Fans of NHL teams love to see their team sign players. College free agents, Canadian junior free agents, players who went unsigned by other teams due to prospect logjams - fans just love seeing these guys signed. Getting excited about already sculpted players out of Europe at the end of each and every season has basically become a pastime for fans across the NHL.
And we’re at the time of the year when a season long scouting of European leagues leads to a few NHL signings involving players who are usually in their mid- to late 20s and either needed more time to develop after being NHL prospects in earlier years or have developed to a point where they’ve turned themselves into an NHL topic. Sometimes, they’re coming out of nowhere, so to speak, having never really been seen as NHL possibilities until now. Others are still young but were never drafted for whatever reason and are now looking like legitimate prospects to add to the stable.
Examples of such signings took place a little over a week ago. The Toronto Maple Leafs looked to bring in goaltender Harri Säteri, a 32-year-old known commodity with plenty of AHL and KHL experience. He recently won a gold medal with Finland at the Olympics and the Leafs, with well-documented goaltending issues, were looking for a playoff answer. By now you’ve all seen that the Arizona Coyotes claimed Säteri off of waivers, as UFAs his age will need to go through the waiver wire process to land with the team they’ve actually signed with. A different case was seen with center Ilya Usov, a Belarussian who had a real nice WHL season in the initial Covid-shortened year and has spent the past two seasons in the KHL. With 26 points in 40 games for Minsk, Tampa Bay had seen enough to give the gifted 20-year-old an ELC. Notoriously short on draft picks due to obvious yearly contention, this is one of the ways in which the franchise goes about supplementing its system. To be noted is that Usov could have entered the draft for a 4th straight year.
Granted, the following list will not touch on everyone who could be an NHL topic. There are players out there such as Lucas Wallmark, Denis Malgin, Dominik Kahun, and Nikita Nesterov who spent the season in Europe and played at the Olympics, and who have been in the NHL as late as just last season. Then there are bubble prospects such as Peter Cehlarik, who almost broke through with the Boston Bruins organization, but has now spent two years in Europe showing and refining his wares in the SHL and KHL. He also was a cog in helping Slovakia win its surprising bronze medal at the Olympics. It should come as no surprise if NHL teams add players of this ilk.
Normally on the list below, we’d be inclined to include Lukas Jasek, a righty shot winger and center drafted by the Vancouver Canucks as a late round pick in 2016. He’s currently enjoying a breakout season in Finland, where his 51 points in 54 games are good for third in league scoring. After a strong PTO with the Canucks organization to conclude the 17-18 season, he spent the better part of all three years of his ELC with the Utica Comets. Things changed in his third year, when it was clear that he wasn’t going to be in the NHL, that he was loaned out to Trinec in the Czech league. Now he’s technically an RFA who needs to be re-upped this summer. If not, we’d have to think he’d be sought after as a UFA. But it’s clear that the 24-year-old is not coming back to be sent to the AHL, which makes a tricky sign for any team uncertain he can jump right in.
And the European hockey scene has its fair share of players currently in that or similar situations. The Olympics have given this a new dynamic, as such players tend to first become hot topics during and after the men’s WC, which will be held in May. However, these Olympic games, free of NHLers, gave teams the huge opportunity to view all sorts of players they’d possibly like to add to their organization.
With all this in mind, here’s a set of players you shouldn’t be surprised to see your favorite NHL team sign throughout the spring.
Andrei Kuzmenko - RUS - 26 - RW - 20-33-53 in 45 KHL games
There’s little doubt that Kuzmenko is the prize of Russian free agents at the moment. Not only did he finish second in KHL scoring but has a sack full of slick tricks and shows fantastic agility. The author of three straight 30+ point seasons for St. Petersburg leading up to this season, he has had a career year and it’s continuing in the playoffs, where he currently has 11 points in nine games. It’s felt he could step right into the NHL and at 26, seems to be a meticulously popular age for bringing over KHL free agents. Naturally, plenty will wonder if he can be anything more than we saw in recent years from Nikita Gusev. And with the current political climate, it’s really yet to be determined just how free identifiable Russian players will be to sign elsewhere, or if teams are even willing to take that step. For our purposes, we’ll identify Kuzmenko as simply very sought after under other, less grievous circumstances.
Max Veronneau - CAN - 26 - RW - 34-26-60 in 50 SHL games
You’ll recognize Veronneau as the free agent out of Princeton who was signed by the Ottawa Senators a few years back. Well, it didn’t work out. After two disappointing post-college seasons, he made his way to Sweden last year and looked pretty good. Leksands added him this season and he’s been basically the most dominant winger in the league. It’s been a while since anyone has scored this many goals in the SHL and its well-reported that NHL scouts have been attending games in recent weeks. Fortunately for Veronneau, his offense has been so regularly varied (shooting, passing, one-timers, goal-mouth scrambles, etc.) that teams can possibly view him in a variety of offensive roles. Unfortunately for Veronneau, he’ll miss the playoffs with a broken arm.
