Former Red Wings Defender Signs New Deal
It's the time of year when news is a-plenty.
The Detroit Red Wings are keeping their eyes and ears peeled. Like every team in the league, they are grinding away at improving their club until Friday's Trade Deadline.
One club that is eyeing the future while still being competitive now is the Utah Hockey Club. They have tremendous cap space and are looking to spend it.
Bookmark The Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay connected to the latest news, game-day coverage, and player features.
Utah made an announcement on Monday regarding a player who should be familiar to most Red Wings fans.
Ville Husso Breaks Record With New Team Sometimes, a change of scenery is for the best.
Red Wings Connected To 3 Superstars
Red Wings Trade Targets: Trevor Zegras
4 Red Wings Who Could Be Traded To New Teams
Red Wings Trade Targets: Elias Pettersson
Red Wings 2025 Trade Deadline Tracker It's almost Christmas for hockey fans.
It looks like defender Olli Maatta is staying put in Utah. Today, he signed a three-year extension worth $3.5 million a season. He is currently in the final season of a two-year $3-million contract.
Määttä is staying in Salt Lake! 🏔️🩵Utah Hockey Club has signed defenseman Olli Määttä to a three-year contract extension. pic.twitter.com/hZsb4rYXzb
— Utah Hockey Club (@utahhockeyclub) March 3, 2025
Before being traded to Utah at the end of October, Maatta had spent two full years with the Red Wings. He was traded in exchange for a third-round draft pick in 2025.
Maatta had played seven games with the Red Wings, averaging 15:52 in ice time and recording zero points. He was also a healthy scratch several times.
The story in Utah has been considerably different. In 51 games, he's collected 14 points and been a fixture in their top-four, playing 20:41 a game.
Maatta has been stapled to Mikhail Sergachev's hip, and this year, he has played over 36 percent of his total ice time with the Russian workhorse.
John Marino and Sergachev are the only defenders on Utah's blueline who have played more minutes per game than Maatta. Marino has averaged 21:19, Sergachev 25:32. Sergachev has played the third-most per game of any defender in the NHL.
While it was obvious that things weren't working with the Red Wings this year, it's nice to see a player get a fresh start and make good on it.
Never miss a story by adding us to your Google News favorites.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Yahoo
Mock Drafts List Two Top Prospects on Red Wings' Radar Ahead of NHL Draft
Early mock drafts present two exciting talents that the Red Wings are expected to select with their first-round pick. Image The 2025 NHL Draft is fast approaching, set to begin in just over two weeks at the Peacock Theater at L.A. Live in Los Angeles. The first round will take place on June 27, with rounds two through seven scheduled for the following day, June 28. Advertisement Holding the 13th overall selection, the Detroit Red Wings are once again in position to add a key piece to their rebuild. Speculation around their potential pick is already heating up, with draft analysts offering early projections. deputy managing editor Adam Kimelman and senior draft writer Mike G. Morreale have each made their predictions, listing off two highly sought-after prospects as likely targets for Detroit. Both players are considered top-tier talent and would bring significant upside to a Red Wings team still building toward long-term contention. More Red Wings: Could the Red Wings Sign Maple Leafs' Mitch Marner? New Betting Odds Spark Major Buzz Victor Eklund - Djurgårdens IF Eklund, 18, is a Swedish winger, who is coming off a great season for Djurgårdens IF in HockeyAllsvenskan, Sweden's second-tier professional hockey league. He managed 19 goals and 12 assists for 31 points over 42 regular-season games in one of the most competitive leagues in all of Europe. He added to his success with another seven points in 16 playoff games. In early prospect rankings, he is widely regarded as one of the top prospects in the 2025 NHL Draft class with some experts like The Hockey News' Tony Ferrari, who has Eklund listed as the fourth-best player available. Advertisement His development has been closely followed due to his consistent performance at Sweden's national teams, including runs where he proved he can be a difference maker like when he recorded four goals and two assists in seven games, helping Sweden earn a bronze medal at the 2024 IIHF World U18 Championship. He followed up the performance with a strong showing the following year with a pair of goals and four assists across 7 