Front Office Notes: Bannister, Dubas, Hynes
The St. Louis Blues have come to a list of finalists for their vacant head coach position, and Drew Bannister is reportedly among the bunch, shares Chris Pinkert of NHL.com. Bannister is St. Louis’ most recent coach, getting promoted from the AHL following Craig Berube’s dismissal in December.
It was the first NHL gig of Bannister’s coaching career and he made good work with it, leading the Blues to a surging 30-19-5 record. He brought the best out of the team’s special teams – improving the power-play from 8.4% to 23.2%, and the penalty-kill from 78.5% to 79.4%. But the push wasn’t enough to get St. Louis over a sub-.500 start to the year, with the team ultimately falling six points outside of a playoff spot.
Bannister previously served as the head coach for the Springfield Thunderbirds, St. Louis’ AHL affiliate. He found plenty of success in the minors, leading the Thunderbirds to two playoff appearances and even making the 2022 Calder Cup Final. That track record, and his early NHL success, could be enough to land Bannister an assistant coaching job on the Blues bench, even if he does miss out on the head role.
St. Louis general manager Doug Armstrong shared with the media that the team will have a coach before June’s NHL Draft and that their list of candidates has been whittled to a, “very, very small number”. It will be just a little longer before a decision, though, with Armstrong adding that the team is still waiting on some candidates to finish their season.
Other notes from NHL management:
- Kyle Dubas has been named an associate general manager for Team Canada’s World Championship roster (Twitter link). It will be the first time that Dubas has worked with Team Canada in his six-year career as an NHL GM. The decision was made by Team Canada’s general manager, Rick Nash, with input from Scott Salmond, Doug Armstrong, and Ryan Getzlaf. It’s an exciting announcement that, among many things, could show Canada’s focus on advanced statistics, as they bring in one of the most analytic-savvy GMs in the NHL.
- Team USA general manager Bill Guerin has named John Hynes as the head coach for the World Championship (Twitter link). It’s Guerin’s second time recruiting Hynes this season, having also hired him into the head coaching role for the Minnesota Wild after the team fired Dean Evason. The duo will look to maintain their momentum with Team USA, after the Wild ranked as a top-15 team in record, goals-for, and goals-against under Hynes’ reign.
Senators Notes: Stutzle, Pinto, Sanderson, Chabot
Ottawa Senators star Tim Stutzle was bearing through multiple injuries this season, per Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun (Twitter link). Garrioch reports that a wrist issue plagued much of Stutzle’s season, while a nagging shoulder injury is what’s ultimately held him out of the lineup. Stutzle missed Ottawa’s final seven games of the season, after playing in the previous 75. He told the media at locker clean-out that he, “hasn’t been feeling good for a year or something”, shares Claire Hanna of Sportscenter (Twitter link).
Stutzle ranked second on the Senators in scoring this year, totaling 18 goals and 70 points. While certainly a strong year, Stutzle’s scoring marked a big step down from the 39 goals and 90 points he recorded in 78 games last season. The persistent injuries are likely a big factor in that decreased scoring, though the Senators as a team also collected six fewer goals on the season compared to last year.
These lingering injuries will keep Stuzle from joining Team Germany at the World Championship this summer. Instead, he will focus on overcoming his lingering injuries this summer, as he prepares to once again rival the century-scoring mark.
Other notes from Ottawa’s cleanout day:
- Senators forward Shane Pinto says he’s hoping to join Team USA at the World Championship this summer, shares Garrioch (Twitter link). Pinto added that he’ll seek his own insurance for the event if he doesn’t have a new contract with Ottawa by June. Pinto will be joined by defenseman Jake Sanderson, who said he’s excited to play meaningful games and reunite with USA Hockey, per Hanna (Twitter link). Sanderson
- Meanwhile, defenseman Thomas Chabot shared he won’t be joining Team Canada due to lingering injuries, sharing that he’s not yet sure if he’ll need any surgeries, per Hanna (Twitter link). Chabot only managed 51 appearances this season, though he did score an impressive nine goals and 30 points. He’ll have the off-season to heal and look to return to continue leading Ottawa’s defense corps next season.
Atlantic Notes: Luukkonen, Imama, Tkachuk
Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News is reporting that Buffalo Sabres goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen won’t play for Team Finland at the upcoming IIHF World Championship. The 25-year-old is a restricted free agent on July 1st and without an extension in place has elected to not play in the event. The news is not surprising given that Luukkonen would be risking injury without the security of a long-term deal in place. It will be a blow to Finland’s roster for the tournament.