Photo: Tobias Sterner / BILDBYRÅN /
Strauss Mann - USA - 23 - G - 13-9-0, 2.19 GAA, .914 SV% in 22 SHL games
The US Olympian was playing for Michigan just last season, one that concluded with his name bandied about as a possible UFA signing. Instead, he went to Sweden and has pitched three shutouts in a role as a 1B for one of the SHL’s hottest contenders. What role he’ll get in the playoffs has yet to be determined, but Mann has remained in NHL eyes and is doing something that has rarely ever been seen of a collegian upon completion of his collegiate career. His two Olympic showings with a GAA of 1.85 and a .945 SV% solidified his status as a hot UFA. If he isn’t signed, then you can assume he didn’t like the offers.
Adam Tambellini - CAN - 27 - LW - 24-19-43 in 38 SHL games
You know him as a 2013 3rd pick of the New York Rangers. You also recognize him as the son of former NHLer Steve Tambellini. What you may not know is that the 6’4” giant has been an absolute power play weapon for the past two seasons and has become, with his strength and puck-protection wherewithal, simply too good for the best league in Europe outside of the KHL. In addition to the shiny stats, he’s a +24, placing him in the top five in the SHL and tallied seven points in five games for Canada at the Olympics. He’s at a point where he’s ready to step into an NHL role in a middle six capacity next season.
Michael Spacek - CZE - 24 - C - 10-36-46 in 49 SHL games
A former 4th rounder of the Winnipeg Jets, the 5’11”, 187-pound Spacek had three fairly successful seasons of AHL play after two strong years of WHL play, but just couldn’t quite beat out the prospect competition within the Jets’ organization for a shot at the NHL. So, he’s taken his gig to Europe and has only continued to progress for two straight seasons, with this one being his most solid year as a pro. In fact, he garnered first line ice time for what is widely considered the most professional and well-balanced outfit in Europe, making his -5 a wee bit questionable. His success this season as a player the opposition just can’t seem to shut down has been rounded out by an Olympic appearance for the Czech Republic and nine points in 12 Championship Hockey League games. NHL teams and scouts are well aware of Spacek and would be adding a far more refined player then he even was just two seasons ago.
Jiri Smejkal - CZE - 25 - LW - 25-20-45 in 44 Liiga games
Never drafted, the hulking 6’4”, 225-pound Smejkal is a former WHLer and WJC participant who now has both WC and Olympic Games experience. Slow to develop in a scoring capacity, this season has been Smejkal’s breakthrough year after taking some nice steps with Tappara last season and 4 years of slow and patient growth with Sparta Prague before that. Naturally, it was never thought to be likely that Smejkal would one day make it all go click or else a national team player bringing his size to the table would have been grabbed somewhere in the course of four years of draft eligibility. At this point, his signing by an NHL team seems inevitable and that team would have to be looking to get results similar to that of the Pittsburgh Penguins’ signing of Radim Zohorna several years ago.
Filip Chlapik - CZE - 24 - C - 31-39-70 in 53 Czech Top League games
A former draft pick of the Ottawa Senators, the veteran of 57 NHL games (11 points) spent this season with simply one club in Europe, Sparta Prague, in an effort to show that he’s more than a lower line option in an organization with a full prospect bin. Whether he’s open to more AHL time with any team willing to sign him is unlikely, but he led the Czech Republic in scoring this year while chipping in six points and a +8 in nine Champions Hockey League games internationally, letting hockey people know just how he wants to be seen. Currently signed to play with Ambri-Piotta in the NL next season, an NHL contract could naturally lead the 6’2”, 207 pounder elsewhere, but it’d likely have to be with a team that has a 3rd line center job - with offensive expectations - open for the taking.
Lukas Klok - CZE - 26 - D - 5-26-31 in 44 KHL games
It’s a well-known adage that defensemen can require some time to become all they can be. After spending half a season in the USHL many moons ago, Klok has quietly plugged his way through the Czech pro circuit throughout his early 20s and after two solid seasons in Finland, jumped to the KHL this year, where he had by far his best season ever. Not only was he his team’s top-scoring defenseman, but he was also its 2nd leading scorer overall, only one point behind the team leader. He then led the team in playoff scoring with four points in four games. This came on the tails of a strong Olympic performance including three points in four games. What makes this all so enticing is that he had created a profile as a strong-skating defensive defenseman who reads the game well. At 6’1”, 198 lbs., he doesn’t need to shy away from anyone either. He’s technically still got a KHL contract, but many are expecting there to be somewhat of an exodus from the KHL this offseason for obvious political reasons, which has already begun during the league’s playoffs in recent weeks.
