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Ducks Sign Lucas Pettersson To Entry-Level Contract

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The Anaheim Ducks have signed 2024 second-round draft pick Lucas Pettersson to a three-year, entry-level contract. Pettersson split his season between Sweden’s SHL and HockeyAllsvenskan, and is expected to return to the SHL’s MoDo Hockey next year.

Pettersson had a quiet introduction to the pro flight. He earned a call-up to the SHL after netting eight points in eight games in Sweden’s U20 league – but struggled to find a clear groove in a fourth-line SHL role. Recognizing the struggles following numerous lineup changes, MoDo opted to send Pettersson to the HockeyAllsvenskan (HA) for the entirety of January. Having his feet under him launched Pettersson’s performance. He scored a hat trick in his first game on assignment, then proceeded to net 14 points in 12 HA games throughout January and early February.

Pettersson followed his hot streak in the HA with a quartet of international friendlies with Sweden’s U20 club. He scored three points in the four games, but didn’t stay lit when he returned to league play in mid-February. By the time he rediscovered his pace – with four points in three HA games to end February – MoDo opted to bring the dynamic forward back to the top flight.

When all was said and done, Pettersson ended his season with 19 points in 26 HA games, one assist in 29 SHL games, and eight points in eight J20 (U20) games. His 0.73 point-per-game scoring pace in the HA fell just behind 2025 NHL Draft stars Anton Frondell (0.86) and Victor Eklund (0.74) on the league’s U19 leaderboards. The trio posted the highest scoring paces since Noah Ostlund (0.70, 2022-23), Lucas Elvenes (0.95, 2017-18), and Elias Pettersson (0.95, 2016-17).

Lucas Pettersson earned high-end consideration for much of the 2024 draft season. He earned a second-round bid after posting 27 goals and 57 points in 44 J20 games, though some outlets had him ranked as high as an early-20s talent. He’s a flashy, agile forward with strong puck-skills and sharp offensive instinct. Those traits will need to become consistent and refined as he eyes a move to North America, but another year in the SHL could go far in preparing Pettersson to join an often Swede-friendly Ducks lineup.

Blackhawks Trade Rights To Victor Soderstrom To Bruins

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The Chicago Blackhawks have traded the rights to Swedish defenseman Victor Soderstrom to the Boston Bruins in exchange for defense prospect Ryan Mast and a seventh-round pick, per Scott Powers of The Athletic. Soderstrom made a return to Sweden’s SHL this season, after spending the last four years muddling through the Arizona Coyotes depth chart. Chicago acquired his rights alongside the rights to depth forward Aku Raty and retired defender Shea Weber at the 2025 Trade Deadline. In return, the now-Utah Mammoth received a 2026 fifth-round pick.

It’s an apt time to buy high on Soderstrom’s NHL rights. He had a true breakout year in the SHL, netting nine goals and 37 points in 49 appearances. Those marks ranked Soderstrom second on the Brynas IF blue-line in scoring, two points behind Charle-Edouard D’Astous. Soderstrom had no shortage of flashy plays over the course of Brynas’ season, using deceptive stickhandling and instinctive offense to blow by opponents and set up his teammates. One of his favorite targets was former Anaheim Ducks winger Jakob Silfverberg, who led Brynas in scoring with 47 points in 52 games.

But despite the strong return to Swedish pros, Soderstrom’s tenure in North America is still one to forget. He was originally drafted 11th-overall in the 2019 NHL Draft, but quickly struggled to find a role in the Arizona pipeline. He joined the AHL’s Tuscon Roadrunners in 2020-21 and scored 10 points in 32 games played, good enough to also earn the first four games of his NHL career, where he potted two points. But Soderstrom then ran cold, and didn’t manage any scoring through 16 NHL appearances in the following year. He did bolster his minor-league scoring, though, with 19 points in 32 games – just enough to earn another trip to the NHL in 2022-23. That tenure proved a bit more promising – headlined by nine points in 30 games – but Soderstrom again struggled to make it stick. He completed two more productive seasons in the minors, but closed his trip through North America with a measly 11 points in 53 NHL games, despite 82 points in 170 AHL games.

