Snapshots: Hobey Baker, Smith, Enstrom
The NCAA has narrowed it down to just three Hobey Baker finalists, and two of them went undrafted. Zach Aston-Reese of Northeastern University signed with the Penguins, and already has six points in four AHL games. Mike Vecchione from Union College had 63 points in 38 games and is expected to make his decision any day now on where he’ll spend his first few professional seasons. Will Butcher, the third finalist and only defenseman, is heading to the Frozen Four with the University of Denver but is expected to be offered a contract by Colorado after his season ends.
Butcher had 36 points in 41 games, and could wait until August to become a free agent. Like Jimmy Vesey last season, Butcher would have many suitors for his services as he’s shown the ability to play at both ends of the rink and could contribute right away to an NHL team. We’ll see if Colorado can get him locked up, but the longer Denver plays the closer he gets to free agency without them even able to offer a deal.
- John Vogl of the Buffalo News reports that newly signed Sabres forward C.J. Smith will start his professional career with the team right away and will earn a prorated version of a maximum rookie contract of $925K for this season. He’ll earn the same next season, before becoming a restricted free agent in the summer of 2018. Smith scored 51 points in 41 games this season for UMass-Lowell, and decided to leave school a year early to jump right into the AHL. He was taking rushes alongside Zemgus Girgensons and Matt Moulson today in practice, wearing #49.
- Toby Enstrom has undergone knee surgery and will be out for the remainder of the year. The 32-year old has had a tough season, scoring a career-low 14 points while dealing with personal issues and a concussion. He has one year remaining on his current contract at a cap-hit of $5.75MM and has a full no-movement clause. It will be interesting to see if the Jets approach Enstrom to try and get him to waive it for the expansion draft, as they currently have too many defensemen to protect.
Morning Notes: Poolman, McAvoy, Hextall
The other day, we reported that Winnipeg Jets prospect Tucker Poolman had suffered an injury that would keep him from signing his entry-level deal this season and getting into the Winnipeg lineup. According to Bob McKenzie of TSN, that shoulder injury requires surgery and will keep him out four to six months, and he agrees that it may impact his decision to hit free agency this summer.
Poolman would become a free agent in August and able to sign with any NHL team, though McKenzie wonders if he’d choose to go back to school for another year and come out in 2018 with no restrictions on what kind of contract he could sign. Like Matt Read of the Philadelphia Flyers, who avoided an entry-level deal when he signed in 2011, Poolman could get a one-way deal worth much more than a standard ELC.
- Charlie McAvoy is close to signing an amateur tryout with the Providence Bruins, but that doesn’t stop him from signing an entry-level deal this year if the Bruins feel they are desperate enough. As we discussed in the comments of the article yesterday, and confirmed by McKenzie in the video above, McAvoy would burn a year of his ELC if he should sign for this season despite being only 19. Because he turns 20 between September 16th and December 31st of this year, his contract wouldn’t slide even if he played fewer than 10 games. Like Colin White in Ottawa, this is still a possibility if the team feels as though they could help them win in the playoffs this season.
- Ron Hextall will likely be the GM of Team Canada at the upcoming World Championships, provided Philadelphia doesn’t make the playoffs. The team is currently six points behind Boston for the final spot, but have several teams in between them. Expect former NHL goaltender Sean Burke to also be part of the management team after his involvement in Hockey Canada over the past several years.
Central Notes: Poolman, Hartman, Anisimov, Pickard
While the expectation was that Jets defensive prospect Tucker Poolman would sign with Winnipeg and get into a game before the end of the season, that has gone out the window as a result of a shoulder injury. Accordingly, Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Sun wonders if that may ultimately have an impact on whether or not he decides to test free agency this summer now.
Poolman, Winnipeg’s fifth round pick (127th overall) in 2013, recently completed his third season with North Dakota, picking up a career high 30 points in 38 games. The Jets could have dangled the ability to burn the first year of his contract now to help entice the 23 year old to sign but now that he can’t start his entry level deal until 2017-18, it may make more sense for him to opt to test the market.
