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Late Night Notes: Tanev, Makar, Wutzke

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Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Chris Tanev was taken out of Saturday night’s game on a stretcher, following a collision with Philadelphia Flyers winger Matvei Michkov halfway through the third period. It wasn’t clear exactly where Tanev took the bump, though he was fitted with a head immobilizer.

It is a terrible outcome in what was meant to be Tanev’s first full game back from a previous injury. He was activated off of injured reserve earlier on Saturday, after missing 11 days and four games with a concussion sustained on October 21st.

Tanev remained a core part of Toronto’s blue-line prior to his October 21st injury. His plus-three through seven games is the second-highest among Toronto defenders. He also leads the blue-line with four takeaways on the year.

Toronto could be pushed to recall Dakota Mermis, who was assigned to the AHL to make room for Tanev’s return. Mermis has no scoring through one appearance in the NHL, and two in the AHL, this season. He could continue to fit outside the lineup, should Toronto continue leaning on Philippe Myers and Simon Benoit in a nightly role.

Other notes from around the NHL:

  • The Colorado Avalanche have assigned forward Taylor Makar to the AHL. Makar made his NHL debut on Saturday. He posted one hit and no shots in just six minutes of action. The night was also Taylor’s first chance to play alongside brother Cale Makar at the NHL rank. Despite playing for the same junior and college programs, the two hadn’t formally played together, largely thanks to Cale being three years Taylor’s senior. With this move, the younger Makar will now return to the AHL ranks, where he’s already accrued four points and 14 penalty minutes in nine games. He’s playing through his rookie AHL season, after earning a five-game sample in the league following the end of his senior year last season.
  • Minnesota Wild goalie prospect Chase Wutzke has been traded in the WHL. He moved from the Red Deer Rebels to the Moose Jaw Warriors in a lofty trade – with one first-round, two second-round, one third-round, and two fourth-round draft picks headed back to Red Deer. Wutzke will bring starting upside to the Warriors. He’s posted a .889 save percentage in nine games so far this season, a that mark sits above both of Moose Jaw’s goaltenders. That should earn Wutzke the starter’s crease sooner rather than later, and give Moose Jaw one more piece to help push towards a long season.

Avalanche Sign Tristen Nielsen

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The Colorado Avalanche have signed forward Tristen Nielsen to a two-year NHL contract. The deal is a promotion from the AHL contract Nielsen entered the season on. His new contract will run through the end of the 2026-27 season.

Nielsen has had a red-hot start to the AHL season. He has scored seven points in seven games, tying him for the Colorado Eagles’ scoring lead alongside Daniil Gushchin, who has seven points in five games. It’s a huge spike in production for Nielsen, who spent the last four years in a depth role on the Abbotsford Canucks. He reached a career-high 41 points in 64 AHL games during the 2022-23 season, but fell all the way to 28 points in 67 games last year.

A scoring decline pushed Nielsen towards a change of scenery this summer. He signed a minor-league deal with the Eagles in early August and joined the Avalanche for their training camp in September. He scored three points in three NHL preseason games throughout camp – an especially impressive milestone given Nielsen only played in two preseason games over the course of four years in the Canucks organization. He’s continued that hot scoring into the regular season, and earned a second-look from the NHL brass as a result.

Nielsen originally signed with Vancouver as an undrafted free agent, after appearing in parts of six seasons in the WHL. He split those years evenly between the Calgary Hitmen and Vancouver Giants, and racked up 175 points across 241 games in the league. That includes a team-leading, and career-best, 65 points in 61 games during the Giants’ 2022-23 season. The Canucks signed Nielsen as a local gem two years later, and while he was never able to strike in Vancouver, his new contract will open the door to a possible NHL debut with the Avalanche soon.

Sabres Notes: Kozak, Mrtka, Mogilny

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The Buffalo Sabres announced mid-game that center Tyson Kozak will not return due to a lower body injury, playing just 1:49 before exiting. Buffalo, winners of three out of their last four games, has seemed to find some momentum but now will have to hope Kozak’s injury is not serious. 

