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Taxi Squad

Islanders Sign Jon Gillies To PTO

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The New York Islanders have announced their training camp roster and it features a few non-roster invites, but none more interesting than goaltender Jon Gillies. Gillies comes over from the St. Louis Blues as an unsigned unrestricted free agent and could actually have a shot at a contract. The other two invites are AHL Bridgeport players, veteran defensemen Seth Helgeson and Mike Cornell. 

Whether it be his Providence College connection with GM Lou Lamoriello or simply his status as one of the few experienced goaltenders left available on the open market, Gillies has found his way to the Islanders this preseason and it could be a PTO worth watching. While New York has a stout NHL tandem in Semyon Varlamov and Ilya Sorokin, their depth is a concern. 35-year-old Cory Schneider was re-signed, but his 2020-21 season with the Isles resulted in zero NHL appearances and just two abysmal AHL starts. Ken Appleby was signed in April strictly for Expansion Draft purposes and he too was limited last season with just seven AHL appearances. Appleby, 26, played exclusively in the ECHL in 2019-20 as well. Jakub Skarek, 21, struggled with Bridgeport last season, while Tristan Lennox, 18, is not ready for the pros. With a strong camp performance, it is easy to see how Gillies might be able to fill a role for the Islanders this season.

A third-round pick of the Calgary Flames in 2012, Gillies was a top college goalie and NCAA National Champion with the Providence Friars before turning pro early in 2015. Gillies performed well at the pro level immediately and his early returns in the AHL and in a small sample of NHL appearances put him position to battle to be the Flames’ goaltender of the future. However, this was a competition that he would lose to David Rittich. Relegated to the AHL for the entire 2018-19 season, Gillies performed poorly and his NHL trajectory was knocked off course. With that said, he has improved in each of the past two seasons and spent much of last year on the St. Louis taxi squad as the next man up in net. At 27, Gillies still has plenty of tread left on the tires. The Islanders have experience in Schneider and upside in Skarek, but if they truly need a netminder to step in to an NHL role this season, Gillies could be their best bet – especially if he can make the most of his PTO with a strong camp performance.

Alan Quine Signs AHL Contract

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Alan Quine may be known more for his scoring prowess in the AHL than for anything else, but the veteran forward has played on an NHL contract in each of his nine pro seasons. That streak will come to an end this year, as Quine has signed a one-year deal with the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights, the team announced.

Quine, 28, played exclusively in the minors this past season while under contract with the Edmonton Oilers, the first time he had gone without an NHL appearance since 2014-15. A perennial depth asset, apart from one 61-game season with the New York Islanders, Quine is a prototypical “AAAA” player, to steal a baseball term. He possesses the skill to produce in a major way in the AHL, with a career mark of .84 points per game in 285 games, but it doesn’t translate to the NHL. Quine has just ten goals and 28 points to his credit in over 100 career NHL games for a career mark of .26 points per game, over three times less than his AHL pace. All but ten of these points also came in his one season as an NHL regular, meaning his spot starts ever since have produced few results. Quine also lacks the defensive ability to contribute in a bottom-six role, further limiting his use. The result is an offensive depth option whose lack of actual production over the years has progressively limited his opportunity to the point that he is now in the AHL full-time.

With that said, Quine’s days as an impact player are far from over. Quine spent all but seven AHL games on the Oilers taxi squad last season and never saw one game; he is surely ready to get back to work. Playing on an AHL contract, without wasting time as an NHL scratch or taxi squad member, will allow the veteran forward to focus solely on his play in the minors and helping to develop his teammates. Filling a leadership vacuum in Henderson, who saw Danny O’Regan and Dylan Sikura depart this off-season, Quine will take on a top role for the Silver Knights and will very likely return to scoring at better than a point-per-game pace. Who knows, perhaps Quine may even do enough to get another NHL look next summer. The opportunity is there to show that he is still a talented offensive asset that could bring value to an NHL club.

