Snapshots: Lettieri, Renouf, Wallmark
After the University of Minnesota was eliminated from the NCAA tournament yesterday by the upstart Notre Dame team, it was the beginning of a whole new chapter for senior Vinni Lettieri. According to Michael Russo of the Star Tribune, the free agent center is being pursued by the New York Rangers and Chicago Blackhawks.
Lettieri had 37 points in 38 games this season for the Gophers, breaking out and scoring double-digit goals for the first time in his college career. The undersized forward should decide in the next few days where he’ll make his professional debut.
- After teammate Clayton Keller signed immediately after Boston University was eliminated from the tournament, Jordan Greenway has been in contact with the Minnesota Wild about a possible early exit from school. Russo reports that the Wild definitely want him to turn pro after this season, but may wait until after his semester ends and forego the usual ATO route. Selected in the second round, Greenway has turned into an exceptional prospect for the Wild as he continues to dominate physically and develop into a prototypical power forward.
- The Detroit Red Wings have recalled Dan Renouf from the AHL on emergency conditions. Though Jeff Blashill recently said that he didn’t want to break up the Grand Rapids team, the Red Wings have to play a third game in three nights tomorrow in Carolina, a makeup date for a rescheduled matchup from earlier this year. They’ll need the insurance if someone can’t go tomorrow.
- Those Hurricanes have made a move of their own, calling up Lucas Wallmark from the AHL. Carolina is now 7-0-3 in their last ten, and could really vault themselves into the playoff picture with these two games against Detroit on home ice. The team sits just five points behind the Bruins with two games in hand.
Snapshots: Crosby, World Championships, Oilers
It was a controversial week for Sidney Crosby.
He appeared to slash Sabres forward Ryan O’Reilly in a sensitive area, then broke Senators defenseman Marc Methot‘s finger in half with another whack. The latter incident resulted in a pretty ugly injury (NSFW) and some angry comments from Senators owner Eugene Melnyk.
Melnyk told TSN 1200 that the league needs to “hammer these [players who slash]… you say you know what? You are done for 10 games. We all know who [Crosby] is. The guy is a whiner beyond belief. You do this kind of stuff—I don’t care who you are in the league, I don’t care if you’re the number one player in the league—you should sit out a long time for this kind of crap.”
The comments were criticized by fans and media; Mike Johnson called the comments “off base” and tweeted a video of Senators players slashing opponents. Senators captain Erik Karlsson defended Crosby by saying plays like that “happen all the time.”
Ahead of Sunday’s game versus Philadelphia, Crosby responded to Melnyk’s comments. After declining to comment, Crosby said “he likes to hear himself talk, so let’s leave it.”
Superstars like Crosby are often the target of those little “whacks”; small slashes that go uncalled. Earlier this season, Johnny Gaudreau missed 10 games after being whacked at least 20 times by different Wild players in the same game.
“I’d love to see them crack down on it,” said Crosby. “It’s something that happens a lot… Obviously [Methot is] an example where if you get it in the wrong spot, it can hurt. Hopefully he’s back out there soon.”
- The USA Women’s National Team is boycotting the upcoming Women’s World Championships over a dispute with USA Hockey. The players are currently paid just $6K for the six months leading up to the Olympics, and nothing else. The players want fair wages and for USA Hockey to put more money into the program to grow the women’s game. USA Hockey has been asking (and being declined by) high school players to play in their stead. Now the Men’s Program may be getting involved. Player Agent Allan Walsh reported that American NHL players may refuse to play in this spring’s World Championships in solidarity; the NHLPA has already come out in support of the women. Last year, the American side finished fourth in the tournament, the rosters for which are populated by NHLers who are no longer in Cup contention and the occasional draft-eligible player.
- After Leon Draisaitl cracked the 70-point barrier on Saturday night, the Edmonton Oilers will have two 70-point scorers (the other being Connor McDavid with 88 points) for the first time in 11 years. The last time they did, it was Ales Hemsky and Shawn Horcoff with 77 and 73 points respectively in 2005-06. Incidentally, that’s the last time they made the playoffs. The Oilers have also surpassed 90 points for the first time since 05-06, and if they manage to finish first in their division (currently tied with San Jose and Anaheim for first), then it will mark the first division win since 1986-87.
