Jesper Wallstedt Signs Entry-Level Deal With Minnesota
12:46 pm: The Wild have made Wallstedt’s signing official. The contract will begin for the 2022-23 season.
9:33 am: With all the uncertainty around the Minnesota Wild’s goaltending situation for next season, it looks like fans could get a chance to see the team’s future in goal in North America in 2022-23. The Athletic’s Michael Russo reports Monday morning that the Wild are close to signing 2021 first-round selection Jesper Wallstedt to his three-year, entry-level contract.
Wallstedt alluded to the move himself with an Instagram post, thanking his Swedish club, Lulea HF, for the four seasons he spent there but said it was time to take the next step in his career. Lulea lost the SHL championship series to Farjestad, scoring just one goal in the final two games as Farjestad rebounded to take the series in seven games.
The 19-year-old native of Vasteras, Sweden, was widely regarded as the top goaltending prospect in the 2021 draft. Some public boards went so far as to rank him as one of the top 10 prospects available. However, a small late-season dip in his play combined with a stellar run in the WHL playoffs from the Edmonton Oil Kings’ Sebastian Cossa led to Wallstedt being the second goalie off the board at 20th overall. The pick originally belonged to the Edmonton Oilers, but the Wild made a draft-day trade to move up two spots from 22nd overall, surrendering the 90th overall pick (Luca Munzenberger) to the Oilers in return as well.
Wallstedt improved significantly on his numbers from last season this year. After a rough end to the 2020-21 season in Lulea and a subpar pair of playoff games, Wallstedt rebounded to post a 12-10-0 record, .918 save percentage, 1.98 goals-against average, and three shutouts in 22 games with Lulea this season. While the more experienced Joel Lassinantti got the starting role in the playoffs for Lulea, he played only nine more games than Wallstedt in the regular season.
That’s all to say that Wallstedt is still one of the best goalie prospects in the world, and this is significant news for the Wild organization. He’s a smooth, aggressive, and confident netminder with great vision. It’s not out of the realm of possibility to suggest that Wallstedt challenges for the backup spot in training camp in September, but how the Wild approach their second goaltender alongside Cam Talbot remains to be seen.
Gustav Rydahl Linked To New York Rangers
While the New York Rangers continue their quest for playoff success, the front office might be looking ahead to the future. In Sweden, a report has emerged in SportExpressen that connects Gustav Rydahl to the Rangers.
Rydahl, 27, has been flirting with an NHL career for years, but to this point has been limited to playing in the Swedish Hockey League. The undrafted forward had 14 goals and 30 points for Farjestads BK this season, but it was his playoff performance that really stood out.
In 19 postseason contests, Rydahl had six goals and 12 points en route to an SHL championship. He also had 21 penalty minutes, a common theme for the physical forward, who has been known to get involved in plenty of extracurricular activity after the whistle.
It was actually the second title of his career, after winning one as a young player in 2015 with Vaxjo. At that point, the 6’3″ forward was an absolute black hole offensively, but things have changed in recent years. With an appearance at the Olympics also on his resume from earlier this year, and now two straight strong offensive seasons (split by one with only nine games played), it is as good a time as any to try his hand in North America.
Minor Transactions: 05/08/22
Half of the NHL is in the playoffs and focused on little else. The other half of the league has turned their attention to the offseason, but are limited in what they can actually do before the NHL Draft and free agency. However, for nearly every other league in the world, it is a busy time. The KHL, Liiga, and Swiss National League have all wrapped up their seasons and started offseason activities, and the SHL is at most two games from joining them. Closer to home, as CHL seasons come to an end in the playoffs, AHL rosters are being supplemented by assignments and amateur tryouts. NCAA programs are also finalizing their rosters for next season, some in response to pro signings. So while transactions may seem like a non-issue in the NHL right now, there is plenty going on elsewhere:
- Cole Spicer, a member of the USNTDP and the silver medal-winning U.S. entry into the U-18 World Juniors, has finally landed on a new destination for his collegiate career. Spicer had recently decommitted from the University of North Dakota and Matt Wellens of the The Rink Live reports that he will instead play for a NCHC rival. Spicer has committed to the University of Minnesota-Duluth and will join the Bulldogs next season. Spicer will now play alongside USNTDP teammate and presumptive 2022 first-round pick Isaac Howard at UMD, whereas no one from the program’s graduating class is headed to North Dakota now. Though Spicer is a step behind compared to an extraordinarily talented USNTDTP group this year, expected to go in the fourth round or later rather than the first two rounds, he was still a key contributor to the team and a prospect to watch moving forward.
