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Poll: Which College Signing Will Make The Biggest Impact In 2024-25?

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A contract signing frenzy has broken out across the NHL as the NCAA season draws to a close. Teams are in a mad dash to lock up their star prospects, or sign impactful free agents who slipped through the cracks of the draft. The range of outcomes for these fresh pro recruits will stretch across the hockey world. Some will finish their seasons on amateur try-out contracts in the minor leagues, while others have earned a proud AHL shot, and even more find themselves suddenly thrust into the NHL lineup. The group of signees is headlined by prospects with years of anticipation behind them, joining teams with important games left on the docket. Those big additions lead to the natural next question – which college signing will make the biggest impact through the remainder of the year?

University of Minnesota star Jimmy Snuggerud may be an easy top guess. The 20-year-old right-wing has joined a St. Louis Blues team in the midst of a nine-game win-streak that’s propelled them into a confident playoff spot. St. Louis’ success has come in no small part thanks to rookie Zachary Bolduc, who has 16 goals and 31 points in 65 games this season. He’s been backed by other thriving young forwards, like Dylan Holloway and Jake Neighbours. The Blues have leaned into their youth movement by promoting top AHL scorer Dalibor Dvorsky to the top flight, after he potted 20 goals and 43 points in 57 minor league games. Now, St. Louis also adds the snappy shot of Snuggerud after he managed a dazzling 24 goals and 51 points in 40 games of his junior season. Snuggerud doesn’t shy away from physicality and plays a cool, calm, and collected game that should blend well with a Blues offense that’s firing on all cylinders since the calendar turned over.

But St. Louis’ Central Division rivals have a pair of new faces who could find their way to a big splash. The Chicago Blackhawks may be well outside of postseason contention, but they’ve received their own injection of young potential by signing Snuggerud’s UMN teammates, centerman Oliver Moore and defenseman Sam Rinzel. Both players filled top-end roles for the Gophers this season, to dazzling results. Rinzel took home the Big Ten’s ’Defenseman of the Year’ honors this year, after recording 10 goals and 32 points in 40 games of his sophomore season. Moore just narrowly outscored him, potting 12 goals and 33 points in 38 games of his own. The pair have already made their NHL debuts – and while neither scored, they were both instantly noticeable amid a Blackhawks offense that’s slowed down as of late. Chicago is looking towards the future as the season draws to a close, and strong performances out of Moore or Rinzel could go a long way towards cementing their top-of-the-lineup role through next season. It seems Rinzel’s spot may already be locked up – after he recorded over 20 minutes of ice time and four shots on net in his debut.

There’s even more to watch from Gopher alums in the Central Division – with Matthew Wood inking a deal with the Nashville Predators after completing his junior year at UMN. Wood ranked second on the Gophers in scoring behind Snuggerud, with 17 goals and 39 points in 39 games this season. It was an impressive performance for the fresh-transfer – but perhaps even more impressive, it was Wood’s first time not leading his team in scoring since he made his junior hockey debut in the 2020-21 season. He’s a fierce shooter, with the heft and skating to push his way into space, even against top competition. He could quickly find a role on a Predators team that lost Mark Jankowski at the Trade Deadline – and one that’s in desperate need of a booming top prospect to spark hopes.

While the Gophers look to take control of the Central Division, the Metropolitan Division could soon be controlled by Eagles. Boston College stars Ryan Leonard and Gabe Perreault have inked their first pro deals, signing with the Washington Capitals and New York Rangers respectively. The duo are absolute top prospects who have spent the vast majority of the last four seasons playing on the same line. Leonard is a beefy sniper capable of driving down the boards with speed and getting the puck on net quick. Perreault is a bit more nimble – and uses a strong drive to overwhelm opponents on the forecheck and quick hands to beat them in his paths to the net. Both have done nothing but sparkle with their individual efforts, and seem fully capable of translating at least some of their upside to the NHL right away. Leonard will join the best team in the league, while Perreault will join a squad currently in tight contention for the Eastern Conference’s second Wild Card. Both roles should lead to major roles that could lead the top names to quick scoring.

