Ottawa Senators Sign Philippe Daoust
6:43 pm: Daoust’s three-year entry-level contract carries a $821,667 cap hit, per CapFriendly. Each year, he’ll see a $55,000 signing bonus, with a $750,000 base salary in 2022-23 and a $775,000 base salary in 2023-24 and 2024-25.
1:08 pm: The Ottawa Senators have signed prospect Philippe Daoust to a three-year entry-level contract that will start in 2022-23. The QMJHL forward currently plays with the Saint John Sea Dogs, where he will remain for the rest of this season. Senators general manager Pierre Dorion released a statement:
We’ve been very pleased with Philippe’s progress. He’s a highly skilled forward who displays good offensive instincts and creativity. With Saint John serving as Memorial Cup host this spring, we expect him to play an important role throughout the Sea Dogs’ post-season.
Daoust, 20, actually started this year with the Belleville Senators, playing 15 games at the AHL level before a trade brought his junior rights from the Moncton Wildcats to the Memorial Cup host Sea Dogs. In the 17 games he’s played since returning, Daoust has 11 goals and 22 points.
It’s an extremely uncommon path for a sixth-round pick, especially one that went completely undrafted in his first year of eligibility. But Daoust is an uncommon prospect, with even his junior career taking winding a very unusual road. From Barrie, Ontario, the young forward was completely passed over in the OHL draft and ended up playing in the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League for 2018-19. That earned some interest, which took him away from the OHL and into the QMJHL, where he signed with Moncton.
As fate would have it, that decision would end up being a very good one for Daoust, who instead of missing an entire development season like the other OHL prospects in 2020-21, was able to play in 21 games with Moncton and show his game had reached an entirely different level. Overlooked for years, Daoust now has an NHL contract in hand and a future in the Senators organization.
Dallas Stars Sign Remi Poirier
The Dallas Stars have added a little more goaltending depth to the system, signing Remi Poirier to a three-year, entry-level contract. The young goaltender was a sixth-round pick of the team in 2020 and currently plays for the Gatineau Olympiques of the QMJHL, where he will remain for the rest of the season.
It’s not always so easy to stock a prospect pipeline with goaltending talent, but the Stars appear to be set for the immediate future. Jake Oettinger is already showing he’s ready for the starting gig at age-23, Adam Scheel is making the transition from the college ranks nicely, and now Poirier–selected 185th overall–is a front-runner for the QMJHL goaltender of the year award.
In 29 appearances, Poirier leads all qualified netminders with a .919 save percentage and 2.24 goals-against-average while sitting third in wins with 17. The 6’2″ goaltender has been on a steady development path since entering the CHL in 2018, posting better and better numbers each season. If that kind of progression can continue, he could very well be challenging for the starting role with the Texas Stars as soon as next season.
That’s when his contract will kick in, meaning he’s now signed through 2024-25 on his entry-level deal.
Tampa Bay Lightning Sign Bennett MacArthur
Stop if you’ve heard this one before: the Tampa Bay Lightning have signed an undrafted forward out of the QMJHL. Bennett MacArthur has signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Lightning that will begin in the 2022-23 season. He’ll continue to play with the Acadie-Bathurst Titan for the rest of this year. PuckPedia reports that the contract will carry an NHL cap hit of $859K.
MacArthur, 21, has put up huge numbers this season, scoring at nearly a goal-per-game pace. Twenty-five goals and 43 points in 26 games has earned him an NHL contract, and with a team that is famous for turning undrafted talent into legitimate contributors.
Yanni Gourde and Alex Barre-Boulet are recent examples of high-scoring QMJHL talent that went overlooked in the draft, but have made their way to the NHL in some capacity. MacArthur will try to follow those footsteps in an organization that has been the gold standard for development for the last several years.
The young forward attended development camp with the Arizona Coyotes last year and “learned a lot” about how to take care of his body and act like a professional. It appears to have paid off, as his outstanding season has landed him an NHL deal.
Morning Notes: Rangers, Memorial Cup, Cozens
Montreal Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes was clear today that he’s open for business and just before he spoke to the media, Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic tweeted out an interesting thought. LeBrun connected the Canadiens with the New York Rangers, suggesting that Montreal “covets” some Rangers prospects and would rather add those than more draft picks.
It’s easy to understand why the Montreal front office could be interested in some of New York’s prospects, given Jeff Gorton was the one who drafted or acquired most of them, before being dismissed a little under a year ago. The Canadiens are also in discussions with former Rangers director of European scouting Nick Bobrov, according to Eric Engels of Sportsnet, who would also have familiarity with many of the team’s young players.
