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Capitals, Sharks Extend Bona Fide Offers To Five Prospects

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The Washington Capitals and San Jose Sharks have taken the steps needed to retain their negotiating rights over five players, with the Capitals extending a bona fide offer to forwards Patrick Thomas and Brett Hyland, as well as defenseman Cameron Allen (Twitter link), while the Sharks have extended offers to forwards Brandon Svoboda and David Klee. A bona fide offer is the offer of a standard player contract that meets the requirements of an entry-level contract, including meeting the minimum salary and length requirements of an ELC. Offers stay open for 30 days after they’re extended, meaning the quintet of players will have throughout June to accept their offers. Accepting a bona fide offer waves a player’s rights to salary arbitration after the contract ends.

Washington’s list of now extended prospect rights is headlined by 2023 fifth-round pick Cam Allen, who’s seen his point totals decrease in each season since he joined the OHL in 2021-22. Allen posted 37 points in 65 games as a rookie, but followed it up with 25 points in 62 games last year and just nine in 25 games this year. He’s fallen a long way after being previously acclaimed as one of the top Canadian defenders in his age group. That merit was flaunted when Allen captained Team Canada at the 2023 World U18 Championship, recording four points in seven games as Canada raced to a Bronze Medal. Allen also served as an assistant captain for the Guelph Storm this season; a role he’ll likely maintain when he returns to Guelph for his final year of OHL eligibility next season.

Allen is flanked by forwards Patrick Thomas and Brett Hyland – Washington’s selections in the fourth and seventh rounds of the 2023 draft respectively. Thomas has one more year of OHL eligibility ahead of him, after posting a career-high 21 goals and 66 points in just 57 games with the Brantford Bulldogs this season. He’s a well-rounded, ’jack of all trades’ forward whose physicality in the defensive end and heads-up positioning on offense have helped him contribute in all three zones. That two-way reliability has been a nice match for the much more aggressive Florian Xhekaj, though Thomas could certainly improve his own play-driving. At just 19, he’ll have plenty of time to continue adding those traits, should he return to the OHL next year. That question doesn’t extend to Hyland, who completed his fourth complete WHL season with the Brandon Wheat Kings this year, posting a career-high 32 goals and 59 points in 66 games. He’s seen his scoring grow in each year of his juniors career, ultimately totaling 145 points across 195 games in the WHL. Hyland should turn pro following his bona fide offer from Washington, though whether that means placement in the AHL or ECHL will likely be decided during training camp.

Meanwhile, the Sharks have extended offers to a pair of USHL forwards – including Brandon Svoboda, who’s won the league’s Clark Cup Championship in each of the last two seasons. He provided strong lineup flexibility to the 2023-winning Youngstown Phantoms, capable of playing either center or winger and being moved around the lineup plenty as a result. Svoboda posted 16 goals and 26 points in 59 games with Youngstown last season, adding one goal in nine playoff games. He began this season in Youngstown as well, recording 11 points in 25 games before being traded to the Fargo Force. Svoboda’s aware playmaking and nifty passing seemed much better placed in Fargo, where he tallied a combined 13 points across 24 games in the regular season and playoffs. He’s currently slated to move to Boston University next season. The lean, slick frame of Svoboda is juxtaposed by the burly Klee, who posted 15 goals and 40 points in 62 USHL games of his own this season. It was a major improvement from his 13 points in 57 games last season and helped Klee claw his way into a top-six role with the Muskegon Lumberjacks. Klee is currently committed to the University of North Dakota for next season. His strong, gritty style should continue to put him in a position to succeed in college, though he’ll need to find another layer if he wants to push towards a spot on what will soon be a very young Sharks lineup.

With this announcement, San Jose has also shared that goaltender prospect Mason Beaupit is set to re-enter the draft. Beaupit will join Minnesota Wild draftee Servác Petrovský as players with expiring rights who have re-declared for the draft. Beaupit moved to the BCHL this season, after four seasons in the WHL, posting nine wins and a .904 save percentage in 28 games with the Langley Rivermen. He’ll hope to find a better match in the 2024 Draft, and is likely to decide where he’ll spend next season after then.