Plenty of other signings across the hockey world could pay off sooner rather than later. Even if they don’t, the chance to watch top prospects finally donning their NHL jerseys is hard no to be excited over. Who do you think will make the biggest impact? Vote below:

For mobile users, click here to vote.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Blues' Prospect Colin Ralph Enters Portal

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  • Blues’ 2024 second round selection Colin Ralph has entered the transfer portal, ending his time at St. Cloud State University. The 6’5, 225-pound defender spent one season at St. Cloud before opting to enter the portal. In 35 games this season, Ralph, 19, recorded eight points and minus-four rating. Touted for his strong defensive play and size, Ralph will look for a new opportunity in the NCAA. He is among a plethora of defensive prospects in the Blues organization, including Quinton Burns and Matthew Mayich (both currently in the OHL), Lukas Fischer, Hunter Skinner and Samuel Johannesson (all currently in the AHL), and William McIssac (WHL).

Pavel Buchnevich Returns From Illness

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  • The St. Louis Blues will have an important top-six forward back in the lineup tomorrow night against the Colorado Avalanche. According to Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic, Pavel Buchnevich feels “really good” and will return from his illness-related four-game absence. While Buchnevich’s significance to the Blues’ offense is undeniable, his absence from the lineup seems to have gone unnoticed by the team. Despite being on a winning streak before Buchnevich exited the lineup, St. Louis managed a 4-0-0 record without him, averaging 4.25 goals per game.

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St. Louis Blues Sign Jimmy Snuggerud To Entry-Level Contract

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5:05 p.m.: The deal is official between the Blues and Snuggerud. The Hobey Baker Award finalist has signed a three-year, entry-level contract with St. Louis, and he’ll join the team for practice on Monday.

11:08 a.m.: The Blues are nearing an entry-level deal with top right-winger prospect Jimmy Snuggerud, per a report from team rinkside reporter Andy Strickland this morning. Snuggerud’s three-year pact will go into effect immediately and allow him to join the NHL roster for the remainder of the season and playoffs if St. Louis secures a berth.

The news comes less than 24 hours after Snuggerud’s junior season at the University of Minnesota ended, losing to UMass in overtime in the regional semifinals of the national tournament. He had two goals in the contest, including one late in the third period to tie the game at four after Minnesota blew a 3-1 lead entering the third. While he hoped to wait until April to arrive in St. Louis to suit up with the Golden Gophers at the Frozen Four, he’ll come for next week’s homestand in preparation for his NHL debut.

Snuggerud, 20, was the Blues’ first-round selection (No. 23) in 2022. The 6’2″ righty is tied with center Dalibor Dvorsky as the top prospect in the Blues’ system, and Scott Wheeler of The Athletic named him the No. 22-ranked NHL-drafted prospect last month. He’s the fourth-ranked right-wing prospect in the league behind a trio of top-10 picks in Montreal’s Ivan Demidov, the Capitals’ Ryan Leonard, and the Ducks’ Beckett Sennecke.

He leaves behind a spectacular three-year college career in which the Minnesota native topped 20 goals each season, earning Hobey Baker Award nominations in 2024 and 2025. He’s tied for fifth in the country in scoring this season, leading the Gophers with 24-27–51 in 40 games. Over three years in the Minnesota program, the dynamic offensive threat totaled 66-69–135 in 119 games with a +51 rating and 113 PIMs. Since beginning his collegiate career in 2022-23, only the Panthers’ Jack Devine (Denver) has more total points, and no one has more goals.

Even amid a chase to secure a wild-card spot in the Western Conference, the Blues could likely benefit by inserting Snuggerud into a top-nine role out of the gate. Shifting Zachary Bolduc from right to left wing while bumping underperforming Mathieu Joseph (4-9–13 in 55 GP) down the lineup creates an opening for Snuggerud on the third line with Bolduc and Oskar Sundqvist, giving the red-hot Blues an extra offensive weapon for the final few games of the season. On the heels of eight straight victories, St. Louis’ playoff chances are up to 73.1%, per MoneyPuck. They also have a 20.4% chance of passing the Wild for the first wild-card spot.

