Tag: AHL

Former Notre Dame forward signs contract extension with Blackhawks

Good job, Landon!

Earlier in this calendar year, [autotag]Landon Slaggert[/autotag] was finishing up his collegiate career with Notre Dame. Now, he has security for his professional career for the immediate future.

Slaggert has signed a two-year, one-way contract extension with the Chicago Blackhawks, with whom he made his NHL debut late last season. His initial NHL action consisted of four points in 16 games, including one goal.

Slaggert is beginning this season with the Rockford IceHogs, the Blackhawks’ AHL affiliate. As he went straight to the Blackhawks after finishing with the Irish last season, this is his first time with that club. There’s no telling right now when and if he gets called up.

Slaggert has wasted no time in contributing to the IceHogs. He tallied one assist in a 4-1 season-opening win over the Grand Rapids Griffins, the only game they’ve played so far. He’ll get two chances to add to that assists this weekend when the IceHogs play a home-and-home against the Milwaukee Admirals:

Best of luck to Slaggert in his first full professional season.

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Chicago Blackhawks sign Notre Dame captain Landon Slaggert to contract

Good luck, Landon!

With Notre Dame’s season officially over, captain [autotag]Landon Slaggert[/autotag] finally can turn professional. He wasted no time as one day after the Irish’s season ended, he signed a two-year entry-level deal with the Chicago Blackhawks, who drafted him in the third round of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft.

This past season, Slaggert set collegiate career highs of 31 points and 20 goals as he played 36 games. Over 136 games with the Irish, he scored 92 points, including 47 goals.

[autotag]Carter Slaggert[/autotag], Landon’s brother, just finished his first season with the Irish, scoring seven points over 32 games. He’ll be the second of his brothers to turn pro after former Irish captain [autotag]Graham Slaggert[/autotag], who has played this season with the Rochester Americans of the AHL.

Thanks to Landon for his years of service to the Irish, and it’s great that the Slaggert family will continue to be part of the program for a little longer. In the meantime, good luck to Landon in the pros.

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5 incredible Yaroslav Askarov saves from the Admirals’ stunning 18-game AHL win streak

The Milwaukee Admirals are tearing up the AHL, and stellar goalie Yaroslav Askarov is a big reason why.

The Milwaukee Admirals have been the best story in hockey this season you might not be aware of, as the Nashville Predators’ AHL affiliate has won 18-straight games, the second-best ever streak in the league.

Part of that incredible run has been fueled by young goalie Yaroslav Askarov, who has been playing some of the best hockey of anyone in either the NHL or AHL as of late. He’s stood firm for five shutout wins since Jan. 5.

With rumors flying about the Predators possibly trading goalie Juuse Saros, Askarov could be the next star goalie once the Preds call him up permanently from Milwaukee to man the pipes in Smashville.

Check out some of Askarov’s stellar highlights during this impressive Admirals win streak and get excited about when he brings his acrobatic, stuntman-ready goalie work to the big leagues on a full-time basis.

Really, these highlights are stunners. We’re so excited for Askarov’s future NHL days.

Brock Sheahan returns to Notre Dame as associate head coach

A familiar face is back in South Bend.

They often say you can’t go home again, but [autotag]Brock Sheahan[/autotag] mostly hasn’t ventured far from Notre Dame since his playing days ended. After he hung up his skates in 2013, the former Irish defenseman served as a volunteer assistant coach with the program for one season. Now, he’s returning to South Bend to serve as [autotag]Jeff Jackson[/autotag]’s associate head coach.

After his initial coaching stint with the Irish, Sheahan headed to Worcester for four seasons on the Holy Cross bench. He then was an assistant with the USHL’s Chicago Steel for one year before being promoted to head coach, a capacity he served in for the next three seasons. That included capturing the 2021 Clark Cup. This past season, he coached the AHL’s Chicago Wolves.

With Jackson not getting any younger, is it possible he’s bringing Sheahan to eventually take over for him? Only time will tell, but the stars seem to be aligning for that possibility.

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Former Notre Dame players on NHL rosters to begin 2023-24 season

Know where to check out the former Irish who have made it to the highest level.

We understand that most of you come here for football, but Notre Dame has a devoted fan base for its hockey program. A lot of NHL players have come through the program, and many of them even have found great success at hockey’s highest level. And it’s unlikely any of them forget that they once donned the Gold and Blue.

