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Sharks Sign Henry Thrun

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The Sharks have reached an agreement with a promising defensive prospect, announcing the signing of Henry Thrun to a two-year, entry-level contract.  Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed but it does begin this season.

The 22-year-old was a fourth-round pick by Anaheim back in 2019 (101st overall) but has certainly outperformed his draft stock.  This season, Thrun was the captain at Harvard and led their blueliners in scoring for the second straight year, tallying seven goals along with 24 assists in just 35 games.  Those numbers were nearly identical to 2021-22 when he potted seven goals with 25 helpers in 35 contests.  That helped him earn several honors, including ECAC Defensive Defenseman of the Year, First Team All-ECAC, and First Team All-Ivy.

Earlier this season, Thrun informed the Ducks that he would not be signing with them and instead would opt for free agency in mid-August.  However, San Jose decided to jump the queue on trying to work out a deal with Thrun, flipping a 2024 third-rounder to Anaheim to get his rights earlier this month.  That has proven to be a wise decision as it certainly didn’t take long for a deal to get done considering Harvard was just eliminated from the NCAA tournament on Friday.

While the Sharks will have to burn half of the contract now for the stretch run, they’ve secured themselves a promising young blueliner to add to a prospect pool that is starting to improve considerably under GM Mike Grier.  They’ll likely give Thrun a chance to get his feet wet with a few games down the stretch to assess whether he might be ready for full-time duty next season or if some time at the AHL level will be acquired.

Jets Sign Parker Ford

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The Jets have dipped into college free agency, announcing the signing of forward Parker Ford to a two-year, entry-level contract.  The deal will carry an AAV of $925K and will begin next season.  Ford has also agreed to an ATO deal with Manitoba of the AHL and will finish up this season at the minor league level.

The 22-year-old recently wrapped up his four-year college career at Providence.  His offensive numbers in the last two seasons were nearly identical; he posted 12 goals and 14 assists in 37 games this year after putting up 13 goals and 14 helpers in 38 contests in 2021-22.  Over his career with the Friars, Ford had 94 points in 131 contests, putting up a higher point per game average at the NCAA level (0.71) than his time in the USHL (0.62).  He was Providence’s captain this season and finished as a Hockey East Third Team All-Star.

Winnipeg has already moved three of its draft picks for the upcoming draft and had a three-year stretch between 2019 and 2021 where they made no more than five selections in a single draft.  Accordingly, their prospect pool has been thinned out so it makes sense for the Jets to look to fill some of those gaps in college free agency.  At 5’9, Ford is a bit undersized but can play both center and the wing, bringing them some positional versatility.

Kraken Assign Joey Daccord To AHL

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While he fared well in a pair of games on a recall earlier this week, the Kraken announced (Twitter link) that they have returned goaltender Joey Daccord to Coachella Valley of the AHL.  The assignment was needed with Philipp Grubauer returning from an illness to make the start against Nashville today.

The 26-year-old picked up a victory on Tuesday in Dallas while allowing only one goal in a shootout loss to Nashville on Thursday, allowing Seattle to maintain a one-point advantage on Winnipeg for the top Wild Card spot in the Western Conference.  However, to keep Daccord up, they would have had to use one of their two remaining regular recalls and they’ve decided that’s not the best strategy at this time, especially with AHL Coachella Valley being in a close battle for the top spot in the AHL.

Daccord has spent the bulk of the year with the Firebirds and has fared quite well, posting a 2.43 GAA along with a .915 SV% in 34 games so far this season.  He’ll once again partner with backup Chris Driedger who is working his way back after tearing his ACL at the World Championship last season.

Kings Sign Cole Krygier To Entry-Level Deal

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It has been a busy week for defenseman Cole Krygier.  Earlier this week, his rights were acquired by Los Angeles from Florida in exchange for future considerations with the blueliner signing an AHL tryout soon after.  Now, he has put pen to paper on another contract as the Kings announced that they’ve signed Krygier to a two-year, entry-level deal.  The contract begins next season and carries an AAV of $837,500.