Originally drafted in the seventh round of the 2021 draft by Buffalo, the 22-year-old Kozak has impressively become a solid defensive center, appearing in 21 games for the Sabres last year, and six so far in 2025-26 where he has netted two goals. 

Elsewhere from Buffalo:

  • Earlier today in advance of tonight’s game vs Toronto, the Sabres announced that Radim Mrtka was reassigned to the Seattle Thunderbirds of the WHL. Drafted 9th overall by Buffalo in last summer’s draft, the defenseman did not appear for the big club but made his professional debut with AHL Rochester, skating in 4 games, posting one assist and mixing it up a bit with 7 penalty minutes. At just 18-years-old, the Czech and his 6’6” frame will be a welcome addition back for Seattle, as Buffalo looks to set their prospect up for success in 2025-26 before a potential pro return next year.
  • A former Sabre confirmed that he will not attend the 2025 Hockey Hall of Fame induction ceremony in person. Alexander Mogilny, finally being elected this year after 16 years of eligibility, will instead deliver an acceptance speech through video message, as confirmed by Kelly Masse, Director of Media Relations for the Hockey Hall of Fame. The legend, who scored an unreal 76 goals for Buffalo in 1992-93, also made tremendous impacts in Vancouver, New Jersey, and Toronto. Although known of having a fear of flying, Mogilny is President of the KHL’s Amur Khabarovsk club, their season in full swing on the other side of the globe. 

Canucks Reassign Braeden Cootes, To Recall Max Sasson

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According to head coach Adam Foote (per Sportsnet’s Brendan Batchelor), the Vancouver Canucks will reassign forward Braeden Cootes to the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds. Vancouver will recall forward Max Sasson from the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks in a corresponding roster move. The Canucks confirmed Cootes’s reassignment, but didn’t do the same with Sasson’s recall.

So ends Cootes’s improbable run to the Canucks roster to start the 2025-26 campaign. Vancouver selected Cootes with the 15th overall pick of this past summer’s draft, and he cracked the team’s opening night roster after an impressive training camp and preseason. On October 9th, Cootes became the first 18-year-old to play for the Canucks since fellow first-round selection, Petr Nedvěd in 1990. 

His debut will end after three games. The Sherwood Park, Alberta native went scoreless, earning a -2 rating while averaging 10:47 of ice time in a largely sheltered role. Further, his 28.1% CorsiFor% at even strength and -1.8 Expected +/- indicates that Cootes may not have been as ready for the show as previously believed. Ahead of an upcoming five-game road trip, it has become the right time to move Cootes into a more comfortable environment.

He won’t have to travel very far to rejoin his old team. Located approximately 140 miles south of Vancouver, Cootes will continue his season with the Thunderbirds, where he scored 26 goals and 63 points in 60 games as the team’s captain. He was even more impressive on Team Canada for the U18 World Junior Championships, scoring six goals and 12 points in seven games, and capturing the gold medal against Team Sweden.

Replacing Cootes in the lineup will be a familiar face from last season. Sasson played in 29 games for the Canucks last year, scoring three goals and seven points while averaging 10:20 of ice time per game. Although he didn’t offer much on offense, he was an exceptional defensive forward, managing a 92.1% on-ice save percentage at even strength. Still, he may have another offensive gear to his game, considering he finished last year with 13 goals and 32 points in 41 games with AHL Abbotsford.

Morning Notes: Stockselius, Camper, McKenna

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Calgary Flames 2025 second-round pick Theo Stockselius had his WHL rights traded on Friday, with the Calgary Hitmen trading several draft picks to the Seattle Thunderbirds, including conditional rights to the team’s 2027 first-rounder. Regarding the trade, Postmedia’s Wes Gilbertson reported that Stockselius won’t be heading to the Hitmen for now – he’ll remain with the SHL’s Djurgårdens – but that this trade paves the way for Stockselius to have the option of starting his career in North America close to his eventual pro landing spot.

