Toronto Maple Leafs‘ 5th year left wing Josh Leivo(14) scores himself a new one-year one-way extension with a nice pay bump in what is a contract season for the restricted free agent.
He’s appeared in 5 NHL contests this campaign recording an assist and played a career high 13 games last year netting a new best 8 assists and 10 points.
The 3rd round pick is off to a slower start with affiliate Toronto Marlies, where he has no points in 5 AHL games after putting up 31 assists and 48 points with a +14 rating while unloading 158 shots on net.
As a 24-year old he may be still splitting time between the two top leagues but it’s almost a sure bet he makes it up to the show full-time for 2018/2019.
Los Angeles Kings‘ 6th year center Andrew Crescenzi(21) is starting to assert his large frame into the power forward the team projected he could become when they signed him to a three year entry level deal after his third year of juniors, then re-upped him on extension for the last few seasons.
His size definitely plays into the style of his current club and a somewhat quick start on the score sheet (3 goals, 1 assist, 12 AHL games) in the new campaign has earned him a first NHL recall from affiliate Ontario Reign.
In a pair of games he skated an average of 14 shifts for under 10 minutes of total ice with 4 hits, 1 takeaway, 2 penalty minutes and went 50% on the face-off dot in unfortunately two losses.
If the 25-year old can keep up his scoring in the minors, he should be asked to stick around regardless of getting another chance in the big league this season but we fully expect him to get another look.
Florida Panthers‘ 6th year Finnish flash forward Henrik Haapala(25) was a bit of a late training camp cut reassigned to affiliate Springfield Thunderbirds but wasn’t always in the roster mix and sat for a pair of stretches before he was recalled for his first NHL action just over a month into the new season.
The small 5’9″ 165 lbs. left wing has scored 2 goals and 5 assists with a +1 rating, a game-winning tally and 2 penalty minutes in 11 AHL games on a squad that’s only just starting to string together wins, but sits at the bottom of the Atlantic Division.
For his debut he skated 23 shifts for 13:58 of total ice time with an assist, a +1 rating, 1 hits and 1 play breakup in a 2-1 shootout victory.
He came across with over 250 games of experience playing for Taapara, where he spent all of his juniors time and helped them win back-to-back 2016 and 2017 Liiga Championships while collecting a league leading 45 assists and 60 points.
The 23-year old looks to have quite a future but may still spend some time in the minors as part of his two-year entry level deal through 2019.
10th year right wing Geoff Walker(22) started the season under contract with Indy Fuel but after 6 ECHL games (2-4-6) he has decided it’s better for him to return to the EIHL signing for the remainder of the season with Guilford Flames.
He was there late last season and some playoffs skating for Sheffield Steelers scoring very decently.
The fairly daunting sized forward started 2016/2017 with HC Fassa of the AlpsHL and basically just detonated the score sheet in that Austrian league grabbing 21 goals and 35 assists in only 33 games before possibly needing another challenge.
He’s a vet of 269 AHL games and 171 in the lower league and signed NHL deals with both Colorado Avalanche, then Tampa Bay Lightning but never quite was able to latch on, although it would have been interesting to see what he could bring to the table.
It’ll be interesting to see where the 29-year old takes his game next.
8th year defenseman Erik Gustafsson(28) switches up his KHL team of the last season and a half heading from Avangard Omsk to Nizhnekamsk Neftekhimik.
He spent 2 full campaigns and 23 games of the current calendar with his former team, but also left for 2015/2016 to the NLA joining Kloten HC, where he put up an overseas best 26 assists and 29 points.
The d-man spent his last season in North America playing the full year with the only team he skated for, Philadelphia Flyers.
He would only skate 31 NHL games but recorded a new high 8 assists and 10 points.
The blue liner didn’t really feel like he was treated all that well in his first run in the big league, which is why he decided to bolt for Russia.
He’ll turn 29-years old soon and it’s possible he heads home for Sweden next to finish out his playing career.
Boston Bruins‘ 5th round pick in the 2011 draft (#151 overall) defenseman Rob O’Gara(44) is getting a 2nd, more extended look from the big club as injuries plague the team.
He’s appeared in 7 NHL games on a pair of recalls (added to the 3 he skated as a rookie) but has yet to post a 1st point.
Not a player to put up big numbers through four years at Yale University, where he won the 2013 NCAA Championship in his first year of college hockey, his big presence is looked at for a more shut down role.
The 6’4″ 210 lbs. blue liner was credited with 4 goals and 7 assists and a +11 rating through 59 AHL games in 2016/2017 with affiliate Providence Bruins and starting the new season he put up 2 assists in 7 contests with a +4 before his recall.
He is a restricted free agent at the end of the season and will likely re-up for at least another look.
Florida Panthers‘ undrafted 4th year center Curtis Valk(18) was only two seasons ago spending most of his time on reassignment from contract team Utica Comets down to Kalamazoo Wings.
It wasn’t until his third campaign under an AHL deal that he stuck in the higher league and was lighting the lamp on a regular basis scoring a career high 16 goals and 30 assists for 46 points.
Signed on the second day of unrestricted free agency to a one-year two-way entry level deal, he was released early from training camp but immediately showed affiliate Springfield Thunderbirds‘ coaching last year was just the beginning of this new offensive outburst.
The fairly small 5’9″ 170 lbs. forward already has 6 goals and 9 assists in 16 games and plays much the way he did as a third and fourth year player with Medicine Hat Tigers of the WHL, where he scored 46 and 47 goals and 45 assists on two occasions, one as team captain.
On his 1st NHL recall he was limited to a very scarce 6 shifts and 3:25 total ice with 1 hit given out, he was at least involved in a 4-3 shootout win but found himself a healthy scratch the next three times before being sent back down.
The 24-year old no doubt will need to continue to prove himself worthy and that is likely to happen.
He plays like a leader out there and wants it.
Philadelphia Flyers‘ undrafted 3rd year left wing Danick Martel(70) got himself off to an extremely hot start with affiliate Lehigh Valley Phantoms scoring a league leading 14 goals in 17 AHL games.
The small 5’8″ 162 lbs. forward had already achieved a pair of 20+ goals seasons in the minors and career high 40 points with a +15 rating, which rides what he was able to achieve in his third and final year of the QMJHL with Blainville-Broisbriand Armada.
In 2014/2015, he grabbed a 2nd best 48 goals and 54 assists for 102 points before signing his entry level deal.
For his NHL debut he skated 18 shifts for a healthy 12:07 of total ice time with 3 shots on net, 4 play breakups and 1 takeaway in a 4-3 shootout loss, which must have impressed the coaches.
No doubt, now that the 22-year old water-bug style player has made it to the show, he won’t want to leave.
7th year right wing Jordan Szwarz(21) takes a career high 65 AHL games played scoring a team best 22 goals and 54 points under contract with Providence Bruins to a new 1-year NHL deal with the parent club, Boston Bruins, signed on the opening day of unrestricted free agency.
His solid start in the minors playing 6 games netting 5 goals and 3 assists with a +7 rating and an injury riddled big league squad earns him a first recall since late 2015 with Arizona Coyotes.
In 9 game he has his first 3 assists to go with 4 goals and shows little signs of being released back to the farm club.
