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Washington Capitals Sign Vincent Iorio

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The Washington Capitals lost a young player on waivers today but immediately added a new one to the organization. The team has signed 2021 draft pick Vincent Iorio to a three-year, entry-level contract. The deal carries an average annual value of $875,833.

Iorio, 18, was sent back to the Brandon Wheat Kings of the WHL a few days ago after appearing in one preseason game. Selected 55th overall in this year’s draft, the young defenseman is already off to a quick start with Brandon, recording two points in his first two games. Unfortunately, both of those games were blowouts that didn’t go the way of the Wheat Kings, as they were outscored 17-3 by the Winnipeg ICE.

Still, the 6’3″ defenseman has a bright future and can now focus entirely on his development and not worry about earning an entry-level deal with the Capitals. He won’t turn 19 until November and is already in his fourth WHL season. Because he’s spending the year in junior, the first year of his deal will not be burned. Instead, the contract will slide forward and keep Iorio under control through the 2024-25 season–it could even side forward again next year, should he fail to play in the NHL.

Prospect Notes: Draft Rankings, CHL Rankings, Oilers

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TSN’s Bob McKenzie has come out of his semi-retirement to provide one of the most interesting lists of the year, releasing his preseason rankings for the 2022 NHL Draft. McKenzie polls ten active NHL scouts and Shane Wright, the Kingston Frontenacs superstar center, was a unanimous choice as the top player heading into this season. Not only that, but the scribe suggests that Wright probably would have been the top-ranked player in the 2021 draft had he been eligible.

That’s incredibly impressive, given that Wright isn’t a late-September birthday that just missed the cutoff. He won’t turn 18 until January, but already has teams drooling over his potential as a true first-line center. Granted exceptional status for the OHL, he scored 39 goals and 66 points in his first season of CHL hockey in 2019-20, but missed last season when his league failed to hold a season. Still, Wright dominated at the U18 Worlds with nine goals and 14 points in five games, taking home the gold medal with Canada.

  • The presence of Wright in Kingston makes the Frontenacs a team to feat this season, but that still didn’t put them at the top of the CHL rankings released today. That spot went to the Edmonton Oil Kings, who look like a powerhouse in the WHL with top draft picks Dylan Guenther and Sebastian Cossa leading the way. Jake Neighbours, who is still in camp with the St. Louis Blues, will also likely be returning to Edmonton where he could very well contend for the league scoring title. Neighbours has been the talk of camp in St. Louis, with Blues head coach Craig Berube calling him a “dog on a bone” this week and Andy Strickland of Bally Sports Midwest suggesting that he could even join the NHL team at the end of the 2021-22 season.
  • The Edmonton Oilers sent cut several prominent prospects today, including Raphael Lavoie, who will have to wait for his chance at the NHL level. The 21-year-old forward had an outstanding first season of professional hockey in 2020-21, racking up 45 points in 51 games during a loan to Sweden and then returning with a strong performance for the Bakersfield Condors down the stretch. While there are several more experienced names in Oilers camp vying for the last few spots, it is somewhat surprising that he was already sent to the AHL with five more preseason games to go.

Training Camp Cuts: 09/30/21

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With just two weeks left before the start of the regular season, teams across the league are starting to pare down their rosters to the last few competitions. As always, we’ll keep track of all the cuts and loans right here.

Arizona Coyotes (via PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan)

D Cam Crotty (to Tucson, AHL)
D Ty Emberson (to Tucson, AHL)
F Dylan Guenther (to Edmonton, WHL)
D Cole Hults (to Tucson, AHL)
F Liam Kirk (to Tucson, AHL)
F Manix Landry (to Gatineau, QMJHL)
F Matias Maccelli (to Tucson, AHL)
F Ben McCartney (to Tucson, AHL)
G David Tendeck (to Tucson, AHL)
F Reece Vitelli (to Prince Albert, WHL)

Boston Bruins (via team Twitter)

F Fabian Lysell (to Vancouver, WHL)
F Brett Harrison (to Oshawa, OHL)

Calgary Flames (via press release)

