We're still a week away from the NHL returning, so to open up today let's open up with some Olympics recaps of the Men's Qualification Play-Off round from yesterday (which is a short way to say that the winners make the quarter finals against other group of teams that received a bye).

In the early games, Germany (5-1 win) and Switzerland (3-0 win) unsurprisingly took care of business against France and Italy, both controlling play nearly the entire game.

For the Germans, Leon Draisaitl, Tim Stutzle, and Josh Samanski (AHL player in Edmonton's farm system) led the way with two points apiece through the bulk of the game before Leon Draisaitl added an empty net assist for his sixth point in four games. Samanski could be hoping to parlay some of that chemistry with Draisaitl into a full-time job in the NHL. The Germans will play the Solvaks in the quarterfinals, looking to get some revenge on being knocked out by Juraj Slafkovsky and crew at the 2022 Olympics.

The Swiss were led by a pair of Devils in Nico Hischier (goal and an assist) and Timo Meier (two assists), while Leonardo Genoni continued his solid tournament with a shutout to bring his team into the quarterfinals as a real upset threat against Finland.

The Czechs managed to hold on to a slim lead and beat Denmark in their matchup. The Nikolaj Ehlers and the Danes came close to tying it, but couldn't make it happen. Frederik Andersen played well in the loss, while two points apiece from Roman Cervenka and Martin Necas powered the Czechs in front of a solid performance by Lukas Dostal. Dostal will likely get the back-to-back start today against Canada, but it's also possible they turn to Karel Vejmelka as the fresher option.

The Swedes started their game a little slowly, but eventually they built up an insurmountable lead over the Latvians, winning the game 5-1. Lucas Raymond paced the team with three assists, giving him back-to-back three point games. Gabriel Landeskog, William Nylander, and Mika Zibanejad each added a goal and an assist. It has been great to see Landeskog at what seems to be full health, which bodes very well for the Avalanche in the stretch run (not that they need much more to go right for them at this point.

The Swedes will play the Americans in the last game of the day today, and on paper it's the closest matchup, despite being the #2 seed vs the #7 seed. Plenty on the line for both teams, though the rested Americans are favored entering the game.

On the women's side, the Gold Medal game runs on Thursday, and to no one's surprise we have another Canada vs USA matchup. The Canadiens will have Marie-Philip Poulin back in the lineup after she left the preliminary game against the Americans. Poulin set Canada's Olympic scoring record in the semi finals with two goals, to pass Hailey Wickenheiser. The Americans enter as the favourites though, having steamrolled through everyone on route to the finals. Goalie Aerin Frankel has posted three straight shutouts and enters the final game looking to extend that Olympic Record streak.

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Jeff Skinner was waived by the San Jose Sharks on Monday, and cleared yesterday, becoming a free agent. This ends his short tenure there, and it is possibly the flashing sign that his run as a full-time NHLer is quickly coming to a close.

The Sharks have had plenty of internal growth, and also look to be buying as the trade deadline approaches, which meant that Jeff Skinner was expendable. Skinner meanwhile can use this opportunity to latch on somewhere else, boost his stock for free agency this summer, and possibly also get another shot as a depth scoring winger for a team that has a hole in their lineup for one reason or another.

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With NHL teams now allowed back on the ice, keep your eyes peeled for some injury updates on players who went into the break with uncertain timelines.

For example, I myself am waiting for an update on Charlie Lindgren, who missed the final few games before the break due to an undisclosed injury. I would like to drop Washington backup Clay Stevenson if Lindgren is due back soon, but if it's a longer-term issue then in my situation he's worth holding.

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I know prospects aren't my usual bread and butter, but sometimes I like to throw in a couple of interesting prospect tidbits too.

One of my favourite under the radar prospects is Luca Marelli, who isn't on Dobber's top-50 prospect defensemen list quite yet, but it likely won't be long. Marelli missed the first four months of the AHL season rehabbing from a shoulder injury, but has hit the ground running in his rookie campaign as a pro. He has seven points in 10 games with the Cleveland Monsters (AHL affiliate of Columbus), and he has been a huge addition to their blueline that has lost some bodies in recent years with trades and promotions.

Marelli is outperforming Stanislov Svozil and Corson Ceulemans there and could even be one of the best bets to make the jump to the NHL ranks in the fall. He has NHL size with his six-foot-three frame, and just needs to bulk up a bit on top of his current 180 pounds. He's still going to be lower down the depth chart behind Zach Werenski, Denton Mateychuk, and the other Columbus veterans, but Marelli's developmental path bears noting, and if he keeps rising at this rate then you'll look good for grabbing him early.

Another one who has caught my eye lately is Ethan Wyttenbach, whose numbers in his NCAA rookie season have been exceptional. He's already up to 51 points in 32 games, which would have been tied for sixth last season (with Jimmy Snuggerud and a few others), and already above the numbers that players like Ryan Leonard and Gabe Perreault had last year in five more games. Wyttenbach still has a few games to go this year, and already has an eight-point lead over a couple of Univ. of Michigan teammates as the next best producers.

Wyttenbach is undersized at "only" five-foot-10, and that may be why he fell to the fifth round of the 2025 draft, where the Flames scooped him up. He may need another couple of years in college, but as soon as he's ready to turn pro, the Flames will likely have space on their roster for him. There isn't a ton on their roster or in their system as the moment that is going to block ice time from high-offence players over the next few years.

One other prospect who was at the forefront of everyone's radar a year or two ago was Devon Levi. He made his NHL debut all the way back in the 2022-2023 season, when he was 21, and since then has strung together three fantastic AHL seasons. His NHL exposure has been fickle, but as the Sabres climb the standings ladder, and Levi continues to ripen, he looks primed to take over as a top-tier starter for a very good team with a deep pipeline.

He might not be cheap, or at least not free on the wire like the two prospects above will be in many leagues, but Levi should be cheaper to acquire than Yaroslav Askarov, Jesper Wallstedt, or maybe even Sebastian Cossa. He's someone to at least kick the tires on right now while the focus of the prospect world has taken a break from him.

Getting in on goalies at the right time can be very tough, but the top prospect goalies all seem to make an impact right around that age 24-25 season, which for Levi is either the second half of this year, or next season.

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See you next Wednesday, and if you have any fantasy hockey questions or comments you can find me on BlueSky @alexdmaclean.