Straubing Tigers‘ 9th year center Steven Zalewski(15) will spend his 10th pro season, 3rd overall with the team, as he signs another extension to stay despite scoring only 5 goals and 12 assists in 50 DEL games with a -10 rating.
After putting up a career high 30 assists with Albany Devils in 2012/2013, he left for his first stint overseas joining Lukko of Liiga.
He only had 6 goals and 5 assists in 31 contests but seemed to spring to life some in the playoffs grabbing another goal and 5 more assists.
The 5’11” 190 lbs. pivot stayed in Finland for another season signing with Ilves but seemed to continue struggle a bit to put up points.
Leaving for his debut tour of Germany he regained that scoring punch potting 17 goals and 23 assists for 40 points with a +6.
He’s set to turn 31-years old before the start of next season but has obviously been a good, veteran leader for the group, so may have found a good spot to stay before he hangs up the skates.
Lowen Frankfurt of DEL2 liked 8th year right wing Matthew Pistilli(36) for scoring a league best 32 goals in the 2016/2017, his first in the league that they quickly made sure the 28-year old, who will be 29 around the start of next season, returns.
He was 2nd overall in scoring 65 points in 52 games.
It’s interesting that he decides to stay put and not explore trying to move up on the European hockey ladder.
In his first year overseas with Esjberg Energy of Metal-ligean he had 22 goals and 40 assists with a +22 rating, then added another 16 points in 19 playoff games en route to the 2016 Danish Cup.
South Carolina Stingrays‘ 5th year center Kelly Zajac(19) was just returned after being recalled for just under a month to Hershey Bears.
He detonated the score sheet unlike he’s ever done through 9 AHL games scoring 4 goals and 3 assists with a +8 rating.
Almost seems a bit odd that he was reassigned back down.
In his 2nd stint with the Stingrays, he could have arrived at a better time as the team pushes for a playoff berth.
The strong skating forward has a team leading 36 assists and a 2nd 46 points.
When he first joined the squad late season after short stints in Finland’s Liiga with Lukko and Manitoba Moose, he got right to work.
He was a point per game performer in 2015/2016 through the remainder of the regular calendar, then continued to take it up a notch in the playoffs potting 3 goals and 15 assists in 19 match ups with another +8.
The 28-year old will click off another year over the summer but with his current outstanding performance in two of the top leagues, it will be a bit of a stunner to see him continue in the ECHL unless there’s future thinking after hockey entering the picture.
5th year center Drew Shore(42) returned to North American pro hockey signing a one-year, one-way deal with Vancouver Canucks for the remainder of the 2016/2017 calendar after spending the season with EHC Kloten of the NLA.
He led the team in scoring with 24 goals and 24 assists through 50 games, then also helped them win the 2017 Swiss Cup before leaving.
The decently big-sized forward played 80 NHL games getting 9 goals and 15 assists with draft team Florida Panthers and Calgary Flames before leaving, but is a bit of a woeful -16.
In his first game back he skated 20 shifts for 14:07 total ice time with 1 shot on net, 2 hits, 2 takeaways, 2 penalty minutes and left the 6-3 loss with a +1 rating.
The 26-year old is scheduled to become a restricted free agent heading into 2017/2018.
A good performance through the remainder of the calendar will likely bring him back.
5th year center Yanni Gourde(65) was a late cut from Tampa Bay Lightning training camp to be reassigned to affiliate Syracuse Crunch.
He signed a one-year contract extension early into his first restricted free agency after posting a career 30 assists last season in the AHL.
In his only recall of 2015/2016, he posted his first assist before getting injured.
It took a couple of months for him to score a summons for the current calendar but was quickly sent back after a pair of appearances with no points.
No worries, as he returned to the farm squad, continued to work hard and excel in minor league scoring netting 22 goals and 24 assists through 55 games with a +10 rating, good enough for 3rd on the team.
With a rash of injuries to the parent club, he was once again brought up in an attempt to bolster their playoff berth chances.
