College Hockey Round-Up: 10/30/19
The college hockey season is a month old, but only a handful of teams have played more than six games so far. Yet, just three schools remain undefeated (not including the Ivy League’s of course, who have yet to begin play.) Those three teams are No. 1 Denver, No. 2 Minnesota State, and No. 5 Notre Dame. The Pioneers are an impressive 6-0 and have a good chance of remaining unbeaten through their upcoming weekend series with Niagara. The Mavericks are 5-0-1, with their one tie coming against another national powerhouse, No. 14 North Dakota. Other than that one tie, Minnesota State has allowed just four goals in their five wins. The Fighting Irish sit in fifth nationally behind UMass and Cornell as their 4-0 record has not exactly featured the most menacing competition in Air Force and Lake Superior State. Yet, as they begin Big Ten Conference play, Notre Dame is sure to be tested with series against Minnesota, No. 13 Ohio State, and No. 7 Wisconsin next up. Which team will stay undefeated the longest? And could an Ivy League like Cornell or Harvard enter the battle of the unbeaten?
Recent Results
Two weeks ago, college hockey fans were treated to an epic early-season clash between the defending NCAA champions, No. 6 Minnesota-Duluth, and a popular pick to win it all this season, Wisconsin. The two-game series in Madison wasn’t as close as many expected though, as the young, star-studded Badgers took both games by a combined score of 9-3. The Bulldogs edged out two wins against their flagship rival Minnesota this past weekend to sit at 3-3 on the year and have their recent seasons of dominance to thank for their continued presence in the top ten, but that won’t save them all season. Meanwhile, Wisconsin suffered a shutout loss to No. 11 Clarkson this weekend, but picked up the win in the second game. Through six games, the team is tied for the NCAA lead in goals for, led by college hockey’s top goal-scorer, Cole Caufield (MTL), and his fellow first-round pick Alex Turcotte (LAK).
The program tied at the top of the scoring race with the Badgers is No. 8 Providence College. The Friars are spreading the scoring wealth, with three players among the top six in points. Jack Dugan (VGK) and his 14 points lead the NCAA by a relatively wide margin, as the 2017 fifth-round pick is off to a blazing start. Tyce Thompson (NJD) is tied for second with 11 points and Greg Printz, who led the way after two weeks, sits in sixth. Despite the considerable offense from Providence, the team is 4-2 with a stunning loss to Holy Cross early on and a heartbreaker against No. 17 UMass Lowell this weekend.
And what of the top teams in the country? Denver has certainly earned their top billing in college hockey so far. They picked up two wins against a loaded No. 15 Boston College squad two weeks back, including a 3-0 shutout. Freshman keeper Magnus Chrona (TBL) continues to be stellar in net with a .930 save percentage and 1.83 GAA in six wins for the Pioneers, while highly-regarded defenseman Ian Mitchell (CHI) is one of the league leaders in scoring among defenseman. Also among that group is UMass freshman Zac Jones (NYR), who is showing that the Minutemen can indeed survive without Cale Makar. After a tough loss to Northeastern – and arguably the best goalie in college hockey thus far, graduate transfer Craig Pantano – UMass rebounded with a convincing sweep of Union and a win over nearby American International. Behind a shutdown tandem of Matt Murray and Filip Lindberg (MIN), it may prove hard for opponents to pick up wins in Amherst this year. The team hopes to prove that point when they face the Huskies again in a home-and-home this weekend. Finally, Minnesota State stayed unbeaten with a win and tie against North Dakota and two easy W’s against Alabama-Huntsville. The team’s stingy defense – eight goals allowed in six games – and the serious skill of Nathan Smith (WPG) make Mankato a dangerous place to play this season.
What To Expect From Cornell
The Cornell Big Red have played exactly zero games so far this season. Yet, they have held on to their No. 4 spot through a month of play. After an impressive 2018-19 campaign, expectations are high for Cornell to replicate their success. But are those expectations realistic?
The team unofficially kicked off their season this weekend with an exhibition game against the U.S. National Team Development Program. While this isn’t the historic USNTDP group of last year, it is still a talented squad that features many of the players who will be star freshman in the NCAA next year. Yet, the Big Red made them look like the junior team they are, shutting out the American standouts 3-0. Next up is Michigan State, before they begin their ECAC schedule.
