Pittsburgh Penguins Sign Tanner Howe To Entry-Level Contract
A former linemate of Connor Bedard in the Western Hockey League has signed on with the team that drafted him almost two weeks ago. The Pittsburgh Penguins announced they have signed winger Tanner Howe to a three-year, entry-level contract.
Howe was selected with the 46th overall pick by the Penguins organization in the 2024 NHL Draft and was quickly signed to an entry-level deal after a noticeable development camp showing. The young forward made his presence known as he regularly became the instigator in net-front battles and had two goals to show for it.
During the 2022-23 WHL season, Howe found himself on a line with Bedard while playing for the Regina Pats. He came a perfect complimentary piece to Bedard as an annoying pest on the ice and scored 36 goals and 85 points in 67 games while putting up another two goals and four points in seven postseason contests. After Bedard left Regina to join the Chicago Blackhawks for the 2023-24 NHL season, Howe became the new captain of the organization.
He proved beyond the shadow of a doubt that he could perform without Bedard down the middle as Howe scored 28 goals and 77 points in 68 games. Unfortunately, the Pats were unable to qualify for the 2024 WHL playoffs meaning his season came to an end after the regular season concluded. Howe has been a bit quiet on the international stage for Team Canada as he’s played in a total of 11 games for Canada’s under-18 World Junior Championship squad the past two years but only has one assist to show for it.
It’s unlike that Howe will play for any team in the Penguins’ organization next season and may even spend another year in the WHL with the Regina Pats. However, there is a case to be made that Howe’s physical game is mature enough to play for the organization’s AHL affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Wherever Howe winds up for the 2024-25 season, Pittsburgh has a definite middle-six prospect in the making if his development continues on its current trajectory.
Capitals Loan Ludwig Persson To Liiga’s Jukurit
For the second season in a row, the Capitals have loaned 2022 third-round pick Ludwig Persson to Finland. The 20-year-old forward will suit up for Jukurit in the top-level Liiga this year, the team announced today.
Persson, 20, has yet to play a game in the Washington organization despite signing his entry-level contract nearly two years ago. The Gothenburg, Sweden native has taken a tour of European leagues instead. The Caps first loaned him to BIK Karlskoga of the Swedish second-tier HockeyAllsvenskan, where he was a decent depth contributor in his first full year of professional hockey with 15 points in 45 games.
things changed for the better last year after the Capitals loaned Persson to IPK, which plays in Mestis, Finland’s second-tier pro league. Persson quickly became a star for the Iisalmi-based club, leading them in scoring with 55 points (10 goals, 45 assists) in 48 games. He added 19 points in 19 playoff games as IPK took home its first Mestis championship since being promoted from the third-tier Suomi-sarja in 2016.
Clearly ready for increased competition, Washington will have Persson try his luck in a top-level Euro league for the first time since a lone appearance with Frölunda HC of the Swedish Hockey League in 2022-23. He’ll join a Jukurit team that boasted a 30-20-3-7 record last season, its second-best since being promoted from Mestis in 2016.
It could be Persson’s last season in Europe before arriving in North America with AHL Hershey. While Persson’s entry-level contract had slid the past two seasons since he failed to play in at least 10 NHL games in each campaign, he’s no longer eligible for a slide. His deal will go into effect beginning with 2024-25 and will cost $814,999 against the cap if in the NHL through 2026-27, reduced from its initial $878.3K since he’s had $190K worth of signing bonuses paid out during the slide years.
Sharks Sign First-Rounder Sam Dickinson
1:11 p.m.: Dickinson’s ELC carries the maximum $975K cap hit, PuckPedia reports. He’ll earn a base salary of $877.5K after the deal takes effect but will earn a $97.5K signing bonus for the next three seasons, starting with 2024-25. When the contract takes effect, he’ll be eligible for up to $550K in Schedule ‘A’ performance bonuses in Year 1, up to $800K in Year 2 and up to $1MM in Year 3.
12:19 p.m.: The Sharks have signed defenseman Sam Dickinson, their second of two first-round picks in last month’s draft, per a team announcement. They didn’t disclose the financial terms of his three-year, entry-level contract, which could begin as late as the 2026-27 season if he plays fewer than 10 NHL games in each of the next two campaigns.
