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AHL Exemption Coming For Some CHL Prospects

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In the 2020-21 season, with the OHL not playing at all and the other two CHL leagues playing shortened schedules, many prospects that would not normally be eligible for the AHL played in the minor leagues. According to the CHL-NHL agreement, many of those players would be forced back to junior for 2021-22, if they had not yet reached the age of 20. For a player like Cole Perfetti, it meant he would either have to make the Winnipeg Jets or return to the Saginaw Spirit, despite scoring 26 points in 32 games for the Manitoba Moose, clearly proving he can compete at the AHL level.

Special circumstances need special rules though, and Darren Dreger of TSN reports that the finishing touches are being put on an agreement that will allow junior eligible players who played 20 or more AHL games this season to return to the AHL in 2021-22. Perfetti, to stay with the same example, would not be required to go back to the OHL even though he is still just 19 years old.

The move would be a huge boost for the AHL, as the minor league could now have more young star power competing next season, but it is also a huge loss for the junior leagues, the OHL in particular. Players like Seth Jarvis or Connor Zary from the WHL didn’t have time to reach that 20-game threshold before their junior season started up again, even though they did play well in the short minor league stint.

One interesting case is Jamie Drysdale of the Anaheim Ducks. The 19-year-old defenseman played just 14 games at the AHL level, but that’s not because he went back to junior. Drysdale instead joined the NHL club for 24 games. Though he is likely to stay with the Ducks for next season, it is interesting to note that under the proposed rule, he would appear not to be eligible for AHL action if he struggles at all to start the year. Dreger does tweet that the eventual agreement will be a little more complicated, so perhaps there will be exceptions for players like Drysdale.

Calgary Flames Hire Mitch Love As AHL Coach

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The Calgary Flames have decided on a new AHL coach, hiring Mitch Love from the WHL. He replaces Cail MacLean, who will be making the jump to the NHL as an assistant this season.

Love, 37, has led the Saskatoon Blades for the last three seasons and has served as an assistant with Hockey Canada’s World Junior team for the last two years. A physical minor league defenseman, he racked up more than 1,000 penalty minutes in 365 career AHL games. In his three years with Saskatoon, the team put up a 95-44-16 record.

The Heat will add another assistant coach in the coming weeks, according to the team, joining Love and assistant Joe Cirella. MacLean and Ryan Huska, the team’s previous two head coaches, have both graduated to the NHL team, carving out a clear path for Love to follow.

Seattle Kraken Announce Preseason Schedule

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The Seattle Kraken will play their first game as part of the NHL against the Vancouver Canucks on September 26, 2021. The match will be a preseason contest held at Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena in Washington. The team has announced a full six-game preseason schedule that will give the world a few looks at the Kraken before they arrive at Climate Pledge Arena to open the regular season.

After that first game against the Canucks, the Kraken will hit the road to play in Edmonton and Calgary, before holding two other “home” games. October 1 will see the Oilers and Kraken play at Angel of the Winds Arena in Everett, Washington, while the Flames will battle the new club on October 2 at the accesso ShoWare Center in Kent. Those three arenas host the Spokane Chiefs, Everett Silvertips and Seattle Thunderbirds of the WHL, giving junior hockey fans in the pacific northwest a chance to see the new pro club up close.

Seattle’s home arena is still on track to be open for the first home game of the 2021-22 season, but that schedule has still not been officially released. Kraken CEO Tod Leiweke released a short statement showing his excitement for the preseason action:

The arena is on track to host our first regular-season home game in mid-October, but we have made the decision to play our three inaugural preseason games at three outstanding local arenas. This gives us an opportunity to partner with the WHL teams, celebrate hockey across our region and grow this beautiful game. We couldn’t be more excited for these games and then to open Climate Pledge Arena.

In less than two weeks’ time, the Kraken will select their inaugural roster during the July 21 expansion draft. They will also receive a short window just before the draft in which they are allowed to speak with pending unrestricted free agents. If they sign a player, it would count as their selection from his former team.

2021 CHL Import Draft Results

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The CHL held its annual import draft today, where teams from across the Canadian junior leagues get to select the rights of players around the world. Often these are recently drafted prospects, or those seen to have a good chance at next year’s draft. Being selected has no guarantee that the player will actually ever suit up for the team, as Filip Chytil proved in 2017. Chytil was selected seventh overall by the North Bay Battalion but ended up spending the year with the New York Rangers and Hartford Wolf Pack after impressing in his first training camp.