A move to Boston will mark another potential home for the flashy puck-handler. The Bruins could sorely use a right-shot defender after trading shutdown man Brandon Carlo to the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Deadline. Soderstrom is still only 24-years-old and could reasonably spend a few more years in Sweden before offering Boston his prime years. That will be the upside Boston hopes for, at least – though it’s a shrewd bet at the cost of just a depth prospect and fifth-round pick.

The other focal piece of the move, defender Ryan Mast, played through his rookie year in the AHL this season. He recorded just five points, 19 penalty minutes, and a plus-seven through 37 games with the Providence Bruins – quaint totals after he posted 16 points in 47 ECHL games last year. Mast is 6-foot-5 and plays his best hockey on the defensive side of the puck, where he uses a long and effective reach to force opponents into the corners and away from the puck. Hot scoring won’t be what many fans remember Mast for, but he could find his way into a small NHL role with a few more years of learning to handle pro offenses. He’ll be a low-risk, low-reward addition to a Blackhawks’ pipeline geared firmly on the future.

Penguins Sign Melvin Fernstrom To Three-Year, Entry-Level Contract

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The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed forward prospect Melvin Fernstrom to a three-year, entry-level contract. Fernstrom was originally drafted in the third-round of the 2024 NHL Draft by the Vancouver Canucks. He was traded to the Penguins ahead of this year’s Trade Deadline, alongside a first-round pick and two depth pros in the deal that send Marcus Pettersson and Drew O’Connor to Vancouver.

Fernstrom spent the bulk of the 2024-25 season with Orebro HK of Sweden’s SHL. It was his first full year of professional hockey and he dotted it with eight goals and 17 points in 48 appearances. That stat line doesn’t jump off the page, but Fernstrom’s scoring did lead all U19 skaters in the SHL. In fact, his scoring total falls closely in line with current and former NHL fixtures like Magnus Paajarvi, Adrian Kempe, and Alexander Holtz — who all managed either 16 or 17 points in their own U19 seasons in the SHL.

For his part, Fernstrom earned his pro role on the back of responsible and smooth hockey across the board. He’s a strong skater even despite a lanky frame, and uses that to find his spots and weave between his teammates well. When he can’t, he has a laser wrist-shot that’s dangerous anywhere below the tops of the circles. He may not fall into the clear category of playmaker, but showed an abundance of confidence in handling the puck around pro defenders and finding ways to set up his teammates.

Fernstrom recorded 63 points in 45 games in Sweden’s U20 league – and added eight points in seven games at the World U18 Championship – in his draft year last season. That stat line, and his smooth style, led to a confident third-round selection, though some public scouts like Craig Button had him ranked as a second-round talent. Fernstrom was a priority addition to the Pettersson trade, and Pittsburgh will now take the first step in trying to bank on the upside he offers. Fernstrom is expected to return to the SHL next season, but could be a candidate to join the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins when Orebro’s 2025-26 campaign concludes.

Magnus Hellberg Signs With SHL’s Djurgårdens IF

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After a middling season in the AHL while on a two-way deal with the Stars, goaltender Magnus Hellberg is heading home to the SHL. Djurgårdens IF announced they’ve signed Hellberg to a three-year deal, bringing him back to Sweden through the 2027-28 season.

Hellberg hasn’t played in the SHL since 2011-12, back when it was called the Elitserien. He was a second-round pick by the Predators in 2011, for a time looking like he could be a long-term backup to Nashville stalwart Pekka Rinne. He was a solid AHL netminder for them, posting a .917 SV% and 2.36 GAA in his first three North American minor-league seasons, but only got one NHL relief appearance before a goalie crunch meant he was traded to the Rangers in 2015 for a sixth-round pick. His tenure in New York at least brought his first NHL start, but he only managed a .882 SV% and 2.44 GAA in three total appearances with the Rangers before reaching Group VI unrestricted free agency in 2017.

