Snapshots: Gudas, CHL Lawsuit, Miller
The NHL has been clear about their desire to resume and complete the 2019-20 season at some point this summer, but that’s not shared by every player in the league. Radko Gudas was interviewed in the Czech Republic about his concerns for a restart, and Alexandra Petakova of Russian Machine Never Breaks translated it to English. Never one to hide his feelings, Gudas doesn’t think restarting the season is a good idea:
If one guy is infected, basically the whole league has it in a week, given how they are planning to have everyone play against everyone. One stupid stumble and you can cancel it all again.
Perhaps more interesting from the interview however are Gudas’ comments on his future with the Washington Capitals. The veteran defenseman explained that the team is facing a difficult salary cap situation and believes that he and “a lot of the guys with contracts about to expire” will end up leaving the Capitals this offseason. Washington has four players on the NHL roster who are scheduled for unrestricted free agency: Gudas, Ilya Kovalchuk, Brenden Dillon and, perhaps most importantly, Braden Holtby.
- The CHL has settled a class-action lawsuit that was originally filed in 2014. The legal battle was to determine whether junior players were employees or student-athletes, and the settlement will result in OHL, WHL and QMJHL franchises paying approximately $30MM. These settlement discussions were actually held before the COVID-19 shutdown. As Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet writes, the approximately $250,000 that each franchise will need to pay is not insignificant for some. This follows recent news that the Portland Winterhawks parent company filed for bankruptcy and are looking for new ownership to take over the franchise.
- Kevan Miller hasn’t played in an NHL game for more than a year, and revealed yesterday that he is eight weeks removed from another surgical procedure on his right knee. A fractured kneecap ended his 2018-19 season and kept him out for all of this year, but he is still working to be ready for the start of the 2020-21 campaign. If he is ready to play again, where he hits the ice isn’t clear. The veteran defenseman’s contract is expiring and though the Boston Bruins have admitted they will “entertain the opportunity” of bringing him back, a tightening salary cap won’t make it easy.
Calgary Flames Sign Dustin Wolf
The Calgary Flames have added another top goaltending prospect to their system, signing Dustin Wolf to a three-year entry-level contract. Wolf recently finished his third season in the WHL with the Everett Silvertips, where he dominated once again, posting a .935 save percentage in 46 games.
If you look at Wolf’s career to date in junior hockey, you might wonder why exactly he fell all the way to the seventh round before the Flames selected him with the 214th pick last year. There’s one simple answer for that—size. Despite being one of the most consistent and outstanding goaltenders in the WHL for three straight seasons, Wolf stands just 6’0″ 165-lbs, numbers that do not inspire confidence at the NHL level.
Still, there’s reason to be excited about Wolf’s future in the professional ranks. His positioning is exquisite and his ability to read the play in front of him and track the puck is nearly unmatched at the junior level. There will obviously be some real challenges in front of him, but at this point all he’s ever done is succeed.
Wolf’s contract will not kick in next season if he plays another year in the WHL, which is almost certain at this point. He is not eligible for the AHL.
Michal Teply Signs With Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks have inked another interesting prospect, this time signing Michal Teply to a three-year entry-level contract. Teply broke the news himself on Instagram, thanking his family and friends for supporting him in his journey so far.
Still just 18 years old, Teply was selected in the fourth round of last year’s draft and spent this season playing for the Winnipeg Ice of the WHL. During his 53 games with Winnipeg he registered 63 points, while also taking part in the World Juniors for the Czech Republic.
Even though he was a mid-round pick, it’s hard to know exactly where the ceiling is offensively for Teply. Standing 6’3″ 192-lbs, he is big enough to lean on defenders and use a long reach to protect the puck, but is also an excellent playmaker that almost always looks to pass first. There is still a lot to polish in his game, but the Blackhawks obviously felt he had shown enough to reward him with an NHL contract already.
Interestingly, even though he played in the CHL this season Teply could potentially spend the 2020-21 season in the AHL if the Blackhawks wanted him to. Drafted out of the Czech leagues, he could also return to Europe should they feel he needs to compete against players older than him. There are plenty of options for his next step, making his development path one to keep an eye on going forward.
