Maple Leafs Recall William Villeneuve On Emergency Basis
The Maple Leafs are expected to be without Oliver Ekman-Larsson tonight for his first injury-related absence of the year. Additionally, David Alter of The Hockey News notes (Twitter link) that there are some other players banged up as well. As a result, the team has decided to bring up an extra blueliner, announcing (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled William Villeneuve on an emergency basis from AHL Toronto.
It’s the second recall of the season (and of his career) for the 24-year-old although his first stint came during the Olympic break so he’s still waiting to make his NHL debut. Villeneuve was a fourth-round pick by Toronto back in 2022, going 122nd overall. He has been fairly productive in the minors over the years but that has yet to materialize into an opportunity at the top level yet.
Villeneuve had 40 points for the Marlies last season but that didn’t seem to help his cause much in contract negotiations as a restricted free agent for the first time. In exchange for accepting the minimum salary at the NHL level, he received an additional $20K guarantee on his deal, bringing his total salary for this season to $100K overall. Villeneuve hasn’t been quite as productive this season as he has three goals and 25 assists in 58 games but that’s enough to sit third on the team in assists and first in points among blueliners.
Ducks Recall Tyson Hinds
With Radko Gudas and Pavel Mintyukov continuing to battle lower-body injuries, the Ducks have brought up some extra defensive depth heading into tonight’s game against Calgary. The team announced (Twitter link) that blueliner Tyson Hinds has been recalled from AHL San Diego.
It’s the first recall of the season for the 23-year-old and third of his career although he’s still looking to make his NHL debut. Hinds was a third-round pick by the Ducks back in 2021, going 76th overall out of QMJHL Rimouski. Moved to Sherbrooke soon after, Hinds had a big jump in production in 2022-23, his final junior season, where he tallied 54 points in 56 games.
However, that offensive output hasn’t carried over to the AHL. Over his three professional seasons, Hinds has collected a total of 47 points. A career-best 19 of those have come in 2025-26 as Hinds has five goals and 14 assists through 62 appearances with San Diego so far this season.
Even with the injuries, Anaheim still has six healthy blueliners, unless another player’s availability is in question for tonight. If so, Hinds’ recall would fall under emergency status and not count against their post-deadline limit. If not, he will be one of their five allowable post-deadline regular recalls.
Mammoth Recall Dmitri Simashev
The Mammoth have added some extra defensive depth heading into their game today against Vancouver. According to the AHL’s transactions log, Utah has recalled blueliner Dmitri Simashev from AHL Tucson.
This will be Simashev’s sixth stint with the Mammoth this season, his first in North America. The 21-year-old was the sixth overall pick back in 2023 and broke camp with Utah, spending the better part of two months with the team and playing in 24 games. In his four subsequent recalls before this one, he suited up just once. On the season, he has just one assist in those 25 outings along with 26 blocked shots in 15:21 of ice time per contest as the team has tried to shelter him somewhat.
That hasn’t been the case in the minors. With the Roadrunners, he has been an all-situations player and has been quite productive, tallying eight goals and 27 assists in just 40 games. Despite missing 25 games there this season, he sits third among all rookie defensemen in points and is tied for 13th overall among all blueliners.
Utah already had seven defenders on the roster so unless there are two players whose availability for today’s game is in question, Simashev’s recall will count against the Mammoth’s post-deadline limit of five. Between that and the fact that the Roadrunners are currently out of a playoff spot in the minors, Simashev’s recall could be for the rest of the season and playoffs. Given the role he has thrived in with Tucson, it will be interesting to see if Simashev gets a chance to play a bigger role in Utah or if he’ll continue to be a depth option for them.