Snapshots: Agents, O’Regan, Penguins
In the newest column from Rick Westhead of TSN, he dives into the idea that the NHLPA is considering a regulation that would ban agents from contacting players under the age of 16. Westhead reveals the information that agents have been using former professional players as “bird-dog” scouts to contact young kids and establish relationships before anyone else can contact them—at ages of nine or ten years old.
As Westhead writes, this comes in conjunction with a study former Buffalo Sabres star Pat LaFontaine is conducting on the future of player development and drafting. We wrote in December about LaFontaine’s suggestion that the league change the draft age from 18 to 19. The idea that nine-year old kids would be recruited is hard to imagine, but for those who’ve ever been to a high-level tournament at that age easy to believe.
- The San Jose Sharks have sent Daniel O’Regan to the AHL after playing his second NHL game on Monday. The 23-year old was the Sharks’ fifth-round draft pick in 2012 before heading to Boston University. He’s easily the Barracuda’s top scorer this year, with 52 points in 56 AHL games.
- The Penguins will be without Evgeni Malkin again tonight as they “take a cautious approach”. The superstar center hasn’t played since March 15th, but is getting closer to a return. The Penguins need him if they’re to catch the Capitals for first place in the NHL and a better matchup in the first round.
- Those Penguins may get Bryan Rust back though, as the winger is a game-time decision for them tonight. Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette did see Rust playing soccer in the hallway, for what it’s worth.
- The Buffalo Sabres have signed Jonas Johansson, Justin Danforth and Ian Brady to amateur tryouts with their AHL affiliate Rochester Americans. Johansson—who should not be confused with the former Colorado Avalanche prospect—was the Sabres’ third-round pick in 2014 and has played quite well in the Swedish second league, even making his Elite League debut this season. The goaltender shows exceptional potential, and could develop into an NHL netminder one day.
Snapshots: Brodzinski, Rod, Ronning
As expected yesterday, the Los Angeles Kings have recalled Jonny Brodzinski today from the Ontario Reign to give him a taste of NHL action down the stretch. The minor-league sniper will not play tonight, but is expected to get into the lineup at some point over the remaining ten games. Armed with a howitzer of a shot, Brodzinski is an option for the Kings next season, as he’s proven everything he needs to at the AHL level.
With the Kings needing scoring wherever they can find it—they currently rank 27th in the league in goals for—Brodzinski may actually get a chance to move up in the lineup quickly. If he can show an ability to replicate his goal-scoring touch at the highest level, he’d instantly become one of their best options. Jeff Carter and Tanner Pearson alone have accounted for more than 30% of the Kings’ goals this season, with no other player even eclipsing 15 on the season. Brodzinski would be a welcome addition if he can find enough open space to release that shot.
- The San Jose Sharks are closing in on a contract with second-round pick Noah Rod, according to Kevin Kurz of CSN. The 2014 draft pick has continued to play in the NLA (Switzerland) for the past three seasons and may be ready to come across the pond. Known for his feisty game and ability to get under opponent’s skin, Rod showed an increased offensive game this year scoring 14 points in 27 games despite dealing with multiple injuries. He is likely still at least a year away from making a real impact in the NHL, but getting him over and into the AHL would help his transition to the North American game.
- After signing NCAA goaltender Chris Nell earlier today, the New York Rangers—or rather their AHL affiliate Hartford Wolf Pack—have signed Ty Ronning to an amateur tryout. The seventh-round pick last summer just finished his season with the Vancouver Giants of the WHL, leading the team in scoring for the second straight season. At 5’9″ 170-lbs, Ronning is undersized to say the least, but has a role model on how to succeed at that size pretty close to home. Cliff Ronning, Ty’s dad, played 1137 games in the NHL and recorded 869 points despite actually coming in an inch shorter than his son is now. One of the all-time “small guys”, Cliff was exceptionally talented and even scored 85 points one season while skating for Vancouver with greats like Pavel Bure and Trevor Linden. Perhaps the younger Ronning was overlooked just as his father was in his day—Cliff went in the seventh-round too, but scored more than all but five of his draft class.
