Washington Capitals‘ 8th year right wing Devante Smith-Pelly(25) was maybe somewhat oddly reassigned to affiliate Hershey Bears after sluggish performance saw him only produce 4 goals and 4 assists in 54 NHL games.
The demotion didn’t seem to deter him much as he got busy right away with a pair of multi-point outings, including a hat trick just over a week after arriving and wound up scoring 6 goals and 8 assists with a +2 rating in 20 AHL games.
His first since the 2013/2014 season under contract with Anaheim Ducks but mostly skating for Norfolk Admirals.
He was recently recalled due to a significant injury to the parent club and welcomed back wholeheartedly after what he was able to produce for the team in last year’s Stanley Cup Championship run.
En route to that victory, he scored 7 goals and 1 assist in 24 playoff matchups.
In his 2019 playoff debut he skated 17 shifts for 10:43 total ice with 1 shot, 5 hits and left the 6-0 win a +1 rating.
The 26-year old is set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the current calendar and seems like the type of player that is good to keep around, so maybe he’ll get an extension without having to first go unqualified.
May the good bunny be with you!
Undrafted 3rd year Japanese-born right wing Yushiroh Hirano(45) gets a recall for the final game of the AHL season with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, who signed with half way through the season.
The 5’11” 216 lbs. forward is quite the sturdy presence out there and has lit up the ECHL with affiliate Wheeling Nailers scoring 19 goals and 38 assists for a team second 57 points with a +8 rating.
He started his junior play in his home country but quickly moved it to Sweden’s SuperElit, including 6 Division 1 games for Tingsryds AIF (3 assists) before heading to the USHL for a season with Youngstown Phantoms.
There was no let up in his ability to connect as he lit up 24 goals and 22 assists with a +17 rating in 54 games.
In his debut, the 23-year old got an assist, a shot on net, two penalty minutes and left a 5-2 win with a +1.
There’s little doubt he will be a training camp invite in upper Pennsylvania, if not a contract offer over the summer.
He’s also been an invite to San Jose Sharks and Chicago Blackhawks‘ development camps and is still young so who knows?
Carolina Hurricanes‘ 2nd round pick in the 2014 draft (#37 overall) goalie Alex Nedeljkovic(30) is voted winner of the Aldege “Baz” Bastien Award AHL Top Goaltender for 2018/2019.
The 5’11” 190 lbs. net minder played a career high 51 games posting a league best 34-9-5 record with a 2.26 GAA and a .916 SV% and had 4 shutouts with 1196 overall saves.
An American kid from Ohio, he took the route of going north for his junior hockey and was selected and signed by Plymouth Whalers, where he spent four years putting up best rookie numbers then followed it up with the 2013/2014 OHL Goaltender Of The Year title.
He’s appeared in a pair of NHL games as a first year back stop, then another look last season when he got the win in his first start posted a 2.00 GAA and .923 SV% on 26 saves.
The 23-year is at the end of his entry level deal heading into his first restricted free agency.
It would be zero surprise to see the parent club extend him for another pair of looks but first he has to see if he can lead the top rated affiliate Charlotte Checkers to an AHL Calder Cup championship.
Charlotte Checkers‘ 4th year right wing Zach Nastasiuk(26) has played a career high 43 AHL for the team scoring a new best 5 goals and 6 assists with a +6 rating.
Originally a Detroit Red Wings‘ 2nd round pick in the 2013 draft (#48 overall), he spent more time on reassignment down to Toledo Walleye of the ECHL than he did with affiliate Grand Rapids Griffins.
The 6’1″ 190 lbs. forward was a prolific scorer through his final three seasons hitting the 20-20 mark in his 2nd and 3rd campaigns, then blowing the lid off it scoring 35 goals and 42 assists as a fourth year player.
He’ll definitely need to excel come playoff time to earn an extension but even if the 24-year old didn’t he would likely find a great place to play overseas.
Rochester Americans‘ 8th year defenseman Zach Redmond(22) wins the AHL Eddie Shore Award as the league’s top blue liner.
He scored a career high and first amongst d-men 21 goals (1st time at 20+) and 50 points in 58 games with a +13 rating, not to mention had 9 game-winning goals and 10 power-play strikes to add to his efforts.
Almost a little odd the 30-year old signed a minor league deal for two years to return to upper state New York but it wouldn’t be crazy to see Buffalo Sabres give him a year, as he did play three NHL games (giving him 133) for them in ’17/18.
He has skated a sort of modest 314 games in the minors.
Providence Bruins‘ undrafted 2nd year center Tanner Pond(12) had teammate Trent Frederic(7) firmly in his sights as he pivots up close for a behind the back pass to a wide open winger staring at an open net.
The 6′ 195 lbs. forward has played a career high 46 AHL games in the current frame with a goal and 4 assists.
He was signed in the offseason after spending most of last campaign in the ECHL with affiliate Atlanta Gladiators, where he definitely showed an ability to affect the scoresheet (14-23-37).
Loaned up for 4 games, he was unable to connect.
Through 3 years in the USHL and four at Northeastern University, he’s never been a big point getter but may have a knack for making big plays when it counts.
The 25-year old was an invite to Boston Bruins‘ training camp and by the looks of it should want to keep him around for further inspection.
Washington Capitals‘ 5th year left wing Liam O’Brien(20) has amassed more than 100 penalty minutes in 5 or his 6 pro seasons.
He’s tied his AHL high for fighting majors with 7 for affiliate Hershey Bears in 2018/2019.
In the 2nd to last game of the current calendar pre-playoffs, he got knotted up with Ryan Lindgren(5), who’s actually fought a bit more than we expected and basically took care of him in quick fashion.
The fairly big forward isn’t just about mixing it up, he skated a career best 74 games potting 15 goals in 2018/2019.
Signed to a one-year extension, the upcoming 24-year old restricted free agent wasn’t recalled this year but it would be surprising for the parent club to let him go.
Boston Bruins‘ 7th year center Charlie Coyle(13) was recently picked up in a deal that brought the potentially still high scoring forward home as he was born in East Weymouth, MA, played his high school hockey at Thayer Academy and did a season with South Shore Kings before moving onto the USDP U18 team before heading to Boston University.
His time at college hockey elapsed quickly though, because by the middle of his second season he opted out to sign with Saint Johns Sea Dogs, where he helped them win the 2016 QMJHL Championship and he personally captured the Playoff MVP (Guy Lafleur Trophy).
Originally a San Jose Sharks‘ 1st round pick in the 2010 draft (#28 overall) but was dished to Minnesota Wild before he ever laced up the skates in California.
The big 6’3″ 220 lbs. player has been a fairly dependable 10+ goal and 20+ assist point-getter but would be an unrestricted free agent coming off a fairly big contract at the end of 2019/2020 on a non-playoff team, which made him potentially expendable for the right prospect package, which Boston took.
He’s recently laced up the skates for his 500th NHL game (93 goals, 155 assists with a +30 rating).
The 27-year old also just recently scored a first playoff goal for his new club in a big win to tie the first round series.