Vegas Golden Knights Recall Seven

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The Vegas Golden Knights, set to take on the Colorado Avalanche in game two of their second-round series tonight, have recalled seven players to the taxi squad. Carl Dahlstrom, Jack Dugan, Cody Glass, Kaedan Korczak, Jonas Rondbjerg, Jimmy Schuldt, and Logan Thompson have all been brought up. Glass and Thompson were on the ice with the rest of the team at practice, while the others are likely just serving as “Black Aces” for the team.

Jesse Granger of The Athletic tweets that both Mattias Janmark and Robin Lehner are game-time decisions for tonight’s match, explaining why the other two are practicing. Of course, the team will also be without Ryan Reaves for the next two thanks to a suspension for his antics in game one. Glass, 22, has played in just a single playoff game thus far and saw fewer than 13 minutes of ice time in it. The sixth-overall pick from 2017 has yet to really establish himself as a regular at the NHL level, with just 22 points in 66 career games.

It’s some of the other names that will draw interest if even just as examples of how well the Golden Knights staff has built up the depth of the organization. Players like Dugan, a fifth-round pick that scored 33 points in his first AHL season or Korczak, a second-rounder that looked excellent in his first year of professional hockey are going to challenge for playing time in the NHL at some point in the near future.

Minor Transactions: 05/19/21

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With the playoffs underway for almost everyone, the taxi squad shuffle has ended. The unique season that saw more daily transactions than ever before is coming to an end, hopefully never to return. Still, there are going to be some moves from teams preparing for their first-round matchups, or players signing overseas. We’ll keep track of the notable minor moves right here.

  • The Toronto Maple Leafs have recalled Martin Marincin from the AHL, giving them another defenseman while Ben Hutton deals with a non-COVID illness. The Maple Leafs will start their first-round series tomorrow and appear to have Zach Bogosian healthy and ready to return to the lineup.
  • The Minnesota Wild have recalled their “Black Aces,” bringing up Calen Addison, Louis Belpedio, Matthew Boldy, Connor Dewar, Brandon Duhaime and Hunter Jones from the AHL. Boldy, the 12th overall pick from 2019, made the transition from college hockey to pro seamlessly this season, stepping into a major role with the Iowa Wild and scoring 18 points in 14 games. The 20-year-old should be a contender for a full-time roster spot next season, but doesn’t appear to be getting a look this postseason (at least not yet).
  • The Calgary Flames brought up Matthew Phillips for their season finale against Vancouver, per his agency Roy Hockey Group.  The 23-year-old has spent the last three seasons with Stockton of the AHL but hadn’t had an NHL opportunity until today.
  • On the other end of that game, the Vancouver Canucks brought up Jonah Gadjovich and Kole Lind from the taxi squad, per CapFriendly.  Arturs Silovs was sent back down in a corresponding move.  Both wingers have made their NHL debuts in recent weeks but have yet to record a point.
  • The Vegas Golden Knights have recalled Cody Glass and Dylan Sikura, per CapFriendly.  Glass has been in and out of the lineup all season long due to their salary cap troubles, something that isn’t the case now with the regular season now over.  As for Sikura, he had two goals in six games this season.
  • The Winnipeg Jets have also brought up more “Black Aces”, as CapFriendly reports that Cole Kehler, Nelson Nogier, Joona Luoto, and C.J. Suess were all recalled.  All but Kehler have suited up for Winnipeg at some point in their careers but none of those appearances came this season.

Further transactions will be added throughout the day

Minor Transactions: 05/18/21

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With the playoffs underway for almost everyone, the taxi squad shuffle has ended. The unique season that saw more daily transactions than ever before is coming to an end, hopefully never to return. Still, there are going to be some moves from teams preparing for their first-round matchups, or players signing overseas. We’ll keep track of the notable minor moves right here.

