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Eastern Conference Notes: Sandin-Pellikka, Penguins, Hallander, Merilainen

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The Detroit Red Wings are the biggest winners in a busy day for the Eastern Conference, following news that top defense prospect Axel Sandin-Pellikka could join the team after his SHL season ends from Kevin Allen of Detroit Hockey Now. Sandin-Pellikka is one of the top defense prospects across the NHL. He confidently leads U21 scoring in the SHL, Sweden’s top league, with 12 goals and 29 points in 46 games. Those totals also rank Sandin-Pellikka ninth among all SHL defensemen, regardless of age.

Sandin-Pellikka has been on a strict upward climb since Detroit drafted him 17th overall in the 2023 NHL Draft. He earned his first full pro season with Skelleftea AIK last year, and managed an impressive 12 goals and 25 points in 53 total games as the team blazed their way to their first SHL championship since 2014. It was clear that Sandin-Pellikka was feeling out his lineup footing during the title run, improving from a menial role at the start of the year to a daily role by the end of the season. That growth has only continued this year, with Sandin-Pellikka now serving in a consistent top-pair role and earning upwards of 24 minutes a night.

Sandin-Pellikka was also a superstar at this year’s World Juniors Championships. He recorded four goals and 10 points in seven games while serving as Team Sweden’s captain. Those totals tied him for first on Team Sweden, and second in the tournament outright, in points. Sandin-Pellikka’s Skelleftea seems headed for another playoff run this season. The Red Wings will be watching it closely, with word that their star prospect could be headed over as soon as his SHL season ends.

Other notes floating around the Eastern Conference:

  • Pittsburgh Penguins’ general manager Kyle Dubas is playing his usual games of salary cap gymnastics. The team shuffled forward Matthew Nieto and defenseman Sebastian Aho were swapped between the NHL and AHL rosters overnight, per Seth Rorabaugh of Pittsburgh’s Tribune-Review Sports. The Penguins utilized an emergency recall on both players on Tuesday morning, but didn’t play either in their overtime win over the Vegas Golden Knights. That fact forced Pittsburgh to return the pair to the minor leagues and utilize a standard recall to bring them back up. The Penguins have done just that, and will now have just two standard recalls remaining for the rest of the season. Nieto filled a depth role in the NHL at the start of the season, but was assigned to the minors after netting just three points in 31 games. Aho has been oft-injured this year, and returned from his latest absence earlier this month. He so far has seven assists in 17 AHL games this season.
  • In other Penguins news, the team have also expressed interest in re-signing top SHL scorer Filip Haalander per Rorabaugh. Haalander ranks second in the SHL with 26 goals and 53 points in 51 games this season. He returned to the SHL last season, after two quiet years in the Penguins organization. Haalander totaled 61 points in 104 AHL games, and no points in three NHL games, before stepping away from North American pros. He scored 36 points in 51 games in his return to Sweden last season, and is now close to lapping those totals this year. Should he feel that hot scoring has given him the momentum he needed, it seems Haalander will have an open door to the club that originally drafted him in the second-round of the 2018 draft.
  • Continuing to march around the Eastern Conference, the Ottawa Senators have returned third-string goaltender Leevi Merilainen to the minor leagues after recalling him on Tuesday. He served as the team’s backup goaltender in Tuesday night’s win over the Philadelphia Flyers, while star Linus Ullmark received a rest night. With Ullmark back up to speed, Merilainen will return to the minor leagues – where he’s posted a dazzling 12-7-3 record and .910 save percentage in 25 appearances. He’s been just as sharp in the NHL, with an 8-3-1 record and .925 save percentage in 12 games this season – while filling in for an injured Ullmark. Senators backup Anton Forsberg saved 20 out of 22 shots on Tuesday – enough to secure the win and maintain his spot above Merilainen on the depth chart, though that distance could soon be closing.

Ducks Terminate SHL Loan Agreement For Damian Clara

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Saturday: Clara’s next team is now known as Karpat in Finland’s Liiga announced that the netminder is joining them for the remainder of the season.  He’s expected to report to the team on Sunday.

