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Boston Bruins Loan Nick Wolff To Hungary

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Nick Wolff’s North American pro debut may be on hold, but he will be playing professionally in Europe sooner rather than later. The University of Minnesota-Duluth standout, who signed with the Boston Bruins this spring, has joined Hungarian club DVTK Jegesmedvék on loan, the team announced. Like so many player loans being issued right now, the deal between the Bruins and Polar Bears extends until NHL training camp opens, after which Wolff will return. The left-handed defenseman is expected to play a key role for DVTK until then.

Why exactly did Wolff end up in Hungary? DVTK actually plays in the Slovakian Extraliga, joining the league via expansion in 2018. The club then made their playoff debut the same year and were headed back last season before the season was canceled. However, the real draw lies not with the Polar Bears’ upstart success, but with Wolff’s connections to the club. His former junior head coach with the USHL’s De Moines Buccaneers, Dave Allison, is now the head coach at DVTK, while former Duluth teammate Kyle Osterburg also plays for the club. Boston likely would have been willing to loan Wolff to any team to get his season underway, but it might have made their decision easier knowing that former Bruin Rob Flick is also a member of the team.

While the Slovakian Extraliga is not exactly comparable to the NHL, it will get Wolff ready to compete in the AHL in 2020-21. A four-year starter for Duluth, Wolff was a dominant stay-at-home defender who contributed decent offense as well. Wolff’s 6’5″, 230-lb. frame alone makes him a formidable pro, but he is unlikely to play at the NHL level too quickly. Wolff will need time to adjust to the speed of the pro game and to continue to develop his skating and skill, but the Bruins can give him that time. Although the club’s starting defense lineup is still up in the air entering free agency, especially on the left side, Boston is deep in pro defense prospects, again also on the left side, and Wolff is unlikely to move up the depth chart this year.

Raphael Lavoie Headed To Sweden

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Sep 22: Lavoie ended up leaving Rogle before playing a single game, but will still be heading to Sweden for the 2020-21 season. The Oilers have announced that the young forward has now been loaned to Vasby IK in the Swedish second league. Like before, the release indicates that Lavoie is going for the whole season, though obviously, that could still change depending on the situation.

Aug 20: The Edmonton Oilers continue to be flexible with their prospects, sending them overseas amid the uncertainty surrounding an AHL season. The minor leagues are still hoping to have full seasons, but since nothing is set in stone at this point, organizations are finding playing time for their youngsters all over the world. According to Dave Ainsley of Le Quotidien and a report out of Sweden, Oilers prospect Raphael Lavoie will play the 2020-21 season with Rogle of the SHL.

Interestingly, Lavoie is expected to play the entire season instead of returning for NHL training camp and an AHL campaign like so many other prospects. The second-round pick from 2019 spent last season in the QMJHL, split between the Halifax Mooseheads and Chicoutimi Sagueneens scoring 38 goals and 82 points in just 55 games. He also was a member of the gold medal-winning Canadian World Junior club, though he failed to score a goal in the tournament.

Lavoie only signed his entry-level contract a few months ago, officially joining the Oilers organization. Interestingly though, that means his contract will actually not slide forward like many of the 2019 draft picks even if he spends the year outside of the NHL. Since he’ll turn 20 in late-September, 2020-21 will be the first year of his deal even if it’s spent on loan in the SHL.

Snapshots: Boeser, Miller, Caufield, Langlois

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With plenty of trade speculation that has surrounded Vancouver Canucks forward Brock Boeser over the last few months, there are quite a few people who have connected the dots of the Canucks sending their promising 23-year-old forward to Minnesota, Boeser’s hometown, to beef up their defense. With a new contract in the hands of Jonas Brodin, general manager Bill Guerin needs to trade Matt Dumba and a swap of the two players make sense, according to Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre.

However, Canucks general manager Jim Benning said recently that he isn’t trying to trade Boeser, who has scored 71 goals in the past three seasons.

