Minor Transactions: 02/10/23
The NHL season is back in full swing after the All-Star break, and today features four games on the schedule. Two of the more aggressive contenders for the 2023 draft’s first overall pick, the Arizona Coyotes and Chicago Blackhawks, are set to face off, while Vladimir Tarasenko makes his New York Rangers debut as they face the Seattle Kraken. As hockey fans everywhere soak in tonight’s action, teams in minor and foreign leagues are making tweaks to their rosters. We’ll track those moves here.
- One of the DEL’s top scorers, 2018 St. Louis Blues first-round pick Dominik Bokk has signed a one-year extension with his club, the Frankfurt Lions. Bokk’s productivity has skyrocketed since he returned to European hockey. Last year, he scored just 10 points in 32 games for the AHL’s Chicago Wolves. He was loaned to Frankfurt for this season, and he has scored 49 points in 43 games, meaning his club must have been eager to put pen to paper on a contract extension.
- After clearing waivers earlier today, former Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Linus Hogberg seems to have found his next team. Johan Svensson of SportExpressen reports that Hogberg has an agreement to join Skelleftea AIK, the SHL’s first-place team. In Skelleftea, Hogberg will join former NHLers Oscar Moller, Joakim Lindstrom, Par Lindholm, and Tom Kuhnhackl, as well as top 2023 draft prospect Axel Sandin-Pellikka.
- A pair of minor league blueliners for San Jose Sharks affiliates have had their PTOs converted to standard player contracts, per the AHL’s official transactions page. The two 26-year olds, Darren Brady and William Riedell, have split this season between the AHL and ECHL, although they both have played exclusively at the AHL level since early December. Both players had two games of AHL experience before their call-up to San Jose, with Riedell getting his call at the conclusion of his NCAA career at Ohio State. Brady, on the other hand, had to test his mettle in both the SPHL and in a successful 32-point 47-game run in the ECHL before earning his AHL call-up.
- The ECHL’s South Carolina Stingrays have lost their top scorer. 24-year-old Carter Turnbull, a former Connecticut Husky, has signed with HKM Zvolen in Slovakia’s top professional league. Turnbull turned pro last season after a four-year NCAA career at the University of Connecticut, and was fine, scoring five points in 11 games for the Stingrays. This season, he’s become their top offensive player, and he has 42 points in 41 games. The Stingrays, who sit in the middle of the ECHL’s playoff mix, will now need to find a way to replace the hefty scoring burden Turnbull leaves behind.
- Czech club BK Mlada Boleslav has signed two players to contract extensions. The first is 2017 Chicago Blackhawks fourth-round pick Tim Soderlund, and the second is former Providence Bruin Robert Lantosi. Soderlund, 25, moved from Djurgardens in Sweden to Boleslav just a month ago, and now commits to extending there after scoring six points in 13 games. Lantosi, 27, has scored 24 points in 40 games this season after coming over from HC Linkopings in the summer.
- The SHL’s Vaxjo Lakers have signed a two-year extension with veteran forward Ludvig Nilsson. The 28-year-old transferred from Brynas to Vaxjo in 2019, and won an SHL title with the Lakers in 2020-21. Nilsson has scored eight points in 37 games this season playing bottom-six minutes on a talented Vaxjo team.
- Austrian club Black Wings Linz, who play in the Central European ICEHL, have signed a two-year extension with young defenseman Niklas Bretschneider. The Vienna native already has 133 games of experience at Austria’s top level of hockey with Linz, and has played in 41 games this season as the Black Wings have fought for a playoff spot.
- The ECHL’s Worcester Railers have signed a contract with forward Paul Boutoussov, putting the 26-year-old in a position to make his professional debut. Boutoussov last played in 2021-22 with Babson College, a business school that competes in NCAA Division III athletics. Boutoussov’s signing is presumably to bring in some short-term help for the Railers, who are looking to stay afloat in the ECHL’s playoff race despite losing quality contributor Blake Christensen to HC Thurgau of the Swiss second division.
This page will be updated throughout the day.
