Golden Knights Sign Matthew Cataford
2023 is ending on a high note for Golden Knights prospect Matthew Cataford. The team announced today that they’ve signed the forward to a three-year, entry-level contract. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The 18-year-old was a third-round pick by Vegas back in June, going 77th overall. The early returns on that selection are certainly promising as Cataford has 22 goals and 31 assists in just 35 games with QMJHL Halifax so far. Not only does that lead the Mooseheads in scoring, but his 53 points lead the entire league on that front. He’s also the league leader in plus/minus, checking in at a +35 rating.
While Cataford’s contract technically starts this season, that won’t wind up actually being the case as he will remain in Halifax. Accordingly, his contract will slide for 2023-24 and will still have three seasons left on it heading into the 2024-25 campaign. He’ll be eligible for a second slide as well that year as his options will be either junior hockey or Vegas; Cataford won’t be eligible to be assigned to the minors until 2025-26.
Rangers Assign Adam Edstrom To AHL
Sunday: Edstrom’s second stint with the Rangers was short-lived as the team announced that he has been sent back to the Wolf Pack. Edstrom did not see any game action while on recall.
Thursday: The Rangers recalled forward Adam Edstrom from the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack on Thursday, per a team release. This is the first non-emergency recall in his career.
Edstrom, 23, made his NHL debut before the holiday break, scoring one goal on three shots in 9:39 of ice time against the Ducks on December 17. The hulking 6-foot-6 Swedish center gives the Rangers some injury insurance as a 13th forward for their two-game road swing through Florida to close out 2023.
Drafted by the Rangers in the sixth round in 2019, Edstrom played three years with Rögle in the Swedish Hockey League before signing his entry-level contract shortly after the 2021-22 season concluded. The Rangers again loaned him out to Rögle last season, where he notched a career-high nine goals and 19 points in 42 games. To end the campaign, they assigned him to Hartford for his first taste of North American pro hockey after Skellefteå eliminated Rögle in the quarterfinals of the SHL playoffs.
Edstrom began this season in Hartford as expected. His eight goals in 24 games rank fifth on the Wolf Pack, a good start for a player widely viewed as having a limited offensive ceiling. Edstrom’s best-case scenario is still panning out as a third-line checking center, but so far, he looks to be in quite a solid place in his development for such a late-round pick.
West Notes: Firkus, Chrona, Korenar
Currently sitting in second place of Group A in the 2024 World Junior Championships, Hockey Canada announced today that forward Jagger Firkus had been placed on the Team Canada 25-man roster. As one of the most explosive offensive talents in the Major Junior level in all of Canada, it was a surprise to not see Firkus on the initial Team Canada roster entering the tournament.
Originally drafted by the Seattle Kraken in the second round of the 2022 NHL Draft, Firkus will now make his international debut under the Canadian flag. Currently playing for the Moose Jaw Warriors of the Western Hockey League, Firkus has 27 goals and 59 points in 32 games, sitting fourth in the league in scoring.
Overall in his junior career up to this point, Firkus has played in a total of 199 regular season games, all with Moose Jaw, and has scored at an excellent rate with 110 goals and 243 points in total. In the postseason, the Warriors have reached the playoffs in Firkus’ last two seasons, as he has accrued 16 goals and 33 points in 20 games.
Other notes:
- Beat writer for the San Jose Sharks, Curtis Pashelka, reports that the team opted to send down goaltender Magnus Chrona to their AHL affiliate, the San Jose Barracuda, opening up a spot on the 23-man roster. Chrona was able to make the first start of his NHL career only two nights ago against the Edmonton Oilers, having already made his NHL debut on November 4th. Unfortunately, in that start, the Denver University alumni let in four goals on 12 shots in the first period, and would not resume playing the rest of the game.
- With his contractual rights still owned by the Arizona Coyotes, the team should not be expecting goaltender Josef Korenar back with the organization any time soon. Now in his second season with HC Sparta over in Czechia, the organization announced today that Korenar had signed a three-year extension with the team. This season with HC Sparta, Korenar holds a 10-2-0 record in 12 games, carrying a .914 SV% and a 2.07 GAA.
Metropolitan Notes: Rangers, Merzlikins, Puljujarvi, Halonen
The Rangers could be prioritizing adding some grit over another skilled forward, reports Lohud’s Vince Z. Mercogliano. That type of player would ideally then help shore up their defensive play in the bottom six as well. At the moment, New York has ample spending room with both Filip Chytil and Kaapo Kakko on LTIR but if both of those players return by the end of the season, that spending flexibility becomes much more limited. Accordingly, doing some scouting work on an impactful gritty depth player who doesn’t cost as much against the salary cap could be a wise course of action for them for now.
More from the Metropolitan:
- The Blue Jackets announced (Twitter link) that Elvis Merzlikins’ early departure from last night’s victory over Toronto was due to illness. Spencer Martin played the final two periods and overtime in relief. He will also miss today’s game versus Buffalo as team reporter Jeff Svoboda relays (Twitter link) that Merzlikins did not accompany the team on the trip. With Columbus carrying three goalies on its active roster, they don’t need to bring another netminder up from AHL Cleveland.