“Lots of GMs call us about our players,” Benning said. “I listen and sometimes we have a conversation. That’s my job as a GM. If I’m not listening to other GMs, then I’m not doing my job. But we’re not trying to trade Brock Boeser. I have not had a conversation with Minnesota about him.”

Another reason for the trade speculation is that Vancouver has three key unrestricted free agents it would like to re-sign and don’t have the cap space at the moment to do it. Boeser has a $5.88MM contract for two more years and while not an albatross of a contract, the team could save some cap space if they were willing to move one of their forwards to bring in defensive help. Dumba makes $6MM, so the contracts would even out, but then could allow the team to try to focus on re-signing Tyler Toffoli to replace Boeser in the lineup if the Canucks could make that swap.

  • The Athletic’s Eric Stephens writes (subscription required) that the Anaheim Ducks still are waiting for backup goaltender Ryan Miller to make up his mind on coming back for a 18th season. Miller told Stephens that he has been on the ice approximately seven times now and is just trying to see if his body can adjust to sitting for as long as he has. Regardless, the 40-year-old has yet to make a decision, but the long layoff (he last played on March 10) has definitely made him think twice about returning. “You have things that you’re used to doing and when they stop, it’s shocking to the system,” said Miller. “I tried to install a little bit of normalcy so I can kind of get my sense of direction … I just thought that it was best not making any decisions either way if you’re sitting on the couch.”
  • After a report from SportExpressen Saturday that Edmonton Oilers prospect Raphael Lavoie was cut from Rogle of the SHL after the Oilers loaned him to the top SHL team, a new report this morning suggests that they have set their sights on Lavoie’s replacement. HockeyNews.se reports that Rogle is now in negotiations to recruiting Montreal Canadiens star prospect Cole Caufield to join the team. ESPN’s Chris Peters reports that Caufield has been looking for a place to play with his college season at the University of Wisconsin delayed, although the rumor last week was that he was headed to Switzerland. Rogle has declined comment on the situation. Caufield, the Canadiens top pick in 2019, scored 19 goals in his freshman year at Wisconsin.
  • The Montreal Canadiens announced the passing of three-time Stanley Cup winning defenseman Albert “Junior” Langlois, who died at age 85 on Saturday. He helped the Canadiens win Stanley Cups in 1958, 1959 and 1960, the last three of their historic five-straight Cup titles. He also played for the New York Rangers, Detroit Red Wings and the Boston Bruins. The stay-at-home defenseman played 497 games in his NHL career with 21 goals and 112 points. PHR offers our condolences to his family.

Sharks’ Joel Kellman Loaned To Kristianstads IK

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Joel Kellman finally made the jump to North America this season, but now he’s headed back to Sweden. Well, at least for the time being. The San Jose Sharks’ rookie forward has officially been loaned to Kristianstads IK of the Allsvenskan, the team reports, but he will return to San Jose when NHL training camp opens. Kristianstads is the farm team of the SHL’s Karlskrona HK, Kellman’s hometown team who he played parts of five seasons for earlier in his career.

Kellman, 26, just signed a two-year extension with the Sharks late last month after a promising first season. He played the majority of his games with the Sharks, recording seven points in 31 games, but when he did play for the AHL Barracuda produced 16 points in 25 games. A perennial 30+ point scorer in the SHL, Kellman does have room to improve, and at a $750K AAV the Sharks have every reason to give him the opportunity to do so.

Whether Kellman does in fact play for Kristianstads or instead plays up with Karlskrona, he should be well-prepared to battle for a regular role with San Jose next season. Playing in the Allsvenskan, Kellman would have a major leg up on his teammates and competition. In the SHL, Kellman would have the added advantage of tough competition and would also enjoy playing with top 2020 NHL Draft prospects Ridly Greig and Connor McClennon. Either way, the former Swedish standout will fit in well back home and will be ready to go for the Sharks when the new league year begins.