He opted for more opportunity overseas instead of trying to climb up an NHL depth chart elsewhere, signing with Kunlun Red Star of the Kontinental Hockey League. It was in the KHL that Hellberg finally established himself as an elite option in a high-level professional league. Across five seasons in China and Russia with Kunlun, SKA St. Petersburg, and HK Sochi, he posted a 2.00 GAA, .927 SV%, 24 shutouts, and an 81-64-14 record in 169 appearances. He was a two-time KHL All-Star and was rostered for Sweden at the 2018 and 2022 Winter Olympics, also winning a gold medal at the World Championship in 2018.

That prompted Hellberg to make an NHL return late in the 2021-22 season, signing on with the Red Wings. He’s spent the last few years as a journeyman, making stints as a No. 3 option for Detroit, Ottawa, Seattle (although he never played for them), Pittsburgh, Florida, and Dallas. He saw NHL action in three of those stops (Red Wings, Senators, Penguins), but only put up a .891 SV%, 3.12 GAA and a 7-8-1 record in 22 appearances over three years. He spent all of last season on assignment to AHL Texas after clearing waivers with Dallas, where he recorded a fine but unimpressive 2.69 GAA, .904 SV%, two shutouts, and a 24-14-1 record in 41 games.

Now 34 years old, this is almost definitely the end of the road for Hellberg in the NHL. He’ll aim to rediscover his KHL form with Djurgården, which just gained promotion back to the SHL after three seasons in the second-tier HockeyAllsvenskan league.

Penguins’ Vasiliy Ponomarev Signs In KHL

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June 11: As expected, Ponomarev has indeed signed in the KHL after Avangard Omsk acquired his rights.  The team announced on its Telegram account that they’ve signed him to a three-year contract.  Ponomarev will still be RFA-eligible at the end of the contract so as long as he’s tendered a qualifying offer at the end of this month, Pittsburgh will still hold his NHL rights.

June 6: The Pittsburgh Penguins could soon lose a promising young winger. 23-year-old Vasiliy Ponomarev is expected to sign in the KHL after not being guaranteed NHL playing time next season from Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas, shares Dan Kingerski of Pittsburgh Hockey Now. Dubas adds that Ponomarev has switched his Russian representation and is in the midst of working out a KHL deal. The GM also added that Pittsburgh will issue a qualifying offer to the young forward, and thus will retain his rights for the duration of his European stay.

Ponomarev’s KHL rights were traded to Avangard Omsk on Wednesday. He made his pro debut in the Moscow Spartak pipeline in 2021-22, stepping into 14 KHL games and recording two points with the club. He also appeared in 21 games in the VHL – Russia’s second-tier pro league – that season and scored 13 points. It was all a part of Ponomarev’s brief return to Russian hockey after he was drafted out of Canada’s QMJHL in 2020. He returned to America at the tail end of the 2021-22 campaign, and spent his first 29 AHL games supporting the Chicago Wolves in a push to the Calder Cup championship. He scored 16 points in those appearances.

Ponomarev kept the good times rolling in his first full season in the AHL, netting 24 goals and 46 points in 64 games with the Wolves – and adding one goal and one assist in his the first two NHL games with the Carolina Hurricanes. But the Hurricanes ultimately opted against the gritty Russian – and loaned him to the Tuscon Roadrunners, then traded him to the Pittsburgh Penguins, partway through the 2023-24 campaign. Ponomarev has since appeared in 59 games with the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, where he’s recorded 16 goals and 42 points. He also appeared in seven games in the NHL lineup this season, but didn’t manage any scoring.

At 23 and with a history of international travel between seasons, news of a return to the KHL won’t entirely rule out Ponomarev’s chances at playing full-time for the Penguins one day. He’s been a productive and physical forward at the AHL levels, but has so far received minimal opportunity to do the same in the NHL. A move back to Russia will mark a chance to play in a league somewhere between North America’s pros – and a chance for Ponomarev to prove he can be a top-end center on a productive pro club.

Mammoth, Ben McCartney Agree To Two-Year, Two-Way Deal

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The Mammoth have signed winger Ben McCartney to a two-year, two-way contract, per a team release. He was a pending restricted free agent with arbitration rights. He’ll earn the league minimum $775K salary if in the NHL for both seasons, but his minor-league salary wasn’t disclosed.

