American Hockey League

The New York Rangers have agreed to terms with forward C.J. Smith on a one-year contract. Smith is coming off a Calder Cup championship with the Chicago Wolves in 2021-22. He matched a career high with 58 points (24 goals, 34 assists) in 60 regular-season games, and added three goals and six assists in 16

The Calgary Flames are proud to introduce the Calgary Wranglers as their new American Hockey League affiliate, to begin play this October. The Wranglers become the second team to don the name in Calgary following the Calgary Wranglers of the Western Canadian Junior Hockey League (WCHL), who came to Calgary in 1977. The WCHL Wranglers

The St. Louis Blues have hired Kevin Maxwell as general manager of the club’s American Hockey League affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds, Maxwell, who will also serve as a pro scout for the Blues, joins the organization following 14 seasons in the scouting department with the New York Rangers, including the last 11 as director of

The Milwaukee Admirals have signed center Tim Schaller to an American Hockey League contract for the 2022-23 season. Schaller spent the 2021-22 season with the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors, recording 10 goals and 15 assists for 25 points in 67 regular-season games, along with one assist in five Calder Cup Playoff contests. Over nine pro seasons,

The Grand Rapids Griffins and the Detroit Red Wings have announced a five-year extension of their affiliation agreement, taking it through at least the 2026-27 season. Development partners since 2002, the Griffins (2013, 2017) and Red Wings (2008) have won three league championships during that span. It is the sixth-longest current relationship between an NHL

The Washington Capitals have hired Hershey Bears head coach Scott Allen as an assistant coach with the NHL club. Allen spent the last three seasons with the Bears, including serving as head coach in 2021-22 when Hershey went 34-32-6-4 and earned a berth in the Calder Cup Playoffs. He was an assistant on Spencer Carbery’s

The Tampa Bay Lightning have signed defenseman Trevor Carrick to a one-year, two-way contract. Carrick played 61 games with the AHL’s San Diego Gulls in 2021-22, recording 10 goals and 20 assists for 30 points. He also scored one goal in two Calder Cup Playoff games. An eight-year pro, Carrick has played 495 games in

There are no direct flights from Chicago to Abbotsford. The distance spans over 3,300 kilometres and crosses more than half the continent. Chicago is also where new Abbotsford Canucks head coach Jeremy Colliton experienced the highs and lows of life as a National Hockey League coach. He became the youngest coach in Blackhawks history in

The Anaheim Ducks have signed defenseman Olli Juolevi to a one-year, two-way contract for the 2022-23 NHL season. Juolevi played 18 games in the NHL with the Florida Panthers and Detroit Red Wings in 2021-22, and recorded one assist in three AHL games with the Charlotte Checkers. The fifth overall pick by Vancouver in the

The Ontario Reign have re-signed defenseman Cameron Gaunce to a one-year American Hockey League contract for the 2022-23 season. Gaunce skated in 61 games with the Reign in 2021-22, recording seven goals and 20 assists for 27 points along with a plus-12 rating. He also played five Calder Cup Playoff games. Gaunce was selected as

The Milwaukee Admirals have signed defenseman Keaton Thompson to an American Hockey League contract for the 2022-23 season. Thompson spent the last three seasons with the AHL’s Iowa Wild, skating in 28 games in 2021-22 and recording one goal and three assists. In 275 career AHL games over six seasons with Iowa and San Diego,

The Tucson Roadrunners have signed forward Adam Cracknell to a one-year American Hockey League contract for the 2022-2023 season. Cracknell enters his 17th pro season after scoring 21 goals and adding 26 assists for 47 points in 58 games with the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors in 2021-22. The Prince Albert, Sask., native also skated for Canada

The Ottawa Senators have signed forward Jayce Hawryluk to a one-year, two-way contract. Hawryluk spent the 2021-22 season with Skelleftea AIK in the Swedish Hockey League, recording eight goals and 11 assists in 39 games. Hawryluk previously played five seasons in North America, including 148 games in the AHL with the Springfield Thunderbirds where he

The Syracuse Crunch have signed goaltender Jack LaFontaine to a one-year American Hockey League contract. LaFontaine began the 2021-22 season at the University of Minnesota before signing with the Carolina Hurricanes and turning pro in January. He made 13 appearances with the AHL’s Chicago Wolves, going 4-3-4 with a 2.89 goals-against average, an .885 save

The Calgary Flames have signed forward Ben Jones to a one-year, two-way contract. Jones, 23, skated in 66 games with the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights in 2021-22, ranking second on the team in goals (25) and points (41). He also notched three power-play goals and two shorthanded tallies. Jones made his NHL debut with Vegas

The Winnipeg Jets have agreed to terms with defenseman Johnathan Kovacevic on a three-year contract. The deal is two-way deal in 2022-23 and 2023-24 and one-way in 2024-25. Kovacevic made his NHL debut with the Jets in 2021-22, appearing in four games. He posted career highs with 11 goals, 19 assists, 30 points and a

The Colorado Avalanche have named Kevin McDonald as assistant general manager. McDonald joins the Avalanche after 21 seasons with the St. Louis Blues, including the last 17 overseeing the team’s AHL affiliates. This past season, he served as general manager of the Eastern Conference champion Springfield Thunderbirds, and was the recipient of the 2021-22 Thomas

The Calgary Flames have acquired forward Cole Schwindt from the Florida Panthers, along with Jonathan Huberdeau, former AHL All-Star Mackenzie Weegar and a conditional 2025 first-round draft pick, in exchange for Matthew Tkachuk and a conditional 2025 fourth-round pick. In his first full pro season in 2021-22, Schwindt skated in all 72 regular-season games for