Dickinson, 18, is a left-shot blue liner who plays a rather well-rounded game. With the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League last season, the 6’3″ defender racked up 18 goals and 52 assists for 70 points and a sparkling +56 rating in 68 games. He added 13 points in 18 playoff games as the Knights took home the 2024 OHL championship, won a gold medal prior to the season with Canada’s U18 team at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, and was named to the OHL’s Second All-Star Team for his efforts.
He’s not as physically involved as you’d hope for from a defenseman checking in at over 200 lbs in his draft year, likely a reason why he fell out of the top 10. Dickinson was the consensus No. 6 prospect in TSN’s Bob McKenzie’s final polling of NHL scouts and wasn’t ranked any later than 10 by any of the major public scouting websites, but he ended up slipping to San Jose at 11 to complement first-overall selection Macklin Celebrini. He has solid two-way instincts, though, and is a great skater for his size, even if he doesn’t lay the body or block shots with aplomb.
Dickinson isn’t likely to play in the NHL full-time next season or even receive a nine-game trial, although the latter doesn’t seem impossible. He could, however, challenge for minutes as soon as 2025-26. A full-time assignment to the AHL won’t be in the cards for him for at least two more years, though, as he’ll need to be loaned back to his junior team if not in the NHL before his age-20 season, per the NHL-CHL transfer agreement.
He’s now the top defense prospect in the Sharks’ system, checking in above the 22-year-old Shakir Mukhamadullin and 23-year-old Henry Thrun, the latter of whom averaged 20 minutes per night in 51 games of NHL action last season and should be a full-time fixture beginning this fall. Second-pairing duties are likely the most realistic expectation for Dickinson’s long-term potential, although he does have top-pairing upside.
Utah Signs Artem Duda To Entry-Level Contract
July 10: Utah announced the signing Wednesday morning.
July 9: The Utah Hockey Club has signed defenseman Artem Duda to a three-year entry-level contract (as per PuckPedia). The 20-year-old was the Arizona Coyotes second-round pick in 2022 (36th overall) and spent last season at Toronto Metropolitan University, where he tallied two goals and five assists in 12 games.
The two-way defenseman’s contract comes in with an average annual value of $950K at the NHL level and a salary of $82,500 if he plays in the American Hockey League. It also includes a $95K signing bonus.
The Moscow native was supposed to play at the University of Maine this past season but was deemed ineligible by the NCAA due to his time spent in the KHL. He made several unsuccessful appeals and eventually pivoted to playing in USports Hockey for the second half of the season.
Duda will likely find his way onto the Tucson Roadrunners of the AHL as Utah has acquired defensemen Mikhail Sergachev and John Marino this offseason which has pushed him down the team’s depth chart. He is an excellent skater and has good size, but won’t wow people with his offensive skills or his shot. However, he is a good passer and is poised with the puck on his stick. Given his skill set, Duda should find his way into the NHL before the end of his ELC.
Blue Jackets Sign Jake Christiansen To Two-Way Deal
The Blue Jackets have signed RFA defenseman Jake Christiansen to a one-year, two-way deal, a team announcement states. It’s worth $775K NHL/$350K AHL with a $400K guarantee, per Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. Christiansen was among the 14 players who filed for salary arbitration last week.
Christiansen, 25 in September, has 44 games of NHL experience to this point in his career. Those have all come in Columbus over the past three seasons. He’s scored once and added six assists for seven points with a -11 rating while averaging 13:41 per game, struggling to keep up defensively in the process.
He’s been much better in the minors, where he’s totaled 140 points (40 goals, 100 assists) in 202 games with a -6 rating in four seasons with AHL Cleveland (and briefly Stockton). That includes a 2023-24 season that saw him rack up 13 goals and 46 points in 62 games, earning him a nod on the AHL’s year-end Second All-Star Team after representing the North Division in this year’s All-Star Game. The left-shot Vancouver native has always had an appealing shot from the blue line, leading the entire AHL in goals by defensemen with 13 in 2021-22 and doing the same in juniors with WHL Everett in 2019-20.
There are a couple of spots on the Blue Jackets’ blue lineup for grabs after the team non-tendered Jake Bean and bought out Adam Boqvist. Only five defensemen are signed to one-way deals for next season, including league-minimum veteran pickup Jack Johnson. Christiansen will be in a competition with 2022 sixth-overall pick David Jiříček and 2022 12th-overall pick Denton Mateychuk for roster spots out of camp.
