Wild, Flyers Swap Boris Katchouk, Roman Schmidt
The Wild announced this evening that they’ve acquired defenseman Roman Schmidt from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for forward Boris Katchouk. Both players will report to their respective AHL clubs, sharing the distinction of being former notable Tampa Bay Lightning draft selections.
Even more interesting, both players started the campaign with the Lightning organization, being traded away separately, and now swapped for each other, as pointed out by Eduardo A. Encina of The Tampa Bay Times.
Katchouk, 27, is the more recognizable name in the deal with 179 NHL games under his belt. Selected in the second round by Tampa in the 2016 draft, the Vancouver native was thought to have safe middle six potential with raw scoring upside. Much like several other forwards chosen in his range of that draft, things did not materialize for Katchouk, who is now a full time AHLer. He was part of the Brandon Hagel trade in 2022, managing to skate in 117 games as a Blackhawk from 2021-24, but recording just 26 points. Katchouk’s possession metrics at even strength were far below league average, albeit on a hardcore rebuilding team.
He was then claimed off waivers by Ottawa in 2024, notching four points in 21 games but not getting another contract. Katchouk spent all of 2024-25 in the AHL with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, where he had his best professional season, with 49 points in 67 games. The efforts brought him back to his original club, but after just a few months, he was traded to the Wild organization for Michael Milne, who was a former third rounder who managed to skate in a game for the Wild last year.
Set to finish the season with Lehigh Valley, Katchouk departs the AHL’s bottom ranked team in Iowa, but his new club is not necessarily a contender, as the Flyers farmhands are ranked 22nd.
Positive news considering their place in the standings, meanwhile Iowa gets younger with the acquisition of Schmidt. The 23-year-old is also under team control as a restricted free agent this summer. Drafted in the third round back in 2021 by Tampa Bay, Schmidt was traded in early December for Ethan Samson, a fringe sixth round drafted prospect. A Michigan native out of the OHL, Schmidt has just one helper across 29 AHL contests this year between Syracuse and Lehigh Valley. A 6’5″ righty, he brings physicality and racks up PIMs. He is a longshot to become an NHLer at this point, but Schmidt brings a boost to the struggling Iowa Wild who have been thin on the back end.
Kings Recall Kenny Connors, Loan Angus Booth To AHL
Somewhat overshadowed after firing their coach this morning, the Los Angeles Kings called up prospect Kenny Connors from AHL Ontario, while Angus Booth has been loaned back in a corresponding transaction. The news was shared by the Ontario Reign (Twitter Link).
Selected in the fourth round of the 2022 draft by Los Angeles, Connors concluded his collegiate career at UMass-Amherst, entering the professional stage this year. The 22-year-old has 29 points in 49 AHL games, tied for fifth on the team, and also tied for 10th among league rookies. Prior to the campaign, Connors came just short of the club’s top 10 prospect list by Steven Ellis of The Daily Faceoff, but his AHL performance since then has been hard to miss.
Connors earned a call up in late January, but was unable to get into a game, as he still awaits his NHL debut. Disappointingly, he was scratched against his hometown team the Flyers, and was quietly reassigned not long after.
Never exploding offensively at UMass-Amherst, with a career high of 29 points in his final college season, the Pennsylvania native’s two-way acumen has resulted in a quick call up. Even if his expectation shattering point totals don’t last, Connors has the tools to become a solid role player for the Kings.
On the other hand, Booth is headed back down after also not yet making his debut. The defenseman was actually selected 13 spots after Connors in 2022. He was recalled just yesterday, as Andrei Kuzmenko landed on injured reserve with a week-to-week designation. Booth simply served as an extra body, not expected to play, where he’ll now return to Ontario where he’s posted 10 points and 26 penalty minutes in 42 games. Still just 21, the Montreal native plays a steady shutdown role, perhaps needing to build more strength to emerge as a full time NHLer.
Now set to host Colorado tomorrow night with Jim Hiller gone and associate D.J. Smith stepping in as interim head coach, Connors could finally get a look in the team’s bottom six sometime this week.
Penguins Recall Filip Hallander From Conditioning Loan
3/1: Pittsburgh has recalled Hallander from his conditioning loan. He scored one goal in three games with the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Hallander will remain on injured reserve, but has been recalled to undergo evaluation and testing as he recovers from blood clots earlier in the season.
2/18: The Penguins announced Wednesday that they’ve assigned forward Filip Hallander to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on a conditioning loan. Since Hållander is on standard injured reserve and not long-term injured reserve, the loan can last for up to two weeks for him to get back into game shape.
