Latest news with #Tomasek
New York Times
19-04-2025
- Business
- New York Times
What to expect from Edmonton Oilers' recent free-agent additions
Every new general manager hired by the Edmonton Oilers builds the pro depth chart differently. Glen Sather was blessed with scouting director Barry Fraser, who delivered a generation of elite talent in just three (1979-81) draft summers. Sather also championed first-round picks who had failed elsewhere, thus increasing the talent pool in the NHL and on the farm. Advertisement Stan Bowman's minor-league teams when he was general manager of the Chicago Blackhawks produced a steady flow of quality NHL players. The Hawks drafted well, but Bowman also made some astute trades and free-agent signings from Europe and colleges during his time with the team. Nick Leddy is an example. Chicago acquired his rights from the Minnesota Wild in the late winter of 2010 (he was finishing up his only college season with the University of Minnesota). That fall, Leddy won a spot on the NHL roster for six games, and then was dispatched to the AHL (Rockford IceHogs) in order to play more and build his confidence. Leddy forced his way on to the NHL roster for good in early January 2011. He's still in the league. Over the last decade, the Oilers have enjoyed precious few transactions that involved trading for a plug-and-play option outside the NHL who would flourish upon arrival with the big team. Edmonton needs players. Bowman has already done some shopping. Bowman needs to find players who can push for NHL playing time in 2025-26, while also having the ability to send them to the AHL Bakersfield Condors if these players don't win a roster spot. All of the contracts signed so far allow for such a result. Among his flurry of forwards signed so far, there are a couple of European talents who might push for a spot on Edmonton's opening-night roster. via PuckPedia Contracts can offer us clues about what the player, agent and team are thinking down the line. In the case of David Tomasek, it's likely the one-year deal was key. If he can perform well enough in his single NHL season, then unrestricted free agency awaits him. For Edmonton, it's a low-risk deal even if the player spends most of the season in the AHL. Both sides no doubt envision a full NHL campaign, but the rubber hits the road in September. Advertisement Tomasek is 29 and a solid bet. He could be one of those plug-and-play types Bowman has been able to find in the past. The other two forwards of note signed so far have an AHL salary attached to the deals above. This implies time with the Condors is assumed, and it might be considered an upset if they break camp with the big club in the fall. Josh Samanski is 23, and the only one with bonuses ($1 million) attached to his deal. That bonus can be earned in year two, and if Samanski is in the NHL and earning them, it should be considered a victory for both player and team. The skill sets provided by Tomasek, Samanski and Quinn Hutson (also 23) are not similar. None are locks for an NHL job next season, but the contracts tell us there are expectations around Tomasek. One final item: Although NHL equivalencies are not universally considered trustworthy, the projections do tell us what the player might deliver next season in circumstances similar (playing time) to their 2024-25 seasons. Per 82 games in the NHL estimated, Tomasek (59 points NHLE) leads the way, with Hutson (42) and Samanski (22) following up. The only potential skill-line player for next year is Tomasek, but Hutson's totals suggest he may one day play there if he develops. Bowman has signed a 29-year-old out of the Swedish league (SweHL), a legit offensive winger from college (Hockey East) and a big, strong centre from the German league (DEL). It would be a mistake to call it this early in terms of who makes the biggest long-term impact in the NHL, but Tomasek will be a going concern immediately. via PuckPedia Atro Leppanen is the most intriguing addition so far, and he could be a difference-maker. He's a puck-moving defenceman with a great deal of offensive intelligence, reflected in his exceptional numbers in Finland's top league (Liiga) during 2024-25. In posting 21 goals and 63 points over 60 games for Sport Vaasa, Leppanen led the Liiga (forwards and defencemen) in total points for the 2024-25 season. He's a left-handed defenceman and turns 27 in December. Leppanen is a skilled player with the puck and brings chaos without it. Advertisement With Evan Bouchard's inconsistency already a worry, Oilers fans may be concerned with adding more degrees of difficulty on another NHL pairing. However, moving the puck quickly and effectively is a bigger part of the game each year, and Leppanen's point production screams top-end ability. Where would he play? Likely third pair in Edmonton (with a player like Ty Emberson) or top pairing in the AHL. Leppanen's contract included a signing bonus (just under $100,000) and includes an AHL salary. That means he'll make $85,000 in the minors, with the big money coming only on days he's in the NHL. Damien Carfagna is 22 and just completed his second season with Ohio State University after one year with the University of New Hampshire. He's a compelling prospect for Edmonton because of his youth and skating ability. That brings us to an important point about all of these signings. Over many years, scouting reports have delivered all manner of information about foot speed, but each player has to be tested at the NHL level. Carfagna's speed is abundant, and that's a positive that should carry him to early feature minutes