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World Juniors

Klim Kostin Assigned To Avangard Omsk

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The St. Louis Blues have found a landing spot for Klim Kostin as he waits for the next NHL season to get underway. The young forward will return to the KHL for the time being, joining Avangard Omsk on a short-term assignment. Kostin will be able to return to North America for training camp with St. Louis, whenever that takes place.

Kostin, 21, was the 31st selection in the 2017 NHL draft, a pick the Blues received (along with Oskar Sundqvist) when they traded Ryan Reaves to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Immediately the powerful winger showed why the team had invested in him, scoring six goals and 28 points in the AHL as a teenager while also dominating the competition at the World Juniors with Russia. Kostin returned to the AHL in 2018-19 and put up ten goals and 24 points while recording more than 100 penalty minutes, but it was a bit of a disappointment given his early hype.

This year though, things were different. The 6’3″ winger ended up scoring 13 goals and 30 points in just 48 games with the San Antonio Rampage, while also making his NHL debut and scoring for the Blues. While there is still plenty of work to be done, the progress Kostin has made since being drafted is encouraging.

With two years remaining on his entry-level contract, the 2020-21 season is an important one for Kostin if he wants to establish himself as an NHL player before reaching restricted free agency. Getting some playing time in the KHL, where he actually debuted in 2017 before even being drafted, will only help him continue his development and come to North America ready to compete for a roster spot with the Blues.

Otto Somppi, Oskari Laaksonen Loaned To Lahti

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Two more young players will spend the next several months playing overseas, as Otto Somppi of the Tampa Bay Lightning and Oskari Laaksonen of the Buffalo Sabres have been loaned to the Lahti Pelicans in Finland. Both players can be recalled when NHL training camps open.

Somppi, 22, is another one of Tampa Bay’s late-round draft picks that the organization has committed to developing. The 206th overall pick in 2016, Somppi has now been in their minor league system for two seasons, scoring 18 points in 45 games for the Syracuse Crunch this year. A 6’2″ center that exploded with 83 points in his final year of junior for the Halifax Mooseheads, he’ll be a restricted free agent after the 2020-21 season when his entry-level deal expires.

Laaksonen meanwhile has no experience on North American ice, having played the last three seasons with Ilves in Finland after his 2017 selection by Buffalo. The 21-year-old defenseman was a third-round pick and competed for Finland at the 2019 World Juniors, winning a gold medal alongside other talented defenders like Henri Jokiharju, Urho Vaakanainen and Ville Heinola.

Unlike Somppi, Laaksonen still has plenty of time under contract with the Sabres after only inking his entry-level deal a few months ago. It would be a lot less surprising to see him spend the entire 2020-21 season overseas, though at some point the Buffalo organization would likely want to see him compete in the AHL. That was likely the plan for this season, though Laaksonen was actually signed to his entry-level deal just a day before the team fired GM Jason Botterill.

IIHF Announces 2021 World Juniors To Be Held In Bubble

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The IIHF has announced that the 2021 World Junior Championship, originally scheduled to be held in Red Deer and Edmonton, Alberta, will now be a single-venue tournament held in just Edmonton. It will use the “bubble” protocols that the NHL has pioneered for their 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs and will be held without spectators. The tournament schedule will be revised and released at a later date.

Because of the changes to this year’s tournament, the IIHF has also made a swap down the line. The 2022 event will no longer be held in Gothenburg, Sweden, but is now scheduled for the original hosts of Red Deer and Edmonton with spectators. Sweden will now host the 2024 tournament instead.

The governing body has also canceled the lower division 2021 tournaments, meaning there will be no promotion or relegation this year. The relegation round for the World Juniors will no longer take place.

Dan Muse, Adam Nightingale Named NTDP Head Coaches

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Over the last few weeks USA Hockey had lost several coaches from their National Team Development Program to other positions in the hockey world, but today they’ve found some replacements. Dan Muse and Adam Nightingale have been named head coaches of the NTDP, heading up the U18 and U17 teams respectively.

Muse has served as an assistant coach for the Nashville Predators for the past three seasons after previously working as the head coach of the Chicago Steel of the USHL. Twice he was a video coach with USA Hockey at the U20 World Juniors and has plenty of experience as an assistant with Yale in the NCAA as well.

He’ll be joined by assistants Dan Hinote and Mike Leone behind the bench of the U18 team.

