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Snapshots: Ylönen, Lipinski, Concussion Protocol

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Former Montreal Canadiens winger Jesse Ylönen is reportedly considering signing a deal in the SHL this summer, per Johan Svensson of Swedish news site Expressen (subscription required). Svensson didn’t specify what club the Finnish wing could be headed to. Nonetheless, the potential for a move seems high after Ylönen spent a full season in the AHL for the first time in his four-year career in North America. His minor-league stint was split between the Syracuse Crunch and Milwaukee Admirals, sparked by a late-February trade that swapped Ylönen and fellow minor-leaguer Anthony Angello.

Ylönen was slightly less productive in the Midwest – netting 14 points in 26 games for Milwaukee, including playoffs, after totaling 25 points in 47 games with Syracuse. The full-year total of 39 points in 73 games is far below the scoring pace Ylönen managed through his first two seasons in the AHL in 2021-22 and 2022-23. He spent both seasons with Montreal’s AHL affiliate, the Laval Rocket, and scored 36 points in 52 games and 32 points in 39 games respectively. That latter hot streak earned Ylönen his NHL rookie year during the 2022-23 season – and he managed a modest 16 points in 37 games to show for it. Montreal responded to positive numbers by keeping Ylönen all the lineup for the entirety of the 2023-24 campaign – but the upside bet didn’t pan out. Ylönen managed just eight points in 59 NHL games last season, and landed in the Lightning organization after Montreal declined a qualifying offer at the start of last summer.

Ylönen could be a proper match in Sweden. He grew up in Finland’s youth hockey program and played pro games in each of the country’s top two leagues. That includes totaling a combined 56 points in 127 games across three seasons in the Liiga, before he came over to North America. The SHL has certainly risen above its peers this season, but Ylönen could be well equipped for the challenge after finding, and then losing, his scoring touch in the NHL and AHL.

Other quick notes from around the league:

  • Calgary Flames prospect Jaden Lipinski is headed to the University of Maine next season, per the club’s Instagram. Lipinski will be one of the very few NCAA players with pro hockey experience – after playing one game at the end of the 2023-24 season, and two games this season, in the AHL. He recorded no notable stat changes. Lipinski is still eligible to attend college because all three games were played on an amateur try-out with the Calgary Wranglers, which kept him from earning any compensation for the matchups. NCAA revokes collegiate eligibility once players accept payment, or promise of payment, from a pro sports league. Since he didn’t, Lipinski will enter the league as a junior player who played up one year, akin to Vancouver Canucks prospect Tom Willander, who played two SHL games before joining Boston University last season. The Maine Black Bears will get a hardy addition with this news. Lipinski scored 58 points in 59 WHL games this season, and seemed to improve his ability to play physical and productive hockey. Those are the hallmarks of Maine’s style, and should create a golden stage for the Flames prospect to continue growing.
  • NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly shared that the league is satisfied with how the concussion protocol has performed this season in an interview with Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic. Daly shared that the league has embedded due diligence into the process, even when players don’t formally enter the protocol. He shared that, with an additional layer of consideration, he feels the league has been able to properly answer any open questions about the process. Rates of concussions have risen and fallen in the NHL over time, but concerns around long-term effects of head injuries continues to ring louder. News site NPR published an op-ed on the link between lengthy hockey careers and CTE in December, sparking newfound debate over the effectiveness of the NHL’s concussion spotting.

Axel Jonsson-Fjallby Signs Three-Year Deal In Sweden

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Jets pending unrestricted free agent winger Axel Jonsson-Fjallby has signed a three-year contract with Brynas IF of the Swedish Hockey League, the club announced Friday.

Jonsson-Fjallby, 27, didn’t see any NHL time this season after clearing waivers and heading to AHL Manitoba during training camp. He’s wrapping up a two-year, partial two-way deal he signed in free agency with Winnipeg in 2023 and earned the full league-minimum $775K salary this year despite not receiving any callups.

It was the first season that Jonsson-Fjallby hadn’t touched NHL ice since making his debut with the Capitals in the 2021-22 campaign. A fifth-round pick by Washington back in 2016, he was claimed off waivers by the Jets at the beginning of the 2022-23 season and has remained in the Winnipeg organization since.

