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Canucks Sign Aku Koskenvuo To Entry-Level Contract

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The Vancouver Canucks have signed collegiate goaltender Aku Koskenvuo to a three-year entry-level contract. The deal comes after Koskenvuo’s junior year at Harvard University came to an end on Sunday. He was a strong goaltender until the very end of his collegiate career, making 47 saves on 49 shots in Harvard’s final game of the season. It was his fourth-consecutive start and second-consecutive overtime appearance. Koskenvuo made 138 saves on 147 shots in his last four games of the season.

Koskenvuo earned Harvard’s starting role through the latter half of this season, after spending his freshman year as the third-string and last season splitting starts. He climbed to the full-time role on the back of an 8-9-1 record, .902 save percentage, and 2.81 goals-against-average in 20 games this season. The stat line was a slight lateral step from his sophomore totals last year, when Koskenvuo managed a 5-6-4 record, .910 Sv%, and 2.95 GAA.

The Canucks drafted Koskenvuo in the fifth round of the 2021 NHL Draft, after his first full season in Finland’s U20 SM-sarja. In what was a shortened 2020-21 season, Koskenvuo posted a .893 Sv% and 2.92 GAA in 13 games with HIFK’s U20 club. He followed it up with a .897 Sv% and 2.79 GAA in 27 U20 games in 2021-22. Through the mix, Koskenvuo also served as a go-to option for Team Finland’s international juniors clubs. He recorded a .874 Sv% and 3-3-0 record in six games of the 2021 World U18 Championship; but cratered at the 2023 World Junior Championships with a .842 Sv% an 4.47 GAA en route to an 0-2-0 record.

Koskenvuo will join a crowded goalie room in the Canucks organization. He’ll spar for minutes with players like Arturs Silovs, Nikita Tolopilo, and Ty Young at the AHL level. Tolopilo has served as the starter for the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks and has a .896 Sv% and 2.74 GAA in 30 appearances. Young leads the minor squad in save percentage, with a .905 in just nine AHL appearances.

Panthers Recall Tobias Bjornfot

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The Florida Panthers have recalled defenseman Tobias Bjornfot from the AHL. This move comes after Dmitry Kulikov was injured in the first period of the team’s Sunday loss to the New York Islanders, after getting wrapped up on Islanders forward Anthony Duclair. This marks Bjornfot’s second call-up as a member of the Panthers organization, after spending 20 days on the NHL roster in January. He stepped into eight NHL games on the recall and managed no scoring.

Bjornfot has otherwise spent the rest of the season in the minors. He’s amassed 16 points, 22 penalty minutes, and a plus-one in 43 games with the Charlotte Checkers, good for third on the team’s blue-line in scoring. It’s just his third full season in the NHL since making his professional debut in the 2019-20 season. He spent the bulk of that year with the AHL’s Ontario Reign where he recorded 19 points, 12 penalty minutes, and a plus-13 in 44 games. Bjornfot received the first three games of his NHL career in the mix of those minor league minutes, and earned a hardier shot at the Los Angeles Kings lineup over the next two years. But he only managed 14 points through the first 106 games of his NHL career, prompting a return to the minors for the start of the 2022-23 campaign. Bjornfot scored 12 points in 50 AHL games that year.

Bjornfot followed another middling year in the minors with a winding journey last season. He appeared in games for Los Angeles, Vegas, and Florida throughout the 2023-24 season – and moved between each team through two separate waiver claims. Ultimately, Bjornfot couldn’t find his footing in any of his new destinations – and managed no scoring through 11 NHL games or five AHL games on the season. He’s returned to the scoresheet through the first half of this year, but still hasn’t found a consistent stride.