- Niko Huuhtanen, a seventh-round selection of the Tampa Bay Lightning last year, is getting his first taste of the pro level to end the year. The Bolts’ AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch, have announced that Huuhtanen has signed an ATO with the team for the remainder of the season. The Finnish product is having quite the first season in North America; after recording 37 goals and 77 points in 65 games with the WHL’s Everett Silvertips, Huuhtanen is now getting a shot in the AHL less than a year after he nearly went undrafted, taken with the very last pick of the 2021 Draft. The power forward could be yet another late-round find by Tampa. The Crunch have also added undrafted defenseman Tyson Feist on an ATO. The 21-year-old captain of the WHL’s Kelowna Rockets just wrapped up his junior career by scoring more points (39) in 65 games this season than he did in his first four WHL seasons combined. The Lightning want to see if he has what it takes to continue on to the pro level.
- When Helsinki-based club Jokerit backed out of the KHL playoffs and later announced they would be leaving the league altogether, the expectation was that they would be returning to the Finnish Liiga next season. However, no such official decision has been made and with the Liiga now in offseason mode, a pair of notable Jokerit forwards have decided to move elsewhere. SC Rapperswil-Jona has announced that both Nicklas Jensen and Jordan Schroeder have signed two-year deals with the team. Playing on a Jokerit roster filled with former and future NHLers, Jensen and Schroeder ranked first and third respectively in goals and second and third respectively in points. The former Jokers are expected to fill those same top-line roles with the Lakers for the next two years and should be even more productive in the Liiga. Both first-round picks of yesteryear, Jensen and Schroeder combine for less than 200 NHL games between them, but have found their place as top scorers in Europe.
- Usually when the KHL rights of active NHL players are traded, there is information informing the value of those rights. With that in mind, pay attention to Russian netminder Alexei Melnichuk this offseason. HC Sochi and SKA St. Petersburg have made a deal in which the rights to forward Ivan Morozov and goaltender Mikhail Berdin were sent to SKA, while Melnichuk’s rights are headed to Sochi, the club announced. Seeing as Morozov just signed with the Vegas Golden Knights two weeks ago and Berdin is signed through next season with the Winnipeg Jets and to a one-way deal no less, the only player whose rights could reasonably have value in 2022-23 is Melnichuk. An impending restricted free agent, the 23-year-old Melnichuk is not having the season he expected after making his NHL debut with the San Jose Sharks last year. Rather than gain more of a role in the Sharks’ organization, Melnichuk played exclusively in the AHL this year before he was traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning at the deadline, who have kept him in the ECHL ever since. Melnichuk put up stellar numbers in the KHL at a young age before jumping to North America and there could be a strong draw to return given his recent usage and results. On the other side, though Berdin has long been committed to playing in North America and Morozov is an up-and-coming prospect who hopes to have a long NHL career, St. Petersburg certainly added the vastly superior talent in the deal and will be happy to cash in if either player ever return to Russia.
Anaheim Ducks Sign Calle Clang
After acquiring his rights at the deadline, the Anaheim Ducks have signed Calle Clang to a three-year entry-level contract. The young netminder spent this year with Rogle of the Swedish Hockey League, where he’ll likely return next season.
Clang, 19, was part of the return for Rickard Rakell from the Pittsburgh Penguins, who drafted him 77th overall in 2020. The 6’2″ netminder was excellent in his first real taste of SHL action, posting a .914 save percentage in the regular season and helping Rogle win a Champions League title by going 5-1. He’s also been at each of the last two World Junior tournaments, though he has still yet to see a minute of action at the event. Still, he certainly should be in the mix for the rescheduled tournament this summer, and now has his NHL future locked up with Anaheim as well.