Lukas Vejdemo Signs In SHL
At the end of last season, a large group of players hit the open market ahead of schedule because they had earned little NHL opportunity. One of those Group VI unrestricted free agents was Lukas Vejdemo, who, despite playing six games with the Montreal Canadiens, was cut loose at the end of the year.
Now, Vejdemo has gone back home. The 27-year-old forward signed a one-year contract with Djurgardens, his old club team, which also includes an option for 2023-24.
The deal comes so late in the year because Vejdemo is only just now recovering from a serious injury suffered just ahead of last year’s AHL playoffs. He had hamstring surgery in April and was given a seven-month timeline. According to the team release, he is still several weeks away from game action.
In 13 career games, all with Montreal, Vejdemo scored two goals. His time in the minor leagues wasn’t much more fruitful offensively, with just 16 points in 34 games for the Laval Rocket last season.
Given how young he is – Vejdemo only turned 27 a few weeks ago – there’s at least a chance that we see him back on North American ice at some point. But a return to Sweden made sense for him as he recovers from major surgery and tries to get his career back on track.
Jonathan Lekkerimaki Expected To Miss Two Months With Foot Injury
It has already been a rather disappointing post-draft season for Vancouver Canucks prospect Jonathan Lekkerimaki, the 15th overall pick from 2022. Now, after suffering a foot injury at practice, he is expected to miss the next eight weeks.
Through 29 games with Djurgardens IF this season, Lekkerimaki has scored just three goals and nine points. That’s despite the club being relegated and playing in the Swedish second tier this year, after being in the SHL during 2021-22. The young forward was also part of the World Junior team that lost to Czechia in the semi finals and then fell 8-7 to the United States in the bronze medal match.
While there have been very few players from the 2022 draft to suit up in the NHL to this point, many of those selected below Lekkerimaki have had more encouraging seasons. An absence of eight weeks won’t help his case, even though there is a long time before any expectations should be placed on the 18-year-old.
As a late-July birthday, Lekkerimaki was one of the younger players in his draft class and still has exceptional upside as an offensive winger. Perhaps some time off to recover will grant him a reset and allow him to return with some extra confidence.
Interestingly, he is only signed to his club through the end of this season, meaning an entry-level deal could be on the horizon. Next month, teams can start signing ELCs that begin in 2023-24 – Lekkerimaki is a good candidate, though he isn’t expected to push for an NHL job anytime soon.
Joel Lundqvist Announces Retirement
Henrik Lundqvist wasn’t the only hockey player in the family. While the netminder was making saves in New York, his twin brother Joel Lundqvist became a legend in Sweden. Already the greatest player in Frolunda history, the 40-year-old forward has decided to hang up his skates for good, announcing his retirement. He’ll finish out this season as captain of the famous club, and then ride off into the Swedish sunset.
Lundqvist was a third-round pick of the Dallas Stars in 2000, and did try his hand in North America for a short time. Between 2006-2009 he played in 159 NHL games (including playoffs) and scored 35 points. It was his footspeed that held him back in the North American circuit, but Lundqvist’s skill and hockey IQ would make him a star back home. With four SHL titles, four Champions League titles, three World Championship gold medals, and over a decade as captain of Frolunda, he retires as one of the most decorated players in Swedish history.
Even now, at his age, he is still finding success. Lundqvist has 23 points in 41 games to lead the club and has another seven in 11 Champions League games. All-time, he leads Frolunda in games, points, goals, assists – and penalty minutes.
While he’s not a household name in North America, there’s no doubt that Lundqvist inspired countless Swedish hockey players over his two decades at the highest level.
Minor Transactions: 02/03/23
While the NHL takes a brief pause to celebrate the league’s biggest stars in the All-Star Weekend, teams in minor leagues and foreign leagues are pressing forward with their respective seasons and making tweaks to their rosters. We’ll keep track of those moves here.
