gone quite well for the left-handed defenseman this season. He could potentially be the second defenseman off the board if his stock keeps rising.
Central Scouting also released their rankings for the top goaltenders, but there is no doubt that Spencer Knight leads the way at the position. The USNTDP netminder has a chance to be one of the highest selected goaltenders in several years, and should go at some point in the middle of the first round.
Prospect Notes: Ginning, Luukkonen, Michaud
The Philadelphia Flyers have had a near-annual influx of talented young defensemen join the team over the last few years, but they’ll have to wait a little bit longer for one of their next promising blue liners to make the jump. Adam Ginning, the Flyers’ 2018 second-round pick, has re-signed with his Swedish Hockey League club for another year. Linkoping HC announced today that Ginning had inked a one-year contract extension to stay with the organization that has groomed him since he was 13 years old. Now 19, Ginning just finished his first full season in the SHL and did not look out of place playing against older and more experienced competition. At 6’4″ and 205 lbs., Ginning plays a physical and technically sound defensive game and projects to be a shutdown defender in the NHL one day. Some more time in the SHL certainly won’t hurt his development, but Philadelphia is definitely hopeful that he will join the system sooner rather than later to begin working with their coaches and adjusting to the North American style of play.
- The Buffalo Sabres will get a closer look at one of their top prospects ahead of schedule, as goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has joined the AHL’s Rochester Americans on an amateur tryout basis, the team announced. Luukkonen is likely to make his North American pro debut in the near future to cap off what has been a big season for the talented netminder. Luukkonen, a second-round pick of the Sabres in 2017, made the jump overseas this year to play for the OHL’s Sudbury Wolves and made an immediate impact. The 6’5″ keeper was a brick wall in net, leading the league in wins and shutouts and finishing in the top three in save percentage and goals against average. Luukkonen was arguably the best goalie in the OHL this year, but that wasn’t even the highlight of the campaign. Luukkonen also led Finland to a gold medal finish at the World Junior Championships earlier this year, posting a .932 save percentage and 1.80 GAA along the way. The Sabres hope that the next stop on Luukkonen’s path of dominance is the AHL and soon after the NHL.
- One name that won’t be playing in the pros, in North America or Europe, for at least another year is NCAA forward Westin Michaud. Michaud, 23, just wrapped up his senior season at Colorado College, in which he finished second on the team with 30 points in 41 games. Competing in the ultra-competitive National Collegiate Hockey Conference against several elite programs, Michaud still managed to take major steps forward in each of the past three seasons and at least one rival school took notice. With a year of NCAA eligibility remaining after sitting as a freshman, Michaud has decided to spurn pro offers for now and leave Colorado College behind him to transfer to the University of North Dakota for a graduate year with the national powerhouse. The experienced center will likely slot into a top-six position with North Dakota and could be in for yet another jump in production. Joining an already-strong roster that also has an impressive recruiting class incoming, Michaud makes the Fighting Hawks a dangerous contender next season.
Rosters Announced For U18 World Championship
The rosters for both Team USA and Team Canada have been released for the upcoming U18 World Championship, and they include some top prospects set to be drafted this summer. Jack Hughes is the obvious name to watch on the American squad, but several of his teammates from the USNTDP are also sure to turn heads. The full U.S. roster is as follows:
G Spencer Knight
G Cameron Rowe
D Domenick Fensore
D Drew Helleson
D Case McCarthy
D Henry Thun
D Alex Vlasic
D Marshall Warren
D Cam York
F John Beecher
F Matthew Beniers
F Matthew Boldy
F Cole Caufield
F Judd Caulfield
F Sean Farrell
F Michael Gildon
F Jack Hughes
F Owen Lindmark
F Patrick Moynihan
F Landon Slaggert
F Trevor Zegras
Several other players including Zegras, Caufield, Knight and York are all considered potential first-round selections, making this U18 squad a powerhouse in the upcoming tournament. The team will be looking for their 11th gold medal in the event, the most by any country. John Wroblewski will be the head coach.
Meanwhile, Canada is also putting together an impressive group of prospects but unfortunately will not have potential first-overall pick Alexis Lafreniere available. That’s because Lafreniere is still in the QMJHL playoffs with Rimouski and could go all the way to a Memorial Cup. Instead the focus will be on potential top-five pick Dylan Cozens and several other 2019 draft-eligibles. The full pre-competition roster is as follows:
G Taylor Gauthier
G Dylan Garand
G Jonathan Lemieux
D Braden Schneider
D Kaedan Korczak
D Thomas Harley
D Michael Vukojevic
D Jamie Drysdale
D Lukas Cormier
D Daemon Hunt
F Brayden Tracey
F Keean Washkurak
F Nathan Legare
F Mavrik Bourque
F Jamieson Rees
F Alex Newhook
F Ryan Suzuki
F Dylan Cozens
F Connor Zary
F Peyton Krebs
F Hendrix Lapierre
F Jean-Luc Foudy
F Jacob Perreault
The Canadian team does not appear on paper to be as dominant as their American counterparts, but anything can happen in a short tournament. The group will be coached by Brett Gibson, and could invite more players from the CHL as teams are eliminated.
