Senators Sign Hoyt Stanley To Entry-Level Contract
The Ottawa Senators have signed their second collegiate prospect of the day. According to a team announcement, the Senators have signed defenseman Hoyt Stanley to a three-year, entry-level contract, beginning in the 2026-27 season. He’ll finish the 2025-26 campaign on an amateur tryout agreement with the AHL’s Belleville Senators. Per PuckPedia, the deal carries a cap hit of $1.075MM and a $1.114MM qualifying offer with the following breakdown:
| Year | NHL salary | Signing bonus | Minors salary |
| 2026-27 | $922.5K | $102.5K | $85K |
| 2027-28 | $967.5K | $107.5K | $85K |
| 2028-29 | $1.013MM | $112.5K | $85K |
Stanley, 21, recently completed his junior season at Cornell University. The West Vancouver, BC native was drafted 108th overall by the Senators in the 2023 NHL Draft, playing his draft season with the BCHL’s Victoria Grizzlies, where he scored four goals and 38 points in 53 games.
He was never an offensive threat at Cornell, nor was he expected to be one. Still, he remained fairly consistent throughout his collegiate career, registering seven goals and 38 points in 105 games with a +32 rating. During his time in the program, Cornell never advanced far in the National Tournament. However, Stanley contributed to the team by helping them secure two ECAC championships and achieve a remarkable upset against Michigan State University in the regional semifinals last year.
While he won’t be expected to lead the defensive corps in scoring while in Ottawa or Belleville, Stanley still has talent that makes him an intriguing prospect. Standing at 6’3″, 201lbs, Stanley is an exceptional skater at that size. He isn’t necessarily the most explosive skater in straight-line quickness, but his edge work and lateral mobility make him nearly impossible to beat wide.
Panthers Sign Tyler Muszelik
The Florida Panthers have signed 2022 sixth-round draft pick Tyler Muszelik to a two-year, entry-level contract set to begin in the 2026-27 season. Muszelik recently saw his college career come to an end after two years at the University of New Hampshire and two years at the University of Connecticut. It was not indicated if Muszelik will sign a minor-league contract for the remainder of the season.
Florida moved goaltender Kirill Gerasimyuk from the ECHL’s Savannah Ghost Pirates to the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers roughly an hour before signing Muszelik, which may create a crowded goalie room in the AHL.
Muszelik moved to the college level immediately after two seasons with the U.S. National Team Development Program. He split starts with Detroit Red Wings prospect Trey Augustine at the NTDP and managed a middling stat line: a 15-13-4 record and 0.880 save percentage in 34 USHL games. A quiet junior career and early start in college led Muszelik to a backup role for his underclass seasons in New Hampshire. His time with the Wildcats was fairly quiet, marked by a 9-10-2 record and 0.879 save percentage in 21 games.
Seeking more, Muszelik moved to Connecticut for his junior season in 2024-25. He moved straight into the starting role vacated by Nashville Predators’ prospect Ethan Haider and Calgary Flames’ prospect Arsenii Sergeev. Muszelik was quickly successful with routine ice time. He posted a 12-6-3 record and a .912 save percentage in 23 games. His performance was strong enough to help UConn push to the Hockey East championship game, where they lost to the University of Maine. Not to be deterred, Muszelik managed to improve on his strong numbers this season. He posted a 19-11-5 record and .926 save percentage in 35 games and again led the Huskies to the Hockey East championship, only to lose to Merrimack College.
Even with a pair of conference championship losses shadowing over him, Muszelik’s upperclass seasons were shining performances. He showed an impressive layer of athleticism and focus – and seemed to only get better the more frequently he took the starter’s crease. On the back of heavy minutes this season, Muszelik could get a chance to take an early break in preparation for his first pro season.
If he instead signs a minor-league contract for the remainder of the season, Muszelik would get a chance to compete with Gerasimyuk and Cooper Black for pro minutes. Black has held a firm grip on Charlotte’s starting role this season, marked by 24 wins and a .903 save percentage in 39 games. Gerasimyuk has recorded eight wins and a .904 save percentage in 17 AHL games. The pair of goaltenders will be Muszelik’s competition through the first year of his entry-level contract.