Snapshots: Hayden, Centennial, Healey
When the John Hayden finished his season at Yale University, other teams must have hoped that he would wait just a few more months before making a decision on his playing future. The Chicago Blackhawks forward could have become a free agent in August, but according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, never considered anywhere else.
What’s not to like about playing here? There was an opportunity, you know you’re going to have a chance to win, they supported me staying in school. There was no reason to go anywhere else.
That kind of thinking has paid off for Hayden already, as it didn’t take long for the Blackhawks to insert him into an important position alongside captain Jonathan Toews. Hayden has responded with three points in his first four games, and has shown he can be a physical presence at the highest level. The big forward—who is actually a natural centerman—is turning heads around the league, and is just another example of the exemplary drafting Chicago has shown over the past decade. As they ship players out due to salary limitations, they back-fill with talented youngsters like Hayden, Nick Schmaltz and Ryan Hartman. Each of those three will likely play a key role down the stretch and into the playoffs for the Blackhawks, who once again look like the team to beat in the Western Conference.
- Friedman also notes that the NHL is looking towards next New Year’s Eve to celebrate the end of the league’s centennial season with some sort of event. While Friedman guesses it could have to do with Montreal, the Canadiens are already confirmed to be the opponents of the Ottawa Senators in their outdoor game on December 16th. While that doesn’t rule them out, it would be odd to see the team involved in events so close together.
- Josh Healey has been suspended for the third time this season and fifth in his time at Ohio State, but that isn’t scaring off teams around the league. Friedman points out that many teams believe several of the incidents wouldn’t have even been penalized at the professional level, and enjoy his physical play. That said, Healey is apparently down to a short list for where he will sign once his college season eventually ends. He’s been linked to several teams in the past, including Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton and Winnipeg. Born in Edmonton, he has twice attended their development camps but actually lists St. Louis as his favorite team on his Ohio State bio.
Snapshots: Ristolainen, Sobotka, Monsters
Not known for a dirty or over-the-line style, Rasmus Ristolainen nevertheless was ejected from last night’s Buffalo Sabres-Pittsburgh Penguins game after delivering a bone-crushing open ice hit on Jake Guentzel without the Penguins’ forward ever touching the puck. Ristolainen had decided to hit him before the pass was deflected, and carried through the check likely not realizing it had changed direction.
Guentzel was bloodied, and lost his footing when he tried to stand up. He wouldn’t return to the game, and was immediately diagnosed with a concussion. John Vogl of the Buffalo News writes that Ristolainen may face further discipline from the league, but his head coach doesn’t think he should. “I don’t like the fact that he got ejected,” coach Dan Bylsma told Vogl, saying that his defenseman was committed to the hit, and unfortunately the puck didn’t get there. The Buffalo defender will have a hearing with the Department of Player Safety tomorrow afternoon.
- Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reminds us that KHL forward Vladimir Sobotka‘s season came to an end Sunday, but he remains under contract through April 30th. There has been some speculation that Sobotka could rejoin the Blues for their playoff run, but he would have to negotiate an early release from Omsk to return before May. That doesn’t necessarily remove him from the playoff picture, but as we’ve heard from their front office before, it still is a very unlikely scenario.
- The Cleveland Monsters of the AHL have signed two free agents to amateur tryouts for the remainder of the season, inking Scott Savage and Hayden Hodgson today. Savage has just completed his four years at Boston College where he scored 29 points in 40 games as a defenseman this season. Hodgson played this year as an over-ager for the Saginaw Spirit of the OHL, breaking out with 66 points in 67 games. Neither player is considered much of an NHL prospect, though things can change in a hurry once they enter professional hockey.