Friday: Generally, when an NHL-contracted prospect is loaned overseas, that loan is for the duration of the season.  However, in rare occasions, the NHL club can try to end it prematurely.  That appears to be the case for Ducks prospect Damian Clara.  Originally on loan to SHL Farjestad, the team announced that at Anaheim’s request, Clara has been released to play elsewhere.

The Ducks drafted the 20-year-old 60th overall in the 2023 draft, making him the fifth goalie off the board.  He spent that season with Farjestad’s junior team and while his numbers weren’t particularly strong (a 2.79 GAA with a .903 SV% in 35 games), the fact he stands six-foot-six and some of his raw tools made him a popular speculative sleeper pick heading into the draft.  Clearly, Anaheim felt he had enough upside to be one of the first goalies taken.

Clara had a strong showing in 2023-24, putting up a 2.23 GAA with a .913 SV% in 34 games with Brynas of the second-tier Allsvenskan and was even better in the playoffs as they were able to gain promotion to the SHL this season.  He did well enough to sign his entry-level deal back in June but was loaned out again for this season.

However, Clara returned to Farjestad instead of remaining with Brynas.  This season, he had a 3.19 GAA with a .879 SV% in 21 outings, splitting time with former NHL goalie Maxime Lagace.  However, Farjestad recently signed another former NHL netminder, Anders Lindback, making Clara the third-string option.

To that end, Farjestad’s release announced that the Ducks were terminating the loan agreement due to a lack of playing time.  Where he plays next remains to be seen but they will need to decide quickly as the international transfer window closes at 4:59 PM CT on Saturday.  If an international opportunity doesn’t present itself in the coming hours, it stands to reason that Clara would come to North America and report either to AHL San Diego or ECHL Tulsa.

Atlantic Notes: Tarasenko, Tomkins, Kozak

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While the Red Wings have played their way back into the playoff battle, one veteran who hasn’t had a big hand in their recent success is winger Vladimir Tarasenko.  Accordingly, even if Detroit acts as a buyer over the next few weeks, MLive’s Ansar Khan argues that the team should be looking to move the 33-year-old anyway and if it doesn’t happen, then they should consider making him a buyout candidate this summer.  Tarasenko has just seven goals and 15 assists through 53 games this season in a little under 15 minutes a night of playing time.  As someone who has reached the 20-goal mark in eight of the last 11 years, it’s fair to say Detroit was expecting more than that for their $4.75MM commitment through next season.  It would be tough to offload that contract in its entirety but a swap of underachievers might be the way to for the Red Wings, as long as Tarasenko, who has a full no-trade clause, approves the deal.

More from the Atlantic:

  • Earlier this week, Mattias Persson of HockeyNews.se reported that HV71 of the SHL was trying to add Lightning goaltender Matt Tomkins for the remainder of the season. With Tampa Bay recently converting Brandon Halverson to an NHL deal, Tomkins is effectively down to fourth-string status and he did spend two years in Sweden recently so the move wouldn’t have been entirely shocking.  However, it appears the efforts to get Tomkins out of his NHL deal before today’s international transfer deadline were unsuccessful as Varmlands Folkblad’s Johan Ekberg reports (Twitter link) that the netminder has declined HV71’s offer and will remain in North America for the rest of the season.  The 30-year-old has a 2.66 GAA and a .905 SV% in 21 games with AHL Syracuse.
  • Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News suggests that it’s unlikely that center Tyson Kozak will remain in the minors once NHL play resumes next Saturday. The 22-year-old has played in 11 games so far with Buffalo where he has a goal and a 48.1% success rate at the faceoff dot in 10:25 per night of playing time.  Lysowski notes that Kozak’s defensive play has drawn praise from Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff but on the other hand, playing a young prospect that little might not be the most ideal option from a longer-term development perspective.

Viktor Lodin Could Return To The NHL Next Season

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Viktor Lodin’s first stint in North America came and went with little fanfare.  However, now that he’s having a strong season back home in Sweden, a return could be back on the radar.  Aftonbladet’s Tomas Ros and Hans Abrahamsson report (subscription link) that there are multiple NHL teams (including the Blues and Red Wings) believed to be scouting the forward and that Lodin could look to take another crack at the NHL next season.