There are clear benefits from picking at the top of the draft though, as the Sudbury Wolves found out in 2018-19. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was the third-overall selection and ended up winning the Red Tilson Trophy as the OHL’s Most Outstanding Player. Because things in the hockey world were so unclear last season, only 66 players ended up being picked in the 2020 draft. Even selections as high as tenth overall were forfeited. This time around things will be a little different as the CHL prepares for a return to a normal schedule in 2021-22.

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Free Agent Focus: Chicago Blackhawks

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Free agency is now just a little more than a month away and many teams are already looking ahead to when it opens up.  There will be several prominent players set to hit the open market in late July while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign as well. The Chicago Blackhawks are one of those teams with numerous RFA’s of note, but fortunately few UFA’s to concern themselves with.

Key Restricted Free Agents

F Brandon Hagel – Oftentimes when late-round draft picks produce big numbers later in their junior careers, it is more of a function of experience and maturity than an indicator of NHL ability. It seemed that way with Hagel, who recorded 102 points in his final season in the WHL, but played just one game with the Blackhawks in his first pro season in 2019-20. It doesn’t look that way anymore. Hagel recorded 24 points in 52 games with Chicago as a rookie this year, finishing fifth on the team in scoring. The 22-year-old earned increasingly more ice time and special teams responsibilities as he never slowed down. Hagel looks a like a two-way forward with 20-goal and 40-point upside and that is after only one year. Chicago would be smart to lock him into a multi-year extension before his stock can rise any higher.

F Pius Suter – Another European import, another home run. Just a year after Dominik Kubalik earned Calder Trophy votes as a 24-year-old in his first season in North America, Suter made a major impact in his debut as well. He may not be the same caliber of player as Kubalik, but with 14 goals and 27 points in 55 games he is assuredly an NHL caliber player. The Blackhawks need the depth at center too, where Suter was able to line up without issue. He may have been new to the league, but Suter did not play like a rookie, logging big minutes and finishing fourth in scoring. Chicago has nailed another free agency addition and won’t let this one season be the end of it. However, Suter’s age and arbitration rights give him far more leverage in negotiations than Hagel, a 10.2(c) limited RFA.

D Nikita Zadorov – Unlike Hagel and Suter, Zadorov is not an easy extension. He has a long, up-and-down history, failed to meet expectations in his first season in Chicago, and comes at a much higher price tag. He is also eligible for salary arbitration and has the NHL experience to make it a complicated case. Do the Blackhawks offer Zadorov a qualifying offer? Do they protect him in the Expansion Draft? Do they comply with an arbitration decision? These are all difficult questions when it comes to a player that is hard to peg. Zadorov has considerable experience, great size and checking ability, and plays the position competently enough to eat minutes. However, he also contributes little offensively, is a turnover liability, and is seemingly in decline already at 26. There is no easy answer when it comes to Zadorov, especially in light of the team’s salary cap issues, but Chicago likely will not want to lose him for nothing. By adding Riley Stillman this season, they do have a fallback plan if Zadorov departs, but they would likely prefer that to be on their own terms via trade. If the Blackhawks go through the effort to protect Zadorov from expansion and to negotiate a new contract, they need to be prepared to keep him if a suitable trade offer does not appear.

Other RFAs: F Josh Dickinson, F Adam Gaudette, F David Kampf, D Alexander Nylander

Key Unrestricted Free Agents

F Vinnie Hinostroza – It didn’t work out in Florida for Hinostroza, who signed a one-year with the Panthers last off-season but played a minor role in just nine games with the team before he was traded. Fortunately, he was dealt back to a team that he was familiar with in Chicago and his performance changed immediately. After a scoreless season in Florida, Hinostroza recorded four goals and 12 points in 17 games down the stretch, far and away the best per-game production of his NHL career. Hinostroza was active on the ice, meshed well with his teammates, and looked like a natural fit back with the Blackhawks. Although he excelled in Chicago, overall it was still a down year for Hinostroza, which could mean he is willing to re-sign at a low price. Yet, over the previous three years, one of which was with the Blackhawks, Hinostroza scored at a close to 40-point full-season pace and his play down the stretch implies he might be able to replicate those numbers if he stays with the team. There should be mutual interest in getting a deal done.