games. Bookmark The Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay connected to the latest news, game-day coverage, and player features. NHL Central Scouting ranks him first among European skaters, and The Hockey Writers and TSN analyst Bob McKenzie have both placed him in the top 10 overall, between sixth and ninth picks. Hockey runs in Eklund's blood as his father, Christian Eklund, played professionally for Djurgårdens IF, and his older brother William Eklund is a highly regarded prospect who was drafted in the seventh overall back in 2021 by the San Jose Sharks. Carter Bear - Everett Silvertips Bear, 18, showed a lot of promise with the Silvertips this past season, recording 40 goals and 42 assists for an astonishing 82 points in just 56 games. The Winnipeg native's season was derailed however, as he suffered a brutal Achilles injury in early March that ended his season. Insiders have noted Bear is ahead of schedule in his recovery and expects to be fully healthy for NHL training camps. In early prospect rankings, he is widely regarded as one of the top prospects in the 2025 NHL Draft class with some experts like The Hockey News' Tony Ferrari, who have Bear listed as the seventh-best player available. Advertisement Bear hasn't yet had the chance to represent his country on the international stage like Eklund, but he's found success everywhere he's played, racking up 139 points in 123 games with Everett over the past two seasons. The young forward has been elevated to an 'A' rating by NHL Central Scouting, alluding to the fact that Bear should be a first-round round. Analysts like Steven Ellis have highlighted Bear as the biggest riser in recent rankings, noting his high compete level and well-rounded game. Never miss a story by adding us to your Google News favorites.
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Yahoo
FLAMES RETOOL TRACKER: Does Kirill Zarubin have a future in Calgary's crease?
If the Calgary Flames had waited any longer, they weren't going to get their guy. That was the feedback that Jordan Sigalet, the Flames director of goaltending, received from his counterparts around the league after selecting Russian netminder Kirill Zarubin with the No. 84 overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft. 'You get the text messages right after — 'Screw you, we were taking him next!'' Sigalet said with a chuckle. 'So then you feel kind of relieved. 'There were a lot of people that were hoping he was going to slip to the fourth round. I've heard a couple teams were going to take him with their next pick in the third round. So I think we got him at the right time. 'We think we have a really, really good goalie with a bright future ahead of him.' And now comes the patience part. It's worth noting that the Flames have not often drafted a twine-minder as early as the third round, especially not of late, so they clearly believe that Zarubin has major upside. Many consider him to be Calgary's most promising puck-stopping prospect, a candidate to someday be Dustin Wolf's sidekick/understudy at Scotia Place, but even the most optimistic projections would put him a few years away. Adding to the intrigue is that there's a measure of mystery with this 19-year-old masked man. Flames fans have been scouring social media for highlight clips, but those can be hard to find. While Zarubin is studying English, a sign he is serious about a sooner-than-later move to North America, he isn't ready for interview requests just yet. With the current advisories against travel to Russia, Sigalet wasn't able to attend any of his games this winter with AKM Tula in the junior-level MHL, although he didn't miss a single start on the online stream. Since Zarubin will remain with the same organization for another season, it will be a similar setup in the coming months. If he is able to secure a visitor visa, Zarubin hopes to attend development camp this summer. That would mark his first trip to Calgary and he'd likely be surprised by how many folks will show up to watch him practise with the other future pieces. 'His maturity, both physically and mentally, it's far beyond his age,' Sigalet said of Zarubin, who is 6-foot-3, roughly 200 pounds and turns 20 in September. 'He's big. He's smart. He's very, very patient. And he has mature details for a 19-year-old. He's very calm, very composed. But when he has to get uncomfortable, he can move. He can get to his spots. 'I talk to him every other day on WhatsApp and he's very accountable, too. If I write him about his game and tell him he had a good game, it's always, 'No, I could be better. I could have stopped one of those.' 