If Poolman does opt to wait to sign, he won’t become an unrestricted free agent until August 16th as the Jets will hold his rights through the 15th. He’s eligible to become a UFA as a result of it being four years since he was initially drafted.
Elsewhere in the Central:
- Blackhawks rookie winger Ryan Hartman will be a healthy scratch against the Lightning tonight, notes Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times. The decision comes as a result of the youngster taking too many penalties with the last straw being a double minor (which included an unsportsmanlike conduct call) against the Panthers on Saturday. Hartman has 18 goals and 11 assists in 70 games this year and the belief at this point is that he should be back in the lineup later this week.
- Also from Lazerus, Chicago head coach Joel Quenneville anticipates to have injured center Artem Anismov back in time for the playoffs. The Russian forward suffered a leg injury back on March 14th against the Canadiens and was expected to miss a minimum of three-to-four weeks. In the meantime, the ‘Hawks continue to experiment with finding the right replacement for Anisimov; tonight, rookie Tanner Kero will get a chance to center the second line with Artemi Panarin and Patrick Kane.
- While there are few positives in Colorado this year, one has been goaltender Calvin Pickard, particularly when it comes to his playing time, writes Jason Hills of the Denver Post. Their struggles coupled with the season-ending groin injury to Semyon Varlamov have allowed the team to give Pickard plenty more starts than they otherwise might have been able to do. Pickard’s numbers aren’t particularly impressive for a starter (a 2.91 GAA and a .907 SV%) but with an important decision looming regarding which goalie to protect for expansion, the chance to give the 24 year old an extended look as a starter at the NHL level is certainly beneficial.
Byfuglien Out; Laine Questionable For Jets
The Winnipeg Jets will be without at least one star player when they host the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday night.
Head coach Paul Maurice announced that defenseman Dustin Byfuglien is out with a lower-body injury (LBI) sustained on Thursday, while rookie sniper Patrik Laine is “feeling under the weather” and is a game-time decision.
Byfuglien left Thursday’s loss to the Kings with an LBI and subsequently missed Friday’s loss to the Ducks. He’s been solid for the Jets this season, with 48 points in 74 games while averaging over 27-minutes per night. It’s not known exactly what the injury is or how long he’ll be out of the lineup.
Missing Laine for any extended period of time would be a big loss for the Jets; he has 34 goals and 61 points in 67 games as a rookie. While he’s been quiet lately (2-1-3 in his last nine games), he’s still been one of the best rookies in the NHL. Both Laine and Auston Matthews have 34 goals and 61 points, but Laine has played in seven fewer games. He’ll need a strong finish to earn the Calder Trophy for top rookie season. The team will make the call around 4pm ahead of the 7pm puck drop.
While the Jets have not been mathematically eliminated from the playoff race just yet, it would take an absolute miracle for them to make up the 13-point gap in their seven remaining games. They need to run the table while St. Louis loses out. Barring that unlikely situation, the Jets will miss the playoffs for the third straight season.
Winnipeg Jets Bring Up Kichton, Move Tanev To Regular Recall
The Winnipeg Jets have recalled Brenden Kichton on an emergency basis, while removing those same conditions on Brandon Tanev. While it’s not clear who exactly is injured in the Jets’ defense corps, Rick Ralph of TSN reports that Dustin Byfuglien did exit the game early last night. Should Byfuglien be the one to sit out, he’d join an all-star group on the sidelines. Tyler Myers, Jacob Trouba, Toby Enstrom and Ben Chiarot are all dealing with various injuries at the moment, making the Jets’ defense look like an AHL squad.
One of those AHL players is Kichton, who Winnipeg selected 190th overall in 2013 after he failed to come to terms with the New York Islanders and re-entered the draft. The 24-year old as yet to make his NHL debut but does have two 40+ point seasons in the AHL and has always been an extremely offensive threat. He regularly jumps into rushes, and has an excellent point shot when he’s given the time to release it. The defensive game is coming along, and he has turned himself into more than just an afterthought when it comes to NHL call-ups.