Luukkonen’s future looked murky at the start of the season, but the native of Espoo, Finland put up terrific numbers on a weak Sabres team registering a record of 27-22-4, along with five shutouts, a 2.57 goals-against average and a .910 save percentage. His underlying numbers were also strong as he posted 9.4 goals saved above expected in 54 games. His contract negotiations will be interesting to watch as the Sabres will have to make a bet on whether or not Luukkonen can carry his strong play into the next few seasons.
In other Atlantic Division notes:
The Ottawa Senators have re-assigned forward Bokondji Imama to their AHL affiliate in Belleville. The 27-year-old was recalled two weeks ago by Ottawa and registered zero points and 7 PIM in six games while averaging 5:35 of ice time. He suffered an upper-body injury in Monday’s game against the Rangers and missed the Senators season finale against Boston on Tuesday. The Montreal, Quebec native is a former sixth-round pick of the Tampa Bay Lightning and has registered a single goal in 15 career NHL games. Imama has spent the bulk of his seven-year professional career in the AHL where he has 29 goals and 43 assists in 310 career AHL games.
Bruce Garrioch of The Ottawa Sun reports that Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk will represent Team USA at the upcoming IIHF World Championships. A day after being nominated for the King Clancy Memorial Trophy, the 24-year-old spoke with the Ottawa media and talked about the disappointment with his team’s season but expressed excitement about representing his country on the world stage. The former fourth overall pick had another strong season for the Senators, posting 37 goals and 37 assists in 81 games to lead the team in scoring for the second time in three years.
Team USA Fills Out Management Group For 4 Nations, 2026 Olympics
USA Hockey has announced the remainder of the management group that will complement Wild GM Bill Guerin for next season’s 4 Nations Face-Off and the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy. Rangers GM Chris Drury, Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald and Panthers GM Bill Zito have been named assistant GMs to Guerin. Wild director of player personnel Chris Kelleher will occupy the same role for the national team as he does under Guerin in Minnesota.
Guerin was confirmed as the GM of both squads in February. Earlier this season, he was reportedly the subject of an internal investigation “following a human resources complaint by an employee who alleged verbal abuse in the workplace,” per The Athletic’s Michael Russo. The investigation later determined he did not commit a fireable offense.
This is Drury’s fifth time holding a management role with Team USA. All his previous national team managerial experience came at the World Championship, where he served as AGM in 2016 and 2017 and GM in 2019 and 2021. Drury-managed teams have only medalled once, capturing a bronze medal in ’21.
As a player, he was no stranger to helping out the national team. In fact, he was quite well-decorated internationally, representing the USA at three Olympics (2002, 2006, 2010), three World Championships (1997, 1998, 2004), and the 1996 World Juniors. He took home two Olympic silvers and one Worlds bronze in that time and was eventually inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in 2016, shortly after taking a director of player development role with the Rangers. He was promoted to AGM and later GM and president of hockey operations ahead of the 2021-22 season.
This is Fitzgerald’s first managerial experience with the national team. He’s held front-office roles in the NHL dating back to 2007 and was named GM of the Devils midway through the 2019-20 season. As a player, he suited up for Team USA at the 1987 World Juniors and in the 1989 and 1991 World Championships.
Zito returns to managing Team USA after GMing their World Championship squad in 2018, back when he was an AGM for the Blue Jackets. It’s his first national team nod since being named GM of the Panthers in 2020, since overseeing the most sustained period of success in franchise history.
Like Fitzgerald, the 49-year-old Kelleher has no international managerial experience, although he did have a cup of coffee as a player with Team USA at the 1995 World Juniors. He predates Guerin with the Wild by a decade, first joining Minnesota as a pro scout in 2009. He’s steadily worked his way up the ranks, earning a promotion to director of pro scouting in 2019 before being named their director of player personnel in 2022.
Metropolitan Notes: Phillips, Harkins, Werenski, Svechnikov
The Capitals have once again brought forward Matthew Phillips up from the AHL on an emergency loan, per a team release. It’s the fourth recall for Phillips in the past few weeks after Washington re-claimed him off waivers from the Penguins in March. Why exactly Phillips has been added to the roster ahead of tonight’s game against the Hurricanes is unknown – no Capitals forwards are carrying injury designations other than T.J. Oshie, and Nicolas Aubé-Kubel was already available as an extra forward. There may be a few undisclosed game-time decisions in the works up front. Phillips, 25, has a goal and four assists in 31 appearances with the Caps and Pens this season.
