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Snapshots: Hague, Pastrnak, Jets

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When Vegas Golden Knights training camp opens tomorrow morning, defenseman Nicolas Hague won’t be there as he awaits a new contract. The Athletic’s Jesse Granger reports that he isn’t expected to be on the ice with his teammates Thursday morning at City National Arena, the team’s practice facility.

Hague is one of the few remaining restricted free agents in the NHL, alongside Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Rasmus Sandin and Dallas Stars forward Jason Robertson as the marquee names. Granger expertly notes that Hague missing camp is more detrimental than in previous seasons, as new head coach Bruce Cassidy will be installing a completely foreign defensive system from what the Knights have been used to in past seasons. Hague, the 34th overall pick in 2017, had 14 points in 52 games last season.

  • Speaking today during preseason media availability, Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney says it’s a priority for him to get pending free agent winger David Pastrnak signed as soon as possible. Pastrnak, while he’s expressed a strong desire to stay in Boston, hasn’t shared the same urgency in negotiations in previous reporting. Pastrnak, who’s notched 40 or more goals in his last two full seasons, will be in line for a substantial raise, and it may behoove Sweeney to get a deal done before his value rises even further.
  • The Winnipeg Jets have made three scouting hires, including the first woman scout in team history, Sydney Daniels. Daniels joins the team as an NCAA scout, having previously served as the assistant coach for the women’s team at Harvard. The team also brought on Jari Kekalainen, brother of Columbus Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen, as a European scout, and former Toronto Maple Leafs scout Tony Martino as a USHL scout.

Minor Transactions: 09/01/22

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We are into September and preseason hockey is right around the corner. The summer has flown by and now teams must put the finishing touches on their rosters ahead of training camp. Like always, we’ll be keeping track of any notable minor moves right here, keeping you up to date on the entire hockey world.

  • Tyler Irvine has signed a one-year minor league contract with the Cleveland Monsters, after splitting last season with the Utica Comets and Adirondack Thunder. The 26-year-old forward had 42 points in 49 games with the Thunder but just five in 20 matches with Utica. Given it is a two-way AHL/ECHL contract he is signing, there’s no guarantee he stays at the higher level.
  • Gordie Green, who had been with the Toronto Marlies and Newfoundland Growlers last season, has signed a new deal with the Toledo Walleye. Green had 47 points in 57 games for the Growlers last year and was a huge part of their run to the Kelly Cup Eastern Conference Finals.
  • Belarusian defenseman Artyom Levshunov has been approved to play in the USHL this season, according to Ryan Kennedy of The Hockey News. The 16-year-old won’t be eligible for the NHL draft until 2024 and now will have a chance to get in front of more scouts in North America.

This page will be updated throughout the day

Prospect Notes: Dickinson, Hamara, Lindgren

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The Niagara IceDogs have had a tumultuous 12 months, and things aren’t slowing down. The OHL team will not have top pick Sam Dickinson in camp according to Jeff Marek of Sportsnet, confirming earlier reporting from Matt Young of OHL Tonight.

Dickinson, the fourth-overall pick in this year’s OHL draft, was also picked late by the Chicago Steel of the USHL and could see his CHL rights traded to the London Knights according to Young. Both powerhouse organizations are known for being able to recruit talented youngsters, given their elite development programs.

  • The Kitchener Rangers, meanwhile, announced some good news today by signing Tomas Hamara to a standard contract. The Ottawa Senators third-round pick was the 26th selection in the CHL Import Draft and will come over from Finland, where he has played the last several years. The Czech-born defenseman signed his entry-level contract with Ottawa in July.
  • Speaking of 2022 draft picks, Buffalo Sabres prospect Mats Lindgren (son of former NHL forward Mats Lindgren), has been traded from the Kamloops Blazers to the Red Deer Rebels for the upcoming WHL season. Lingren was the 106th player selected last month, joining a Sabres prospect pool that is loaded with young talent.

Carolina Hurricanes Name Brock Sheahan AHL Head Coach

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Per a team release, the Carolina Hurricanes have named Brock Sheahan the head coach of their AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves.

Sheahan, 38, becomes a professional hockey coach for the first time. He got his coaching start with Notre Dame in 2013-14 as an assistant coach, serving just one season. For four seasons from 2014 to 2018, he spent time as an assistant and associate coach for the College of the Holy Cross before getting a job with the USHL’s Chicago Steel for 2018-19.

The Steel promoted him to their head coaching role during the 2019-20 season and he never looked back. Sheahan guided the 2020-21 Chicago Steel to a Clark Cup championship, working with current NHL prospects such as Sean Farrell, Matt Coronato, Mackie Samoskevich, and Josh Doan.