Freddy Tiffels - GER - 26 - LW - 10-34-44 in 42 DEL games
There are players who have a certain attribute that is a definite NHL-quality strength and above average in the grand scheme of things. For Tiffels, that’s his skating. It was good enough to get the former Western Michigan Bronco drafted as an overager by the Pittsburgh Penguins despite considerable doubts in other areas of his game, particularly how he thinks and reacts. The former WJC linemate of Leon Draisaitl, Tiffels has needed his precious time to become more than just speedster and elegant skater, but it may have all been worth the wait. Coming on strong for the first time just last season, Tiffels is now one of the absolute top players in the DEL and a key member of the national team. Moreover, he’s become a playmaker who is literally underchallenged in the DEL, and his leadership traits have become quite evident at the pro level. The head and hands have officially caught up with the wheels and he’s ready for the next step. Will it be to the NHL?
Patrik Karlkvist - SWE - 29 - RW - 26-26-52 in 49 SHL games
Believe us, we wouldn’t normally see a 29-year-old as an NHL possibility and there’s indication, he’s on the list for all too many NHL teams. In fact, the 6’1”, 216 pounder can be a bit of a stiff, lumbering skater at times. But for a guy who has spent the past six years playing in Sweden’s Allsvenskan, his season in the SHL has been mind-blowing. A powerplay weapon, he’s shown an incredible and consistent ability to find his teammates in prime scoring opportunities and blast pucks into the net. Strong on both the puck and the boards, his come-out-of-nowhere production combined with, at times, dominating performances, has Karlkvist looking like an anomaly for guys his age. A team would have to want a hit-or-miss wager to bring him over, but few have had such a rookie SHL season, especially having spent so many years in Sweden’s minor leagues.
Thinking outside the box
Fredrik Forsberg - SWE - 25 - RW - 28-26-54 in 46 Allsvenskan games
Many NHL GMs are licking their chops at the prospect of signing current Predators’ winger Filip Forsberg as a UFA this summer. Could any be eyeing his younger brother as well/instead? Never nearly the prospect his older brother was, the sibling has come a long way to becoming the goal-scorer his brother is, in Sweden at least. After several solid seasons with MoDo in the Allsvenskan, including a breakthrough 32-goal effort two seasons ago, he spent the 20-21 season proving himself as an offensive option in the SHL. His HV71 was catastrophically relegated last season, but Forsberg did manage 17 goals in what was his first SHL outing, a total many established players haven’t yet reached in this tight-checking league. He’s now on board to gain promotion with HV71 and is not only leading the charge (including four points in the first tw0 playoff games), but the entire league, in scoring. We’d not be surprised if someone ends up adding him to their organization, hoping he could end up being, well, a poor man’s “Forsberg” after some seasoning in North America.
Andreas Eder - GER - 26 - RW - 17-24-41 in 44 DEL contests
Once an ill-fated import for the Vancouver Giants who quickly returned to Germany, Eder (whose younger brother Tobias isn’t too shabby himself) has slowly, but surely been developing into a steady producer and moreover, leader and personality, at the DEL level. In fact, he’s shown the ability to be downright dominating at times while displaying a healthy physical element to his game, where his burly 6’2”, 205-pound frame comes in quite handy. Still not a fixture on Germany’s national team, things are getting to the point where few right wingers in Germany bring as much of a package to the table as Eder, who already possesses an NHL-level wrist shot. If a willingness to start things off in the AHL would be available, Eder brings a lot of the elements NHL teams generally like to have in their organizations.
Mika Henauer - SUI - 22 - D - 5-13-18 in 46 NL games
The Swiss defenseman from Bern, whose idol is none other than hometown star Roman Josi, just wrapped up his second full season of NL play and continues to round out as a two-way defenseman with a nose for the attack. No longer draft-eligible, he’s often looked like one of those young players an NHL team looks to give an ELC to at a juncture where he can still benefit from AHL time and be an NHL topic within two seasons. A tweener of sorts, the scouts are aware of him, and he has represented Switzerland internationally at both the U18 and U20 levels.
Samuel Bucek - SVK - 23 - LW - 41-23-64 in 50 Slovakian Extraliga games
The scouts know who Bucek is. He’s a big kid who can shoot and has some wheels. He likes going to the net and then hanging around there. He spent some time with the Chicago Steel, then the Shawinigan Cataractes, and then the Chicago Steel again, where he had his best junior season. None of it was good enough to get drafted. He’s now coming off a season where he led his nation’s top league in scoring and did so by putting a whole lot of pucks in the net. It wasn’t good enough to get him a spot on the Olympic team, although he has represented Slovakia internationally, once at a U18 (5 points) and WJC (7 points), in the past. Now, does an NHL team want to bring him over to see what they can do with him in their system?
Honorable mentions:
Sergei Tolchinsky LW (KHL), Rickard Hugg LW (SHL), Jeremy Bracco RW (DEL), Vladimir Alistrov LW (KHL), Tim Wohlgemuth C/LW (DEL), Kristaps Zile D (KHL/SHL), Niko Ojamäki RW/LW (KHL)