There’s been no indication as to whether Kulikov will be available for Florida’s Thursday matchup against the Columbus Blue Jackets. He’ll vacate a top-pair role if he does have to sit out, opening the door for Bjornfot to earn modest ice time as Florida mends an already-weakened blue-line.  Bjornfot has averaged 13:24 in ice time through his eight NHL appearances this season. A lineup nod would give Bjornfot another chance to earn his first point as a member of the Florida Panthers – and his first NHL point outside of the Los Angeles Kings organization.

Rangers, Noah Laba Agree To Entry-Level Contract

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The Rangers announced they’ve agreed to terms with center Noah Laba on a two-year entry-level contract beginning next season. Financial terms were not disclosed. He will finish the 2024-25 season on a tryout with AHL Hartford.

Laba, 21, was the Blueshirts’ fourth-round pick (No. 111) overall in the 2022 draft. An engaged, well-rounded offensive center with a 6’2″ frame, he was coming off a 39-point campaign in 50 games with the United States Hockey League’s Lincoln Stars in his draft year, adding 115 PIMs to boot.

After being selected by the Rangers, Laba jumped to the NCAA with Colorado College. He’s stayed in Colorado Springs for the last three seasons, reining in the penalty trouble and dialing up the offense. A breakout sophomore campaign in 2023-24 saw him take home NCHC Best Defensive Forward honors, leading the Tigers with 20 goals, 37 points, and a +20 rating in 36 games.

Laba didn’t manage to crack the point-per-game threshold for a second season in a row in 2024-25 but still had a respectable 10-16–26 scoring line in 29 games for CC. With his season over following their loss to Denver last weekend in the NCHC semifinals, he’ll get his first taste of professional hockey in Hartford over the next few weeks.

Laba’s collegiate resume makes it a probable bet that he’ll see NHL ice at some point before his rookie deal expires in the summer of 2027. Whether that means a full-time role for the Michigan native in the next two years remains to be seen, but he’s one of the brighter spots in a pedestrian New York prospect pool. He ranked No. 7 in the system in Scott Wheeler of The Athletic’s 2025 rankings.

Canucks Recall Linus Karlsson Under Emergency Conditions

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The Canucks announced today they’ve recalled forward Linus Karlsson from AHL Abbotsford under emergency conditions. Neither Filip Chytil nor Conor Garland are expected to play tonight against the Jets after missing the morning skate, per Brendan Batchelor of Sportsnet 650, so Karlsson’s presence is necessary for them to have 12 healthy forwards.

Chytil’s absence is clear after the center entered concussion protocol over the weekend, but Garland didn’t miss a shift in Sunday’s outing against Utah. He hasn’t missed a game since the 2022-23 campaign. Head coach Rick Tocchet adds he’ll be a game-time decision with an undisclosed injury (via Harman Dayal of The Athletic).

Karlsson, fresh off a one-year extension, comes up to fill the void and will skate on the third line with Drew O’Connor and Teddy Blueger. The 25-year-old has nine NHL games under his belt this year, but tonight will be his first appearance since Feb. 4. He has one goal during that stretch – his first NHL point – while recording eight shots on net and averaging 9:59 per game.

The 6’1″ Swede continues to be a productive minor-leaguer for the Canucks. His 1.13 points per game (21-13–34 in 30 GP) rank third among AHL skaters with at least 25 games played, trailing only vets Vinnie Hinostroza and Andrew Poturalski. Outright, his 21 goals are tied for 15th in the league.

Karlsson remains waivers-exempt for the rest of the season, but that status will disappear in 2025-26. If he doesn’t make Vancouver’s opening night roster next season, he’ll be offered to the rest of the league before he can be returned to Abbotsford.

Blue Jackets Sign Evan Gardner To Entry-Level Deal

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Goaltender prospect Evan Gardner has signed his entry-level contract with the Blue Jackets, per a team release. It’s a three-year deal that begins next season.

The 19-year-old netminder has spent this season with the Saskatoon Blades of the Western Hockey League, from where he was drafted in the second round by Columbus last year. The 6’1″, 176-lb goalie has a 2.83 GAA, .911 SV%, three shutouts, and a 22-12-4 record in 41 games for the Blades.