  • The Washington Capitals have recalled Connor McMichael, Brett Leason, Paul Ladue, and Alexander Alexeyev from the AHL, though the group won’t be traveling to Boston with the active roster. McMichael especially has a lot of excitement surrounding him after scoring 27 points in 33 games during his first professional season at the AHL. The 20-year-old was the 25th overall pick in 2019 and should compete for a spot on the Capitals roster next season, even if he doesn’t get into any playoff matches this spring.
  • The Pittsburgh Penguins recalled some “Black Aces” of their own, bringing Anthony Angello, Kasper Bjorkqvist, Drew O’Connor, and Pierre-Olivier Joseph up from the AHL. Joseph, 21, played 16 games for Pittsburgh earlier this season and showed off his incredible potential, recording five points in the process and helping the team stay above water while nearly their entire defense corps was injured.
  • The Montreal Canadiens have recalled Carey Price and Brendan Gallagher from their short conditioning stint, bringing them back from the AHL along with Xavier Ouellet. The Canadiens start their series against the Maple Leafs on Thursday night, with Gallagher expected to play in his first NHL game since April 5.
  • The Nashville Predators have recalled Philip Tomasino from the Chicago Wolves, but he will report to the non-game group for the time being. The top prospect led the Wolves in goals this season and scored 32 points in 29 games. Just 19, he took advantage of the fact that the OHL didn’t play this season and showed what he could do at the professional level.

Further transactions will be added throughout the day.

Minor Transactions: 05/17/21

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With the playoffs underway for almost everyone, the taxi squad shuffle has ended. The unique season that saw more daily transactions than ever before is coming to an end, hopefully never to return. Still, there are going to be some moves from teams preparing for their first round matchups, or players signing overseas. We’ll keep track of the notable minor moves right here.

  • The Toronto Maple Leafs have sent Mac Hollowell and Scott Sabourin to the AHL, where they can play in the last few games of the season for the Toronto Marlies. The Maple Leafs are expected to be near full health when their series starts on Thursday, with Zach Bogosian, Riley Nash, and Zach Hyman all shedding no-contract sweaters lately. Interestingly, the Marlies will take on the Laval Rocket this evening, meaning Hollowell and Sabourin will be against Brendan Gallagher and Carey Price, who are on conditioning stints with the Montreal Canadiens AHL affiliate.
  • The Winnipeg Jets have dissolved their taxi squad, recalling Mikhail Berdin, Eric Comrie, Dylan Samberg, Marko Dano, David Gustafsson, Dominic Toninato and Kristian Vesalainen to the active roster. These “Black Aces” aren’t expected to go into the lineup (or at least not usually) but will practice with the team throughout the playoffs.
  • Former NHL forward Jordan Szwarz has signed a two-year deal with the Mannheim Eagles of the DEL, transitioning from the KHL where he spent last season. The 30-year-old played in 50 games during his long North American career, dominating at the minor league level but failing to ever get a long run in the NHL. This season he recorded 27 points in 51 games for Nizhny Novgorod.
  • Chris Bourque, who once suited up for the U.S. at the Olympic Games, has signed a new contract with ERC Ingolstadt in the DEL for the 2021-22 season. The 35-year-old forward (and son of NHL legend Ray Bourque), was an AHL All-Star for years before taking his talents to Germany in 2019. This season he recorded 42 points in 38 games, finishing fourth in league scoring.
  • The Carolina Hurricanes have recalled Antoine Bibeau, Maxime Lajoie and Ryan Suzuki from the AHL, giving them a few more Black Aces for their upcoming series. Suzuki, 19, scored 10 points in 26 games for the Chicago Wolves this season.

Taxi Squad Shuffle: 05/16/21

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With the playoffs underway, the taxi squad shuffle will start to look a little bit different. Instead of constant swapping between the active roster and taxi squad, teams will likely just make mass additions the way they usually recall “Black Aces.” That is, players who will practice with the playoff roster but aren’t expected to actually suit up for any game action. We’ll still keep track of any moves right here:

