NHL Player News

Lettieri scored twice and added an assist in AHL Toronto's 3-2 win over Iowa.

Lettieri has gotten on the scoresheet in 11 of his last 12 games, earning five goals and 11 assists in that span. The veteran forward is at 28 points (eight goals, 20 helpers) through 33 outings with the Marlies this season. While he's a little lacking in goals, shooting just 9.8 percent so far, he's been productive enough to potentially be an option for a call-up if the Maple Leafs' forward group gets thinned out by injuries.

Ivan was reassigned to AHL Colorado on Friday.

Ivan played in Friday's 7-3 loss to the Predators but didn't record a point. The 23-year-old has shuffled between leagues frequently as the Avalanche look to accrue cap savings and also make sure young players continue to get plenty of ice time in the AHL. The Avalanche's next game is Monday versus the Capitals, so Ivan should have no trouble getting the necessary appearance with the Eagles before potentially getting another recall.

Chovan scored twice on seven shots in OHL Sudbury's 7-2 win over Flint on Friday.

This was Chovan's third multi-point effort in the last six games. He produced one goal in five World Junior Championship games with Slovakia. Chovan is at 10 goals and 24 points over 35 OHL outings this season, but he should continue to grow on offense after the Wolves made significant trades earlier in January.

Benak scored twice and added an assist in OHL Brantford's 4-3 win over Peterborough on Friday.

Benak has nine points over four games since rejoining the Bulldogs after the World Junior Championship. The forward is up to 21 goals, 52 points and a plus-25 rating over 30 appearances in the OHL this season. A fourth-round pick of the Wild in 2025, Benak's prospect stock has surged this season.

Carlsson (thigh) underwent a procedure Friday to address a Morel-Lavallee lesion on his left thigh and will miss 3-5 weeks.

The procedure endangers Carlsson's participation for Sweden at the Olympics. If he's able to return on the short end of that timeline, he could still suit up during the tournament, though that decision will likely be up to Carlsson and his doctors. While Carlsson is out, look for Mason McTavish and Mikael Granlund to handle larger roles in the Ducks' offense.

Philp (concussion) was placed on injured reserve Friday.

Philp has no timeline to return at this point. He is in the concussion protocol. In a corresponding move, the Hurricanes replenished their defense by calling up Joel Nystrom.

The Islanders announced Friday that Horvat (lower body) is unlikely to join the team on its current road trip, Andrew Gross of Newsday reports.

The Islanders have three games remaining on their seven-game road trip, and while Horvat was initially expected to be with the team for the start of the trip, he's now been ruled out for the entire trip. However, the Islanders said that the 30-year-old hasn't experienced a setback in his recovery process, and he continues to skate at the team's facility. Horvat's next opportunity to suit up will be when the team returns home to face the Sabres on Jan. 24.

Eriksson Ek (lower body) was placed on injured reserve Friday, according to Michael Russo of The Athletic.

Matt Boldy (undisclosed) was also put on IR, while Hunter Haight and Nicolas Aube-Kubel have been summoned from the minors. Eriksson Ek hasn't played since Jan. 8, so his placement can be retroactive to that date, which would enable Minnesota to activate him whenever he's healthy. Still, the Wild presumably wouldn't have put Eriksson Ek on IR unless he was expected to miss at least one more game, so look for him to remain on the shelf Saturday versus Buffalo. He has 11 goals and 32 points in 45 appearances in 2025-26.

Haight was recalled from AHL Iowa on Friday, Michael Russo of The Athletic reports.

Haight was sent to the minors in mid-December, but he'll rejoin the NHL club a month later to provide additional depth after Matt Boldy (undisclosed) and Joel Eriksson Ek (lower body) were placed on injured reserve Friday. Haight has appeared in just two games for Minnesota this year, recording no points, two hits and a minus-2 rating while averaging 9:22 of ice time.

Carlsson (lower body) will not be an option against Los Angeles on Friday, Zach Cavanagh of The Sporting Tribune reports.

The Ducks haven't offered much in the way of an update for Carlsson, with head coach Joel Quenneville telling reporters they will "know more sooner than later." In the meantime, Mason McTavish and Mikael Granlund will continue to fill the top-six center roles. With the team headed into a back-to-back, Carlsson should probably be considered a heavy doubt to face the Kings on Saturday.