The move is an intriguing one for the Flames, as the team’s parent company (Calgary Sports and Entertainment) are the owners of the Hitmen and have the Hitmen play out their home schedule in the Scotiabank Saddledome. Should Stockselius eventually land with the Flames, it would allow Calgary brass to keep a very close eye on his development and likely give them the ability to exert more control over his developmental process. Stockselius began this season with Djurgårdens’ J20 Nationell side, scoring seven points in five games. That performance earned him his first-ever SHL call-up, and he skated in just over seven minutes of the team’s 5-2 Saturday win over Malmö. Scouts generally project Stockselius, a rangy 6’3 center, as a potential middle-six NHL pivot.

Some other notes from around the hockey world:

  • Former college hockey star and longtime pro player Carter Camper announced his retirement on social media Friday, bringing to a close a 14-year career in professional hockey. While the 37-year-old only managed three NHL games, he did have a long, highly successful career in the AHL and later, the SHL. The former Hobey Baker Award finalist for Miami (OH) scored 421 points across 551 AHL games and 121 points in 137 SHL games, and also won the Liiga championship in his lone season in Finland’s top pro circuit with Tappara Tampere. Now with his career in hockey finished, Camper announced that he’s transitioning to a career as a financial advisor at global financial services company Morgan Stanley.
  • Top prospect Gavin McKenna made his NCAA debut for Penn State this weekend, and his performance only served to underscore his overwhelming likelihood to be the 2026 number-one overall pick, writes FloHockey’s Chris Peters. While McKenna was perhaps not the standout player from Penn State’s weekend series at Arizona State University (that honor would have to go to Carolina Hurricanes 2025 second-rounder Charlie Cerrato who managed six points in the two games played) he still found his way to make his mark. McKenna had two assists in his debut game and scored a game-winning goal in the second game of the series, an extremely impressive start for one of the youngest players in college hockey. Widely ranked as the 2026 draft class’ top player for several years now, this weekend’s series suggests that isn’t likely to change anytime soon, and that McKenna could potentially follow in 2024 top pick Macklin Celebrini’s footsteps in winning the Hobey Baker Award as a draft-eligible true freshman player.

Poll: Which 2025 Draft Picks Will Make The NHL Out Of Camp?

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Over the course of NHL training camps, there are few more exciting things than watching which rookies break into the league out of camp. That’s especially true for players coming straight from the NHL Draft, who are often making the massive leap from junior leagues directly to competition on the world’s biggest stage at 18-years-old. As the end of this year’s camps approaches, it appears the 2025 class could offer up multiple stars capable of making that jump, and even sticking around for the full year.

The strongest bids for an NHL role sit, aptly, with the top two picks. Matthew Schaefer has seemed destined for an NHL role since he was drafted. He exudes confidence in both personality and performance, and has looked sharp from his first preseason game despite not playing a game since December 2024. Schaefer’s top-to-bottom playmaking and slick stickhandling has stayed effective against pro competition. Even with the growing pains of going from OHL injury to NHL minutes, it seems the Islanders would be foolish to not see what their star prospect can show when the season kicks off.

Michael Misa’s camp hasn’t burst in the same way as Schaefer’s – but his bright moments have surely looked as dominant. He has continued to show an impressive level of speed, deception, and highlight-reel goal-scoring. That could be enough to earn a spot on an already young and inexperienced Sharks roster – though Misa still looks a few steps back from NHL tempo and physicality. There could be merit to letting him work through those challenges next to other young, top-picks Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith, and William Eklund. All three have found ways to make their offense work in the NHL, despite facing the same barrier that Misa is faced with now.

