American Hockey League

Player development in Grand Rapids will be especially vital to the Detroit Red Wings’ rebuilding efforts the next few seasons. An influx of talent will pass through the club’s AHL affiliate, a group that includes forwards Lucas Raymond and Jonatan Berggren this season and defensemen Simon Edvinsson, William Wallinder and Shai Buium, as well as

The Iowa Wild have signed defenseman Doyle Somerby to a one-year American Hockey League contract. Somerby completed his fourth pro season in 2020-21 and notched one goal and six assists in 24 games with the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners. He added five assists in 17 contests with South Carolina (ECHL). Originally a fifth-round pick by the

The Seattle Kraken have signed goaltender Antoine Bibeau to a one-year, two-way contract. Bibeau made eight appearances with the AHL’s Chicago Wolves last season, posting a record of 5-2-1 with a 2.49 goals-against average and a .912 save percentage. He also spent time in the NHL on the Carolina Hurricanes’ taxi squad. Over seven pro

The Manitoba Moose have signed forward Evgeny Svechnikov to a one-year American Hockey League contract for the 2021-22 season. Svechnikov, 24, appeared in 21 games with the Detroit Red Wings last season, recording three goals and five assists for eight points, all NHL career highs. He also posted one goal and one assist in four

The Detroit Red Wings have named Pat Verbeek as the new general manager of the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins. Verbeek will also continue in his role as assistant GM of the Red Wings. Verbeek, 57, is beginning his third season as assistant general manager with the Red Wings and his ninth season overall with the

Adam Mair believes his career would have taken place in a classroom had he not carved out 11 NHL seasons, including seven with the Buffalo Sabres. Teaching, he says, runs in the family: Both his father and sister are educators.  “If I didn’t play hockey, I would have probably gone down that road, too,” Mair

The Chicago Blackhawks have agreed to terms with forward MacKenzie Entwistle on a two-year contract extension that runs through the 2023-24 season. Entwistle, 22, made his National Hockey League debut last season with the Blackhawks, recording one goal and one assist in five games. He also skated in 22 games with the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs,

The Springfield Thunderbirds announced today that Stu Bickel has been named an assistant coach on Drew Bannister‘s staff. Bickel, 34, joins the Thunderbirds after serving as head coach and assistant general manager for the Minnesota Magicians in the North American Hockey League during the 2020-21 season. A native of Chanhassen, Minn., Bickel served as an

The Minnesota Wild have re-signed forward Mason Shaw to a two-year, two-way contract. Shaw, 22, has spent his entire three-year pro career with the AHL’s Iowa Wild, totaling 19 goals and 42 assists for 61 points in 124 games. In 2020-21, Shaw matched a career high with eight goals and added 14 assists for 22

The Columbus Blue Jackets have signed defenseman Ole Julian Bjorgvik-Holm to a three-year entry-level contract. Selected by the Blue Jackets in the fifth round of the 2020 NHL Draft, Bjorgvik-Holm made his North American pro debut with the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters last season and tallied one goal and four assists in 16 games. He also

The Vancouver Canucks have re-signed defenseman Guillaume Brisebois to a one-year, two-way contract. Brisebois, 24, played 14 games in the AHL between the Laval Rocket and the Utica Comets in 2020-21, totaling one goal and two assists. He also skated in one NHL contest with the Canucks. Selected by Vancouver in the third round of

The Columbus Blue Jackets have signed forward Zac Rinaldo to a one-year, two-way contract. Rinaldo spent the 2020-21 season with the Calgary Flames, appearing in four NHL games. An 11-year pro, Rinaldo has skated in 143 games in the AHL with Stockton, Milwaukee, Providence and Adirondack, posting 11 goals and 20 assists with 492 penalty

The Boston Bruins have named Ryan Mougenel the 13th head coach of the Providence Bruins. “The Bruins organization has had great success promoting from within and maintaining continuity behind our bench,” said Providence Bruins general manager John Ferguson. “We are all looking forward to watching Ryan continue that positive run. Maintaining the standard of consistent

The Buffalo Sabres have re-signed defenseman Casey Fitzgerald to a two-year contract. Fitzgerald skated in 22 games with the AHL’s Rochester Americans in 2020-21, posting career highs with nine assists and 11 points. Buffalo’s third-round choice in the 2016 NHL Draft, Fitzgerald has played 51 AHL games over two pro seasons, totaling five goals and

The Abbotsford Canucks have signed defensemen Ashton Sautner to a one-year American Hockey League contract. Sautner enters his seventh season in the Vancouver Canucks organization in 2021-22 after spending most of last season on the NHL taxi squad. He appeared in two games with the AHL’s Manitoba Moose. Originally signed as a free agent by

The Seattle Kraken have signed forward Carsen Twarynski and defenseman Cale Fleury to one-year, two-way contracts. Selected from Philadelphia in last month’s expansion draft, Twarynski played seven NHL games with the Flyers and two AHL contests with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in 2020-21. The Flyers’ third-round selection in the 2016 NHL Draft, Twarynski has skated

It’s getting to be repetitive.  Jack Roslovic is growing weary of hearing, “Yeah, but don’t forget about playing defense,” whenever the idea of him becoming a top center for the Blue Jackets is the topic. It’s getting a little old, honestly, but the 24-year old forward also gets why it’s said so much.  Despite playing

Steven Ellis/The Hockey News Riley Damiani was the first player agent Cam Stewart wanted to sign when he joined the industry.  Damiani, now a Dallas Stars prospect, has also found a champion in Rich Peverley, the Stars’ director of player personnel. For a fifth-round pick (137th overall in 2018) who constantly hears he’s too small,