The Carolina Hurricanes held the first official day of the 2025 prospect development camp on Monday.

I may hear you ask, what is the goal of development camp? Well Carolina AGM Darren Yorke put it best.

"The biggest thing is just introducing them to the organization and getting a sense of where they are today," Yorke said. "So our development coaches will meet with them and have already sort of been in communication with our scouts here to get a sense of what the player's strengths and weaknesses are. It's really to establish 1) a relationship and then 2) start to develop a development for them whether it's for off-ice fitness or whether it's specific areas of their game that we want the players to work on."

The first day of camp usually isn't too interesting and this year was no different than those in the past, as the focus was pretty much on off-ice fitness testing as well as some skating benchmark testing.

"The first drill is the 1080 Sprint," said Director of Player Development Peter Harrold. "It measures a lot of different variables and it helps our strength staff come up with more customized programs for them in the weight room. Force production and things like that. From a technical standpoint, we also videotape their skating to look at what their stride looks like and what their mechanics look like and so then we can have discussions with them and give them things to work on in order to come back and maybe just be that little bit faster."

"They’re watching how good we are at top speed," said 2024 draftee Noel Fransen. "They will know how good we are at skating and where we’re at. You want to be better every time. So you just go as hard as you can every time."

Nearly every player participated in the testing minus 2025 second-round picks Charlie Cerrato and Kurban Limatov.

Limatov took a spin on the ice before the testing began, but didn't take part in the actual drills while it seems like Cerrato will be a late arriver.

Charlie Cerrato made a long drive home from Michigan to Maryland on Friday for Day 1 of the draft.

Would make sense as to why he wasn’t at the first day of the Carolina Hurricanes development camp. https://t.co/xckXvFtez6

— Chase Fisher (@chase_fisher4) June 30, 2025

It is impressive that six of the seven players the Hurricanes drafted on Saturday were able to make it to Raleigh for camp though as there wasn't a ton of turnaround time between the events.

Luckily all of the Russian players that the Canes drafted already had their visas and were in the US, but for the two Swedish players (Viggo Nordlund and Filip Ekberg) there was a bit more of a chaotic turnaround.

"[Getting drafted] was an amazing feeling," Nordlund said. "I was home with my parents watching on TV and seeing my name pop up there was a real nice feeling. Then I got a call like five minutes after telling me that I was flying out the next day. Just started packing and got ready."

"I was at home with my family in my hometown, so it was just a quick step to the airport in Sweden," Ekberg said. "I flew to Toronto and then to here."

No worries about potential jetlag affecting your performances?

"I don’t feel like I have it but maybe there is," Ekberg said. "But I don’t feel it [now]. It’s a little bit nice though. Because you’re tired at 9 o’clock and you wake up at 6 o’clock by yourself. So that’s kind of nice actually."

Nothing like the first step toward your dream to keep you energized. 

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Development camp isn't just for the new faces in the organization either.

You'll always have a handful of prospects who took part in one or two prior camps and this gives the staff a great opportunity to reassess how their development has been progressing.

"A lot of these guys come in at 18 years old and they’re kids still," Harrold said. "A year of working out, a year of playing professional games and then they come back and are more mature in every sense of the word. It’s fun for me because you get to see the growth in those guys and that’s the part I love, but for them, I think they become more confident, more comfortable in their game and themselves. That’s big for them. Confidence is huge."

"I think I made progress on everything basically," said 2024 draftee Dominik Badinka who took part in camp last season. "It’s still hockey. You’ve played the game and sometimes the things on and off ice aren’t there, but I think I’ve made progress on everything. ... I hear from [the organization] all the time throughout the year too. Talking about my games and stuff on a weekly basis."

The camp also helps teach the players life lessons about nutrition and sleep habits and gives them a chance to get to know each other as well as the organization too.