Notable Moves From The NCAA Transfer Window

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The NCAA Transfer Window is nearing its June 4th closing date, after staying open for 45 days rather than 30 for the first time following an October rule change. Collegiate athletes across all sports pushed for the increased window, naturally leading to much more eagerness to move schools. That’s shined through in men’s hockey, where many top players have left their posts in favor of a new role somewhere else. We’ll walk through some of the most notable moves today, as well as their impact on both the 2024-25 collegiate season and long-term effects on the NHL.

Breaking Down the Top Moves of the NCAA Transfer Window

Eric Pohlkamp (RD): Bemidji State to University of Denver

If there were ever an equivalent to Boston College’s ’Goalie U’ for defensemen, it’d be David Carle’s Denver Pioneers. They just stomped their way to a second National Championship in the last three years, largely thanks to a blue-line that featured top NHL prospects Shai Buium, Zeev Buium, and Sean Behrens. Shai and Behrens, both winners of the 2022 National Championship, have since signed their entry-level contracts in the NHL, leaving two massive holes atop the team’s depth chart. Zeev will likely assume his brother’s role atop the lineup – should he not be persuaded to turn pro by the team that drafts him – but Denver had to look externally to find the second half of their next top pair. And, true to the ’Defender U’ persona, they’ve found an absolutely perfect fit in San Jose Sharks prospect Eric Pohlkamp.

Pohlkamp had a breakout season in his final year in the USHL, boasting 16 goals and 51 points through 59 games with the 2022-23 Cedar Rapids Roughriders. It was the most a RoughRiders defender has scored since 2010 and Pohlkamp certainly looked the part, combining powerful and smooth skating with his hefty frame to blow through opponents and support the offensive rush. The performance was enough to convince San Jose to draft him in the fifth round of the 2023 NHL Draft, after he went undrafted in his first year of eligibility. He’s vindicated their decision, posting 11 goals and 24 points in his first 32 collegiate games.

After facing skepticism in his first year of draft eligibility, Pohlkamp has since firmly planted his feet as a top NHL prospect. He’ll now move to a red-hot University of Denver with the wind behind his sails. Pohlkamp’s ability to battle for possession and carry the puck out of the zone should be very welcome in a Carle lineup that thrived in the neutral zone last season – while his heft will be a nice balance for the fleeter Buium. Pohlkamp should be set up for a big season with the Pioneers, who will be looking to challenge the National title once again.

William Whitelaw (LW/RW): University of Wisconsin to University of Michigan

The University of Michigan lost a lot of talent following the end of their season. Each of Frank Nazar, Gavin Brindley, Dylan Duke, and eventually Seamus Casey signed with their respective NHL club, leaving substantial holes throughout the lineup. Some of those will be filled in by Michigan’s impressive recruitment class, including 2024 first-round hopefuls Matvei Gridin and Michael Hage, who will join in 2025. But the Wolverines were still in need of added bite in their top six during the transfer window.

And while they didn’t find as ideal of a match as Denver found in Pohlkamp, they’ve embraced similar potential, bringing in Columbus Blue Jackets prospect William Whitelaw after a slow freshman season at the University of Wisconsin. Whitelaw was one of many young players to transfer away from Wisconsin this Spring, and now seems set for a top role on a much more explosive Michigan offense. Whitelaw was the star forward of the Clark Cup-winning Youngstown Phantoms in 2022-23, recording a combined 41 goals and 70 points across 71 regular season and playoff games that year. The performance earned him a third-round selection in the 2023 NHL Draft, though he was slow to follow it up, posting just 10 goals and 17 points in 37 games as a Wisconsin freshman.

Whitelaw’s game is rooted in his strong toolkit, boasting very sharp and aware stickhandling, agile skating, and a powerful shot that each make him a threat in the offensive zone. He’s certainly still working on how to use those skills cohesively with his teammates on the forecheck – growth that should be supported very well by the strong linemates Whitelaw will inherit in Michigan. Whether he play with McGroarty, Hage, or Gridin – any of the trio should help Whitelaw better find and maintain his tempo, while showing off how his raw skill can lead to goals. Whitelaw is a proven scorer when he’s in the right setting, but didn’t seem to have that setting in Wisconsin. He’ll look to remedy that on one of the most explosive offenses in college, in a what could be looked back on as a very lucrative move.

