Patrick WilliamsTheAHL.com Features Writer
Sometimes opportunity comes from where you least expect it.
For some players, the NHL waiver wire provides a fresh start in the days leading up to the regular season. Goalkeeper last year Brandon Bussey saw his career path take a sharp turn when the Carolina Hurricanes took over from Florida. Eight months later, he became the champion of the Stanley Cup.
Several familiar AHL names have found new opportunities this fall.
Andreas Englund (Calgary Flames → Detroit Red Wings)
The Detroit organization is familiar with Englund, 30, from his days pitching for the Milwaukee Admirals against the Grand Rapids Griffins.
Englund signed with Calgary as a free agent last season after playing 52 games in Milwaukee. He will offer size and physical presence to Detroit’s defensive corps. Along with 352 AHL games, he has also played 200 NHL games and could be an easy plug-and-play option in Detroit.
Leevi Meriläinen (Ottawa Senators → Vancouver Canucks)
Intelligence Thatcher Demko Vancouver needed a goal out of the box, which Meriljanen could fill.
Merlijnen, 24, has been with the Belleville Senators since the 2022-23 season. He split last season between Ottawa (20 games) and Belleville (19 games), his longest NHL run to date. Along with 34 games with Ottawa, he played 84 games with the B-Sens and went 39-29-10 with a 2.59 goals-against average and a .911 save percentage. Works together with Meriläinen Kevin LankineVancouver cents Nikita Tolopilo Abbotsford to the Canucks for further development.
As for Ottawa’s goaltending depth chart, the Senators acted quickly to add experience, acquiring; Jonas Johansson From the Tampa Bay Lightning. Johansson, 31, has spent the last three seasons with the Lightning’s star backcourt Andrey Vasilevskybut he has 105 career NHL games. He also played 69 career AHL games between the Rochester Americans, Colorado Eagles and Charlotte Checkers, going 39-21-6 with a 2.56 GAA and a .911 save percentage.
Remy Poirier (Dallas Stars → New Jersey Devils)
Poirier showed two main traits in the Texas Stars network. he is a hard worker and a fighter.
A 2020 sixth-round pick of Dallas, Poirier has now found himself on an NHL roster after an extensive run in the Dallas system. He also showed that he can handle hard work. His 52 tackles in the regular season with Texas last season tied him Devon Levy for the AHL lead. Becoming the clear number one in Texas, he went 27-19-6 with a 2.61 GAA and a .912 save percentage. Now the Devils bring in the 24-year-old to push the incumbents Jake Allen and: Nico Dawes for playing time.
Texas, however, is still strong in net. Offseason free agent signing Brandon Halverson on Texas’ roster to bring in elite-level goaltenders alongside returners Arno Tiffenswho earned his first 20 AHL appearances last season.
Clay Stevenson (Washington Capitals → Winnipeg Jets)
Conor HellebuyckWinnipeg’s roster has left significant holes on Winnipeg’s roster, so the Jets have become one of the great goaltending production lines of the past two decades.
Stephenson is the latest in a long line of goaltenders to be drafted with the Hershey Bears before taking Capitals or NHL jobs elsewhere. Stevenson, 27, spent four seasons in Washington’s development network and played 109 games with the Bears. Along with a 63-31-9 record with a 2.50 GAA and .909 save percentage, he also won the Calder Cup in 2024 with the Bears.
Stevenson is a loss for the Bears, but Washington may have some insurance in net. They brought in a veteran Cal Petersen training camp, and he signed a one-year AHL deal with the club on Tuesday. Petersen has played 248 career AHL games as well as 106 NHL games and spent last season with the Iowa Wild.
William Trudeau (New York Rangers → Nashville Predators)
Trudeau was slated to be part of Hartford’s blue line until Nashville nixed the Rangers’ plans. The Predators did Chris McFarland Their new president of hockey operations and general manager in the offseason and a significant roster overhaul is already well underway.
Trudeau, who turns 24 on Oct. 11, signed with the Rangers as a free agent last July after four seasons with the Laval Rocket. A reliable defensive presence for the Rockets, he also showed the ability to distribute the rebound. He had 90 points (28 goals, 62 assists) in 260 regular season games with the Rockets.
With more than 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. He was awarded the AHL’s James H. Ellery Memorial Award for outstanding coverage of the league in 2015-16.