in the AHL and eventually NHL time. The European scouting reports are less reliable because speed (and quickness) reports vary from source to source. An example in Oilers history is Finnish defenceman Markus Niemelainen, who was reportedly saddled with slow boots on most scouting reports on draft day and after. When the big defenceman arrived in Edmonton, NHL Edge clocked him ahead of NHL average (52nd percentile) as a rookie. Niemelainen increased his measured foot speed the following season (62nd percentile) and delivered in an area thought to be a weakness. In most cases, we don't know what we don't know about foot speed. Leddy made his NHL debut as a teenager and was almost immediately a strong plug-and-play option. He has played in over 1,000 NHL games and helped the St. Louis Blues make the playoffs this spring. Bowman dealt for him in an absolute fleecing, and that's a rare occurrence in the modern NHL. Advertisement In Edmonton, Bowman has added two players who should push for NHL work this fall (Tomasek and Leppanen) and gave his team some impressive talent that's perhaps close to the NHL as well. The previous management group was not as aggressive during the spring signing season, eschewing this level of free agency in order to load up on NHL free agents on July 1. Both areas can work, and in fact, Bowman may pursue free agents this summer with the same level of urgency. What has changed is that the Oilers are signing players who have delivered in Europe and in the NCAA to NHL deals.. These men had more than one NHL team pursuing them, and fans can expect NHL production from this group of signed players. We don't know who, and we don't know how many. We do know the Oilers have, finally, rejoined the race for free agents in two areas where NHL talent is produced annually. (Photo of Quinn Hutson: Thearon W. Henderson / Getty Images)
New York Times
04-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Why Edmonton Oilers' recent free-agent signing activity a welcome turn of events
Stan Bowman's Edmonton Oilers have entered the spring free-agent signing season aggressively. That's a good sign for Oilers fans. Why? The organization has traded many picks and prospects in recent seasons, leaving a gaping hole each fall when the club welcomes very few new professionals to the system. Advertisement Edmonton is losing ground annually. An aggressive signing approach should have been implemented years ago, but it's never too late. Bowman's early approach to the problem has real appeal. Here's why. The Oilers have a 'now' problem and a 'future' problem. The future problem is a lack of teenage prospects in the system. Only Sam O'Reilly (just turned 19) can be counted as a blue-chip prospect for the future. Youngsters like William Nicholl may develop, but are less certain due to a lack of draft pedigree. That problem can be solved by signing prospects who have passed through the draft. They are (mostly) 20 and chances are these men are not high-end prospects, although that isn't always the case. After the draft this summer, the Oilers should be able to add a couple of the better players who are both 20 and undrafted. The now problem can be solved by acquiring older players, men who could reasonably step in to a feature role with the AHL Bakersfield Condors (Edmonton's top minor-league affiliate) and eventually a support role with the NHL club. The now problem has to be the priority at the beginning of the spring signing season, because it's the most pressing. Here's what Bowman has accomplished so far. These three signings are age-appropriate. When each arrives in training camp this fall, the expectation should be that each player pushes for an NHL roster spot. Bowman may have hit a home run already this spring. There's a player now under contract with enough skill to play on the NHL team this fall. That's a big deal. The most realistic NHL option is probably David Tomasek, who is coming off a strong season with Farjestads in the Swedish Hockey League. It's the top pro league in Sweden and one of the best in the world. Tomasek led the league in assists and points in 2024-25 and would appear to be a candidate for a top-nine role on an NHL team. That would mean sliding in as the No. 3 centre behind Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl, or possibly moving to wing on one of the top three lines. Advertisement His contract ($1.2 million) makes him a value deal should he make the NHL club. Tomasek's skill set is a nice match for a need in Edmonton. He's a right-handed centre, and the club has only Noah Philp among those who will likely push for NHL employment in 2025-26. Based on the quality of the Swedish Hockey League, and his scoring dominance, it's likely Tomasek will be applying for a different job than Philp in the fall. In looking at Tomasek's stats during the 2024-25 regular season, some interesting facts come to the fore. He averaged 2.91 points per 60 at even strength in the top Swedish league. That's a top-flight number for such a good league, and speaks to his skill (scoring at even strength is difficult). Teammates Marian Studenic (2.80 points per 60) and Oskar Steen (2.63 points per 60) were just shy of Tomasek, via the league's website. Two of the best publicly available sources for scouting reports are Corey Pronman and Scott Wheeler at The Athletic. Here's what each man said about Tomasek: The Pronman report is from four years ago, but the words still apply. It's fair to worry about foot speed, and 29 is typically past prime for hockey players. If he has the boots, Tomasek could be a major addition. From his