Penguins Assign Harrison Brunicke To AHL
Penguins defenseman Harrison Brunicke was a pleasant surprise heading into this season as he secured a roster spot with the big club despite still being a junior-aged player. He was eventually sent back to the WHL with a full-time assignment to the minors not an allowable option. Now that Brunicke’s junior team has been eliminated, that’s no longer the case and today, the Penguins announced (Twitter link) that they’ve reassigned the blueliner to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
The 19-year-old has played in nine games with Pittsburgh this season, picking up a goal along with 13 blocked shots in 15:43 per night of ice time, certainly respectable numbers for a rookie. They sat him for an extended stretch to allow for an AHL conditioning stint where Brunicke was productive, picking up four assists in five games. He was recalled in early December and was immediately loaned to Canada’s World Junior team.
In that tournament, Brunicke didn’t stand out in the way that NHL defensemen often do. He notched two assists in seven games and averaged 16:07 per night, fifth among Canada’s blueliners. Pressed with a decision after the tournament to either recall Brunicke or send him back to junior, the Penguins opted for the latter.
Brunicke suited up in 24 regular season games for WHL Kamloops in the second half of the season, notching two goals and 22 assists, his first point-per-game junior campaign. But with the Blazers being swept in the opening round of the playoffs, he became eligible for reassignment to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton where it’s likely that he’ll play a regular role down the stretch. He remains eligible for recall to Pittsburgh as well but with his next game officially starting his contract, it’s unlikely that he’ll see more NHL action until next season.
Devils Recall Brian Halonen And Marc McLaughlin
The Devils have made a pair of roster moves heading into the first half of a back-to-back set against Montreal that begins tonight. The team announced that they’ve recalled winger Brian Halonen and center Marc McLaughlin from AHL Utica.
It’s the second recall of the season for Halonen, who spent nearly a month with the Devils in his first stint early in the year. The 27-year-old got into nine games during his first stint, picking up his first career NHL goal and point along with 18 hits in 7:30 of playing time per game. He was sent down right before he was set to become waiver-eligible once more after clearing at the end of training camp. Since then, Halonen has played with the Comets, collecting 19 goals and 13 assists in 48 appearances, good for second on the team in points.
As for McLaughlin, he was on season-opening IR until February and after he cleared waivers during the Olympic break, he has been with the Comets since. The 26-year-old has been relatively productive in Utica, notching six goals and seven assists in 21 games to earn this promotion. McLaughlin has seen NHL action in each of the last four years but has been limited to just 28 outings overall where he has six goals and one assist.
Both players are expected to suit up tonight. Team reporter Amanda Stein relays (Twitter link) that the two will play on the fourth line alongside Paul Cotter while Maxim Tsyplakov and Evgenii Dadonov will cede their spots in the lineup.
Red Wings Recall Axel Sandin-Pellikka
The Red Wings recalled defenseman Axel Sandin-Pellikka from AHL Grand Rapids on an emergency basis Saturday, per a team announcement. He will be an option to step into the lineup for today’s matinee against the Rangers in place of Justin Faulk, who will need to miss at least one game with the lower-body injury that knocked him out of Thursday’s big win over the Flyers.
The Wings’ defense has been a bit of a pain point all season, with starting goalie John Gibson doing some legwork to cover up their flaws. Sandin-Pellikka, who appeared in 63 consecutive games to begin the season but was replaced in the lineup by Faulk’s acquisition from the Blues at the trade deadline, was a top-four piece through much of it.
The 21-year-old was the 17th overall pick in 2023 and still arguably has top-pairing upside, but the initial returns were underwhelming. He provided a 6-13–19 scoring line, but his possession impacts were subpar. He suited up primarily as the Wings’ #2 righty on a unit with Ben Chiarot. That pairing only controlled 46.5% of expected goals, per MoneyPuck. Chiarot and Faulk have gotten closer to the waterline with a 49.2 xGF%. Sandin-Pellikka also spent some time with countryman Simon Edvinsson, in which they were porous defensively, allowing 3.25 xGA/60 for a 34.2 xGF%.