'He played a little bit less this year, just because their 20-year-old, (Ilya) Kanarsky, was back. Kirill played more last year because that kid was hurt. But when he did play, he was outstanding and just got better as the season went on.' That didn't go unnoticed. As Zarubin was in the midst of posting a 12-9 record, 2.34 goals-against average and .935 save percentage in 21 appearances with AKM Tula, Sigalet's phone continued to buzz — not with curses from his counterparts but rather with reach-outs from recruiters wondering about his plans for the 2025-26 campaign. While at least one powerhouse college program had Zarubin earmarked as a could-be starter, there were concerns that he would struggle with classes due to the language barrier. The Youngstown Phantoms called his name in the USHL's draft this spring, but he has instead inked an extension at home. Flames fans should not view that as negative news, since Russia is the leading country for developing future crease stars. Some of the best puck-stoppers on the planet — guys like Igor Shesterkin and Andrei Vasilevskiy — honed their skills for multiple seasons in the MHL. Leonid Grishukevich, the goaltending coach for AKM Tula, had plenty of praise for Zarubin. In a text message conversation, he described him as an 'excellent student.' Listing off some of his strengths, he mentioned he 'perfectly copes with emotions,' 'understands and reads the game well' and 'fights to the end in every moment.' According to Grishukevich, who is originally from Belarus and spent one winter in the Alberta Junior Hockey League in the late-90s as the last-line-of-defence for the Olds Grizzlys, Zarubin likes to watch and study Mackenzie Blackwood of the Colorado Avalanche. As Grishukevich summarized: 'Kirill likes his tactics of the game, the use of his own size and the choice of positioning.' David Phillips, the chief goaltending scout for FC Hockey, tracked Zarubin through his draft season. In more recent video viewings, he has noticed some significant strides. Brent Dodginghorse, Willie O'Ree award winner, on importance of diversity and respect in sports Calgary Flames goalie Dustin Wolf finishes second in Calder Trophy race 'When he was drafted by Calgary, I could see why they'd want a guy like him because of the raw talent and the size and the athleticism that he does have,' Phillips said. 'And then this year, I was very impressed with how much more refined he became. 'His footwork looks a lot better. His positioning was always quite good. And then he's done a good job of keeping his athleticism and contesting shots all over the ice with that athleticism by being able to just explode into a save.' Could he eventually explode on scene as a factor for the Flames? While some mystery remains, he's apparently motivated to do exactly that. 'It's his dream,' Sigalet said. 'He wants to come over here as soon as possible. He'd come today if we told him to come today. It just has to be the right situation.' wgilbertson@
USA Today
18 hours ago
- USA Today
2026 4-star safety out of Arlington (TX) will announce commitment on Wednesday
2026 4-star safety out of Arlington (TX) will announce commitment on Wednesday Texas A&M is yet again a finalist for another rising prospect in the 2026 recruiting cycle, as four-star safety Chance Collins is down to four programs, including Texas A&M, Utah, Texas Tech, and West Virginia, who are all anticipating his decision, which will come down on Wednesday, June 11. Any time a defensive back prospect heavily considers the Aggies, it's fair to remember that the coach Mike Elko and defensive back coaches Jordan Peterson and Ishmael Aristide are three of the top cornerback and safety recruiters in the country, including Elko's long development track going back to his defensive coordinator days at Bowling Green, Notre Dame, and Texas A&M. Collins will take an official visit to Texas A&M on June 20, a month after his official visit to Utah on May 30. This is good news for the Aggies, who will be the final stop for Collins this summer, a solid sign for the team in the lead. During his 2024 junior season, Collins showed off his versatility after recording 20 tackles, two tackles for loss, six interceptions, and eight pass breakups. On offense, Collins caught 16 passes for 310 yards and two touchdowns. The Mansfield Timberview incoming senior is also a noted track star, which also plays in Texas A&M's favor, given the program's elite status. According to 247Sports, Collins is currently positioned as the 35th-ranked safety and the 56th-ranked prospect in Texas. Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Cameron on X: @CameronOhnysty.