D Jeremie Poirier (to Saint John, QMJHL)
F Mark Simpson (to Stockton, AHL)
F Eetu Tuulola (to Stockton, AHL)
F Dmitry Zavgorodniy (to Stockton, AHL)
D Alex Gallant (to Stockton, AHL)
D Yan Kuznetsov (to Stockton, AHL)
D Ilya Solovyov (to Stockton, AHL)
F Luke Philp (to Stockton, AHL)*
F Colton Poolman (to Stockton, AHL)*

Chicago Blackhawks (via press release)

F Jalen Luypen (to Edmonton, WHL)
D Ethan Del Mastro (to Mississauga, OHL)

Columbus Blue Jackets (via press release)

F Ben Boyd (to Charlottetown, QMJHL)
F James Malatesta (to Quebec, QMJHL)
F Martin Rysavy (to Moose Jaw, WHL)
D Ole Julian Bjorgvik-Holm (to Mississauga, OHL)
D Stanislav Svozil (to Regina, WHL)
F Kaleb Lawrence (released from ATO)
F Peter Reynolds (released from ATO)
D Gerard Keane (released from ATO)
D Mark Woolley (released from ATO)
G Emerik Despatie (released from ATO)

Dallas Stars (via press release)

F Wyatt Johnston (to Windsor, OHL)
F Logan Stankoven (to Kamloops, WHL)
F Francesco Arcuri (to Kingston, OHL)
F Conner Roulette (to Seattle, WHL)
D Jacob Holmes (to Sault Ste. Marie, OHL)
G Remi Poirier (to Gatineau, QMJHL)
D Luka Profaca (released from ATO)

Edmonton Oilers (via press release)

F Xavier Bourgault (to Shawinigan, QMJHL)
F Devin Brosseau (to Bakersfield, AHL)
F Matteo Gennaro (to Bakersfield, AHL)
F Dino Kambeitz (to Bakersfield, AHL)
F Raphael Lavoie (to Bakersfield, AHL)
F Kirill Maksimov (to Bakersfield, AHL)
F Ostap Safin (to Bakersfield, AHL)
F Tim Soderlund (to Bakersfield, AHL)
D Yanni Kaldis (to Bakersfield, AHL)

Minnesota Wild (via press release)

F Mitchell Chaffee (to Iowa, AHL)
F Damien Giroux (to Iowa, AHL)
F Ivan Lodnia (to Iowa, AHL)
F Nick Swaney (to Iowa, AHL)
D Turner Ottenbreit (to Iowa, AHL)
D Doyle Somerby (to Iowa, AHL)
D Keaton Thompson (to Iowa, AHL)
G Dereck Baribeau (to Iowa, AHL)
G Hunter Jones (to Iowa, AHL)
F Will Bitten (to Iowa, AHL)*
F Joseph Cramarossa (to Iowa, AHL)*
F Dominic Turgeon (to Iowa, AHL)*

Montreal Canadiens (via team Twitter)

D Xavier Ouellet (to Laval, AHL)*
D Louis Belpedio (to Laval, AHL)*

New York Islanders (per CapFriendly)

F Collin Adams (to Bridgeport, AHL)
F Arnaud Durandeau (to Bridgeport, AHL)
F Blade Jenkins (to Bridgeport, AHL)
F Reece Newkirk (to Bridgeport, AHL)
F Aatu Raty (to Karpat, SM-liiga)

New York Rangers (via press release)

F Brennan Othmann (to Flint, OHL)

San Jose Sharks (via press release)

D Mark Alt (to San Jose, AHL)
F Joachim Blichfeld (to San Jose, AHL)
F Noah Gregor (to San Jose, AHL)
F Scott Reedy (to San Jose, AHL)
F Tristen Robins (to Saskatoon, WHL)
G Zach Sawchenko (to San Jose, AHL)

Seattle Kraken (via press release)

D Ryker Evans (to Regina, WHL)
F Brent Gates (released from tryout)
F Tye Kartye (released from tryout)
F Ryan Lohin (released from tryout)
F Cole MacKay (released from tryout)
F Jacob Melanson (to Acadie-Bathurst, QMJHL)
F Ryan Winterton (to Hamilton, OHL)

Toronto Maple Leafs (via team Twitter)

D William Villeneuve (to Saint John, QMJHL)
F Curtis Douglas (to Toronto, AHL)
F Rich Clune (to Toronto, AHL)

