While teams are chasing down playoff spots or battling for home ice advantage, and others are playing out the string without a chance at the Stanley Cup, one thing every team has in common this time of year are call-ups. In some cases, these late-season additions end up having a strong impact down the stretch and all of them have an opportunity to turn these looks into a long-term spot on their NHL teams.
So with that, we’re taking a look at 19 late-season call-ups around the league who are making a case to stay with the club next October.
BOSTON BRUINS: RYAN DONATO
Drafted in the second round (56th overall) in 2014, the son of former Bruin Ted is one of three Hobey Baker finalists for the top NCAA player this season after a standout 43-point season in 29 games for the Harvard Crimson. Donato’s points per game mark was fourth-best in the country.
He missed some time to join the American Olympic team in Pyeongchang and though he didn’t come away with a medal, Donato scored five of his country’s 11 goals.
The 21-year-old signed his entry-level deal March 19 and has played six games with the Bruins, scoring three goals and adding two assists. Averaging 16 minutes, Donato has seen more than 19 minutes of ice twice already and, with the injury bug hitting the Bruins rather hard, he’s slotted on the left side of the second line right now with David Krejci and Tommy Wingels.
Donato is one of 11 rookies who have gotten into Boston’s lineup this season and his strong early showing is at least promising for his chances at cracking the 2018-19 roster.
BUFFALO SABRES: CASEY MITTELSTADT
The leading scorer at this year’s WJC in Buffalo, Mittelstadt was a star in front of Sabres fans, so they’ve already got a glimpse of what he could become. The 19-year-old was taken eighth overall in the NHL Draft last summer and earlier this week decided to sign with the Sabres and leave the University of Minnesota after his freshman season.
“I think he can make an impact right away,” Sabres centre Ryan O’Reilly told Sportsnet’s Luke Fox this week. “This is a good look. It’s only going to make our team better.”
A centre, there is some question where Mittelstadt will slot into the lineup, and where he should start next season. On the one hand, he could be eased in as a No. 3 centre the same way No. 2 overall pick Nolan Patrick was at the start of this season with the Philadelphia Flyers. Unlike Patrick, though, Mittelstadt would be playing behind two other strong centres in O’Reilly and Jack Eichel, so there’s no easy way for him to move up the lineup.
The other option could be to use him on the wing and get him into the top six that way. However he looks and whatever he does in his showing at the end of this season could give us an idea of what role he’ll fill in the fall.
FLORIDA PANTHERS: HENRIK BORGSTROM
The 20-year-old Finn hasn’t played an NHL game yet and already people are thinking about him as a first-round steal. Taken 23rd overall in 2016, Borgstrom flew into the first-round completely under the radar following a season in Finland’s junior league. But now, he’s left the University of Denver as a top three Hobey Baker finalist who had 52 points in 40 games to finish with the fifth-most points in the entire NCAA. Everyone has heard about Borgstrom today, and has likely seen some of his highlights.
Though he’s a natural centre, Borgstrom can also play the wing. Denver head coach Jim Montgomery told Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman for the 31 Thoughts column this week that the two-way game at centre is there for Borgstrom already.
“He is an NHL-ready player,” Montgomery told Friedman. “The key will be his consistency of competitiveness. He’s so creative, he can make plays from the middle of the ice. If he wants to be good defensively, he can be.”
He did not play Wednesday in Toronto, but had two shots on goal in his NHL debut Thursday night in Ottawa.
DETROIT RED WINGS: JARED COREAU
Two years ago, then-Detroit goalie Petr Mrazek was on the up and looked poised to be the next long-term No. 1 for the Red Wings. But after he struggled through a miserable 2016-17 and then went unprotected and unclaimed at the Vegas expansion draft, it was clear the Wings didn’t view him in the same light anymore.
Mrazek is with the Flyers today, moved to Philadelphia at the trade deadline to bolster their injured goalie position. This opened up the door again for the 26-year-old Coreau who was never drafted and signed with Detroit in 2013 after three years at Northern Michigan. He hasn’t yet won a game this season in five appearances and has a miserable .859 save percentage and 4.41 GAA. A pending UFA at the end of this season, Coreau is right now auditioning for a job, though the Detroit Free Press‘ Helene St. James recently wrote his next opportunity is more likely to come from another team.
“I try not to think about that too much,” Coreau told St. James. “Just go out and play for the Detroit Red Wings and if it works out well, then maybe stay here. Who knows?”
Coreau has found more success in the AHL, where he had 2.47 and .916 totals. Last season, he led the Grand Rapids Griffins to a Calder Cup championship. After a season in which the importance of a competent backup goalie was in the spotlight more than ever, it’ll be interesting to see if another team takes a shot on Coreau.