Snuggerud will have his presumably bonus-laden ELC run through the 2026-27 campaign, making him a restricted free agent upon expiry. They’ll also have key young forwards Dvorsky and Jake Neighbours in need of new deals that summer, so that’s a potential cap crunch to look out for down the line, with veteran goalie Jordan Binnington’s deal also set to expire in 2027.

Image courtesy of Imagn Images.

Blues Assign Two Prospects To Springfield

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  • The Blues’ AHL affiliate in Springfield announced a pair of additions. First, St. Louis reassigned winger Jakub Stancl from WHL Kelowna to the Thunderbirds.  The 20-year-old signed his entry-level contract last year but spent the season with the Rockets where he potted 23 goals and 34 assists in 58 games.  This was his only year in major junior after playing professionally in Sweden last season.  His entry-level deal will officially begin in 2025-26 after sliding this season.  The Thunderbirds also added defenseman Lukas Fischer on an ATO for the remainder of the year.  The 18-year-old was a second-round pick last year, going 56th overall and spent this season with OHL Sarnia where he had 15 goals and 22 assists in 51 games.  If he sees game action with Springfield, it will be his first taste of professional action.

Blues Sign Adam Jecho, Lukas Fischer To Entry-Level Contracts

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10:56 a.m.: PuckPedia reports the details of Jecho’s and Fischer’s contracts. The former carries a uniform structure of a $775K NHL salary, $97.5K signing bonus, $102.5K games played bonus, and an $85K minors salary across all three years for a cap hit of $872.5K. Fischer’s, meanwhile, carries a cap hit of $932K and breaks down as follows:

Year 1: $775K NHL, $97.5K SB, $102.5K GP bonus, $85K minors
Year 2: $850K NHL, $97.5K SB, $27.5K GP bonus, $85K minors
Year 3: $877.5K NHL, $97.5K SB, $85K minors

9:33 a.m.: The St. Louis Blues have officially signed a pair of players from their 2024 draft class. St. Louis announced they’ve signed forward Adam Jecho and defenseman Lukas Fischer to three-year, entry-level contracts.

Jecho, drafted 95th overall in the 2024 NHL Draft, recently wrapped up his second season with the WHL’s Edmonton Oil Kings. There wasn’t much of an offensive increase in his year-to-year totals, as Jecho went from a 23-goal, 47-point campaign in 2023-24 to a 25-goal, 53-point season this year. Still, it was a positive confirmation that he has plenty of skill for his frame. Jecho would immediately become one of the tallest forwards in NHL standing at 6’5″, 201 lbs, but he plays with the puck skills of a much smaller athlete.

Meanwhile, Fischer was drafted one round ahead of Jecho at 56th overall. He’s similarly sized, carrying a 6’3, 185 lb frame. The Brighton, MI native finished his third season with the OHL’s Sarnia Sting, and his first as captain, scoring 15 goals and 22 assists in 51 games. Fishcer’s assist totals were on pace with his junior-career trajectory, but his 15 goals were a notable improvement from his previous career-high of six.

As the son of former Detroit Red Wings defenseman Jiri Fischer, Lukas plays remarkably similar to his father. He’s a physical blue liner, and some penalty troubles come with that. Still, the Blues would likely rather have a young defenseman play in the organization who’s not afraid of the increased physicality that comes with professional hockey.

The Blues didn’t confirm in the announcement whether either player would join their AHL affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds, for the rest of the season. Still, both players are under 20 years old, meaning they could spend another season with their respective junior programs.

Central Notes: Brodin, Bolduc, Predators

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The Minnesota Wild have opted to pull defenseman Jonas Brodin back out of the lineup with three games over the next four days, per Joe Smith of The Athletic. Brodin returned from a month-long absence on Friday, after recovering from missing 12 games with a lower-body injury. Head coach John Hynes told Smith that Brodin’s absence was precautionary, and that the defender hadn’t re-aggravated his previous injury.

