Lightning Sign Noah Steen To Entry-Level Deal
The Lightning signed winger prospect Noah Steen to a two-year, entry-level contract on Monday that begins next season, PuckPedia reports. The deal has a total value of $1.95MM, with a cap hit of $972.5K. He will be owed a qualifying offer of $990K upon expiry as a restricted free agent in 2028.
Steen will earn a prorated base salary of $850K in 2026-27 and $900K in 2027-28, based on how much of the schedule, if any, he’s in the NHL. That’s accompanied by a yearly signing bonus of $97.5K and up to $27.5K in performance bonuses next season. His minor-league salary in both years of the contract will be $85K.
Tampa Bay had just over two months left to sign the 21-year-old before they risked losing his exclusive signing rights on June 1. The 6’1″ Norwegian was a seventh-round pick in 2024, two years after he was initially eligible for selection. After spending his earlier development climbing through Sweden’s junior ranks and then making the jump to the pro level in the second-tier HockeyAllsvenskan, Steen has been playing top-flight European pro hockey since the puck dropped on the 2024-25 campaign.
Viewed as a potential penalty kill specialist near the bottom of the lineup, Steen showed this season he may be more than that. After only scoring five goals and one assist in 51 games in his first season with Örebro HK of the Swedish Hockey League last year, he broke out for a 12-10–22 scoring line in 52 games here in 2025-26. That’s the same points per game rate he posted in his only full season of second-division play with Mora IK two years ago.
Steen’s existing contract with Örebro runs through 2026-27. That makes him subject to the NHL’s transfer agreement with the SHL, which stipulates that, as a non-first-round pick under the age of 24, he must be offered back to Örebro first if he doesn’t make the Lightning’s roster out of training camp in the fall before they can assign him to AHL Syracuse. With that in mind, there’s no guarantee he’ll play in North America next season, but he could do so in the back half of his entry-level deal if Örebro doesn’t retain his rights for 2027-28.
Steen wasn’t included as a top-10 prospect in Tampa’s system by Steven Ellis of Daily Faceoff last offseason, but he did jump into 10th place in Scott Wheeler of The Athletic’s rankings earlier this month. He “can play with jump and has good goal-scoring instincts around the offensive zone,” Wheeler wrote, but his ceiling “might top out as a second-line SHLer/AHLer.”
Sharks Reassign Laurent Brossoit, Yaroslav Askarov To Return
Ahead of tonight’s game against St. Louis, the San Jose Sharks reassigned Laurent Brossoit to the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda. With this move in mind, it became apparent that starter Yaroslav Askarov is set to return to the crease, confirmed by Max Miller of Sharks Hockey Digest.
Brossoit has been back and forth in the past few weeks, last summoned three days ago. Throughout that time he’s only managed to play in one game, March 15 against Ottawa, where he took a loss in a rough outing. Even then, the 33-year-old deserves props for working his way back to the highest level after numerous injuries cast doubt on his career.
In 15 games with the Barracuda, Brossoit has been one of the AHL’s premier netminders, boasting a .915 save percentage and winning 11 of his 15 contests. As far as #3 depth goaltenders go, the Sharks feature a strong one in the British Columbia native with 141 games of NHL experience. He should have the opportunity to lead the San Jose farm hands into the postseason.
Meanwhile, Askarov’s return makes for an exciting end of the season for Sharks fans. It has been a tough month for the show stopping 23-year-old, who returned from a 16-day absence last week only to be injured again against the Blues. Thankfully it doesn’t appear to be serious, and he’ll come back against the same opponent four days later.
Askarov, thought to be one of the game’s best young goalies, hasn’t put it all together just yet. He’s struggled at times with a 3.52 goals against average and an .888 save percentage, slightly above the .500 win rate. Still, the Russian flashes his brilliance regularly and there’s usually a learning curve for any such prospect, especially adjusting as part of a growing team.
The Sharks are set up with young talent across the lineup, and Askarov will look to finish the campaign on a high note before continuing to improve with the club in 2026 and beyond.
Blue Jackets Recall Luca Del Bel Belluz
The Columbus Blue Jackets announced that they’ve recalled forward Luca Del Bel Belluz from the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters. Del Bel Belluz last played in the NHL with the Blue Jackets shortly before Christmas earlier this season.
Del Bel Belluz, 22, has been an intriguing prospect in Columbus’s system for a few years now. He’s been an exceptional scorer at the AHL level with the Monsters, but has yet to put it together in hockey’s top league.
Since debuting in the professional ranks in the 2023-24 season, Del Bel Belluz has scored 58 goals and 141 points in 172 games for AHL Cleveland. That production hasn’t been enough to warrant any awards or recognitions in the AHL, but he has essentially been a point-per-game player for the past two years.
