Patrick WilliamsTheAHL.com Features Writer
The Calder Cup playoffs are in full swing, but planning for the 2026-27 season is already well underway.
With just four months left until the start of next season in October, several NHL organizations and their AHL affiliates have begun taking action to build their rosters and depth charts. It remains to be seen whether these players will stay in the NHL this fall or head to the AHL. The NHL draft, development camps, rookie tournaments and training camps will all help determine those rosters. Coaching vacancies also need to be filled with the Abbotsford Canucks and Hartford Wolves.
Here’s a look at the transfer status of NHL Western Conference teams, including players playing in the AHL this season as well as potential prospects who have signed two-way contracts for next season. TheAHL.com had earlier coverage of the Eastern Conference.
Anaheim Ducks (San Diego Gulls)
Adds another good prospect to Anaheim’s payroll.
Ducks have 19-year-old forward Ethan ProssinThe 2024 third-round pick is set to sign a three-year entry-level contract after serving as captain of the Ontario Hockey League’s North Bay camp this season. He scored 59 points, including 31 goals, in 65 regular-season games, followed by four more goals in 10 playoff games.
captain seagull Ryan Carpenter He will once again help mentor these Ducks prospects after San Diego signed him to a one-year AHL contract extension. Carpenter, 35, is having another typically productive season, finishing third on the Seagulls with 48 points (17 goals, 31 assists) in 71 games.
Edmonton Oilers (Bakersfield Condors)
forward Aku Lati After an outstanding season in Finland with Kärpät Oulu, he will return to North America. He has 57 points (20 goals, 37 assists) in 51 games, tied for seventh in La Liga’s scoring list. The job led to him signing a one-year, two-way contract with the Oilers.
A fifth-round pick of the Arizona Coyotes in 2019, he spent two seasons in the AHL with the Tucson Roadrunners and Rockford IceHogs, totaling 69 points (21 goals, 48 assists) in 120 games.
Nashville Predators (Milwaukee Admirals)
Nashville has long used Milwaukee heavily to develop top prospects, and the list of Admirals alumni who have found long-term success with the Predators is long.
Nashville signs forward Felix Nelson At just 20 years old, he signed a three-year entry-level contract after scoring 40 points (14 goals, 26 assists) in 52 SHL games for Rögle BK. He heads to Nashville as a 2023 second-round draft pick and has completed three full SHL seasons. He also had six points (two goals, four assists) in 17 playoff games in the SHL Finals this season.
San Jose Sharks (San Jose Barracudas)
May proves to be an important month for future prospects Carson Wedge. He signed an NHL entry-level contract with the Sharks on May 13 and ended the month as captain of the host Kelowna Rockets in the Memorial Cup game.
The 20-year-old scored 72 points in 65 regular-season games, including 50 assists. He was selected by the Sharks in the third round of the 2024 NHL Draft, becoming the latest signing in the San Jose organization’s growing group of rookie prospects.
The Sharks also added a 22-year-old defender Philip Sinn EHC Red Bull München from the German Hockey League. The undrafted Hinn played in 35 DEL games this season and another 11 games in the playoffs. He also played five games for Germany at the IIHF World Championship and captained the team at the 2024 IIHF World Youth Championship.
Seattle Kraken (Coachella Valley Firebirds)
Another Memorial Cup participant is a linebacker Alexis Bernierhe signed a three-year entry-level contract with Kraken.
Seattle selected him in the third round of the 2024 NHL Draft. After being limited to 21 regular season games with the Chicoutimi Saguenéens of the Quebec Maritime Junior Hockey League, he helped the team win the league title. He had seven points (four goals, three assists) in 20 playoff games and then played four more games in the Memorial Cup. Bernier, who turns 20 this month, was named to the QMJHL All-Star team for the first time in the 2024-25 season.
Utah Mammoths (Tucson Roadrunners)
Utah has found some strong talent recently from the Kontinental Hockey League. Two KHL alumni, forwards Daniel Boot and AHL All-Star defenseman Dmitry Simashevsplitting time between Utah and Tucson this season.
forward Yegor Borikov is their latest signing. The 20-year-old agreed to a three-year entry-level contract with the Mammoths after scoring 16 goals and 30 points in 59 games for Dinamo Minsk. Later, he was loaned to Metallurg Zhlobin of the Belarusian Super League for the playoffs and scored 8 points (2 goals, 6 assists) in four games, helping the team win the championship. Utah selected Bolikov in the fourth round of last year’s NHL draft.
nelson’s roger teammate, defender Gregor Bieberhas joined the Utah organization on a three-year entry-level contract. He played in 38 SHL games, plus 15 playoff games. He then participated in the IIHF World Championship, representing Austria in seven games and gaining more high-level experience. Utah has him as a 2024 fourth-round pick.
Vancouver Canucks (Abbotsford Canucks)
Big changes have impacted Abbotsford Rian JohnsonPromoted to General Manager of Vancouver. It didn’t take long for Johnson to bring another Abbotsford feel to Vancouver. After being promoted on May 14, Johnson hired Abbotsford as head coach. Manny Malhotra became his new head coach in Vancouver on Monday. The pairing of Johnson and Malhotra led Abbotsford to a Calder Cup win last year and will oversee a Vancouver lineup that includes several alumni from that championship group.
Johnson also brings some experience to the team, signing a 25-year-old forward Ilya Safonov Malhotra signed a one-year, two-way contract the day after his promotion. Safonov had a strong KHL season with AK Bars Kazan, scoring 33 points (16 goals, 17 assists) in 68 games, followed by another nine points (2 goals, 7 assists) in 20 playoff games, helping the team reach the Gagarin Cup finals.
About two decades in the American Hockey League, TheAHL.com feature writer Patrick Williams also currently covers the league for NHL.com and FloSports and is a regular contributor to SiriusXM NHL Network Radio. In 2016, he received the AHL’s James H. Ellery Memorial Award for outstanding coverage of the league.