The Wolves themselves are coming off a Calder Cup-winning season, spearheaded by high-end veteran firepower and elite goaltending. It was enough to get their previous head coach, Ryan Warsofsky, an assistant job with the San Jose Sharks. Sheahan will need to keep the team’s structure intact after an offseason that’s seen a lot of turnover at all spots in the Hurricanes organization.

Prospect Notes: Clang, Feuk, Veinbergs

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John Gibson’s name is beginning to come up in trade rumors more and more, and, while it seems like the Anaheim Ducks might be in a lot of goaltending trouble without him, that’s not entirely true. Behind Gibson, the team has one of the best one-two goalie prospect punches in the league, quietly adding to their prospect pool this season via trade.

That trade was the Rickard Rakell deal, where the Ducks acquired goalie prospect Calle Clang from the Pittsburgh Penguins as part of the return. Today, they’ve officially loaned Clang to Rögle BK of the SHL for the 2022-23 season, per a team tweet. Clang was the backup for Team Sweden at the 2022 World Juniors, only so due to the brilliance of Jesper Wallstedt. In two games, Clang had a .944 save percentage, complementing what was a strong rookie season for him in the SHL (2.28 GAA, .915 SV%, 10-5-0 record). While he’ll be staying there for another season, it’s probably the best for his development — the team has another high-end goalie prospect in Lukas Dostal who will receive the lion’s share of the starts for the San Diego Gulls in the AHL.

  • Calgary Flames prospect Lucas Feuk is heading to North America on an AHL contract with the Calgary Wranglers, according to his former league in Sweden, HockeyEttan. A 2019 fourth-round pick, the Flames have Feuk’s exclusive signing rights until June of next year. The 21-year-old had 27 points in 32 HockeyEttan games last year split between Väsby IK and Nybro Vikings IF. HockeyEttan is Sweden’s third-tier professional league, sitting behind the SHL and Allsvenskan.
  • Another prospect is heading to North America, according to his former team — Tampa Bay Lightning 2022 draft pick Klavs Veinbergs will suit up for the USHL’s Lincoln Stars in 2022-23. Veinbergs, 19, was drafted from Zemgale in the Latvian league and represented his country at the 2022 World Juniors. He’ll head to the USHL to continue his development, which is becoming a popular destination among Latvian players.

Matthew Virgilio Signs With Soo Greyhounds

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The Soo Greyhounds announced a player signing today, getting Matthew Virgilio to commit and sign a standard OHL player agreement. No big deal, one might think, given the fact that Virgilio was a fourth-round pick in this year’s OHL draft.

But it’s not that simple. Virgilio, at the time, was committed to the University of Michigan and had signed a tender in the USHL to play for the Tri-City Storm. Had that commitment not been in place, he easily would have gone in the first round of the OHL draft, quite near the top as one of the best defensemen in his age group.

The 16-year-old is considered a top prospect for the 2024 NHL Draft and will now get to show off his skills in the Soo for the next several years. General manager Kyle Raftis explained:

Matthew is a very polished defenseman who has the ability to move pucks efficiently, control play in all three zones, and also bring a physical edge and intensity to his game on the defensive side of the puck. The way he plays the game shows a high-level of maturity and poise that are rare traits to find with a player at his age.

The Greyhounds now list him at 6’0 183-lbs in their release, despite him only turning 16 a few months ago. For prospect watchers and draft gurus, he’ll be one to watch.

Snapshots: Jets, Kings, Coyotes

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On November 17, the Winnipeg Jets will be honoring two of the greatest players in franchise history (or at least, Jets history, both this iteration and the previous one). Teemu Selanne and Teppo Numminen will be inducted into the Jets Hall of Fame, joining Bobby Hull, Ulf Nilsson, Anders Hedberg, Dale Hawerchuk, Ab McDonald, Lars-Erik Sjoberg, Randy Carlyle, and Thomas Steen.

It wouldn’t be right to do it against any other team than the Anaheim Ducks, where Selanne went from incredible youngster to NHL legend. In just 231 games for the Jets, Selanne scored 147 goals, including 76 in his rookie season, a record that has yet to be broken (and is 23 ahead of second place, Mike Bossy). Numminen meanwhile played 547 games for the Jets and continued on with the organization after it moved to Phoenix, playing a total of 1,098 with that franchise. The steady-as-she-goes defenseman was one of the most consistent two-way players in his era, racking up 637 points in 1,372 career games.

