American defenseman and right winger Luke Witkowski, 35, has signed a contract to play the remainder of the current season for Brynäs IF, the Gävle-based SHL club announced on Thursday.

It is the former NHLer’s second Swedish club in as many years and third straight season playing in Europe.

“I’m very grateful to have another opportunity to play in the SHL,” Witkowski is quoted in the club’s announcement. “I had a very good time here last season so I’m happy to come back … I believe that we have every chance to be a winning team and that is something I want to be a part of.”

Brynäs is off to a relatively slow start this season with 20 points in 19 games and currently sits 11tho out of 14 SHL teams. However, the team is coming off a season where it finished first in the regular season before losing in the finals, and has many big names on its roster, including ex-NHLers Nicklas Backström, Jakob Silfverberg, Johan Larsson, Robert Hägg, Oskar Lindblom, Michal Kempný, Christian Djoos, Kieffer Bellows, Mattias Norlinder and goaltenders Collin Delia and (injured) Erik Källgren. It also contains Anaheim Ducks prospects Lucas Pettersson and Damian Clara.

Nicklas Bäckström Ready for a New Chapter in the SHLNicklas Bäckström continues his preparations for the SHL opener on Saturday. On Tuesday, the SHL held its annual media day, where Bäckström was in the spotlight.

“Luke is a big physical defenseman and his strengths lie in his defensive game – that, in combination with his character and experience, will be a good addition to our back end,” said Brynäs sports director Johan Alcén. “The positive impact he had on Skellefteå when he arrived last year is something that appeals to us. The desire to play for Brynäs has been great from Luke’s side and we look forward to seeing him in our colors.”

A native of Holland, Mich. and a graduate of Western Michigan University, Witkowski was chosen in the sixth round, 160th overall, by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.

Detroit Red Wings Prospect Eddie Genborg Strikes AgainJacob Smeds recaps SHL action as NHL prospects Eddie Genborg (Red Wings), Viggo Björck (draft-eligible), Victor Eklund (Islanders), Anton Frondell (Blackhawks) and Noah Steen (Lightning) impress across Sweden.

Between 2014 and 2022, Witkowski played 132 NHL regular-season games for the Lightning and the Detroit Red Wings, both as a defenseman and as a winger, scoring two goals and adding 11 assists and 162 penalty minutes. He also played two playoff games for Tampa Bay in 2016.

His first season in Europe was 2023-24 in Finland with Tappara Tampere, where he recorded six assists and 88 penalty minutes in 52 games, helping Tappara to its third straight Liiga title. 

Last season, Witkowski recorded four points and 48 minutes in 36 SHL regular-season and playoff games for Skellefteå.

SHL Prospect Roundup: Isles’ Victor Eklund ScoresThe Hockey News International recaps Thursday’s SHL action, as Islanders prospect Victor Eklund scores his first goal, Ivar Stenberg continues to shine, and several NHL prospects impress across Sweden.

Friday’s NHL schedule is compact with four games, loaded with excitement and the promise of fast-paced action, dramatic finishes, and plenty of highlight-reel moments. 

One of the most compelling games of the night features two teams trending in different directions as the Vancouver Canucks travel to Raleigh to play the Carolina Hurricanes. Once again this season, Vancouver has been a media circus with an increasing number of injuries and lackluster play from stars like Elias Pettersson, all contributing to four losses in their last six games. They will clash with one of the best teams in the East on Friday as the Hurricanes look to rebound from a troubling 4–1 loss to the Washington Capitals on Tuesday.

For those following our Pad Stack challenge, we began with a $10 bankroll and aim to grow it through smart, data-driven picks. Past runs have turned small stakes into triple-digit profits, and tonight’s focus is the Canucks–Hurricanes matchup, which offers another strong opportunity to build momentum.

Our bankroll reached as high as $264.60 before a setback earlier this season. After a successful bet on the Red Wings outlasting the Ducks on Thursday, our current bankroll is close to that previous high, now standing at $136.79, and we are ready to reach a new season high for the challenge.

All betting lines are from BetMGM Sportsbook and are subject to change. Hockey is a difficult sport to predict so please gamble responsibly. 

Sign up with BetMGM, make a deposit, and place your first wager on any game using your First Bet Offer token. If that bet with the token applied loses, you’ll get your original stake paid back in Bonus Bets, up to $1,500! Get in the game today with BetMGM.