The unrivaled star of the team is Morgan Barron (NYR). The Rangers pick has far exceeded his sixth round expectations already and just narrowly missed out on a point-per-game campaign last year. Barron led Cornell in goals and points last season with his physical brand of offensive ability. However, he’s now missing the lightning to his thunder, as slick winger Mitchell Vanderlaan graduated and moved on to the ECHL. If the Big Red are to avoid regression this season, Barron will need to be even better and the likes of Cam Donaldson, Michael Regush, and impressive goaltender Matthew Galajda will have to step up. Fortunately, the veteran group is accustomed to playing with one another; it’s one of the team’s greatest strengths and could allow a potential impact freshman like defenseman Alex Green (TBL) to play a more confident game right away.
Connor Mackey Drawing Interest
While Minnesota State’s defensive prowess over the past few years has most often been credited to talented netminder Dryden McKay, NHL scouts have their eyes on another key member of that effort. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that defenseman Connor Mackey has met with at least seven NHL teams about his impending free agency. Mackey is expected to be one of the top college free agents available this spring.
Many actually believed Mackey, 23, would turn pro this past summer, but he decided to go for another run at an NCAA title with the Mavericks. However, it’s hard to imagine the junior blue liner making that decision a second time. Mackey already has four points in six games to go along with a team-leading 13 penalty minutes, which is right in line with last season, when he recorded 25 points a team-high 55 penalty minutes. A dual-threat puck-mover and physical force, Mackey plays a well-rounded style and has matured his game at the college level. Mackey may not have elite skill, size, or skating ability, but he does everything well and projects as an all-situations defender at the pro level.
Friedman speculates that the Winnipeg Jets, who suddenly have a massive need for both immediate and long-term defensive help, could be the top suitor for Mackey’s talents. However, the Minnesota Wild are surely keeping an eye on the nearby prospect, while the Chicago Blackhawks could also pursue the Illinois native. And that’s just three teams. With at least seven interested in October, it could be quite the pursuit later this season when Mackey moves on from Mankato and begins his pro career.
Minor Transactions: 10/28/19
Another week starts with two games tonight in the NHL, including the league-leading Buffalo Sabres in action once again. Those 9-2-1 Sabres will try to solve the Arizona Coyotes and their sparkling 2.20 goals against average, while the Florida Panthers travel to face the Vancouver Canucks. As teams prepare for tonight and all the week’s action, we’ll be right here keeping track of the minor moves.
- Brian Gibbons has been recalled from the minor leagues once again, returning to the Carolina Hurricanes after just one day. Gibbons has been flipped back and forth several times this month, serving as a depth option for the Hurricanes as they continue to chase a Metropolitan Division playoff spot.
- The Ottawa Senators have returned J.C. Beaudin and Filip Chlapik to the AHL, after both helped the team take down the San Jose Sharks last night. The Senators don’t play a single game this week, meaning the pair of young forwards can be sent down to get in some more action with the AHL club and bank cap space (and salary) for the team.
- After six games in the NHL, Gerald Mayhew is on his way back to the minors. The 26-year old forward finally fought his way to the highest level and even scored twice during his short stint, but with players coming back from injury for the Minnesota Wild he’ll have to wait for his next chance.
- Logan Shaw has been recalled by the Winnipeg Jets, who are awaiting a decision from the Department of Player Safety on Adam Lowry. Lowry is facing a potential suspension for a hit he threw in the Heritage Classic on Saturday night, meaning the team needed another forward for the time being.
- The Vegas Golden Knights welcomed several players back to practice today, so needed to clear out some roster space for their return. With that in mind, they have assigned Jake Bischoff, Nicolas Hague, Nicolas Roy and Garret Sparks to the minor leagues. Vegas doesn’t play again until Thursday, giving them a chance to assess the roster before making any final decisions on who is ready to play.
- Adam Johnson and Joseph Blandisi have both been returned to the AHL, another promising sign for a Pittsburgh Penguins team that is getting healthy again. Johnson and Blandisi both have two points in seven games for Pittsburgh this season and will likely serve as injury depth again at some point.