It wasn’t too surprising, then, that general manager Steve Yzerman saw upgrading Detroit’s bottom-four on the blue line behind Moritz Seider‘s spectacular top-pair showing as a must at the deadline. Since then, a rash of injuries has contributed to the Wings going on a 5-7-1 skid and falling out of a playoff position. They can rectify that today with two points against the conference-worst Rangers. That, combined with a loss of any kind by the Senators against the Wild, will put them back into the second wild-card spot.
Sandin-Pellikka has looked like a natural in his brief run of play in Grand Rapids over the past few weeks. The 6’0″ Swede has a pair of goals and an assist in four games with a +1 rating. It’s not his minor-league debut; the rookie came over from his loan to Skellefteå AIK of the Swedish Hockey League late last season and had an assist in two games with Grand Rapids to close out the regular season.
Flames Recall Aydar Suniev
The Flames recalled wing prospect Aydar Suniev from AHL Calgary on Friday, per a team announcement. It appears he’ll be getting a look in the lineup this weekend against the Ducks as Calgary continues to flex its youngsters into limited trial roles down the stretch. In doing so, they’ve now used up four of the five regular recalls they’re allotted after the trade deadline.
If he gets into a game, it’ll be Suniev’s first since making his NHL debut in Game 82 of last season. The 21-year-old was a third-round pick in 2023 out of the Penticton Vees, then of British Columbia’s junior ‘A’ league, before spending the next two seasons at UMass. He starred as a sophomore for the Minutemen, posting 20 goals and 38 points in 35 games, before opting to turn pro.
Suniev hasn’t had the adjustment the Flames were hoping for. He hasn’t done much to push for a recall throughout the season. His work-in-progress skating has severely hampered his two-way utility, so while he’s tied for fourth on the AHL squad with 15 goals in 55 games, he’s added just eight assists and has a team-worst -26 rating.
As Steven Ellis of Daily Faceoff opined last offseason, Suniev is the Flames’ #10 prospect and can easily rise up that list if the club’s development coaches are able to continue working on his skating. He’ll get a brief check-in at the NHL level here with seven games left in the Flames’ season to see how he looks against tougher competition. If there isn’t some meaningful progress there, though, the 6’2″, 198-lb winger will likely need to start leveraging his frame more to try and carve out a role as a bottom-six grinder.
Mammoth Recall Kevin Rooney
The Mammoth recalled center Kevin Rooney from AHL Tucson on Friday, per a team announcement.
His addition to the roster comes after fellow middleman Jack McBain left Thursday night’s 6-2 win over the Kraken in the second period with a lower-body injury. It wasn’t clear what caused the departure, and the team hasn’t issued an update on his status yet. They likely won’t until they hold their morning skate before tomorrow’s clash with the Canucks.
In any event, Utah is guaranteed at least 13 healthy forwards this weekend if McBain has to miss time. Adding Rooney to the mix allows them to insert a natural center into the lineup in his place, rather than shifting anyone from the wing. Enforcer Liam O’Brien was their lone healthy scratch up front last night, and Alexander Kerfoot is their only regular winger with tangible experience down the middle who could shift over.
Utah has recalled Rooney several times this season; this is now his sixth distinct recall. He’s cleared waivers twice during that time but has rarely been needed in the lineup, only dressing once back on Nov. 28 against the Stars, scoring a goal in his Mammoth debut. That may change now with their specific need for centermen – Barrett Hayton has also been sidelined for the last three games with an upper-body injury and is week-to-week.
Rooney, a veteran of 331 NHL games over parts of 10 seasons, landed a two-way deal with Utah at the beginning of the regular season after being released from his professional tryout with the Devils. The 32-year-old has been a shrewd pickup for Tucson, posting 12 goals and 23 points through 43 games. A grinder, he was never that much of an offensive centerpiece in his previous minor-league stints.