Tanev on the other hand has established himself in the NHL this season, playing 43 games and showing that he can be relied on as a defensive presence among the bottom-six. The brother of Vancouver Canucks defenseman Chris Tanev, Brandon is a hard-working winger who has registered four points this season while logging 111 hits. His presence, while not usually seen on the scoreboard is definitely felt among the opposing player bench. He’ll likely stick around for the rest of the season.
Minor Moves: McKenzie, Green, Beauvillier, Hronek
As many non-professional seasons come to an end across North America and the world, players are starting to sign with their respective organizations to get a taste of the AHL and what lies beyond for them in their hockey careers. Here are some of the latest signings around the league:
- The Utica Comets have signed Brett McKenzie to an amateur tryout after his season ended in the OHL. The North Bay Battalion forward was a point-per-game player for the first time in his junior career and led his team in goals with 29. Selected in the seventh round last season in his final year of draft eligibility, McKenzie will try to adapt his all-around game to the AHL level.
- Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Sun reports that the Manitoba Moose have signed Luke Green an ATO. The third-round pick of the Jets this past draft had an outstanding year in the QMJHL, scoring 37 points in 60 games split between the Saint John Sea Dogs and Sherbrooke Phoenix. The 19-year old defenseman will have to return to the junior ranks next year if he doesn’t make the Jets out of camp—which would be quite a feat considering the names he would have to beat out on the right side.
- Wiebe also tells us that the Moose have given Francis Beauvillier an ATO, one of the first out of the CIS (Canadian University) ranks this season. Beauvillier was originally drafted by the Florida Panthers in 2012, but failed to sign with the team before heading to the University of New Brunswick. He even played eight games for the San Antonio Rampage of the AHL in 2013 on a similar deal.
- The Detroit Red Wings have assigned both Givani Smith and Filip Hronek to Grand Rapids after their OHL seasons ended. Both players are already signed to their entry-level contracts, but will not burn a year due to their age as long as they stay in the AHL. Smith leaves the Guelph Storm after another season of moderate point totals and big penalty minutes. A second-round pick in 2016, the winger scored 44 points while collecting 139 penalty minutes in 64 games. Hronek on the other hand—also a second-round pick last summer—excelled in his first taste of North American hockey, scoring 61 points in 59 games. The Czech defenseman was the fourth-highest scoring defender in the OHL, showing his immense upside for the Saginaw Spirit.
- As expected, Adam Ollas-Mattsson has joined the Stockton Heat on an ATO, coming over from his Swedish team. The 20-year old was a sixth-round pick for the Flames in 2014, and has been playing professional hockey since he was 17.
Winnipeg Jets Recall Brandon Tanev From Manitoba
With the Winnipeg Jets heading out to the west coast for a two game road trip that will see them take on the Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks, they’ve recalled Brandon Tanev from the Manitoba Moose on an emergency basis. Though Chris Thorburn returned to the lineup, he skated only 2:47 last night.
Tanev has actually played 42 games with the Jets this season, but was sent down during the Jets’ bye-week and never brought back up. The forward had four points in those games and saw his ice time reduced heavily in the dozen games before his re-assignment. The younger brother of Vancouver’s Chris Tanev, Brandon went undrafted before being signed out of Providence College last spring.
The Jets find themselves out of the playoff picture once again as they sit 10 points back of Nashville for the final spot with just nine games to play. It has been a year with tremendous highs and lows for the Winnipeg franchise, who will try to avoid injury and go into next year with an excellent young group.
Minor Moves: Fischer, Moose, Friedman
The Arizona Coyotes have decided it’s time for Christian Fischer to try and make his mark at the NHL level. The team recalled Fischer today and moved Laurent Dauphin down to the AHL. Fischer, the 32nd-overall pick in 2015 has done nothing but score this season for the Tucson Roadrunners. With 43 points in 51 games, the big offensive upside he showed in Windsor last season—when he scored 90 points in 66 games—hasn’t diminished at all.
Scoring two goals in his first three games earlier this year wasn’t a bad start, but he’ll try to prove he deserves a full-time role on the NHL team as soon as next season. As Sarah McClellan of AZCentral notes, this represents the Coyotes’ fourth and final call-up for the rest of the season, meaning they’ll only be able to bring up players on emergency conditions.