Nightingale meanwhile has worked with the Detroit Red Wings for the last several seasons, first as a video coach and then an assistant in 2019-20. He’s served as video coach for USA Hockey’s World Championship squad the last three years and was previously the Director of Hockey Operations at Michigan State University.

He’ll be joined by assistants Nick Fohr and Brent Darnell behind the bench of the U17 team.

Seth Appert and John Wroblewski, who previously held the positions, both took head coaching jobs in the AHL this summer.

NHL Prospects Dealt In KHL Blockbuster

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It has been a busy day for Traktor Chelyabinsk and Metallurg Magnitogorsk of the KHL. The two teams each made trades with SKA St. Petersburg earlier in the day that at time seemed like independent deals. Magnitogorsk swapped the rights of NHL forwards with SKA, sending Vladislav Kamenev away in exchange for Nikolai Prokhorkin, who is already negotiating with the team. Chelyabinks also sent NHL rights to St. Petersburg, trading away Yakov Trenin, but in return received 22-year-old defenseman Vladislav Semin.

As if that wasn’t enough (potential) star power changing hands, it turns out that those deals were part of an even bigger plan. Semin is on the move again, traded to Metallurg for prospects Pavel Dorofeyev, Dmitri Sheshin, Semyon Buivan, and Gleb Babinstsev. For all intents and purposes, this completed a three-team, eight-player trade.

Of the prospects dealt today, Dorofeyev is certainly the centerpiece. A third-round pick of the Vegas Golden Knights last year, Dorofeyev was considered a steal by many as numerous draft boards ranked him as high as the first round. A skilled, versatile forward, some questioned Dorofeyev’s commitment and compete level, which may have send him tumbling down the board. However, he responded this season with 48 games and seven points in the KHL, a tough league for teenagers, and strong numbers on the international stage, including three goals and an assist in seven games at the World Juniors. Dorofeyev seems like the real deal and might be in for a major boost next season as he is expected to take on a key role for a poor Traktor team. How much longer he will remain in the KHL before jumping to the NHL after a potential breakout performance is the real question.

Like Dorofeyev, Sheshin also fell down the draft board in 2019. Except Shehin fell all the way out. A player who many considered to be a lock as a late-round pick, ranked in the fifth round even by some, Sheshin instead went undrafted. Size may have come into play for the 5’8” forward, but his talent exceeds the issues with his stature. He proved that again this season, posting 71 points in 61 games in the junior-level MHL, finishing in the top-five in scoring. Sheshin will re-enter the draft this fall and may have an even better case to be drafted this season, especially with the KHL on the horizon next year for a needy Chelyabinsk club.

Buivan may also be worth noting. The 18-year-old defenseman is preparing for his first go-round in the NHL Draft in 2020. While he has received nowhere near the buzz that Dorofeyev or even Sheshin got last year, Buivan has appeared on some draft boards as having an outside chance of being selected. The move to Traktor could boost his draft stock; Buivan was highly unlikely to see any KHL action next year with Metallurg but Chelyabinsk is a team in need. Buivan recorded 12 points and a +15 rating in the MHL this year and won gold at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup with Russia.

Snapshots: Expiring Contracts, Hall, Summer Showcase

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Though it has been assumed by many, the NHL has not actually officially announced that player contracts that are scheduled to expire on June 30th will be extended through the eventual end of the 2019-20 season. Michael Russo of The Athletic (subscription required) reports today that that uniform slide of all player contracts is expected to happen, meaning pending unrestricted free agents will have to wait until the Stanley Cup is awarded (or the season is canceled) to hit the open market.

More importantly, Russo writes, are the contracts for coaching staffs and scouts all around the league that are also set to expire at the end of the normal season. These employees are not part of a union like the NHLPA, meaning extensions may have to be negotiated individually (though the league could create a standard extension document). In the piece, Russo examines the coaching situations around the league that could be affected by the extension decisions.

  • Among the players who are pending unrestricted free agents is Taylor Hall, who at one point pre-coronavirus looked like he was a lock for a huge long-term contract this summer. While some have suggested that Hall (and other premium free agents like Alex Pietrangelo and Torey Krug) could maximize their earning potential by taking a one-year contract and hoping the salary cap bounces back, Hall doesn’t sound like he wants to go down that road. Coyotes head coach Rick Tocchet told ESPN On Ice that Hall told him “he doesn’t want to go through another year trying to play on a one-year contract. He wants to get settled somewhere.” The Coyotes are “a team he’s very interested in staying with” according to the Arizona coach.
  • USA Hockey is still planning on holding the World Junior Summer Showcase, though Hockey Canada won’t be participating. Mike Morreale of NHL.com reports that the tournament is still scheduled for late-July between the USA, Finland, and Sweden. Nothing is certain in the world right now, but you can bet scouting staffs around the NHL perked up when they heard that they may get the chance to see many of the best young players in the world battle this summer. The tournament is a proving ground for the rosters that will take part in the World Juniors at the end of the year.