Other updates from the Metro:
- Moving over to Pittsburgh, winger Jansen Harkins was cleared for contact Friday and was a full participant in practice, head coach Mike Sullivan told Matt Vensel of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The 26-year-old has been on LTIR since March after undergoing hand surgery and has now missed 15 games, but he could be an option for the final few tilts of the season as the Penguins try to sneak their way into the postseason. The high-end AHL scorer has had no offensive impact in 43 NHL appearances this season, going without a goal and posting four assists in 43 games while averaging just over eight minutes a night.
- Blue Jackets star defenseman Zach Werenski will join the United States national team after the end of the regular season in preparation for the 2024 World Championship in Czechia, he told Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch. In doing so, the 26-year-old is strengthening his candidacy for the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off and the 2026 Winter Olympics, as Team USA GM Bill Guerin has made it clear national team hopefuls for those big-ticket tournaments should attend this year’s World Championship if possible. Today, Werenski was named the Blue Jackets’ nominee for the 2024 Masterton Trophy, churning out All-Star-caliber minutes this year after missing most of 2022-23 due to shoulder surgery.
- The Hurricanes will be without winger Andrei Svechnikov at home against Washington tonight due to illness, per a team announcement. The 2018 second-overall pick has been limited by injuries to 55 games this season but has played solid hockey, churning out 17 goals and 46 points. He’s gone through quite a cold stretch over the past few weeks, though, only recording a goal and two assists in his last 12 games with a -5 rating. He’ll look to reset and rebound before the playoffs begin on April 20.
Bill Guerin Named GM Of U.S. Four Nations And Olympic Teams
Minnesota Wild president of hockey operations and general manager Bill Guerin has been named the general manager of Team USA for the upcoming 2025 NHL Four Nations Face-Off as well as the 2026 U.S. Olympic Men’s Ice Hockey Team. The announcement was made official this morning and allows the three-time U.S. Olympian to take some time before selecting his first six players for the Four Nations tournament, which is something the NHL has asked each team to do early this summer.
Guerin is no stranger to donning the American sweater as he suited up for three Olympics in 1998, 2002, and 2006, winning a silver medal in 2002. He was also a member of the 1996 Team USA World Cup team that shocked the hockey world and created one of the most iconic moments in USA hockey history when they beat Team Canada to win the tournament. Guerin is a member of the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame, having been inducted back in 2013.
Guerin retired from playing in 2010 as a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins and then spent eight seasons with the team in management, winning two Stanley Cups. He was then named general manager of the Wild in August 2019 and guided Minnesota to four consecutive playoff appearances before being named president of hockey operations and general manager last July.
Guerin made sweeping changes in Minnesota during his nearly five years with the franchise with his biggest moves being the buyouts of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter. Now he is tasked with putting together a collection of American players who can bring home gold in two separate tournaments and could be the favourite in both. Team Canada will have arguably the best forward group in both tournaments; however, the Americans will likely boast the most well-rounded team, something that Guerin and his staff will start to look at in the coming months.
USA Wins 2024 World Junior Championship
With their victory over Team Sweden this afternoon, Team USA has officially won the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship, taking home the gold medal for the sixth time since the tournament’s inception in 1977. The game-winning goal would come in the second period, as Michigan State University product, Isaac Howard, put away the deciding marker relatively early on in the game.
Team USA will now move alone into third place in total gold medals in the tournament’s history after being tied with Finland with five since 2021. Team Russia/Soviet Union is in second place with eight gold medals, while Team Canada is in front by a large margin with a whopping 20 gold medals in the tournament’s history.
After leading Team Czechia in scoring in last year’s tournament, Buffalo Sabres’ prospect, Jiri Kulich, would lead the entire tournament this year, scoring six goals and 12 points in seven games. Tied in the lead with Kulich was Philadelphia Flyers’ prospect, Cutter Gauthier of Team USA, scoring two goals and 12 points in seven games.
Outside of Team USA bringing home the gold, and Team Sweden taking home the silver medal, Team Czechia would go on to defeat Team Finland in a high-scoring game this morning, winning their second bronze medal in tournament history. Now, the players from each respective country will return back to their regular teams, before the exciting tournament returns next year in Ottawa.
USA Hockey Announces Roster For Upcoming World Juniors
With the start of the World Juniors now just a week and a half away, rosters for the event are starting to be finalized. The latest to do so is Team USA with USA Hockey announcing (Twitter link) their full squad for the tourney. The team lines up as follows with their NHL affiliation in parentheses.