MONTREAL CANADIENS: NOAH JUULSEN
When the Canadiens shipped out Jakub Jerabek near the end of February, they called up the 20-year-old Juulsen who was the 26th overall pick in 2015.
Not known as a huge offensive contributor, the six-foot-two, 174-pounder is tough to play against and is averaging 19:30 of ice time, getting up to 22:42 against the Red Wings this week.
It’s not yet clear if Juulsen is ready for a full slate of 82 NHL games, given he was limited to 31 in the AHL this season due to injury and didn’t start his season until the end of November. But one of the biggest concerns in Montreal these days is the makeup along the blue line, which has gotten older and slower over the past few years under GM Marc Bergevin. The team would do well to get younger at the position, but only if Juulsen truly is ready to move up to the bigs.
In 18 games with the Habs this season, Juulsen has two points and a plus-2 rating.
OTTAWA SENATORS: FILIP CHLAPIK
The 20-year-old Czech has gotten a few looks with the big club this season and has played 15 total NHL games across four different months. On Oct. 26, he made his NHL debut and recorded an assist and recorded his first goal on March 22 against the Edmonton Oilers.
Filip Chlapik tips home his 1st NHL Goal! #Sens pic.twitter.com/A8tnPSvXOD
— Sens Prospects (@SensProspects) March 23, 2018
A second-round pick (48th overall) by Ottawa in 2015, Chlapik’s 30 points in 50 AHL games still lead the Belleville Senators. In a recent prospect report for the Senators, a scout told Sportsnet’s Ryan Dixon that he compares Chlapik’s game with this year’s most surprising breakout NHLer: William Karlsson.
“Their profiles would be similar; smart, real good hockey sense,” he said. “He’s going to be a guy coaches will trust and they’re going to give him every opportunity to develop that offensive side.”
Chlapik’s status on next year’s team may be determined by just how much the Senators decide to overhaul the roster this summer. For now, he’s fitting in as the third-line centre, but could squeeze into the top six with a strong finish and good camp — especially if the Senators have a need.
TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING: ANTHONY CIRELLI
It seems no team is better at drafting and developing post-Round 1 talent these days than the Tampa Bay Lightning, and third-rounder Anthony Cirelli is the latest good story. A six-foot-one, 184-pound centre, Cirelli was called up at the start of this month and has eight points in 13 games.
Cirelli posted two points in his NHL debut against Dallas on March 1 and has seen his ice time climb and climb from 8:14 in that first game to over 16 minutes in three of his past five.
A two-time OHL champion and one-time Memorial Cup champion, Cirelli has been a winner and a producer for years. Just 20 years old, he’s making his early case for next year’s Lightning team, which figures to return as potent as ever. There’s a chance that for him to stick in 2018-19, he’ll have to move to the wing.
TORONTO: ANDREAS JOHNSSON
Called up in mid-March, Johnsson has seen more than 13 minutes of ice just once in seven games and limited PP time, which is where he could really flex his muscles. The 10th-last pick of the 2013 NHL Draft, Johnsson exploded as a high-end NHL prospect soon after that and became a point-per-game player in the AHL this season.
The Maple Leafs look like they’ll face something of a cap crunch starting this summer, facing expiring contracts for Tyler Bozak and James van Riemsdyk. With extensions due to Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and William Nylander this summer or next, someone has to go.
When that happens Johnsson, a left-winger, will slide right into the NHL lineup on a full-time basis. The 23-year-old has already impressed fans and head coach Mike Babcock with his speed, and he’s only just started to scratch the surface.
CAROLINA HURRICANES: VALENTIN ZYKOV
Always a favourite pick as a breakout team, how many people will fall for the Carolina Hurricanes again in 2018-19? Once more we’ve seen that despite an exciting, young and deep defence corps, the Hurricanes sorely lack consistent goaltending and goal scoring. Normally with a team shooting just 8.1 per cent you could chock some of it up to bad luck, but the Hurricanes have been shooting in this range for three years now — they just don’t have enough NHL scorers.
Carolina is hoping the 22-year-old Zykov can help fill that role next season. A second-round pick (37th overall) by the Los Angeles Kings in 2013, Zykov was acquired by Carolina two years ago when Kris Versteeg was sent west. At the time, Zykov wasn’t making a smooth transition to pro hockey and had just seven goals in 45 AHL games. Last year wasn’t great either with 16 in 66, but this season he took a big step forward.
Zykov doubled his AHL goal total to 32 in 61 games this season and, even though he’s been in the NHL for a week-and-a-half, is still that league’s leading goal scorer. In Carolina he’s been great, too, scoring three times and adding two assists in five games. The Russian has found a home on a line with a couple Finns, Teuvo Teravainen and Sebastian Aho, two of Carolina’s better stories this season who will be back in 2018-19.