Metropolitan Notes: Bemstrom, Merzlikins, Couturier

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Blue Jackets winger Emil Bemstrom is expected to join HIFK Helsinki of the SM-liiga to start their season, reports SportExpressen’s Johan Svensson.  The 21-year-old still has two years remaining on his entry-level deal so Columbus would have to agree to loan him out before anything could be finalized.  While he played in the SHL before coming to North America, that league isn’t accepting players on loan so he had to look elsewhere.

Bemstrom played in 56 games in his rookie season, collecting 10 goals and 10 assists; half of his tallies came with the man advantage to tie for the Blue Jackets lead.  He also suited up in five postseason contests where he was held off the scoresheet.  After averaging more than 12 minutes a game, it’s safe to infer that Bemstrom should have the inside track on a roster spot with Columbus next season but a good start in Finland in more of an offensive role could certainly give him a boost heading into training camp where he’ll be looking for a bigger role.

More from the Metropolitan Division:

  • Still with the Blue Jackets, goaltender Elvis Merzlikins told RSI Sport in Switzerland that he is hoping to get permission to train with HC Lugano next month. He is no stranger to Lugano having played there from 2009 through 2019 before coming to Columbus this season.  However, unlike before, Merzlikins has no intention of playing while he’s over there as if he is loaned, it would just be to skate with the team to stay in shape for training camp.
  • Flyers center Sean Couturier played through an MCL sprain in their final playoff game, relays Jordan Hall of NBC Sports Philadelphia. It’s not the first time that he has had an MCL injury in the past as he played through his final few 2018 postseason contests with an MCL tear.  The injury should be fully recovered in time for training camp.

Victor Soderstrom, Oliver Wahlstrom Loaned To AIK

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Two more top prospects have been loaned overseas, as a report from Sweden has both Victor Soderstrom and Oliver Wahlstrom set to join AIK (Allsvenskan). Those are two huge additions for the second league team, who will get to enjoy some elite talent while the AHL and NHL seasons are delayed.

Soderstrom’s connection was reported last week and he’ll represent a legitimate top-pairing option for AIK, at least for the next few months. The 19-year-old defender has already had great success in the SHL and should be a prime candidate to join the Arizona Coyotes in 2020-21 even at a young age. The 11th overall pick from 2019, Soderstrom has all the pieces to be an impact player in the NHL but needs to continue his development if he’s to reach his ceiling.

Wahlstrom meanwhile doesn’t have quite the same prospect shine, but that could be only because we’ve been hearing his name since he was nine years old. The 20-year old New York Islanders prospect still has huge offensive potential and recorded 22 points in 45 games with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers this season. Though Wahlstrom failed to record a point in nine NHL contests, it’s important to remember just how young he is—he still qualified for this year’s World Junior tournament.

Both prospects will be back by the time NHL training camp gets underway, but it’s hard to know exactly when that will be. Just yesterday, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet wrote that the owners will “wait as long as possible” to try and find a path towards having (some) fans in the stands next season. For now, they’ll get their reps in Europe.

Prospect Notes: Rossi, Fleming, Soderstrom

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For prospects eligible to be selected in the 2020 draft, right now is a time of uncertainty. Those who may go in the top few picks often want to challenge for an NHL roster spot immediately, but it’s not clear exactly when training camp will even start. The NHL is hoping to get the 2020-21 season underway in December, but there’s no telling exactly when games will actually begin at this point.

Earlier this summer, Alexis Lafreniere, the consensus top prospect, decided he will not play in Europe and instead spend the offseason training. Today, Scott Wheeler of The Athletic reports that another top prospect has come to the same conclusion. Marco Rossi, who was ranked sixth by NHL Central Scouting among North American skaters and is expected to go in the top-10 picks, will not sign with a European club for the start of the season and is instead training in the hopes of making an NHL roster right away. Wheeler adds that he believes Rossi does have the talent to make the NHL right away. The Austrian-born center scored 120 points in 56 games for the Ottawa 67’s this season.

