Confirmed with Link: BU's Ahti Oksanen Signs AHL Deal w/ Wolfpack

[Inferno]

Hartford needs a ton of help

 

[Bluenote13]

Hartford needs a ton of help

I would sign an AHL vet on defense. Just don't know who's available.

 

[Leetch3]

But he can't sign an NHL contract and just up and leave the Wolf Pack during the season right (obviously breaking his AHL contract)?. So if he plays well, we just sign him mid season before anyone else has the chance to. Unless i'm wrong about how it works.

if he can sign a contract with us before his ahl deal is up then he can sign with any nhl club. hartford is affiliated with us but right now no nhl team has oksanen's rights.

 

[FLYLine27*]

if he can sign a contract with us before his ahl deal is up then he can sign with any nhl club. hartford is affiliated with us but right now no nhl team has oksanen's rights.

I assume you mean can't*

That is fair. If he plays well enough the Rangers will sign him, if he doesn't then it didn't work out and move we on.

 

[Leetch3]

I assume you mean can't*

That is fair. If he plays well enough the Rangers will sign him, if he doesn't then it didn't work out and move we on.

he either can sign with any nhl team or he can't sign with any nhl team. we don't get first dibs to sign him...obviously bringing him to the organization should give us the inside track but there is nothing preventing another team from stealing him

 

[nyr2k2]

if he can sign a contract with us before his ahl deal is up then he can sign with any nhl club. hartford is affiliated with us but right now no nhl team has oksanen's rights.

He still has a professional contract to play with Hartford. He'd have to first be released from his Hartford contract to sign an NHL deal, be it with the Rangers or any other team. So he can't just up and leave to sign an ELC with an NHL team without Hartford agreeing to it.

 

[KreiderHouseRules*]

No risk, moderate reward.

Can't beat that. Especially a team with a bare prospect jar like ours.

I think no risk, high reward beats that.

 

[cd211]

I would sign an AHL vet on defense. Just don't know who's available.

TJ brennen

 

[cwede]

TJ brennen

Please if they sign another vet, he should shoot Righty, given Summers, Skjei, Bodie, Graves on left. Nothing against Brennan as a player otherwise tho

 

[Joey Bones]

Steve Greeley is the big connection here, IMO. Ex-BU coach and mentor for him.

 

[Osminator]

He still has a professional contract to play with Hartford. He'd have to first be released from his Hartford contract to sign an NHL deal, be it with the Rangers or any other team. So he can't just up and leave to sign an ELC with an NHL team without Hartford agreeing to it.

I am positive that every AHL contract has an out-clause if offered an NHL contract. Like many Euros or North Americans coming to play in Europe... they all have an out-clause if they are offered an NHL contract.

 

[nyr2k2]

I am positive that every AHL contract has an out-clause if offered an NHL contract. Like many Euros or North Americans coming to play in Europe... they all have an out-clause if they are offered an NHL contract.

I don't believe that to be the case. Out clauses have to be negotiated, they're not standard for anyone. Oksanen may have one, but given that he didn't receive an NHL contract it seems unlikely he'd have enough leverage to get an out clause from the Rangers.

How many players in Oksanen's situation can you recall signing with a team other than the parent club of the AHL team mid-season? I can't think of a single one.

 

[cwede]

I am positive that every AHL contract has an out-clause if offered an NHL contract. Like many Euros or North Americans coming to play in Europe... they all have an out-clause if they are offered an NHL contract.

I don't think that's so.
There have been courtesy releases for veterans (such as Paille,)
but i do not believe that the standard AHL contract includes that 'out' clause,
i don't recall any examples of a young guy on an early career AHL deal being poached while under an AHL deal

 

[Oscar Lindberg]

I don't believe that to be the case. Out clauses have to be negotiated, they're not standard for anyone. Oksanen may have one, but given that he didn't receive an NHL contract it seems unlikely he'd have enough leverage to get an out clause from the Rangers.

How many players in Oksanen's situation can you recall signing with a team other than the parent club of the AHL team mid-season? I can't think of a single one.

You're correct, he can't just up and sign with another team without Hartford's permission. He needs to be released from his AHL contract. Happened with Palile earlier this season with the Blackhawks AHL team.

 

[Brooklyn Ranger]

I don't believe that to be the case. Out clauses have to be negotiated, they're not standard for anyone. Oksanen may have one, but given that he didn't receive an NHL contract it seems unlikely he'd have enough leverage to get an out clause from the Rangers.

How many players in Oksanen's situation can you recall signing with a team other than the parent club of the AHL team mid-season? I can't think of a single one.

I'm not terribly concerned--who's going to notice NHL caliber first? IF Oksarien's play is that good, then the Ranger organization will simply him.

 

[Stasis]

Please if they sign another vet, he should shoot Righty, given Summers, Skjei, Bodie, Graves on left. Nothing against Brennan as a player otherwise tho

Skjei and maybe even Graves, depending on our off-season, should get looks up with the big club. Another talented lefty down there can't hurt tbh.