In his 2nd game he was given markedly increased ice time, which resulted in his 2nd assist and a win.
He would next pot his first NHL goal in another victory and for at least now the 25-year old is making a nice argument to stick around for awhile as the roster returns to healthy status.
What happens next for the upcoming unrestricted free agent, who signed an ECHL deal to start 2013/2014, will be interesting to watch.
Toronto Maple Leafs‘ 6th round pick in the 2012 draft (#156 overall) 3rd year right wing Connor Brown(12) has played himself into a full-time role with the team after appearing in 7 games last season, scoring his 1st NHL goal and 5 assists before being sent back to affiliate Toronto Marlies to help with their playoff push.
In 2015/2016 he was virtually a point-per-game skater potting 11 goals and 18 assists in 34 AHL games with a +10, then added another 7 tallies and 2 helpers in 15 Calder Cup match-ups.
This closely mirrored what he was able to do in his rookie season, when he grabbed an impressive 21 goals and 40 assists.
The 6′ 185 lbs. forward definitely pointed to this type of offensive surge, especially in his third and final year, 2nd as captain of Erie Otters.
In 2013/2014 he erupted for an OHL best 83 assists and 128 points with a +44 and was voted the league’s most outstanding player.
The 23-year old has 15 goals and 13 assists in 67 games in the current campaign, his first full season in the big league.
He’s set to become a restricted free agent but looks like a strong bet to net a nice 2-year one-way extension.
5th year defenseman Greg Pateryn(29) found himself on the move as the NHL trade deadline approached and was dealt from draft team Montreal Canadiens, where he spent 4 and a half seasons to Dallas Stars.
The sizable, tough blue liner has only gotten into a single game with his new team but did record his first point, an assist, which helped him match a career high 1 goal and 6 assists that he set in his first full year in the big league.
He played 38 games for the Habs in 2015/2016 but was also a healthy scratch for more time than he would have liked.
The 27-year is finding his new squad also has a tough lineup to crack and has been sitting out since his debut, where he skated 20 shifts for 14:57 of total ice.
Signed to a new two-year one-way contract, he still has plenty to prove or may find himself on waivers and with yet another address.
Faceoff Dot: former Hartford Wolf Pack center Jayson Megna(23) drops former Springfield Falcons‘/current Tuscon Roadrunners / Arizona Coyotes‘ pivot Tyler Gaudet(32).
Megna is currently playing for Vancouver Canucks and has appeared in a career high 46 NHL games this season.
Philadelphia Flyers‘ 3rd year left wing Greg Carey(10) scores himself a mid-season 1-year one-way contract extension for 2017/2018 after signing on the opening day of unrestricted free agency.
He’s the leading goal scorer for affiliate Lehigh Valley Phantoms with 26 tallies, 17 assists for a team fourth 43 points in 58 AHL games.
These scoring stats exactly equal what he posted in 2015/2016 through 64 contests while under a minor league contract with Springfield Falcons.
He is a -14 rating currently and ended last season with a -6.
It seems the 27-year old may score his first NHL recall and game sooner than later but they could make him wait another training camp to really want it.
Ottawa Senators‘ 7th year defenseman Fredrik Claesson(33) gets rewarded for good play with a mid-season one-year one-way extension for 2017/2018.
Re-signed fairly early into restricted free agency for a 2nd time to the only team he’s ever known outside of Sweden he played a career high 16 NHL games getting a pair of assists but was a -6 rating.
As one of the final training camp cuts reassigned to a familiar place, affiliate Binghamton Senators, where he’d played 276 AHL games.
He’s mostly thought of as a big, shut down blue liner, who’s only ever really affected the stat sheet in one season 2013/2014, when he fed 26 assists.
It was only a few weeks before he was recalled and now he’s trying not to look back.
In a new best 19 games he has 5 assists and just got that puck with the tape on it: 1st goal.
The 24-year old looks to have found a good long time home for himself.
