NHL Player News

Schmidt scored twice and added an assist in WHL Seattle's 3-1 win over Spokane on Tuesday.

Schmidt has racked up 18 points over 14 contests with the Thunderbirds since he was traded from WHL Vancouver. Overall, the crafty winger has 78 points in just 54 appearances this season, matching his production from 61 regular-season outings in 2024-25. The Stars prospect has shown the ability to score and create for teammates over multiple junior campaigns.

Chiarot scored a goal and added two assists in OHL Kitchener's 5-2 win over London on Tuesday.

Chiarot, a Canucks prospect, has struggled since a late December trade from Brampton to Kitchener. He's earned just eight points in 17 outings for Kitchener, with this being his first multi-point effort with his new club. He's at a total of 33 points in 48 appearances, which is still a better pace than 2024-25, when he had 35 points in 66 regular-season games.

Stevenson was loaned to AHL Hershey on Tuesday.

Washington recalled Garin Bjorklund from the minors in a corresponding move. Stevenson has gone 11-8-3 with a 2.57 GAA and a .912 save percentage across 24 AHL appearances during the 2025-26 campaign. He also has a 2-1-0 record and has stopped 66 of 73 shots in three NHL outings this season. Stevenson may return to the Capitals after the Olympic break if Charlie Lindgren (lower body) remains unavailable.

Bjorklund was recalled from AHL Hershey on Tuesday.

Clay Stevenson was loaned to Hershey in a corresponding transaction. Bjorklund is now the No. 2 goaltender on Washington's roster behind Logan Thompson, as Charlie Lindgren is currently on injured reserve due to a lower-body injury. The 23-year-old Bjorklund has yet to appear in an NHL game.

Boumedienne was named the Hockey East Defender of the Week on Tuesday.

Boumedienne had two assists over two games for Boston University last week. The defenseman has had a fairly modest 2025-26 with 10 points in 28 appearances for the Terriers. A first-round pick of the Jets in 2025, Boumedienne projects as more of a middle-pairing blueliner who can chip in some offense, but he's unlikely to be a standout in fantasy.

Saros will be between the pipes for Team Finland's game against Slovakia on Wednesday in the preliminary round of the 2026 Winter Olympics, Shawn Roarke of NHL.com reports.

As expected, Saros will get the starting nod over Joonas Korpisalo and Kevin Lankinen. The 30-year-old Saros has been struggling of late with the Predators, allowing at least three goals in nine straight games while going 4-2-2 in that span. The Finns are heavy favorites heading into Wednesday's matchup against the Slovaks -- the disparity in the talent up front between the two teams is substantial.

Rakell (lower body) is expected to play against Italy on Wednesday at the 2026 Winter Olympics, per Mollie Walker of the New York Post.

Rakell sat out Pittsburgh's 5-2 loss to Buffalo on Thursday before the Olympic break, but he will be available to play in Sweden's tournament opener. He has been skating alongside Elias Pettersson and Mika Zibanejad during practices. The 32-year-old Rakell has 10 goals, 24 points, 103 shots on net, 30 blocked shots and 50 hits across 35 NHL appearances this season.

Nylander (groin) is expected to be a game-time decision for Team Sweden's matchup against Italy on Wednesday in the preliminary round of the 2026 Winter Olympics, according to Luke Fox of Sportsnet.

Nylander did not practice with his Swedish teammates Tuesday at Milano Santagiulia Arena. The right-shot winger is seemingly still managing his groin issue -- he returned to the Maple Leafs' lineup Jan. 31 after missing seven consecutive games due to the injury. With respect to Nylander's status for Wednesday's game, Sweden head coach Sam Hallam said, "It's a maintenance thing. He's done two full practices with us and felt after yesterday a bit sore, so just give him an extra day. We'll see for tomorrow if he's ready to go or it's going to be a pretty late decision." If Nylander ends up sitting out Wednesday, Pontus Holmberg and Marcus Johansson will be options to draw into the lineup.

Necas (lower body) will be available to play against Canada on Thursday at the 2026 Winter Olympics, per Dominik Dubovci of hokej.cz.

Necas skated on Czechia's top line alongside David Pastrnak and Tomas Hertl during Sunday's practice. The 27-year-old Necas missed Colorado's final three games before the Olympic break, but he will be good to go for the start of the tournament. He has amassed 22 goals, 62 points, 124 shots on net and 57 hits across 52 NHL appearances this season.

Luchanko scored a goal and added an assist in OHL Brantford's 5-2 win over Kingston on Sunday.

Luchanko's scoring pace has dropped since he was traded to the Bulldogs. He posted 17 points (two goals, 15 assists) in 11 games with Guelph before the trade, but he's picked up just four goals and 11 helpers over 19 contests with Brantford. That puts him at 31 points in 30 appearances, down from his 1.22 points per game pace in the 2024-25 regular season. Luchanko still has time to find a groove for his production, though he'll likely be doing so in the AHL in 2026-27.