- The Memorial Cup has new dates after disruptions to the league schedules forced it to be pushed back. The event, which pits the OHL, WHL, and QMJHL champions and a host team against each other, will be held between June 20-29 this year. The Saint John Seadogs will be the host, and will open things up with a game against the OHL champion on the first day. Notably, this will likely be the last big scouting event before the 2022 NHL Draft, which is scheduled for July 7 in Montreal.
- Dylan Cozens has escaped a suspension but owes the league $2,235.42 for his cross-check on Brock Nelson last night. The young Buffalo Sabres forward will now have a fine on his supplementary discipline record, meaning any future incidents will be looked at with even more scrutiny. Cozens followed Nelson up the ice to deliver the cross-check from behind after it appeared as though the Islanders’ player got his stick between Cozens’ legs and earned a two-minute minor on the play.
2022 CHL Top Prospect Game Roster Announced
On March 23 in Kitchener, Ontario, the 40 best draft-eligible prospects from the CHL will take part in one of the most intriguing scouting events of the season. The 2022 CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game is a place where the best-on-best battle for attention in front of scouts from every team in the league, trying to show exactly what kind of player they can be when the competition increases.
It’s not often you get to see players from the OHL, WHL, and QMJHL all compete with and against each other. Shane Wright, who has long been expected to go first overall in this summer’s draft–though that opinion has been questioned of late–will be there, along with other players competing for top spots like Matthew Savoie and Conor Geekie.
The full roster of talent is below, while teams will be announced at a later date:
G Mason Beaupit
G Tyler Brennan
G Reid Dyck
G Ivan Zhigalov
D Michael Buchinger
D Jorian Donovan
D Isaiah George
D Kevin Korchinski
D Maveric Lamoureux
D Mats Lindgren
D Tristian Luneau
D Ty Nelson
D Denton Mateychuk
D Pavel Mintyukov
D Owen Pickering
D Noah Warren
F Maxim Barbashev
F Owen Beck
F Luca Del Bel Belluz
F Josh Filmon
F Jagger Firkus
F Nathan Gaucher
F Ruslan Gazizov
F Conor Geekie
F David Goyette
F Jordan Gustafson
F Hunter Haight
F Jake Karabela
F Paul Ludwinski
F Bryce McConnell-Barker
F Fraser Minten
F Matthew Poitras
F Vinzenz Rohrer
F Matyas Sapovaliv
F Matthew Savoie
F Reid Schaefer
F Matthew Seminoff
F Antonin Verreault
F Shane Wright
F Danny Zhilkin
Senators Place Stutzle In Protocol, Send Daoust To QMJHL
The Ottawa Senators have announced a pair of very different transactions for two of their young players. Tim Stutzle has been placed in the COVID protocol, likely ruling him out for the team’s return to action on Thursday. Stutzle joins Anton Forsberg in the protocol and leaves just Brady Tkachuk and Artem Zub as the regular Senators that haven’t been in the protocol this season.
Still just 19, Stutzle has 15 points in 29 games this season and 44 in 82 career matches. That’s an impressive start for the 2020 third overall pick, but it still hasn’t resulted in much success for the team overall. Ottawa is just 9-18-2 on the season despite general manager Pierre Dorion suggesting in the offseason that the rebuild is over. The team hasn’t played since January 1 thanks to COVID concerns and attendance restrictions but will be back in action on Thursday against the Calgary Flames.
While Stutzle has an isolation period to look forward to, a future teammate is looking at a much more exciting prize. The Senators have loaned Philippe Daoust to the Saint John Seadogs of the QMJHL where he will chase a Memorial Cup after starting the year with the Belleville Senators. The 20-year-old forward has five points in 15 games with Belleville this season, but after the Sea Dogs acquired his rights a few days ago it was clear that he would be heading back to junior hockey to finish the year.
Daoust, selected 158th overall in 2020, was outstanding for the Moncton Wildcats in the shortened 2020-21 season, scoring 28 points in 21 games. The Sea Dogs acquired him as part of a ten-piece trade last week as they load up for a championship run. The 2022 Memorial Cup is set to be held in Saint John, meaning the host club will get an automatic entry.
Not yet signed to his entry-level contract, Daoust was playing for Belleville on an AHL deal and will still be in line for a three-year NHL deal whenever he does sign with Ottawa.
Snapshots: QMJHL, Balcers, Niemela, Highmore
The QMJHL announced that they have extended their holiday break through to January 14th with the season set to restart no earlier than January 17th. With most teams not permitted to have any fans plus an increase in positive COVID tests, the move doesn’t come as much of a surprise. With several games in the OHL and WHL being postponed as well plus more restrictions on attendance in recent days, it wouldn’t be surprising to see those major junior leagues hit the pause button on their seasons as well.