- The Manitoba Moose, affiliate of the Winnipeg Jets, have signed two players to professional tryouts for the remainder of the season. Kale Kessy and Rob Flick will join the squad from their respective ECHL teams. Kessy, a former fourth-round pick of the Arizona Coyotes has tried to turn himself into more than an enforcer over the years, and scored 23 points in 32 games for the Tulsa Oilers this season. Flick, a former selection of the Chicago Blackhawks, actually has had success in the AHL before, but found himself in the lower level this season. His scoring dominance there—59 points in 59 games—came paired with a penchant for fighting, and 160 minutes in penalties.
- Mark Friedman has signed with the Philadelphia Flyers, and will report to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms for the remainder of the season. The third-round pick had another impressive season in college and continues to draw comparisons to Shayne Gostisbehere in path and pedigree. While they don’t quite play the same style, Flyers fans should be excited by another puck-moving defenseman who will make his mark on the NHL before long. Though Philadelphia has had trouble solidifying their blue line in recent years, the emerging group led by Gostisbehere and Ivan Provorov look like they will fare quite a bit better over the next several seasons.
Snapshots: Graovac, Sproul, Stuart
The Minnesota Wild have sent Tyler Graovac back down the minors after playing the last three games with the club. After Jason Pominville was a healthy scratch last night against the Winnipeg Jets— a game which the Wild lost 5-4—he will likely figure back into the lineup tomorrow against the San Jose Sharks. Graovac has now played 52 games for the Wild this season, contributing nine points while skating just under ten minutes a game. The 23-year old will return to the Iowa Wild where he has ten points in twelve games, and wait for his next chance.
For Pominville, last night’s scratching was the first such occasion of his Minnesota career and came after being held scoreless in six of his last seven games. The winger had contracted the mumps disease last month and missed some time, and wasn’t very effective upon his return. In 67 games this season he does have 41 points, which is actually an improvement over his career-low (in a full season) of 36 last year. With a long playoff run upcoming, and two years left on his current contract, the Wild need the 34-year old to continue producing down the stretch.
- Ryan Sproul still hasn’t decided whether his ACL injury will need surgery, as the Detroit Red Wings defender explained today. He will continue to rehab the knee for the next two weeks and have another examination before deciding whether he needs to go under the knife. Clearly frustrated, he spoke to reporters today about how this season has slipped away from him without accomplishing the one goal he had: prove he was ready for an NHL role. With only 28 games under his belt in his NHL career, he’ll try again next fall to become the solid defenseman the Red Wings were hoping for when they selected him 55th overall in 2011.
- Though it seemed like Ben Chiarot could be the reason for the Winnipeg Jets recalling Nelson Nogier this morning, the defenseman took part in practice today and looks to be fine. Chiarot didn’t play in the last ten minutes of last night’s game, but it was Mark Stuart who was absent this morning. Head coach Paul Maurice told Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Sun that there are a “few moving parts” on defense for the Jets’ upcoming game against the Philadelphia Flyers. If Nogier does get into the lineup, it would be his NHL debut.
Nelson Nogier Recalled By Winnipeg Jets On Emergency Basis
The Winnipeg Jets have brought up Nelson Nogier on emergency recall, giving the 20-year old a chance at his NHL debut. The team will host Philadelphia tomorrow night, and are likely still without both Paul Postma and Jacob Trouba. As Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Sun reports, Ben Chiarot didn’t play for the last 10:57 of the third period, meaning he’s likely the one who has suffered an injury of some sort.
Nogier was drafted in the fourth round of the 2014 draft and proceeded to post two solid seasons of junior hockey before making his professional debut this season with the AHL’s Manitoba Moose. The Saskatoon native has 13 points in 53 games in the minors this season, playing as the youngest defender on the team.
Drafted as a defensive specialist, his offensive game has grown in the past few years to the point where he could make an impact at the NHL one day. A big-bodied, right-handed shot defender who can move the puck and contribute on both special teams is exactly what every team is looking for—every team except the Jets perhaps, when they’re at full strength. Though even the front office would likely agree he’s not quite ready for the NHL just yet, a little taste of what it’s like is often good for the development of prospects.