  • With an injury to Vitek Vanecek and no word on the progress of Ilya Samsonov, the Washington Capitals are forced to make a roster move to bring in an extra goaltender in case neither can go. The team therefore, announced they have recalled Zach Fucale from the Hershey Bears of the AHL. Fucale, once considered an elite goaltending prospect, had fared quite well in the AHL, posting a 1.80 GAA and a .932 save percentage in 16 appearances.
  • Las Vegas Review Journal’s David Schoen reports that the Vegas Golden Knights have activated forward Ryan Reaves from LTIR and is ready to join the lineup in his familiar fourth-line role. Reaves’ numbers haven’t been overly impressive, but the forward brings intimidation that Vegas needs on the ice. The 34-year-old has one goal and five points in 37 games to go with 141 hits. Reaves has missed the last 16 games with an undisclosed injury.
  • With their AHL season complete now, the Florida Panthers recalled four players to their NHL squad to serve as Black Aces, including defenseman Chase Priskie, Lucas Carlsson, Vladislav Kolyachonok and John Ludvig, according to FloridaHockeyNow’s George Richards.
  • The Pittsburgh Penguins recalled goaltender Alex D’Orio from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the AHL, according to PGSportsNow’s Matt Vensel. D’Orio will serve as the emergency third-string goaltender with Casey DeSmith out.
  • The Montreal Canadiens announced that goaltender Carey Price and winger Brendan Gallagher have been sent to Laval of the AHL on an LTI conditioning loan.  Both players will be in uniform for Monday’s game against Toronto.  Price, who is slated to play half the game, will be making his first AHL appearance since 2008 while Gallagher will be seeing his first AHL action since 2013.
  • The Buffalo Sabres assigned forward Arttu Ruotsalainen to the minors, per CapFriendly.  The move is basically procedural at this point as the rookie is on his way to play for Finland at the World Championships.
  • The Calgary Flames have brought up defenseman Connor Mackey plus forwards Dominik Simon and Adam Ruzicka from the taxi squad, per CapFriendly.  All three players are expected to be in uniform tonight against Vancouver.
  • Speaking of Vancouver, the Canucks have recalled Jonah Gadjovich from the taxi squad, per CapFriendly.  The forward will make his NHL debut against Calgary.
  • The Edmonton Oilers have brought up forwards Kyle Turris, Tyler Ennis, and Patrick Russell plus defenseman Philip Broberg from the taxi squad, per CapFriendly.  With their regular season over, they don’t need to carry a taxi squad any longer.

Minor Transactions: 05/14/21

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It’s not exactly a taxi squad shuffle these days, as teams prepare for the playoffs without any roster restrictions. Still, there are a few transactions between leagues to note and we’ll list them here.

  • The Pittsburgh Penguins have re-assigned Alex D’Orio to the AHL, where he can help out with the final two games of the season for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. The split back-to-back against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms and Hershey Bears will be over by Sunday, at which point a few minor league players will probably be called up as additional Black Aces.
  • The Colorado Avalanche have returned T.J. Tynan, Sampo Ranta, Hunter Miska, and Kyle Burroughs to the AHL for the time being, gutting their taxi squad. The Avalanche don’t start the playoffs until Monday, meaning they have a couple of days to prepare the roster.
  • Now that the Los Angeles Kings’ season is over, all the players eligible to help with the Ontario Reign playoff run have been sent back down. Lias Andersson, Troy Grosenick, Cole Hults, Jacob Ingham, Rasmus Kupari, Tyler Madden and Drake Rymsha were all returned to the AHL.

This page will be updated with any further transactions

Taxi Squad Shuffle: 05/13/21

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With the playoffs just around the corner, the taxi squad shuffle will start to look a little bit different. Instead of constant swapping between the active roster and taxi squad, teams will likely just make mass additions the way they usually recall “Black Aces.” That is, players who will practice with the playoff roster but aren’t expected to actually suit up for any game action. We’ll still keep track of any moves right here:

This page will be updated with further transactions

Taxi Squad Shuffle: 05/12/21

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There has been plenty of roster movement between NHL teams and the taxi squad on a daily basis this season. Although some major names may be highlighted in separate articles, this is where you’ll find the majority of that shuffle news each day:

West Division

  • The St. Louis Blues have recalled Klim Kostin to the active roster and expect the young forward to make his season debut this evening. The team has also assigned Dakota Joshua to the taxi squad, while moving Nathan Walker to the AHL’s Utica Comets. According to the AHL transaction page, Joel Hofer has also been recalled to the taxi squad.
  • The Los Angeles Kings have sent Quinton Byfield to the AHL, where the Ontario Reign still have meaningful games to play this season. The Reign, along with the rest of the AHL’s Pacific Division, will begin a postseason tournament in a week’s time.

North Division

Central Division

East Division

This page will be updated throughout the day

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