Utah Mammoth News

Schmidt was sent down to Hershey on Saturday and fractured his scapula in his first game back with the team. It was a rough weekend for the 23-year-old.

Schmidt, 23, registered three assists in a career-high 33 games with Washington this season. He had been a healthy scratch in five of the last six games.

Maatta has been skating for over a week but still needs to join full practice, before a return is imminent. He is one and a half weeks into a four-week timetable, and there has been no word on whether or not he is ahead of schedule.

Maatta, who is also battling mumps, is progressing well, but is still expected to miss another month. His original timeline was “a couple of weeks”, but don’t expect to see him until late January.

Maatta had already been sidelined since December 6th with an upper-body injury and now he has contracted the mumps virus. It has been a brutal stretch for the young blue liner who also recently underwent surgery to remove a tumour from his neck. There is no timetable for Maatta’s return.

According to head coach Mike Johnston said Maatta is still being tested and is going to miss a couple more weeks. With Maatta out, Christian Ehrhoff and Paul Martin will take on bigger roles on the blue line. Expect him to be out until after Christmas.

Maatta’s placement is retroactive to December 6th which means he is eligible to return to the lineup whenever he is healthy. He will miss his third consecutive game tonight, but could be back in the lineup by Monday vs. the Lightning.

Maatta suffered an undisclosed injured in the Penguins win over the Senators on Saturday. With Maatta out, Robert Bortuzzo will draw back into the lineup after a two-game suspension. Maatta is day-to-day.

O’Brien, 20, registered two points (1G / 1A) in 13 games with the Capitals this season. The 6’1”, 210-pound forward signed with Washington as a free agent on Oct. 6 and made his NHL debut on Oct. 9 against Montreal. O’Brien earned his first NHL point on Oct. 14 against San Jose and scored his first NHL goal on Oct. 26 at Vancouver.

With injuries to Dennis Everberg, Alex Tanguay and Jamie McGinn, the Avalanche recalled three forwards on Friday. Agozzino, 23, has three goals and five assists in 14 games with Lake Erie this morning. The undrafted free agent finished tied for the team lead with 49 points (17G / 32A) in 75 games last season.

The Blue Jackets claimed Connauton off of waivers from Dallas on Tuesday and will be inserted in the lineup tonight vs. the Bruins. Tim Erixon will come out of the lineup to make room for the newest Blue Jacket. Connauton had two assists in eight games with Dallas this season.

Connauton, 24, was Vancouver’s third pick, 83rd overall, in the 2009 NHL Draft. He has registered one goal and nine assists for 10 points with 22 penalty minutes in 44 career NHL games, all during the past two seasons with the Stars. He has collected 0-2-2 with six penalty minutes and is +4 in eight games this season.

Maatta missed the last six games after getting surgery to remove a tumour from his neck. Maatta will be skate with Christian Ehrhoff as his defense partner. He has one goal and five assists in 10 games this season.

Maatta looks to make his return after surgery to remove a tumour from his neck.

Matta had 6 pts in 10 games this season on the Penguins blue line

Maatta is expected to miss three more weeks, but returning to the ice already puts him ahead of that timetable. Continue to monitor his progress.

Maatta is expected to miss four weeks after undergoing surgery to remove a tumor from his thyroid gland last Tuesday. However, returning to the ice this week, should put him well ahead of that four-week timetable.

Maatta, 20, has been cleared to play until the time of the surgery. Dr. Dharmesh Vyas, the Penguins’ team physician said he will likely be able to return to the lineup within four weeks. “Obviously our first concern is for Olli and his health,” Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford said. “He is an outstanding young man and has a tremendous future ahead of him. The doctors tell us that this is a very treatable condition, and that it can be taken care of with the surgery."

Maatta missed the preseason while recovering from offseason shoulder surgery. The 20-year-old D-man had a strong rookie campaign posted 29 points (9G / 20A) and a plus-8 rating. He will take on a bigger role this season now that Brooks Orpik and Matt Niskanen are in Washington. You can expect solid offensive totals with a strong plus/minus rating.

O'Brien had 20 goals, 15 assists and 148 PIMs in 68 games with Rouyn-Noranda (QMJHL) last season. At 6-foot-1, 205 lbs. O'Brien brings size and a physical brand of hockey to the Capitals and he has a legitimate chance at cracking the starting lineup on opening day.