It’s a step down from what Gardner flashed in 2023-24 when he led the WHL in GAA (1.91) and SV% (.927) in 30 appearances. He still checked in at No. 8 in the Blue Jackets’ system and first among goalies in The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler’s 2025 prospect pool rankings, ahead of current Columbus third-stringer Jet Greaves.

Since Gardner doesn’t turn 20 until January 2026, he’s ineligible for a full-time AHL assignment next season. He must be on the NHL roster or returned to the Blades – the latter standing as the far more likely scenario. If that’s the case and he plays fewer than 10 NHL games, his deal will slide to the 2026-27 campaign and instead expire in the 2029 offseason. Any signing bonuses owed to him for 2025-26 will still be paid out.

He officially joins a Blue Jackets organization that has its future solidified at nearly every position aside from the net. With current backup Daniil Tarasov underwhelming and set to be a restricted free agent this summer, there’s an opportunity for the aforementioned Greaves to graduate from a fringe roster role to a full-time backup job next season. Elvis Merzļikins, who’s largely struggled since his current extension with a $5.4MM cap hit came into effect in 2022-23, is having a rebound campaign with a 3.04 GAA and a 22-18-4 record in 44 starts and now seems likely to at least finish out his deal in Columbus, which runs through 2026-27.

Sharks Recall Luca Cagnoni For NHL Debut

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The Sharks announced they’ve recalled defenseman Luca Cagnoni from AHL San Jose. The 20-year-old will make his NHL debut when San Jose faces the Hurricanes on Thursday since the team reassigned Jimmy Schuldt to the minors in a corresponding move.

It’s a quick ascension for Cagnoni, whom the Sharks nabbed in the fourth round of the 2023 draft. The pick was almost universally lauded as a steal – while some were concerned about how projectable the lefty’s 5’9″, 181-lb frame was to the professional level, his offensive dominance with the Western Hockey League’s Portland Winterhawks had some public scouting outfits tout him as high as an early second-round talent.

Cagnoni returned to the Winterhawks for his post-draft season but signed his entry-level deal last May, paving the way for the December-born defender to jump to the pros with the Barracuda for 2024-25. The British Columbia native has dominated out of the gate, posting 13-34–47 in 56 games to rank second in scoring among AHL defensemen behind veteran Derrick Pouliot. While by no means defensively dominant – his minus-six rating is tied for fifth-worst on the club – he’s been a major part of the Barracuda’s resurgence as San Jose’s farm team looks to finish above .500 for the first time since 2018-19.

He’ll presumably take Schuldt’s third-pairing spot in his debut later this week, meaning hulking 6’7″ righty Vincent Desharnais should serve as quite the insular partner for Cagnoni’s first taste of top-level hockey. Schuldt, 29, has no points and a minus-one rating in four games for the Sharks this year in his first taste of NHL hockey since debuting with the Golden Knights in 2019.

In the interim, the Sharks hope Cagnoni can replace some of the puck-moving ability they lost when second-year defenseman Henry Thrun exited the lineup earlier this month with an upper-body injury. Cagnoni, whose recall amounts to the third of San Jose’s four allotted post-deadline recalls, is under contract through the 2026-27 season at a cap hit of $895K.

Cagnoni checked in as the No. 5 prospect in the Sharks’ league-leading system in this year’s midseason rankings by Scott Wheeler of The Athletic.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Oilers Recall Derek Ryan

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The Oilers have recalled forward Derek Ryan from AHL Bakersfield, according to a team announcement. They’ll add the 38-year-old back to their roster for the first time since he cleared waivers in January.

Ryan has played four seasons for Edmonton after signing there as a free agent in 2021. His role has steadily declined since leaving the Flames for the more northern Alberta team, however, leading to his first AHL assignment since 2016.