The tournament begins on April 18th in Sweden.
AHL Announces 2018-2019 First, Second All-Star Teams
After announcing their All-Rookie team earlier this week, the AHL have now given us their choices for the first and second All-Star Teams for 2018-19. These players were voted in by coaches, players and media all across the league. This is not the same as the rosters for the All-Star Game, instead these are the top players at each position for the entire season.
First All-Star Team:
Goaltender: Alex Nedeljkovic, Charlotte Checkers (Carolina Hurricanes)
Defenseman: John Gilmour, Hartford Wolf Pack (New York Rangers)
Defenseman: Zach Redmond, Rochester Americans (Buffalo Sabres)
Left Wing: Daniel Carr, Chicago Wolves (Vegas Golden Knights)
Center: Carter Verhaeghe, Syracuse Crunch (Tampa Bay Lightning)
Right Wing: Jeremy Bracco, Toronto Marlies (Toronto Maple Leafs)
Second All-Star Team:
Goaltender: Shane Starrett, Bakersfield Condors (Edmonton Oilers)*
Defenseman: Aaron Ness, Hershey Bears (Washington Capitals)
Defenseman: Ethan Prow, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (Pittsburgh Penguins)
Left Wing: Tyler Benson, Bakersfield Condors (Edmonton Oilers)*
Center: Chris Mueller, Toronto Marlies (Toronto Maple Leafs)
Right Wing: Andrew Poturalski, Charlotte Checkers (Carolina Hurricanes)
*Also named to All-Rookie Team
Just like last season when Sami Niku and Mason Appleton made both the All-Rookie and All-Star rosters, Starrett and Benson will draw quite a bit of praise for their outstanding years. The fact that Starrett is having this much success even as an undrafted goaltender is all the more impressive, while Benson certainly delivered on his 32nd-overall selection in his first year of professional hockey.
Talented minor league wingers seem to grow on trees in Toronto, as the team once again has a player with several league accolades. Bracco is currently leading the AHL in scoring with 78 points heading into the last few games of the season, and is a good bet to challenge for a roster spot with the Maple Leafs in the future. So too will Nedeljkovic, who will likely be pushing for a full-time role with the Hurricanes pretty soon.
109 Players Invited To 2019 NHL Scouting Combine
The NHL has invited the top 109 draft-eligible players to the 2019 Scouting Combine which will once again be held in Buffalo. Fitness testing will start on June 1st, where players from all over the world will compete to show their athletic ability and bump up their draft stock at least a few positions. The league will also be releasing their final draft rankings on Monday, April 15.
While the Scouting Combine can’t make a player a star, it can certainly shine a light on some physical attributes that may have been overlooked throughout his minor and junior hockey career. Last year saw Liam Foudy explode onto the scene with outstanding performances in nearly every event, which likely helped the Columbus Blue Jackets feel confident selecting him 18th overall in the following draft. Foudy has taken another step in his development with the London Knights, scoring 36 goals and 68 points in 62 games while helping the team to the brink of the OHL Conference Final.
For players like Jack Hughes and Kaapo Kakko, the presumptive top two selections in this year’s draft, the combine doesn’t mean a whole lot. A poor showing in some of the events wouldn’t remove them from consideration at the top of the draft, and a good one would only be expected at this point. For players a little further down the draft board it can be another important showcase.
The Athletic recently released a mock draft of the top-15 selections (subscription required), and there are several players on the list that are worth watching if they end up attending the event. Of course many eyes will be on the smaller players in the draft like Cole Caufield, who was mocked to the Philadelphia Flyers with the 11th pick. The USNTDP forward measures in at just 5’7″ 157-lbs, but is an incredible offensive player that could perhaps make an impact at the NHL level anyway. There are also beefy defensemen like Philip Broberg, who already weighs in at over 200-lbs and stands 6’3″. The Swedish defenseman is an excellent skater, and good performances in the mobility events might just make him even more appealing to NHL scouts.
It’s also of course a chance for teams to meet face to face with some of these players, and get a read on what drives them to be professional athletes. The interview process is one that has changed the course of many drafts in the past, and will continue to do so even as scouting techniques refine in the future.