Fifth-overall pick Brady Martin could have the strongest chance for an NHL role behind the draft’s stars. He has fit right into an offense of heavy, smooth-moving forwards with the Nashville Predators – and even skated alongside Ryan O’Reilly and Filip Forsberg late in camp. That’s a strong spot to be with final cuts approaching, helped along by Martin being one of only three 2025 draftees with multiple preseason points. He has two in three games.

The other multi-point scorers are former Seattle Thunderbirds teammates Radim Mrtka (1 G, 1 A, 4 GP) and Braeden Cootes (2 G, 3 GP). Mrtka has flashed as a versatile puck-mover for the Buffalo Sabres. He looks like he’ll fit right in with the Sabres’ downhill style, but has also looked a bit too shaky in his moments away from the puck. He seems headed for a return to Seattle – while Cootes is making the Vancouver Canucks’ decision tough. He’s proven capable of holding his own against pros, with the smarts and the strength to keep making plays in the dangerous areas of the ice. He could be the jolt of effective depth that Vancouver’s been searching for, though that could be a lot to ask the 18-year-old centerman.

Benjamin Kindel has also been a standout, showing he has the skill to play above his size with the Pittsburgh Penguins. It’s his ability to work around his experienced linemates that has helped Kindel shine. His snappy speed and smart paths around the offensive end have worked on a high-skilled Penguins offense, though Kindel has only one goal in five preseason appearances. Like many rookies, he faces an uphill battle in adjusting to NHL physicality, which could result in one more year in the WHL proving the best bet.

Each of the six draftees – all former CHL players – have done well to prove their case to stick in the NHL. At the least, it seems all five could be headed for a nine-game trial period before returning to their junior clubs. But with final cuts yet to come, it remains to be seen who will break camp with their new team.

Who do you think will make the NHL, and who needs another year of honing?

Mobile users click here to vote.

Evening Notes: Evangelista, Canadiens Rookies, Cootes

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Negotiations between winger Luke Evangelista and the Nashville Predators have begun to stall per David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, who reports that yearly salary is what’s created the wedge. Evangelista is one of the top unsigned restricted free agents after players like Connor Zary and Marco Rossi both found new deals. The 23-year-old Evangelista posted an impressive 10 goals and 32 points in 68 games last season. It was a suitable encore to the 16 goals and 39 points he posted in 80 games of the 2023-24 season.

A pair of successful scoring seasons would surely make the player’s camp confident in earning a hardy salary. Columbus Blue Jackets forward Cole Sillinger recently signed a two-year, $4.5MM contract extension, while New Jersey Devils forward Dawson Mercer recently signed a three-year, $12MM contract. Those could be the boundaries for a short-term, bridge contract for Evangelista, who has certainly proved he can stick in Nashville’s top nine. Should contract talks continue to stall, the Predators could opt for a one-year, sub-$1MM contract and kick negotiations back to next summer.

Other notes from around the league:

  • The Montreal Canadiens have assigned a group of rookies back to their respective leagues after rookie camp came to a close. In turn, Montreal assigned defensemen Carlos Handel to the QMJHL’s Halifax Mooseheads, Andrew MacNiel to the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers, and Bryce Pickford to the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers. Goaltenders Arseny Radkov and Mikus Vecvanags will return to Russia and Latvia, respectively. The team has also returned a handful of rookie camp invites. All of the moves come as expected, though it rings as exciting news for fans of Medicine Hat and Halifax, as their top defenders return for another season.
  • Top Vancouver Canucks prospect Braeden Cootes was absent from the team’s final rookie camp scrimmage on Sunday, per Thomas Drance of The Athletic. Drance later added that Cootes was held out for precautionary reasons and will still attend training camp next week. That will keep the reigning 15th overall pick on track to take his first crack at breaking into the NHL. Cootes had a strong season with the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds last year. He dominated the middle of the ice with quick plays all year long, working up to 63 points and 60 games in total. Cootes seems most likely set for a return to Seattle next season, though a strong training camp could earn him the chance at sticking in the pros for nine games.