The news that Brodin’s health hasn’t gotten worse will be a silver lining for Wild fans. But missing the top defender is still a tough pill to swallow. Brodin has played in just 39 games this season, but he’s looked strong when he’s on the ice – marked by 19 points and a plus-11 on the season. Brodin seemed to jump right back into play in Friday’s game, playing through 20 minutes of ice time and recording one assist and one penalty. But Minnesota will opt to be cautious with their top-pair guy – opting to not tempt fait with each of Marcus Foligno, Joel Eriksson Ek, and Kirill Kaprizov still out of the lineup. Jon Merrill and Declan Chisholm will man the minutes opened up by Brodin’s absence.

Other notes from the Central Division:

  • Top St. Louis Blues youngster Zachary Bolduc is continuing to reach new milestones in his young NHL career. The Department of Player Safety has penalized Bolduc with the first fine of his career, after he cross-checked Nashville Predators defenseman Nick Blankenburg in Saturday night’s game. Bolduc will forfeit $2,248.26 for the incident – the max allowable under the CBA. The young winger has been a focal point of the Blues’ league-best 12-2-2 record since the 4-Nations Face-Off break. He has four points in his last five games, and 11 points in 16 games since the league returned. Bolduc has managed those totals despite averaging just 13 minutes of ice time each night. With that in mind, St. Louis will breathe a sigh of relief that Bolduc was fined rather than suspended. He’ll continue to contribute on a nightly basis, as the Blues look to continue blazing their path to the playoffs.
  • The Nashville Predators have announced a four-year extension with AHL affiliate the Milwaukee Admirals per Predators beat reporter Brooks Bratten. The deal will run through the 2028-29 season and will mark 30 years of partnership between the two sides when it next expires. Nashville announced Milwaukee as an IHL affiliate immediately upon joining the NHL in 1998. The Admirals moved to the AHL three years later and have made the playoffs in 19 of 21 seasons since then. That includes winning the Calder Cup in 2oo4 and making the Finals in 2006. Milwaukee currently ranks second in the AHL’s Central Division and is one of just three minor league clubs to already clinch a postseason berth. Their success comes in part thanks to top Predators prospects such as Ozzy Wiesblatt, Joakim Kemell, and Ryan Ufko.

St. Louis Blues Recall Dalibor Dvorský For NHL Debut

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March 23: Dvorský will indeed be making his NHL debut tonight against the Predators, head coach Jim Montgomery confirmed (via Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic). He replaces Oskar Sundqvist in the lineup after he played through an undisclosed injury yesterday against the Blackhawks.

March 22: As expected, the St. Louis Blues are bringing their top prospect to the NHL ranks. The Blues announced they recalled Dalibor Dvorský from their AHL affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds, for his NHL debut.

St. Louis selected Dvorský with the 10th overall pick of the 2023 NHL Draft. The physical forward from Zvolen, Slovakia, had a season where he scored six goals and accumulated 14 points in 38 games for AIK in HockeyAllsvenskan. Additionally, he earned three points in five games while representing Slovakia’s U20 team at the 2022-23 World Junior Championship.

Dvorský began the 2023-24 season on loan with the SHL’s IK Oskarshamn. Unfortunately, after going scoreless in 10 contests and seeing his ice time cut dramatically, Dvorský moved to North America to join the OHL’s Sudbury Wolves.

Dvorský had a productive year, finishing with 45 goals and 88 points in 52 games. He ranked 13th in scoring in the OHL alongside teammates David Goyette and Quentin Musty. He registered three goals and 10 points in nine playoff contests but couldn’t help Sudbury move beyond the second round of the OHL playoffs. 

Given his impressive performance in the OHL and subsequent play during preseason play, there was an outside chance of Dvorský cracking the Blues’ roster out of training camp. However, the team delayed his NHL start, playing Dvorský in the AHL for the year. 

It’s another move that’s worked out well for the young forward. Dvorský has scored 20 goals and 43 points in 57 games in AHL Springfield, good for third on the team in scoring and tied for fifth among rookies. 

Dvorský’s debut won’t be in meaningless hockey either. The Blues are holding on to the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference thanks to a five-game winning streak. St. Louis has a relatively easy schedule coming up with two out of their next three games against the Nashville Predators. Still, they will be important games for the team to win should they hold onto their playoff spot down the stretch. 