Morning Notes: KHL, Megna, Damiani
Legalities in how Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League operates have become important in recent months. Their relationship with the IIHF and Russian Ice Hockey Federation (FHR) left their clubs open to sanctions when KHL side CSKA Moskva signed Flyers netminder Ivan Fedotov to a two-year contract last summer despite his having a valid contract with Philadelphia. That will no longer be the case, as the KHL released a statement yesterday announcing that they’ve gained independence from the IIHF and FHR, giving them a similar status internationally as the NHL. In doing so, KHL clubs no longer need IIHF permission or governance to sign players from foreign leagues – likely the biggest reason for the move. In their statement, the league said they’ll “continue to respect the validity of contracts of other leagues” and that “Experience with the NHL shows that both parties continue to fulfill their obligations even in the absence of a signed Memorandum.”
Other updates to kick off your Wednesday:
- The AHL’s Colorado Eagles have signed UFA forward Jayson Megna to a two-year contract, the team announced yesterday. Megna, 34, spent last season on a two-way deal with the Bruins, which yielded a lone call-up for their final game of the regular season. The Fort Lauderdale native spent parts of four seasons with the Eagles while under contract with the Avalanche from 2019-20 to 2022-23, posting 82 points (41 goals, 41 assists) in 103 games. The Nebraska-Omaha product has 204 NHL appearances under his belt since making his debut with the Penguins back in 2013-14, amassing 12 goals, 21 assists and 33 points with a -28 rating in fourth-line minutes.
- Former Flames and Stars prospect Riley Damiani is taking his talents overseas on a one-year deal with Augsburger Panther of Germany’s Deutsche Eishockey Liga, per a club announcement. The 24-year-old pivot was a Dallas fifth-round pick in 2018, but after parts of five seasons with their AHL affiliate, he was traded to the Flames for Emilio Pettersen at this year’s trade deadline. Damiani finished the season with only one goal in 14 games while on assignment to AHL Calgary and wasn’t given a qualifying offer upon the expiration of his contract last month, making him a UFA. Damiani made seven NHL appearances for Dallas back in 2021-22, posting a goal and an assist while averaging 8:32 per game.
Tucson Roadrunners Re-Sign Three Players
Craig Morgan of PHNX Sports reports the Tucson Roadrunners of the American Hockey League have brought back a trio of players for the 2024-25 AHL season. Goaltender Dylan Wells and forwards Ryan McGregor and Hunter Drew will all be back with the Roadrunners next year on one-year AHL contracts.
Wells and Drew are the only individuals of the trio that have made their NHL debut with Wells making one start in 2023 with the Chicago Blackhawks and Drew making his a year earlier with the Anaheim Ducks. The goaltender has almost a decade of experience at the professional level between the AHL and ECHL. Overall, Wells has produced a record of 26-23-7 in 60 AHL games throughout his career while posting a .898 save percentage and 3.20 goals against average. He will likely continue his role as backup goaltender for Tucson behind Matt Villalta.
Drew has become quite the enforcer in the minor leagues as he’s accrued 452 penalty minutes in 223 games split between the Roadrunners, San Diego Gulls, and Rockford IceHogs. He usually produces mildly on the offensive side of the puck but did register 10 goals for Tucson last season in a fine year for secondary/tertiary scoring.
McGregor, the former captain of the OHL’s Sarnia Sting, has become an effective bottom-six forward in Tucson. McGregor was originally drafted by the Maple Leafs in the sixth round of the 2017 NHL Draft but only suited up in four games for the Toronto Marlies before the organization decided not to keep him around. Since then, McGregor has scored 20 goals and 54 points for the Roadrunners in 156 games over the last four years.
Florida Panthers Sign Adam Boqvist
10:11 AM: PuckPedia reports Boqvist’s salary will be the league minimum of $775K next season and he will be a restricted free agent at the end of the deal.
8:17 AM: Just over a week after having his contract bought out by the Columbus Blue Jackets, defenseman Adam Boqvist has found a new home. The Florida Panthers announced they have signed the Swedish blue liner to a one-year, one-way contract for the 2024-25 NHL season.
Boqvist came into the league as the eighth overall selection by the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2018 NHL Draft. He skated in 15 games for Brynäs IF of the Swedish Hockey League that season while tallying one assist in total. Much of Boqvist’s draft pedigree came from his time on the international stage with Team Sweden where he posted four goals and 11 assists for Sweden’s under-18 team in 16 international contests.