Goalies
Trey Augustine (DET)
Jacob Fowler (MTL)
Sam Hillebrandt
Defense
Zeev Buium
Seamus Casey (NJ)
Ryan Chesley (WSH)
Drew Fortescue (NYR)
Lane Hutson (MTL)
Aram Minnetian (DAL)
Eric Pohlkamp (SJ)
Sam Rinzel (CHI)
Forwards
Gavin Brindley (CBJ)
Quinn Finley (NYI)
Cutter Gauthier (PHI)
Gavin Hayes (CHI)
Isaac Howard (TB)
Ryan Leonard (WSH)
Rutger McGroarty (WPG)
Oliver Moore (CHI)
Frank Nazar (CHI)
Danny Nelson (NYI)
Gabriel Perreault (NYR)
Will Smith (SJ)
Jimmy Snuggerud (STL)
Casey Terrance (ANA)
As expected, it’s a roster that has many NHL prospects on it, including two of the top eight selections from the draft back in June. Meanwhile, the Blackhawks are well-represented in this group with four prospects making the cut.
Corey Pronman of The Athletic points out (Twitter link) that there are still two cuts that will need to be made before the roster is formally registered for the tournament. With 14 forwards and eight blueliners on the roster, it stands to reason that one will be trimmed from each of those groups. However, those cuts will serve as standby injury replacements so they will still make the trek to Sweden for the event, which gets underway in Gothenburg, Sweden on December 26th.
USA Hockey Announces Preliminary 2024 WJC Roster
The best time of the year for prospect watchers is right around the corner. The 2024 edition of the IIHF World Junior Championship begins later this month, as normal, on December 26. This year’s event will take place in Gothenburg, Sweden, which was initially slated to host the event in 2022 but needed to be rescheduled due to COVID restrictions.
USA Hockey today announced their 29-player preliminary roster for the event, which will need to be trimmed to 25 before event rosters are due. This year, they’ll be participating in Group B alongside Czechia, Slovakia, Switzerland, and Norway and are considered the favorites to win the group with one of the more highly talented rosters we’ve seen from the Americans in a number of years.
The Coyotes are not loaning star youngster Logan Cooley to the US for the event, the Blue Jackets are not loaning Adam Fantilli, nor did USA Hockey select 2024 projected second-overall pick Cole Eiserman to the preliminary roster. Nonetheless, it’s a stacked group of prospects that will once again challenge for a medal. The full roster is as follows:
F Gavin Brindley (Blue Jackets, 2023, 34th overall)
F Quinn Finley (Islanders, 2022, 78th overall)
F Cutter Gauthier (Flyers, 2022, 5th overall)
F James Hagens (2025 draft-eligible)
F Gavin Hayes (Blackhawks, 2022, 66th overall)
F Isaac Howard (Lightning, 2022, 31st overall)
F Ryan Leonard (Capitals, 2023, 8th overall)
F Rutger McGroarty (Jets, 2022, 14th overall)
F Oliver Moore (Blackhawks, 2023, 19th overall)
F Frank Nazar (Blackhawks, 2022, 13th overall)
F Danny Nelson (Islanders, 2023, 49th overall)
F Gabriel Perreault (Rangers, 2023, 23rd overall)
F Will Smith (Sharks, 2023, 4th overall)
F Jimmy Snuggerud (Blues, 2022, 23rd overall)
F Carey Terrance (Ducks, 2023, 59th overall)
F William Whitelaw (Blue Jackets, 2023, 66th overall)
D Zeev Buium (2024 draft-eligible)
D Seamus Casey (Devils, 2022, 46th overall)
D Ryan Chesley (Capitals, 2022, 37th overall)
D Drew Fortescue (Rangers, 2023, 90th overall)
D Patrick Geary (went undrafted in 2022, 2023)
D Lane Hutson (Canadiens, 2022, 62nd overall)
D Jake Livanavage (went undrafted in 2022, 2023)
D Aram Minnetian (Stars, 2023, 125th overall)
D Eric Pohlkamp (Sharks, 2023, 132nd overall)
D Sam Rinzel (Blackhawks, 2022, 25th overall)
G Trey Augustine (Red Wings, 2023, 41st overall)
G Jacob Fowler (Canadiens, 2023, 69th overall)
G Sam Hillebrandt (went undrafted in 2023)
There are eight returning members from last year’s team, which captured the bronze medal: Augustine, Brindley, Casey, Chesley, Gauthier, Hutson, McGroarty, and Snuggerud. The Blackhawks lead the way with prospects represented on the preliminary roster with four.
List Of NHL Prospects Attending 2023 World Junior Summer Showcase
Today, the 2023 World Junior Summer Showcase got off to a raucous start. The four-team friendly summer tune-up tournament includes two contingents from the United States (a Blue team and a White team), as well as rosters from Sweden and Finland. All teams are made up of U20 players eligible for the 2024 World Junior Championships set to kick off in December, and the showcase tournament provides a chance for national organizations of three of the best hockey countries in the world to evaluate things like physical readiness and line chemistry that come into play when deciding on final rosters for the real deal in winter.