Avalanche Sign Matthew DiMarsico
The Colorado Avalanche will once again dip into the pool of college free agents. They have signed Penn State winger Matthew DiMarsico to a two-year, entry-level contract set to begin in the 2026-27 season. DiMarsico will join the AHL’s Colorado Eagles on an AHL contract for the remainder of the 2025-26 season.
This will be another boost to a big season for DiMarsico. The undrafted forward posted a career-high 18 goals and 42 points in 37 games with Penn State this season – one more goal and nine more assists than he managed in 39 games last year. He was also selected to represent the NCAA at the 2025 Spengler Cup, as part of a historic U.S. Collegiate Selects squad. DiMarsico posted two goals and a minus-two in four games at the international tournament. Much of his season was spent alongside, or behind, star prospect Gavin McKenna on the depth chart. Where McKenna offered flashy playmaking, DiMarsico brought poised drive and finishing around the net. His 6-foot, 180-pound frame stood tall against college competition, helping DiMarsico win his battles and fill multiple roles on the forecheck.
The 22-year-old has spent three seasons in college hockey’s Big Ten. He slowly worked his way up the Nittany Lions roster, propelled by a breakout year across from Nashville Predators prospect Aiden Fink last season. DiMarsico only had one year of junior hockey experience before his days as a college athlete – scoring 25 goals and 46 points in 59 games with the USHL’s Green Bay Gamblers in the 2022-23 season, the season after his first year of draft eligibility. He spent his age-18 season playing 18U hockey with the Buffalo Regals and high school hockey at Avon Old Farms.
DiMarsico was a workhorse talent for the Nittany Lions. He played upwards of 23 minutes a night in must-win games and helped push the puck downhill when Penn State broke out. He will get his first chances to translate that to the pro level with eight games left in the Eagles’ regular season. The Eagles are well-positioned for a playoff spot, though they haven’t yet clinched it. DiMarsico’s hot offense could be a major playoff boost and help him work towards the goal of one day slotting into the Avalanche’s bottom-six.
Stars Recall Cameron Hughes
The Stars have recalled forward Cameron Hughes from AHL Texas, per a team announcement on Monday.
Hughes is expected to dress for Tuesday’s game against the Bruins in place of Michael Bunting, who left Sunday’s overtime loss to the Flyers in the first period with a lower-body injury. If he does, it will be the 29-year-old’s first NHL appearance in nearly five years. He only has two games to his name, one each with Boston in November 2019 and May 2021.
A sixth-round pick by the Bruins back in 2015, Hughes has since become an extremely productive AHL mainstay. The first sign of a breakout came when the former University of Wisconsin captain had 21 points in 25 games for the Providence Bruins in the COVID-shortened 2021 season. He has since played a top-six, veteran leadership role on two-way deals in the Boston, Seattle, and now Dallas organizations.
Ever since that initial breakout, Hughes has produced close to a point per game but has never been able to crack it. He’s found a new gear in Cedar Park, Texas, this season. Through 63 games for the AHL Stars, he has a league-leading 50 assists and is tied for second in overall scoring with 66 points.
A one-time AHL All-Star who was part of back-to-back Calder Cup Final runs with the Kraken’s affiliate in Coachella Valley, he’ll now get a chance to play fill-in duties for Dallas down the stretch. He can play both center and left wing, an important factor for a club now missing four regular forwards in Bunting, Radek Faksa, Roope Hintz, and Sam Steel, plus frequent press-box option Nathan Bastian.
Senators, Kevin Reidler Agree To Entry-Level Contract
The Senators have agreed to terms with goalie prospect Kevin Reidler on a two-year, entry-level contract starting next season, general manager Steve Staios said. He will report to AHL Belleville on an amateur tryout to finish the 2025-26 campaign. Per PuckPedia, the deal comes with a $946.3K cap hit, a $990K qualifying offer upon expiry, and the following breakdown:
| Year | NHL salary | Signing bonus | Minors salary |
| 2026-27 | $850K | $72.5K | $82.5K |
| 2027-28 | $900K | $70K | $82.5K |
Reidler, 21, was a fifth-round pick by the Sens in 2022. Since then, he has appeared for four different teams in three different leagues. He remained in his native Sweden for his post-draft season, suiting up for AIK’s under-20 squad in that country’s top junior division.
