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Swedish Hockey League

Florida Panthers Sign Calle Sjalin

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The Florida Panthers have nabbed another European free agent, agreeing to terms with Calle Sjalin on a two-year entry-level contract. Sjalin was originally a draft pick of the New York Rangers but never signed a contract with them and became an unrestricted free agent last year. Per CapFriendly, Sjalin’s deal carries a cap hit of $855,000.

Panthers general manager Bill Zito released a statement on the deal:

Calle is a skilled defenseman who possesses a powerful shot and exceptional playmaking ability. He has developed into a top blueliner in the Swedish Hockey League and we are excited for him to continue to grow as an athlete in our system.

Zito is right, Sjalin did turn into a top defenseman in the SHL this season, racking up 22 points in 46 games for Leksands IF. That was a huge increase on his previous numbers and immediately put him back on NHL radars. With this new deal, he’ll join a Panthers organization that has shown a strong ability to put the finishing touches on a prospect and transition them into the NHL in recent years.

Whether he ever reaches that level still remains to be seen but the Panthers will happily add a lottery ticket like Sjalin to the organization for nothing more than an entry-level contract slot. Because he is still signed with his SHL club through 2022-23, he will have to be offered back to them should he fail to make the Panthers out of camp but given how well they have handled his development to this point, that wouldn’t really be a negative.

Examining A Key Change In The NHL’s Transfer Agreement With Sweden

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Earlier this month, the NHL and the Swedish Hockey Association reached a new Player Transfer Agreement.  SportExpressen’s Gunnar Nordstrom has the details of the agreement, some of the highlights being as follows:

  • A more than 45% increase in the money paid to Swedish teams whose player signs an NHL contract;
  • The signing deadline for previously-drafted and free agent players is June 15th each year;
  • The regular signing deadline for players drafted in the current year is July 15th with a $100K penalty being added if they wait until August 15th;
  • It’s an eight-year agreement with both sides having an option to open it up after four years.

However, there is one significant change that warrants a closer look.  Under the old agreement, players drafted in the second round or later that are also signed in Sweden had to be at least 21 before they could be sent to the AHL.  If they were younger than that, they had to be returned to their Swedish team.  In the new agreement, that threshold has been increased to 24.  Any player from Sweden who signs an NHL contract will now be subject to the new agreement while anyone that signed before the announcement will be under the old rules.

The intention of this provision is to have players stay and play in Sweden until they’re ready to play in the NHL.  It’s one thing for players to make the jump to the NHL and this agreement doesn’t prevent that from happening.  But it has now become a bit more difficult to get those players into the minor leagues.

NHL teams understandably want to get their prospects into their farm system and work with their development coaches so this is something that probably isn’t going to sit well with teams as now, they will effectively be limited to development and rookie camps with the latter likely to be frowned upon as Sweden’s season gets underway at the time that NHL rookie camps are held in mid-September.

Also, as there is a signed transfer agreement in place, NHL teams have four years to sign players to an entry-level contract which hasn’t changed from before.  If the drafted player is 18, that means he’d be 22 at the end of that stretch and signing a two-year contract.  For the duration of that agreement, teams could effectively face an NHL or Sweden situation depending on the players’ contractual situation in Sweden and the deal will count against the 50-contract limit during that time even if they’re returned overseas.

It’s worth noting that there are no changes to the rule for first-round picks.  If a Swedish player is picked in the first round, the NHL team can send the player to the minors without requiring the approval of his team in Sweden.

Now, with the extended restriction for those picked after the opening round, it will be interesting to see if that has any effect on the draft.  Do teams consider slightly reaching for a player at the end of the first round that might be rated a bit lower on their list to the ability to have full control of their development?  And as the draft progresses, might teams be more hesitant to draft players from Sweden knowing it will be more difficult to get them into their farm system?  We’ll find out the answer to those questions three months from now.

East Notes: Smith, Norlinder, Daws

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The New Jersey Devils will get some reinforcement on the defensive end tonight as second-year ’D’-man Ty Smith will make his season debut tonight after missing the first week-and-a-half with injury, per the team. A move prefaced by the waiving and subsequent assignment of Colton White to the AHL’s Utica Comets, Smith likely makes his season debut on a pairing with Damon Severson. The Devils are now at full strength on defense for the first time this year, and the new-look group that also includes Ryan Graves and Dougie Hamilton will get a real chance to shine tonight at home against the Buffalo Sabres as the team looks to improve to a 3-1-0 record. Smith finished seventh in Calder Trophy voting last season, scoring two goals and 21 assists in 48 games.