"So far it’s been quiet, but it’s a great group," Badinka said. "We didn’t get a chance to talk that much, but I know some guys from last year.  But I feel so far that it’s a good group of guys. It’s been going well. Nobody is doing stupid things. Everybody is polite."

Day 2 of development camp, which falls on the same day as the opening of NHL Free Agency, will more than likely focus a bit more on puck and stick skills.

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Additional Notes

• Nearly all of the Russian prospects (eight in total) were practicing as a group. Canes amateur scout Oleg Smirnov is here at camp to act as a translator and to help them get around and understand all that is being asked of and communicated to them. Harrold said that Smirnov has been "invaluable" to have at camp.

• A few fans collected some autographs from the Canes prospects at the conclusion of their off-ice testing. These kids are already getting some spotlight treatment down in Raleigh. "It’s fun that they’re here," Fransen said. "Really good fans."

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The Vancouver Canucks’ Prospect Camp runs from June 30 to July 3 this year, with newly-drafted players and local invitees all in attendance. Day 1, the introductory day, was filled with some on-ice drills and testing. Let’s see what the players thought of their first day of camp. 

Vancouver’s first-round pick of the 2025 NHL Draft, Braeden Cootes, was quick to point out how surreal the entire week has been so far. He was drafted 15th overall on Friday and almost immediately reported to prospect camp. 

“Crazy couple of days getting picked obviously, then coming straight here,” he said after the first practice on Monday. “When you go into an NHL room, you’re usually a fan looking around. Now you’re drafted by that team, it’s a lot different feeling, for sure, but it was super cool. The facilities are unreal and I’m just so excited.” 

One part of development camp that has already stood out to Cootes is the arsenal of NHL talent that is coaching them throughout the week, as Henrik and Daniel Sedin were both spotted on the ice with the players during the first day of practices. 

“It’s pretty crazy with the Sedins. And, you know, like, just trying to learn as much as I can from them. They’re obviously two unbelievable players.” 

While this is Cootes’ first prospect camp with the Canucks, Anthony Romani is no stranger to the process, having also taken part in last year’s. The forward, who moved from the North Bay Battalion of the OHL to the Barrie Colts, will be joining Michigan State University in the NCAA for the 2025–26 season. 

“It’ll be easier, for sure, just knowing them, being more comfortable talking to them,” he said of what this year’s camp could look like for him given his previous season of working with the coaches. “They’re all a bunch of ex-NHLers, so I think they have a lot to teach me. I’m super excited to keep learning from them.” 

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A player who will have a different outlook on prospect camp is Alexei Medvedev, Vancouver’s second-round selection in the 2025 NHL Draft. As a goaltender, Medvedev will be working closely with goaltending coach Marko Torenius. 

“Just getting to know each other,” he said of what he and Torenius, as well as director of goaltending Ian Clark, have discussed so far. “Just getting to know about how they work with their goalies and stuff like that, just the ideas they believe in and just getting to know that. And it’s been really great. So far, they’ve been really supportive. They’ve been helping me get used to new things. It’s been a blast.” 

Since it’s still early on in prospect camp, the majority of what Torenius has done with the goaltenders has been watching them, says Medvedev. “They’re not trying to make me think too much there, and I really appreciate that. Just kind of slowly getting used to things.” 

Day 2 of Prospect Camp is Tuesday, July 1

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It has been a big month for all-time great Chicago Blackhawks players. Jonathan Toews returned to the NHL by agreeing to a contract with the Winnipeg Jets, Brent Seabrook joined the Calgary Flames organization, and Duncan Keith was elected into the Hockey Hall of Fame. 

Add Patrick Kane to the mix as he signed a one-year extension with the Detroit Red Wings, the team he's been with for the last two seasons. 

Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) on XYOU KNOW WHAT TIME IT IS 🎬 The #RedWings have signed Patrick Kane to a one-year contract with an AAV of $3,000,000.

Chicago traded Patrick Kane to the New York Rangers during the 2022-23 season, but it didn't work out there long-term. Detroit has been his hockey home ever since. 