Snapshots: Kurker, Hunlak, Stone
The Albany Devils have signed one of the most interesting college names in the country to an amateur tryout according to Mark Divver of the Providence Journal. Sam Kurker of Northeastern was originally drafted in 2012 by the St. Louis Blues and headed to Boston University to begin his college career. After a frustrating season and a half at BU, Kurker decided to take his talents elsewhere and headed back to the USHL to play for the Indiana Ice. Upon finishing the 2013-14 season with Indiana—and winning a championship—the team closed its doors and Kurker headed to the Sioux City Musketeers.
After an outstanding season for Sioux City Kurker went back to the NCAA ranks, this time at Northeastern. In two years at the school Kurker had similar frustrations as during his time for BU, and finished this season with just six points in 28 games. The former top prospect was overshadowed by other names like Zach Aston-Reese and Adam Gaudette, and will now try to continue his hockey career in Albany.
- Any Toronto Maple Leafs fans that are hoping the pairing of Roman Polak and Matt Hunwick—affectionately nicknamed “Hunlack”—will be broken up should quit holding their breath, as a new article from Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston relays that Mike Babcock is very happy with the way they’re playing. Despite being horrendous weights on the team’s possession numbers, Babcock goes by other evaluation tools like “knowing where to stand”. While younger players often get caught chasing the puck in their own zone, the Leafs coach is happy to deploy a more veteran pair on defense.
- Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen writes that Mark Stone is getting closer to returning to the Ottawa Senators lineup and has taken a “major” step towards that goal by getting back on the ice today. With the Senators losing their last four games, they’ve slipped down far enough to allow Boston and Toronto just a sliver of hope in the Atlantic race, and could use Stone’s help to slam that door shut for the final time. If they’re to do any damage in the playoffs, they’ll need their top forward healthy enough to contribute; they’ve scored just six goals in those four recent losses.
Snapshots: Kunin, Vegas, Vermin
Luke Kunin has done everything the Minnesota Wild had hoped for since drafting him fifteenth overall in 2016 except one—sign a pro contract. It might not be long until he finishes that goal too, as Michael Russo of the Star Tribune expects him to turn pro within the next few days. Kunin went back for his sophomore year this season as the Wisconsin Badgers’ captain and improved in every facet of his game. The offensive performance continued, with 38 points in 35 games but he improved in the defensive zone and on the powerplay as well.
Badgers coach Tony Granato told Todd Milewski of the Wisconsin State Journal that Kunin is “ready to play pro hockey,” despite wanting him back to help his team next year. He wishes him well with whatever he decides, and is just happy he got the opportunity to coach him for two seasons. If Kunin does turn pro he would likely head to the Iowa Wild for the remainder of the regular season on an amateur tryout, before starting his entry-level deal in 2017-18.
- SinBin.com reported answers from George McPhee during a non-media Q&A for season ticket holders today, which led to some interesting revelations about the Vegas Golden Knights. While some have argued that the Golden Knights would take a pile of young, prospect-type players in the expansion draft to build for the future, it doesn’t sound like that will be the driving force behind the team. McPhee touched on experience and leadership as a need for the team, while also revealing that Bill Foley will be willing to spend to the cap in the first season. One of the things that is often overlooked in mock drafts is the need to get to the cap floor, which is something McPhee believes will be no problem. “Complying with the rules and spending the amount of money necessary has not been a problem,” he said, lending a little more credence to the idea that he might target some slightly overpaid, yet still valuable veterans that will be left exposed by their teams.
- One important note from the Q&A is also that McPhee said they will announce an AHL affiliate at the end of the season. Though it’s not clear yet who that would be, SinBin.com notes that it is likely the Chicago Wolves and that the Golden Knights will supply the coaching staff and control hockey operations. The Wolves are currently affiliated with the St. Louis Blues, but remain one of only a dozen AHL teams not owned by an NHL club.
- The Tampa Bay Lightning have recalled Joel Vermin for the second time in three days. The forward was brought up on Saturday, only to watch the game that night from the press box. With Vladislav Namestnikov returning to a full practice today, but Ondrej Palat leaving early, Vermin is likely only up as insurance once again for tomorrow night’s game against the Arizona Coyotes. Should one of those two miss the contest, Vermin would get into his 12th game of the season in Tampa Bay. He has just three points in the NHL this year, with 28 in AHL action.