Not too long ago, it looked like the speedy 6’0″ winger had what it takes to be an everyday bottom-six forward. He appeared in a career-high 50 games with Winnipeg in 2022-23 following the waiver claim, averaging 10:27 per game but still managing to record six goals and eight assists for 14 points. AJF only got 26 NHL games the following year, though, as he passed through waivers unclaimed and bounced between the majors and minors.

His chances of making an NHL comeback likely ended with a poor showing in Manitoba this season. After hovering well north of a 0.7 points per game rate in the prior few years, Jonsson-Fjallby produced an underwhelming 12-15–27 scoring line in 65 showings for the Moose, just 0.42 points per game. As such, it would have made little sense for Jonsson-Fjallby to hold out hope for a two-way deal as a UFA this summer when there was a much more stable offer waiting for him back home in Sweden.

There aren’t many better places for a potential resurgence overseas for Jonsson-Fjallby than Brynas, which just took home the top spot in the SHL in the regular season. His previous top-flight experience in Sweden came with Djurgardens IF from 2016 to 2019, recording an 8-19–27 scoring line in 102 games there as a youngster.

Including his time in Washington, Jonsson-Fjallby has a 10-13–23 scoring line with a plus-five rating in 99 career NHL games.

International Notes: Radulov, Simashev, Forsell, Kämpf

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According to a report out of Russia, Alexander Radulov is transferring from Lokomotiv Yaroslavl to SKA St. Petersburg only a day after winning the second Gagarin Cup championship of his career and being named the playoffs’ MVP. The news confirms that Radulov will suit up in his fourth consecutive KHL season after leaving the NHL after the 2021-22 season.

It’ll be a one-and-done year for Radulov. He joined Lokomotiv after two years as captain for the Ak Bars Kazan, scoring 41 goals and 97 points in 120 games from 2022 to 2024. His scoring dissipated this year, putting together an 18-goal, 34-point season in 60 contests.

Still, Radulov left some gas in the tank for the postseason. He finished fourth in playoff scoring with seven goals and 16 points in 21 games, leading the next closest on Lokomotiv by two points. He’ll join a St. Petersburg club that hasn’t advanced past the quarterfinals in two years and has former NHL players such as Mikhail Grigorenko, Valentin Zykov, and Nikita Zaitsev on the roster.

Other international notes:

  • Confirming a report from a month ago, Utah Mammoth prospect Dmitri Simashev said he’ll be coming to North America next season (Tweet Link). Alongside Radulov and fellow Utah prospect Daniil But, Simashev became a first-time winner of the Gagarin Cup yesterday. Still, his offensive struggles continued throughout the KHL postseason, tallying only one assist in 21 playoff contests with a -1 rating. There shouldn’t be any guarantees that Simashev will make the Mammoth’s roster out of training camp in September.
  • Per a report from Rick Dhaliwal of The Athletic, the Vancouver Canucks are content with letting 2021 seventh-round pick, Lucas Forsell, join a different organization this summer. Vancouver selected Forsell with the 201st overall pick of the 2021 NHL Draft, and he’s been playing SHL’s Färjestad BK since. Still, it’s unlikely Forsell will gain much traction once his contractual rights expire on June 1st, given he’s failed to score more than 10 points in any SHL season since being drafted.
  • Team Czechia couldn’t defeat Team Sweden today despite having an extra reinforcement. TSN’s Chris Johnston reported yesterday that Toronto Maple Leafs forward David Kämpf joined his home country for the quarterfinals. He managed one shot on net in 17:09 of ice time with a -1 rating in the loss.

International Notes: Pysyk, Raffl, Leskinen

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Prague’s HC Sparta of the Czech Extraliga announced they’ve brought in former NHL defenseman Mark Pysyk for the 2025-26 campaign. The 33-year-old hasn’t played in the NHL since the 2021-22 campaign with the Sabres, and, although he was slated to play 2022-23 with the Red Wings after signing there in free agency, missed the entirety of that season due to an Achilles injury. He’s been working his way back to consistent playing time since, spending parts of 2023-24 with the Penguins’ and Flames’ farm teams before heading overseas. He spent this year in Finland with Liiga’s SaiPa, recording nine points and a +11 rating in 36 regular-season games before advancing to the championship series, coming up short to KalPa in the final. With Pysyk’s 521 games of NHL experience with the Sabres, Panthers, and Stars in the fold, Prague rejoins him with a couple of recognizable names, including 2018 Stanley Cup champion Michal Kempny and Mammoth reserve list netminder Josef Korenar.