Winnipeg’s Lowry To Have Hearing With Department Of Player Safety
The Department of Player Safety announced that Winnipeg Jets forward Adam Lowry will have a hearing Monday for boarding Calgary’s Oliver Kylington.
The incident happened in Calgary’s zone at the end of the second period during the Jets’ 2-1 overtime victory at the outdoor Heritage Classic at Mosaic Stadium Saturday evening. Once time expired in the second period, Lowry put his shoulder right into Kylington’s head (video here). The 26-year-old received a two-minute minor for boarding, while Kylington seemed to escape any major injury as he returned and played in the third period.
Lowry has had issues with behavior before. He was suspended two games back in March of 2019 for cross-checking Nashville’s Filip Forsberg. He also received a one-game suspension in his rookie season in 2014 for boarding Buffalo’s Patrick Kaleta.
Mason Appleton Out Week-To-Week
- Jets winger Mason Appleton was seen in crutches and a walking boot, effectively ruling him out of Saturday’s Heritage Classic against Calgary, notes Ken Wiebe of The Athletic (Twitter link). TSN’s Darren Dreger adds (via Twitter) that the injury is believed to be a week-to-week one and that it was sustained playing football before practice started. Appleton has played in nine games so far this season and has been held off the scoresheet. Winnipeg has 12 other healthy forwards on their roster so a recall isn’t necessarily required.
Winnipeg Jets Claim Luca Sbisa
In a surprising turn of events, the Winnipeg Jets have claimed Luca Sbisa off waivers. Sbisa was only just signing with the Anaheim Ducks after previously being without a team, but the Jets will take him instead on the same one-year, one-way $750K contract. If the Jets want to send Sbisa to the minor leagues as the Ducks had planned, they will have to try to send him through waivers again.
Sbisa, 29, will land in Winnipeg as inexpensive veteran depth for a team that has seen their defense corps ravaged over the last few months. Dustin Byfuglien, Jacob Trouba, Tyler Myers and Ben Chiarot are all gone (for now at least), while Nathan Beaulieu has been dealing with injury.
The team has been using 2019 draft pick Ville Heinola as a full-time option, but the claim of Sbisa does beg the question of what happens next for the young defenseman. Heinola played just over 13 minutes against the Los Angeles Kings, and is approaching the 10-game threshold for his entry-level contract. With eight games under his belt, Heinola can play just one more before his deal would kick in and burn the first year.
Betting that Sbisa can take over that role however comes with plenty of risk. The smooth-skating defenseman has played just 39 regular season games since the start of the 2017-18 season, including just nine last year with the New York Islanders. He couldn’t find a deal this summer and had been skating with New York on a professional tryout, but that’s far from being ready for NHL game action.
With Byfuglien’s future still up in the air however, the Jets don’t have much flexibility to acquire another more expensive defender. Sbisa’s new contract comes just barely over the minimum, and can be completely buried in the minor leagues if necessary.
Injury Notes: Barkov, Little, Johnsson, Ladd, Simek, Paquette
Florida Panthers fans were quite worried Saturday when star player Aleksander Barkov skated off the ice during his second shift and did not return for the rest of the game. The Panthers deemed the injury as an upper-body injury and head coach Joel Quenneville refused to comment on it. However, The Athletic’s George Richards (subscription required) reports that general manager Dale Tallon referred to the injury as “minor.”
How Barkov was injured is a different story, as it doesn’t look as if Barkov took a hit, but the 24-year-old was seen clutching his side after an icing call on his second shift. He still lined up for the face-off, but looked to be in obvious pain. The team flew back to home last night and have Sunday off, with a home match against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday.
- The Winnipeg Jets are looking for some added punch to their lineup as TSN’s Brian Munz reports that center Bryan Little, who has been sidelined all season with a concussion, is expected to play Sunday against the Edmonton Oilers. The 31-year-old has served as the team’s second line center for quite some time. He scored 15 goals and 41 points last season.
- Toronto Maple Leafs forward Andreas Johnsson was not at practice Sunday after blocking a Brandon Carlo shot Saturday and being forced out of the game and missing the third period, according to TSN’s Kristen Shilton. X-rays on Johnsson’s leg came back negative, suggesting the injury isn’t too serious and the forward isn’t expected to be out for long. The 24-year-old winger has two goals and five points in nine games with the Leafs so far.