- Former Detroit Red Wings farmhand Jussi Olkinoura has found his new team after securing his contract termination two days ago. Per a team announcement, the 32-year-old goalie has signed with Brynas IF, a club in the SHL. This signing marks Olkinoura’s first venture into Sweden’s top league, having already tended the crease for teams in Liiga and the KHL. Brynas’ starter this season, former NHLer Anders Lindback, has struggled to the tune of an .896 save percentage in 31 games played. He’ll now have to contend with Olkinoura, an Olympic Gold Medalist, to remain Brynas’ number-one netminder.
- Dallas Stars prospect Antonio Stranges has been re-assigned to the Stars’ ECHL affiliate, the Idaho Steelheads. This is the second time this season Stranges has been sent to the ECHL, with the first demotion coming in December. The former OHL star hasn’t played since January 14th, and will now head back to the ECHL with the hope of getting his season back on track. Stranges has been productive in his limited action in the ECHL, scoring six points in five games, but his time in the American league has been uneven.
- Former Ferris State University captain Liam MacDougall is headed overseas. The 25-year-old forward has signed with the Fife Flyers, a club in the EIHL, the top division of professional hockey in the United Kingdom. MacDougall heads to Scotland after an unsuccessful professional debut in the ECHL. He got a short cameo on an amateur tryout agreement with the Cincinnati Cyclones near the end of last season, registering a goal in six games. He signed with the Norfolk Admirals for this season to begin his ECHL career in earnest but struggled to make an impact, and after scoring just three points in 17 games he was released. Now nearly two months after receiving his release, MacDougall has a new team to continue his pro career with.
- The ECHL’s Norfolk Admirals have released netminder Michael Bullion. The 25-year-old Alaska native made his pro debut with the team last season, signing after a few years of playing at the Canadian university level. He was solid in his nine-game trial run, posting a .912 save percentage and 2.67 goals-against-average. This season Bullion and the Admirals have struggled mightily to keep the puck out of the net. Through 18 games Bullion has a 3-11-2 record, a 4.08 goals-against-average, and an .877 save percentage, and now both Bullion and the Admirals will part ways seeking other options.
- Former Boston College netminder Eric Dop has signed with the ECHL’s Wichita Thunder. The deal marks the Thunder as Dop’s fourth team of what has been quite the professional debut. After playing last season as Boston College’s starter, Dop, 24, turned pro this year and signed with the Tulsa Oilers. After three games where Dop was used only in relief for the team’s starter, he posted an .854 save percentage and as promptly traded to the Allen Americans. Dop started one game for the Americans, saving 34 out of 39 shots, and played once in relief, before he was released. He then earned a PTO with the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters before signing with the Utah Grizzlies. Dop started one game for Utah, a 6-2 loss to the Steelheads, and was released a few days later. With today’s signing, he now finds himself in Wichita with a chance to back up starter Evan Buitenhuis.
- Danish forward Morten Jensen has signed a two-year extension to remain with his current team, Denmark’s Rungsted Seier Capital. Jensen is a star defenseman in Denmark’s Metal Ligaen, with 143 points in 177 career games there. The two-time Danish champion will look to help rise from their third-to-last place in the standings.
This page will be updated throughout the day.
Minor Transactions: 02/02/23
The NHL may be at rest for the All-Star break but the hockey world is still kicking. European and minor league clubs continue to make tweaks and changes to their rosters; we’ll detail any notable transactions below:
- Callum Booth has left the Seattle Kraken minor league system to join Frankfurt of the DEL, signing a contract through the end of the season. The 25-year-old played two games for the Coachella Valley Firebirds and nine more for the Kansas City Mavericks, only finding much success at the higher level. A fourth-round pick of the Carolina Hurricanes in 2015, Booth never did make an NHL appearance despite a handful of call-ups over the years.
- After terminating his contract overseas recently, John Quenneville has officially joined the Belleville Senators for the rest of this season. The 26-year-old was picked in the first round in 2014 but has just 42 NHL appearances to this point in his career. Through 19 games for Leksands IF in the SHL this year, he had 12 points.
- In January, we covered how former Detroit Red Wings prospect Cole Fraser had left his ECHL club to sign with a team in Scotland, the Dundee Stars. Today, the Stars made that move official, announcing their signing of Fraser. Fraser is an experienced, in-his-prime ECHL veteran who was the league’s most penalized player last season and should be able to add some grit to the Stars’ blueline.