NEW YORK RANGERS: LIAS ANDERSSON, FILIP CHYTIL
The Rangers made a big trade at the draft last summer with the Arizona Coyotes, in which they shipped Derek Stepan and Antti Raanta to the desert and the most valuable piece coming back was the seventh overall pick. The team used it on five-foot-11 centre Andersson — but if you don’t remember him from that draft, you’ll probably know him as the guy who tossed his WJC silver medal into the crowd moments after receiving it.
Andersson started the season back in Sweden with Frolunda, for whom he scored 14 points in 22 games, before coming to North America after the WJC to join the Hartford Wolf Pack. He scored at a similar rate in that league and, with the Rangers in a rebuild and looking to see what they have in certain prospects, has joined the NHL team for the past two games, both against Washington. He scored in one, and recorded an assist in the other.
In a very uncharacteristic situation for the Rangers, they actually have another first-rounder who earned a late-season call-up with eyes set on making the team out of camp next spring. Chytil was the 21st overall pick last summer and was so good in camp that he actually started this season in the NHL lineup. Chytil played two games in October and was held pointless in very little ice time before being sent down to the AHL.
The most important thing about both of these players is that they are centres, a position the Rangers sorely lacked coming into the season. For now, they are lining up down the middle on the second and third lines, which could be an early peek at how they fit into the NHL lineup next season.
WASHINGTON CAPITALS: SHANE GERSICH
A fifth-round pick (134th overall) in 2014, Gersich signed a contract with the Capitals at the end of his junior season with the University of North Dakota this season, a team for which he scored 29 points in 40 games.
Gersich, five foot 11, 174 pounds, is a quick player who can bring a strong forecheck and feistiness in the corner. He showed that kind of game in his NHL debut Wednesday night against the Rangers, in which he logged 8:52 of ice time (all even strength) and managed three shots on goal. He actually led the Capitals in even strength scoring opportunities with eight.
“Loved it,” Barry Trotz said after the game. “I thought he was dangerous. Every time I put him on the ice he seemed to create something. He was picking guys’ pockets, he was getting to those areas. His speed is undeniable. He’s got some good hockey sense. Just a really good game for him.”
“If he’s got better than that, I’m really excited, for sure.” #Caps Coach Barry Trotz on Shane Gersich’s debut. The rookie created a handful of scoring chances in just 8:52 of ice time. pic.twitter.com/9CqebADPMu
— Tarik El-Bashir (@TarikNBCS) March 29, 2018
CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS: DYLAN SIKURA
While some of Chicago’s veterans such as Jonathan Toews, Brent Seabrook and Duncan Keith took heat for subpar performances this season, the Blackhawks can at least look to strong seasons from youngsters Alex DeBrincat, Nick Schmaltz and Vince Hinostroza as positive takeaways.
Another one for Hawks fans to hang their hat on down the stretch could be Sikura, a 22-year-old who signed with Chicago earlier this week after his senior season at Northeastern University came to an end.
A sixth-round pick (178th overall) in 2014, Sikura had already been passed over in the 2013 draft when the Hawks called his name, but his stock has shot up since that day. Over the past two seasons at Northeastern, Sikura emerged as an elite producer in the NCAA, finishing sixth in the nation in scoring last season and third this season with 54 points in 35 games.
For a Chicago team that hasn’t picked in the first half of the first round in the past nine years, Sikura stands as the team’s top prospect right now.
The Blackhawks could see a major shakeup this off-season, although there is a case to be made to stay the course and supplement the big contract players with younger ones like Sikura. Either way, a good showing down the stretch could give him an inside track on a plum spot in next season’s lineup. He recorded two assists in his debut Thursday night, though was overshadowed by accountant Scott Foster.
MINNESOTA WILD: JORDAN GREENWAY
While it’s not yet clear how Greenway fits into the Wild lineup long term, he made his debut this week with Matt Cullen and Charlie Coyle and hovered around 10 minutes played in two games. However he’s used, there is no question the giant six-foot-six, 227-pound winger has NHL size.
Picked in the second round (50th overall) in 2015, Greenway, like Donato, joined the Americans at the 2018 Olympics this past February and scored one goal in five games. He served as an alternate captain on Boston University’s team this season and tied for the team’s scoring lead with 35 points in 36 games.
“Next year will be next year, but this might give him that opportunity to see what he has to work on and see how he compares,” Wild GM Chuck Fletcher told the Minneapolis Tribune early this week. “When you meet with young players, you tell them all the time what to expect and things they need to work on, but it’s nothing like seeing with your own eyes and getting on the ice. … That’s the best teacher, getting that experience.
“We’ll see how next year is next year. … He’s put his time in at BU and that Olympic experience has been invaluable, but it’ll be up to Jordan to show that he can stick here.”