The 22-year-old was initially a seventh-round pick by the Panthers back in 2018 (201st overall).  He recently wrapped up a five-year college career with Michigan State, saving his best performance for last as Krygier had ten goals and six assists in 38 games with the Spartans while serving as an alternate captain.  He had 20 goals and 21 assists over his college career, spanning 160 contests.

By moving his rights earlier in the week, it was clear that Florida decided that they weren’t intending to sign Krygier, the son of long-time NHL winger Todd Krygier, and were likely to let him go in free agency in mid-August.  Instead, the Kings decided that he was worthy of signing and were able to jump the queue to get him without parting with a tangible asset going the other way as his rights were moved for future considerations.  Since the deal begins next season, he’ll be limited to play with AHL Ontario for the stretch run.

Blackhawks Sign Paul Ludwinski

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The Blackhawks have put pen to paper with prospect Paul Ludwinski, announcing that they’ve signed the forward to a three-year, entry-level contract.  The deal begins next season and carries a cap hit of $931,667.

The 18-year-old was a second-round pick by Chicago last year (39th overall) and has had a bit of a tough year with OHL Kingston.  Injuries have limited Ludwinski to just 47 games this season and his output has dipped to just nine goals and 25 assists, good for a tie for fifth on the Frontenacs in scoring.  Kingston is going to come up just short of reaching the playoffs this season which means after this weekend, Ludwinski will be permitted to join AHL Rockford for the stretch run in the minors.

However, while he’ll likely make his pro debut in the next few games, Ludwinski won’t be permitted to start next season in the AHL.  At his age, his options at the start of next season will be either Chicago or Kingston with the latter being the probable outcome.  Accordingly, his contract would be eligible for a slide next year which means this entry-level agreement is likely to run through the 2026-27 campaign.

Sabres Recall Lukas Rousek

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Lukas Rousek’s first full professional season has been a strong one and he was rewarded for his efforts on Saturday as the Sabres announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled the forward from Rochester of the AHL.

The 23-year-old was a sixth-round pick by Buffalo back in 2019 and this is his first NHL promotion.  After an ACL injury cost him the bulk of last season, Rousek has been productive this year with the Americans, notching 15 goals and 33 assists in 61 games; his assist and point totals are good for second on the team in scoring.  If Rousek suits up for the Sabres, he’ll be the third player from their 2019 draft class to see NHL action.

Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News clarifies (Twitter link) that the move has been classified as an emergency recall.  Tage Thompson was injured last night while Jordan Greenway has missed the last week with an upper-body injury.  Meanwhile, Vinnie Hinostroza is away from the team for personal reasons so Buffalo certainly needed to bring a forward up.  Rousek will get that opportunity but as soon as one of those players is able to return, he’ll need to be sent back to the minors or have his recall converted to a regular one which would then count against the post-deadline limit of four.

Blue Jackets Recall Jake Christiansen And Trey Fix-Wolansky

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While the Blue Jackets picked up an overtime victory on Friday, it came at a cost with both defenseman Erik Gudbranson (upper body) and winger Mathieu Olivier (lower body) exiting with injuries.  Accordingly, they announced a pair of recalls from the minors as they have brought up defenseman Jake Christiansen and winger Trey Fix-Wolansky from AHL Cleveland on an emergency basis.

Christiansen has suited up in 18 games with the Blue Jackets so far this season.  In that stretch, he has a pair of assists while averaging roughly a block and a hit per contest while logging just shy of 14 minutes a night.  However, despite not being particularly productive in Columbus, the 23-year-old has done well offensively with the Monsters, collecting eight goals and 21 assists in 43 games to help him earn this recall.