- Two-time OHL champion Brett Welychka is changing clubs. The 28-year-old forward has signed with Dresdner Eislowen, a club in Germany’s second division. Welychka had spent this season so far with the EIHL’s Nottingham Panthers, where he’s notched 21 goals and 30 points in 35 games. The move should help Eislowen as they make a push for promotion to the DEL, while the sixth-place Panthers will have to deal with the loss of their leading scorer.
- HC Slovan Bratislava, a club in the Slovakian capital, has released defenseman Carl Ackered. Ackered led Slovakia’s Extraliga in points by a defenseman during the 2020-21 season, and made the league’s all-star team. But his success that year hasn’t translated to strong production for the reigning champions, and a major injury has led to this season being a challenging, unproductive one for the Stockholm native. With this mutual agreement on a release, Ackered will be able to look for other opportunities to continue his professional career.
- Ovechkin has been released. Well, Ilya Ovechkin has, that is. HK Aktobe, a club in Kazakhstan, has released the 21-year-old forward, who despite his last name bears no relation to the Washington Capitals star. Ovechkin was a decent player at the Russian junior level, scoring 37 points in 58 games last season, but has struggled in his pro debut. He now finds himself released after scoring just four points in 17 games for the Kazakh side.
This page will be updated with any further transactions
Minor Transactions: 01/31/23
With the first month of January coming to a close, teams are preparing for a much-needed break with the All-Star festivities commencing this weekend in South Florida. While the AHL will also take a break for its All-Star Classic, other pro leagues will forge along as the NHL hits pause. We’ll keep track of today’s notable transactions throughout the rest of the hockey world right here.
- Former first-round pick John Quenneville has mutually terminated his contract with Swedish club Leksands IF, per a team release Tuesday. The last pick of the first round in 2014 by the New Jersey Devils, Quenneville last played in North America during the 2020-21 season for 16 games with the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs. He’s since played in Switzerland and Sweden, continuing a long and winding career. Quenneville played just six games for Leksands since the beginning of November and did not record a point. He finishes his tenure with five goals and 12 points in 19 games.
Minor Transactions: 01/27/23
It’s another busy night of games on the NHL schedule, with half of the league’s teams set to play. Highlights for tonight’s contests include the “Battle of Ontario” rivalry between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators, a Pacific Division showdown between the Seattle Kraken and Calgary Flames, and a showdown between two of the league’s better teams in the New Jersey Devils and Dallas Stars. As hockey fans enjoy the action from tonight’s vast slate of games, teams across the hockey world are making roster moves. We’ll keep track of all those transactions here.
- According to a team announcement, former NHL defenseman Andreas Borgman will leave his current club, Frolunda HC, after this season. Borgman’s comments in the team release indicate a desire to potentially return to North America after spending the last two seasons playing in Gothenburg for Frolunda. Borgman, when he’s managed to get on the ice, has been Frolunda’s number-one defenseman this season, ranking seventh in the entire SHL in average time-on-ice per game for blueliners. He’s only played in thirteen games, though. But if the 2016-17 SHL Rookie of the Year can manage to stay healthy and productive for the rest of the season, he could find himself back in North America next year.
- Former Pittsburgh Penguins prospect Emil Larmi has signed a two-year extension to remain with his current club, the SHL’s Vaxjo Lakers. The 26-year-old transferred to Vaxjo last season after a successful 32-game run in Liiga with the Pelicans, where he posted a .918 save percentage. This year, he has emerged as Vaxjo’s top goalie and has led the team to a league-leading 25-7-2 record through 38 games. He’s posted a .932 save percentage and 1.74 goals-against-average through 22 games played this season. He currently ranks second in the SHL in save percentage, behind only former New York Islanders prospect Linus Soderstrom.