NASHVILLE PREDATORS: EELI TOLVANEN
In a case of the rich getting richer, a top Cup contender made the best late-season pickup when signing Tolvanen from the KHL’s Jokerit after its season ended.
Despite being the 30th overall pick just last summer, Tolvanen’s stock has been risen so high you’d think he was a top-five selection. At just 18, the Finn was the second-highest scoring player on his KHL team and was far and away the most productive under-20 player in the KHL. Tolvanen’s 36 points in 49 games dwarfed the next-best under-20 player, Yegor Sharangovich, who mustered just 12 in 47.
He signed his entry-level deal this week and joined his new teammates for practice Thursday.
ANAHEIM DUCKS: TROY TERRY
The third player on this list who played for Team USA in the Olympics, Terry earned five assists in South Korea and starred alongside Borgstrom at the University of Denver, where Terry was second in scoring with 48 points in 39 games.
He also signed his entry-level deal shortly after the Pioneers were eliminated and made his debut on Tuesday, earning two shots and no points in 12:30 of ice time versus the Canucks, playing with Ondrej Kase and Adam Henrique.
Terry isn’t going to come into the NHL right away and blow the doors off with his offence, but at the very least he will bring some upside for points and depth to Anaheim’s third or fourth line. And for a team in the midst of a tight playoff race, the relatively fresh legs could do wonders.
The six-foot-one, 174-pounder will burn a season off his entry-level deal in 2017-18 and will have an inside track to be the lead rookie on next year’s Ducks squad.
CALGARY FLAMES: RASMUS ANDERSSON
With this miserable season down the drain, the Calgary Flames will head into the summer with all sorts of question marks and the potential for a big move or two. Ahead of it all is the uncertainty of Glen Gulutzan’s status behind the bench, but from a player perspective, you have to wonder if a trade will come by the draft.
The Flames were a one-line team on offence this season, led by the big Johnny Gaudreau line. And although the 3M line has a lot of value because of how well it defends and controls puck possession, it didn’t generate enough offence as a second unit. And with Calgary’s blue line having the depth it does (although overall it disappointed this season), the most obvious move the Flames could do would be to trade one of those blueliners for a scoring winger to use on the second line.
Looking at their pipeline of prospects, the Flames still have a few interesting defence prospects coming down the pike. Oliver Kylington was projected as a first-rounder heading into his draft season, but slipped into the second round. He got 31 points in 55 AHL games this season, but it doesn’t seem likely he’ll jump to the NHL next winter. Juuso Valimaki, the 16th overall pick last summer, put together his second point-per-game season in the WHL and has good size at six foot two and 204 pounds. Perhaps he could surprise and make a jump, but we can’t anticipate that right now. Adam Fox is still at Harvard University.
Enter Rasmus Andersson, a second-rounder from 2015, who Flames fans were wanting to see in NHL games almost all season. He got a sniff in November, but finally earned a call-up this month for a bit of a longer look. He doesn’t yet have a point, but Andersson has notably made a number of on-the-tape stretch passes and created opportunities. His 38 points in 53 AHL games are the sixth-most among all defenders in that league this season and, so far at least, he looks the part of NHL top-four D-man.
In his five March games, Andersson’s ice time has crept up and hit a high of 18:53 against Columbus on Thursday night.
The idea here is that if Andersson had a strong showing at the end of this season, he would not only earn a spot for himself on next season’s opening night roster, but also potentially give GM Brad Treliving the option to move one of his more-established NHL defenders for scoring help.
VANCOUVER CANUCKS: ADAM GAUDETTE
With 30 goals and 60 points in 38 games for Northeastern University this season, Gaudette was the highest scoring player in the NCAA this season and was named one of three finalists for the Hobey Baker Award. He got his first taste of NHL action Thursday night against the Edmonton Oilers and Connor McDavid. Not a bad way to begin.
“It’s pretty crazy to think my first game’s going to be against him,” Gaudette said on Sportsnet 650 in Vancouver. “It’s going to be pretty cool and a pretty special thing to be on the ice at the same time as him.”
The future of the Sedins is still up in the air and the scoring from Thomas Vanek was shipped off at the deadline, so the Canucks will be looking to get some kind of offensive for next season. Brock Boeser figures to be the leader in that department, but Gaudette could be someone to add punch to the second or third unit. He’s been compared to former Canucks centre Ryan Kesler a lot lately, and while the two did produce similar number in their 19-year-old NCAA seasons, it’ll be hard for Gaudette to have the same elite level of disturber in him. He is lauded as a strong two-way player, though.
In his debut Thursday night, Gaudette played 10:39 and earned two shots on goal with one hit and one blocked shot.
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