Bank On Islanders Staying Hot Versus MammothIslanders surge continues as hot offense meets struggling Utah defense. Bo Horvat and rookie Schaefer ignite New York's scoring spree.

Picks: Canucks +2.5 & Over 4.5 Goals (-114)

The Canucks have managed to stay competitive against some of the league’s top teams this season. Notably, they forced overtime against the league-leading Colorado Avalanche and tallied three goals in a close loss to the Winnipeg Jets this past Tuesday. Despite this, many expect the Carolina Hurricanes to dominate on Friday, especially with the home team coming off three days of rest and looking to rebound from their recent loss to the Capitals. This matchup marks the 88th meeting between the two clubs, with Vancouver historically holding the edge with a 42-32-11-2 record.

Recently, this trend has persisted, as the Canucks have claimed victory in three of their last five games against Carolina, though the Hurricanes have won the last two matchups. Vancouver still appears capable of keeping Friday’s game competitive, boasting a 7-5 record against the spread as an underdog this season, along with five outright wins. 

Offensively, the Canucks have been strong, scoring 23 goals over their last seven games, ranking them in the NHL’s top ten over that stretch. Defense, however, remains the team’s primary weakness. 

During the same seven-game span, Vancouver has allowed 30 goals and has shown little improvement. Adding to the concern, captain and defensive cornerstone Quinn Hughes is listed as questionable for Friday’s game. He did, however, play the full game against Winnipeg on Tuesday, suggesting he should be available.

Injuries have also hampered Vancouver, affecting players like Filip Chytil, Nils Hoglander, Derek Forbort, Teddy Blueger, and starting goaltender Thatcher Demko, who has struggled with injuries over the past several seasons. The Canucks had hoped for stability with backup Kevin Lankinen, but overuse has impacted his confidence, mirroring situations like the Toronto Maple Leafs with Anthony Stolarz. 

Lankinen has struggled to start the season, posting a 3-5-1 record, 3.57 goals-against average, and a .885 save percentage in nine starts. He is slated to start again on Friday, carrying a 3-3-2 record, 3.85 goals-against average, and .886 save percentage in eight appearances versus the Hurricanes.

If the Canucks want to win this one or remain within striking distance, they'll need to backup their play with some offense of their own and should make this a relatively sweat-free over in goals.  A wager on the Canucks and the over at -114 odds with an $136.79 bankroll would return a profit of $120.38, for a total payout of $257.17 in return.

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.

The Montreal Canadiens have announced that forward Alex Newhook will be out for the next four months after undergoing surgery for a fractured ankle.

In addition, the Canadiens shared that defenseman Kaiden Guhle will be out for another eight to 10 weeks after undergoing surgery on a partially torn adductor muscle. 

Newhook was injured during the Canadiens' Nov. 13 matchup against the Dallas Stars, where he was limited to only 5:54 of ice time. Now, with this update, the Canadiens are expected to be without Newhook until at least mid-March. 

This is such unfortunate news for Newhook, as he has been having a strong season for the Canadiens. In 17 games this season, he has recorded six goals, 12 points, and a plus-7 rating. 

Mises à jour médicales au sujet d’Alex Newhook et de Kaiden Guhle

Medical updates on Alex Newhook and Kaiden Guhle pic.twitter.com/ohzSNVbuuG

— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) November 14, 2025

Guhle has not played since the Canadiens' Oct. 16 matchup against the Nashville Predators. Now, with this latest update, the Habs will not have the key defenseman back until at least early January.

In five games this season for the Canadiens, Guhle has posted one goal, one assist, seven penalty minutes, and a plus-1 rating. 

The Edmonton Oilers placed defenseman Troy Stecher on NHL waivers and sent rookie left winger Isaac Howard to the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors.

Stecher, 31, has played six games for the Oilers this season but hasn’t made an appearance since Oct. 30 in a 4-3 overtime loss to the New York Rangers.

With that, the right-handed defenseman has been averaging 13:37 under coach Kris Knoblauch this season, the lowest average ice time in his 10-year NHL career.

Stecher has played parts of three seasons with the Oilers. Last year was when he made the most appearances for Edmonton, featuring in 66 contests and scoring three goals and seven points, averaging 13:52 of ice time.

