NHL Hockey Player News

The Islanders selected Jenkins in the fifth-round of the 2018 NHL Draft. The 19-year-old, Michigan native spent 2020 with the Saginaw Spirit, where he scored 16 goals with 24 assists (40 points) in 47 games. He will likely return to the OHL for his fourth season in 2021.

Brooks provides the Maple Leafs with fourth-line centre depth for the next two seasons. The 24-year-old made his NHL debut this season, chipping in three assists in seven games. During his time with the Marlies, he tallied nine goals and 11 assists (20 points) in 29 games.

Montreal selected Hillis in the third-round of the 2018 draft. The 19-year-old centre finished his third-year with the Guelph Storm first on the team in assists (59), second in points (83) and third in goals (24) in 62 games.

Dugan was selected in the fifth round of the 2017 draft and has agreed to turn pro after just two seasons at Providence College. Dugan was a Hobey Baker Finalist in 2020 after leading the nation with 52 points (10G / 42A) in just 34 games. The 22-year-old paced the league in assists, points-per-game (1.53), power-play points (22) and even-strength points (30). He'll likely start the 2021 season in the AHL but the Golden Knights have to be very pleased with Dugan's rapid progression since being drafted three years ago.

Ibragimov was drafted in the sixth-round of the 2019 draft and spent 2020 in Russia's second and third tier. Ibragimov had a lot of success on the "junior" circuit, posting seven points (5G / 2A) in seven games but had just 13 points (5G / 8A) in 35 games after moving up to the VHL (Russia's second division).

Guhle, who was acquired from Buffalo last February as a part of the Brandon Montour trade, split his time evenly between the AHL and NHL in 2019-20. During his time with Anaheim, he had four goals and four assists (eight points) in 30 games. With the San Diego Gulls, he was second among team defensemen with 14 points (4G / 10A) despite only appearing in 27 games. He should be a full-time NHLer in 2021 as the Ducks continue to rebuild their once promising blueline.

After spending the first seven years of his career in the Maple Leafs organization, Carrick has been with the Ducks since 2016-17. In that time, he has appeared in just 15 NHL games, amassing one goal and two assists. However, he has been prolific at the AHL-level, leading the team in points (61) last year and was leading San Diego in goals (23) and points (43) in 46 games before this year was paused.

Wall was selected in the sixth-round of the 2016 draft. The 22-year-old netminder finished his senior season at UMass-Lowell at 18-8-6 with a 2.10 GAA and .931 SV%. After a terrific collegiate career, Wall joins the Rangers, where he is likely headed to the AHL for the foreseeable future.

Leipsic had an Instagram conversation made public earlier in the week that revealed some inappropriate comments made by Leipsic about women and his teammates. The NHL called Leipsic's comments "misogynistic and reprehensible" and on Friday the Capitals took the first step in terminating the 25-year-old's contract. During his 61 games in Washington, Leipsic scored three goals and eight assists (11 points).

Romanov was selected in the second-round (No.38 overall) in 2018 and is expected to make the leap into the NHL in 2020-21. The 20-year-old Russian blueliner has spent the last two seasons in the KHL, where he's played a limited role and tallied just 11 points (1G / 10A) in a combined 86 games for CSKA Moscow. However, while playing against players his own age in the 2019 and 2020 World Juniors, Romanov had two goals and 12 assists (14 points) in 14 games. Due to the current pause of the NHL season, the start date of the contract has yet to be determined.

Tampa Bay selected Semykin with the No.90 pick (third round) in 2018. The 6-foot-2, 214 lbs. Russian defenseman played in Russia's second league in 2019-20, tallying nine goals and 15 assists (24 points) in 44 games with SKA-1946 St. Petersburg (MHL). He wass a member of the Russian U-18 team but was not selected for the World Juniors.

Djoos opened the 2020 campaign with the Hershey Bears (AHL) where he had 32 points (5G / 27A) in 42 games. In late-February he was dealt to the Ducks for Daniel Sprong and he registered one goal and two assists while playing 21:22 ATOI in nine games with the Ducks before the season was paused.

Hakanpaa signed a one-year deal at the start of 2019-20 following four years in the Finnish Elite League. The former Blues fourth-round pick spent most of the season in the AHL, where he had one goal and 12 assists (14 points) in 47 games. During a brief audition with the Ducks, Hakanpaa had one goal while playing 18:07 ATOI in five games.

Florida selected Denisenko with the No.15 overall pick in 2018. The 19-year-old winger has spent the last two seasons playing a minimal role in the KHL, posting just 12 points (6G / 6A) in 38 games this past season. However, while playing against players of his age, Denisenko has flourished. He has represented Russia at the World Juniors in each of the last two years and has combined for 18 points (7G / 11A) in 14 games. He should be in a Panthers' uniform in 2020-21 and will be among the pre-season favourites to win the Calder Trophy.

Handemark was an undrafted free-agent out of Sweden. The 26-year-old centre has played primarily in the Swedish Elite League since 2014 and is coming off of a career-year. He set new career-bests in goals (14), assists (24) to lead Malmo in points (38) in 52 games this season.

Melnichuk was high in demand after a strong 2019-20 season in the KHL. The 21-year-old netminder only appeared in 16 games, but went 8-5-1 and finished fourth in the league in GAA (1.68) and tied for 12th in SV% (.930). He signs with San Jose where he could play right away. Aaron Dell is set to become an unrestricted free agent after the 2020 season and Martin Jones struggled with a 3.00 GAA and .896 SV% before the season was paused. Their team GAA (3.21) was fifth-worst in the league, so Melnichuk addresses an immediate need for San Jose.

Lehtonen was a 26-year-old, undrafted free agent defenseman out of Finland. Lehtonen has bounced all over Europe in recent years, most recently playing for Jokerit in the KHL. In 2019-20, the 5-foot-11, 196 lbs. blueliner led the team with 49 points (17G / 32A) in 60 games.

Halak was 18-6-6 with a 2.39 GAA and .919 SV% in 31 games before the NHL season was paused. Since joining the Bruins in 2019, Halak has been among the league's best netminders. In his 71 appearances, he's gone 40-17-10 while ranking fifth in the NHL in GAA (2.36) and tied for fifth in SV% (.921). The Bruins aren't young between the pipes but the Halak--Tuukka Rask has ranked second in the league in GAA (2.49) over the last two seasons.