The 25-year-old was a fourth-round pick by Ottawa back in 2019, going 94th overall.  After spending the first season of his entry-level deal with SHL Timra, Lodin came to North America late in the year, getting into one appearance with the big club and ten more with AHL Belleville where he impressed with eight points.  That seemed to position himself to push for an NHL roster spot for 2022-23.

That didn’t happen, however.  Lodin was limited to just 28 games with Belleville that year and while he held his own with 15 points in those outings, the Senators elected to walk away at the end of the season, non-tendering him instead of issuing a qualifying offer.

Lodin returned to Sweden last season, spending the year with IK Oskarshamn where he fared well with 11 goals and 20 assists in 40 games.  However, that team was relegated for this season so Lodin moved on to Farjestad for this year and his production has improved.  Through 31 outings in 2024-25, he has 12 goals and 21 assists, good for a tie for second in SHL scoring.

Because Lodin already had his entry-level contract, there are no more restrictions on what type of deal he can sign.  With the year he’s having, it’s possible that he could command a strong two-way deal or even a one-way pact which makes him someone to keep an eye on when the international transfer window opens up in the spring.  If Lodin doesn’t get an offer to his liking, he can fall back on the security of his current deal with Farjestad, one that runs through the 2028-29 season.

Blues Reassign Otto Stenberg To AHL

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1/11: St. Louis has officially assigned Stenberg to the AHL.

1/10: The Blues will likely have center prospect Otto Stenberg finish his 2024-25 season in North America after starting the year on loan to the Swedish Hockey League’s Malmö Redhawks, Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic reports. Malmö confirmed that Stenberg won’t be returning to the club this season after representing the Swedes at the 2025 World Junior Championship.

Stenberg, 19, was the second of three first-round picks that St. Louis made in the 2023 draft. Going 25th overall after Dalibor Dvorský (10th) and fellow Swede Theo Lindstein (29th), the offensively-inclined pivot was expected to go higher coming into the year but fell to the late first after a stagnant offensive showing in Sweden’s top junior league.

Since his draft day, Stenberg has barely touched junior competition aside from back-to-back showings at the WJC. He’s played primarily in the SHL with Frölunda and Malmö, but as per usual with youngsters in Europe, he hasn’t climbed high enough up the depth chart to see his point totals pop.

In 25 games with Malmö this year, Stenberg had three goals and three assists for six points with a minus-seven rating, second-worst on the team. The Blues signed him to his entry-level contract in May, and since he was a first-round pick, he could have been sent to the AHL to begin the season without his Swedish team’s permission, but they opted to keep him at home regardless.

Now, after Stenberg posted eight points in seven games en route to a bronze-game loss to the Czechs, he’ll be coming stateside after all. He’ll link up with fellow 2023 first-rounder Dvorský, who leads Springfield in goals with 11 in 27 games as the pair come back from their WJC loans.

The move opens the door to a potential NHL recall for Stenberg down the stretch, although he’ll likely get a long leash in the AHL before that’s something the Blues consider.

Golden Knights Recall Jonas Røndbjerg, Assign Tanner Laczynski

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The Vegas Golden Knights have recalled forward Jonas Røndbjerg from the Henderson Silver Knights. In a corresponding move, the Golden Knights have also assigned forward Tanner Laczynski to the minor leagues. This marks Røndbjerg’s third call-up of the year. He’s spent four days on the NHL roster this season, stepping into two games on Vegas’ fourth-line.

Røndbjerg has been a go-to call-up over the last four seasons. He was originally the sixth pick in Vegas’ franchise history, hearing his name called in the third round of the 2017 NHL Draft after a strong season with the Vaxjo Lakers’ U20 squad. The Denmark-native spent the next two seasons working his way up to Vaxjo’s SHL lineup. He totaled 17 points in 80 games with the club before moving to the AHL full-time in the 2020-21 season. He scored 40 points through his first 78 games, and three seasons, in the AHL – just enough to earn a routine role in the mix of Vegas’ bottom-six. Since then, Røndbjerg has established a pattern of a role-based impact in the NHL coupled with high production in the minor leagues. The 30 NHL games he received as a rookie in 2021-22 stand as his single-season high, though he has totaled 65 NHL appearances and 10 points in the three seasons since. He’ll return to the top flight once again, on the back of 10 points through 25 AHL games this season.