Hallander’s return to the ice comes more than three months after the 25-year-old was diagnosed with a blood clot in his leg. He was ruled out for at least three months at the time, so his pending return to game action in the minors roughly comes on schedule.
Hallander participated in NHL practice yesterday after the Penguins were eligible to reconvene, so it stands to reason his time in the AHL should be more game-focused than practice-focused since he’s already got one under his belt. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton has three games on the schedule before Pittsburgh makes its post-Olympic debut on Feb. 26. One of them is against Springfield tonight, meaning Hallander is more likely to suit up at least once during their back-to-back against Bridgeport this weekend.
A second-round pick back in 2018, Hallander is already in his third stint in the Pittsburgh organization. He was traded to the Maple Leafs in 2020 for Kasperi Kapanen, only to be re-acquired the following summer in the Jared McCann deal. He then opted to return to Timrå IK in his native Sweden following the 2022-23 campaign, but the Pens retained his signing rights with a qualifying offer. After Hallander was named the SHL’s Forward of the Year in 2024-25, he activated the NHL out-clause in his deal with Timrå and returned to Pittsburgh on a two-year, league-minimum contract.
Hallander made Pittsburgh’s opening night roster and, after being a healthy scratch on opening night, got into 13 straight games before the blood clot took him out of the lineup. He recorded the first four points of his NHL career – a goal and three assists – with a +4 rating while averaging 13:09 of ice time per game. He slotted in at left wing up and down the lineup, as high as first-line duties with Sidney Crosby and Bryan Rust and as low as fourth-line reps with Blake Lizotte and Connor Dewar.
The rookie had decent even-strength possession impacts and averaged about a minute per game on the penalty kill, but with Pittsburgh’s forward group fully healthy coming out of the break, it’s hard to see where he fits into the lineup. Egor Chinakhov was acquired from the Blue Jackets while Hallander was out and, with 12 points in 18 games, has solidified his spot alongside countryman Evgeni Malkin on the second line. Veteran Noel Acciari slots in with Lizotte and Dewar, and that trio has some of the best defensive metrics in the league. In all likelihood, he’ll serve as a versatile plug-and-play extra for the stretch run while allowing prospects like Avery Hayes and Rutger McGroarty more seasoning in the AHL.
Golden Knights Sign Alex Weiermair To Entry-Level Contract
The Vegas Golden Knights have signed 19-year-old forward Alex Weiermair to a three-year, entry-level contract. Weiermair currently leads the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks in scoring with 32 goals and 75 points in 57 games.
Weiermair moved to the WHL partway through the 2024-25 season after a slow start to his sophomore year at the University of Denver. He only notched eight points in 33 games with the Pioneers, continuing a trend for muted scoring that followed him through AAA and two years with the U.S. National Team Development Program. But now in the CHL, it seems the physical winger has finally found his stride. He reached 21 goals and 46 points in 41 games with Portland to close off 2025. That show of offense, mixed with Weiermair’s 6-foot-2 and 207-pound frame, was enough to convince Vegas to draft him in the sixth-round of last year’s draft.
One season later, the Golden Knights will vindicate Weiermair’s selection with his first pro contract. This deal will remove Weiermair’s eligibility to return to college, likely setting him up to move to the AHL after his CHL eligibility ends at the end of this season. In moving to the Henderson Silver Knights, Weiermair will join many other hard-hitting Vegas prospects, including Ben Hemmerling, Kai Uchacz, and Trevor Connelly.
Sabres Activate Zach Benson, Assign Anton Wahlberg To AHL
The Sabres will welcome back a key winger to their lineup tonight against Tampa Bay. NHL.com’s Heather Engel relays (Twitter link) that Zach Benson has been activated off injured reserve. To make room on the roster, forward Anton Wahlberg has been sent down to AHL Rochester.
Benson has missed the last four weeks with an upper-body injury although he only ultimately missed four games. But between a facial injury and a lower-body issue earlier in the season, the 20-year-old has been limited to just 42 games so far. He has fared well in those outings, picking up seven goals and 19 assists, putting him on pace to pass his career high in points despite all the missed action. Head coach Lindy Ruff has rewarded the extra production with more ice time as Benson is logging 16:30 per game, a personal best.
This is a big season for Benson as he’s in the final year of his entry-level contract, making him a restricted free agent this summer. At this point, given the long-term deal given to Josh Doan and their desire to re-sign Alex Tuch to a long-term pact, Benson’s next contract seems likely to be a bridge agreement although a strong performance down the stretch could boost his chances of forcing Buffalo’s hand into giving him a long-term deal.