Minor Transactions: Hurlbert, Boltmann, Uens

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American forward J.P. Hurlbert, widely tabbed as a first-round pick in the 2026 draft class, will spend his draft year north of the border with the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers, the team announced.

It’s a sharp course reversal from the growing trend of CHL-committed players coming to the United States to play college hockey, as they’re now eligible to do before their usual run in junior hockey would have concluded. Hurlbert is still a University of Michigan commit – that hasn’t changed – but he wasn’t expected to join the team until his age-18 season in 2026-27. He’s still expected to attend while making the Blazers a brief detour on his development path, buying himself out of the U.S. National Team Development Program in order to do so.

Hurlbert, a Texas native, joined the USNTDP’s under-17 squad last year after playing his youth hockey with the Dallas Stars Elite program. He finished third on that club in scoring with a 19-18–37 line in 56 games, adding three assists in five games for the Americans at the under-17 World Hockey Challenge.

The 17-year-old joins a Kamloops roster headlined by Penguins 2024 second-rounder Harrison Brunicke on defense – assuming he doesn’t make Pittsburgh’s opening night roster. At forward, he’ll have Blackhawks pick Nathan Behm, a third-rounder this year, to help him out.

More minor moves from around hockey:

  • Former Flames defense prospect Jake Boltmann is landing in the Stars organization on a contract with ECHL Idaho, per a club announcement. The 23-year-old righty was a third-rounder by Calgary in 2020 but wasn’t signed following his fifth season of college hockey, so assuming he’s submitted the proper paperwork, he’s now an unrestricted free agent in the NHL’s eyes. The 6’1″, 201-lb rearguard had 20 points and 108 PIMs in 126 games with Notre Dame over four seasons before transferring to Northeastern for a fifth year. He had a 2-10–12 scoring line with 39 PIMs and a -2 rating in 35 showings for the Huskies last year.
  • Ex-Panthers farmhand Zachary Uens has signed an AHL deal with the Kraken’s affiliate in Coachella Valley. The 24-year-old was an unrestricted free agent after being non-tendered back in June before the expiry of his entry-level contract. A 2020 fourth-round pick, he saw fringe action for Florida’s AHL club in Charlotte but played mostly in the ECHL, most recently for the Savannah Ghost Pirates. The 6’2″ lefty spent all of last season there, logging 17 points and 68 PIMs in 62 games.

Prospect Notes: Mania, Whitelaw, Poletin

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With NCAA rosters being finalized and CHL training camps starting up soon, there’s been a flurry of activity involving NHL prospects finding new homes to continue their development for 2025-26. One of those names is ex-Kings prospect Matthew Mania, whom Ryan Sikes of Puck Preps reports will play for the University of Michigan after he announced his commitment in June.

Mania, 20, had one year of OHL eligibility remaining as an overager, but taking advantage of it is rare for a prospect with NHL aspirations. He’ll make the jump to a more challenging environment in the Big 10 conference after seeing some stagnant development since L.A. selected him in the fifth round of the 2023 draft.

The 6’1″ right-shot defenseman spent his first three junior seasons with the Sudbury Wolves before getting dealt to the Flint Firebirds last offseason. As would be expected, Mania recorded a career-high 38 assists and 45 points with a +10 rating in 2024-25, but that wasn’t much of a significant pop from his draft-year production with the Wolves three years ago (10-28–38, +21, 67 GP).

Mania joins a Michigan blue line that also landed some younger, higher-profile freshmen for 2025-26, including fellow ex-OHLer and 2024 Flames third-rounder Henry Mews. He’ll look to stand out and eventually earn an NHL contract as a free agent. Since he was drafted out of the CHL, L.A.’s signing rights expired on June 1 of this year and will not be re-extended by virtue of his move to college.

