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.
Columbus Blue Jackets‘ 3rd round pick in the 2011 draft (#66 overall) small-sized center TJ Tynan(49) gets the opportunity to make his NHL debut.
The 5’8″ 165 lbs. forward skated a conservative 11 shifts for 7:39 total ice time with one shot on net and a 0 rating in 2-0 victory.
He’s basically been able to affect the score sheet at every level of hockey thus far and had a career high 40 assists in 2015/2016 with affiliate Cleveland Monsters, while en route to helping the team win a first ever Calder Cup Championship.
His efforts secured him a one-year extension as his two-year entry level deal was expiring.
Through 4 campaigns at University Of Notre Dame he was virtually a point-per-game performer with 54 goals and 107 assists in 164 games, while grabbing the 2013 NCAA/CCHA title as a junior.
He was also a big scorer through his one season of American juniors in the USHL with Des Moines Buccaneers.
The 25-year old likely deserves a further look but could grab two more years in his next contract as he looks like a good guy to keep around.
New Jersey Devils‘ undrafted first year center Kevin Rooney(58) signs a one-year entry level deal, then 3 days later was on the ice in the big league skating 14 shifts for 9:48 of total ice.
He’s currently skated 2 more NHL games of roughly equal time but unfortunately it’s been all losing causes and he’s a -2 rating.
The good-sized 6’2″ 190 lbs. forward originally agreed to an ato with Albany Devils after winning the 2016 NCAA Division 1 Championship as captain of Providence College appearing in 7 games with 3 assists.
He officially signed a one-year deal after attending the parent club’s development camp, heading into 2016/2017 and has put in 7 goals and 10 assists in a team leading 57 AHL contests.
At 23-years old, he’s set to become a restricted free agent at the end of the current campaign but looks good to net himself at least a small extension.
11th year veteran defenseman Matt Lashoff(7) signed a pto with San Antonio Rampage a couple of weeks into the start of 2016/2017 and rode with the team for a few months playing 19 AHL games, scoring 3 goals and 4 assists but was a bit of a terrible -14.
He was released from his deal just before Christmas and basically took January off looking for the right fit.
SCL Tigers stepped in and signed him for the remainder of the calendar and playoff push, which signifies his first return to Switzerland since 2011/2012.
He has one assist in 2 games.
The 30-year will need to step it up to continue to play at higher levels overseas but could a good spot lower down the food chain as he transitions to life beyond on ice.
9th year right wing Chris Leveille(14) is a true story of persistence and perseverance, as at 29-years old he jumped up a big notch on the hockey ladder and was signed to a one-year minor league contract with Brampton Beast for 2016/2017.
He started his pro hockey career with four seasons for Fayetteville FireAntz of the SPHL, which included 2011/2012 as captain and the league’s leading scorer with 84 points in 2009/2010, his sophomore campaign.
In his fifth year, he decided to take a step down joining Williamsport Outlaws of the FHL before the team collapsed due to financial struggles and he moved on to Dayton Demonz for the remainder of the schedule.
For the next two seasons, he decided to take some time off to raise his newborn son and skated when he could with local Allan Cup squad Brantford Blast.
He was wooed by an old friend to join nearby Port Huron Prowlers blowing up the stat sheet scoring more than a goal and an assist in each outing, then helped them captured the 2016 Federal Hockey League Championship with 2 points per game.
As a challenge to himself he set his sites on climbing to the next level, accepting a summer invite to try out for Brampton.
It worked as he was on the opening night roster and now through 54 ECHL games he’s ascended to fifth on team scoring with 12 goals and 23 assists, plays like an elite skater out there and has helped the club position itself to be a Kelly Cup contender.
What’s hard to believe is he’ll turn 30 before the start of next season and looks to be just getting started.
Arizona Coyotes‘ 7th round pick in the 2012 draft (#184 overall) Czech Republic-born goaltender Marek Langhamer(30) is one of a few players each season to appear in games in three different pro leagues: NHL, AHL, ECHL.
He was actually recalled to the big club in his rookie campaign after playing for both affiliates but didn’t not appear.
The 6’2″ 185 lbs. net minder was a fairly late reassignment to farm club Tuscon Roadrunners and for the 2nd year in a row a month into 2016/2017 sent further down to make some starts for Rapid City Rush, then again for another four weeks in early January.
Two weeks later he was summoned to serve as back up without expecting to get any playing time but pressed into action for this debut, when Michael Smith went down with an injury.
He made 7 of 8 saves in 15 minutes through 3rd period action to help preserve a 3-2 victory.
The 22-year old is set to become a restricted free agent at the end of the current calendar but looks good to score himself a one or two-year extension to stay put.