Snapshots: Graovac, Sproul, Stuart
The Minnesota Wild have sent Tyler Graovac back down the minors after playing the last three games with the club. After Jason Pominville was a healthy scratch last night against the Winnipeg Jets— a game which the Wild lost 5-4—he will likely figure back into the lineup tomorrow against the San Jose Sharks. Graovac has now played 52 games for the Wild this season, contributing nine points while skating just under ten minutes a game. The 23-year old will return to the Iowa Wild where he has ten points in twelve games, and wait for his next chance.
For Pominville, last night’s scratching was the first such occasion of his Minnesota career and came after being held scoreless in six of his last seven games. The winger had contracted the mumps disease last month and missed some time, and wasn’t very effective upon his return. In 67 games this season he does have 41 points, which is actually an improvement over his career-low (in a full season) of 36 last year. With a long playoff run upcoming, and two years left on his current contract, the Wild need the 34-year old to continue producing down the stretch.
- Ryan Sproul still hasn’t decided whether his ACL injury will need surgery, as the Detroit Red Wings defender explained today. He will continue to rehab the knee for the next two weeks and have another examination before deciding whether he needs to go under the knife. Clearly frustrated, he spoke to reporters today about how this season has slipped away from him without accomplishing the one goal he had: prove he was ready for an NHL role. With only 28 games under his belt in his NHL career, he’ll try again next fall to become the solid defenseman the Red Wings were hoping for when they selected him 55th overall in 2011.
- Though it seemed like Ben Chiarot could be the reason for the Winnipeg Jets recalling Nelson Nogier this morning, the defenseman took part in practice today and looks to be fine. Chiarot didn’t play in the last ten minutes of last night’s game, but it was Mark Stuart who was absent this morning. Head coach Paul Maurice told Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Sun that there are a “few moving parts” on defense for the Jets’ upcoming game against the Philadelphia Flyers. If Nogier does get into the lineup, it would be his NHL debut.
Snapshots: Olympics, Coyotes, Carrick, Ferland
While there has been talk that some teams would be willing to let their players participate in the 2018 Olympics even if the NHL doesn’t shut down their schedule, the league plans to sit down and put together a league-wide policy regarding participation, Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly told Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun.
This comes on the heels of Senators owner Eugene Melnyk announcing that he wouldn’t allow Erik Karlsson to go if the NHL doesn’t stop their season late last week. On the flip side, Capitals owner Ted Leonsis has consistently said he wouldn’t stand in the way if his top players wanted to go. However, it appears the decision ultimately won’t be left to the individual teams. There remains no timetable for an official announcement on whether or not NHL players will be able to participate.
Elsewhere around the hockey world:
- The Coyotes announced the recalls of defenseman Zbynek Michalek and center Laurent Dauphin from Springfield of the AHL. Michalek cleared waivers at the beginning of the season and has been there ever since, playing in 43 games with the Roadrunners. As for Dauphin, he has been back and forth several times this year; he has two goals and an assist in 24 NHL games while adding 14 goals and eight helpers in 31 AHL contests. Sarah McLellan of the Arizona Republic notes (Twitter link) that Michalek’s recall is a regular one while Dauphin’s is on an emergency basis. That means that Arizona is down to one regular recall between now and the end of the season.
- The Maple Leafs are hoping to have defenseman Connor Carrick back in their lineup tomorrow against Boston, reports Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun. Carrick has been out for nearly a month with an upper body injury and will meet with team doctors tomorrow to get the final determination on whether or not he is ready to return to the lineup. The 22 year old is in his first full NHL season, collecting seven points in 55 games while averaging 16:31 per game in ice time in primarily a third pairing role.
- The recent mumps outbreak across the league may not be over just yet as the Flames announced on their team Twitter page that winger Micheal Ferland is being held out of tonight’s game against Los Angeles and is under observation for the mumps. Earlier this year, several players from the Canucks and Wild missed time with the disease. Ferland sits fifth in goals on Calgary with 14 in 67 games this season.