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Snapshots: Domi, Kraken Prospects, Vrana, Wotherspoon

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As soon as Max Domi signed with Chicago just minutes into free agency last summer, the expectation was that he’d be traded at the deadline when there wasn’t much money left on his one-year, $3MM contract.  However, in a recent 32 Thoughts appearance, Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek reports (video link) that it’s not a guarantee that Domi moves.  He’s enjoying a nice bounce-back year with the Blackhawks, collecting 11 goals and 13 assists in 36 games so far, good for second on the team in scoring.  He’s also winning draws at a career-best clip of 56.3%.  If he’s happy in his role and having some success, it may make more sense for Chicago to try to extend the 27-year-old.  That’s a discussion GM Kyle Davidson is expected to have with Domi’s representation in the coming weeks.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

  • A pair of Kraken prospects are on the move in the CHL. OHL London announced that they’ve acquired forward Ryan Winterton from Hamilton as part of a four-player trade.  The 19-year-old was a third-round pick (67th overall) in 2021 and has 46 points in 37 games so far this season.  Meanwhile, Sherbrooke of the QMJHL announced the acquisition of winger Jacob Melanson from Acadie-Bathurst.  The 19-year-old has 25 goals in just 27 games this season.  Both prospects have already signed their entry-level contracts with Seattle.
  • The Red Wings will extend Jakub Vrana’s conditioning stint by three more games, relays MLive’s Ansar Khan (Twitter link). The 26-year-old has already played in three games and was held off the scoresheet and the team feels he could benefit from a longer stretch in the minors.  This is the only extension that Detroit can give Vrana; he’ll have to be recalled once these three games are up.
  • The Devils announced (Twitter link) that they’ve assigned defenseman Tyler Wotherspoon to AHL Utica. He was recalled last week for his second stint with the big club this season but didn’t get into a game with New Jersey; his last NHL appearance came back in January 2017.  So far this season, the 29-year-old has two goals and seven assists in 23 games with the Comets.

Atlantic Notes: DeBrincat, MacDonald, Kapanen

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Senators winger Alex DeBrincat has had a very strong month of December with 18 points in 13 games heading into today’s action.  When they acquired him at the draft, he was viewed as someone that they likely felt was a long-term piece of the puzzle.  However, Postmedia’s Ken Warren suggests a long-term agreement for the pending RFA might not be a slam dunk.  With the ownership situation not settled, do the Sens have a firm commitment that they’ll be able to spend right to the Upper Limit next season?  With the team struggling, do they want GM Pierre Dorion working out another long-term contract for a forward, one that would limit their flexibility?  A new deal for the 25-year-old probably pushes Ottawa into a situation where their top six forwards will account for more than 50% of the cap next season.  Would they be better off spending that money to upgrade the back end for a more well-rounded roster?

Accordingly, Warren wonders if there’s a scenario in which Ottawa trades DeBrincat at the trade deadline.  If they’re out of the mix and DeBrincat isn’t overly open to a long-term agreement, it’s possible that the smarter long-term play would be to move him.  It’d be a notable step back for the Senators at least in the short term but if they’re still out of the playoff picture in a couple of months, it’s one that might get considered if there’s no extension in place by then.

More from the Atlantic:

  • Lightning prospect Cameron MacDonald is on the move in the QMJHL as Saint John announced that they’ve moved the forward to Gatineau for a pair of draft picks. The 19-year-old was a fifth-round pick by Tampa Bay back in 2021 (160th overall) and is averaging more than a point per game this season with 16 goals and 13 assists in 27 contests.  In order for the Lightning to retain his NHL rights, they’ll have to sign MacDonald by June 1st and how he fares down the stretch with the Olympiques will go a long way toward determining if he’s worthy of an entry-level deal.
  • Canadiens prospect Oliver Kapanen has signed a one-year extension with KalPa through the 2023-24 season, the Finnish team announced. The 19-year-old was a second-round pick by Montreal in 2021 (64th overall) and has seven goals and seven assists in 32 SM-liiga games this season.  He’s currently playing for Finland at the World Juniors where he has two points in three games so far.