  • Another future NHL draft pick has made a decision on where he’ll play down the road, as Maddox Fleming commits to the University of Notre Dame. Fleming, 16, is a top prospect for the 2022 draft and will be joining USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program for the next two seasons. Notre Dame would come after that, though it’s important to remember that commitments are often changed. Fleming already stands 5’11” 174-lbs and recorded 52 points in 42 games for the prestigious Shattuck St. Mary’s prep team this season.
  • Victor Soderstrom may be the next top NHL prospect being loaned out to another league to get some game action, as the Arizona Coyotes defenseman has been linked to AIK in Sweden by Johan Svensson of Expressen. Soderstrom played in the SHL the last two seasons, but is expected to compete for a spot on the Arizona roster as soon as this year. The 11th overall pick from 2019 has quickly turned into one of the best defensive prospects in the world, landing 15th overall in Wheeler’s recent list of the top drafted prospects.

David Gustafsson Loaned To Allsvenskan

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Among the players being loaned out to European leagues, it’s no longer only prospects that are years away from making an NHL impact. Now teams are starting to find landing spots for young players who have a good shot at making the roster when the 2020-21 season starts too. David Gustafsson, who played 22 games with the Winnipeg Jets this season, has been loaned to Tingsryds AIF of Sweden’s Allsvenskan (second tier).

Gustafsson, 20, scored his first NHL goal with the Jets but was held scoreless otherwise and managed just seven points in 13 AHL contests. Still, he’s a big part of their future after being selected 60th overall in 2018 and making an impact at the SHL level.

This move is a bit curious, given he’s already competed and succeeded at the highest level in Sweden, but it will certainly give Gustafsson a chance to build on his game and get some confidence coming into NHL training camp. The Jets release specifically states that the young forward will return when the 2020-21 season begins in North America.

Minor Transactions: 08/25/20

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The playoffs resume with two more games this evening, as the Boston Bruins and Vegas Golden Knights look to take commanding 2-0 series leads. For more than half the league though, plans are being formulated for the 2020-21 season instead (whenever that starts). Minor, junior, and European leagues are also planning their next steps and like always we’ll keep track of those minor moves right here.

  • Filip Hallander, the Toronto Maple Leafs newest prospect, had already been loaned to Lulea HF for the 2020-21 season. Toronto GM Kyle Dubas told reporters today that the team will honor that agreement, though Hallander will be back to take part in NHL training camp. Should he fail to make the NHL roster, he’ll be on his way back to spend another season developing in Sweden. Hallander suffered a broken leg in the second game of the 2019-20 SHL season, but still managed to put up 14 points in 27 games by the end of the year.
  • Jan Bednar, a top goaltending prospect for the 2020 draft, has committed to playing in North America this season, signing with the Acadie-Bathurst Titan of the QMJHL. Bednar was the 2nd overall pick in the 2020 CHL Import Draft behind only Matvei Petrov and was ranked second among international goaltenders for the upcoming draft.
  • Ryan Bourque, a long-time AHL veteran, has decided to hang up his skates. The 29-year old son of NHL legend Ray Bourque has retired, finishing with just one game at the NHL level. Originally selected in the third round by the New York Rangers, Bourque scored 203 points in 585 career AHL games and represented Canada several times on the international stage, winning gold at both the U18 and U20 World Junior Championships.

Joakim Nygard Loaned To Farjestad BK

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The Edmonton Oilers continue to loan players out all over the world as they wait for the 2020-21 NHL season to begin. This time it’s Joakim Nygard, who has been loaned to Farjestad BK in the SHL. While the announcement doesn’t indicate he’ll be back for training camp, you can assume that the 27-year old will come back to North America for his second crack at making the Edmonton roster.

This season, Nygard looked like might be a useful piece for the Oilers to retain given his speed and forechecking ability. The undrafted winger had nine points in 33 games playing almost exclusively in the bottom-six, but ended up breaking his hand in January which finished his season. The Oilers obviously felt as though he should get another chance though, as they signed him to a one-year contract extension just a few days later.

Now returning to Edmonton with just an $875K cap hit, Nygard could be a useful piece for the roster as they try to continue building a speedier group around Connor McDavid. Getting back into game action is crucial for the Swedish winger, given he hasn’t played meaningful hockey in six months.

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