Category: The Future

Oilers sign college free agent Colin Larkin to one-year deal

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EDMONTON, AB –

The Edmonton Oilers have signed free agent forward Colin Larkin to a one-year entry-level deal, the team announced Monday.

The 24-year-old racked up 24 goals and 46 points along 12 penalty minutes and a plus-16 rating in 27 games for UMass Boston this season in NCAA Division III. The six-foot-three, 192-pound forward led the New England Hockey Conference in scoring this season and was named NEHC player of the year for a second straight year.

Larkin is the older brother of Detroit Red Wings forward Dylan.

Chicago Pick Tim Soderlund Looks Like the Next Viktor Arvidsson

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Tim Soderlund has made a habit of standing out. While his name might not have rang the same bells in the press as Swedish world junior teammates like Elias Pettersson or Rasmus Dahlin, make no mistake: Soderlund made an impact on the team, as he has consistently done in the past. The Chicago Blackhawks pick was a force in Buffalo and while I don’t want to raise expectations too much, he really looks like he could be the next Viktor Arvidsson.

“He plays a speedy game,” said Sweden coach Tomas Monten. “He uses it on the forecheck, making tough hits and getting in a guy’s face. But he can also use it to score and create offense.”

Sound familiar? And there are more parallels between Soderlund and Nashville’s Arvidsson. Both are undersized, 5-foot-9 wingers who were passed over in the draft initially before getting scooped up in subsequent years by Central Division teams in the fourth round – with the 112th pick overall. Both have worn No. 9 for Skelleftea in the SHL.

Soderlund is the current owner of that jersey and has already established a career-high in points this season with eight through 26 games, including six goals. Born and raised in Skelleftea, he’s happy to play for the team, which currently sits mid-table in the SHL.

Garret Sparks Named AHL Goalie of the Month for January

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SPRINGFIELD, MA –

Garret Sparks, the CCM/AHL Goaltender of the Month, was 5-0-1 in six starts during January, allowing just six goals on 177 shots for a 0.98 goals-against average, a .966 save percentage and two shutouts.

Sparks began the month by recording 22 saves in Toronto’s 5-2 win at Laval on Jan. 3. He stopped 33 shots in a 3-2 shootout win over Lehigh Valley on Jan. 5, then denied 26 of 27 attempts in a 4-1 victory at Charlotte on Jan. 12. After a 28-save effort in a win at Syracuse on Jan. 19, Sparks authored back-to-back shutouts for the first time in his AHL career, making 31 saves in a 1-0 shootout loss at Bridgeport on Jan. 21 and then 31 more as the Marlies defeated Rochester, 2-0, on Jan. 26. Sparks ended January having shut out opponents over his last 154:01 of play.

Sparks, 24, has appeared in 25 games for the Marlies this season and ranks first in the entire AHL in goals-against average (1.60), save percentage (.944) and shutouts (4, tied), while his 17-6-1 record puts him one off the lead in wins. The native of Elmhurst, Ill., has a record of 66-25-6 with a 2.13 GAA, a .928 save percentage and 13 shutouts in 103 career AHL appearances, all with Toronto. Sparks is in his fifth season in the Maple Leafs organization after being selected in the seventh round of the 2011 NHL Draft, and has appeared in 17 NHL games with the Leafs.

Gustavsson, Brannstrom, Soderlund and Larsson Help Sweden to Silver Medal at 2018 WJC

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BUFFALO, NY – Filip Gustavsson, Erik Brannstrom, Tim Soderlund and Filip Larsson helped Team Sweden earn a Silver Medal at the 2018 World Junior Championship in Buffalo, NY.

Filip Gustavsson was named the Most Valuable Goaltender of the tournament after posting a 1.81 GAA and 0.924 Save Percentage.

Schmaltz and Grimaldi Named to 2018 AHL All-Star Game

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SPRINGFIELD, MA – The American Hockey League announced today the playing rosters for the 2018 AHL All-Star Classic presented by Turning Stone Resort Casino, to be held January 28-29 in Utica, N.Y.

Each of the AHL’s four divisions will be represented by 12 players. Rosters were determined by committees of AHL coaches, and all 30 AHL teams are represented by at least one All-Star.

The 2018 rosters feature 37 first-time AHL All-Stars, seven former first-round draft choices and 12 more second-rounders. In addition, 25 of the All-Stars named have been recalled to the National Hockey League already this season.

Offense arrives to raise stock on defensively-sound Dominic Turgeon

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GRAND RAPIDS, MI – Dominic Turgeon knows the last name is coming up in conversation, sooner or later, and he’s good with that.

But the Grand Rapids Griffins’ second-year center is also keen on it happening later nowadays as he carves out his own niche in the hockey world.

The 21-year-old is the son of Pierre Turgeon, a 19-year NHL great with 515 career goals and the first overall pick by Buffalo in 1987. He amassed 1,327 points in 1,294 games with the Sabres, New York Islanders, Montreal Canadiens, St. Louis Blues, Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche.

Dominic loves him, talks to him often and has no problem being the only son of a hockey great. There is another family member who was no slouch either in uncle Sylvain Turgeon. Pierre’s older brother played 12 seasons in the NHL with 269 goals.

Sparks Seeing the Results of More Serious Approach

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TORONTO, ON – There was nowhere Garret Sparks wanted to be more than in his net last April, guiding the Toronto Marlies through a playoff berth they’d fought hard to earn.

But that chance was cut short for the netminder. During the second game of the Marlies’ first-round series against Albany, Sparks suffered a leg injury that would cap off a roller-coaster year spent battling ailments, veteran competition and a few problems of his own making.

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