Matthew Wood (LW/C): University of Connecticut to University of Minnesota

The Pohlkamp and Whitelaw moves represent talented players moving to environments that should give their skillsets more room to shine. That’s not necessarily the case for Predators prospect Matthew Wood, who’s commanded a top-line role at UConn for each of the last two seasons. He’s been fantastic in his first two collegiate seasons, scoring 27 goals and 62 points over a combined 70 games and serving as the Huskies’ leading scorer in both years. Wood has been a dominant scorer since his days in youth hockey and even posted a combined 98 points in just 64 games during two seasons in the BCHL. He’s a tough and rugged winger who plays hard on the puck and puts plenty of power behind his shot. Many criticized his slow skating and lack of direction during his draft season, though his consistent scoring has always made him tough to doubt.

Wood will now move to a Minnesota lineup coming off the loss of top-line forward and team captain Jaxon Nelson, who signed an entry-level contract with the Boston Bruins. Wood should be set up to be Nelson’s direct fill-in, serving in tandem with Chicago Blackhawks prospect Oliver Moore. The duo seem perfectly matched, with Moore boasting very speedy playmaking while Wood brings power and grit. Moore posted 33 points in 39 games as a freshman this season, despite scoring just nine goals on the year. He’ll be the perfect pointman for Wood, who should only continue scoring at a high rate on a Minnesota team looking to take back the Big Ten.

Tim Lovell (LD): Arizona State University to University of Michigan

Michigan headlined what was a very active Transfer Window for the Big Ten. In a corresponding move to Whitelaw’s addition, the Wolverines also brought in top Arizona State defender Tim Lovell to try to fill the hole left by Seamus Casey’s move to the NHL. But while Whitelaw is supplemented by a strong offensive recruiting class, Lovell could be in line to take on the lion’s share of Casey’s minutes. He’ll be one of the most experienced, and certainly the highest-scoring, collegiate defenseman on Michigan’s lineup next season, and while he could cede some ice time to 2024 NHL Draft prospect Will Felicio, Lovell’s ability to drive the puck down the ice should give him a strong advantage. That’s the trait that made Casey so dominant in college and was likely exactly what the Wolverines were looking for on the open market.

They’ve certainly found it in Lovell, who’s shown no fear in carrying the puck through his first three seasons with Arizona State. He’s subsequently posted 12 goals and 79 points across 119 collegiate games, boasting an offensive awareness that should blend well with Michigan’s style. But Lovell has faced criticism for his ability to keep up with defending the rush and holding his position when his team is off of the puck. Casey – who certainly faced similar concerns – was much more stout at controlling both ends of the ice, especially towards the end of his collegiate career. Michigan has found a similar offensive style and skillset in Lovell, but they may need to balance out his aggression with strong defense elsewhere in the lineup. This move is high-risk, high-reward; particularly for a Wolverines team that faced challenges with controlling high-tempo offenses last season.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Sharks Expected To Hire A Head Coach This Week

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As the last non-playoff team to have a vacancy at the head coaching position, the San Jose Sharks are expected to conclude the search this week. According to David Pagnotta of TheFourthPeriod, the Sharks have interviewed Marco Sturm, Ryan Warsofsky, Jeff Blashill, Todd McLellan, and Dean Evason.

Of the five who have confirmed to have been interviewed by San Jose, Pagnotta lists Sturm, Warsofsky, and Blashill as the favorites up to this point. Warsofsky, currently serving as an assistant coach for the Sharks, will likely become a head coach at the NHL level in the next couple of years if he is not awarded the position in San Jose.

The Sharks appear to be taking their time in hiring a new head coach, as the decision will have an important impact on a foundational part of the rebuild. At the start of next season, San Jose is expected to have one of the most exciting young 1-2 combos at the center position, recently bringing in forward Will Smith on an entry-level contract, and expected to draft standout prospect Macklin Celebrini with the first overall pick of the 2024 NHL Draft.

[SOURCE LINK]

  • Sticking in San Jose, the Sharks have permitted assistant coach Brian Wiseman to speak with other teams about a possible change of scenery. Wiseman was a long-time assistant coach with the University of Michigan of the NCAA before finally making his debut in the NHL as an assistant coach with the Edmonton Oilers during the 2019-20 season. Enjoying a solid run with Edmonton, Wiseman moved to San Jose after reaching the Western Conference Finals with the Oilers in the prior year.