Blues Hopeful That Colton Parayko Could Return Before End Of Regular Season

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Earlier this month, the Blues announced that defenseman Colton Parayko would miss six weeks before being re-evaluated after undergoing a scope on his knee.  With only six weeks left in the year, it was reasonable to infer that this would be a season-ending issue for the veteran.

But that might not be the case after all.  Speaking with reporters today including Matthew DeFranks of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, head coach Jim Montgomery opened the door for the possibility that his top defender could be back earlier than anticipated:

Do I think he’s going to be six weeks? I do not think he’s going to be six weeks. That’s just me because that’s my belief in him and our athletic training staff and our doctors. Outside of that, I don’t know how much sooner than six weeks.

The 31-year-old was well on his way to setting a new career-high in points this season, notching 15 goals and 20 assists through his first 64 outings.  As it stands, he has matched his personal best in the points department, a mark he has now hit four times.  Parayko also leads the Blues in ATOI (23:51) and blocked shots (140), making his absence a very significant one with St. Louis remaining in the mix for a Wild Card spot.

It’s possible that how the Blues fare in these next few weeks could ultimately dictate if Parayko ultimately makes it back.  If the team falls out of the mix before then, it might make more sense for the blueliner to simply shut it down for the rest of the year anyway to avoid any risks heading into the offseason.  If he does make it back before the end of the campaign though, he’ll be the third Blue to do so this season after Robert Thomas and Philip Broberg each came back a couple of weeks ahead of schedule.

Minor Transactions: 3/8/25

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The NHL Trade Deadline has finally passed, pulling teams into the late stages of their seasons. The transaction wire has stayed hot as teams continue to sort out their lineups for the remainder of the year. As always, Pro Hockey Rumors will track the minor moves here:

  • The Anaheim Ducks have reassigned goaltender Ville Husso to the AHL. Husso was recalled to be Anaheim’s third-string goalie behind Lukas Dostal and John Gibson on Friday, after news that Gibson had suffered a day-to-day, lower-body injury. Husso has played in three games with the San Diego Gulls since joining Anaheim’s system. He won the first with a 34-save shutout, but split his last two while allowing 10 goals on 59 shots. With this move, Husso will look to build on his 2-1-0 record and .892 save percentage with the Gulls.
  • The Pittsburgh Penguins have reassigned defenseman Jack St. Ivany. Pittsburgh recalled St. Ivany under emergency conditions and used him as a healthy scratch in Friday’s game against Vegas. He has been a fixture of the minor leagues since November, netting six points, eight penalty minutes, and a minus-two in 21 games. Before that, St. Ivany appeared in 19 NHL games and recorded one assist, 17 penalty minutes, and a minus-three. He could find a tougher time earning another call-up, after Pittsburgh acquired longtime Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Conor Timmins at the deadline. Timmins has eight points in 51 NHL games this season.
  • The Vancouver Canucks have swapped emergency netminders, assigning Arturs Silovs to the minor leagues and utilizing an emergency recall on Nikita Tolopilo. Silovs played in two NHL games in late February. He lost them both while allowing six goals on 56 shots. He’ll return to the minors sporting a dismal .858 save percentage and 1-6-1 record at the NHL level. He’s been far more productive in the AHL, where he has a .906 Sv% and 10-4-0 record. Meanwhile Tolopilo could be in store for his NHL debut after posting a .890 Sv% and 12-14-2 record as the AHL starter in Silovs’ absence. Tolopilo is in just his second season of North American pros after two years in the HockeyAllsvenskan. He posted a .912 Sv% and 39-38-0 record across 79 games in Sweden’s second-tier league.
  • Defenseman Calen Addison has been traded from the Henderson Silver Knights to the Springfield Thunderbirds in exchange for future considerations. Addison played in 49 games and recorded 33 points, 55 penalty minutes, and a minus-24 with Henderson. He is expected to initially report to Springfield’s ECHL affiliate, the Florida Everblades. Addison was once a second-round pick in the NHL Draft and managed a single-season high of 29 points across four NHL seasons. His career totals at the top level stand as 50 points and 96 penalty minutes in 152 games.

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