Given that production, it’s fairly confusing why he hasn’t gotten a longer opportunity at the NHL level, especially this year. Last season, Del Bel Belluz scored two goals and eight points in 15 games for the Blue Jackets, averaging 13:45 of ice time in a middle-six role.
Still, it’s not like Del Bel Belluz hasn’t gotten any opportunities this year. Throughout the 2025-26 campaign, Del Bel Belluz has only tallied one assist in 12 games, averaging 8:46 of ice time on the team’s fourth line. Del Bel Belluz has yet to play for the Blue Jackets under the tutelage of Rick Bowness.
There’s reason to believe that Del Bel Belluz will increase his point totals if he gets any significant ice time throughout his current call-up. Before the hiring of Bowness, Columbus averaged three goals per game. Since his hire, the team has averaged just over 3.5.
Flames Sign Jonathan Castagna To Entry-Level Contract
As expected, the Calgary Flames have signed one of their recently acquired prospects to his entry-level contract. Calgary announced that they’ve signed forward Jonathan Castagna to a three-year, $3.225MM ($1.075MM AAV) entry-level contract beginning next season. Outside of his AAV, the Flames didn’t provide any more contractual details.
Castagna, 20, was drafted with the 70th overall pick of the 2023 NHL Draft by the now-defunct Arizona Coyotes. He was playing in the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association with St. Andrew’s College at the time, scoring 29 goals and 72 points in 50 games.
The following year, Castagna began his collegiate career at Cornell University. He had a decent showing as a freshman, scoring 11 goals and 25 points in 35 games with a +20 rating. Unfortunately, he took a step back in his sophomore season, registering five goals and 15 points in 32 contests.
He rebounded in a big way this year. Although he only finished 40th in scoring throughout the entire NCAA, Castagna still had a point-per-game year, registering 15 goals and 34 points in 34 games with a +23 rating.
In an interesting way, that made him a more expendable prospect for the Utah Mammoth. The team is already flush with young top-six forwards and has other prospects on the way. Looking to make a splash at the deadline, the Mammoth included Castagna in the package for defenseman MacKenzie Weegar.
In their announcement, the Flames shared that Castagna will begin his professional career on an amateur tryout agreement with the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers. He’s dealing with a minor lower-body injury at the time being, so it’ll be a few days before he makes his professional debut.
Buffalo Sabres Recall Zach Metsa
As expected, the Buffalo Sabres have recalled defenseman Zach Metsa from the AHL’s Rochester Americans, according to a team announcement. Metsa was reassigned just a few days ago due to the activation of fellow defenseman Conor Timmins.
Simply put, the Sabres have just been better this season when Metsa is in the lineup. Throughout the year, Buffalo has a 29-5-4 record when Metsa is playing, and a 16-16-4 record when he isn’t. He’s not necessarily a game-changing defenseman like Rasmus Dahlin, but the team is clearly comfortable when Metsa is earning minutes.
Despite how Timmins has played since returning, he’ll likely be the odd man out when the Sabres get Metsa back into the lineup. Metsa isn’t relied upon to kill penalties like Timmins, but the two have held a similar role this season on the right side of the bottom pairing.
Throughout his rookie season, Metsa has put up solid production given his ice time, scoring two goals and six points in 38 games with a +20 rating, averaging 10:19 of action per game. Still, his 45.6% CorsiFor at even strength and 1.9 E+/- indicates that he’s gotten a bit of puck luck. However, that’s been true of the entire Sabres team throughout their historic run this season.
The team has hovered around a 103.0 PDO (shooting percentage + save percentage at even strength), which indicates that they are due for regression at some point. Teams will typically average a flat 100.0 throughout the season, with teams on either side of that trending toward it.
Montreal Canadiens Recall Adam Engstrom
The Montreal Canadiens have added some defensive depth to the roster for the remaining part of their regular-season schedule. According to a team announcement, the Canadiens have recalled Adam Engstrom from the AHL’s Laval Rocket.
Engstrom, 22, has already played in multiple games with Montreal this year over a pair of call-ups earlier in the season. The Jarna, Sweden native is still looking for his first NHL point after 11 games, but does carry a +3 rating and a 50.7% CorsiFor at even strength.
Obviously, teams don’t draft players with the expectation that they won’t contribute at the NHL level someday, but Engstrom has played above his draft status for some time. The Canadiens selected him with the 92nd overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft after registering eight goals and 28 points in 45 games in the J20 Nationell league in Sweden.
After a pair of productive seasons in the SHL with Rögle BK, Engstrom immigrated to North America for the 2024-25 campaign to continue his professional career. This season, he has taken his offensive game to a completely different level with the Rocket, scoring 10 goals and 34 points in 45 games.
Unfortunately, he suffered an upper-body injury in late February, which kept him out of action for a few weeks. Still, he didn’t miss a beat upon his return, and now has earned another call-up with Montreal to close out their 2025-26 campaign.
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.