The Arizona Coyotes, Calgary Flames and Buffalo Sabres were busy the last couple of days as they all signed players to professional tryouts (PTOs).
The Flames announced that goaltender Garret Sparks would be joining the team's training camp on a PTO. Sparks, 27, spent the majority of the 2019-20 season with the Chicago Bears of the AHL. In 26 games with the Bears, he had a 2.75 goals against average (GAA) and a .908 save percentage (SV%). He also appeared in one game with the Vegas Golden Knights, allowing two goals on 14 shots in 27 minutes of play. He has played in a total of 38 career NHL games, accumulating a 14-18-2 record while posting a 3.11 GAA and a .897 SV%.
The Coyotes announced that they were signing defenceman Jordan Schmaltz to a PTO. Schmaltz, 27, spent the 2019-20 season in the AHL, appearing in 37 games with the Toronto Marlies and six with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. In his combined 43 games, he had 14 points. He was once a highly thought of prospect, as he was selected 25th overall by the St. Louis Blues at the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, but he hasn't yet lived up to his potential. In 42 career games, all with the Blues, he has five assists.
Meanwhile, the Buffalo Sabres have invited forward Riley Sheahan to their training camp on a PTO. Sheahan spent last season with the Edmonton Oilers putting up 15 points (8 goals, 7 assists) in 66 games. Sheahan has a total of 513 NHL games under his belt with a career total of 164 points (66 goals, 98 assists).
PTOs mean each player will have to prove his worth in training camp in order to land a contract for the regular season. If not, they return to being unrestricted free agents. They are free to negotiate with other teams while attending camps.
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