McCartney, 24 in July, gets some more runway to climb back up to the NHL after debuting way ahead of schedule for the Coyotes in 2021-22. A 2020 seventh-round pick by Arizona, he made a strong first impression upon arrival in AHL Tucson in 2021 and got his first call-up amid a rash of injuries early in the season. He recorded four shot attempts and seven hits in two games while averaging north of 14 minutes per night, but didn’t get on the scoresheet outside of a few penalty minutes. He’s stuck in the minors ever since, regressing offensively since his initial 18-17–35 showing in 57 games in 2021-22. After posting 0.61 points per game in that rookie season, he’s operated at 0.45 points per game over his last three seasons.

After battling some injuries during that time, McCartney showed more signs of life in 2024-25. The Manitoba native is now an alternate captain with the Roadrunners, where he returned after clearing waivers for the first time in his career back in October and posted a 16-17–33 scoring line in 63 games. He finished seventh on the team in scoring and fourth in PIMs (86) en route to his best offensive campaign since that rookie showing.

That isn’t enough to make him a legitimate candidate for a roster spot in the fall, but he may have at least earned a longer look in training camp to help push himself up Utah’s list of potential call-ups. If he doesn’t log 80 career NHL appearances by the time his deal is up in the summer of 2027, he’ll qualify for Group VI unrestricted free agency. The Mammoth now have 40 of 50 possible standard contracts on their books for next season.

Eetu Mäkiniemi Signs One-Year Deal With Liiga’s TPS

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Finnish goaltender Eetu Mäkiniemi is headed home on a one-year deal with TPS of the first-tier Liiga, per a club announcement. The Flyers’ fifth-stringer this season was a pending Group VI unrestricted free agent.

Mäkiniemi, 26, once had legitimate NHL upside but has been derailed by injuries in the past few years. That continued in 2024-25. He reported to AHL Lehigh Valley after being cut from training camp and, after posting a 3.03 GAA, .899 SV%, and a 3-0-2 record in five games, sustained a sports hernia in mid-November and never returned after undergoing surgery.

A fourth-round pick by the Hurricanes in 2017, Mäkiniemi signed his entry-level deal with Carolina and came to North America for the 2021-22 campaign. He impressed in limited action with AHL Chicago, posting a .922 SV% and 2.06 GAA in 14 appearances along with an 11-2-1 record. Buried among a bevy of strong netminding prospects in the Canes’ system, though, he was deemed expendable and traded to the Sharks the following summer in the deal that sent Brent Burns from San Jose to Carolina.

Mäkiniemi made his NHL debut the following season, posting a 1-0-1 record with a .906 SV% and 2.13 GAA in one start and one relief appearance for the lowly Sharks in a pair of contests in December 2022. He never made it back to the top level, though. After being demoted to ECHL Wichita for a time the following year, he reached Group VI UFA status for the first time and opted instead to latch on with the Flyers on a two-way deal last summer in hopes of climbing up their depth chart. While he had a decent AHL start and strong training camp, his injury derailed any chance of that.

He’ll now return to Liiga to rediscover some consistency and hopefully stay healthy. The 6’2″, 183-lb netminder last played in the top flight with Ilves in the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons, recording a 2.43 GAA, .911 SV%, two shutouts, and a 15-14-11 record in 41 appearances. He’ll presumably be TPS’ starter ahead of 20-year-old World Juniors silver medalist Noa Vali, who struggled in his first full-time Liiga season in 2024-25 with a .887 SV% in 26 showings. A strong year for Mäkiniemi, particularly since he only signed a one-year deal, could land him another NHL contract in the summer of 2026.

Mac Hollowell Signs In Russia

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June 11: Yaroslavl made Hollowell’s addition official today, announcing a one-year deal for the defender on their Telegram channel.

May 29: Pending Group VI unrestricted free agent defenseman Mac Hollowell “is in the final stages of negotiations” to join Russia’s Lokomotiv Yaroslavl of the Kontinental Hockey League, Andrey Pchelintsev of Sovsport.ru relays.

