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Minor Transactions: 09/23/19

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Minor league training camps open this week and their NHL affiliates will be sending players down to compete for jobs in the AHL. With that in mind, there will likely be several more minor transactions coming across the wire. Like always, we’ll keep an eye on all the minor league, college and European moves right here:

  • All of the players from yesterday have cleared waivers and can be assigned to the minor leagues.
  • The Manitoba Moose have agreed to terms with Griffen Outhouse on a one-year AHL contract. The 21-year old goaltender played last season for the Victoria Royals of the WHL where he posted a .913 save percentage in 46 appearances. Outhouse had actually committed to the University of Alberta for this season, but it seems now that he’ll be making the leap to professional hockey instead. The team has also brought in 11 other players on tryouts.
  • Shamil Shmakov will be playing for a different USHL team this season, after being acquired by the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders. The Russian goaltender was selected by the Colorado Avalanche in 2018 and posted strong numbers again last season in the MHL. His first taste of North American hockey should give the Avalanche an idea of whether or not he will ever be worth signing, given they only invested a seventh-round pick.

Minor Transactions: 09/09/19

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Training camp is upon us, as rookie tournaments are underway and veterans are arriving back in town for informal workouts. In no time, teams will be back on the ice. Yet, many NHL clubs still have work to do, with prominent restricted and unrestricted free agents still without contracts. Minor league affiliates, European teams, and college programs are also still making moves to finalize their plans for the coming season. Keep track of those minor transactions right here:

  • P.K. Subban is one of the NHL’s brightest stars and Malcolm Subban continues to fight for recognition as an NHL backup. Little brother Jordan Subban has not had the same luck in his pro career. The 24-year-old defenseman played on an AHL contract with the Toronto Marlies last season after the Vancouver Canucks declined to extend him a qualifying offer last season. After a so-so season in the minors, the NHL interest was again missing this summer and now Subban has opted to take his talents overseas. Dornbirner EC of the Austrian EBEL has announced a one-year deal with the young defender. Subban stands a good chance of being the best player on his new team, but even a dominant season in Austria won’t be enough to convince NHL teams that the 2013 fourth-round pick is any more than a famous last name. Subban is just beginning a long road back to relevance.
  • Tobias Lindberg is another former NHL prospect having a hard time in his professional development. A fellow 2013 fourth-rounder, the 24-year-old forward is most well known for having been traded five times since February 2016. Unlike Subban, he’s also seen NHL action, skating in six games with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2015-16. However, since then he has been relegated to an AHL role and has not been overly productive. Lindberg recorded just 16 points in 61 total games split between three teams last season. Looking to restore his value and find a consistent place to play, Lindberg was expected to skate with IK Oskarshamn of the SHL this upcoming season. However, things went from bad to worse for the struggling prospect today, as the team announced that his contract had been terminated. While the press release was meant to make it seem like an amicable breakup, the club stated that Lindberg did not show the potential that they had hoped for and he, in turn, did not feel he could get the ice time he needed in Oskarshamn. It’s unclear now where Lindberg goes from here in his pursuit of a fresh start.

Prospect Notes: Merkley, Karlberg, Chudinov

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When the OHL’s Peterborough Petes released their training camp roster last week, star defenseman Ryan Merkley was suspiciously absent. The San Jose Sharks 2018 first-round pick was only acquired by the Petes midway through last season and was expected to play a major role for the team this year. However, that won’t be the case. Merkley’s agent, J.P. Barry, relayed to Mike Davies of The Peterborough Examiner that he has been informed that Peterborough is working to trade Merkley and do not plan to begin the season with him on the roster. Petes GM Mike Oke confirmed as much, telling Davies that “We’ve decided we’re going to go in a different direction. Finding another opportunity for Ryan would probably be best for everybody… [W]e just felt it wasn’t the right fit.” Oke stated that no specific incident led to the team’s decision on Merkley, but this is hardly the first time that the young blue liner has worn out his welcome. A player that has continuously been followed by rumors of immature behavior and poor sportsmanship, Merkley was thought to have been initially traded to Peterborough from the Guelph Storm under similar circumstances. These personality concerns also likely played a factor in Merkely’s drop to No. 21 overall last year, as his offensive ability might have otherwise warranted a higher draft slot. Nevertheless, the Sharks remain committed to their prospect defender and Oke and Barry are certain that Merkley is still a valuable commodity in the OHL. In fact, the Petes expect to get a similar package back in a trade as what they gave up for him: a top young player and a package of high picks. Merkley is a talented player – he has recorded 193 points in 188 career OHL games – and will get a fair shake at Sharks training camp, but his defensive ability still needs work and he will almost certainly end up back in the OHL this season. The question is with who and whether his continued behavioral issues will follow him to his next stop as well.

  • Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Marcus Karlberg will also be playing somewhere different this season. The 19-year-old forward, a 2018 third-round pick, has been loaned to a new club for the 2019-20 season. AIK of Sweden’s second-tier pro league, the Allsvenskan, announced that they have acquired Karlberg’s services from Leksands IF for the coming season. Karlberg was a near point-per-game player for Leksands’ U-20 SuperElit team early last season before being promoted and recording 11 points in 44 games in the Allsvenskan. Karlberg had clearly outgrown the junior level, but with Leksands earning a promotion to the SHL, the team was likely wary of moving the young forward to Sweden’s top pro level. Karlberg’s growing ability is obvious – he is a fast, hard-working forward who doesn’t let his small frame limit him – but remaining in the Allsvenskan for another year is likely a better developmental move. AIK hope that he can break out and perhaps contribute to another promotion-worthy campaign.
  • While he can barely be considered a prospect anymore, Russian defenseman Maxim Chudinov is already back to impressing in the KHL. Likely one of the best players in the world never to try his hand at the NHL, Chudinov still remains Boston Bruins property as a 2010 seventh-round pick. The 29-year-old rearguard has been playing in the KHL since even before the Bruins took a flier on him and has become well-known for his top two-way play and even more so for his howitzer of a shot. Chudinov put his slapper on display in the KHL’s season opener yesterday, scoring from behind his own blue line. Amazingly, this is the third time in this calendar year alone that Chudinov has accomplished that unthinkable task. A multiple-time Gagarin Cup champion and KHL All-Star, it’s possible that Chudinov could finally decide he wants a new challenge in his career and the Bruins would surely welcome him with open arms, despite their depth on defense. However, with his 30th birthday arriving this season, it’s more likely that Chudinov will simply remain a “what could have been” for NHL fans.

Snapshots: PWHPA, Barbashev, Hoglander

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In May, some of the top women’s hockey players in the world announced the formation of the Professional Women’s Hockey Players’ Association in their ongoing fight for more resources and support for their sport. The same way that the NHLPA protects players’ rights and fights for larger pieces of the financial pie, the PWHPA was meant as a “a vehicle dedicated to promoting and supporting the creation of a single, viable women’s professional league in North America.”

Today, the PWHPA has announced that Jayna Hefford has been named operations consultant, essentially taking over leadership of the union. The legendary women’s hockey star has been at the forefront of the sport both on the ice and as a former commissioner of the CWHL before it’s dissolution recently. Hefford is one of the most decorated Canadian hockey players of all-time, taking home four Olympic and seven World Championship gold medals over her career. She was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2018.

  • The St. Louis Blues still have some unfinished business this summer with unsigned restricted free agent Ivan Barbashev. Igor Eronko of Sport-Express passes on a report out of Russia that has Barbashev looking for a two-year, $4MM deal with the Blues, while the team has offered just a two-year, $2.6MM contract. A report recently had Barbashev looking at his overseas options, though no decision has been made at this point.
  • Nils Hoglander will spend another season in Sweden according to Rick Dhaliwal of Sportsnet, who reports that the Vancouver Canucks discussed a contract with the young prospect but won’t sign him this offseason. The 18-year old forward was selected with the 40th pick of the 2019 draft and can continue to develop in the SHL in 2019-20.

Snapshots: Rantanen, Grebeshkov, Sodergran

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Reporters including Michael Chambers of the Denver Post caught up with Colorado Avalanche GM Joe Sakic today at his celebrity golf tournament, and asked him about the ongoing contract negotiations with Mikko Rantanen. There were recently reports that things had barely started between the two sides, but Sakic confirmed he had personally agreed with Rantanen that a long-term deal is the way to go.

With both sides on the same page regarding term, there is one less thing to worry about in negotiations. Obviously salary is now the biggest question and you have to wonder if Rantanen’s side (and maybe the Avalanche too) want to wait and see where some of the other high-priced restricted free agents come in. At the very least, the fact that Rantanen wants to sign long-term in Colorado is a positive sign and one that should excite Avalanche fans.