Patrick Harper Signs With Nashville Predators

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The Nashville Predators have jumped into the fray of college signings, inking Patrick Harper to a two-year entry-level contract. The young forward recently completed his senior season at Boston University and could have become an unrestricted free agent this summer, had he waited until August. Predators director of player development Scott Nichol had this to say about his newest prospect:

Patrick is a dynamic player and with his size excels in the way today’s game is played. He’s a fun player to watch – he likes having the puck on his stick, he likes to make plays and wants to score goals every game. He fits in well on the power play and uses his biggest on-ice attribute – his hockey sense – to his advantage.

That size Nichol mentions is perhaps one of the reasons that Harper wasn’t selected higher than 138th in 2016, given he stands at just 5’7″ 150-lbs.  Size wasn’t the only obstacle that the 21-year old has faced to this point however. In 2018, just after helping Team USA to a bronze medal at the World Juniors (his second appearance at the tournament, after winning gold a year prior), Harper was sidelined due to illness and missed the second half of his sophomore season with BU.

Nothing seems able to hold him back however, as the diminutive forward climbed his way back into elite company in the NCAA and was even nominated for the 2020 Hobey Baker. His 37 points in 32 games put him 14th in the country in per-game production, something he’ll try to carry over to the Predators minor league system whenever hockey resumes.

Snapshots: Kapanen, Dumba, Puistola

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Toronto Maple Leafs forward Kasperi Kapanen owned up to the reasoning behind his benching on Saturday night when he met with the media this morning. Kapanen had been a healthy scratch, but head coach Sheldon Keefe declined to provide any details as to why in his post-game media availability. It turns out that Kapanen had specifically asked for the opportunity to speak about the issue. Kapanen told a number of reporters, including Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston, that he had overslept on Friday and was late to a team meeting and practice. This was not the first incidence of this, as Kapanen had previously had problems being punctual in the AHL, also under Keefe. He stressed this morning that these were honest mistakes and he does not want his coaches and teammates to think that he does not care about being the best player that he can be. It seems that Kapanen and Keefe are ready to move past this but these locker room issues won’t help to quell the trade rumors surrounding the young winger.

  • In an entertaining article that was mostly educated guesses, Pierre LeBrun did manage to drop a few rumor nuggets in his recent trade deadline piece for  The Athletic. One such report was that the Carolina Hurricanes – known to be seeking defense – had inquired about the Minnesota Wild’s Mathew Dumba. Not only does this say that the Hurricanes are at least looking into options beyond rentals, with Dumba signed for three more years at $6MM, but it implies that the Wild are at least listening to offers on the young defenseman. New GM Bill Guerin has stated that the team is open for business, but moving Dumba would be a major move for the franchise. The team would have to recoup some highly valueable  pieces to warrant trading away one of their few young difference-makers.
  • Hurricanes prospect Patrik Puistola is on the move in the Finnish Liiga yet again. Puistola, 19, has struggled while playing for the team that owns his rights, Tappara, with just two points in 24 games. However, in an earlier loan this season to Jukurit, the swift winger posted five points in just seven games. Tappaara will try to loan him out again now, announcing that he has been sent to Kookoo. If Puistola performs with Kookoo as he did with Jukurit or at the World Juniors, where he posted eight points in seven games, then the team will be very happy about this temporary arrangement. Meanwhile, as Puistola’s attachment to Tappara continues to diminih, the odds are improving that he will make the jump to North America next season.

Snapshots: Team Canada, Kreider, Nutivaara, Copp

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The World Junior Championships got a gold medal game to remember as Canada pulled off a big comeback victory Saturday to win the gold as Los Angeles Kings’ prospect Akil Thomas scored the go-ahead goal to give Canada a 4-3 win over Russia on Sunday.

Canada was down 3-1 to Russia in the third, but got key goals from Washington Capitals’ prospect Connor McMichael and Arizona Coyotes forward Barrett Hayton to come back and tie the game. It’s the third time in six years that Canada has won the World Championships, but the first time since 2008 that they have won the title on Europe ice. Russia finished with the silver, while Sweden topped Finland for the bronze medal earlier today.