There’s more from the top-level European leagues:

  • Longtime NHL winger Michael Raffl is heading back home to Austria on a one-year deal with EC Salzburg of the ICEHL, per a club announcement. The longtime Flyers depth scorer last suited up in the NHL with Dallas in the 2021-22 campaign. He’s spent the three years since in Switzerland with the National League’s Lausanne HC, serving as captain for the latter two. Injuries have limited him to just 55 total appearances in that time, but he did well in limited action last year (5-9–14 in 16 GP). He’ll now get to play with his older brother Thomas Raffl in his home country. The latter has been with Salzburg since the 2010-11 season and served as captain since 2019.
  • Luleå HF of the Swedish Hockey League announced they’ve agreed to terms with defenseman Otto Leskinen on a two-year deal. A former Canadiens prospect, the Finnish rearguard had spent parts of three of the last four seasons in his home country’s Liiga with Tappara but now moves to the slightly more competitive Swedish circuit for the first time in his career. The 28-year-old got into six NHL games with Montreal over the 2019-20 and 2020-21 campaigns and last appeared in North America with AHL Laval in 2022-23. A smallish lefty with good offensive instincts, he led Tappara’s defense in scoring this year with 38 points in 52 games.

Nicklas Bäckström To Attempt Resuming Playing Career In Sweden

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Capitals franchise legend Nicklas Bäckström hasn’t played since October 2023 after undergoing hip resurfacing surgery and was expected to retire when his contract expires this summer. While the center’s NHL days are still set to be over, it doesn’t look like he’s ready to hang up the skates entirely. He’s planning on signing a one-year deal with Brynäs IF of the Swedish Hockey League and slowly get back into game action, per Tomas Ros and Hans Abrahamsson of Aftonbladet.

“The dream comeback,” Ros and Abrahamsson wrote (translated from Swedish by Chris Cerullo of Russian Machine Never Breaks). “What we hear now is that he is signing a one-year contract with Brynäs and is treading very carefully. Maybe only playing half the games until Christmas. Then it will be more and more.”

Brynäs was Bäckström’s youth club and first professional team back when he made his SHL (then called Elitserien) debut in the 2004-05 campaign. He scored 66 points in 110 games for Brynäs before coming to Washington in 2007.

Bäckström’s hip problems limited him to 94 total regular-season appearances over what will stand as his final three NHL seasons. Now 37, Bäckström was long one of the league’s top two-way centers and breached the 70-point mark on eight occasions as Alex Ovechkin’s primary setup man throughout his career. The fourth overall pick in the 2006 draft, he ranks second from that year’s selections in career points behind Claude Giroux (although he can still be realistically usurped by Brad Marchand). His 762 assists are a Capitals franchise record, and he and Ovechkin are the only two players to record 1,000 points for Washington.

Bäckström hasn’t played for Brynäs since his pre-NHL days. He instead opted to play in Russia with Ovechkin during the 2012-13 lockout.

It would be quite the morale boost for a Brynäs club that’s already authored an impressive story over the last year or so. A top-flight fixture in Swedish hockey since the 1950s, Brynäs was demoted to the second-tier HockeyAllsvenskan for the 2023-24 campaign but won promotion back to the SHL in their first year back down. The club returned with a vengeance, finishing first in regular-season play and advancing to the playoff final, losing to Luleå HF. Their roster next year is highlighted by a few former NHLers including Jakob Silfverberg and includes defenseman Christian Djoos, who was briefly teammates with Bäckström in Washington.

Pacific Notes: Hiller, Canucks, Romani, Pettersson

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Speaking at his introductory press conference today (video link), Kings GM Ken Holland revealed that head coach Jim Hiller will remain with Los Angeles for next season.  Hiller just completed his first full season as head coach of the team with the Kings picking up 105 points in the standings, tying their franchise record set back in 1974-75.  However, they weren’t able to shake their recent playoff struggles, falling to the Oilers in the first round for the fourth straight year, leading some to wonder if Holland would opt to go in a different direction.  However, that won’t be the case and Holland added that he has no intention of rebuilding or retooling this roster, meaning that Hiller should have largely the same group of core players for 2025-26.