If no team puts in a claim for the veteran blueliner, he will be assigned to the Condors in the AHL. Stecher has played only four career AHL games, dating back to his first pro campaign in 2016-17.

In addition to the waiver activity, center David Kampf cleared waivers, and his contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs has officially been terminated. The 30-year-old is now a UFA.

As for Howard, the rookie doesn’t require waivers to be sent down to the minors. The 21-year-old has played 17 games this season, recording two goals and one assist while averaging 9:30 of ice time.

This roster transaction is reportedly to make space for left winger Zach Hyman, who is expected to return from injury this weekend.

Hyman, 33, still awaits his season debut after suffering an upper-body injury during the early stages of the pre-season. He's been on the long-term injured reserve, allowing the Oilers to exceed the salary cap ceiling by up to his $5.5-million cap hit. They have about $3.24 million in cap space right now with Hyman on LTIR, according to PuckPedia.

Last season, Hyman scored 27 goals and 44 points in 73 games. In the playoffs, he registered five goals and 11 points in 15 contests before being sidelined with a different injury.

The Oilers are taking on the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday, and it’s expected that Hyman will make his season debut then.

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.

Before the season started, the goaltender pipeline looked something like this: MacKenzie Blackwood, the bona fide starter with his five-year contract extension; Scott Wedgewood, the reliable backup for this season and maybe an extension if he plays well; and finally, Ilya Nabokov, heading over to North America with his ELC signed. Probably the backup next season, but that has all changed to start this season.

Blackwood is starting to come back from an injury he sustained this training camp, and while he's only played a couple of games, he still looks a bit rusty. Nabokov, after having a tremendous rookie and sophomore years with Metallurg Magnitogorsk, is off to a rough junior year. The most surprising of all is how Wedgewood has been one of the best goaltenders in the league. This now puts the future of Colorado Avalanche goaltending into question next season.

Quality Goaltending Being Shown

Many thought that when Nabokov signed his ELC, he would join the Colorado Eagles in the AHL and compete with Trent Miner for the team's starting position. It would be a good way to have him acclimate to the North American style of hockey without throwing him into the NHL fire and placing unreasonable expectations on him to carry the team. However, he was loaned back to the KHL for another season, as management must have had good faith in their goaltenders this season, and that faith is being shown.

Both the Avalanche and the Eagles are the number one teams in the league, with the Avalanche at 12-1-5 and 29 points, and the Eagles at 11-2-0-1 and 23 points. Wedgewood is leading the way with a record of 10-1-2, a .913 SV%, and a 2.26 GAA. He leads the league in wins, SV%, and is third in GAA among goalies who have played more than 10 games. Isak Posch has been the guy for the Eagles, posting a 7-1-1 record, a .918 SV%, and a 1.89 GAA.

This is all with Blackwood playing only two games this season and boasting a 2-0-0 record, a .870 SV%, and a 3.28 GAA. Blackwood is rusty, and head coach Jared Bednar has stated in two games that he needs to be better. So if we do get Blackwood back to the form he showed last season with Wedgewood's improved play, how come the Avalanche doesn't run this tandem back for another season?

Bednar’s Tough Love Puts Blackwood on NoticeJared Bednar made it very clear that Mackenzie Blackwood needs to step up his game.

Roles Being Changed?

This has been the case recently, with Wedgwood signing a one-year extension. The team recognizes his play and, instead of waiting until free agency, when other teams will offer more money, sign him now and enjoy the fruits of his labour as he continues to play out of his mind. Though this now raises the question of Nabokov's role within the Avalanche if both spots on the main roster are taken.

Wedgewood Signs One-Year Extension With Avalanche Through 2026-27 After Stellar StartScott Wedgewood is sticking around for at least another trip around the sun.

From his first two seasons in the KHL, I thought Nabokov could come over to the Avalanche and fill the backup role, like Wedgewood did. Get into 15-20 games, start maybe 10, and be a great backup to Blackwood. Get the opportunity to grow, develop, and learn the ropes of what a full NHL season is like without being forced into the starter role, but now? A good year in the AHL might be the way.

This season hasn’t been what he has been used to seeing from Nabokov. Despite an 8-2-0 record, he boasts a .893 SV% and a 2.63 GAA with 14 games played. It is early in the season, as he finished both previous seasons with over 40 games played, so he has time to improve on those stats, but it's definitely something to keep an eye on.