Kane is not the MVP-caliber player that he once was, but he is still a productive offensive player in the league. During the 2024-25 season, on a mostly struggling Red Wings team, Kane had 21 goals and 38 assists for 59 points in 72 games. That's excellent production for a 36-year-old. 

He will turn 37 over the 2025-26 campaign, but the Red Wings are banking on a similar level of production. With offensive stars around him like Dylan Larkin and Alex DeBrincat, he should be able to succeed. 

Detroit will have a $3 million cap hit on Kane. He also has room to make $4 million in bonus money. If he plays 10 or more games, he gets $2.5 million, an extra $250 thousand for 30 and 50 games played, $500 thousand for reaching the playoffs, $250 thousand for a round one win, and $250 thousand for a round two win. 

Kane has had an incredibly decorated career. He won just about every individual award you can win, in addition to three Stanley Cups and the Conn Smythe Trophy. 

Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) on XMORE OF THIS. 🎬

Despite his impressive resume that will make him a first-ballot Hall of Famer, Kane still has the drive to play at a high level. Whether the Red Wings will take advantage of his presence or not remains to be seen. 

Visit The Hockey News Chicago Blackhawks team site to stay updated on the latest news, game-day coverage, player features, and more.

According to PuckPedia, the New Jersey Devils have re-signed forward Marc McLaughlin to a one-year, two-way contract extension. At the NHL level, he will carry a $775,000 cap hit.

McLaughlin was a pending Group 6 unrestricted free agent (UFA) for the Devils. However, after signing this one-year extension, he will be staying in New Jersey. 

The #NJDevils signed 25 y/o UFA-Group 6 F Marc McLaughlin to a 1 year contract

NHL: 775K
Minors: $350K

Rep'd by Matt Keator WIN Hockeyhttps://t.co/uoApaRryIq

— PuckPedia (@PuckPedia) June 30, 2025

McLaughlin appeared in two games with the Devils after being acquired from the Boston Bruins at the trade deadline, where he had one assist, five hits, and a minus-1 rating. He also recorded six assists and a plus-5 rating in 16 games with their AHL affiliate, the Utica Comets. 

With this move, McLaughlin will continue to be a solid depth forward for the Devils to work with. With a strong training camp, he could make a case for himself to play in the Devils' bottom six, but we will need to wait and see what happens on that front. 

NHL News: Devils Change Minds With Notable RFAEarlier this month, it was reported that the New Jersey Devils would not send pending restricted free agent (RFA) forward Cody Glass a qualifying offer and instead let him hit the market as an unrestricted free agent (UFA) on July 1. However, it appears that they have now changed their minds on that front.

Photo Credit :© David Kirouac-Imagn Images

The Seattle Kraken have announced their preseason schedule for the 2025-26 season. They will play six games in total and kick things off against the Vancouver Canucks, on Sunday, September 21st at Climate Pledge Arena. This will be a great chance to see young prospects and veterans in action throughout the training camp process.

Their full schedule is as follows.

• 9/21/25 vs Vancouver Canucks - Climate Pledge Arena
• 9/23/25 @ Calgary Flames - Scotiabank Saddledome
• 9/24/25 @ Edmonton Oilers - Rogers Place
• 9/26/25 @ Vancouver Canucks - Rogers Arena
• 9/29/25 vs Calgary Flames - Climate Pledge Arena
• 10/1/25 vs Edmonton Oilers - Climate Pledge Arena

Tickets for the Kraken’s three preseason home games will go on sale at a later date on SeattleKraken.com.  

Related

Kraken Announce 2025 Development Camp RosterThe Seattle Kraken have announced the players who will attend the 2025 Development Camp form June 30th to July 3rd at Kraken Community Iceplex in Seattle, Washington.

