With few exceptions, NHL teams have a set length of time to sign their drafted prospect to entry-level deals before they lose their exclusive signing rights to those players.
That length of time is determined by a number of factors that include the age of the player when he was drafted and where he was drafted from -- junior, college, or other countries that have transfer agreements with the NHL. One of the big exceptions here is with players drafted from Russia. The NHL has no transfer agreement with Russia, so teams hold their exclusive signing rights to Russian players indefinitely after they were drafted.
The Penguins have four prospects who they must make a decision on signing this summer. Who are they, and how likely does it seem that the Penguins offer them a deal? Let's take a look.
There are two members of the 2019 draft class whose signing rights are set to expire, and I think it's pretty clear-cut what happens with both of them.
The first is 22-year-old defenseman Santeri Airola, the Penguins' seventh-round pick that year. His rights expire on June 1. His career in Finland since being drafted by the Penguins has been so marred by injuries that he makes Beau Bennett look like an Iron Man by comparison. After dealing with two more injuries this season, he's finally healthy but can't crack the roster of the Ilves in the top Finnish league so he's spent the bulk of this year in Finland's second-tier league, where he's been playing pretty well. Still, he just hasn't had the opportunity to show that he's deserving of a contract. He's also pretty small, especially for a defenseman. He's 163 pounds. The Penguins list him at 5-foot-11, and his Finnish team lists him at 5-foot-9. Having seen him in person, he's definitely closer to the latter. I'd be completely shocked if the Penguins decide to sign him. He's a pretty dynamic offensive player, and he's someone who could be successful in the European game if he's able to stay healthy. It just won't happen here.
The other member of the 2019 draft class whose rights expire is 21-year-old winger Judd Caulfield, a fifth-round pick. Since he's in college, his rights expire a little later on Aug. 15. Caulfield, I think, will definitely get signed. He had the option to sign an entry-level deal this summer, but opted to go back to college for what he told me was "unfinished business" at North Dakota. Caulfield is a big, 6-foot-4, 212-pound power forward who is a strong skater despite his size and excels on the penalty kill. One of the things he talked about this summer was wanting to get better at producing offensively in a net-front role, and he's taken strides in that area this season. He has seven goals and 10 points through 21 games this season primarily in a more defensive, third-line role.
The other two prospects whose rights expire both are defensemen coming from the 2021 draft class, and since they're coming from junior, their rights expire on June 1.
Isaac Belliveau, a left-handed shot, was the Penguins' fifth-round pick that year. At 20 years old, he was actually eligible to go play in the AHL this season, and even as far into the offseason as the Penguins' prospect camp, Belliveau wasn't sure which path he'd be taking for this year. He's an offensive defenseman, someone who can quarterback a power play. He has pretty good production this year with six goals and 20 assists in 27 games with the QMJHL's Olympiques, primarily on the top pairing where he was last season, too.
Ryan McCleary, a right-handed shot, was a seventh-round pick. At 19, he's at the age where he could play in the AHL starting next season, but he also would have the option to go back to the WHL for an overage season if that's decided is what's best for him. McCleary's among the Penguins prospects who took the biggest leaps this season. He's spent a lot of time on the Winterhawks' top pairing after spending most of last year on the third pairing, and even a healthy scratch at times. His eight goals rank No. 8 in the WHL among all defensemen, and he surpassed his previous career high of six goals (from last season) in half the games. With 10 assists, he's on pace to fall just shy of last season's total of 24.
I'm leaning toward a "yes" for both Belliveau and McCleary, with the caveat that there's a strong market for undrafted or unsigned prospects this spring and summer and the Penguins land a couple of prospects that way, that might be a better use of a spot toward the 50-contract limit.
____________________
Here's how the Penguins' other prospects in junior, college, and Europe did this week:
FORWARDS
Tristan Broz
Position: Center/wing
Size: 6-0/178
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2021, second round
Age: 20
Team: Denver (NCAA)
Season totals: 22 games, 5 goals, 9 assists
Denver returned from holiday break this week and Broz recorded a primary assist in two games:
Judd Caulfield
Position: Right wing
Size: 6-4/212
Shoots: Right
Drafted: 2019, fifth round
Age: 21
Team: North Dakota (NCAA)
Season totals: 21 games, 7 goals, 3 assists
North Dakota returned from holiday break this week and Caufield recorded an assist in two games.