- 2014 Minnesota Wild draft pick Pontus Sjalin, the brother of former Florida Panthers prospect Calle Sjalin, has signed a two-year extension to remain with his current club, Lulea HF. Sjalin has been with Lulea since 2015 when he transferred there from Leksands. Sjalin is in his seventh season as a regular at Lulea and helped them make a run to the SHL Finals last season, where they eventually fell to Farjestad BK.
- Veteran center Ethan Werek has been released by his club of the last three seasons, the KHL’s Kunlun Red Star. The 2009 second-round pick has been playing for the Chinese KHL side since 2019-20 and even represented China at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. Werek’s production has declined over the past three seasons, though, and now he has been released after scoring just seven points in 28 games.
- Austrian forward Felix Maxa has signed a two-year extension to remain with his current club, Villacher SV. The team, who compete in the ICEHL, a Central European league with teams from Austria, Hungary, Italy, and Slovenia have signed Maxa in the midst of what has been a breakout campaign for him. He’s flown past his career high in production with 18 points in 37 games, and has cemented his future in Villach as a regular contributor.
- Marc-Olivier Vallerand, a former captain of the QMJHL’s Quebec Ramparts, has returned to England. The EIHL’s Sheffield Steelers, a side in the top professional league of the United Kingdom, have announced the signing of Vallerand from the ICEHL’s Slovenian club: HK Olimpija Ljubljana. Vallerand was a star scorer in his last tenure in Sheffield and has scored 175 points in just 133 career games in the EIHL. He scored a respectable 13 points in 17 games for Ljubljana, and now heads back to the Steelers in what is a major coup for one of the league’s top sides.
- Despite playing in more games in the top French professional league, Ligue Magnus, than in any other season of his career, young netminder Gaetan Richard is leaving his current club, the Bordeaux Boxers. Per a team announcement, Richard has left the club in part due to the emergence of veteran goalie Samu Perhonen. Perhonen, a 2011 Edmonton Oilers third-round pick, transferred to Bordeaux in December and has stabilized the team’s standing in the crease. Richard had posted an unimpressive .890 save percentage this season, and has not played since the arrival of Perhonen. Since Perhonen is sporting a .922 save percentage through nine games since his arrival in France and is trending towards being Bordeaux’s number-one netminder, Richard has made the choice to seek other opportunities to continue his pro career.
- Herning Blue Fox, one of the best teams in Denmark’s top professional hockey league, has signed two North American players to contract extensions. The first, Mac Carruth, is a 2010 Chicago Blackhawks seventh-round pick who laid waste to the EIHL last season for the Cardiff Devils. Leading the Welsh side to a championship, he led his league with a .937 save percentage and also has nearly 100 ECHL games on his resume. He’ll now remain in Denmark beyond this season, where he has a .924 save percentage in 37 games, which ranks third in the league among all starters. The second player, Phil Marinaccio, led Ligue Magnus, the French pro league, in goals during the 2021-22 season, and has 17 goals and 39 points in 33 games for the Blue Fox this season.
- The ECHL’s Greenville Swamp Rabbits have signed longtime minor leaguer Dean Yakura to their active roster. Yakura, 37, is a well-travelled veteran of lower-level minor leagues, beginning his career with the SPHL’s Pensacola Ice Flyers in 2010-11. He served as the captain of the Federal Hockey League’s Danbury Titans for two seasons and spent some time last season as depth for the Swamp Rabbits. That’s the role he’ll occupy this year with this contract.
- The Iowa Heartanders have released goaltender Trevin Kozlowski, per the ECHL’s official transactions report. The 25-year-old netminder, who was the ECHL’s 2021-22 Community Service Award winner, has struggled so far this year to the tune of a .869 save percentage through 12 games. The Heartlanders will rely on 2019 Minnesota Wild second-rounder Hunter Jones and former Denver Pioneer Corbin Kaczperski moving forward, while Kozlowski will look elsewhere to continue his career.
- Josh Winquist, an above-point-per-game scorer at the ECHL level, is moving overseas to continue his professional career. Per a report from Johan Svensson of SportExpressen, Vasterviks IK have signed Winquist away from his current club, the Fort Wayne Komets, for the rest of the season. It’s a badly-needed move for the Swedish side, who sit in last place in the second-division HockeyAllsvenskan. Vasterviks made it to the promotion play-offs last season, but now are looking to avoid relegation and are hoping that the addition of Winquist’s scoring abilities can keep them up.