- Winger Jesse Puljujarvi skated with the Penguins on Friday for the first time since joining them on a PTO earlier this month, relays Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. The 25-year-old has been working his way back from double hip surgery and still hasn’t been fully cleared to play. If that comes after a few more skates with Pittsburgh, Puljujarvi could be an intriguing addition in the second half of the season on what’s quite likely to be a deal at or near the league minimum.
- The Devils announced (Twitter link) that they’ve activated forward Brian Halonen off of season-opening IR and assigned him to AHL Utica. The 24-year-old is in the second and final year of his entry-level contract and had 17 goals and 13 assists in 57 games with the Comets last season. Since Halonen wasn’t in the NHL at any point last season, he did not count against the cap while on SOIR.
Capitals Recall Hunter Shepard, Assign Ivan Miroshnichenko To Minors
With Charlie Lindgren exiting Friday’s contest early with an upper-body injury and the Capitals back in action tonight versus Nashville, a move needed to be made to get another goalie on the active roster. That move has now been made as the team announced that goaltender Hunter Shepard has been recalled while winger Ivan Miroshnichenko has been sent back to AHL Hershey.
Shepard made his first two NHL appearances earlier this season, picking up a pair of wins against division rivals while stopping 54 of 59 shots. The 28-year-old has spent the bulk of the campaign in the minors with the Bears, getting into 16 games where he has a 2.28 GAA and a .908 SV%. He also has 14 victories, good for the second-most in the AHL. He’ll serve as Darcy Kuemper’s backup in Lindgren’s absence.
As for Miroshnichenko, the 19-year-old made his NHL debut just before the holiday break and has played in four games with Washington so far. He’s still looking for his first point at the top level while averaging a little over ten minutes a night of ice time. The 20th pick in 2022, Miroshnichenko has eight goals and seven assists in 27 games with Hershey, his first taste of NHL action. As long as he plays in fewer than ten games at the top level, Miroshnichenko won’t burn the first year of his contract this season, meaning he’ll still have three years left on his entry-level agreement heading into 2024-25. Accordingly, expect the Capitals to limit his NHL action over the final few months of the season.
Meanwhile, Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press points out (Twitter link) that winger Max Pacioretty remains on LTIR, at least for now. The veteran has been speculated to potentially be available for tonight’s contest. Washington would have to make another roster move to open up a spot for Pacioretty’s potential activation if he is indeed cleared. The easiest way to do that could be moving Martin Fehervary to IR if he’s going to miss a week or more after sustaining an upper-body injury of his own last night.
Red Wings Assign Jonatan Berggren And Austin Czarnik To AHL
Earlier today, the Red Wings announced (Twitter link) that both Joe Veleno and Christian Fischer will return to the lineup tomorrow against Boston. With Fischer being on injured reserve, at least one player would likely be sent back down. Instead, Detroit has opted to send two players down in corresponding moves as CapFriendly reports (Twitter links) that both Jonatan Berggren and Austin Czarnik have been assigned to AHL Grand Rapids.
Berggren was a regular with Detroit for most of last season, getting into 67 games with the big club where he acquitted himself relatively well, notching 15 goals and 13 assists while logging 13:28 per game. But after GM Steve Yzerman added several pieces up front over the summer, Berggren found himself on the outside looking in at a regular roster spot and was assigned to Grand Rapids at the start of the season.
In the minors, the 23-year-old has been quite productive, picking up seven goals and 11 assists in just 19 contests. That has helped Berggren earn six separate recalls over the last two months which has resulted in nine appearances with the Red Wings. Despite limited playing time in those contests (just 10:08 per contest), he has been fairly productive, tallying a pair of goals along with three assists. He’ll likely be a top recall option when the next injury arises in Detroit.
As for Czarnik, the 31-year-old has played in 18 games with the Red Wings this season despite clearing waivers twice already. While he has typically been quite productive in the minors, that hasn’t carried over to the NHL this season as he has just one assist in those appearances. Meanwhile, in nine games with the Griffins, Czarnik has three goals and four assists.
Meanwhile, the return of Fischer from injured reserve tomorrow will be a welcome one. The 26-year-old has been a regular on Detroit’s fourth line this season, playing in 33 games where he has eight points and 39 hits while logging a little less than 11 minutes per night. He has been out since just before the holiday break with an undisclosed injury.
Oilers Recall Raphael Lavoie, Assign Ben Gleason To AHL
The Oilers have opted to make a pair of moves before tonight’s game versus Los Angeles. The team announced (Twitter link) that they have recalled forward Raphael Lavoie from AHL Bakersfield while sending blueliner Ben Gleason to the Condors.
Lavoie opted to accept his qualifying offer this summer worth just over $874K over signing a lower-cost one-way deal or two-way pact with more guaranteed money. He hoped that he’d land the final roster spot in training camp which would ultimately get him more in the long run.