The 6’6″, 203-lb lefty has played in North America ever since. He spent an additional year in juniors with the USHL’s Dubuque Fighting Saints before committing to the University of Nebraska-Omaha in 2024 and arriving as their freshman backup the following fall.
Reidler played well for the Mavericks, but his playing time was extremely limited behind junior starter Simon Latkoczy. He only recorded eight appearances and five decisions but had a .920 SV%, 2.74 GAA, and a 4-1-0 record.
Once it was clear Latkoczy was returning to Omaha for his senior season, Reidler entered the transfer portal in search of more playing time. He found it at Penn State, where he served in tandem with undrafted freshman Josh Fleming. Fleming ended up winning out the starting job heading into tournament play but Reidler still managed 18 appearances, putting up an 11-7-0 record with a .901 SV% and 3.31 GAA.
With Fleming likely set as Penn State’s clear-cut #1 next season, Reidler’s options were to either stick around as his backup, enter the transfer portal again in search of a starting role, or turn pro and continue his development while under an entry-level deal with Ottawa. He chooses the latter, becoming just the third Sens goalie signed through next season behind Linus Ullmark and ECHL starter Jackson Parsons. Leevi Merilainen and Mads Sogaard are both pending restricted free agents under team control, though, so he could fall down to No. 5 on the depth chart if those two return.
As such, Reidler might get a spot start with Belleville in the coming days but is likely destined for ECHL time, as is usually the case with first-year pro netminders, out of the gate in the fall. Reidler was the #8-ranked prospect in Ottawa’s pool last offseason by Steven Ellis of Daily Faceoff and held the same ranking in Scott Wheeler of The Athletic’s analysis earlier this month. He’s not viewed as his ceiling being much higher than a #2/3 option, but his turning pro earlier than expected could allow him to get a leg up on the depth chart.
Penguins Recall Avery Hayes
The Penguins have recalled forward Avery Hayes from the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, per a team announcement Monday morning.
Hayes, 23, sees his second recall in the past four days. After being sent back to the minors on March 18, he was summoned for a game against the Senators on March 26 but did not dress. He was returned to WBS on Saturday and played in the Baby Pens’ game that night against the Laval Rocket, making him eligible to come back up today.
Pittsburgh’s continued roster shuffling comes as they manage injuries to the two cornerstones of their forward group, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Crosby has missed one game with a lower-body injury, while Malkin has missed three with an upper-body injury. Both were full participants in practice Sunday, though, and Crosby traveled with the team for their one-game road wing to visit the Islanders tonight.
That means Malkin will remain out tonight, but Crosby’s status – as well as the availabilities of Noel Acciari and Bryan Rust, who were absent from yesterday’s practice for maintenance but still traveled – is up in the air. In case all three can’t go, Hayes’ presence gives the Penguins enough healthy extras to still ice 12 forwards tonight.
An undrafted free agent, Hayes has rocketed up Pittsburgh’s pipeline with some spectacular minor-league showings over the past couple of years. Never has the 5’10” winger been more dominant than this season, tossing up a 22-13–35 scoring line in 39 games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, leading them in goals despite playing in only 60% of their games.
However, he hasn’t been able to convert that production into meaningful NHL minutes across multiple recalls this season. In 11 outings, the Michigan native has scored twice with no assists and a -6 rating. Both of those goals came in his big-league debut against the Sabres back on Feb. 5, so it’s been several games now of Hayes not being able to generate chances. On his 10-game pointless streak, he’s averaged 11:40 of ice time per game with 28 shot attempts (13 on goal).
Hayes still has another season left on his entry-level contract and three seasons or 49 NHL games left before he loses his waiver exemption, so the Pens aren’t at risk of losing him as an intriguing recall option anytime soon.