Meanwhile, Laczynski will head back to the minors after just 11 days on the NHL roster. The 27-year-old center stepped into five games during his recall, recording six penalty minutes and a -1 but not managing any scoring. He’s been far more productive in the minor leagues, netting 19 points in 17 games – still a team-lead in scoring, despite the Henderson Silver Knights playing 10 games without Laczynski. His return will prove significant help for a young Henderson lineup.

Big Hype Prospects: Hagens, McKenna, Reber, Hynninen

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The top flight of the World Junior Championships kicks off on Thursday. This year brings a wealth of strong international teams to Ottawa, Canada to face off against a loaded Team Canada roster. The last two tournaments hosted in Canada have both ended in a Canadian gold medal. The red-and-white will look to repeat those results this year, adding to their record-setting 20 titles. Team USA will look to curb that by becoming the first country other than Canada to win back-to-back golds since Russia in 2002 and 2003. With so much on the line, we’ll borrow a page from MLB Trade Rumors’ Big Hype Prospect series to bring you four must-watch players this tournament.

Four Big Hype Prospects

James Hagens, C, Boston College (NCAA Hockey East, 2025 NHL Draft)
16 GP – 5 G – 15 A – 20 P – 4 PIM – +15 +/-

This year’s World Juniors will be headlined by 2025 NHL Draft talent. Nearly every team has a top prospect to showcase. Canada seems set to award Matthew Schaefer and Porter Martone – strong candidates for first-overall – with strong lineup roles. Sweden is bringing electric scorer Victor Eklund, younger brother of 2021 seventh-overall pick William Eklund. Even Slovakia is joining in, bringing Tomas Pobezal after a dazzling start to his second pro season. But of the many draft prospects looking to stake their claim, it seems Team USA star James Hagens has the most to prove.

Hagens has been electric for the BC Eagles this season. He’s seamlessly filled the hole between Gabe Perreault and Ryan Leonard that William Smith vacated in his move to the NHL. It took Hagens a small while to find his footing, but he’s fired on all cylinders as of late – with four goals and nine points in his last seven games. He’s been dynamic in all regards, but now faces the battle of proving his case for first-overall against a loaded Canadian offense. Hagens ended his last international stint – last season’s World U18 Championships – with a record-breaking 22 points in just seven games. But the wind seems against him, especially after the dazzling showing that Schaefer and Martone had at the CHL/NTDP matchup. Hagens may need to bring generational offense to this tournament as well if he wants to hang onto the top-of-the-draft hype he’s built over the last few seasons.

Gavin McKenna, F, Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL, 2026 NHL Draft)
30 GP – 19 G – 41 A – 60 P – 8 PIM – +24 +/-

It’s not every year that looming draft talents make up so much of the World Juniors’ starring cast. This year, hockey fans get an even richer scene, with superstar 2026-prospect Gavin McKenna set to support the host city. Where Hagens set the U18-Championship scoring record last Spring, McKenna set the tournament record for players playing up a year – with 20 points in seven games. He’s another truly dynamic star, with an incredible ability to create space and beat goalies with speed and poise. McKenna, who turned 17 last week, has had to earn his way into Canada’s lineup during pre-tournament action. He started as the extra forward, then went without any scoring in back-to-back games when he received hardy minutes. But with a goal in Canada’s final pre-tourney matchup against Czechia, McKenna made it clear that he’s ready for a productive tournament. Canada features a lot of exciting offensive ability this year. Calum Ritchie brings near-pro-level playmaking, while Berkly Catton, Bradly Nadeau, and Easton Cowan have earned  plenty of NHL hype. But it will be McKenna that paves his road ahead with this tournament – as he looks to join the ranks of Canadian legends Connor Bedard, John Tavares, and Sidney Crosby with a dazzling World Junior showing in his age-17 season.