Minor Transactions: 12/30/22

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The NHL is getting back into the swing of things as the holiday break wraps up and the calendar turns to 2023. It also means that activity is heating up at minor and junior levels of the sport, especially as some teams keep their eyes locked on the ongoing World Junior Championships. We’ll keep track of today’s minor transactions right here.

  • The Pittsburgh Penguins reassigned prospect Jordan Frasca to the ECHL’s Wheeling Nailers today. He was up in the AHL with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, where he’s yet to record a point in three games. Frasca signed with the Penguins as an undrafted free agent earlier this year after a 42-goal, 87-point season with the OHL’s Kingston Frontenacs last year.
  • Arizona Coyotes prospect Manix Landry was dealt in the QMJHL today, with the Gatineau Olympiques dealing him to the Drummondville Voltigeurs in exchange for a second-round pick in the 2024 QMJHL draft. Landry, Gatineau’s captain, has been injured since the second game of the season.
  • NHL veteran defenseman Matt Bartkowski has found a permanent home for the rest of the 2022-23 season. The AHL’s Rochester Americans converted his PTO into a full AHL contract for the remainder of the season today. He’d played 20 games for Rochester this year, where he has five points.

Central Notes: Jets, Middleton, Langlois

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The Jets have been banged up this season and there isn’t much short-term help on the horizon.  Sportsnet’s Ken Wiebe relays (Twitter link) that center Saku Maenalanen is the closest to returning and is about a week away.  The 28-year-old has been a regular in the bottom six for Winnipeg this season, notching four goals and two assists in 25 games but has missed the last three weeks with an upper-body injury.

Next up on the return list is expected to be Cole Perfetti.  The youngster is expected to miss a week to ten days with an upper-body issue.  Perfetti has been one of Winnipeg’s more productive players this season as he’s tied for sixth in team scoring with 20 points in 33 games.  Unfortunately for them, those are the only players that are somewhat close to returning as their other injuries (a list that includes Nikolaj Ehlers, Blake Wheeler, and Nate Schmidt, among others) are at least multiple weeks away from returning.

More from around the Central Division:

  • Wild defenseman Jacob Middleton did not accompany the team on their trip to Winnipeg due to a non-COVID illness, the team announced (Twitter link). The 26-year-old is in his first full season with Minnesota and has shored up their third pairing nicely.  Middleton has six points, 57 blocks, and 48 hits in 33 games this season.  His absence is why the team recalled Andrej Sustr from AHL Iowa earlier today.
  • Coyotes prospect Jeremy Langlois is on the move in the QMJHL as Cape Breton announced (Twitter link) that they’ve moved the defenseman to Quebec for a pair of draft picks. The 19-year-old was a third-round pick this past summer (94th overall) after an impressive season offensively that saw him collect 47 points in 60 games.  His numbers are down slightly this year although he’s still on pace for 40 points.  Langlois has not yet signed his entry-level contract but is eligible to turn pro next season.

Minor Transactions: 12/21/22

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The NHL’s holiday roster freeze is in place, meaning teams are restricted from trading, waiving, loaning, or otherwise moving their players for the next week. However, that roster freeze doesn’t extend to all foreign and minor leagues, meaning there are still some moves from outside the NHL that are worth tracking. We’ll mark those down here.