Schedule featured photo by - via nhl.com/kraken

Schedule hero photo by - via nhl.com/kraken

The Montreal Canadiens submitted a qualifying offer to Cayden Primeau on June 30, but it wasn’t because he was still part of the team’s plans; it was simply not to lose an asset for nothing. Which was far from being a surprising development. 

Shortly after the deadline to submit qualifying offers had passed, the Habs announced that they had traded the goaltender’s rights to the Carolina Hurricanes for a seventh-round pick at the 2026 draft. This is a fair return, considering Primeau was drafted in the seventh round by Montreal at the 2017 NHL Draft.

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After being allowed to act as Samuel Montembeault’s backup this past season, the 25-year-old netminder was unable to find his footing, and by Christmas, he had a 2-3-1 record with a 4.70 goals-against average and a league-worst .836 save percentage. Unable to rely on him, the Canadiens sent him down to the Laval Rocket in the AHL, where he was able to salvage his season.

In 26 games in Laval, he posted a 1.96 GAA with a .927 SV and a 21-2-2 record, leading the Canadiens’ farm team to a regular season championship. In the playoffs, he appeared in eight games, posting a 3-4-0 record with a 3.27 GAA and a .878 save percentage.

Given his performances in the NHL this past year and in the high-pressure playoff games, a new beginning away from the Montreal magnifying glass might be just what the doctor ordered for Keith Primeau’s son who joins an organization for which his father played for three years.

Photo credit:  David Kirouac-Imagn Images

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The Carolina Hurricanes have acquired goaltender Cayden Primeau from the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for a 2026 seventh-round pick.

The son of former Hurricanes captain Keith Primeau, Cayden was a 2017 seventh-round draft pick by the Habs.

“Cayden is just 25 and coming off his best AHL season," said Carolina general manager Eric Tulsky in a press release. "He adds seasoned depth to our organization at the goaltending position."

Primeau, 25, has spent time between the NHL and AHL over the last six seasons, but has had very strong AHL numbers throughout.

The 6-foot-3 netminder has a 84-44-18 record and a 0.912 save percentage in 149 AHL games, but just a 0.884 save percentage in 55 NHL appearances.

The Canes have a definite lack of depth at the goaltending position so adding a player like Primeau who still has some potential upside seems like a no-brainer move.

Primeau is currently an RFA with arbitration rights.

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Recent Stories

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The Colorado Avalanche announced that they have re-signed restricted free agent (RFA) defenseman Sam Malinski to a one-year deal worth $1.4 million and goaltender Trent Miner to a two-year contract extension worth $1.55 million with a cap hit of $775,000 per season. 

Sam Malinski

Malinski made the Avalanche's opening-night roster in 2024-25 and finished the season with 76 regular-season games played, scoring five goals and recording ten assists for 15 points. During the regular season, he ranked third among Avalanche defensemen in goals, tied for fourth in points, and finished fifth in assists. In his first full NHL season, Malinski surpassed his totals from the 2023-24 season in goals, assists, and average time on ice per game (15:57).

In the first-round series against the Dallas Stars, he played in five of the seven games and earned his first career playoff point in Game 3 by assisting on Valeri Nichushkin's game-opening goal. As he approaches his 27th birthday on July 27th, he looks forward to a promising 2025-26 season that should provide him with even more opportunities to produce than before.

Trent Miner

Last season, Miner played 38 games with the AHL-affiliated Colorado Eagles, finishing with a record of 22 wins, 10 losses, and six overtime losses. He maintained an impressive .918 save percentage and a goals-against average of 2.12, along with three shutouts. 

During the regular season, Miner ranked fifth in the AHL for GAA and seventh in both Sv% and wins (tied). He was the starting goaltender in all nine Calder Cup playoff games for the Eagles, recording a GAA of 2.15 and a save Percentage of .925.

On November 15, Miner made his NHL debut with the Avalanche, coming in as a relief goaltender against the Washington Capitals. In that game, he saved 12 of 13 shots, contributing to a 5-2 final score. He earned his first career start on January 8 against the Chicago Blackhawks, where he made 17 saves but faced a 3-1 defeat and took the loss.