More notes from today in the Eastern Conference:

  • Per The Athletic’s Marc-Antoine Godin, Canadiens defense prospect Mattias Norlinder will resume skating this week after missing the beginning of the 2021-22 season. While he’s loaned to Frolunda of the Swedish Hockey League this season, the Habs prospect had a strong camp and this year is an important one in his development. A third-round pick of the squad in 2019, Norlinder had a respectable 10 points in 37 games last year in Sweden and looks to continue his growth on a defense core that also includes the Detroit Red Wings’ Simon Edvinsson and former NHLer Christian Folin.
  • Netminder Nico Daws is making his NHL debut tonight for the New Jersey Devils, the team announced this morning. With Mackenzie Blackwood still on injured reserve and Jonathan Bernier still day-to-day with a lower-body injury, a tandem of Daws and Scott Wedgewood will have to do it for now in Jersey. Wedgewood allowed four goals in a loss to the Washington Capitals on Thursday, so the team will give Daws a chance tonight to show what he can do. The 20-year-old was drafted 84th overall in 2020.

Dallas Stars Sign Jacob Peterson

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The Dallas Stars have signed another one of their prospects, this time inking Jacob Peterson to a two-year entry-level contract. Peterson spent this season with Farjestad BK in the Swedish Hockey League and could have become an unrestricted free agent if not signed by June 1.

Just 21 until later this summer, Peterson scored 14 goals and 33 points in 46 this season, breaking out offensively after flashing his potential the last two years. The fifth-round pick from 2017 has already outshone his draft position and will now get a chance to test himself at the professional level in North America. Per CapFriendly, the deal begins next season and carries a cap hit of $842.5K.  Peterson will likely need some time in the minor leagues to get acclimated before pushing for an NHL opportunity.

If Peterson can hit, the 2017 draft is starting to look like one of legend for the Stars. It started with Miro Heiskanen at the top of the draft, but the team also added future starter Jake Oettinger at 26 and potential Calder Trophy candidate Jason Robertson at 39. Even Dylan Ferguson, the Stars’ seventh-round pick that year has made his NHL debut, though that came in a time of desperation for the Vegas Golden Knights while the young goaltender was still in junior hockey.

Earlier this year, Scott Wheeler of The Athletic ranked Peterson as the Stars’ 11th-best prospect, noting that though he is polished and has some “interesting qualities,” he may top out as a very good minor league player for the organization. It’s up to him now to prove that incorrect.

Winnipeg Jets Sign Simon Lundmark

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The Winnipeg Jets have signed one of their 2019 draft picks, inking Simon Lundmark to a three-year entry-level contract. Lundmark has spent the last several seasons with Linkopings HC in the Swedish Hockey League. The contract will carry an average annual value of $925K.

Selected 51st overall by the Jets two years ago, the 20-year-old defenseman has continued his development overseas, scoring 10 points in 47 games with Linkopings this season. Scott Wheeler of The Athletic ranked him 15th in the Jets system as recently as January, saying that though he doesn’t have a “dynamic quality,” is still above average in most areas.

Obviously given his age there is still room for growth, but Lundmark has never really been among the top prospects in Sweden. Still, the Jets obviously see enough to hand him an entry-level deal and bring him into the organization.

Washington Capitals Loan Bobby Nardella To Djurgardens IF

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The Swedish Hockey League recently instituted a rule prohibiting any more short-term loans from the NHL, which is why over the last few weeks there have been so many prospects ending up in the Allsvenskan, the county’s second league. That’s why when the Washington Capitals loaned Bobby Nardella to Djurgardens IF today, it raised some eyebrows. The announcement states that Nardella has been loaned for the 2020-21 season, likely for the whole thing if the recent guidelines stay intact.

A move like this is even more interesting because Nardella is heading into the final season of his two-year entry-level contract, signed last spring after he finished an excellent career at Notre Dame. Nardella, 24, was an undrafted free agent signing and ended up playing in 41 games for the Hershey Bears this season, scoring 31 points.

The undersized defenseman has always been an outstanding offensive producer, totaling 103 points in 147 college games. In the structured SHL he’ll be tasked with doing more than offense, but his development will certainly continue.

The Capitals will retain his rights as a restricted free agent after the season and could potentially sign an extension at any point during the year.

Peter Cehlarik Signs In Sweden

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Even in May it was obvious that Peter Cehlarik’s tenure with the Boston Bruins organization was over after the young forward voiced his displeasure with head coach Bruce Cassidy. Cehlarik was in talks with teams in several different leagues but has settled on Leksands IF of the Swedish Hockey League, signing a two-year contract with the club.

Cehlarik, 25, will be a restricted free agent that the Bruins can retain exclusive rights with temporarily by issuing a qualifying offer, but it is hard to think he ever really makes an impact for the organization again. One of the most consistent scorers for the Providence Bruins during his time in North America, he received only 40 games at the NHL level and recorded just 11 points.

A third-round pick in 2013, Cehlarik has plenty of offensive talent and could potentially turn up in a few years as a European free agent drawing interest in the NHL. It won’t be until 2022 at the earliest.