  • The Los Angeles Kings have added Andy Johnson to their scouting staff, according to Brad Elliott Schlossman of the Grand Forks Herald. He comes from the Sioux City Musketeers, where he served as general manager for the last three seasons. The Musketeers won the Clark Cup as champions of the USHL this season and have produced plenty of NHL talents including Jake Guentzel, and Max Pacioretty.
  • While there has been positive momentum toward a new arena in Tempe for the Arizona Coyotes, nothing is finalized to this point. Craig Morgan of PHNX Sports details the next step, which includes a presentation to the city council on Thursday that will detail progress made on outstanding issues. Morgan suggests this could be the “home stretch” for the negotiation, while examining those potential issues.

Jared Wright Commits To University Of Denver

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The University of Denver is getting another interesting prospect for the upcoming season, as Los Angeles Kings draft pick Jared Wright has committed to the program. Wright will leave the Omaha Lancers of the USHL after just one season, and start his college career, where he can continue to develop at one of the top hockey development programs in the country.

The Pioneers won last year’s National Championship and have a shot at repeating (especially if John Bucigross of ESPN is to be believed). Wright, 19, was picked in the sixth round by the Kings after going undrafted in his first year of eligibility, and had 34 points in 59 games for Omaha last season. An excellent skater, the 6’1″ winger’s style is well-suited to college hockey, and heading to Denver is likely the best chance he has of playing NHL games down the road.

Los Angeles meanwhile will have to wait and watch his development patiently, with the deadline to sign him now way down the road. Wright is joining a team loaded with other NHL draft picks, including quite a few second-round selections that will draw most of the focus. The college route has turned into one of the best paths a late-round player can take, giving them ample time to develop at their own pace against fully-grown opponents.

Arizona Coyotes Sign Lukas Klok

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You’ve heard of Ronald Knot, get ready for Lukas Klok. The Arizona Coyotes have picked up their second 27-year-old Czech defenseman of the offseason, bringing in Klok from Nizhnekamsk in the KHL on a one-year, two-way entry-level deal, per CapFriendly. It has a cap hit of $845K, which includes an NHL salary of $750K, $105K in performance bonuses, $95K in signing bonuses, and a minors salary of $82.5K.

Klok is actually a solid under-the-radar candidate to make the Coyotes this fall. He had a strong season in the KHL, notching 31 points in 44 games. He also had three points in four games for Czechia at the 2022 Winter Olympics. Both Klok and Knot, a previous Arizona signing this offseason, played for the same team in Russia and were both on the Czech Olympic squad.

Klok was never drafted, but he does have 29 games of experience in North America. He played 29 games with the USHL’s Youngstown Phantoms back in 2013-14, registering three points.

Colorado Avalanche Sign Josh Jacobs, Spencer Smallman

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As the reigning Stanley Cup Champions worked on bringing back two key players in Valeri Nichushkin and Josh Manson, they also brought in two depth pieces in that of forward Spencer Smallman and defenseman Joshua Jacobs, the team announced. Smallman’s contract runs for two years, while Jacobs’ is just for one. The Jacobs contract is a two-way deal, worth $750K at the NHL level and $265K in the minors, says PuckPedia. Smallman’s contract is worth $750K in the NHL this season, rising to $775K next season, according to PuckPedia. In the minors, the contract will pay Smallman $350K this season and $400K next season, but does guarantee him $400K this season regardless.

A fifth-round pick of the Carolina Hurricanes in 2015, Smallman has spent his professional career between the ECHL and AHL levels in the Hurricanes’ system. This season, the 25-year-old had 27 points, 10 goals and 17 assists, in 65 games for the Chicago Wolves of the AHL. Prior to his pro career, Smallman spent five years as a member of the Saint John Sea Dogs of the QMJHL, his best and final season coming in 2016-17, where he notched 30 goals and 49 assists in 60 games.

Once a top prospect in the New Jersey Devils organization, Jacobs hasn’t lived up to the expectations set for him after he was drafted 41st overall in 2014. Quite the opposite of Smallman, Jacobs made his way through three leagues before turning professional, starting with two seasons in the USHL as a member of the Indiana Ice before heading to college at Michigan State University for a season, finishing his amateur career with a season in the OHL as a member of the Sarnia Sting. Since then, Jacobs has spent most of his career playing in the AHL with the Devils, making a couple of appearances in the NHL with New Jersey. 2021-22 was Jacobs’ first season outside of the Devils organization, as he played for the Chicago Wolves, an affiliate of the Hurricanes.

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