Unfortunately for the United States, both teams lost their opening games today at home in Plymouth, Michigan, rather decidedly – USA Blue dropped the tournament opener to Sweden by a score of 7-0, while USA White fared much better but still lost to Finland, 4-2.
There are a couple of notable draft-eligible players suiting up at this tournament for the US. Team White boasts presumptive 2024 top-two pick Cole Eiserman among their forward core, while Team Blue has 2025 top prospect James Hagens in the mix at center (he even dressed on their first line today). The Finns also boast a pair of high-level 2024-eligible prospects in defenseman Aron Kiviharju and forward Konsta Helenius.
That being said, the games for this tournament are available to watch for free online, and information on this can be found through USA Hockey’s social media channels. With that in mind, it’s of interest to NHL fans to see which of your team’s prospects is suiting up at this mid-summer exhibition tournament in advance of the biggest few days in junior hockey:
Anaheim Ducks – F Carey Terrance (USA White)
Arizona Coyotes – F Samu Bau (Finland), F Tanner Ludtke (USA White)
Buffalo Sabres – F Anton Wahlberg (Sweden)
Calgary Flames – F Topi Rönni (Finland)
Carolina Hurricanes – F Cruz Lucius (USA Blue), F Felix Unger Sörum (Sweden)
Chicago Blackhawks – F Gavin Hayes (USA Blue), F Oliver Moore (USA Blue), F Frank Nazar (USA White), D Sam Rinzel (USA White)
Columbus Blue Jackets – F Gavin Brindley (USA Blue), F William Whitelaw (USA White)
Detroit Red Wings – D Anton Johansson (Sweden), D Axel Sandin Pellikka (Sweden), G Trey Augustine (USA White)
Florida Panthers – G Tyler Muszelik (USA White)
Los Angeles Kings – D Otto Salin (Finland), G Hampton Slukynsky (USA White)
Minnesota Wild – F Charlie Stramel (USA White)
Montreal Canadiens – D Lane Hutson (USA White), G Jacob Fowler (USA Blue)
Nashville Predators – F Jesse Kiiskinen (Finland), F Felix Nilsson (Sweden), D Kasper Kulonummi (Finland)
New Jersey Devils – F Lenni Hämeenaho (Finland), D Seamus Casey (USA Blue), D Charlie Leddy (USA Blue)
New York Islanders – F Quinn Finley (USA Blue), F Danny Nelson (USA Blue), F Jessi Nurmi (Finland), D Calle Odelius (Sweden), D Zach Schulz (USA White)
New York Rangers – F Gabe Perreault (USA Blue), D Drew Fortescue (USA White)
Ottawa Senators – F Oskar Pettersson (Sweden), G Kevin Reidler (Sweden)
Philadelphia Flyers – F Cutter Gauthier (USA White), F Devin Kaplan (USA White), F Cole Knuble (USA Blue)
Pittsburgh Penguins – D Emil Pieniniemi (Finland)
San Jose Sharks – F Filip Bystedt (Sweden), F Kasper Halttunen (Finland), F Cam Lund (USA Blue), F Quentin Musty (USA Blue), F Will Smith (USA Blue), D Mattias Hävelid (Sweden), D Eric Pohlkamp (USA White)
Seattle Kraken – F Zeb Forsfjäll (Sweden), F Jani Nyman (Finland), G Niklas Kokko (Finland), G Visa Vedenpää (Finland)
St. Louis Blues – F Jimmy Snuggerud (USA White), F Otto Stenberg (Sweden), D Paul Fischer (USA Blue), D Theo Lindstein (Sweden)
Tampa Bay Lightning – F Isaac Howard (USA White)
Vancouver Canucks – D Hunter Brzustewicz (USA Blue), D Jackson Dorrington (USA White), D Elias Pettersson (Sweden)
Vegas Golden Knights – F David Edstrom (Sweden)
Washington Capitals – F Ryan Leonard (USA White), F Alexander Suzdalev (Sweden), D Ryan Chesley (USA White)
Winnipeg Jets – F Rutger McGroarty (USA White), F Fabian Wagner (Sweden), D Garrett Brown (USA Blue), D Elias Salomonsson (Sweden)
The Sharks lead the way with seven representatives at the tournament, led by 2023 fourth-overall pick Will Smith. Only five teams have no affiliated prospects at the showcase – the Boston Bruins, Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, Edmonton Oilers, and Toronto Maple Leafs.