Blues Sign Colin Ralph To Entry-Level Deal
The Blues signed Michigan State defenseman Colin Ralph to an entry-level contract on Friday, per a team press release. It is a three-year pact that will begin next season. Per PuckPedia, the deal carries a $1.075MM cap hit and will warrant a $1.114MM qualifying offer upon expiry in 2029. The full breakdown is as follows:
| Year | NHL salary | Signing bonus | Potential performance bonuses | Minors salary |
| 2026-27 | $922.5K | $102.5K | $250K – Schedule ‘A’ | $85K |
| 2027-28 | $967.5K | $107.5K | $500K – Schedule ‘A’ | $85K |
| 2028-29 | $1.013MM | $112.5K | $750K – Schedule ‘A’ | $85K |
Ralph, a physical two-way lefty, was the first of St. Louis’ two second-round picks in 2024, going 48th overall out of premier Minnesota prep school Shattuck St. Mary’s. Standing at 6’4″ and 229 lbs, that size – plus his 66 points in 57 games against under-18 competition to lead Shattuck defenders in scoring in his draft year – made him an attractive candidate for a Blues club that continually prioritizes size on its blue line, although most scouts had him pegged as a third-round talent at best.
The Minnesota native stayed in his home state in 2024-25, suiting up for St. Cloud State as a freshman. He had some growing pains, though, finishing the year with eight points and a -4 rating in 35 games. He quickly entered the transfer portal and landed with Michigan State. He now turns pro after just one year with the Spartans, but his sophomore effort was a strong one. He pushed for a bit more playing time and ended up with a 1-10–11 scoring line and a +20 rating in 37 outings.
Ralph’s frame and lack of offensive utility thus far at higher levels indicate he’ll be more of a shutdown piece at the pro level. He did win gold at last year’s World Junior Championship as a depth rearguard for the United States, posting an assist in seven games. Ralph is the #8-ranked Blues prospect according to Scott Wheeler of The Athletic and Steven Ellis of Daily Faceoff, sitting fourth in the pool among defenders.
He’ll now have an initial three-year track, most of which will likely be spent with AHL Springfield, before the Blues have to make their first decision on whether or not to retain him. He likely won’t be very high on the list for a recall next year, but should push for initial NHL playing time in 2027-28 or 2028-29.
Oilers Sign Owen Michaels To Entry-Level Deal
April 3: Michaels’ deal is for this season, PuckPedia confirms. As such, it carries a prorated cap hit of $1.484MM. That includes a signing bonus of $40K with an NHL salary of $935K and a minors salary of $85K. He will immediately become a 10.2(c) player in July, meaning he’ll essentially be a restricted free agent who can’t sign an offer sheet.
April 2: The Oilers announced Thursday that they’ve signed Western Michigan University captain Owen Michaels to a one-year, entry-level deal. There’s conflicting information on when the contract takes effect; the team press release stated the deal will run for the last few weeks of this season, while the team tweet announcing the signing indicated the deal was for 2026-27.
In any event, the 23-year-old Michaels turns pro after a highly successful three-year run with the Broncos. The 6’0″ right-shot forward broke out as a top-of-the-lineup threat as a sophomore after being buried in the lineup as a freshman, erupting for 18 goals and 36 points in 42 games in 2024-25 en route to Western Michigan’s first-ever national championship. While the Broncos were knocked off by Denver in a regional final upset in the national tournament last week, Michaels was still relatively productive this year with a 13-13–26 line in 39 games.
At his age, the usual curve for an undrafted talent suggests he’ll top out as a high-end AHL contributor with some call-up potential, particularly since he never sniffed the point-per-game threshold in college. As Steven Ellis of Daily Faceoff relays, it’s his skating that will likely hold him back from becoming an everyday NHL piece. Still, he should be a good play-driver in AHL Bakersfield as a strong support piece for the Oilers’ higher-ceiling forward talent.
If Michaels’ contract is for next year (or if it takes effect immediately and he re-ups as a restricted free agent this offseason), Edmonton will have 33 deals on the books. If Michaels signed for 2025-26, he will be eligible to make his NHL debut in the regular season but won’t be eligible to play in any playoff games for the Oilers, much like they did with Quinn Hutson last year.