The 5’10” center/winger scored 1-4–5 in 33 showings for the Oilers earlier this season, averaging just 9:25 per game but winning a career-high 60.3% of his draws. Since clearing waivers, he has 3-5–8 with a -10 rating in 13 games with the Condors.

Despite not making his NHL debut until age 29 after a lengthy career overseas, he’s managed to parlay his defensively responsible game and once-valuable depth scoring into a 603-game NHL career in parts of 10 seasons. Before breaking into the league with Carolina a decade ago, Ryan had already won MVP awards in two overseas leagues (ICEHL, SHL) and was a USports All-Star with the University of Alberta.

After recalling Ryan, the Oilers have 24 players on their roster with 14 forwards, eight defensemen, and two goaltenders. They’ve yet to make a recall since the trade deadline, so assuming Ryan’s summons isn’t under emergency conditions, he counts as their first of four post-deadline standard recalls.

Ryan is set for unrestricted free agency this summer after completing the two-year, $1.8MM extension he signed in 2023.

Bruins Recall Fabian Lysell, Michael Callahan

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The Bruins announced they’ve recalled 2021 first-round pick Fabian Lysell from AHL Providence. Depth defenseman Michael Callahan is joining him on the track up to Boston, both under emergency conditions, Conor Ryan of the Boston Globe reports.

The Bruins weren’t carrying any extra skaters on their roster, so they wouldn’t have had available players to enter the lineup for Thursday’s game against the Golden Knights if injuries struck. It’s clear Boston anticipates there being a couple of questionable players, but it’s unclear who those are. No player departed yesterday’s overtime loss to the Sabres early.

Amid a disappointing season in the minors, Lysell remains the best winger prospect in one of the league’s worst pools, as opined by Scott Wheeler of The Athletic. He’s likely dropped to the No. 3 talent in Boston’s system overall, with Matthew Poitras still splitting time between the NHL and AHL and 2022 second-rounder Fraser Minten posting four points in three games for Providence since they acquired him from the Maple Leafs in the Brandon Carlo deadline trade, though.

Now 22, the 5’11” Lysell has taken a considerable step back in his third season with Providence. His 11-23–34 scoring line through 51 games is a lower rate of production than his rookie AHL season in 2022-23 and a sharp decline from last year’s 50-point breakout in 56 games. It’s not for a lack of offensive support, either. Providence has had multiple forwards show up and show out this year, namely Vinni Lettieri (48 points in 46 GP), Georgii Merkulov (48 points in 52 GP), and Patrick Brown (44 points in 52 GP). That makes Lysell’s regression all the more disappointing.

Nonetheless, he’ll now get another look on the NHL roster after recording a plus-one rating in his debut against the Blue Jackets on Dec. 28. How long his stint in Boston lasts remains to be seen – if his presence isn’t necessary for the B’s to have 12 healthy forwards against Vegas this week, they’ll need to either send him back to Providence or convert his emergency recall into a standard one and burn one of their four post-deadline recalls.

Callahan, 25, returns to the roster after spending most of January and February up with the big club. The 6’2″ lefty had a minus-two rating with four shots and four hits during 11 games over those recalls, the first of his NHL career. He averaged 13:08 per game as he remains in search of his first NHL point.

A standout defensive presence with the P-Bruins, the Massachusetts native has 1-7–8 in 43 appearances in what’s now his fourth season in Providence. He’s set to become a Group VI unrestricted free agent this summer.

Evening Notes: Svechnikov, Brodin, Capobianco

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A new week rolling around has brought updates on injured and absent players to teams around the league. The most impactful news lands in Carolina, where the Hurricanes welcomed top-line winger Andrei Svechnikov back to the practice sheet after he missed the last three games with an upper-body injury. It was Svechnikov’s first multi-game absence of the season.