Florida Panthers Agree To Terms With John Ludvig
The Florida Panthers have reached a deal with one of their 2019 draft picks, agreeing to terms with defenseman John Ludvig on a three-year entry-level contract. Ludvig plays for the Portland Winterhawks of the WHL and just finished an incredible season as captain. Panthers GM Dale Tallon released a statement on his newest prospect:
John had an outstanding season for Portland in the Western Hockey League and was among the league’s top defensemen. He is a talented defenseman who possesses great compete, physicality and character. We are excited for John’s continued development and look forward to his future in the Panthers organization.
For a player who was picked in the third round, you can’t expect a much better post-draft season than the one Ludvig just completed. After scoring just 25 points in his first two WHL seasons combined, the 19-year old defenseman exploded offensively this year and finished third among all defensemen with 62 points. Add in the level of physicality that Ludvig showed in his own end and the leadership skills he possesses and it’s easy to see why the Winterhawks sat at a league-leading 45-11-7 record at the time of the WHL cancelation.
Ludvig actually went undrafted in his first year of eligibility, meaning he’ll turn 20 this summer and is eligible for the AHL next season. Whether he will be assigned to the minor leagues or return to the CHL isn’t clear, but you can bet that the front office will keep a close eye on him as a potential impact player for the Panthers.
WHL Designates Connor Bedard With First Ever Exceptional Player Status
Exceptional player status in the CHL is only declared for those elite 15-year-olds deemed worthy of joining the major junior ranks a year early. Exceptional player status has been granted five times in the OHL – John Tavares, Aaron Ekblad, Connor McDavid, Sean Day, and Shane Wright – and just once in the QMJHL – Joe Veleno – but never before in the WHL. That is, until today. Just one day after the WHL was forced to make the disappointing announcement that the remainder of their season had been canceled, tonight they made the exciting revelation that for the first time exceptional player status has been awarded.
The lucky 15-year-old-to-be is Connor Bedard of North Vancouver, British Columbia. Bedard played this season with the U-18 team of West Vancouver Academy in the Canadian Sports School Hockey League. In 36 games, Bedard recorded a whopping 43 goals and 84 points. He led the league in both categories by a significant margin and contributed on nearly 50% of his teams total goals on the year. While Bedard is still undersized at 5’8” and 165 lbs., he is still four years away from his draft year and will spend all of that time in the WHL growing his already-impressive skills in addition to growing physically.
The WHL Bantam Draft is set for April 22, 2020 and Bedard is now expected to be the prize at No. 1 overall. The 2020 WHL Bantam Draft Lottery is scheduled for tomorrow, Wednesday March 25 and will determine the order of the first six selections of the draft. In the running for the top spot are the the Swift Current Broncos, Moose Jaw Warriors, Tri-City Americans, Prince George Cougars, Regina Pats, and Red Deer Rebels. Just one will end up fortunate enough to land the first ever “exceptional” player in league history.
OHL, WHL, USHL Announce Cancelations
After the QMJHL canceled the remainder of their regular season yesterday, it was expected that the other two member leagues of the CHL would do the same. Today, both the WHL and OHL have announced that they will cancel their remaining games. Interestingly, they have used different tactics to determine the final standings. While the WHL used points percentage, it seems as though the OHL instead has taken the standings through the first 61 games of the season.
It’s not just the CHL that have decided to move on from the regular season either. The USHL has also canceled the rest of the 2019-20 season and playoffs, while the NAHL took that step yesterday.
Though the CHL has left some hope to resume for the playoffs at some point, it does seem unlikely at this point. The Memorial Cup, which was set to be held in May, is also in danger thanks to a provincial recommendation to cancel all sporting events involving more than 50 people until June.
The end of the junior season means draft eligible players have even less time to impress potential NHL organizations, or continue to develop their skills for the future.
Snapshots: Timelines, Juniors, College Signings
It sounds like many NHL players are as restless as the average hockey fan while waiting for the season to resume. The panel on TSN’s Insider Trading outlined a return to action timeline that a group of players has been developing and will submit to the NHLPA, which includes playing the rest of the regular season games in late July.
