Toronto Maple Leafs‘ 3rd year center Zach Hyman(11) played a full calendar of hockey (82 games) with the parent club last season scoring new high 10 goals and 18 assists for 28 points with a +2 rating, then adding another tally and 3 helpers in 6 playoff games.
He skated in 16 games with the big club as a rookie on his first recall and grabbed his first 4 goals and 2 assists before being returned to affiliate Toronto Marlies to help their playoff push.
In 16 Calder Cup postseason match-ups he got 3 goals and 3 assists with a +3.
He appeared in 59 AHL games in 2015/2016 grabbing 15 goals and 22 assists.
The recently turned 25 year old has been given a 4-year extension worth $2.25M AAV to continue with the club that selected him deep in the 2010 draft after a four-year run at University Of Michigan.
There’s little doubt he’ll increase these early numbers.
5th year center Zach O’Brien(36) takes a season split in Germany with Ravensburg Towerstars, where he scored 6 goals, 6 assists and a +4 rating to signing with Wichita Thunder putting in 9 goals and 18 assists in 32 ECHL games but had a horrible -21 on a team that was far from the playoff picture and signs with Bakersfield Condors for 2017/2018.
He played only 1 AHL game last season on loan to Binghamton Senators but did get a goal and left with a +1 rating.
The 25-year old has been a pretty consistent scorer but still hasn’t popped on the score sheet like he did in junior hockey.
Maybe that breakout season is this one.
Los Angeles Kings‘ 6th round pick in the 2013 draft (#178 overall) 3rd year restricted free agent defenseman Zach Leslie(8) gets a one-year extension.
The 6’1″ somewhat light 181 lbs. blue liner had a career campaign with affiliate Ontario Reign playing in a new best 65 AHL games scoring 5 goals and 18 assists with a bit of a dreadful -13 rating on a playoff squad.
He spent four years with Guelph Storm and won the 2013 OHL Championship and was a point-guy for the team averaging 30+ assists and recording 40+ points in his final three seasons with a +62.
At 23-years old he’ll still have to prove himself as a pro but another decent showing in the minors should help keep him under contract and away from reassignment further down to Manchester Monarchs, where he played 5 ECHL games as a rookie.
Undrafted 9th year left wing Kyle Hagel(18) has decided to move on to the next hockey phase of his life accepting the assistant coaches job for Seattle Thunderbirds of the WHL.
Not a bad business move from the former University Of Princeton graduate.
The Hamilton, Ontario native did play some early junior stick close to home with Hamilton Red Wings before committing to college.
The 6′ 205 lbs. forward has spent his whole career playing the role of protector.
In 6 of his seasons he had 20+ fighting majors.
He had 245 penalty minutes and fought a personal best 31 times in 2010/2011 with Rockford IceHogs, which also happened to be the year he produced the most points (5-8-13) through 77 AHL games.
He’ll call it a career after three straight years skating for Charlotte Checkers, which seemed like it became home for the northern born player.
No doubt, he’ll make a good coach.
7th year center Carter Camper(19) has twice scored more than 30, 40 and 50 points per season with 5 farm clubs, while under an NHL contract.
His best campaign was in 2014/2015 for Binghamton Senators, when he played a career high 75 games and notched a tied for best 37 assists and 52 points.
He has only skated 3 games in the big league with initial contract team Boston Bruins as a rookie and scored his one NHL goal but otherwise has played for affiliate in 375 AHL contests.
The recently turned 29-year old signed a 2-year minor league deal with Cleveland Monsters heading into 2017/2018.
It wouldn’t be surprising to see him move on to Europe after that.
Fresh off his three year entry level deal with Buffalo Sabres‘, 4th year left wing Justin Kea(19) was left unqualified and signs with Florida Everglades for 2017/2018.
He was a 3rd round pick in the 2012 draft (#73 overall) and has already skated 85 ECHL games on reassignment to Elmira Jackals through his first three seasons recording a best 9 goals and 7 assists with 73 penalty minutes and 57 shots on net through 33 contests in 2016/2017.