More from the NCAA/CHL world:

  • Officially moving on from Michigan after entering the transfer portal months ago is Blue Jackets center prospect William Whitelaw. He’s not going very far, though – reigning national champions Western Michigan announced on Instagram they’ve brought him in for his junior campaign. It’ll be the third school in as many years for the 2023 fifth-rounder, who spent his freshman year at Wisconsin before transferring to Michigan last summer. The undersized (5’9″, 174 lbs) pivot has a 21-14–35 scoring line in 72 career collegiate games.
  • After selecting him first overall in this year’s CHL Import Draft, the WHL’s Kelowna Rockets officially announced they’ve signed Islanders prospect Tomas Poletin. The Isles selected Poletin, 18, in the fourth round back in June. The Czech winger spent his draft year in Finland, scoring 13 goals and 20 points in 25 games for Pelicans’ under-20 club while also appearing in 15 Liiga games without a point.

League Notes: Berglund, Brazeau, Gorges

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In an effort to strengthen the team’s depth chart and offer lineup flexibility for new head coach Dan Muse, Pittsburgh Penguins GM Kyle Dubas signed forward Justin Brazeau to a low-key, two-year, $3MM contract this offseason. Brazeau, in turn, is looking to build on the confidence he’s developed over the past few seasons, per team reporter Michelle Crechiolo.

Brazeau, 27, made the most of his first full NHL season last year. In 57 games for the Boston Bruins, the 6’6″, 220-pound winger averaged 12:58 of ice time per night and produced 10 goals and 20 points. He was then flipped to the Minnesota Wild in March, but couldn’t find similar offensive production, posting just two points in 19 games. Still, he finished the season with career highs across the board, including games played (76), goals (11), points (22), hits (123), and blocked shots (38). After bouncing around the ECHL and AHL for much of his pro career, Brazeau is looking to continue to build on his growth from last season.

“With every game, every day in the NHL, I think my confidence has kind of started to build and grow, getting adjusted to the speed of the game and the timings and stuff like that,” Brazeau said. “So, I don’t think it’s any one thing in particular. I think it’s just kind of that confidence and knowing that you belong in this league and you can be a good player.”

Brazeau, whom Dubas originally signed to his first pro contract during their time with the Toronto Maple Leafs, seems to fit the type of player the Penguins targeted this offseason. While it’s still unclear what head coach Dan Muse’s system will emphasize, the organization has clearly prioritized adding size and physicality to the lineup. Alongside Brazeau, Pittsburgh also brought in physically imposing players like forward Anthony Mantha and defensemen Connor Clifton and Alexander Alexeyev. The team also re-signed depth forward Bokondji Imama, who racked up 45 hits and 30 penalty minutes in just 16 games last season.

Elsewhere around the league:

  • The World Junior Summer Showcase (WJSS) recently wrapped up, and several prospects impressed on the international stage, including Philadelphia Flyers 2024 second-round pick Jack Berglund. As team reporter Bill Meltzer outlines, the 19-year-old native of Sweden produced seven points in five WJSS games, which included two even-strength goals and two power-play goals. Berglund, who already stands at 6’2″, 210 pounds, also showcased a physical brand of hockey and mixed it up several times against Team USA and Team Finland. A center with strong defensive grades, Berglund spent most of last season playing with Färjestad BK of the SHL, Sweden’s top professional league. He posted just three points in 17 games, but served as one of the youngest members of the team. With a solid showing at the WJSS and his North American pro debut on the horizon, Berglund will be a player to watch for the Flyers.
  • NHL veteran and alum Josh Gorges has been added to the WHL’s Kelowna Rockets coaching staff, per a team release. Gorges, 40, appeared in 783 games over 13 NHL seasons, and most recently laced it up with the Buffalo Sabres during the 2017-18 season. The rugged defender produced over 1,500 blocked shots and 1,000 hits during his career, which included stops in San Jose, Montreal, and Buffalo. In the late 2000s, Gorges was a staple in the Habs lineup, appearing in 80 or more games on three different occasions. The announcement is a bit of a homecoming for Gorges, as he played four seasons with Kelowna from 2000-2004.

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