Anaheim Ducks Recall Nathan Gaucher
3/29/26: According to the AHL transaction log, Gaucher has been recalled to the NHL by Anaheim. However, since he is not in San Diego’s lineup tonight, he wouldn’t be eligible for recall. The only exception would be if the Ducks recalled him under emergency conditions.
3/29/26: Gaucher has been reassigned back to the AHL, according to the league’s official transactions wire. His NHL debut will have to wait, as he didn’t dress for either of the Ducks’ two games played while he was on their NHL roster.
Though he returns to the AHL without having played in his first NHL game, Gaucher’s recall was not without at least some benefit. He received the pro-rated portion of his NHL salary ($855K) during the recall, a notable albeit brief pay bump. Gaucher’s AHL salary is $82.5K and he did not receive a signing bonus this season, nor is he slated to receive one next league year.
3/25/26: A recent first-round pick by the Anaheim Ducks could be making his NHL debut relatively soon. According to Derek Lee of The Hockey News, the Ducks are expected to recall forward Nathan Gaucher from the AHL’s San Diego Gulls, with an official announcement coming later.
Gaucher, 22, has been playing in the Ducks organization for a few years now. Anaheim selected Gaucher with the 22nd overall pick of the 2022 NHL Draft after he scored 31 goals and 57 points in 66 games for the QMJHL’s Québec Remparts, with a +30 rating. The 2022-23 campaign was Gaucher’s best at the major junior level, scoring 22 goals and 46 points in 44 games with a +35 rating, with another seven goals and 16 points in 18 postseason contests en route to a Memorial Cup title.
Since then, he has played professionally in the Ducks’ organization, exclusively for the Gulls. Unfortunately, his development, primarily on the offensive side of the puck, has stagnated somewhat. Throughout his three years in the AHL, Gaucher has registered 30 goals and 70 points in 185 games, but has set a new career-high this season.
Given his production in San Diego, it’s somewhat difficult to project Gaucher’s long-term path in the NHL. He’s an aggressive forechecker who isn’t afraid of physicality, with the vision to find his teammates relatively effortlessly. A good comparison would be Martin Pospisil of the Calgary Flames, a strong player who excels at moving the puck in a bottom-six role while averaging over three hits per game.
West Notes: Hintz, Faksa, Helenius, Hejduk
The Dallas Stars got a major boost to their forward corps yesterday when they welcomed back Mikko Rantanen. Unfortunately, they’ll likely have to wait until the Stanley Cup playoffs to have all of their forward depth back.
According to the deputy managing editor, Adam Kimelman, injured forwards Roope Hintz and Radek Faksa are more than a week and a half away from returning. Still, they are making positive strides in their recoveries, as both skated today and are expected to return for the postseason.
Like Rantanen, Faksa is dealing with an injury he suffered during the Winter Olympics in Milan. Meanwhile, Hintz has been recovering from a lower-body injury he suffered during the Stars’ loss to the Colorado Avalanche on March 6th. Regardless, being one of only two teams to have already clinched a spot in the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs, the Stars will spend their remaining nine games ensuring home-ice advantage against the Minnesota Wild in Round One.
Additional notes from the Western Conference:
- Team content manager, Zach Dooley, shared that the Los Angeles Kings were without forward Samuel Helenius at practice today. Dooley indicated that Helenius was “dinged up” in the Kings’ loss to the Utah Mammoth last night and is considered day-to-day with an undisclosed injury. Helenius, 23, is in his second year with Los Angeles, registering four goals and eight points in 45 games throughout his sophomore campaign.
- The ECHL affiliate of the Colorado Avalanche, the Utah Grizzlies, has brought in the son of one of the franchise’s former legends. According to Brogan Houston of Deseret News Sports, the Grizzlies have signed Marek Hejduk, son of Milan Hejduk, to a professional contract. Hejduk recently concluded his collegiate career at Harvard University, scoring two goals and seven points in 32 games throughout his senior season. Over his entire tenure with the Crimson, Hejduk registered 17 goals and 32 points in 124 contests.