Jamiro Reber, C/LW, HV71 (SHL, 2025 NHL Draft Overager)
25 GP – 7 G – 7 A – 14 P – 2 PIM – -5 +/-

Representing central Europe in the upcoming NHL Draft will be a shared task, but 18-year-old Jamiro Reber should carry plenty of attention early on. He’s been a surprise showing in Sweden’s SHL, working his way into HV71’s middle-six after starting the year in the U20 league. He’s a stout, two-way forward who’s earned his keep with his ability to work with his linemates and finish plays in front. But now, he’ll join Team Switzerland in an uphill battle at this tournament. Reber has just one point in seven international friendlies with Switzerland’s U20 team this season – matching his scoring in five World Junior games last season. The pair of showings line up with Reber’s tendency to score less internationally – when he’s leaned on as a star play-driver. This tournament will be the chance to buck that trend on the heels of a red-hot start to his pro career – and how he takes to the role could be a big sway in Switzerland’s success.

Topian Hynninen, C/LW, Jukurit (Liiga, 2025 NHL Draft Overager)
32 GP – 7 G – 17 A – 24 P – 2 PIM – 0 +/-

While Reber represents central Europe, Topias Hynninen will look to bring the attention of NHL scouts back to Scandinavia. The flashy forward was also overlooked in last year’s draft after netting a measly nine points in 43 games as a Liiga rookie. That lack of scoring landed him off of the World Junior roster, despite three points in five World U-18 games in 2023. But Hynninen has taken to the year of learning well. He’s launched himself into Jukurit’s top-six and scored 24 points in 32 games along the way – tied for second-most on the team. He’s shown talent all over the ice, using fast and tireless skating, gritty hitting, and heads-up offense to gel with his linemates at even-strength and on the man-advantage. Hynninen has already scored six points in seven games with Team Finland this season, and could be set for a smash tournament after a year-long absence from any notable tournaments. He’s shown an ability to either drive play himself from the middle-lane, or support his linemates from the flanks – and could be called upon for both as Finland fights for their place in a crowded top-end. He’ll be heavy-utilized, and a strong tournament could land him a high selection at next year’s Draft.

Tyler Benson Signs In Sweden

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Former Oilers left-winger Tyler Benson has found a place to play for 2024-25 after going unsigned for the campaign’s first month. MoDo of the Swedish Hockey League announced they’ve signed the 26-year-old to an agreement for the remainder of the season.

Benson last suited up in the NHL in the 2022-23 campaign. A 2016 second-round pick, he never really caught on in Edmonton despite showing some intriguing offensive upside at the AHL level.

In 38 career appearances, Benson only managed a paltry three points (one goal, two assists) and never got any looks higher up in the lineup, averaging just 8:46 per game. But he was a high-end offensive threat for their AHL affiliate in Bakersfield for several years. The Edmonton native turned heads in his first professional season, impressing with 66 points in 68 games in 2018-19 in his first minor-league go-around after completing his major junior career with the Western Hockey League’s Vancouver Giants. He continued to hover around a point per game with Bakersfield while getting a few NHL call-ups until 2022-23 when he turned out just five goals and 23 points in 43 appearances.

By the time the 2023 offseason rolled around, he had turned 25, and with only those 38 NHL games under his belt, he was eligible for Group VI unrestricted free agency. The Oilers didn’t bring him back, and no other NHL offers came his way. Benson settled for an AHL contract with the Henderson Silver Knights, the Golden Knights’ affiliate. He failed to rediscover his game there, again limited to just five goals with 20 assists for 25 points in 52 games, barely cracking the top 10 in team scoring.

It’s been a sharp fall from grace for Benson over the past couple of seasons, a trend he’ll now look to reverse in Sweden. Regarded as a high-energy playmaker who’s effective on the forecheck when he’s on his game, he joins a MoDo club headlined by ex-Avalanche winger Sampo Ranta. They’re off to a horrid 2-10-1-3 start and appear well on their way to being relegated back to the second-tier HockeyAllsvenskan after being promoted in 2023. However, they hope Benson’s acquisition could help get them out of the basement.