Other UFAs: D Anton Lindholm (Group 6),F Brandon Pirri, F John Quenneville (Group 6), F Zack Smith

Projected Cap Space

Given their salary cap situation, it is good that the Blackhawks’ impact free agents are almost all RFA’s, where the team holds the leverage, and not UFA’s, where the player holds the leverage. Chicago has over $75MM already tied up in 24 contract, per CapFriendly. That number is not exactly a realistic estimate as many of those deals are waiver-exempt entry-level contracts and the combined $10.775MM of Brent Seabrook and Andrew Shaw will be placed on Long-Term Injured Reserve, as neither will play again. However, that still leaves the Blackhawks with less than $17MM in cap space with the aforementioned Gaudette, Hagel, Kampf, Nylander, Suter, and Zadorov all in need of new contracts. That averages out to under $2.8MM per RFA starter, which is likely an unrealistic benchmark. The Seattle Kraken may lighten the RFA load for Chicago, but with Hinostroza also in need of a new deal and the Blackhawks ideally looking to add an impact two-way forward to assist with penalty killing, things are looking tight for the Blackhawks.

Minor Transactions: 06/21/21

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With both the Expansion and Entry Drafts quickly approaching, minor transactions are popping up all across the hockey world. As teams rush to meet expansion requirements and gain a more detailed idea of their organizational makeup ahead of the draft, expect this steady flow of minor deals to continue throughout the summer. You can read all about today’s transactions right here:

  • While their big sibling made bigger news today by re-signing Matt Nieto, the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda have announced a slew of moves. Per the team’s site, forwards Joe Garreffa, Krystof Hrabik, and Kyle Topping all signed one-year AHL extensions with the Sharks’ affiliate. Garreffa only got into two games with the Barracuda in 2020-21, but spent 59 games in the ECHL between the Allen Americans and Orlando Solar Bears, tallying 42 points for a decent first professional season. Hrabik played in only one regular-season matchup but had two goals in three games during the AHL’s Pacific Division postseason tournament. Topping got the most AHL action out of the trio, tallying a single goal in four games with the baby Sharks.
  • The Barracuda also dipped into the free-agent market, signing a pair of WHL players. The bigger fish of the two is former Portland Winterhawks captain Nick Cicek. Cicek, a Winnipeg-born, 201-pound defenseman, had by far his best offensive campaign to date in 2020-21, tallying 21 points in just 24 WHL games. It was a career-high for him after tallying 13 and 14 points in his previous two seasons. Their other signing, Montana Onyebuchi from the Kamloops Blazers, carries a somewhat similar development pattern. Similar in size (6′ 3″, 209 pounds) to Cicek, Onyebuchi also had an offensive breakout campaign with 12 points in 20 games. The Barracuda hope that the two overagers can boost their defense in the coming years.

Minor Transactions: 06/16/21

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The further into the summer it gets, the busier the transaction wire becomes. While the rumor mill has been heating up in recent days, there have been a fair share of confirmed moves as well that include names familiar to NHL fans and impacting NHL fans. Take a look:

  • So much for the Alexander Khokhlachev comeback. The former Boston Bruins prospect whose NHL rights finally expire this off-season had previously hinted at a return to North America following five years in the KHL. When he walked away from the reigning Gagarin Cup champions Avangard Omsk, it only added fuel to the fire. However, it was all for not. Khoklachev has returned to former KHL club Spartak Moscow, the team has announced. It is only a one-year deal, so the speculation of an NHL return for the 27-year-old scoring center return next season. Yet, if Khokhlachev was ever going to make the jump, it seemed that this was his chance given years of sustained success capped off with a title and his newfound free agency. It could be Khokhlachev simply stays in Russia for the rest of his career.
  • Jori Lehtera is also not returning to North America, though it should come as no surprise. Lehtera’s production decreased continually through his NHL career and fell off immensely following a move to the Philadelphia Flyers from the St. Louis Blues in 2017. Between poor play and off-ice issues, he seemingly wore out his welcome in North America. Upon returning to Europe last season, he immediately re-discovered his scoring touch in the KHL and scored at better than a point-per-game pace for Spartak this year, leading the team. Spartak has rewarded him with a one-year extension. The 33-year-old will take that short-term commitment, especially with the likes of Khokhlachev and Vasili Ponomaryov joining him in Moscow next season to potentially make the team could be a surprise contender.
  • Cole Clayton has signed a one-year deal with the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters and while you might not know his name yet, you could soon. The big, mobile, two-way defenseman from the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers led all league defensemen with nine goals and 30 points this season in just 23 games. At 6’2″, 210 lbs. but able to skate at a high level, Clayton is an impact player all over the ice and surely had some NHL interest before settling for a job with Cleveland. If his play translates to the pros, it is a safe bet that the Columbus Blue Jackets will have him signed to an entry-level deal sooner rather than later. The Monsters also announced the signings of veteran forwards Brett Gallant and Adam Helewka for next season.

