Coast To Coast is FloHockey’s monthly, cohesive news on North American hockey and livestreaming partnerships.

Atlantic Hockey Introduction

The Bentley Falcons officially announced the hiring of Andy Jones to replace Ryan Soderquist.

Soderquist was at the helm of his alma mater for 21 seasons, before stepping down in April.

Jones brings a strong resume to his first head coaching role and will bring a defensive-minded system to a Falcons team that allowed the eighth-most goals in Division I hockey last season.

Former Sacred Heart Pioneer and team captain, Marc Johnstone (2017-2021), signed a two-year deal for $750k AAV. Johnstone scored nine goals and 22 points in 69 games with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies during the 2022-2023 season.

Congratulations to Marc Johnstone on signing his first @NHL contract with the @penguins

Penguins got a great one in Marc. Coaches preach being a great teammate and I don’t think there is a better guy out there that possesses that trait. pic.twitter.com/HbRTKEM5mD

— Hockey Essentials (@HockeyEssential) July 2, 2023

Catch up on recent transfers in and out of Atlantic Hockey.

ECHL Extras

The Cincinnati Cyclones have signed an affiliation agreement with the New York Rangers.

The Cyclones will be third in the chain of affiliation, also reporting to the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack.

The Cyclones have two Kelly Cup titles over the past 15 seasons.

The ECHL also concluded its annual Board of Governors meeting, which included Utah Grizzlies’ CEO Kevin Bruder being re-elected as chairman for a third season. There also were a number of rule changes initiated for the 2023-2024 season.

Also notable, the league expanded maximum memberships from 30 to 32.

As hockey continues to expand, and the success of teams such as the NHL’s Seattle Kraken and 2023 Stanley Cup winner Vegas Golden Knights, cities – regardless of geography – will continue to throw expansion bids at the NHL, and affiliations will continue to grow, too.

NHL Notes

The 2023 NHL Draft is done, and despite no first-round trades for the first time since 2007, there was plenty of news.

FloHockey’s Chris Peters has the recap and details here in the much-hyped Connor Bedard draft class.

Outside of the draft, a relatively flat salary cap made for a different type of early free agency. Some of the biggest names opted for single-year deals, betting on themselves for a bigger contract next summer when the cap is expected to make a sizable jump.

The typical winners and losers titles won’t be slapped on teams here, but one team has been busy this summer.

The Detroit Red Wings acquired Klim Kostin and Kailer Yamamoto from the Edmonton Oilers for future considerations. Kostin signed a two-year, $2.0 AAV extension. Yamamoto was bought out of his final year.

Then GM Steve Yzerman jumped head first into the pool of players, signing F Daniel Sprong (one year, $2.0 AAV), F JT Compher (five years, $5.1 AAV), F Christian Fischer (one year, $1.125 AAV), D Justin Holl (three years, $3.4 AAV), D Shayne Gostisbehere (one year, $4.125 AAV), G James Reimer (one year, $1.5 AAV), G Alex Lyon (two years, $900k AAV).

Welcome to the squad. ? pic.twitter.com/DQnzV5rty4

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) July 3, 2023

Detroit also brought back D Gustav Lindstrom on a one-year, $950k deal after not tendering him a qualifying offer.

The 24-year-old defenseman has played in 128 games over the past four seasons with the Red Wings.

It has been a busy offseason in Detroit, and the organization remains among the expected suitors for Ottawa Senators forward Alex DeBrincat, a metro-Detroit native.

Have a question or a comment for Jacob Messing? You can find him on Twitter @Jacob_Messing.