The big 6’5″ 215 lbs. played a low 12 AHL games with Rochester Americans last season but was able to pop in a modest, new high 2 goals and 2 assists, which doesn’t make a lot of sense to continue to send him down.
The 23-year old never put up big numbers but did decently through four campaigns in the OHL with Saginaw Spirit and is definitely unafraid to drop those gloves as necessary.
With a full season on one squad, he should see those numbers increase but it’s also highly likely that he’ll be loaned up and once again split time between two leagues.
Nashville Predators‘ 7th year center Ryan Johansen(92) gets a new 8-year, $8M per deal to stick around with the team long-term.
The big forward is coming off a season, where he recorded a career high 47 assists in a third full calendar of 82 NHL games.
He also added another 3 goals and 10 assists with a +12 rating through 14 Stanley Cup Playoff contests and only didn’t play more through the Finals‘ bow out due to injury.
The three-time 60+ point-guy (71 in 2014/2015) is well worth the money as he’s become a #1 center and by example easily leads.
At 25-years old (today-Happy Birthday!), he’ll be a first time unrestricted agent at the end of 2025, when he’s 32.
New Jersey Devils‘ 5th round pick in the 2011 draft (#129 overall) 3rd year, restricted free agent, left wing Blake Pietila(56) gets a two-year two-way extension to continue his work after posting a career high 17 goals and 16 assists in 49 AHL games for affiliate Albany Devils.
He also played a new best 10 NHL games grabbing an assist to go along with his 1st big league goal and helper that he tallied in 7 appearances as a rookie.
The 5’11” 200 lbs. forward was always a pretty decent scorer through 4 years at Michigan Tech, where he had 30 points as a senior/captain and recorded 20+ points in his earlier campaigns.
He was also part of a pair of World Junior Championship USA gold medals in 2011 and 2013.
The 24-year old will need to continue to step up his game, especially if he scores another recall from new farm team Binghamton Devils to the parent club but seems be heading on the right path.
6th year left wing Jonathan Lessard(91) went away to play hockey in France last season for Les Ducs d’Angers scoring a tidy 14 goals and 14 assists in 40 Ligue Magnus games.
As decent as those numbers were, it was in the playoffs and the Continental Cup, where he popped his output onto a different level grabbing 4 goals and 5 assists in 9 postseason contests and another 4 points in the tourney.
The aggressive 6’1″ 190 lbs. forward averaged a pair of point-per-game campaigns in his 2nd & 3rd years of the QMJHL with Acadie-Bathurst Titan.
He has only been that successful as a pro in his first full season with a team, Allen Americans in their last run of the Central Hockey League‘s existence.
Just wouldn’t you know it, he won the President’s Cup and went on to pocket 9 goals and 5 assists in 17 playoff match-ups.
Well, he circles back to sign with Allen Americans for 2017/2018.
A veteran of 142 ECHL games, the 26-year old, who started his career with a pair of LNAH teams will likely do well and raise that hideous -44 rating to a much better number.
6th year group VI unrestricted free agent Chris Brown(9) decides it’s time to look elsewhere to continue his pro hockey career signing with Iserlohn Roosters of DEL for 2017/2018.
The very decently sized forward skated a career tying 64 AHL games with Hartford Wolf Pack scoring a respectable 14 goals and 13 assists on a bottom-feeding club but for the first time didn’t receive a big league recall.
He’s played 23 NHL games getting a pair of goals and an assist with a +1 rating with Washington Capitals and draft team Arizona Coyotes.
His luck was better when he got shipped east as that’s where he picked up his points but as the first year of his new two-year deal was expiring he was once again dealt in a minor transaction, this time he was on the move to close by New York Rangers.
Problem was once he was reassigned to the farm club, he stayed there and likely is why he’s decided to move on.
We’ll miss him playing along the east coast.