Another Swedish netminder who plays deep in his crease, Clang has all the measurables and upside to become a legitimate NHL option down the road. While that’s still a way off, it could raise some interesting questions for the Anaheim organization.
The team already has John Gibson in place and signed through 2026-27 and Lukas Dostal as its presumptive goaltender of the future. With high hopes for Clang, things could get interesting for the new front office led by Pat Verbeek in the coming years. It’s the fact that they targeted a goaltending prospect at all that could raise eyebrows, especially given the lottery ticket options they already have in Olle Eriksson Ek and Roman Durny. Both of those prospects are scheduled for restricted free agency, however, with Durny especially a potential non-tender candidate after missing nearly the entire season with a groin injury.
Regardless of what comes down the road, getting Clang signed was obviously a priority for this administration, as they held his rights until January 2024. As he was selected outside of the first round and is still signed for Rogle next season, he’ll have to be returned to Sweden unless he somehow makes the Ducks roster out of camp.
Anton Bengtsson Drawing NHL Interest
After nearly a decade playing in the SHL, Anton Bengtsson may be ready to test the North American waters. The veteran forward is drawing NHL interest, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, who notes that it would be for a bottom-six role.
Bengtsson, 28, is coming off easily the best season of his career, scoring 20 goals and 39 points in 49 games for Rogle BK. He’d previously reached career highs of just 13 and 19 respectively, meaning this year sticks out as a huge outlier. Still, with ten seasons of experience in one of the most structured and successful leagues in the world, it makes sense for an NHL team to at least give him an opportunity to prove what he can do in North America.
While Andrei Kuzmenko seems to be the talk of the town among European free agents–Friedman notes that interviews with teams will begin after the U18 tournament that is currently underway in Germany–Bengtsson represents part of the next level of talent that teams can pick through to try and add depth to their organization.
We’ve seen countless players like him come and struggle in the NHL but also some that find immediate success. Perhaps in the right spot Bengtsson will fall into the latter category and can provide some strong two-way play in a limited role.
Morning Notes: Wallinder, Nurse, Chinakhov
Over the long history of the Detroit Red Wings, there have been some incredible Swedish players. The days of Nicklas Lidstrom, Henrik Zetterberg, and Tomas Holmstrom may be over, but there is a new wave of Swedish talent coming to claim the ice in Detroit. Lucas Raymond has been outstanding in his rookie season, scoring 56 points in 79 games, and top prospect Simon Edvinsson appears to be a first-pairing defenseman in the making.
It was another prospect though, who received the honor of being the best junior-aged player in the SHL this season. William Wallinder, selected 32nd overall in 2020, took home the award, the second straight time it has been given to a Red Wings defenseman. Moritz Seider–a German playing in the SHL–took it home a year ago, before bursting onto the scene as the likely Calder Trophy winner this season. Wallinder, 19, is another behemoth standing 6’4″, but is actually one of the best skaters in the SHL and recorded 19 points in 47 games for Rogle this season. Get ready, the Swedes are coming.
- Edmonton Oilers head coach Jay Woodcroft confirmed today that Darnell Nurse did not make the trip to Columbus and is listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury. The team is still hoping their top defenseman will be ready for the playoffs, but he won’t play in today’s afternoon affair or Tuesday’s match against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Oilers are firmly in a playoff position, two points ahead of their likely first-round opponent the Los Angeles Kings, but will certainly want Nurse to shake off any rust before the postseason begins. The 27-year-old has 35 points in 71 games this season while averaging over 25 minutes a night.
- It’s been more than three weeks since rookie Yegor Chinakhov was in the lineup for the Columbus Blue Jackets, but he’ll make his return today against the Oilers. Team reporter Jeff Svoboda tweets that Chinakhov will go into the lineup for Brendan Gaunce, giving the 21-year-old a chance to add to his totals down the stretch. Selected 21st overall in 2020, the young forward has 14 points in 58 games this year.