point of view, if he lands on a high-octane skill line with Edmonton, his next contract will be substantial. I wrote about Joshua Samanski last week, and all of the information still applies. The key points include size, the ability to play in all game states and flourish and good speed for a player his size. In the case of all players signed outside the NHL and the teams affiliated with them, foot speed is the great unknown. If Samanski can scoot at 6-foot-5, the Oilers will find a role for him. Unlike Tomasek, Samanski's likely path to the NHL begins in Bakersfield. Advertisement There was a time, a decade ago, when the Oilers were flat out excellent at signing undrafted college defencemen who would go on to NHL careers. Among the notable names are Justin Schultz, Jordan Oesterle, Taylor Fedun and Matt Benning. This is an area NHL teams can upgrade at a key position in a hurry. That's ideal for the current Oilers. Damien Carfagna is an undersized puck-moving defenceman with some two-way ability. There's some disagreement about his height and weight, but the Ohio State website lists him at 6-feet, 185 pounds. His scouting reports sound similar to Oesterle when he turned pro. Carfagna is a fine skater (Oesterle was an amazing skater when he entered pro hockey), can make plays with the puck and is able to close gaps in a hurry. There's a lot there, but the leap from college to pro can be tricky for defencemen. What often stalls players of this type is the adjustment to the intense physical style as they move up the line. As tough as the NHL is in this area, the AHL is also a big test for college blueliners. It's likely Carfagna will take some time to adjust to the speed and hitting in the minors, but he's just 22 and improved significantly in his 2024-25 season with the Ohio State team. This fall, all three men will come to Oilers camp. The coaching staff will have a long look at Tomasek, whose offence in a strong pro league makes him a far better signing than it may appear. The Oilers need inexpensive skill, and at least for next year, Tomasek slides in as a fantastic option (along with top prospect Matt Savoie). Samanski is the toughest player in the group to project into the Oilers system. He's a big centre who could push Philp for the No. 4 centre job, although his handedness (lefty) doesn't fit the roster need. A guess is that he will play on a skill line with Bakersfield next season. Advertisement For Carfagna, it's likely he will begin with the Condors. It took Oesterle, who just passed 400 NHL games this season, over 150 AHL games to establish himself as an NHL player. The value for Edmonton is Carfagna is a lefty (the AHL club had very few this season), and will be an RFA when his contract is up in 2027. He will help the Oilers increase the number of legit NHL prospects in the system. In Tomasek, the organization may have signed a top-nine forward for just over $1 million. He could deliver a strong season, driving up the price on his second deal. The Oilers would be thrilled to see him succeed at a high level this season on a $1.2 million deal. It's exactly the kind of signing this team has badly needed in past seasons but was unable to deliver. Bowman has three signatures on contracts, and he'll need a couple more. He has done some good work so far, especially in securing Tomasek. (Photo of David Tomasek: Daniela Porcelli / Getty Images)
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Edmonton Oilers sign forwards David Tomasek, Josh Samanski to contracts
EDMONTON — The Edmonton Oilers have signed forward David Tomasek to a one-year contract and forward Josh Samanski to a two-year entry level contract, the NHL club announced Wednesday. Both contracts will start next season, with Tomasek's valued at US$1.2 million. The 29-year-old Tomasek, from Prague, played last season in the Swedish Elite League. He led the league in points (57) and assists (33) while ranking third in goals (24) as Farjestad BK won its first regular-season league title since 2018-19. The six-foot-two, 187-pound forward also had a goal and three assists to help Czechia win gold at the 2024 world hockey championship Tomasek has also played in Russia's Kontinental Hockey League and Finland's Liiga. The six-foot-five, 190-pound Samanski has spent the past four seasons primarily with the Straubing Tigers of the top German league. He has 40 goals and 53 assists in 193 regular-season games and five goals and six assists in 30 playoff appearances. Samanski, 23, who was born in Erding, Germany, but has Canadian citizenship, led the Tigers with 14 goals and shared the team lead with 26 assists this past season. The Oilers return to action Thursday at San Jose. This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 2, 2025. The Canadian Press
The Independent
19-02-2025
- Science
- The Independent
Scientists perplexed to see wild fish recognise specific humans: ‘It was like they were studying us'