A plan like this would obviously be exciting for fans as hockey would be played throughout the summer, but there would be an incredible amount of logistics to be worked out. Part of the reasoning behind the plan may also be financial in nature, as players want the league to recoup all of their potential gate revenue in order to not get dinged with even higher escrow numbers than expected. None of the timelines being discussed have any legs at this point, given how there is so much uncertainty there still is on when the season could be allowed to resume. Remember however, that deputy commissioner Bill Daly was clear when speaking with Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic recently that the league does not intend on shortening the 2020-21 season if they can help it, at least in terms of games played.
- The QMJHL has canceled the remainder of their regular season, meaning playoff seeding will be based on points percentage should it resume at some point. That same move is expected by the WHL according to Bob McKenzie of TSN, with the OHL also discussing their future tomorrow on a conference call. McKenzie suggests that the CHL playoffs at this point are a “long shot” and also notes that the Memorial Cup, which was originally set to start on May 22nd, is scheduled in a province that recently mandated no sporting events with more than 50 people could take place before June.
- While college free agents continue to sign with NHL organizations, there is some concern rising around the league that some teams are gaining an unfair advantage in negotiations according to Andy Strickland of Fox Sports Midwest. Strickland suggests that some teams may find it more difficult to pay out bonus money to college and European signings while in a suspended league state, noting the difference in cash flow between organizations like the Toronto Maple Leafs and Florida Panthers. It’s not clear however what would be done to stop teams from negotiating, especially when any contract signed would likely be ticketed to start with the 2020-21 season.
AHL, CHL Temporarily Suspend 2019-20 Seasons
March 16: The AHL has advised its clubs that the league will not resume before May. Like the NHL, they have now recommended that players return to their primary residences.
March 12: As expected, and like the NBA G-League did last night following the NBA’s decision, the American Hockey League will also temporarily suspend their 2019-20 season. The AHL will follow the lead of the NHL who paused their season earlier today, with hopes of resuming at some point down the road.
The CHL will also temporarily suspend their season, after a meeting between leadership of the OHL, WHL and QMJHL according to Bob McKenzie of TSN. The USHL and NAHL suspended their seasons earlier today.
It is not clear if the leagues will return at the same time as the NHL, but for now there will be no high level professional hockey nor any major junior hockey played in North America.
Philadelphia Flyers Sign Wyatte Wylie
The Philadelphia Flyers have signed prospect Wyatte Wylie (or alternatively, Wyatt Wylie according to multiple parts of the press release) to a three-year, entry-level contract. The defenseman is currently playing with the Everett Silvertips of the WHL who are set up for a long playoff run.
Wylie, 20, was originally selected in the fifth round of the 2018 draft but has since taken over as one of Everett’s primary puck-moving defensemen. In 62 games this season the right-handed Wylie has 14 goals and 64 points, though that production still lags well behind teammate (and new Columbus Blue Jackets prospect) Jake Christiansen in terms of per-game scoring.
Still, the solid production from a late-round pick is promising and has landed Wylie an NHL contract. Though he will be staying with Everett for the time being, a tryout with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms could be in order should the Silvertips be knocked out early. Next season he will surely be in the AHL, where he will start on a road to becoming more than just a lottery ticket for the Flyers.
Anaheim Ducks Sign Bryce Kindopp
According to CapFriendly, the Anaheim Ducks have added another prospect to the cupboard, signing undrafted forward Bryce Kindopp to a three-year entry-level contract. The deal will kick in for the 2020-21 season, while Kindopp will continue to play the rest of this year with the Everett Silvertips of the WHL.
Kindopp, 20, current serves as captain of the Silvertips and is having another strong offensive season. With 38 goals and 71 points in 60 games he leads the team, a notable honor for such a dominant squad. The Silvertips are currently sitting with a 44-12-4 record on the season and are one of the favorites to win the WHL championship.
Even though his offensive game is effective at the junior level, Kindopp doesn’t project to be a top player for the Ducks. What he might be however is another effective depth option to help surround their next wave of high-end talent, getting them back to contention.
Kindopp attended the Colorado Avalanche training camp last summer, and was ranked 170th among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting in the 2019 draft.