Elsewhere around the hockey world:
- The Sharks are hoping to have winger Rudolfs Balcers back in the lineup on Sunday against Pittsburgh, relays Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News. The 24-year-old has missed the last three weeks due to a lower-body injury after getting off to a decent start with 10 points in 24 games (a career high in points per game) while also averaging nearly 16 minutes a game, a mark that would also be a career best if maintained.
- While it was a disappointing day for players at the World Juniors following their cancellation yesterday, there was a silver lining for Finnish defenseman Topi Niemela. Karpat of the SM-liiga announced that the Maple Leafs prospect has signed a one-year extension through the end of next season, meaning his arrival in North America will have to wait. The 2020 third-rounder (64th overall) leads all Liiga blueliners in scoring with 24 points in 31 games this season.
- The Canucks announced (Twitter link) that they have activated winger Matthew Highmore off long-term injured reserve. The 25-year-old had missed the last 23 games due to an upper-body injury. Highmore had two assists in eight games before being injured and is in his first full season with Vancouver after they acquired him back at the trade deadline in April.
Vegas Golden Knights Sign Zach Dean
The Vegas Golden Knights have signed one of their 2021 draft picks, inking Zach Dean to a three-year entry-level contract. Dean currently plays for the Gatineau Olympiques of the QMJHL, where he will remain this season.
Selected 30th overall in the most recent draft, the 18-year-old forward has actually only played seven games for Gatineau so far after suffering an injury in Golden Knights camp. He’s been outstanding in those games though, racking up nine points and 21 shots on goal. He’s also been playing center, despite sometimes being listed as a winger, an important distinction for the young prospect.
Signing his entry-level deal means he’s part of the Golden Knights family, but it doesn’t mean he’ll be in the NHL anytime soon. His contract will slide forward and it’s likely that Dean stays in junior for the 2022-23 season as well. Recently invited to Canada’s World Junior selection camp, if he doesn’t make the squad this year he’ll be a leading candidate for an impact role a year from now.
Yan Kuznetsov Loaned To CHL
It’s not that often that you see a player go from the NCAA to the AHL to the CHL, but that’s exactly what’s about to happen for Yan Kuznetsov. The Calgary Flames prospect has been loaned to the Saint John Seadogs of the QMJHL after 12 games with the Stockton Heat this season.
Kuznetsov, 19, was the 50th overall pick in the 2020 draft after his freshman year at the University of Connecticut, and he returned in 2020-21 for his sophomore season. After the college campaign ended, he signed his entry-level deal with the Flames and suited up six times down the stretch for Stockton. The 6’4″ defenseman has failed to register a single point in 18 games for the Heat overall and will now get to test himself at the junior level, something that will only help develop his overall game.
Notably, he’ll be available for Russia at the World Juniors again, which would be his second time at the tournament, and also will likely play in the Memorial Cup given it is set to be hosted in Saint John this season. A trade could potentially change that obviously, but Kuznetsov will spend the rest of the year in the CHL competing against players his age.
Selected 22nd overall in the 2021 CHL Import Draft, this was always a possibility for the big defenseman. Saint John picked him after he already made his AHL debut, meaning they had an inkling he could end up back in junior at some point. He’s joining a team that is currently 12-8-3 on the year and in eighth place in the QMJHL standings, but still has big expectations. He’s also going to be joining fellow Calgary draft picks Jeremie Poirier and Ryan Francis, the latter of whom also made his AHL debut with the Heat last season before he returned to Saint John.
Hendrix Lapierre Returned To Junior
After six games with the NHL club, Hendrix Lapierre is headed back to junior. The Washington Capitals have assigned the young prospect to the Acadie-Bathurst Titan of the QMJHL where he will play the rest of the season. Lapierre was not eligible for the AHL. Because he played less than ten games with the Capitals, he will not burn the first year of his entry-level contract.
Still just 19, Lapierre scored the first goal of his NHL career during his time in Washington and will likely be back with the Capitals next season. For now, he will be able to return to a league that he actually hasn’t played a ton in, due to injury or shortened seasons. Over three years, Lapierre has suited up just 101 times in the Q, all of them coming for the Chicoutimi Sagueneens. Earlier this summer, Chicoutimi traded him to Acadie-Bathurst, where he’ll now report.
An extremely talented forward, there had been health concerns with Lapierre stemming back to a series of concussions suffered in junior. At least some of those concussions were later diagnosed as a neck issue, and it was the Capitals who ended up taking a risk by selecting him 22nd overall in 2020. That seems to have immediately paid off, with Lapierre making the club out of camp and impressing along the way, though the team will obviously have to closely monitor his health moving forward.
Back in junior, not only should Lapierre dominate the QMJHL, but he’ll also be a top candidate for the Canadian World Junior team. As a 19-year-old who turns 20 in February, this is his last chance to play in the event.