Dustin Wolf Wins WHL Goalie Of The Year (Again)

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Dustin Wolf refuses to go along with the scouting norms. The Calgary Flames prospect just keeps winning, collecting the WHL Goaltender of the Year award for the second year in a row. Wolf had another incredible season, posting a .940 save percentage in 22 appearances with the Everett Silvertips, going 18-3 in the process with four shutouts. He added a gold medal with the U.S. World Junior squad as well, while also making his professional debut with the Stockton Heat of the AHL.

Not bad for the 214th overall pick in 2019.

There has been no stopping (or perhaps plenty of it?) Wolf at the junior level, where he has won almost every trophy imaginable during his time with the Silvertips. He will leave the WHL with a career record of 106-34-6, 24 shutouts and a .935 save percentage. He becomes only the fourth goaltender since 2001 to win the Del Wilson Memorial Trophy multiple times, joining Cam Ward, Chet Pickard, and fellow Silvertips alumni Carter Hart.

Now, the question will be whether his size holds him back at the next level. Wolf measures in at a generous 6’0″ and weighs just 168 lbs, which would make him one of the smallest goaltenders in the NHL. That’s exactly why he slipped to the seventh round, but it is impossible to ignore what he has done since the Flames took a chance on him two years ago.

Recently, there has been something of a resurgence of small goaltenders. Alex Nedeljkovic, a finalist for the Calder Trophy this season, faced a similar uphill battle because of his six-foot stature, but took advantage of an opportunity in Carolina and posted outstanding numbers for the Hurricanes this season. Juuse Saros, who many believe should have been a finalist for the Vezina this year is officially listed at 5’11”. Anton Khudobin is also listed at 5’11” and carried the Dallas Stars to the Stanley Cup Final last year. Jonathan Bernier (6’0″), Antti Raanta (6’0″), and Jaroslav Halak (5’11”) are other goaltenders who have found plenty of success in the NHL despite not being quite as lengthy as their contemporaries.

There’s no guarantee that Wolf makes it, but at this point, it doesn’t make much sense to bet against him. He’ll get a chance to show what he can do at the pro level next season, which will end up being the first season of his three-year entry-level deal (the contract was signed in 2020, but will slide forward this year after he spent the season in junior).

Arizona Coyotes Sign Ben McCartney

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The Arizona Coyotes have added another prospect, signing Ben McCartney to a three-year entry-level contract. McCartney had previously joined the Tucson Roadrunners on an amateur tryout for the end of the season after his WHL campaign came to an end. Coyotes GM Bill Armstrong released a short statement on the deal:

We are very pleased to sign Ben to an entry-level contract. Ben had a great junior career and played well for the Roadrunners last season. We look forward to watching him continue to develop next year in Tucson.

McCartney, 19, was a seventh-round pick in 2020 and has spent the last four seasons with the Brandon Wheat Kings of the WHL. In 24 junior games this season he recorded 37 points, a nice improvement over his point-per-game 2019-20 campaign. Though his offense is obviously important, McCartney also brings a level of physicality to the ice every night and has shown a willingness to drop the gloves. In his WHL career, he had nine fighting majors and racked up more than 100 penalty minutes last season.

In his four regular season games with the Roadrunners, McCartney actually scored a goal and five points, immediately making an impact at the professional level. It’s a tough climb for a seventh-round pick, but he has taken a strong first step towards becoming a legitimate NHL prospect. The Coyotes rewarding him with an entry-level deal is proof of that. Because he was in his second year of draft eligibility and will turn 20 later this summer, McCartney can report directly to the Roadrunners next season.

Colorado Avalanche Sign Trent Miner

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The Colorado Avalanche have signed another one of their prospects, inking Trent Miner to a three-year entry-level contract. The young goaltender would have become an unrestricted free agent if not signed by June 1, but won’t have to worry about re-entering the draft.

Miner, 20, was originally selected 202nd overall by the Avalanche in 2019, but has quickly become more than just a seventh-round lottery ticket. In 15 games for the Vancouver Giants this season he posted a .915 save percentage, but it is the .903 he put up in six appearances for the Colorado Eagles that is so impressive. Miner even collected his first shutout at the AHL level when he blanked the Tucson Roadrunners in February, before he returned to the WHL for its shortened season.

In 84 games with the Giants, Miner has posted a 48-28-5 record and .910 save percentage. He’ll likely return to the Eagles for the 2021-22 season when this NHL contract kicks in, giving him a chance to show that his game lends itself better to the professional ranks than junior. At the very least, he gives the Avalanche another goaltender to plug into the pipeline and fill one of the minor league spots while they deal with the position at the NHL level. Philipp Grubauer, Devan Dubnyk, and Jonas Johansson are all unrestricted free agents at the end of the season, meaning there could be some opportunity for younger goaltenders to move up.

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