Will Smith Willing To Play In AHL

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  • Already showing tremendous humility as a young NHL prospect, Will Smith of the San Jose Sharks organization is not expecting to be gifted a spot in the NHL out of the gates. Although his entry-level contract should be made official today, Smith told Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now that he is more than willing to join the organization’s AHL affiliate if the Sharks think it is best for his development. Nevertheless, the former fourth overall pick of the 2023 NHL Draft should immediately jump into San Jose’s top six if he can make the roster after scoring 25 goals and 71 points in 41 games for Boston College last year.

    [SOURCE LINK]

Sharks Sign Will Smith To Entry-Level Deal

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May 28: Smith is finalizing his entry-level agreement with the Sharks and an official announcement regarding his signing could come as soon as today, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports. Smith later confirmed through the team that he’s signed his three-year pact. His deal carries the maximum $950K entry-level cap hit, awarded via an $855K base salary and $95K signing bonus each season, per PuckPedia. He can earn up to $1MM in Schedule ’A’ performance bonuses and up to $2.2MM in Schedule ’B’ performance bonuses annually.

May 27: Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now is reporting that San Jose Sharks prospect Will Smith is expected to sign with the team this summer, a move that would make him eligible to make the jump to the NHL next year.

Smith was the Sharks’ first-round pick (fourth overall) in the 2023 NHL Draft and would forgo his remaining college eligibility after just one season with Boston College. The 19-year-old was dominant in his first year in the NCAA, posting 25 goals and 46 assists in just 41 games.

Smith was a huge part of Team USA’s gold medal-winning team at the 2024 World Junior Championships registering four goals and five assists in seven games. He also just appeared for Team USA at the World Championships and dressed in five games, going scoreless.

Smith has been dominant the past few seasons, in 2022-23 he was a member of the U.S. National U18 Team and was an absolute force alongside Gabe Perreault tallying 51 goals and 76 assists in 60 games. That same year he represented Team USA U18 and the U18 World Championship and had an excellent tournament, scoring nine goals and adding 11 helpers in just seven games.

A month ago, during exit interviews, Sharks general manager Mike Grier told the media that he felt Smith was ready to make the jump to the NHL and that he was having positive conversations with Smith’s agent (per Max Miller of The Hockey News). Now, it appears that his signing will happen in the not-too-distant future. 

Latest On The Coaching Market

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The Sharks have the lone remaining head coaching vacancy in the league, as the Kraken are expected to officially name Dan Bylsma their next bench boss on Tuesday. It’ll soon be zero, though, as The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta reports San Jose is entering the final stages of their search. AHL Ontario bench boss Marco Sturm is among the finalists for the position, Pagnotta said, also confirming a report from Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman yesterday that assistant Ryan Warsofsky also advanced to the second stage of interviews.

There’s also been some smoke around former Red Wings coach and current Lightning assistant Jeff Blashill for the role, with Friedman also saying yesterday that he had a second interview with the club in the past few days. But for the three remaining coaches on the market who were fired from their posts during this season – Dean Evason, Todd McLellan and Jay Woodcroft – it looks like there aren’t enough seats left for them on the coaching carousel.

That could change soon, though. With the Blue Jackets expected to appoint former Hurricanes GM Don Waddell as their top hockey operations executive early this week, there’s a chance the team may look to overhaul their staff further by parting ways with head coach Pascal Vincent, who has one season left on his contract. Columbus struggled to just 66 points under Vincent this season after he took over early in training camp with Mike Babcock resigning, and the first-year bench boss often drew criticism for the lack of playing time awarded to top prospects like David Jiříček and Kent Johnson.

As Pagnotta points out, there are also assistant coach openings with the Ducks, Flames, Jets, Kings, Kraken, Maple Leafs, Penguins and Senators, who have yet to resolve some minor bench changes they made earlier this offseason. There are also AHL head coaching jobs available with the Kraken’s, Penguins’, Rangers’ and Sabres’ affiliates.

Another name that could join Evason et al. in contention for those minor bench openings is current Sharks assistant Brian Wiseman, who Pagnotta says is drawing interest from other clubs. The 52-year-old was on David Quinn’s staff for the past two seasons in San Jose and served as an assistant for the Oilers for three years prior. Of course, that would leave the Sharks with an additional assistant vacancy – something they may end up with anyway if Warsofsky is their head coaching choice.