San Jose Sharks Sign Strauss Mann
The San Jose Sharks have landed a very interesting goaltender, inking Strauss Mann to a one-year contract. Mann recently became an unrestricted free agent when he left Skelleftea AIK of the SHL. No details on the contract were released. Shin Larsson, Sharks’ supervisor of European scouting, released a statement on his newest find:
Strauss is a quick athletic goalie with history of leadership and success exemplified by being named the first goalie Captain at University of Michigan in 78 years. He followed his successful collegiate career with a strong season for Skelleftea in the SHL and represented Team USA at the most recent Olympics. We look forward to adding a quality goaltender and person to our organization.
Mann, 23, posted a .914 save percentage in the SHL this season, appearing in 22 games for Skelleftea after leaving Michigan. He also managed to suit up for the U.S. at the Olympics, and now enters the North American professional ranks as a legitimate NHL prospect. Undrafted out of the USHL, Mann developed into a dominating presence for the Wolverines, posting a .926 save percentage over 77 starts and earning the captain’s “C” in his junior year.
While he doesn’t fit the prototypical NHL goaltending frame, standing just 6’0″, Mann’s excellent quickness and ability to read the play have resulted in strong results everywhere he has been so far. In fact, before signing in the SHL, he was ranked third by Corey Pronman of The Athletic among undrafted free agent players from college and Europe, with the scribe noting he projects as a No. 2 or 3 option for an NHL club. If that’s what the Sharks have landed with nothing more than an entry-level contract, it will be a big win for the organization.
Of course, in San Jose there is certainly no shortage of NHL options for next season. James Reimer and Adin Hill are both under contract through 2021-22 at more than $2.1MM each, and Kaapo Kahkonen was acquired at the trade deadline as a potential future starter. The hope, it seems, is that Mann will be able to fill one of those higher roles when Reimer and Hill both become unrestricted free agents in the summer of 2023–when the former will be 35 years old.
Pontus Holmberg Assigned To AHL
The Toronto Marlies are getting a pretty impressive reinforcement, as Pontus Holmberg has been assigned to the AHL club by the Toronto Maple Leafs now that his SHL season is over. Signed to an entry-level contract last June, the young forward was loaned back to Sweden for most of this year.
Holmberg, 23, was a sixth-round pick (156th overall) of the Maple Leafs back in 2018 and for the first few years after his draft, appeared to be nothing special. That changed during last year’s SHL playoffs though, when the Vaxjo forward scored seven goals and 14 points in 14 games, winning the championship and being named playoff MVP. He was then named Swedish Forward of the Year, earned a place on the World Championship squad, and suddenly was a rising star. The Maple Leafs signed him to an entry-level contract and sent him back to the SHL to continue his development, with a much bigger role on Vaxjo.
This season, his progression continued, with 41 points in 46 games and a place on Sweden’s Olympic team. That was a big accomplishment, given that the rest of the roster was made up of veterans. In fact, Holmberg was the only player in the entire group that could be considered an NHL prospect and was several years younger than everyone else.
While he still has much to prove on this side of the ocean, the Maple Leafs have certainly done well with some of their late-round Swedish picks in the past. Andreas Johnsson (202nd overall), and Pierre Engvall (188th overall) both took a similar path to the organization and became NHL regulars within a few years of coming over. If they can pull off the same trick with Holmberg, it’s another low-cost forward to support the high-priced talent at the top of their roster.