Projected top pick in the 2020 draft, Alexis Lafreniere was named the MVP of the tournament, by the IIHF, as well as the top forward. Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Rasmus Sandin was awarded the top defenseman award, while St. Louis prospect Joel Hofer won the top goaltender award.

  • One reason the Montreal Canadiens went through with signing forward Ilya Kovalchuk last week was that they realized they had little chance of acquiring New York Rangers forward Chris Kreider. The New York Post’s Larry Brooks notes that Kreider, who has a modified no-trade clause in which he has submitted an 11-team no-trade list, has all the Canadien teams on his list, meaning he has no interest in playing there. Kreider remains the top trade candidate at the trade deadline.
  • The Columbus Blue Jackets got some much needed depth back on their blueline as the team announced they have activated Markus Nutivaara off of injured reserve. The 25-year-old has been out since Nov. 5 when he suffered an upper-body injury and has now missed 27 games. The blueliner has two goals in 10 games this season, but should add a helping hand as the team has several defensemen on IR, including Ryan Murray, Dean Kukan and Andrew Peeke.
  • The Winnipeg Jets may have forward Andrew Copp back in the lineup as The Athletic’s Ken Weibe reports that the 25-year-old was a full participant in practice. Head coach Paul Maurice said that if he comes to the rink feeling as good as he left Sunday, that Copp should find himself back in the lineup. The forward has missed the past eight games with an upper-body injury.

 

IIHF Notes: Olympics, Russia, World Juniors

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Speaking on the final day of the 2020 World Junior Championship tournament earlier today, IIHF President Rene Fasel revealed updates on several issues of note. When it comes to the NHL, the major issue continues to be Olympic participation, and Fasel was clear that the clock is ticking on a decision for the Beijing Winter Games in 2022. The Hockey News’ Ryan Kennedy relays that Fasel would like a definitive answer prior to the final qualification games for the next Olympic tournament, which will take place in September. He has requested an answer by the end of August. While Olympic participation has been a major talking point in collective bargaining discussions between the NHL and NHLPA, those talks have cooled since both sides opted to extend the current agreement. It remains to be seen if and when the issue will be debated again in the next nine months. The NHL sat out the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang, citing the disruption of the league season  – both in scheduling and potential player injuries – and the lack of financial benefit to the NHL. While neither of those issues are going away, one has to think that locale has amplified these negative effects of participation, as the NHL clearly didn’t see much value in Pyeongchang, South Korea and quite possibly might feel the same about Beijing, China in 2022 and Milan and Cortina, Italy in 2026. Yet, Fasel still feels optimistic about the NHL’s return to the Olympics, stating that if Commissioner Gary Bettman is smart, “They will come in the end, I hope so.”

  • As for another important international tournament in hockey, Fasel confirmed that the World Junior Championships will not be impacted by the recent four-year ban on international participation placed on Russia by the World Anti-Doping Agency. WADA placed the ban on Russia, which was similarly prohibited from participation at the last Winter Olympics, after evidence emerged that the country tampered with hundreds of samples and also engaged in improper behavior toward whistle-blowers. The ban prevents any Russian athlete implicated in a positive doping test from participation in major international events, requires all others to compete as “Authorized Neutral Athletes”, and bans Russia from hosting any international events. However, these sanctions will by and large not impact the WJC. Not only did Russia participate in this year’s tournament under their own flag, but they will play for a gold medal today against Canada. The country will continue to participate as such and Fasel also added that they will still be able to host the event in Novosibirsk and Omsk in 2023. Of course, any players found to be doping will still be prohibited from participating, but otherwise the Russian entry into the top junior tournament will be safe.
  • As for this year’s tournament, while the results of the bronze medal and gold medal games are still yet to be decided today, this morning’s contest had the more important result as it pertains to planning for next year. Germany and Kazakhstan played a winner-take-all relegation match earlier, after Kazakhstan stunned Germany in Game Two of the series on Saturday with their first non-regulation loss result of the entire tournament. However, Germany shook off that loss with a convincing 6-0 win on Sunday morning to avoid relegation. As quickly as they re-entered the top level of World Junior participation this year, Kazakhstan will head back down next year. They will be replaced by Austria in 2021, the surprise victor of the “A” class tournament back in December.

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