As for Wahlberg, he received his first NHL recall earlier this week but ultimately didn’t see any game action. The 20-year-old is in the first year of his entry-level deal and has six goals and 19 assists in 47 games for the Americans this season.
Andrei Kuzmenko Undergoes Meniscus Surgery
Already down a key offensive winger in Kevin Fiala who is out for the season, the Kings are now going to be without another offensive winger for at least a little while. The team announced that Andrei Kuzmenko has undergone successful surgery to repair a torn meniscus and is listed as out week-to-week; he has also been placed on injured reserve. Taking his spot on the active roster is defenseman Angus Booth, who has been recalled from AHL Ontario.
Kuzmenko is in his first full season with Los Angeles after being acquired at the trade deadline last season. A strong finish saw him put up five goals and 12 assists in just 22 games down the stretch before putting up six points in six games in the playoffs. That performance helped keep him around as Los Angeles signed Kuzmenko to a one-year, $4.3MM contract to keep him from testing unrestricted free agency.
Things haven’t gone quite as well for the 30-year-old this season, however. Kuzmenko has been limited to 13 goals and 12 assists through 52 appearances although he still ranks seventh on the team in points with Los Angeles being one of the lowest-scoring teams in the NHL. Now, with him and Fiala out of the lineup, there will be even more pressure on Artemi Panarin in the short term to pick up the slack while GM Ken Holland might be more motivated to try to seek out some scoring help over the coming days as well. Projected to have more than $15MM in cap room on deadline day, per PuckPedia, Los Angeles has plenty of room to add to its roster.
As for Booth, this is his first career NHL recall. The 21-year-old was a fourth-round pick by the Kings in 2022, going 116th overall out of the QMJHL. In his second professional season, Booth has played exclusively with the Reign and has a goal and nine assists in 42 games. With Drew Doughty exiting Thursday’s game with a lower-body injury, it appears that Booth will serve as the seventh defender until the veteran is able to return.
Devils Activate Luke Hughes, Assign Colton White To AHL
The Devils will welcome back a key part of their back end today against St. Louis. The team announced (Twitter link) that they have activated defenseman Luke Hughes off injured reserve. To make room on the roster, blueliner Colton White has been sent back to AHL Utica.
After two very promising seasons to start his career, 2025-26 hasn’t gone quite as well for Hughes this season. The 22-year-old had a long contract standoff, resulting in a deal only getting done a few days before the start of the season, resulting in him missing the majority of training camp.
Meanwhile, his production hasn’t taken a meaningful step forward despite a jump in ice time to more than 23 minutes per game. Hughes had 47 points in 82 games in his rookie season and 44 in 71 outings in 2024-25 but has been limited to five goals and 21 assists so far this season in 49 appearances. He missed nearly six weeks with a shoulder injury but only wound up missing 10 games overall thanks to the Olympic break.
Notably, when New Jersey had a fully healthy back end earlier this season, trade speculation around Dougie Hamilton picked up. Those talks faded when Hughes went down but once again, the Devils now have their top seven blueliners healthy and available which could ultimately kickstart those trade talks before Friday’s deadline. For now, it’s unclear who will be the scratch as team reporter Amanda Stein relays (Twitter link) there are players dealing with an illness and a decision on who’s out will be made closer to warmups.
As for White, he was recalled when practices resumed during the Olympic break but had served as a healthy scratch since then, keeping his games played total with the Devils this season at 23, where he has four assists in a little over 12 minutes per night of ice time. The 28-year-old has also suited up 10 times with Utica and is still looking for his first AHL point of the season.
Oilers Recall Alec Regula From Conditioning Loan
Feb. 28: Regula’s loan has come to an end as the Oilers announced that he has been recalled. He played in three games with the Condors while on assignment, picking up a goal and two assists along with four shots on goal.
Feb. 18: The Edmonton Oilers announced that defenseman Alec Regula has been reassigned to the team’s AHL affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors, on a conditioning loan.
The move will allow Regula to get into some games over a maximum of a two-week period. The 25-year-old defenseman has been a frequent healthy scratch, and has not played since Jan. 20. Both Regula and the Oilers are likely hoping to get him into some games as he hasn’t played very much stretching back to last season.
Regula arrived in Edmonton off of waivers from the Boston Bruins in Dec. 2024, but missed all of the 2024-25 campaign with a knee injury.