Minor Transactions: 04/17/22
NHL roster movement has slowed considerably with the trade deadline passed and the postseason just around the corner, but notable transactions continue in other leagues around the globe. While those moves often fly under the radar, especially at this time of year, here are some familiar names and worthwhile prospects to keep track of:
- Tobias Rieder is staying in Sweden. The 29-year-old journeyman forward left the NHL for the first time in his pro career this season, signing on with the SHL’s Vaxjo Lakers. After a successful season, recording 22 points in 36 games, it seems Rieder is willing to bypass any potential NHL interest this summer in exchange for some career stability. Vaxjo has announced a new two-year extension with Rieder, keeping the two-way forward through the 2023-24 season. Assuming he plays out the contract with the Lakers, it would mark the first time in his pro career that Rieder plays exclusively with one team for three consecutive seasons. Rieder began his NHL career in 2014-15 with the Arizona Coyotes, but split his rookie season with the AHL’s Portland Pirates. Then, after two more seasons with the ‘Yotes, he was traded midway through the 2017-18 campaign to the Los Angeles King and proceeded to play with a different team in each of the following three seasons: Edmonton, Calgary, and Buffalo. While Rieder has proved himself to be a serviceable depth forward in the NHL, the German forward is understandably content with playing a top-six role in Europe instead, especially if it means sticking with the same team.
- Joey LaLeggia seems to be in the same boat as Rieder, albeit without the established NHL resume. LaLeggia, 29, is a former University of Denver standout and Edmonton Oilers prospect who played five seasons in the AHL before departing for Sweden in 2020-21. This year, LaLeggia stayed in the SHL but moved to Timra IK, a move that yielded strong results. LaLeggia recorded 38 points in 52 games, a top-three scorer on the team and the club’s all-time leader in single-season points from a defenseman. Playing a key role alongside another name familiar to NHL fans in Ty Rattie, LaLeggia has found an ideal fit in Timra. As a result, the team has announced a one-year extension with the capable blue liner, which could very well lead to a long-term deal if he continues to produce. LaLeggia may have had a case to try again in North America, but seems happy with his role in the SHL.
- Twin brothers Ty and Dylan Jackson have left Northeastern and are headed across the country to Arizona State University. Brad Elliott Schlossman of the Grand Forks Herald reports that the pair will join the Sun Devils, where they should step into major scoring roles for the next two or three years. Though undrafted, the duo have been effective players for the Huskies and their entry onto the NCAA Transfer Portal was a surprise. High-scoring forwards for the USHL’s Dubuque Fighting Saints, the Jackson brothers arrived at Northeastern last year and made an immediate impact, both finishing as top-six scoring forwards. Dylan finished with more points than Ty as freshmen, but was limited to just eight games and three points this season. Ty was back in the top-six as a sophomore, recording 20 points in 28 games and leading all forwards with a +19 rating. There has been no word as to why the twins decided to move on from the Huskies, but will welcomed by a less talented Arizona State team looking to make their mark on college hockey as an independent. Depending on how their time at ASU goes, the Jackson brothers should have pro ambitions and may perhaps even draw NHL interest.
San Jose Sharks Sign Max Veronneau
The San Jose Sharks have signed Max Veronneau to a one-year contract, bringing him back to North America after two seasons overseas. The financial details were not released by the team but Curtis Pashelka of the Bay Area News Group reports that the two-way deal has an NHL salary of $750K. PuckPedia provides even more details, confirming that the deal is for 2022-23 and includes a minor league guarantee of $400K.
Shin Larsson, the Sharks supervisor of European scouting, released a statement on the deal:
Max had a great season this year in Europe, leading the Swedish Hockey League in goals and being named the SHL’s Most Valuable Player. He has produced at every level offensively and previously was an ECAC Champion with Princeton. We look forward to him joining our organization.
Veronneau, 26, certainly did have a great season in the SHL. In 51 games he scored 34 goals and 60 points, showing just why he was so coveted out of Princeton University in 2019. At that time, he was one of the top undrafted free agent targets for several NHL teams and ended up signing a two-year entry-level contract with the Ottawa Senators. After two frustratingly inconsistent years, which included a trade to the Toronto Maple Leafs just weeks before professional sports shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Veronneau was left unqualified and became an unrestricted free agent once again.
After spending last season with Oskarshamn IK in the SHL, this year he moved to Leksands where he dominated the league in almost every offensive category. His return represents an interesting lottery ticket for the Sharks, and at the very worst a strong contributor for the San Jose Barracuda.