Red Wings Assign Anton Johansson To AHL
The Detroit Red Wings shared that prospect Anton Johansson has been assigned to AHL Grand Rapids, coming from Leksands of the SHL.
A fourth round selection in 2022, the 6’4″ defenseman made a nice impression last spring in 11 games during his tryout with the Griffins, recording five points. Sent back to his native Sweden for 2025-26, the righty was a bright spot as a key youngster for Leksands this year, posting 17 points and 49 penalty minutes in 42 contests, a solid step forward from the year prior.
Inking his entry level contract last year, the 21-year-old is not thought to be among the team’s highest ranked farmhands in a deep pool. However, he brings size, physical edge, and enough puck moving skills to be a continued riser as a great find at 105th overall. Considering that their third pairing and overall defensive depth has been a sore spot at times, Johansson is coming in with a real path forward into becoming a Red Wings mainstay.
Joining an elite AHL team for their stretch run as he makes the full time transition to North America, Johansson will be in a favorable situation in Grand Rapids. Losing Justin Holl to St. Louis in the Justin Faulk trade, the Griffins benefit from adding a physical youngster who has plenty of professional experience from Sweden, as well as prior time spent with the team. Johansson will also get to learn under fellow countrymen in veterans Erik Gustafsson and William Lagesson.
In all likelihood, Johansson won’t debut rocking the Winged Wheel for some time, but fans will eagerly watch his continued development in Grand Rapids next season as an ascending prospect. Detroit is facing the possible disappointment of missing the postseason again, but even if such is the case, their top prospect pool offers much to be excited about, especially as it aligns with the current roster’s needs.
Flyers Sign Porter Martone
12:00 PM: Martone’s signing has been made official, the Flyers announced. The entry-level deal carries the standard three years of term, and he will join the big club immediately.
The 19-year-old joins the group with high stakes still in play, as the Flyers are battling for an unexpected playoff berth. Despite their standing, things might be moving along quickly. Martone could debut as soon as Thursday against Detroit, according to Kevin Kurz of The Athletic, but time will tell in the coming days.
9:00 AM: The Philadelphia Flyers are close to signing top prospect Porter Martone to an entry-level contract, reports Kevin Weekes of ESPN. The signing should happen at some point later today, per Jackie Spiegel of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Yesterday, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman indicated the Flyers’ signing of Martone “could move very quickly.”
The news comes just one day after Martone’s NCAA season ended with Michigan State’s stunning loss to Wisconsin in the regional playoff finals held in Worcester, Mass. The Spartans held a 3-1 lead with just five minutes remaining in the contest, but the Badgers scored two goals in under a minute to tie the game before taking it in overtime.
The loss appears to have ended Martone’s NCAA career after just one season. The Canadian forward joined Michigan State after a three-year OHL career that saw him develop into not only one of the league’s best players, but also one of the game’s top prospects. Martone was recently ranked No. 27 on Elite Prospects’ ranking of NHL-affiliated players under the age of 23. He scored 25 goals and 50 points in his lone season of college hockey.
Martone’s unique blend of size and dynamic offensive talent have made him a highly anticipated prospect, and with today’s expected signing, he will enter the pro ranks during a crucial state of the Flyers’ season. They remain in the playoff hunt in an extremely competitive Eastern Conference, sitting at 84 points through 72 games played.
A 7-2-1 stretch in their last 10 games has given Philadelphia a slim chance to make the playoffs, as they’ll be just one point behind the Columbus Blue Jackets for the final wild card spot, with the same number of games played, if they can manage to defeat the Dallas Stars later today.
Given how important the next few games are for the Flyers, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Martone begin his pro career in the AHL, similar to how the Boston Bruins have handled fellow top prospect James Hagens. Hagens was taken one spot behind Martone at last year’s draft, and signed an ATO to allow him to begin his pro career at the AHL level.
With that said, it’s also possible the Flyers will simply sign Martone to his entry-level deal and plug him directly into their NHL lineup. There is an argument to be made that Martone is a little bit more NHL-ready than Hagens, but it ultimately comes down to what the Flyers and Martone believe is the best step for his development.