- The return of Andrew Ladd could be coming soon as Newsday’s Andrew Gross reports that the 33-year-old winger was skating in a regular practice jersey Sunday, after several practices in an orange non-contact jersey. Ladd is coming off a torn ACL and was limited to just 26 games last season. If healthy, Ladd could make some key contributions on the team’s bottom-six. He scored three goals and 11 points in those 26 appearances last year. Gross in a separate tweet, reports that both Jordan Eberle and Casey Cizikas, each on injured reserve with lower-body injuries, skated today, but separately from the rest of the team.
- The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz reports that defenseman Radim Simek is expected to join the San Jose Sharks on their five-game road trip, but the blueliner said that he likely won’t play in any of those games due to his leg injury. He has been practicing so a return could come in the next few weeks, but his return to health has taken longer than the team expected.
- NHL.com’s Bryan Burns reports that Tampa Bay Lighting forward Cedric Paquette is now considered to be day-to-day. The 26-year-old forward, out with an arm injury, hasn’t played a game this season yet, but could be close. Paquette scored a career-high 13 goals last season.
Mark Letestu Placed On IR, Out Until The End Of October At A Minimum
- Jets center Mark Letestu has been shut down through the end of the month due to an undisclosed injury, reports TSN 1290’s Brian Munz (Twitter link). He has already been transferred to injured reserve. The issue could pave the way for rookie David Gustafsson to have more of a regular role after playing in just two games so far this season.
Minor Transactions: 10/18/19
Jack Hughes got his first NHL point and the New Jersey Devils recorded their first win of the season, topping the New York Rangers 5-2 to quiet their critics for the time being. The Minnesota Wild were not so lucky as they were dominated from start to finish by the Montreal Canadiens and now sit at 1-6 on the season. As teams prepare for tonight’s action which includes six matchups, we’ll be right here keeping track of all the minor moves.
- Nelson Nogier has been returned to the AHL by the Winnipeg Jets, in what is quickly becoming a pattern. Nogier has already been involved in five transactions this month between the two leagues and will likely bounce up and down for a good part of the season.
- The Philadelphia Flyers have assigned Connor Bunnaman to the minor leagues after he played four games with the team so far this season. Bunnaman was rewarded for a strong preseason but failed to register his first NHL point. The 21-year old fourth-round pick scored 19 goals and 32 points for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms last season and will continue his development as a legitimate NHL prospect this year.
- Curtis Lazar has been assigned to the AHL after being called up just a few days ago. Lazar hasn’t played in a single game with the Buffalo Sabres this season, but does have one point in three contests for the Rochester Americans.
- Now that Jacob Markstrom has returned to the Vancouver Canucks, the team has sent Zane McIntyre back to the AHL’s Utica Comets. Markstrom was away for a personal reason, giving Thatcher Demko the net for a short time.
- Danil Yurtaykin has been sent to the minor leagues by the San Jose Sharks, ending his short stint in the NHL after just four games. The 22-year old Russian winger needs some seasoning in the AHL before he returns.
Bryan Little Likely To Return Thursday, Anthony Bitetto Out
The Jets appear to be on the verge of getting a key forward back as centre Bryan Little appears to be likely to return to their lineup tomorrow, reports Postmedia’s Paul Friesen. He suffered a concussion in Winnipeg’s final game of the preseason and has been on injured reserve ever since. While his offensive numbers have dipped a little bit in recent years, the 31-year-old should be able to give them a bit of a boost offensively which would bode well for a team that is currently third in the league in goals scored.
Meanwhile, Friesen adds that defenseman Anthony Bitetto will miss Thursday’s game due to an undisclosed injury. That will open up a spot for rookie Ville Heinola to return to the lineup. That will mark the sixth game of the season for the Jets’ first-round pick meaning he will only be able to play three more this season without burning the first year of his entry-level deal.
Patrik Laine Takes Home Second Star
While Sidney Crosby isn’t much of a surprise in the third star spot, many may have not been expecting such a strong start for Patrik Laine who came in second. The Winnipeg Jets sniper had eight points in four games last week and is showing the entire league that last year’s disappointing totals were an aberration.