Luke Devlin
Position: Center
Size: 6-2/185
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2022, sixth round
Age: 18
Team: West Kelowna Warriors (BCHL)
Season totals: 29 games, 5 goals, 16 assists
Devlin scored one goal and two assists in his two games this week.
Zam Plante
Position: Center
Size: 5-9/161
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2022, fifth round
Age: 18
Team: Chicago Steel (USHL)
Season totals: 17 games, 3 goals, 8 assists
Plante was scoreless in two games this week.
Kirill Tankov
Position: Center
Size: 6-1/185
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2021, seventh round
Age: 20
Team: SKA-Neva (VHL)
Season totals: 1 game
Tankov suffered a season-ending neck injury in the opening game of the season and required surgery to repair a fractured vertebrae. He is expected to be able to play next season and is no longer wearing a neck brace.
Chase Yoder
Position: Center
Size: 5-10/176
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2020, sixth round
Age: 20
Team: Providence (NCAA)
Season totals: 22 games, 5 goals, 6 assists
Yoder was scoreless in two games.
DEFENSEMEN
Santeri Airola
Size: 5-11, 163
Shoots: Right
Drafted: 2019, seventh round
Age: 22
Team: Ilves (Liiga), KOOVEE (Mestis)
Season totals: 5 games (Liiga), 21 games, 5 goals, 6 assists (Mestis)
Airola played one game in the second Finnish league and was scoreless.
Isaac Belliveau
Size: 6-2/185
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2021, fifth round
Age: 19
Team: Gatineau Olympiques (QMJHL)
Season totals: 27 games, 6 goals, 20 assists
Belliveau scored one goal in his three games on the left side of Gatineau's top defense pairing:
Nolan Collins
Size: 6-3/194
Shoots: Right
Drafted: 2022, sixth round
Age: 18
Team: Sudbury Wolves (OHL)
Season totals: 30 games, 3 goals, 6 assists
Collins was scoreless in three games this week.
Daniel Laatsch
Size: 6-5/183
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2021, seventh round
Age: 20
Team: Wisconsin (NCAA)
Season totals: 22 games, 3 assists
Laatsch was scoreless in two games this week.
Ryan McCleary
Size: 6-2/180
Shoots: Right
Drafted: 2021, seventh round
Age: 19
Team: Portland Winterhawks (WHL)
Season totals: 31 games, 7 goals, 10 assists
McCleary had a goal and an assist in three games this week:
Owen Pickering
Size: 6-4/180
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2022, first round
Age: 18
Team: Swift Current Broncos (WHL)
Season totals: 30 games, 5 goals, 17 assists
Pickering was scoreless in three games this week.
Pickering did this fun interview with a Swift Current junior reporter:
We've got another Junior Reporter asking Broncos captain Owen Pickering the important questions ahead of @CPG_Corp Minor Hockey Night against the Saskatoon Blades! pic.twitter.com/McekC7Zg4d
— Swift Current Broncos (@SCBroncos) January 6, 2023
Hockey Canada did this feature on Pickering and his sister Avery, who is representing Canada in the U18 Women's Worlds.
GOALTENDERS
Joel Blomqvist
Size: 6-2/183
Catches: Left
Drafted: 2020, second round
Age: 20
Team: Karpat (Liiga)
Season totals: 21 games, 2.29 GAA, .907 SV%
Blomqvist has been injured since Dec. 16 after an in-game collision that included contact to the head. His team hasn't disclosed what the injury is, but if it is a concussion, it's his second one of the season after he previously had one in October from another collision in a game.
Sergei Murashov
Size: 6-0/167
Catches: Right
Drafted: 2022, fourth round
Age: 18
Team: Loko Yaroslavl (MHL), Lokomotiv (KHL)
Season totals: 33 games, 1.18 GAA, .958 SV%, 11 shutouts (MHL), 1 game, 1.00 GAA, .947 SV% (KHL)
Murashov played in three games in the Russian junior league in the last two weeks, posting a 3-0 record. He stopped 16 of 17 shots, then posted a 28-save shutout, then stopped 18 of 20 shots.