Winnipeg Jets (via team Twitter)

D Tyrel Bauer (to Seattle, WHL)
D Dmitry Kuzmin (to Flint, OHL)

*Must clear waivers

This page will be updated throughout the day

Snapshots: Blackwood, Coyotes, Dach

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The New Jersey Devils were one of the teams to announce during the start of training camp that a player in their organization was unvaccinated, and today Mackenzie Blackwood confirmed that it was him. When speaking with media including Greg Wyshynski of ESPN, Blackwood explained that he hasn’t decided whether or not he will be vaccinated in the future, but has “a couple of health concerns and health reasons” why he has not received it yet.

Though Blackwood will be held to stricter protocols because of his status, the Devils won’t be forced to go without him at the start of the season like some other teams with unvaccinated players. New Jersey is not scheduled to travel to Canada until a December 3 game against the Winnipeg Jets, meaning there would still be time for the young goaltender to receive a league-approved vaccine in time to accompany them on the road trip if he chooses to do so. Blackwood was one of the players to test positive for Coronavirus earlier this year, missing several games.

  • The Arizona Coyotes have hired David Oliver and Scott Pellerin as pro scouts, adding to a scouting department that has experienced a complete overhaul since general manager Bill Armstrong took over the front office. Oliver has spent the last several years as an assistant coach with the New York Rangers, and before that worked for years with the Colorado Avalanche organization. Pellerin meanwhile was previously the Toronto Maple Leafs’ director of player development and had been with the club for seven years.
  • While Kirby Dach is busy preparing for an important season with the Chicago Blackhawks, little brother Colton Dach is heading to a new team in the WHL. The 18-year-old forward, who was picked 62nd overall by the Blackhawks this year, has been traded from the Saskatoon Blades to the Kelowna Rockets. Colton Dach has not yet signed his entry-level with the Blackhawks, but is another big-bodied two-way player that has a legitimate future in the middle of the ice. He had 11 goals and 20 points in 20 games for Saskatoon last season, but will try to build on that this time around in Kelowna.

Carolina Hurricanes Sign Ronan Seeley

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The Carolina Hurricanes have signed 2020 draft pick Ronan Seeley to a three-year entry-level contract. The young defenseman impressed in his shortened WHL season and has now earned himself his first NHL contract. Carolina GM Don Waddell released a statement explaining why they signed him:

Despite two shortened seasons in the WHL, Seeley’s progression has been terrific. His ability to transport the puck and play fast defensively is what we’re looking for in our defensemen. We’re excited to watch him continue his development in our organization for another three years.

It’s not often that seventh-round picks get entry-level contracts less than a year after they are selected, but that’s exactly what Seeley has done since being the 208th overall pick last October. The 19-year-old defenseman played 23 games with the Everett Silvertips in 2020-21 and registered 17 points, good enough for fifth on the entire team. Now, not only was he part of the development camp but Seeley is also on the Hurricanes roster for the NHL training camp.

Even though he signed his entry-level deal today, Seeley will head back to the WHL for his fourth season in Everett as he does not yet qualify for the AHL. That should give him a chance to truly dominate, if last year’s shortened campaign is any indication of how far he has come even since his draft. He was ranked 75th among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting heading into the 2020 draft, but has already shown he should have been picked higher than the seventh round. Earlier this summer, he was even invited to Team Canada’s World Junior development camp, meaning he even has an outside chance at representing his country this winter.

Bruins Notes: Coyle, Lysell, Injuries

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To say it’s been an eventful offseason for the Boston Bruins would be an understatement. With the extensions for Taylor Hall and Mike Reilly and the acquisitions of Linus Ullmark and Nick Foligno came some serious departures. Longtime Bruin David Krejci left the team to continue his career at home in the Czech Republic, while netminder Tuukka Rask remains unsigned amid injury uncertainty. While Krejci’s replacement as the second-line center isn’t entirely clear, the frontrunner in the eyes of most is Charlie Coyle. However, as The Athletic’s Fluto Shinzawa notes, Coyle’s participation could be limited at the start of training camp. While not ordinarily a huge cause for concern, the news comes after it was revealed Coyle suffered through injury for much of last season and underwent knee surgery in July. It was an inordinately rough season for Coyle last year, who scored just six goals and 16 points in 51 games. An elevated role playing with Hall will likely boost those point totals. The team will be relying on Coyle much more next season to produce, meaning his health as the start of the season approaches could be a real storyline in Boston.