This page will be updated throughout the day.
Minor Transactions: 01/26/23
It’s a busy Thursday night on the NHL schedule, with nearly twenty teams set to do battle. Highlights from tonight include a heated rivalry matchup between Alex Ovechkin‘s Washington Capitals and Sidney Crosby‘s Pittsburgh Penguins, and a showdown between the league-leading Boston Bruins and the defending three-time Prince of Wales Trophy winners, the Tampa Bay Lightning. As hockey fans soak in all of tonight’s matchups, teams from across the hockey world have been making tweaks to their rosters. We’ll track those moves here.
- Former WHL star and New York Rangers prospect Ty Ronning has decided to continue his professional career in Europe. The 25-year-old 2016 seventh-round pick is perhaps best known for scoring 61 goals in the 2017-18 WHL season. He’s been a decent scorer at the AHL level, potting 18 goals and 39 points last season, and is now headed to Germany to play for ERC Ingolstadt in the DEL. Ingolstadt has been ravaged by injuries this season, so the addition of Ronning should be able to help them during a crucial stretch of their DEL campaign.
- Ingolstadt made another move today, signing 22-year-old defenseman Leon Huttl to a two-year extension, meaning he will be under contract with the Bavarian side until 2026. After spending several seasons in the German second division, Huttl has firmly established himself as a regular in Germany’s top division in Ingolstadt. He routinely plays over 20 minutes per night, with some games reaching closer to 25 minutes. He represented Germany at the 2020 World Juniors and now gets some early stability in his pro career.
- Former Boston Bruins prospect Cedric Pare has had a successful PTO with the AHL’s Colorado Eagles, and today had that PTO made into a full contract according to the AHL’s official transactions page. The big 24-year-old had a solid professional debut in 2020-21, scoring 17 goals and 40 points in 67 ECHL games for the Utah Grizzlies. That performance earned him an AHL deal for 2021-22, but he struggled immensely, scoring just 10 points in 41 games. This season, he’s spent most of his time in the ECHL until being signed to a PTO by the Eagles in November. He’s got seven points in 19 games for Colorado, and will now get to finish his season there.
- Daniel Glad has helped two teams to promotion from the HockeyAllsvenskan to the SHL in his career, and now he’s set to try to help a third team make the jump. Djurgardens IF, a prominent Swedish club recently relegated to the Allvenskan, has announced the signing of Glad to a two-year deal. Glad, a 30-year-old blueliner with extensive experience in the top two divisions of Swedish hockey, should be able to help add some valuable experience to a Djurgarden team filled with talented prospects, such as 2022 first-rounders Liam Ohgren and Noah Ostlund.
- Trey Bradley, a star scorer in the ECHL, is headed to Sweden to continue his professional career. Ostersunds IK, a club in the HockeyAllsvenskan, has announced the signing of Bradley on one of the team’s social media channels. The 26-year-old has scored 82 points in his last 68 ECHL games, and heads to Sweden now with a strong track record of being a difference-maker at North America’s third tier of pro hockey.
- Olli Palola is switching from Liiga to the SHL. The Finnish scorer, who has a track record of production in Liiga, the KHL, and the SHL has transferred from HIFK Helsinki to Timra IK. The 34-year-old scored just six points in 21 games in the Finnish capital this season, and now heads to Sweden with the hope that a change of scenery can get him back to his old scoring ways.
- Carolina Hurricanes prospect Simon Forsmark could also be on the move to Timra. One of two Hurricanes’ 2022 fourth-round picks, Forsmark has struggled to see the lineup consistently this season for Orebro. Johan Svensson of SportExpressen reports that Forsmark has signed with Timra, leaving Orebro. The move is presumably with the intention of earning more ice time, which is likely of interest to the Hurricanes who will want to see Forsmark put forth as much tape as possible as they eventually weigh whether to sign him to an entry-level deal.