Scientists at a Mediterranean research station have found that some wild fish can tell apart humans, recognising and targeting specific divers who had fed them before. The study, published in the journal Biology Letters on Tuesday, found that some wild fish can use visual cues to identify specific humans even when their faces are covered by diving gear. Previous lab studies have shown that captive fish, like archerfish, can recognise human faces in controlled settings. However, there is little evidence that wild fish could do the same, say researchers from Germany 's Max Planck Institute of Animal Behaviour (MPI-AB). To test this, scientists conducted a series of experiments at a research site eight meters underwater in the Mediterranean Sea where wild fish have become habituated to divers. In the first phase of the experiments, study co-author Katinka Soller attempted to attract the attention of local fish by wearing a bright red vest, and fed fish while swimming a length of 50m. Gradually, she removed the vest and wore plain dive gear, kept the food hidden, and fed fish only after they had followed her the full 50m. The fish, according to scientists, were 'willing volunteers' in the study who came and went as they pleased. Two species of seabream fish were particularly willing to engage, they said. After 12 days of training, 20 fish followed Ms Soller, who could recognise several of the fish from their physical traits. 'There was Bernie with two shiny silver scales on the back and Alfie who had a nip out of the tail fin,' she said. In the next experimental phase, researchers tested if these same fish could tell Soller apart from another diver, study senior author Maëlan Tomasek. Dr Tomasek's diving gear 'differed notably' in some colourful parts of the wetsuit and fins, researchers said. This time the divers started at the same point and then swam in different directions, but Dr Tomasek never fed the fish that followed him. Scientists were surprised to find that while the fish followed both divers equally on the first day, the number of fish following Ms Soller increased significantly from day two. Researchers then focused on six fish out of the large group to study individually and found that they showed 'strong positive learning curves.' The findings suggest the fish were conscious of both divers and tested each one to learn that Katinka produced the reward at the end of the swim. However, when scientists repeated the experiment wearing identical diving gear, the fish were unable to discriminate them, they say. Based on this observation, researchers suspect the fish associated differences in the dive gear – most likely the colour cues – with each diver. 'Almost all fish have colour vision, so it is not surprising that the sea bream learned to associate the correct diver based on patches of colour on the body,' Dr Tomasek said. 'We already observed them approaching our faces and scrutinising our bodies. It was like they were studying us, not the other way around,' Ms Soller said.
The Guardian
19-02-2025
- Science
- The Guardian
Wild fish can tell humans apart when they dress differently, study finds
Wild fish can tell people apart – at least when they are wearing different-coloured outfits – researchers have found in a study they say could shift our relationship with the creatures. It is known that certain domestic animals – or those that live close to humans – can tell one person from another, a skill researchers say could be tied to particular humans being more inclined to share resources with them or, conversely, pose a danger. However, such discrimination is less well known in wild animals. Now researchers have found that wild fish can tell two people apart, apparently by what they wear. 'They are just using simple mechanisms that they use every day in their lives, and they adapt it to [recognise] humans,' said Maëlan Tomasek, first author of the research from Max Planck Institute of Animal Behaviour in Germany. Writing in the journal Biology Letters, Tomasek and colleagues report how they carried out the study in open water in the Mediterranean Sea. In the first stage of the study, a researcher spent 12 days training wild saddled seabream and black seabream to follow her by repeatedly offering them food and rewarding those that followed when she swam away. The trainer was then joined by another researcher dressed in either identical diving gear or diving gear with different-coloured patches and fins. In both scenarios, the two divers swam off in different directions, before returning to the starting point and repeating the process. While both researchers carried food, the fish received a reward only if they followed the trainer. The researchers carried out 30 trials for each outfit, and used video recordings to count the number of fish following each diver. They reported that, when the divers wore different outfits, both species of fish followed the trainer more often than the other researcher, with this preference becoming more pronounced as the trials went on. For both species, the team found some individually identifiable fish became better at choosing to follow the trainer, again suggesting the animals were learning which diver to follow. However, when the divers wore the same outfit, no such effect was seen for black bream, while saddled bream followed the trainer more during the middle batch of trials only. 'All in all, when we wore the same outfit, we have no evidence that they could discriminate between us any more,' said Tomasek. Sign up to Down to Earth The planet's most important stories. Get all the week's environment news - the good, the bad and the essential after newsletter promotion The team say that, as the fish had no prior experience with humans, it is likely they were harnessing existing capabilities based on visual cues to tell the divers apart. 'It shows very simple mechanisms, like pattern recognition or colour recognition can be used, and co-opted to be used, in human recognition,' said Tomasek. Tomasek added that the study could prompt us to reconsider the way we treat fish, including whether to kill and eat them. 'It's very human to not want to care about them, but the fact that they can care about us, maybe it's time that we can care about them, too,' he said.
