The Pittsburgh Penguins have named Mike Vellucci as an assistant coach, joining head coach Mike Sullivan‘s staff. Vellucci, 54, spent the 2019-20 season as head coach and general manager of the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, guiding them to a record of 29-26-3-5. Eight of Vellucci’s players saw action with Pittsburgh during the year. Vellucci won the
American Hockey League
The Buffalo Sabres today announced the team has named Matt Ellis director of player development. Ellis played 14 seasons professionally, including eight in the Sabres organization from 2008 to 2016. He served as team captain of the Sabres’ AHL affiliates in Rochester and Portland, as well as for the Grand Rapids Griffins. Ellis appeared in
The Los Angeles Kings have signed forward Carl Grundstrom to a two-year contract extension. The first year of the deal is two-way and the second year is one-way. Grundstrom, 22, collected 12 goals and 16 assists for 28 points in 40 AHL games with the Ontario Reign in 2019-20, along with four assists in 13
The San Jose Sharks have re-signed center Joel Kellman to a two-year contract. Kellman, 26, split the 2019-20 season between the Sharks and the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda. He posted four goals and 12 assists for 16 points in 25 AHL contests, along with three goals and four assists for seven points in 31 NHL
The Vegas Golden Knights have hired Manny Viveiros as the first head coach of the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights. Viveiros joins the Golden Knights organization with 13 years of coaching experience, most recently as head coach of the Western Hockey League’s Spokane Chiefs in 2019-20. He was an assistant with the Edmonton Oilers in 2018-19,
If the injury-plagued Avalanche rallies from an 0-2 series deficit to eliminate the Dallas Stars, Colorado general manager Joe Sakic and his staff should get the much-deserved credit. Players win games, but setting the team up for success is on Sakic and his right-hand man, Chris MacFarland, among others. Sakic is a Hockey Hall of
The Vegas Golden Knights rookie defenseman assures them he’s anything but. “It’s playoff hockey, it’s the best time of year, and we have a really good chance of going deep here,” Whitecloud said. “What more excitement do you need?” The Golden Knights are tied 1-1 in their Western Conference Second Round series against the Vancouver
The Pittsburgh Penguins have acquired forward Kasperi Kapanen, forward Pontus Aberg and defenseman Jesper Lindgren from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for forward Evan Rodrigues, defenseman David Warsofsky, forward Filip Hallander and a 2020 first-round draft pick. Kapanen returns to the Penguins organization, where he broke in with the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in 2015.
The Arizona Coyotes have re-signed forward Blake Speers to a one-year, two-way contract. Speers, 23, appeared in 42 AHL games between the Tucson Roadrunners and the Binghamton Devils in 2019-20, collecting four goals and six assists for 10 points. The native of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., has appeared in 147 AHL contests over three professional
The Boston Bruins have signed goaltender Dan Vladar to a three-year contract extension through the 2022-23 season. The first two years of the deal are a two-way contract, while the final year is a one-way contract. Vladar, 23, led the American Hockey League in both goals-against average (1.79) and save percentage (.936) in 2019-20, posting
Losing a job doesn’t necessarily mean ruining a career, something Seth Appert appreciates three years after getting fired as RPI hockey coach. Appert had an 11-year run before the Troy school decided to go in a different direction in March 2017. He spent the past three years with USA Hockey National Team Development Program, alternating
Put simply, changes are coming to the Nashville Predators’ roster for the 2020-21 season. General Manager David Poile and head coach John Hynes said as much on Thursday when the duo reflected on the 2019-20 season. The top two members of the team’s management resolutely separated good from bad, as they evaluated a season of
The Washington Capitals have signed goaltender Zach Fucale to a one-year, two-way contract. Fucale, 25, spent most of the 2019-20 season with Orlando of the ECHL. He also appeared in one AHL game with the Syracuse Crunch, at Laval on Jan. 4. Fucale has played 69 AHL games over parts of five seasons with Syracuse,
Forward becomes the first player in Habs history to record his first career NHL point in a playoff game at age 28 or older. TORONTO — Alex Belzile is an inspiration for any kid who has ever dreamed of playing in the NHL. The 28-year-old had never played a game in the NHL before the
The Buffalo Sabres announced today the appointment of Seth Appert as head coach of the Rochester Americans. Appert has spent the last three years as a head coach within USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program, two with the Under-18 team and one with the Under-17 team. In 2017-18, Appert guided the U-18 team to a
The Los Angeles Kings have agreed to terms on a contract with John Wroblewski to become head coach for the Ontario Reign of the American Hockey League. Wroblewski, 39, joins the Reign following four seasons with USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program, where he coached the U-17 national team (2017-18 and 2019-20) and the U-18
The Arizona Coyotes have re-signed forward Lane Pederson to a one-year, two-way contract. Pederson, 23, recorded 16 goals and 18 assists for 34 points in 37 games with the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners in 2019-20, his third pro season. The native of Saskatoon, Sask., has skated in 167 career AHL games, all with the Roadrunners, and
The heated matchups with the Ontario Reign reflect the larger organizational battle between Anaheim and LA, building fierce matchups and strong games at the AHL level. Aug 13, 2020 By Andy Zilch/SanDiegoGulls.com Southern California rivalries are intriguing no matter the sport or level of play. When it comes to hockey, the sport was introduced at