- Veteran minor league defenseman Mathieu Brodeur, a 2008 third-round pick of the Arizona Coyotes and 2020-21 Kelly Cup Champion, has chosen to hang up his skates. In an announcement released by the ECHL’s Trois-Rivieres Lions, Brodeur detailed the reasons behind his choice. The 32-year-old defenseman finishes a career that spanned from San Antonio to Slovakia and France playing for the ECHL affiliate of his hometown team, the Montreal Canadiens.
- The ECHL’s Savannah Ghost Pirates have acquired forward Dylan Sadowy from the Iowa Heartlanders, per the ECHL’s official transactions page. The Heartlanders claimed Sadowy off of waivers yesterday, and have now dealt him to Georgia without having dressed him for a single game. Sadowy, the 81st overall pick at the 2014 draft, is a Calder Cup champion and former ECHL All-Star. He scored 50 points in 51 games for the Tulsa Oilers last season, but was waived by the team this year having scored just 14 points in 30 games. He’ll now get a change of scenery in Savannah, joining a team that is currently struggling to find consistent scorers.
- The ECHL’s Wheeling Nailers have released defenseman Roy Kanda. The 22-year-old defenseman has taken a unique developmental path to North American professional hockey. He hails from Hokkaido, Japan, and he played hockey in Japan before heading to Finland to continue his development and has begun his pro career in the SPHL. With three games of ECHL experience now under his belt, Kanda will look to earn another look in the East Coast league by continuing his SPHL career.
- The ECHL’s Allen Americans have signed goaltender Justin Kapelmaster. The 27-year-old won the Kelly Cup with Allen in 2020-21, before bouncing around to four additional teams in the ECHL. Kapelmaster signed with the Reading Royals in August and earned a PTO with the AHL’s Hershey Bears. In December, Kapelmaster was released by the Royals, who elected to run with 22-year-old Nolan Maier as their starter. He signed with the Jacksonville Icemen shortly afterward but didn’t get into a game there before being released on New Year’s Eve. Now he lands back in Allen and will look to recapture the success he found in his first go-around with the Americans.
- The EIHL’s Nottingham Panthers have released veteran defenseman Craig Moore. The Scottish blueliner has been a fixture in the United Kingdom’s top league for several seasons, suiting up for the Cardiff Devils, Fife Flyers, Glasgow Clan, Dudee Stars, and the Panthers. Moore has played almost 250 games in the EIHL in his career, and will likely look for another contract in that league in order to continue his professional career.
This page will be updated throughout the day.
Red Wings Notes: Zadina, Bertuzzi, Johansson
Filip Zadina’s return to the ice has had some ups and downs as the winger has dealt with various setbacks that have delayed his return. However, he told team reporter Jonathan Mills that at this point, all he’s waiting for is the sign-off from team doctors to return to the lineup with the hopes of getting in before next week’s All-Star break. Zadina has missed a bit more than ten weeks due to a lower-body injury, one that was initially supposed to sideline him for six to eight weeks. He has been limited to just nine games this season and is still looking for his first point which isn’t the type of bounce-back anyone was hoping for in the first year of his three-year bridge deal
More from Detroit:
- Winger Tyler Bertuzzi is also nearing a return as MLive’s Ansar Khan reports (Twitter link) that the veteran is expected to return on Thursday against Montreal. The 27-year-old suffered a lower-body injury back last Thursday and has missed the last two games. This season hasn’t gone anywhere near the way Bertuzzi had hoped as he has missed time with three separate injuries and has just a goal and four assists in 15 games. That’s hardly the type of production he was hoping for heading into the final year of his contract with his first crack at unrestricted free agency to follow.
- Prospect Anton Johansson has signed an upgraded contract, per an announcement from SHL Leksand. The 18-year-old defenseman was a fourth-round pick last summer (105th overall) and started the year at the junior level but has played in 13 games with Leksand at the top level. That playing time necessitated an adjusted contract but it still only runs through this season. However, it’s likely that Johansson will remain in the SHL for the foreseeable future which will be a good test development-wise.