Afternoon Notes: Hintz, Goldobin, Sharks Coaching

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The Dallas Stars will once again be left with a game-time decision on centerman Roope Hintz, shares Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman (Twitter link). Hintz has missed Dallas’ last four games with an upper-body injury sustained in Game 4 of the second-round series against the Colorado Avalanche.

Hintz was an integral piece of the Stars lineup through the regular season, posting 30 goals and 65 points – both marks he’s also reached in the last two seasons. He’s maintained that strong presence into the postseason, posting six points through the 11 games he’s been healthy for. Maybe more importantly, Dallas hasn’t yet found their de facto fill-in for Hintz’s injury.

Radek Faksa was previously filling the vacancy, but head coach Pete DeBoer decided to switch to Ty Dellandrea for Game 2 of the Western Conference Final. Dellandrea recorded three shots on goal through 11:39 in ice time but did little to command the lineup spot as his own. Hintz should return to the team’s top six immediately upon his return. But Dallas will be left with a tricky lineup decision should he once again be unavailable.

Other notes from around the league:

  • Former San Jose Sharks first-round pick Nikolay Goldobin has signed a two-year extension with Moscow Spartak of the KHL (Twitter link). The 28-year-old forward is coming off a career year, posting a career-high 37 goals and 78 points through 67 games this season and adding nine points in 11 playoff games. His regular season scoring tied him for second in the KHL in scoring behind Reid Boucher, who posted 44 goals and 78 points of his own. It was Goldobin’s third full-time season in the KHL, having posted 39 and 36 points over the last two years, respectively. He’ll look to build off a dazzling season, now re-upped in Russia.
  • The San Jose Sharks are advancing their search for their next head coach, providing second interviews to both Jeff Blashill and Ryan Warsofsky, shares Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman in the recent 32 Thoughts Podcast. Warsofsky has been an assistant coach in San Jose for the last two seasons, moving to the NHL after leading the AHL’s Chicago Wolves to a Calder Cup win in 2022. Meanwhile, Blashill has been an assistant to Jon Cooper and the Tampa Bay Lightning for his last two seasons – proceeding his seven-year tenure as the Detroit Red Wings head coach.

Jan Rutta Suspended At World Championship

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  • Team Czechia and San Jose Sharks defenseman Jan Rutta has been suspended for one game of the 2024 IIHF World Championship for elbowing Team Sweden and Anaheim Ducks forward Isac Lundestrom. Rutta was not penalized for the hit during the game. He will miss Czechia’s gold medal matchup against Team Switzerland. He’ll conclude his tournament with one goal and eight penalty minutes through nine games, while Team Czechia will likely turn towards David Spacek to fill Rutta’s second-pair ice time. Spacek has five assists in Czechia’s nine games.

A Case For San Jose To Be Buyers This Summer

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Considering where the Sharks are in their rebuild, it might not make sense on the surface for them to be buyers this summer.  However, Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now suggests in a piece for NBC Sports Bay Area that it would be advisable for San Jose to be buyers in certain circumstances, such as adding insurance down the middle with some uncertainty surrounding Logan Couture which could also take a bit of pressure off expected top pick Macklin Celebrini.

Additionally, there’s a case to be made that the Sharks should add multiple defenders to a group that struggled considerably this season.  That would allow someone like Mario Ferraro to play in a more optimal spot on the depth chart which could help from a possible future trade standpoint while ideally creating a more competitive environment.  With more than $38MM in cap room this summer per CapFriendly, GM Mike Grier can look to be active in free agency, take on some unwanted contracts while adding more future pieces or, more likely, a combination of both options will be utilized in the coming weeks.

Devils Interviewed Ryan Warsofsky For Head Coach Role Before Hiring Sheldon Keefe

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  • Before they hired Sheldon Keefe as their new head coach, the Devils interviewed Sharks assistant coach Ryan Warsofsky for the role, relays NJ Advance Media’s Ryan Novozinsky. Warsofsky has now interviewed for a pair of head coaching vacancies this offseason, also receiving an interview from San Jose.  Warsofsky has only been an NHL assistant for the last two seasons but does have head coaching experience with ECHL South Carolina and AHL Chicago.

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