A Good Problem to Have

I know, despite being on top of the league with a 12-1-5 record with 29 points, I’m still finding something to complain about, and of all things, it's goaltending? After everything this team has been through with Alexander Georgiev, we finally get quality goaltending, and we were complaining? No, just an interesting thing to look into next season, with arguably the Avalanche's top prospect being involved in this situation. Since Calum Ritchie was moved to acquire Brock Nelson, Nabokov is now the number one guy to keep an eye on, but it's hard since he plays in the KHL, and it's hard to watch games in North America, or even to remember to keep track of the scores and stats.

Goaltending has been a significant issue with the team since the 2021-22 Stanley Cup-winning team. Management has finally found/built a system where they have more than reliable goaltending to win them a Stanley Cup, but prospects in their system that continue to grow, hopefully to use one day, and that being Nabokov for one.

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.

Nečas Throws a Marty Party: Avalanche Offense Off the ChartsThis could be a historic season for Colorado on a number of fronts.

ST. LOUIS – Hunter Skinner was all smiles, and why not?

The defenseman will make his NHL debut for the St. Louis Blues (6-8-3) on Friday when they host the Philadelphia Flyers (8-5-3) at 7 p.m. (FDSNMW, ESPN 101.1-FM).

The 24-year-old, who will have his parents Steve and Michele as well as a brother and sister in attendance for the game, was acquired from the New York Rangers on Feb. 9, 2023 in the deal that sent Vladimir Tarasenko and Niko Mikkola to Broadway.

“Since I was a little kid,” Skinner said. “It’s a dream-come-true. I’m super-excited for tonight. Took last night and this morning to prepare for it, but I’m super-excited about it.”

Skinner will play on the third defensive pairing with Matthew Kessel.

Making his NHL debut tonight, Hunter Skinner, leads the stretch. #stlbluespic.twitter.com/DMYEhCRUyK

— Lou Korac (@lkorac10) November 14, 2025

“If this is not the greatest day in his life, it’s in his top three,” Blues coach Jim Montgomery said. “Everybody remembers their first game, you dream of it. There’s nothing like your first game in the NHL. Bright lights, big city. St. Louis Blues against the Philadelphia Flyers, legendary teams. It’s awesome that you get to have that experience. But he’s someone that over time can be a Blue.

“I got to know him in training camp really for the first time and he has energy, loves playing hockey. You can tell it pours through his pores. … What we’re wanting to see is he has poise with the puck, but he’s hard too. He plays the game with physicality and emotion, which our team can use.”

Skinner has toiled with Springfield of the American Hockey League since his arrival to the Blues organization, playing in 147 games before finally getting the chance to perform on the big stage. It never deterred him from continuing to put the work in.

“No, not really,” he said. “Just trust in the process, just the path that I’m on. God put me here for a reason.

“Just putting the work on, trying to be as consistent as possible, keep my head down, grinding every day, not worrying about the future, just going day by day.”

Skinner said he found out, “(Wednesday) at practice, I kind of got a little nod and mostly this morning. Once I walked in and I saw the board, I was super-excited.”

Having his family here will be important.

“Parents, brother, sister, grandparents have passed away so they’re not here, but I’ll be playing for my grandma for sure and my grandpa,” Skinner said. “I haven’t really talked to (his parents) over the phone yet. I just shot them a text. I’m pretty sure they’re ecstatic, as ecstatic as I am.”

Skinner impressed the coaches during his run in training camp and wants to keep that momentum going.

“I felt good. I felt like I put my best foot forward. Hopefully it led to me getting to this point. I’m just excited about it.

“Playing simple, just be physical, hard to play against, tight gaps, getting my shot through. I think using my feet.

I played with (Kessel) and I played with ‘Tucks’ quite a few times. I’m pretty excited. Two Michigan boys.”

- - -

Skinner will replace Tyler Tucker, who along with Nick Bjugstad will be healthy scratches for the first time this season.

“It is a reset, yeah,” Montgomery said of Tucker. “I’m seeing him give up more time and space than he did last year. Last year it was consistent that he didn’t give it up, this year it’s been inconsistent. We had a good talk about it. I know when he gets back in, he’s going to be the aggressive, physical … even in the offensive zone, he’s not as aggressive as he was last year.”

