SALT LAKE CITY, UT – After 17 seasons in the NHL, two Stanley Cups, and playing for eight different teams, Ian Cole is reaching the twilight of his hockey career. He’s won big, scored some massive goals, and has had a long career in the NHL. At 35 years old, he could retire and no one would blame him. However, after a playoff run with the Vancouver Canucks, he’s decided to take his talents to the young Utah Hockey Club, citing the potential of the team as the main reason why he signed.
Author: Kevin Magnuson
‘It’s going to be a great fit’: Sean Walker on Signing with Carolina
RALEIGH, NC – The Carolina Hurricanes signed defenseman Sean Walker to a five-year, $3.6 million AAV deal at the opening of free agency.
The 29-year-old blueliner is a smooth skater and is coming off of his best offensive season yet, having had 10 goals and 29 points last season split between the Philadelphia Flyers and Colorado Avalanche.
After signing, Walker spoke with the Carolina media. Here’s what he had to say:
Bruins hope to tap into Max Jones’ potential
BOSTON, MA – Nikita Zadorov and Elias Lindholm will receive the lion’s share of the media and fan attention as the major July 1 free agency signings hauled in by the Boston Bruins, and that’s rightfully so given the significant impact roles they will fill.
But Zadorov and Lindholm don’t amount to the total sum of Boston’s work done in free agency as there are other incoming players coming into the Black and Gold fold next season. Riley Tufte was a big 6-foot-7 former first-round pick coming from the Minnesota Wild organization who will mostly likely spend this coming season in Providence, and Billy Sweezey is a Massachusetts-born defenseman who’s logged previous NHL time with the Columbus Blue Jackets after going undrafted out of Yale University.
Shane Wright on managing expectations: ‘I’ve had to learn what it’s like to be a pro’
SEATTLE, WA – Shane Wright is still feeling the sting of losing Game 6 of the Calder Cup Finals.
For the second year in a row, the Coachella Valley Firebirds, the AHL affiliate of the Seattle Kraken, lost in the finals, with Wright a part of both playoff runs.
Blue Jackets sign Jet Greaves to two-year contract
COLUMBUS, OH – The Columbus Blue Jackets have signed goaltender Jet Greaves to a two-year contract through the 2025-26 National Hockey League season, club President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Don Waddell announced today. The contract is a two-way NHL/American Hockey League deal for the 2024-25 season and a one-way NHL deal in 2025-26.
Greaves, 23, has posted a 3-7-0 record with a 3.44 goals-against average (GAA) and .912 save percentage (SV%) in 10 career appearances with the Blue Jackets since making his NHL debut on Apr. 4, 2023 at Toronto. He recorded a 3-6-0 record with a 3.49 GAA and .908 SV% in nine games in 2023-24, including setting a franchise record for most saves in a netminder’s first career win after turning aside 41-of-43 shots in a 5-2 victory over the St. Louis Blues on December 8. He was originally signed by the Blue Jackets to a three-year, entry level contract on Feb. 20, 2022.
The 6-0, 191-pound goaltender has gone 61-40-11 with a 2.96 GAA, .905 SV% and four shutouts in 118 career AHL games with the Cleveland Monsters since making his pro debut in 2021-22. He set a Cleveland franchise single-season record, while ranking second-T among AHL netminders in victories in 2023-24 with a 30-12-4 record, 2.93 GAA, .910 SV%, 1,318 saves and one shutout in 46 outings. He also participated in his first AHL All-Star Classic on February 3. He finished with an 8-5 record with a 2.17 GAA, .926 SV%, 375 saves and one shutout in 13 playoff games to help the club advance to the 2024 Calder Cup Eastern Conference Finals, leading all netminders in SV% and ranking second in GAA (min 10 GP).
Bruins Newcomer Max Jones Is Boston’s Latest Breakout Candidate
BOSTON, MA – Earlier this offseason, the Boston Bruins signed forward Max Jones to a two-year, $2 million contract. With this move, the Bruins have added a 6-foot-3 winger who plays a heavy game to their bottom six.
However, it is also fair to wonder if Jones could take his game to a new level with the Bruins. The Rochester, Michigan native needed a change of scenery from the Anaheim Ducks, and he now has gotten it. Instead of playing for a rebuilding club, he now has more offensive weapons to work with on the Bruins. This could lead to his offense going up in 2024-25.
Ian Cole Is Excited To Get To Work With Utah
SALT LAKE CITY, UT – Ian Cole said he didn’t need convincing to sign with the Utah Hockey Club.
Even though he’s been to the city before, and his brother- and sister-in-law lives there, Cole knew what he could contribute as a veteran voice on a young team.
That’s why the Michigan native, a two-time Stanley Cup winner with the Pittsburgh Penguins, signed a one-year contract with Utah Monday.
“I’ve heard stories about Utah from Kevin Deeth (former Utah Grizzly),” Cole told reporters on Zoom Tuesday. “He said it’s a place that’s crazy about their sports and supporting their teams.”
Sean Behrens Got A Taste of Pro Hockey, And Is Ready For More
DENVER, CO – Times have been good for Colorado Avalanche prospect Sean Behrens at Denver University. How could you top two National Championships in three years? Well, I guess he could have gone for the three-peat, but no need to be greedy. At some point, it’s time for a new challenge, and for Behrens, that new challenge is professional hockey.
Colorado’s second round pick in 2021 signed his entry-level contract on April 19, and managed to sneak into a few games with the Colorado Eagles at the end of the season. Just being able to be around professionals and take everything in was a great experience for the 21 year old.
“I think it was great to get up there and play the games but also just be around that team,” Behrens said after day one of Development Camp. “They had a lot of guys, like Brad Hunt, Keaton Middleton, guys that are really good to learn from who are really good with their details. Just being up and being around those guys was something that I really appreciated.”
Behrens got into two games. One of them was in the regular season, and one was in the playoffs, so not nearly enough of a sample size to get a real idea of how he fits at the pro level.
Even though it was just two games, he took a few things from them that he can work on over the summer.
Red Wings Add Goaltender Jack Campbell
DETROIT, MI – The Detroit Red Wings today signed goaltender Jack Campbell to a one-year contract with an average annual value of $775,000 and signed center Sheldon Dries to a two-year, two-way contract.
Campbell, 32, split the 2023-24 season between the Edmonton Oilers and American Hockey League’s Bakersfield Condors. The 6-foot-3, 200-pound goaltender made five appearances with the Oilers during the 2023-24 campaign, while posting an 18-13-1 record with a 2.63 goals-against average, a 0.918 save percentage and three shutouts in 33 games with the Condors. Campbell spent the entire 2022-23 season with the Oilers, showing a 21-9-4 record with a 3.41 goals-against average, an 0.888 save percentage and one shutout in 36 regular-season games, in addition to a 1-0 record with a 1.01 goals-against average and a 0.961 save percentage in four relief appearances during the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Originally selected by the Dallas Stars in the first round (11th overall) of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, Campbell has logged a 93-52-18 record with a 2.76 goals-against average, a 0.909 save percentage and 10 shutouts in 176 games with the Stars, Toronto Maple Leafs, Los Angeles Kings and Oilers. He has also racked up a 117-82-26 record with a 2.72 goals-against average, a 0.911 save percentage and 17 shutouts in 235 AHL games with the Texas Stars, Ontario Reign and Condors, winning a Calder Cup championship with Texas in 2014.