Hollowell, 26, hasn’t played in the NHL since receiving a six-game trial with the Maple Leafs in the 2022-23 campaign. He spent this season on a two-way deal with the Penguins after also becoming a Group VI UFA last summer, but he cleared waivers during training camp and went the entire year without a call-up.

The 5’10’, 176-lb righty thus played out his sixth minor-league season with AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, leading their defensemen in scoring with 31 points (1 G, 30 A) in 56 games along with a minus-three rating. Pittsburgh was his third NHL organization. He was initially drafted by current Penguins GM Kyle Dubas in 2018 in the fourth round when he was at the helm in Toronto, playing four years in their system before being non-tendered in 2023. He signed a two-way deal with the Rangers that summer but was stashed with their AHL affiliate in Hartford for the entirety of the campaign before inking his most recent two-way agreement with Pittsburgh.

Without a clear pathway to NHL minutes, the Ontario native will look for an expanded role in one of the top leagues in the world. Lokomotiv is fresh off its first Gagarin Cup championship in franchise history. However, they’ve already lost a piece of their back end to the NHL in the form of 2023 No. 6 overall pick Dmitri Simashev, who signed his entry-level contract with the Mammoth yesterday. Hollowell, an adept puck-mover with a career 0.56 points per game rate in 244 AHL games, would be an impact pickup for a club with just three defenders under contract for next season at the time of writing.

Red Wings Sign Michal Postava To Entry-Level Contract

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According to a team announcement, the Detroit Red Wings have signed netminder Michal Postava to a two-year, entry-level contract. The deal will run through the 2026-27 NHL season, when Postava will become a restricted free agent.

Based on their transaction history for the last year, Detroit is attempting to throw everything at the wall and see what sticks regarding their goaltending situation. The team brought in veterans Cam Talbot and Jack Campbell last summer and acquired Petr Mrázek from the Chicago Blackhawks at the trade deadline.

Furthermore, Detroit has two of the higher-end goaltending prospects in the NHL, Sebastian Cossa and Trey Augustine, although the latter has yet to debut at the professional level. Given his age and relatively brief professional history in Czechia, Postava should be considered a prospect rather than immediate help.

He doesn’t project as high as other netminders in his age group, but Postava is coming off a quality season with HC Kometa Brno in Czechia’s highest league. The 23-year-old goalie managed a 23-18-0 record in 42 games with a .921 SV% and 2.39 GAA, including three shutouts.

He provided even better numbers in the postseason. In 17 playoff contests, Postava earned 10 wins with a .940 SV% and 1.97 GAA, backstopping Kometa Brno to their third league championship.

It’s unlikely that Postava will challenge for a spot on the active roster during training camp, meaning the expectation is that he’ll start the year with the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins. There, Postava will be paired with Cossa as the Griffins look to build on their competitive 2024-25 season.

Flames Sign Adam Klapka To Two-Year Contract

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According to a team announcement, the Calgary Flames have signed forward Adam Klapka to a two-year contract extension. The pending restricted free agent will earn an AAV of $1.25MM on his new deal.

Klapka will earn nearly double his salary from this past season, playing on a one-year, $775K contract through the 2024-25 season. The undrafted forward will remain a restricted free agent upon the expiry of this contract, though he will have earned his arbitration rights.

Fortunately for Klapka, the fully guaranteed contract likely means he’ll be on the Flames roster for much of the 2025-26 season. The Praha, Czechia native split his time during the 2024-25 campaign, registering 31 games with the Flames, and 33 games with their AHL affiliate, the Calgary Wranglers.

Each team knows exactly what Klapka brings to the table. He’s more of a point-producer at the AHL level, scoring 48 goals and 97 points in 158 games with AHL Calgary, and another six goals and 11 points in 16 postseason contests.

Still, he should have more to offer in the NHL now that he’s gotten his rookie season out of the way. Klapka finished 2024-25 with six goals and 10 points, while averaging 9:39 of ice time per game.

His main value comes through his physicality. Despite finishing last year tied for 21st on the team in games played, Klapka finished eighth in hits and should compete for the most on the team next season, should he play a full year.

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