More from the Bruins’ sphere today:

  • General manager Don Sweeney, speaking after the Bruins’ development camp games concluded today, says that 2021 first-round pick Fabian Lysell will likely be playing in North American this season. Lysell signed his entry-level contract this summer after spending last season with Luleå HF in Sweden, but the signing offered little clarity over where he could take the ice in 2021-22. A loan back to Sweden was still possible, but it now appears he’ll be playing junior hockey this season with the WHL’s Vancouver Giants. It’s important to note that due to his European status and lack of a junior contract, Lysell was indeed eligible to suit up with the Providence Bruins in the AHL this year.
  • Shinzawa also notes that a trio of Bruins prospects — Victor Berglund, Josiah Didier, and J.D. Greenway — are all injured and unavailable for the beginning of training camp. The most exciting of these names to follow is undoubtedly Berglund’s. A seventh-round pick of the squad in 2017, he’s developed extremely well in his native Sweden. Loaned out to Luleå this year, sharing a team with Lysell, the 22-year-old impressed in his first season of SHL action with 21 points in 50 games. Likely a candidate to play serious minutes with Providence this year, Bruins fans may have to wait a little while to see him on the ice again.

Minor Transactions: 09/12/21

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With NHL training camps opening up later this month, those unsigned players who aren’t willing to wait around for a PTO will have to start making tough decisions. That could mean settling for a contract in the minors, making the move overseas, or perhaps even retiring. Keep up with all of those moves for familiar names right here:

  • Former NHL forward Jordan Caron has called it a career. The 30-year-old has retired “surprisingly”, reports the ICEHL’s Vienna Capitals, who only signed Caron in July. The team reports that he has decided to return home to Quebec for personal reasons. A first-round pick of the Boston Bruins in 2009, Caron was never more than a depth asset in the NHL with Boston, Colorado, and St. Louis, with highs of 48 games and 15 points set early in his career. However, he has been a much more dominant scorer over the past five years in Europe, playing Germany, Russia, Switzerland, and Austria.
  • For the first time since leaving the NHL in 2018, Christoph Bertschy is on to a new team, though not making a return to North America (any time soon). The Swiss forward is staying at home, but moving on from the NLA’s Lausanne HC to HC Fribourg-Gotteron. This is not a small commitment, either. Gotteron has announced a whopping seven-year contract with Bertschy, who was considered one of the top names on the Swiss market. At 27 years old with three seasons of strong production in the NLA before missing most of last season, Bertschy has proven himself a valuable asset and Gotteron stated that he will play a “central role”. The former Minnesota Wild may have been a candidate to return to the NHL if he continued to excel in Switzerland, but seems content to likely play out his career in his native country.
  • After playing on an AHL contract with the Iowa Wild last season but only seeing ECHL action with the Allen Americans, veteran journeyman forward Jesse Mychan has signed a one-year deal with the ECHL’s Kansas City Mavericks, the team announced. A former WHL standout power forward who has produced at a high level in the ECHL and proved himself valuable as an enforcer in the AHL, Mychan’s career has also taken him to the UK, Germany, Austria, Slovakia, and Denmark.
  • A former OHLer and longtime ECHL player, Matt Carter has opted to continue his career with the Fife Flyers in the EIHL after taking the 2020-21 campaign off. Carter has been playing professionally since 2011-12 after the now 34-year-old forward finished his college career with the University of Prince Edward Island. Undrafted after scoring 30 goals in 2007-08 for the Owen Sound Attack, Carter was a true journeyman, playing ECHL contests for the Phoenix Roadrunners, Cincinnati Cyclones, San Francisco Bulls, Las Vegas Wrangles, Elmira Jackals, and Fort Wayne Komets. He’s spent the majority of his career in the EIHL and French Ligue Magnus since going overseas in 2014-15.

This post will be updated throughout the day.