  • Former San Jose Sharks goalie prospect Alexei Melnichuk signed a one-year, two-way (KHL/VHL) contract with KHL club Avangard Omsk, per a team announcement. Should he get into a game in Omsk, it would be Melnichuk’s third KHL team of the season, having already played for HC Sochi and Traktor Chelyabinsk. Melnichuk, 24, last played in the NHL in 2020-21, getting into three games for the Sharks, and spent time in 2021-22 with the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda and ECHL’s Orlando Solar Bears.
  • Minor league defenseman Nick Albano has left the Belleville Senators to sign a one-year contract with Vasteras IK, a club in HockeyAllsvenskan, the second tier of Swedish hockey. Albano, 26, is an undrafted product out of UMass Boston that has played the last two seasons as an AHL/ECHL journeyman with five different teams.
  • William Rapuzzi, an accomplished veteran scorer of the European pro hockey circuit, has switched clubs. The 32-year-old Alaska native is departing HC Slovan Bratislava, where he has played just three games in the last four months, to sign with EHC Olten in the Swiss League, the second tier of pro hockey in Switzerland. The signing is a major coup for Olten, the current league leaders, as Rapuzzi scored a whopping 55 points in just 38 games the last time he played in the Swiss League.
  • The QMJHL’s Halifax Mooseheads have made a major trade, acquiring Alexandre Doucet from the Val d’Or Foreurs. Doucet is the league’s second-highest scorer, his 53 points in 37 games behind only Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Jordan Dumais and his 61 points in 28 games. The move helps Halifax, who are currently third in the QMJHL standings, compete this year, while the tenth-place Foreurs add some draft picks.

This page may be updated throughout the day.

Metropolitan Notes: Backstrom, Andersen, Robidas

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Capitals center Nicklas Backstrom took another important step back towards returning as NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti reports (Twitter link) that the veteran was in a regular sweater at their morning skate today which means that he has been cleared for contact.  Backstrom has yet to play this season after undergoing hip surgery back in June, one that had his availability to play in 2022-23 in question.  However, the fact he’s participating in full in team skates suggests that the 35-year-old should be able to return in the somewhat near future.  With the holiday break coming next week, it’s likely that Washington will wait to activate him until after that time but it appears that the Caps will have a key player back in the second half of the season.

The Capitals will need to create salary cap space to activate Backstrom once he’s ready but it’s worth noting that Tom Wilson, who has yet to play this year after undergoing knee surgery, is not currently on LTIR.  Once Backstrom is ready to return, Washington will move Wilson to LTIR, freeing up a good chunk of the room needed to bring the center back while other roster tweaks will get them into cap compliance.

More from the Metropolitan:

  • While Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen participated in practice yesterday, head coach Rod Brind’Amour told reporters including Cory Lavalette of the North State Journal that the netminder won’t dress for either game this weekend. The veteran has been out for the last six weeks but with Pyotr Kochetkov thriving right now as their interim starter, the team can afford to be patient with Andersen.  However, it’s a contract year for the 33-year-old though so he’s going to want to get back in the lineup sooner than later.  He has a 2.72 GAA with a .891 SV% in eight starts so far this season.
  • Still with the Hurricanes, prospect Justin Robidas is expected to be traded in the QMJHL from Val-d’Or to Quebec when the trade window opens up tomorrow, notes Carl Tardif of Le Soleil. The 19-year-old was a fifth-round pick back in 2021 (147th overall) in 2021 and is tied for 13th in league scoring with 14 goals and 26 assists in 26 games so far.  Carolina has until June 1st of next year to sign him so these next few months with the Remparts will be crucial for Robidas.

Golden Knights Sign Jakub Brabenec To Entry-Level Deal

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The Golden Knights have agreed to terms with one of their prospects, announcing the signing of forward Jakub Brabenec to a three-year, entry-level contract.  Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The 19-year-old was a fourth-round pick by Vegas in 2021 (104th overall) after he was able to hold down a somewhat regular role in the Czech Extraliga which is something that typically isn’t the case for draft-eligible players.  Brabenec was selected in the first round of the CHL Import Draft back in 2020 and the Golden Knights indicated that their preference was for him to play at the major junior level and that is where he has been since then.

Last season, Brabenec was the QMJHL’s Rookie of the Year after leading all first-year players in assists (47) and points (64).  He’s on pace for very similar numbers this season as he leads the Charlottetown Islanders with eight goals and 17 assists in 27 games, a pace of 42 assists and 62 points over a full season.  Vegas had until June 1st to sign Brabenec but clearly felt they didn’t need to wait that long to make a decision.