More from the Pacific:

  • At his introductory press conference today (video link), new Canucks head coach Adam Foote indicated that they intend to add two new assistant coaches to their staff. One will take Foote’s previous role running the defense while they hope the other will be able to help on the offensive side of things.  The two new hires will join assistant coach Jaroslav Svejkovsky and goalie coach Marko Torenius.
  • Still with the Canucks, prospect Anthony Romani announced on his Instagram page earlier this week that he has committed to Michigan State for next season. The 19-year-old was a sixth-round pick last year, going 162nd overall.  Romani battled injuries this year but picked up 35 points in 35 games between North Bay and Barrie in the OHL before adding 12 goals and 12 assists in 16 playoff contests for the Colts.
  • Ducks prospect Lucas Pettersson has signed a two-year deal with SHL Brynas, per a team release. The 19-year-old was an early second-round pick last June, going 35th overall after a strong showing in MoDo’s junior system.  This season, the center primarily played professionally, splitting time between the SHL with MoDo and Ostersunds of the second-tier Allsvenskan.  At their top level, Pettersson was limited to just one assist in 29 games while his team was demoted to the Allsvenskan for next season.  With Ostersunds, he fared much better with nine goals and ten assists in 26 contests.  By joining Brynas, Pettersson should be able to predominantly play at the SHL level next season, ideally in a more prominent role.

Snapshots: Stolarz, Hallander, Jedlicka

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The Toronto Maple Leafs won’t get any goaltending relief after a brutal 6-1 loss in Game 5. Head coach Craig Berube told the media that starter Anthony Stolarz is doubtful to travel to Game 6 on Friday, per Chris Johnston of The Athletic. Stolarz skated at the team’s morning practice, but exited the ice after more than 30 minutes. Stolarz’s injury hasn’t been technically specified, though it seems clear it’s a head injury after he received multiple headshots and was seen throwing up during Game 1 of the second round.

Stolarz has been Toronto’s rock for much of the season. He posted a .926 save percentage and a 21-8-3 record during the regular season – the highest save percentage and fourth-highest win percentage from a Leafs starter since 2000. Toronto’s backup, Joseph Woll, hasn’t matched Stolarz’s shutdown presence when healthy. Woll posted a .909 save percentage and 27-14-1 record in 42 games this season, earning the lion’s share of minutes while Stolarz battled injuries. Woll’s save percentage has dipped to .877 in five postseason appearances. He allowed six goals in his latest outing, which could be enough for Toronto to award veteran backup Matt Murray with just his second playoff start since the 2019-20 season. Murray posted a .934 save percentage in 21 AHL games this season.

Other notes from around the league:

  • Penguins forward prospect Filip Hallander was named the SHL’s Forward of the Year this season, the league announced on Thursday. He scored a career-high 26 goals and 53 points in 51 games this season, good for second in the league in total points behind David Tomasek’s 57 points in 47 games. Hallander signed a two-year contract with Pittsburgh at the tail-end of the SHL season, cementing his return to North America after spending the last two seasons in Sweden. He scored 61 points in 104 AHL games between 2021 and 2023, and added three scoreless NHL appearances. Hallander can now use the momentum from this award-winning season to notch his first NHL points next season.
  • After an injury-plagued season, it doesn’t appear the Avalanche will retain the signing rights to 2023 seventh-round pick Maros Jedlicka, relays Brennan Vogt of Mile High Sports. The 22-year-old Slovak forward spent the latter half of this season on a minor-league deal with AHL Colorado but was limited to five points in 18 games. He missed all of the 2023-24 season due to injury and managed just 12 appearances for HC Kometa Brno in Czechia before terminating his contract there early this season.

Filip Roos Signs In Sweden

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Senators blueliner Filip Roos was slated to become a Group Six unrestricted free agent this summer but has opted not to test the NHL UFA market.  Instead, SHL Farjestad announced that they’ve signed the blueliner to a two-year contract.