Bjugstad will sit for Mathieu Joseph, who returns after missing Tuesday’s 3-2 win against the Calgary Flames with a lower-body injury.

“Defensively I think he’s done a lot of good things even in the last 2-3 games,” Montgomery said of Bjugstad, who has four goals and one assist in 17 games. “He’s just not having the same impact he was having. I don’t mean scoring, I mean building the team game, building momentum for our team. A lot of times when we talk about a good shift, it’s what you leave for the next guys going on the ice, it’s not what you actually did. You can have a great shift, two scoring chances and then you play five seconds in your D-zone and you have a bad change, I’m not leaving good ice. That’s how you want to try and build, good changes, good rhythm for the game.”

- - -

The Blues are 3-1-1 the past five games and after Friday, host the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday before heading out on a big five-game road trip starting Tuesday.

“There’s signs, but we’ve got to see consistency coming out the right way,” Montgomery said. “I liked the way we came out and started the game last game. We didn’t put them on their heels, but we played intelligently.”

- - -

Blues forward Jake Neighbours was on the ice for the morning skate, his first time with the team since blocking a shot Oct. 25 against the Detroit Red Wings.

Neighbours, who leads the Blues with six goals, started skating this past Sunday on his own and is still on target to be reevaluated in the five-week timeframe the team gave.

We have a Jake Neighbours sighting for the morning skate #stlblues    ... pic.twitter.com/5K7u3dPqX7

— Lou Korac (@lkorac10) November 14, 2025

- - -

Blues Projected Lineup:

Pavel Buchnevich-Robert Thomas-Jimmy Snuggerud

Dylan Holloway-Dalibor Dvorsky-Jordan Kyrou

Brayden Schenn-Pius Suter-Mathieu Joseph

Alexey Toropchenko-Oskar Sundqvist-Nathan Walker

Philip Broberg-Colton Parayko

Cam Fowler-Justin Faulk

Matthew Kessel-Hunter Skinner

Jordan Binnington will start in goal; Joel Hofer will be the backup.

Healthy scratches include Nick Bjugstad, Alexandre Texier and Tyler Tucker. Jake Neighbours (leg) is out.

- - -

Flyers Projected Lineup:

Matvei Michkov-Sean Couturier-Travis Konecny

Owen Tippett-Christian Dvorak-Trevor Zegras

Tyson Foerster-Noah Cates-Bobby Brink

Garnet Hathaway-Rodrigo Abols-Nicolas Deslauriers

Cam York-Travis Sanheim

Nick Seeler-Jamie Drysdale

Emil Andrae-Noah Juulsen

Samuel Ersson will start in goal; Dan Vladar will be the backup. 

Healthy scratches include Nikita Grebenkin, Adam Ginning and Egor Zamula. Rasmus Ristolainen (triceps) is out.

Blues Top Four Defensemen Logging Big Minutes, Especially Of Late; Are They Getting Taxed Too Soon?Parayko, Broberg, Faulk, Fowler all over at least 22 minutes a night, more so in past half dozen games; Blues will need more from likes of Tucker, Kessel, Mailloux on bottom pair as season rolls along to keep others from getting worn down

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.

The Buffalo Sabres are continuing to struggle big time, as they fell to the Colorado Avalanche by a 6-3 final score in their last game on Nov. 13. With this, the Sabres are now sporting a five-game losing streak and have a 5-8-4 record on the season. They are also at the bottom of the Atlantic Division standings.

With the Sabres looking to snap their 14-year playoff drought, having a start like this to the season is undoubtedly concerning. The clock is ticking for them turn their season around, but things are undoubtedly looking bleak right now.

Given the way this season is going for the Sabres, it is very likely that teams are already keeping an eye on Buffalo star winger Alex Tuch. The pending unrestricted free agent (UFA) is exactly the kind of player that contenders love to add, and he should generate a ton of interest if the Sabres do not improve and he still does not have a contract extension near the deadline. 

While the Sabres are having a bad start to the year, Tuch is not. In 17 games this season, the 2014 first-round pick has recorded six goals, nine assists, 15 points, and an even plus/minus rating. With this, he is certainly chipping in offensively for the Sabres. 

It will be interesting to see what happens with the Sabres and Tuch, but interest in his services should be very high as the season carries on.