With MacKenzie Blackwood and Scott Wedgewood on contract, Miner continues to be the emergency goalie in case either gets hurt and the main starter for the Eagles. However, his position with the team in the future is uncertain.

As top prospect Ilya Nabokov has signed his ELC, although he was loaned back to the KHL for this upcoming season. It will be interesting to see what the playing time is in the 2026-27 season when Wedgewood's contract is up. Does Nabokov become Blackwood's backup? Or does Miner become the backup and Nabokov become the Eagles' starter?

Is It Farewell for Jonathan Drouin and the Colorado Avalanche?With  Brock Nelson re-signing and numerous unrestricted free agents the Colorado Avalanche can re-sign, how high does Jonathan Drouin rank in terms of importance to the Avalanche?

It’s the day for deals (apparently).

The Detroit Red Wings are busy little bees on the eve of Free Agency Frenzy. Steve Yzerman has already taken care of business with two separate transactions on Monday.

Bookmark The Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay connected to the latest news, game-day coverage, and player features. 

For starters, he shipped out Vladimir Tarasenko to the Minnesota Wild for his favorite player – future considerations.

After that, he got Albert Johansson to agree to a new contract. Now, he’s dealt with another pending RFA within the organization.

BERGY 🍔

The #RedWings have signed Jonatan Berggren to a one-year contract with an AAV of $1,825,000. pic.twitter.com/Jrl04kt0yb

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) June 30, 2025

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Monday afternoon, the Red Wings announced a new contract for forward Jonatan Berggren. The two parties agreed to a one-year, $1.825 million deal.

This contract is a tad heavy on the AVV side, but for good reason. It’s an opportunity for Berggren to show the Red Wings what he can do. For all intents and purposes, it might be his final opportunity.

The 24-year-old put up 24 points in 75 games during the regular season. Berggren averaged 12:59 per game in 2024-25.

Time will tell if Steve Yzerman has any more deals up his sleeve before Free Agency begins on Tuesday.

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After nine years with the Maple Leafs, Marner is officially headed to Vegas.

The Sports Network’s Darren Dreger reported that Marner’s deal includes an eight-year contract, paying him $12 million per season. 

Mitch Marner has reportedly agreed to an eight-year contract extension with the @GoldenKnights! https://t.co/9jHSFOCGUGpic.twitter.com/BJ1jkjVXOE

— NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) June 30, 2025

According to multiple sources, the deal is structured as a sign-and-trade, with Toronto finalizing the contract before transferring his rights to Vegas ahead of the free agency window. While the contract has been signed, the trade itself is still pending.

Marner was set to enter unrestricted free agency on Tuesday. Instead, he’s expected to join the Golden Knights under a deal totaling $96 million.

By acquiring his rights before free agency, Vegas can lock him into the maximum eight-year term, something not possible if they had waited to sign him on the open market, where contracts are capped at seven years. ​​In return, Toronto receives center Nicolas Roy. 

Marner, 28, is a right-winger who has consistently put out top tier results. As a former top-five draft pick, Marner has delivered high offensive output, including a 100-point season and multiple 90+ point campaigns. He sits fifth on Toronto's all-time scoring list with 741 points. He’s a dynamic skater with exceptional vision, creativity, and defensive awareness, earning a Selke Trophy nomination for his all-around play. 

He holds several Maple Leafs records, including the longest point streak in franchise history (23 games), and reached 500 career points faster than nearly any Leaf in history. He’s also shined on the international stage, scoring a dramatic OT winner for Team Canada in the 2024–25 4 Nations Face-Off. 

The Golden Knights add a proven star to their core, aiming to stay in the championship conversation. For Marner, the desert offers a fresh start and perhaps the ultimate prize that was just out of reach for him in Toronto

PHOTO COURTESY: James Guillory / Imagn Images