  • Former NHL defenseman Denis Grebeshkov will join his old coach behind the bench in the KHL this season. He has been hired as an assistant to Craig MacTavish, who was the head coach of the Edmonton Oilers when the Russian experienced the most NHL success. Originally selected 18th overall by the Los Angeles Kings in 2002, the left-handed defenseman played several seasons for Edmonton and recorded 39 points in 2008-09. MacTavish left the Oilers this offseason to pursue an opportunity coaching Yaroslavl in the KHL.
  • The Kings have confirmed to Jon Rosen that prospect Johan Sodergran will play in North America for the 2019-20 season, coming over from the SHL. Sodergran signed his entry-level contract in June after the Kings selected him in the sixth round in 2018 and comes with a fair amount of buzz after a successful season with Linkoping HC. Though he finished the year with just 13 points in 42 games, competing at all in that league at such a young age is an impressive feat. Sodergran also suited up for Sweden at the World Juniors last year and is expected to play for the Ontario Reign of the AHL despite not turning 20 until November.

Tobias Lindberg Signs In Sweden

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At the end of the 2018-19 season Tobias Lindberg was not given a qualifying offer by the Vegas Golden Knights, making him an unrestricted free agent. Instead of pursuing another chance in the NHL, the 24-year old forward is heading back to Sweden to play in the SHL with IK Oskarschamn. The club is joining the SHL for the first time after being promoted from the second league.

Linberg was originally selected in the fourth round of the 2013 draft, but has bounced around the league in his short career. In fact, 2018-19 saw him play for three different organizations after two trades. Amazingly that brings his trade count to five, including two stints each with the Vegas Golden Knights and Ottawa Senators. During that time Lindberg has only been given six games of NHL opportunity and is still waiting on that elusive first goal. In the AHL he has 89 points in 225 games, and admitted to SollentunaDirekt that this season was difficult because of all the transactions.

A Memorial Cup winner with the Oshawa Generals in 2015, Lindberg is a capable player at both ends of the rink but hasn’t been able to put it all together in professional hockey. He’ll try to get his career back on track in Sweden and may be a name you hear again down the road.

Minor Transactions: 08/05/19

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As August begins and we get closer to the end of arbitration and contract holdouts, teams continue to fill our their organizational depth charts. Here are some minor moves from around the league. We’ll keep updating as more come in:

  • Pro enforcer Bobby Farnham has decided to take his talents to the EIHL, signing a one-year deal with the Belfast Giants. Farnham has bounced up and down between the AHL and NHL for years, mostly as an imposing physical presence. Despite being just 5’10” the 30-year old Farnham has always been willing to drop the gloves or go after a player in the corner. In 67 NHL games he has 138 penalty minutes a total dwarfed by the 1,044 he has received through 404 AHL games.
  • Farnham will be joined in Belfast by former NHL player Liam Reddox who has spent the last eight seasons with the Vaxjo Lakers. Reddox actually served as captain of the Swedish team for the last four years, but will be looking for a new challenge in 2019-20. Once the 112th pick of the 2004 draft, Reddox played 100 NHL games with the Edmonton Oilers before leaving for the SHL in 2011.
  • There was a trade in the ECHL this morning, with the Maine Mariners acquiring the rights of Jordan Klimek in exchange for Derek Pratt and Garrett Cecere. All three are former NCAA players looking to make their way in professional hockey.

Minor Transactions: 07/31/19

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As July comes to a close and we get closer to the end of arbitration hearings and contract holdouts, teams continue to fill our their organizational depth charts. Here are some minor moves from around the league. We’ll keep updating as more come in:

  • Legendary Texas Stars forward Travis Morin has decided to retire from his playing career and take a job in the team’s front office. Morin’s #23 will be the first number retired by the team in a ceremony scheduled for October 19. The 35-year old forward played in just 13 NHL games but suited up 778 times in the AHL, scoring 625 points. 773 of those AHL games and all but one point came in a Texas uniform. In 2014 he was named regular season and playoff MVP en route to a Calder Cup with the Stars.
  • The Cleveland Monsters have signed Anton Karlsson to a one-year AHL contract. The 26-year old defenseman has played the last five seasons in the SHL, recording his best offensive output—13 points—in 2018-19. Undrafted, Karlsson will get a chance to show what he can do on North American ice and try to work his way towards an NHL contract down the road.
  • Selected 35th overall in the CHL Import Draft, Ville Ottavainen is on his way to the Kitchener Rangers. The 16-year old defenseman has signed with the OHL club and will play on their blue line next season. Ottavainen recorded 34 points in 49 games in his Finnish junior league last season and will try to bring that kind of production to North America. He is eligible for the 2020 NHL Entry Draft.