East Notes: Liljegren, Shesterkin, Volokhin, Brandsegg-Nygard

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While there has been some trade speculation surrounding Maple Leafs defenseman Timothy Liljegren, TSN’s Darren Dreger reports (Twitter link) that there is no imminent move on the horizon.  Toronto is currently carrying eight blueliners while also having offseason additions Jani Hakanpaa and Dakota Mermis on LTIR so their depth is in decent shape, something Dreger notes Toronto likes.  However, while having strong depth is one thing, having a healthy scratch making $3MM through next season isn’t ideal.  Still just 25, Liljegren has nearly 200 career NHL regular season games under his belt and is coming off a season that saw him collect 23 points in 55 games while logging nearly 20 minutes a night.  Accordingly, it wouldn’t be surprising to see some trade interest in him in the coming weeks, especially if a team gets hit with some injuries on the back end.  If not, they may still need to make a move in a few weeks as some of their injured players potentially return.

More from the Atlantic:

  • On the heels of Igor Shesterkin declining an eight-year, $88MM extension offer from the Rangers, Larry Brooks of the New York Post suggests that the goaltender is asking for $12MM per season. Recognizing the team might not go that high, the 28-year-old wants to be the highest-paid player on the team which means he might decline anything below the $11.643MM AAV that Artemi Panarin has on his deal.  Shesterkin has a career 2.42 GAA and a .921 SV% in 214 games at the NHL level and will soon be the highest-paid goalie in league history with the offer he declined already coming in higher than Carey Price’s $10.5MM per season.
  • Canadiens goaltending prospect Yevgeni Volokhin has been loaned to HK Sochi, per an announcement from the KHL club. SKA St. Petersburg acquired his rights earlier this week but will let the 19-year-old get his feet wet at the top Russian level elsewhere for the time being.  Montreal drafted Volokhin in the fifth round in 2023, going 144th overall.  He was one of the top netminders at their junior level last season, posting a 1.57 GAA with a .938 SV% in 31 games with Mamonty Yugry and has similar numbers (1.95 and .931 respectively) in eight appearances at the MHL level this year.
  • The Red Wings wanted to assign prospect Michael Brandsegg-Nygard to AHL Grand Rapids but the first rounder and his camp insisted on him being assigned back to Sweden, relays Norren’s Robin Lindgren (Twitter link). The 19-year-old spent last season with Mora in the second-tier Allsvenskan level where he had 18 points in 41 games but his rights are now held by SHL Skelleftea.  It’s believed that Brandsegg-Nygard feels that playing at the top level in Sweden will be better for his development than suiting up for the Griffins in the minors.

Liam Ohgren, Jesper Wallstedt Expected To Make Wild Roster

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Minnesota is expected to maintain top prospects Liam Ohgren and Jesper Wallstedt on their opening night roster, per Michael Russo of The Athletic. Minnesota’s brass has named both players as favorites to make the team since the start of training camp.

The Wild are showing no hesitation in placing perhaps the league’s best goalie prospect – Wallstedt – into a three-man rotation with Marc-Andre Fleury and Filip Gustavsson. All three goaltenders made two appearances in the preseason, with Wallstedt leading the trio in save percentage with a .930 to Fleury’s .925 and Gustavsson’s .898.

Fleury and Gustavsson split starts last year, making 40 and 45 appearances respectively. Neither were particularly productive, each posting save percentages below .900 – a feat Fleury hadn’t managed since his rookie season of 2005-06. Those muddling performances leave plenty of room for excitement in Minnesota’s goaltending room – something Wallstedt may be able to bring quickly. The former first-round pick has posted two strong seasons as an AHL starter, collectively posting 40 wins and a .909 save percentage in 83 appearances.

Ohgren should have a much clearer path to an NHL role, having spent five preseason games on the team’s third-line. He certainly seemed comfortable in the role, posting one goal and one assist – the same statline he managed in his first four NHL games at the end of last season. An upper-body injury delayed the start of Ohgren’s 2023-24 to late November, but he played well immediately upon returning, ultimately recording 19 points in 27 games in Sweden’s SHL –  the highest scoring pace of any U20 SHL player last season. Wild general manager Bill Guerin has previously praised Ohgren’s ability to produce from any spot in the lineup, which could mean he’ll have to work his way up to a high-usage role – though a fully healthy season could make quick work of that challenge.

Both Ohgren and Wallstedt seem poised to bring big impacts to the Minnesota lineup – a welcome relief to the team that ranked in the bottom 15 of both goals scored and goals allowed last season. They’ll each be names to watch closely, as Ohgren fights for healthy footing and Wallstedt looks to claw above two proven NHL starters.

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