The 26-year-old came to North America in 2022, signing an entry-level deal with Chicago as an undrafted free agent.  He played in 17 games with the Blackhawks the following season and held his own while logging over 16 minutes a night of playing time.  However, he only saw action in four NHL games last season and wound up being non-tendered last June.

That brought him to Ottawa in free agency back in July as he inked a one-year, two-way deal on the second day of free agency.  The hope was that he’d serve as quality depth with AHL Belleville and potentially fill in when injuries arose on the back end.  The first part happened as he was an important part of Belleville’s back end where he chipped in with 17 assists in 68 games but didn’t receive any recalls during the season.

While Roos’ performance would have been enough to secure another two-way NHL deal this summer, it appears he decided that he’d be better off returning home for now.  But a good showing over the next two seasons could be enough to get him back on the NHL radar at that time.

Radim Zohorna Signs In Sweden

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Cross Radim Zohorna off the free agent list.  Rather than attempt a comeback in North America, he has decided to remain overseas.  However, instead of staying in the Swiss League, he’s off to Sweden as Farjestad announced that they’ve signed the forward to a two-year deal.

The 29-year-old looked like a possible late bloomer after showing some offensive upside in his native Czechia.  That, coupled with a 6’6 frame, was enough for Pittsburgh to ink him to an entry-level deal in 2020.  He split that season back home and in the Penguins’ system and held his own in eight NHL games, where he had four points.

That was enough to land him a longer look at the top level the following year when he got into 17 contests with Pittsburgh but in 2022-23, he found himself on waivers and was claimed by Calgary.  He subsequently cleared waivers soon after and spent most of the year in the minors while also getting a brief stint with Toronto.  The Penguins brought Zohorna back in 2023-24 on a two-way deal where he got into a career-best 33 games, bringing his tally to date to 68.

However, rather than search out another two-way pact in North America, Zohorna decided to try his hand overseas last summer, inking a one-year deal with HC Lugano.  Unfortunately, it was a bit of a quiet year offensively as he had nine goals and 13 assists in 39 games, numbers that were relatively close to his AHL production from the year before.  Now, he’s on the move once more with the hopes that a strong showing in Sweden could get him back on the NHL radar down the road.

Devils’ Santeri Hatakka Signs Two-Year Deal In Sweden

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Devils pending restricted free agent defenseman Santeri Hatakka has signed a two-year contract with HV71 of the Swedish Hockey League for the 2025-26 and 2026-27 seasons, per a club announcement. It’s unclear if the deal carries an NHL out clause. New Jersey can retain his exclusive signing rights through 2028 if they decide to issue him a qualifying offer before the June 30 deadline.

Hatakka’s move overseas comes after an injury-plagued 2024-25 campaign. The 24-year-old Finn was expected to compete for an opening night roster spot after posting strong defensive results in limited minutes last season, but he sustained a shoulder injury during training camp that required surgery. He wasn’t cleared to return until February, upon which he cleared waivers and finished the season with AHL Utica. The 6’1″ lefty posted a goal, an assist, 20 PIMs, and a plus-one rating in 19 minor-league appearances to end the campaign.

A sixth-round pick by the Sharks back in 2019, San Jose traded Hatakka to New Jersey in the 2023 Timo Meier deal. While he’s flashed upside as a reliable stay-at-home defensive presence, injuries have been a constant. He was limited to just eight AHL games in 2022-23.

In his Devils debut last season, Hatakka recorded two assists and a plus-five rating in 12 appearances while averaging 14:39 per game. He posted a 49.8 CF% at even strength, 1.9% better than the Devils’ shot attempt share without him on the ice, and was widely expected to spend most of this season as a reliable press-box or call-up option. Given he didn’t receive that opportunity and he wasn’t even part of New Jersey’s Black Ace callups last week, it’s clear neither side envisions much of an immediate future for Hatakka in New Jersey.

Attention now shifts toward whether the Devils will want to keep him on their reserve list with a qualifying offer. If they do so, Hatakka would have to sign with the Devils or have his signing rights traded if he wants to return to the NHL when his contract with HV71 expires in 2027. He joins a club whose 2025-26 roster also includes former Senator Olle Alsing, ex-Maple Leaf Andreas Borgman, and former Lightning depth piece Sean Day on the back end.

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