This season, Regula has gotten into 29 games for the Oilers. He’s scored three points and is averaging 14:28 time on ice per game, including 0:49 per game on the penalty kill. He’s under contract for another season at a two-way rate with a $450K AHL salary, so the Oilers will hope he can build some confidence at the AHL level and translate that to his time on the NHL roster once he’s recalled from his conditioning stint.
Wild Recall Tyler Pitlick
With Joel Eriksson Ek sustaining an injury last night against Utah, the Wild have brought up some extra forward depth. The team announced that they have recalled Tyler Pitlick from AHL Iowa.
Pitlick has been in plenty of transactions this season. It’s his third recall from Iowa while he has also cleared waivers three separate times. The need for the extra appearances on waivers stems from his NHL action as the 34-year-old has played in 31 games with Minnesota this season. However, he has been limited to just two goals in those outings while adding 76 hits in just under eight minutes a night of playing time.
In the minors, Pitlick has been much more productive, notching eight goals and three assists in just a dozen appearances with Iowa. However, despite his offensive success at that level, he’s likely to remain in the limited fourth-line role if he gets into Minnesota’s lineup.
As for Eriksson Ek, he took a high stick near the eye on Friday. Michael Russo of The Athletic relays (Twitter link) that the center will be assessed today. While the current expectation is that he won’t play on Sunday versus St. Louis, the belief is that he’ll be okay and that this won’t be a long-term injury. Eriksson Ek sits third on the Wild in scoring with 17 goals and 25 assists in 54 games so far this season.
Minnesota had an open roster spot available after sending David Spacek back to Iowa earlier this week. Accordingly, no corresponding move was needed to bring up Pitlick, although the Wild now have the maximum of 23 healthy players on their roster.
Red Wings Recall Dominik Shine
Feb. 28: The Red Wings recalled Shine today, returning the veteran to their NHL roster. The move fills the lone open spot on Detroit’s roster. Shine played for the Griffins on Wednesday, registering an assist in the team’s loss to the Manitoba Moose.
Feb. 24: Shine and Dries were returned to Grand Rapids today, per a team announcement. The Red Wings are likely expecting Larkin to be available Thursday against the Senators.
Feb. 23: The Red Wings announced they’ve recalled Shine and Dries again ahead of practice today while they await the return of Dylan Larkin from his gold-medal-winning effort with Team USA at the Olympics. With only 12 healthy forwards on the active roster, it stands to reason one of them might stick around as injury insurance after games get going later this week.
Feb. 19, 1:49 p.m.: Both Shine and Dries are headed back to Grand Rapids after today’s practice, the team announced.
Feb. 19, 8:56 a.m.: While Detroit quietly returned Watson and Dries to Grand Rapids after Tuesday’s practice, they’ve brought Dries back up today, along with Dominik Shine, per a team announcement. Shine, 32, has been in Detroit’s system since signing with Grand Rapids as a free agent out of Northern Michigan University in 2027 and finally made his NHL debut last season. In 2025-26, he’s assumed the captaincy for Grand Rapids and is having a career year, scoring 21 goals in only 35 games.
Feb. 17: The Red Wings announced they’ve recalled forwards Austin Watson and Sheldon Dries from AHL Grand Rapids under emergency conditions. They’ll help the team fill out its practices this week until their contingent of Olympians returns to the squad.
Watson is a veteran of 528 NHL games, although none of them have come this season. The 34-year-old joined Detroit on a two-way deal in 2024 after a lengthy run with the Predators, Senators, and Lightning as a fourth-line/press box option, but he’s spent most of his time in the organization in the minors. After playing just 13 NHL games last year, he re-upped on a two-way extension and has suited up exclusively for Grand Rapids this year since clearing waivers during training camp.
While the Michigan native wasn’t more than a standard 10-to-20-point enforcer at the NHL level, he does have a tangible offensive impact in the minors. He racked up 42 points and 112 penalty minutes in 60 contests for the Griffins last year and has clicked at a similar but reduced pace in 2025-26. Through 39 games, he’s 10th on the team in scoring with 19 points (11 goals, eight assists) with a team-high 123 PIMs.
Dries, also a hometown signing, recently inked a two-year, two-way extension that will keep him in the Motor City through 2027-28. He was recalled twice last month under emergency conditions but has still yet to suit up for an NHL team since 2022-23 with the Canucks. Now in his ninth professional season, he has 277 points in 378 career AHL games – including a 17-16–33 scoring line in 39 games with Grand Rapids this year as an alternate captain.