For the 2023-24 NHL season, there are seven former Irish on rosters at the start. That’s three fewer than the start of each of the past two seasons. But be on the lookout for the 24 players with Notre Dame connections currently in the AHL or even the four in the ECHL. For now, here’s who you can watch in NHL uniforms:

Former Notre Dame players on NHL rosters to begin 2022-23 season

Which familiar name is your favorite?

The weather has gotten cooler, which means it soon will be cold. That means it’s time for the 2022-23 NHL season to begin. As usual, Notre Dame has plenty of representation in the league. Amazingly, not only do the Irish have the same number of former players from the beginning of last season (10), but the same players themselves.

Maybe it’s boring to some people to not see any new Irish players begin the season in the NHL, but 17 will start in the AHL, so you have that to possibly look forward to. Until then, here are the familiar 10 names:

Notre Dame adds transfer forward Chayse Primeau from Nebraska-Omaha

Another transfer is heading the Irish’s way.

Notre Dame continues to add players via the transfer portal. We’ve already seen the arrivals of defensemen Drew Bavaro and Ben Brinkman. With the blue line shored up, they’ve turned to adding forwards beginning with Jackson Pierson. We also now know that they’re benefiting from the arrival of Chayse Primeau from Nebraska-Omaha.

Primeau has spent the past four years with the Mavericks. In 117 games, he scored 72 points, 29 of which came from goals. In what might be one of the craziest coincidences ever in college hockey, he had identical totals of nine goals and 14 assists in each of the past two seasons. While those aren’t huge totals, it doesn’t make the achievement any less interesting.

If Primeau’s last name sounds familiar, it should. His father, Keith, played in the NHL for 15 seasons. His brother, Cayden, also is following in the patriarch’s footsteps as the goaltender for the Laval Rocket, the Montreal Canadiens’ AHL affiliate, during the Calder Cup playoffs.

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Notre Dame alumnus Brock Sheahan named Chicago Wolves coach

Great news for the former defenseman.

Former Notre Dame defenseman and assistant coach Brock Sheahan has just made a big next step in his hockey life. He has been named the coach of the AHL’s Chicago Wolves, who are fresh off winning the Calder Cup. This comes after three years as coach of the USHL’s Chicago Steel, which included one Clark Cup. Before making the professional coaching jump, he spent four years as an assistant at Holy Cross, which came after one season as an Irish assistant.

Sheahan played four seasons with the Irish from 2004 to 2008. In 161 games, he scored 33 points and registered 220 penalty minutes. He was a member of the Irish’s 2007 CCHA regular-season and tournament championship team and the 2008 squad that came within one game of winning a national title. After leaving the Irish, he played five years of professional hockey, mostly in the ECHL.

Best of luck to Sheahan as he takes over a defending champion.

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Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

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At least three Notre Dame alumni will be on Stanley Cup playoff rosters

Here are some guys to root for in the postseason.

Once again, it’s time for the annual competition for the Stanley Cup, the most magnificent trophy in sports. Although the slight shift in the NHL calendar means the playoffs are beginning later than we’re used to, that doesn’t make the anticipation for the most intense hockey of the year any less. Even if your team didn’t make it in this year, the high blood pressure that comes with watching these games, especially those that go into overtime, will be present. Hockey fans wouldn’t have it any other way.

If you’re a Notre Dame hockey fan, three players who have gone through the program are on the playoff rosters for their respective teams. More of them could join after their AHL teams’ seasons end or if any other needs arise. That gives Irish fans plenty of opportunities to be happy at who wins the Cup. For now, here are the three players to watch for:

Notre Dame’s Max Ellis, Graham Slaggert make pro debuts for same team

A proud day for the Irish.

Max Ellis and Graham Slaggert gave all they could to Notre Dame. Now, it’s time for them to move on and begin their professional careers. As luck would have it, they both remain teammates with the Toronto Marlies, the Toronto Maple Leafs’ AHL affiliate. As further luck would have it, they made their pro debuts on the same day. The Marlies made sure to document the moment on social media:

Neither player, nor fellow former Irish teammate Alex Steeves factored into the Marlies’ 4-1 win over the Grand Rapids Griffins. However, Ellis had a few scoring chances that were worth documenting:

Slaggert played in a role in setting up another chance:

All three former Notre Dame players will hope to contribute as the Marlies continue their push for the Calder Cup playoffs. With Steeves having been around the entire season except for three games with the Maple Leafs, he is sure to show his former-turned-current teammates the ropes. It should be fun for all of them.