He made his NHL debut during the would-be shortened 2019-20 NHL season. Over two full campaigns with the Blackhawks, Boqvist scored six goals and 29 points over 76 games while averaging 16:35 of ice time per game. The Falun, Sweden native appeared a little immature on the defensive side of the puck during his rookie and sophomore season but showed some promise as a future top-four defenseman.
His time in Chicago was shortlived as the Blackhawks traded Boqvist along with a first-round pick in 2021, a second-round pick in 2021, and a conditional first-round pick in 2022 to the Blue Jackets for the package that would land defenseman Seth Jones in Chicago. As the only player included in the deal — Boqvist had big skates to fill in Columbus.
Boqvist’s offensive output was much better with the Blue Jackets as he scored 16 goals and 46 points in 98 games during his first two years with the Blue Jackets but it became readily apparent there would be injury concerns following the young defenseman. To this day he has not been able to skate in a full regular season and has a yearly-high games played total of 52. This past season was especially bad for Boqvist as he was limited to 35 games played and scored 10 points in total.
There may be some optimism for Boqvist landing in Florida as he has been a quality possession player throughout his time in the NHL and will go to a system that thrives in it. The Panthers had one of the best defensive teams in the league during the 2023-24 NHL season en route to their first Stanley Cup title in team history. Boqvist will have far less responsibility on Florida’s blue line and may even operate as the team’s seventh defenseman to start the season.
Wild Re-Sign Adam Raska
Minnesota has taken care of one of its restricted free agents as PuckPedia reports (Twitter link) that they’ve re-signed winger Adam Raska to a one-year, two-way contract. The deal will pay $775K in the NHL and $95K in the minors, meaning he took less than his qualifying offer to secure a $15K boost in guaranteed money.
The 22-year-old was a seventh-round pick by San Jose back in 2020, going 201st overall. Raska started last season in the Sharks’ system but was traded early in the year to the Wild as part of the return for defenseman Calen Addison. Raska spent most of the season in the minors, playing in 56 AHL contests where he had seven points and 98 penalty minutes.
He has also seen NHL action in each of his first three professional campaigns, including five games with the Wild last season where he had a dozen hits despite averaging less than seven minutes a night. Over his three years, Raska has 13 total appearances at the top level but is still looking for his first NHL point.
Raska will be waiver-eligible for the first time next season so Minnesota will have to get him through waivers successfully to return him to AHL Iowa. Assuming that happens, he’ll play in a depth role for them but could get a look with the big club if they’re looking for some grit on the fourth line.
Utah Signs Barrett Hayton To Two-Year Contract
As alluded to earlier today, the Utah Hockey Club has signed Barrett Hayton to a two-year contract according to a team announcement. The contract will pay Hayton $2.65MM each year of the deal and will not include performance or signing bonuses.
In the press release the general manager of Utah, Bill Armstrong, said, “We are very pleased to sign Barrett to an extension. Barrett is a reliable two-way center who is strong in the face-off circle and is a great complement down the middle to our high-skilled forwards. We look forward to having him back with our organization“.
The extension for Hayton strikes as a modest commitment from the team as they hope he will be able to reach his draft expectations as the formal fifth overall pick of the 2018 NHL Draft. Hayton has inarguably failed to reach his offensive ceiling compared to his time with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds of the Ontario Hockey League, but has shown promising talents on the defensive side of the puck.
There was some optimism following the 2022-23 NHL season that Hayton could become more of a legitimate top-six option after scoring 19 goals and 43 points in 82 games but injuries prohibited any meaningful steps forward this past season. In mid-November of the 2023-24 NHL season, Hayton suffered an upper-body injury in a game against the Dallas Stars that was originally only meant to keep him out of the lineup for a maximum of six weeks. Unfortunately, Hayton experienced a setback in his recovery which prolonged his return to nearly three months after the initial injury.
Because of his setback in the recovery process, Hayton was limited to 33 games last season where he mustered three goals and 10 points in total. Hayton still showed promising results on the defensive side of the puck despite the lagging offensive output as he achieved a 49.6% faceoff rate in the dot and a 56.0% CorsiFor% (ranking first on the team for players with 25+ games).
Utah should have sufficient depth to bump Hayton down to a middle-six role to start next season and use him in more favorable matchups. Logan Cooley is poised for more responsibility after a solid 2023-24 season which should take some stress away from Hayton down the middle. If he can stay healthy, Hayton should improve upon his previous output after a lost season.