But that didn’t quite work as planned as Edmonton waived the 23-year-old in training camp and after he cleared, assigned him to Bakersfield. He has been quite productive with the Condors so far, notching 10 goals in just 19 games, picking up where left off on that front last year. Lavoie also got into six games with Edmonton last month on a pair of recalls; he was held off the scoresheet in those contests while averaging 7:36 per game. If he plays in four more games with the Oilers, he will need to pass through waivers once again.
As for Gleason, he cleared waivers in training camp and spent the first two months of the years with the Condors where he did well, picking up nine points in 14 games, earning him a recall three weeks ago. However, the 25-year-old has been a healthy scratch in every game since then so this assignment will at least give him a chance to get some games in. Gleason is in the first season of a two-year deal after coming over in free agency from Dallas with his contract converting to a one-way agreement next season.
Ian Mitchell Clears Waivers
Saturday: Mitchell has cleared waivers, Friedman reports, paving the way for him to be sent back to Providence, a move they quickly made.
Friday: The Bruins placed defenseman Ian Mitchell on waivers Friday, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.
Boston has ferried Mitchell up and down between the NHL and AHL frequently throughout this season, his first in the Bruins organization. This is his second time on the waiver wire since the regular season began, last clearing on October 26. Given that he’s now played more than ten games in Boston since then, he will need to clear them again to head to AHL Providence.
Most recently, the Bruins brought Mitchell up from Providence under emergency conditions on December 23, and he logged 10:50 of ice time and recorded a +1 rating in that night’s 3-2 loss to the Wild. Boston converted his recall into a standard one the following day. He was a healthy scratch in their lone game since the holiday break, a win over the Sabres on Wednesday.
The 24-year-old right-shot defender has played in 13 games for the Bruins on the season, logging replacement-level stats in replacement-level minutes. He’s recorded two assists, a +6 rating, and a mediocre Corsi share of 46.6% at even strength while averaging 15:18 per game. He’s also made four appearances for the P-Bruins this season, recording an assist and a -4 rating. The 2017 second-round pick of the Blackhawks joined the Bruins in June when his signing rights were part of the trade for winger Taylor Hall, promptly inking a one-year, one-way deal worth the league minimum of $775K.
Mitchell has always been a strong skater and was a high-end point producer in college, but he hasn’t shown the all-around game worthy of an NHL defender throughout his four seasons of experience at the top level. He’s never eclipsed the 40-game mark in a single season and has yet to avoid an AHL assignment, only earning NHL jobs as the sixth or seventh defenseman on the Blackhawks’ and Bruins’ depth charts at the highest. He lands on the waiver wire today with four goals, 14 assists and 18 points with a -15 rating over 95 NHL games.
It’s unlikely another team will submit a claim for Mitchell over the next 24 hours since he’s already gone unclaimed once this season. He will be a restricted free agent with salary arbitration eligibility next summer.
Islanders Place Ryan Pulock On LTIR, Assign Ken Appleby To AHL
The Islanders have made a pair of roster moves in advance of tomorrow’s game against Pittsburgh. The team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve moved defenseman Ryan Pulock to LTIR and assigned goaltender Ken Appleby to AHL Bridgeport.
Pulock has been out with a lower-body injury since December 8th, meaning he has already missed the majority of the 10 games and 24 days that he’s required to be out for with this placement; he’d be eligible to be activated as soon as Tuesday’s game in Colorado. The fact they’re going this route suggests he should be out at least a little longer than that.
While Pulock’s placement doesn’t open up a roster spot, it does expand their LTIR pool, giving GM Lou Lamoriello more short-term flexibility to manage his roster without having to be worried about salary cap considerations.
As for Appleby, he has been back and forth from Bridgeport in recent days with Semyon Varlamov missing the last couple of games with an undisclosed injury. His demotion opens up a roster spot and if Varlamov is good to at least dress as the backup for tomorrow’s game, the Islanders will likely look to bring a defenseman up from the AHL as they’ve been carrying just six in recent days.
Avalanche Assign Sam Malinski To AHL
Following their victory over St. Louis on Friday night, the Avalanche announced (Twitter link) that they re-assigned defenseman Sam Malinski to AHL Colorado.
The 25-year-old is in his first professional season after signing with the Avs as a college free agent back in March. Malinski had been up with the big club for the past month and had been a regular player for most of that stretch, suiting up in 14 games, including against the Blues. In those appearances, he held his own, picking up five points along with 15 blocked shots while averaging a little over 14 minutes a night. With the Eagles, meanwhile, he has three goals and six assists in 17 games.
With that in mind, it might seem a bit curious that Colorado would opt to send Malinski down. However, he was the only waiver-exempt blueliner on their roster, making him the logical choice to be sent down to ensure they keep as much depth as possible.
While Colorado didn’t announce a corresponding roster move, Malinski’s demotion likely will mark the return of Samuel Girard. He took a leave from the team last month to enter the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program but has since rejoined the club. Now, with a few practices under his belt, it appears as if he’ll be ready to return and be activated into the roster spot cleared by sending Malinski down.