As for Fix-Wolansky, the 23-year-old has appeared in four games with Columbus this season.  He has been held off the scoresheet in those contests while averaging just under ten minutes a night.  However, Fix-Wolansky has been one of the top scorers in the minors this season, picking up 26 goals and 51 assists in 53 games with the Monsters, numbers that put him in fourth league-wide in points.  With the injuries that Columbus has, he might have a chance of playing a little higher in the lineup this time around.

As both of these recalls are designated as emergency ones, they will not count against the post-deadline limit of four per team.  However, as soon as Gudbranson or Olivier (or anyone else currently injured at their positions return), they will have to be returned to the AHL or converted to a regular recall at that time which would then count against the limit of four.

Alex Galchenyuk Assigned To AHL

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Following their victory over Arizona on Friday, the Avalanche announced (Twitter link) that they’ve assigned forward Alex Galchenyuk back to AHL Colorado.

The 29-year-old was brought up on an emergency recall after Artturi Lehkonen suffered a broken finger but Galchenyuk wasn’t exactly productive during that stretch.  In the six games he played, he didn’t record a point while averaging less than six minutes per contest.  For the season, Galchenyuk has played in ten games with the Avs, putting up zeros across the board offensively.

To his credit, Galchenyuk has been much more productive in the minors, tallying 15 goals and 18 assists in 33 games with the Eagles.  His time with them has been the longest minor league stint of his career as prior to this season, he had played in all of six career AHL contests.

With Lehkonen and Evan Rodrigues (concussion protocol) both out of the lineup, the Avs will need to make a recall prior to Sunday’s game.  It could be Galchenyuk again but with his performance being underwhelming thus far, they might look to give someone else an opportunity to make an impression.

Vancouver Canucks Extend Christian Wolanin

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The Vancouver Canucks have signed defenseman Christian Wolanin to a two-year, two-way contract extension, according to a team announcement. Per CapFriendly, the contract is worth a league minimum of $775,000 per season, with a $500,000 salary in the minors.

The deal, announced Thursday, will keep Wolanin with the Canucks through the 2024-25 season. The 28-year-old defenseman was acquired by Vancouver in free agency last July, signing a one-year contract.

Wolanin has played in 15 games for the Canucks this season, recording three assists. While he’s spent the majority of the campaign with the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks, Wolanin has remained on the NHL roster since Vancouver recalled him on February 18, save for a paper transaction back to Abbotsford on trade deadline day to make him eligible to suit up in the Calder Cup Playoffs.

“Christian has been a key contributor at both the AHL and NHL level this season,” Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin said in a statement. “He has developed nicely under the watchful eye of our Abbotsford coaching staff and player development team. This has allowed him to step into his current role in the NHL and show that he can help our team get results.”

Wolanin was originally selected by the Ottawa Senators in the fourth round of the 2015 NHL Draft. He has appeared in a total of 85 NHL games, posting six goals and 17 assists.

After largely splitting time between the NHL and AHL over the past five seasons, Wolanin found some stability in Abbotsford to begin the year. He did not disappoint, as Wolanin is amidst the best campaign of his professional career. In 49 games with Abbotsford, where he’s sure to return for the postseason, Wolanin registered an assist per game and added six goals for 55 points, accompanied by a +12 rating.

Minor Transactions: 03/19/23

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We’re already deep into today’s NHL slate of games, but this weekend has been busy for other teams around the hockey world as European, junior, and college seasons all near a close. We’ll keep a running list of today’s minor transactions here.

  • The DEL’s Löwen Frankfurt today announced that multiple players would not be returning to the team next year, including a trio of former NHL-contracted players. Goalie Callum Booth, who played just one game for Frankfurt after a mid-season departure from the Seattle Kraken organization, is one of the three, opening the door for a potential return to the North American ranks on an AHL or ECHL contract next year. Winger Jerry D’Amigo, who played 31 NHL games across two seasons with Toronto and Buffalo, was also released after scoring four goals and 14 points in 38 games. 34-year-old Carson McMillan, who saw NHL action in the early 2010s with the Minnesota Wild, will also not return to Frankfurt next season.

This page will be updated throughout the day.

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