Matt Stajan Hired As WHL Assistant Coach

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Matt Stajan is on his way back to Calgary. The WHL’s Calgary Hitmen have announced that Stajan will serve as an assistant coach this season, starting the next chapter in his hockey career after retiring as a player two years ago. He is replacing former assistant Joel Otto, who is dealing with a hip injury and can no longer provide on-ice instruction. Hitmen GM Jeff Chynoweth released a statement on the hire:

We are so pleased to be able to add a well-respected former player such as Matt Stajan to our coaching staff; his NHL playing experience is innumerable and will be a great asset to our club. At the same time, we want to thank Joel for his many years of service with the Hitmen.

After spending the early part of his career with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Stajan played nine seasons with the Calgary Flames, reaching the 1,000 games played mark for his career in 2017-18. He spent one last year playing overseas, where he racked up 33 points in 52 games for EHC Munchen, but then announced his retirement in 2019.

An extremely well-respected teammate during his playing days, Stajan hit a career-high of 19 goals and 57 points in the 2009-10 season but carved out a role as a valuable two-way center for nearly a decade afterward. Now 37, he’ll start a coaching career that always seemed likely, given the way he carried himself during his days on the ice in the NHL. It is important to note that the Hitmen are actually owned by the same group as the Flames, and have been a proving ground for future Flames coaches in the past. Dave Lowry, for instance, worked his way up from assistant, to associate, to head coach of the Hitmen before making the jump back to the Flames bench in 2009. There’s obviously no guarantee that Stajan will follow the same path, but it certainly seems possible.

Matt Calvert Joins Brandon Wheat Kings Coaching Staff

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Earlier this offseason, Matt Calvert announced his retirement after injuries cut his playing career short, but that doesn’t mean he’s leaving the game of hockey. The veteran forward has been hired by the Brandon Wheat Kings of the WHL as a development coach. Doug Gasper, Wheat Kings GM, released a short statement:

Matt is someone that we want in our organization. He was a model Wheat King and more importantly he is a great person from a great family. It was an easy decision to have him working with our players and staff.

As you might have guessed, Calvert is from Brandon and played his minor and junior hockey careers for the Wheat Kings organization. After dominating the U18 AAA level with 83 points in 30 games, he made the jump to major junior and immediately became a difference-maker for the CHL squad. By 2008 he was selected by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the fifth round, but that was drastically underestimating his ceiling.

Quickly, Calvert became the best player for the Wheat Kings and it didn’t take long for him to make an impact at the NHL level. Over 566 regular season games, he recorded 203 points.

Now he’ll start the next chapter of his hockey journey as a coach with his hometown team, but it will be interesting to see if Calvert pursues a career behind the bench at a higher level. Only 31, he is getting a quick start on his coaching tenure just a few months after playing in the NHL.

Minor Transactions: 08/07/21

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While there have been plenty of players accepting their qualifying offers lately, there has been some activity on the AHL front as well.  We’ll keep tabs on those and other small moves of note here.

  • The Stars are reuniting with Curtis McKenzie as their AHL affiliate in Texas announced a two-year deal for the winger. The 30-year-old played in 99 games with Dallas over parts of four different seasons but spent last season on a two-way deal with St. Louis, posting 13 points in 26 games with AHL Utica.
  • The Sabres have added some AHL depth as AHL Rochester announced the signings of forward Mason Jobst and defenseman Josh Teves to one-year deals. Jobst, 27, split last season between the farm teams for the Islanders and Devils after being included in the Kyle Palmieri trade and notched 10 points in 19 games between the two teams.  As for Teves, the 26-year-old was a sought-after blueliner out of college and made his NHL debut soon after signing with Vancouver in 2019.  However, he didn’t progress much and after spending most of his first full pro campaign in the ECHL, he had just four points in 23 games with Utica last season.
  • Golden Knights prospect Jesper Vikman has decided to come to North America and has committed to play with Vancouver of the WHL next season. The 19-year-old goaltender was a fifth-round pick of Vegas (125th overall) back in 2020 and spent 2020-21 at three different levels in Sweden, getting as high as the Allsvenskan level.  As he was picked out of Sweden, Vikman remains on the four-year timeline in terms of needing an entry-level contract so Vegas holds his rights through June 1, 2024.

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