Officially, the contract begins this season but since Brabenec is already back in junior, he’s not going to be seeing any NHL action in 2022-23.  Accordingly, his deal will be eligible to slide this season and still have three years remaining on it in 2023-24.

Sam Poulin To Take Leave Of Absence

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The Pittsburgh Penguins have announced that prospect Sam Poulin is taking a leave of absence from the organization due to personal reasons, returning home in the meantime. General manager Ron Hextall released the following:

The Penguins support Sam’s decision to take time away from hockey to focus on himself. As with all of our players, our priority is them as individuals first. We look forward to having him back with the team when he is ready.

Poulin, 21, was the 21st overall selection in 2019 and made his NHL debut this season with the Penguins. In three games, he recorded one assist. His production in the minor leagues has been limited, with just four goals and zero assists in 13 games for the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins. This is just his second season of professional hockey after starring for the Sherbrooke Phoenix and Val d’Or Foreurs in the QMJHL.

The Penguins have not explained the reasoning behind the leave, and are not expected to do so. It is not clear when he will be able to return to hockey. While the organization supports his decision, it does leave the club with one fewer depth piece to call upon should injuries occur. Hopefully, Poulin will be able to get back on the ice and continue his career as soon as possible.

Columbus Blue Jackets Sign Jordan Dumais

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Never a bad day when you can sign the CHL scoring leader. The Columbus Blue Jackets have inked Jordan Dumais to a three-year, entry-level contract. The young forward will stay with the Halifax Mooseheads, where he is dominating in his post-draft year.

Dumais, 18, was picked 96th overall in 2022 after an incredible 109-point season (68 games). He went back to the QMJHL this year and picked up right where he left off, and now has 19 goals and 49 points through his first 22 games.

While his size – Dumais stands just 5’9″ – may have kept him from being a top pick in the draft, it’s hard to play much better than the diminutive winger. If he’s going to make it in the NHL, what better organization to do it with than the one that just signed Johnny Gaudreau.

The contract will be registered right away, but Dumais won’t burn the first season this year. It will slide, and could even slide again next season given he won’t turn 19 until April. He joins a loaded prospect group for the Blue Jackets that could quickly lead to some long-term success in Columbus.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Hockey Canada Names Coaching Staff For 2023 World Juniors

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The 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship is just around the corner, with Canada once again expected to dominate the tournament with what should be a roster full of future stars. Today, Hockey Canada announced their coaching staff for the championship, headlined by Dennis Williams as their head coach.

Hockey Canada also named Stéphane Julien, Brent Kisio, and Alan Letang as assistant coaches, and Kelly Guard as a goaltending consultant.

Williams sees a promotion from last year’s tournament, where he served as an assistant coach under Dave Cameron. The 43-year-old is a two-time WHL Western Conference Coach of the Year winner with the Everett Silvertips and also served as the head coach for Canada’s “Black” team at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in 2018. He was also an assistant coach at the 2019 Hlinka Gretzky U18 tournament.

It’s been quite the coaching ride for Williams, who got his first coaching experience immediately after graduating from Bowling Green University as a graduate assistant in 2002-03. 20 seasons and five leagues later, he gets the call to lead the reigning gold medalists at the top junior tournament in hockey.

Combined success at the World Juniors and as a bench boss in the CHL can often quickly lead to NHL opportunities. It wouldn’t be surprising if Williams found himself on an NHL bench in 2023-24 if Canada can repeat as champions.

Julien, 48, is the head coach of the QMJHL’s Sherbrooke Phoenix and has held the role for the past seven-and-a-half seasons. He was the head coach for Canada at this year’s edition of the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, which ended just two months ago. It’s his first time joining the coaching staff for the U20 team.

Kisio and Letang return to the Canadian bench at the U20 tournament as assistants, reprising the roles that they held in 2019 and 2020, respectively. Guard’s only previous national team experience came as the goaltending coach for Canada White at the 2021 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge.

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