The Red Wings were considered the frontrunner for the best college free agent and on Friday, Detroit closed the deal.
Western Michigan U. defenseman Danny DeKeyser signed a two-year deal with the Red Wings after a week spent listening to teams from around the league. The Flyers, Lightning, Sharks, Ducks, Flames and Oilers were among the teams interested in signing DeKeyser.
The Lightning named Jon Cooper the eighth head coach in franchise history today, vice president and GM Steve Yzerman announced.
Cooper joins the Lightning after having spent the previous three seasons behind the bench of Tampa Bay’s top affiliate, the Norfolk Admirals from 2010-12 and this season with the Syracuse Crunch, compiling a 133-62-26 (.661) record in 221 AHL games. Cooper will coach his first game for the Lightning on Friday night versus the Devils.
Effective immediately, Syracuse assistant Rob Zettler takes over as the head coach of the Crunch while Martin Raymond will join Zettler as an assistant. Dan Lacroix and Steve Thomas will remain behind the bench for tomorrow night’s game against the Sabres, then continuing as Cooper’s assistants with the Lightning.
“We are very pleased to introduce Jon as our head coach today,” Yzerman said. “He has had success at every level he has coached and is extremely familiar with our organization, as well as our players. He has a tremendous record at all levels and we feel he is ready to make the move to the NHL.”
The Ducks announced today that the club has signed right wing Radek Dvorak to a one-year contract.
Dvorak has appeared in 1,191 career NHL games with Florida, New York Rangers, Edmonton, St. Louis, Atlanta and Dallas, scoring 577 points with 406 penalty minutes. He played in seven games with Davos of the Swiss league this year, scoring 7 points.
Selected by Florida in the first round (10th overall) of the 1995 NHL Entry Draft, Dvorak helped lead the Panthers to the 1996 Stanley Cup Final, earning 4 points in 16 postseason games. He made his second trip to the Stanley Cup Final in 2006 with Edmonton, collecting 2 points in 16 playoff contests.
The Lightning have agreed to terms with defenseman Andrej Sustr to a two-year entry level contract, vice president and GM Steve Yzerman announced today.
Sustr, 22, skated in 39 games with the U. of Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks this past season, recording nine goals and 25 points to go along with 53 penalty minutes. He ranked first among defensemen in goals and points. Of his nine goals last season, four were scored on the power play and he also ranked tied for second on the Mavericks with 10 power play points.
“Andre is a big, mobile, right shot defenseman with very good skills. We feel he has great potential to develop into a good NHL player,” Yzerman said. “We’re excited to have him join our organization.”
The Lightning have signed 2012 first-round pick, Slater Koekkoek, to a three-year, entry-level contract, vice president and GM Steve Yzerman announced Wednesday.
Koekkoek played in 42 games in the OHL this season with the Peterborough Petes and the Windsor Spitfires following a mid-season trade on January 10. He played in 40 games with the Petes prior to the move, recording six goals and 28 points. Koekkoek played in two games with Windsor after the trade, notching one assist.
A native of Manotik, Ontario, Koekkoek has played in 133 career OHL games with Peterborough and Windsor, registering 18 goals and 70 points with 112 penalty minutes.
The Lightning made Koekkoek the 10th overall pick at this past summer’s draft, the first time Tampa Bay has picked 10th overall. He is one of 12 Top 10 picks in Lightning history.
Dave Nonis, Senior Vice-President and GM of the Maple Leafs, announced Tuesday that the club has signed goaltender Garret Sparks and defenceman Tom Nilsson to three-year entry level contracts.
Sparks, 19, appeared in 60 games with the OHL's Guelph Storm this season, compiling a record of 36-17-0-4, with a 2.65 goals against average, and seven shutouts.
The goaltender was named the OHL’s Goaltender of the Month in January and the Canadian Hockey League’s Goaltender of the Week for March 12-to-18. Sparks, who was selected by the Maple Leafs in the seventh round, 190th overall, in the 2011 Entry Draft.
Nilsson, 19, played 42 games for Mora IK (Allsvenskan – second highest league in Sweden) in 2012-13, posting a goal and three assists. The defenceman also represented Sweden at the 2013 World Junior Championship, collecting two assists in six games and winning a Silver Medal. Nilsson was selected by the Maple Leafs in the fourth round, 100th overall, in the 2011 Entry Draft.
The Montreal Canadiens have signed Darren Dietz to a three-year contract.
Dietz has 58 points in 72 games with the WHL's Blades this season.
Dietz is a 19-year-old defenseman.
The Phoenix Coyotes have signed defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson to a six-year contract.
“Oliver is an exceptional young player who will continue to improve as he matures,” GM Don Maloney said. “He is an important part of our future and we are pleased to have agreed on a long term contract.”
This season, the 6-foot-2, 190-pound Ekman-Larsson leads all Coyotes defensemen in scoring and assists with 3-14-17 in 27 games.
Coyotes GM Don Maloney announced today that the Coyotes have signed forward Darian Dziurzynski of the Portland Pirates (AHL) to a two-year entry-level contract.
Dziurzynski has recorded 5-3-8 and 52 PIM in 40 games with the Pirates this season.
The 21-year-old native of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan registered 27-16-43 in 61 games with the Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL) in 2011-12.
Dziurzynski was originally drafted by the Coyotes in the fifth round (141st overall) in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.
The Ducks announced today that the club has signed captain Ryan Getzlaf to an eight-year contract extension. The 2007 Stanley Cup champion and 2010 Olympic gold medalist is now under contract with the Ducks through the 2020-21 NHL season.
“We are very happy to have Ryan committed to this franchise long-term,” said Ducks Executive Vice President/GM Bob Murray. “He has often expressed his interest to stay in Anaheim for his entire career, a goal we share. He is a leader, a proven winner, and possesses a skill set that’s hard to find. This is a great day for the Ducks.”
Getzlaf, 27, has appeared in 534 career NHL games with the Ducks, scoring 499 points with a +77 rating and 504 penalty minutes. Named the eighth captain in Ducks history on Oct. 3, 2010, Getzlaf ranks third among all-time franchise leaders in points and assists, fifth in goals and power-play goals (55), fourth in game-winning goals (25), second in plus/minus and sixth in appearances.
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