Snapshots: Berglund, Rangers’ Goalie Battle

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Brynäs IF of the Swedish Hockey League has offered a contract to free agent Patrik Berglund, per Uffe Bodin of hockeysverige.se. Berglund, last seen in the NHL as a member of the 2018-2019 Buffalo Sabres, had his contract terminated after failing to report. Mental health issues led Berglund to forfeit the $10MM contract and return to Europe where he eventually signed a deal with Djurgardens in the SHL. It appears as if Berglund, 32, will stay in the Swedish Hockey League for the foreseeable future, putting an end to any speculation that he might return stateside. Berglund initially joined the Sabres to help match salary as part of the Ryan O’Reilly trade.

  • The New York Rangers are in the enviable position of having not one, not two, but three viable options at goaltender once play resumes, per Dan Rosen of NHL.com. Henrik Lundqvist (.905 save percentage in 26 starts) could be grandfathered into the starting role, but Igor Shesterkin (.932 save percentage in 12 starts)and Alexandar Georgiev (.910 save percentage in 32 starts) each made their case with solid play during the year. As with many of the roster decisions coming out of the long layoff, this may come down to conditioning and readiness. However he decides, coach David Quinn is sure to be second-guessed if their five-game Stanley Cup Qualifier against the Carolina Hurricanes goes poorly. On his thinking, Quinn said this: “You can make a case for all three guys. There’s a lot of reasons to take ’Shesty,’ there’s a lot of reasons to start Hank (Lundqvist), and there’s reasons to start ’Georgie.’ This is such an uncertain time that that will play out over the course of the two and a half weeks that we’re going to have before we drop the puck.”
  • Looking ahead, the Rangers decision could speak to their likely direction this offseason when they’ll need to decide again how to manage the futures of Lundqvist, 38, Shesterkin, 24, and Georgiev, 24. Lundqvist is owed $8.5MM for the 2020-2021 season while Shesterkin has another year at $925K. “Georgie” could be the odd man out, as he will be a restricted free agent at the end of this season. That said, the Rangers’ remain in control of all three, and they’ll likely explore trade avenues to extract value from the deep positional group.

Dallas Stars Sign Fredrik Karlstrom To Entry-Level Contract

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Tuesday: In an interview with hockeysverige, Karlstrom announces that he will be staying in Sweden for another year.

Monday: The Dallas Stars have signed prospect Fredrik Karlstrom just before his draft rights expired, inking him to a two-year entry-level contract. Karlstrom could have become an unrestricted free agent had he failed to sign today, but he will join the organization that drafted him back in 2016.

One of the highest picks left unsigned from four years ago, Karlstom was selected 90th overall by the Stars. The 22-year old center has spent the last three seasons playing in the Swedish Hockey League, scoring 10 goals and 20 points in 2019-20 for Vaxjo HC. It’s hard to know exactly how his game would translate to North America, but there are a couple of things that stand out and could help Karlstrom make an impact in the AHL.

The first is his versatility, as Karlstrom has experience at both center and wing. The second is his penalty killing, where he has excelled in the past. While it’s not clear exactly what the Stars have planned for him, the 6’2″ forward will likely get a chance to prove himself whenever the 2020-21 training camps are underway. Given that the contract he signed last year with Vaxjo was a two-year pact, the Stars may also loan him back to continue his development overseas.

Anaheim Ducks Sign SHL MVP Kodie Curran

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The Anaheim Ducks have made an intriguing free agency splash by signing defenseman Kodie Curran, the reigning MVP of the Swedish Hockey League. Curran has inked a two-year, one-way contract with the Ducks that carries a $1MM AAV, reports numerous sources including the OC Register.

To say that Curran has had an unconventional path to the NHL would be an understatement. The 30-year-old was never drafted after playing his developmental years with AJHL and USports. He played two seasons in the minors in North America before embarking on a career in Europe in 2016. Over the past four years, he has played in Demark, Norway, and Sweden, dominating in all three countries. He won a championship in each of his single seasons in the top Danish and Norse leagues and was an All-Star and top defenseman each year as well. The highlight of his career came this past season in the SHL, when he recorded 49 points in 48 games for Rogle BK to lead all defensemen in assists and points, to lead all imports in points, and to take home the honors of Defenseman of the Year and MVP.

His greatest challenge will now come in the NHL though and he will face an uphill battle to make the Anaheim roster before he even has a chance at regular action at the top level. The Ducks have six defensemen on one-way contracts already signed for next season, including four making $4MM or more against the cap. This does not include RFA defender Jacob Larsson, who will also be back with the team. They also have young blue liners like Brendan Guhle and Josh Mahura who will push for opportunity. Curran will need to be at his best to make the Opening Night roster and to stick in Anaheim. However, he has shown an impeccable ability to rise to the occasion in recent years and it will be exciting to see if he does so again in his newest venture.

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