Svechnikov has built a tendency for long-term injuries. He’s only played more than 70 games in a single season twice in his seven-year NHL career – first in his rookie season, when he played in all 82 games, and then in the 2021-22 campaign, when he appeared in 78 games. The other five years of his career have been marred by injury, including a torn ACL that required an extended absence. Those missed games have held Svehcnikov back from reach top scoring totals, despite the fact that he tallied 72 goals and 176 points in 201 games between 2022 and 2024. That scoring pace would equate to 71 points across an 82-game season – a pace Svechnikov falls just shy of with his 43 points in 63 games this year. Still, his ability to stick in the lineup this year has been encouraging. Now back to full health once again, he’ll look to jump back up the scoring charts with 15 games left in Carolina’s season.

More notes from around the league:

  • Top-pair Minnesota Wild defenseman Jonas Brodin also returned to practice on Monday per Joe Smith of The Athletic. Smith adds that head coach John Hynes dubbed Brodin as day-to-day and out for Monday night’s game. The top shutdown defender has missed Minnesota’s last seven games with a lower-body injury, pulling him deeper into the well of absences this year. He’s now played in just 38 of the Wild’s 67 games on the year. Those routine absences have held Brodin to just 18 points on the season. That mark stands as the highest points-per-game average of Brodin’s career (.474), just narrowly beating out his previous career high set when he scored 27 points in 62 games last season (.435). But without a clean bill of health, Brodin hasn’t had a chance to relish in a newfound scoring gear. For yet another time this season, he’ll now be tasked with getting back to full speed so he can support Minnesota’s top defense pair with a tough streak coming up.
  • The Dallas Stars have reassigned depth defenseman Kyle Capobianco after recalling him on Saturday to fill in for the ill Lian Bichsel. Capobianco served as Dallas’ seventh man in their Saturday night matchup against the Colorado Avalanche, while Brendan Smith filled Bichsel’s role. This was only Capobianco’s second call-up since joining the Dallas Stars organization this summer. He appeared in his only NHL game of the season on January 31st – and set no scoring, four penalty minutes, and a minus-two in 11:23 of ice time. He’s otherwise been a fixture of the AHL lineup, where he’s managed an impressive 35 points in 49 games. That mark leads the AHL Texas Stars’ blue-line in scoring, though it is slightly below the scoring pace that led Capobianco to 54 points in 69 games with the Manitoba Moose last season.

Snapshots: Ersson, Penguins, Kovalenko

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Flyers goaltender Samuel Ersson certainly hasn’t had it easy.  Thrust into the starting spot midseason in 2023-24 while still getting his feet wet in the NHL, he has been the undisputed number one since then.  But head coach John Tortorella indicated this weekend to reporters including Jordan Hall of NBC Sports Philadelphia that the team is hoping they’ll be able to deploy him in more of a tandem role when their goaltending situation is finalized.  The hope was that Ivan Fedotov would be the other part of that platoon but he has struggled in his first full season in North America, as has youngster Aleksei Kolosov, calling into question if Ersson’s long-term platoon partner is either further away or outside the organization altogether.

More from around the NHL:

  • The daily transactions from Pittsburgh continue. Per the AHL transactions log, the Penguins have once again brought up winger Matt Nieto and defenseman Sebastian Aho from AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on an emergency basis.  While the Pens aren’t obligated to keep shuffling the players back and forth on off days, doing so allows them to pause their respective waiver clocks each time they send them down.  Even with it being past the trade deadline, once they’re up for 30 days or play in 10 games, they’d have to get through waivers again to go back to the minors.
  • Following the recent acknowledgment that contract talks for Sharks winger Nikolai Kovalenko won’t start until after the season, Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News wonders if the 25-year-old will be in San Jose’s plans moving forward. Since returning from a lower-body injury earlier this month, he’s only logging 11 minutes a game and was healthy scratched on Saturday.  With San Jose getting a look at some other players, it’s possible that they could determine that he’s not the right fit moving forward while his arbitration eligibility could also be a dissuading factor.  Kovalenko will be owed a qualifying offer of just under $814K and has 17 points in 49 games this season.

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