Philip Broberg To Play In Sweden

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Even though the Edmonton Oilers have already signed top prospect Philip Broberg to a three-year entry-level contract, don’t expect him to be in training camp come September. The young defenseman has decided to play in Sweden for 2019-20 according to Adam Kimelman of NHL.com, who caught up with Broberg at the World Junior Summer Showcase in Plymouth, Michigan. Explaining why he made the decision, Broberg recognizes his current weaknesses and thinks he can address them best overseas playing for Skelleftea in the SHL:

It’s a great organization for developing. I know I’m not good enough to make the NHL team right now, that’s why I’m going to Skelleftea, to play against men every day, to practice against them, to play in probably the third-best league in the world, to get better and come back next year and make the [Oilers].

Selected eighth overall in last month’s draft, Broberg quickly signed his entry-level deal with the Oilers but was never expected to compete for a spot right away. The 18-year old could have gone to the OHL where his rights are owned by the Hamilton Bulldogs, but he’ll instead compete at an even higher level back home. His contract will not kick in for 2019-20 and could even potentially slide forward another year if he fails to make the team in 2020-21.

Not only will the smooth skating defenseman be able to play in the SHL, but it seems likely that we’ll get a chance to see him on the international stage for Sweden at the World Juniors. He competed there last season at the age of 17, but should be given a much greater role on the team this time around. Already standing 6’3″, Broberg is one of the best skating defensemen in the whole draft but still has holes in his decision making and defensive positioning. Those attributes are highly coveted in Swedish coaching, meaning he’ll hopefully be able to develop them while playing with a strong organization in Skelleftea.

Overseas Notes: Rychel, Enstrom, KHL

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After years of trying to find his place in the NHL, former top prospect turned journeyman Kerby Rychel has decided to take his talents to Sweden. Orebro HK of the SHL announced today that Rychel has signed a one-year contract with the club. Rychel brings with him nearly 300 games worth of AHL experience, as well as 43 NHL games. The 19th overall pick by the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2013, Rychel entered the pro level with high expectations as both the son of respected former player and OHL executive Warren Rychel and as a player who had done serious damage on the score sheet at the junior level. Rychel looked to be on his way to becoming an established NHL player when he suited up for 32 games with Columbus in his second pro season, but a trade to Toronto – in exchange for current Blue Jackets defenseman Scott Harrington – altered his trajectory. Rychel never played a single game for the Maple Leafs, spending close to two full seasons with the AHL’s Marlies. He was then traded to the Montreal Canadiens at the tail end of the 2017-18 season as part of the package for rental Tomas Plekanec. Despite performing well in a brief showing with the Habs, Rychel was traded again last summer to the Calgary Flames for Hunter Shinkaruk. Even as he was enjoying the best per-game production of his AHL career with the Stockton Heat, Rychel earned just two appearances with the Flames and the team did not make him a qualifying offer earlier this summer. Putting a tumultuous NHL career behind him, Rychel will now try his hand at the SHL. Orebro struggled last season, finishing tenth out of 14 teams and will be glad to add an experienced talent like Rychel. Between he, fellow new addition Ryan Stoa, and returning top liner Shane Harper, Orebro should pack some more offensive punch next season.

  • Given the lackluster NHL free agent market this summer, it’s no surprise that few veterans who had previously made the jump to Europe have been able to find a fit back in North America. Count defenseman Tobias Enstrom among that group. The 34-year-old has re-signed with his hometown team, MODO of the Swedish minor league Allsvenkan, the club announced. It is a new one-year deal for the captain, who returned to Sweden last off-season. A career member of the Atlanta Thrashers/Winnipeg Jets franchise, Enstrom found himself without a home for the first time in 11 years last summer as a free agent without a market. He held out hope, waiting for an offer until late August, before opting to head home. In returning to MODO, the team he grew up playing for – albeit in the SHL at that time – Enstrom took on a leadership and also saw a spike in his production. MODO hopes that the strong play continues from their veteran ace, as the team looks to contend for promotion back to the SHL in the upcoming season.
  • The quiet NHL free agent market has had an overwhelmingly positive effect on the European leagues, as few players left their respective clubs while talent continues to come over from North America. While Sweden has had a strong off-season in the import business, the winner thus far in terms of NHL additions is unsurprisingly the KHL, considered to be the best of the European leagues. Among the players who have signed in the KHL this off-season are forwards Sven Andrighetto, Ty Rattie, Nikita Soshnikov, Jori Lehtera, Peter Holland, and Lukas Sedlak, defensemen Andrej Sustr, Igor Ozhiganov, Bogdan Kiselevich, and Jakub Jerabek, and goaltender Harri Sateri. It’s a valuable influx of talent for a league that is seeking better competitive balance.

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