Though yes, I do want more RHD in the system.

 

[NYR Viper]

I think Oksanen should stay as a forward. The hoe has to be that he will take a step or 2 forward and turn into a Kotalik-like player

 

[PBarrz]

BU fan here, went to almost every game last year. "Big O" took a nasty hit into the boards going into the winter break last year. We were surprised to see him not miss any time when the season started back up, but I think it was pretty obvious he had a shoulder injury almost the whole second half of the year. His shot was suffering and clearly not the same, and not having Eichel around definitely hurt his production (both these things hurt the whole team too). Excited to see him (potentially) wear the Rangers uniform some day!

 

[cwede]

BU fan here, went to almost every game last year. "Big O" took a nasty hit into the boards going into the winter break last year. We were surprised to see him not miss any time when the season started back up, but I think it was pretty obvious he had a shoulder injury almost the whole second half of the year. His shot was suffering and clearly not the same, and not having Eichel around definitely hurt his production (both these things hurt the whole team too). Excited to see him (potentially) wear the Rangers uniform some day!

"Big O", now that's a nickname to aspire to
As good an NBA guard as I ever saw, could defend and rebound, run the offense, pass and score, and incredibly clutch.
Bucks and Kareem (just turned 24) win 1971 title behind his leadership and performance
Kinda like LeBron last night.

But i will 'settle' for a wing with size, battle, hockey sense and that reportedly wicked shot...

 

[Mac n Gs]

Kinda liked Beacon's nickname of calling him Ox

 

[nyr2k2]

I'm not terribly concerned--who's going to notice NHL caliber first? IF Oksarien's play is that good, then the Ranger organization will simply him.

I agree, unless it's a situation like with Marchessault where the player feels he has a better path to the NHL with another team. I was simply noting that another organization can't just swoop in mid-season to offer him an NHL deal without the Wolf Pack's (and by the extension, the Rangers') blessing.

 

[Made Dan]

BU fan here, went to almost every game last year. "Big O" took a nasty hit into the boards going into the winter break last year. We were surprised to see him not miss any time when the season started back up, but I think it was pretty obvious he had a shoulder injury almost the whole second half of the year. His shot was suffering and clearly not the same, and not having Eichel around definitely hurt his production (both these things hurt the whole team too). Excited to see him (potentially) wear the Rangers uniform some day!

Would you say his prospective NHL future is more likely as a forward or as a defenseman?

 

[Dr. Ogrodnick]

Would you say his prospective NHL future is more likely as a forward or as a defenseman?

Forward.

 

[PBarrz]

Forward.

Agreed. Although his speed probably needs work if he wants to stick in the NHL.

He isn't physical enough or fast enough to play D at a higher level imo, even when he played D for BU he loved ripping shots from the high slot and carrying the puck in the offensive zone/dirty areas. His switch to wing made a lot of sense.

 

[cwede]

some Okasanen background from articles on web, sorry if these are already shared

http://www.sbncollegehockey.com/hoc...iers-ahti-oksanen-finland-forward-david-quinn

"...we had a glaring need up front, and after coaching Ahti for a year, I thought all his strengths were going to be highlighted up front," explained Quinn, a former defenseman. "The way he sees the ice, his shot, his hockey sense, his strength around the puck. I don't know if anyone has got a stronger set of hands or a stronger stick in college hockey,..."


https://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-...ncaa-free-agents-now-available-015818583.html

"...BU senior winger (née defenseman) Ahti Oksanen, who's second on a strong Terriers team with 15 goals and 21 points in 36 games. But it's not so much the point production that should be attractive to NHL teams. It's the shots, talked about a little bit here***. He's taken 184 in those 36 games, well above anyone else on the team ... or indeed the entire country (21 more than Vermont's Mario Puskarich in one fewer game). His 5.11 shots per game is the third-highest total seen in college hockey since 2012-13..."

https://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-...oston-university--breaking-bad-214210514.html
***
"....There is one thing Oksanen does extremely well: Shoot the puck. His release is high-level pro-quality, and his willingness to use it is unparalleled both on his team and in college hockey. He takes about 5.17 shots per game to lead the nation, and the next-closest guy on the team takes two fewer. He also leads BU in goals with nine, but that came after a stretch in which he didn't score at all on his first 25 or so shots of the year. In his last 13 games, he's 9-5-14, but more importantly had those nine goals on 70(!) shots.

http://dailyfreepress.com/2016/04/19/bu-mens-hockey-season-reflection-david-quinn/

"...Terriers entered winter break with a nightmare scenario. In that game, second-leading scorer and senior forward Ahti Oksanen suffered a torn labrum and separated shoulder when he crashed directly into the boards.

"...Oksanen opted to postpone surgery ...

"...neither Oksanen nor Lane were quite the same to end the year. After that Harvard game, Oksanen recorded just five more goals after scoring 10 previously ...