Boston Bruins‘ 4th year defenseman Colin Miller(48) has to be feeling the pressure to blossom into the full-time big league blue liner he’s meant to be, especially after signing a new 2-year deal.
After being acquired in an off season trade he played a career high 42 NHL games as a rookie scoring 3 goals and 13 assists with a 0 rating.
This came after a full season in the AHL under contract with Los Angeles Kings reassigned to affiliate Manchester Monarchs, where he had an all best 19 goals and 33 assists for 52 points with a +11 and won the 2015 Calder Cup Championship, lighting it up with a 2 goals 8 assist performance in 19 games.
He’s the former hardest shot at the minor league skills competition and it seems like it’s time for the soon to be 24-year old to step it up.
11th year Khazakhstan-born goaltender Anton Khudobin(34) circles back returning to Boston Bruins on a new 2-year deal.
He was last with the team on a trade at the 2011/2012 deadline and was sent to affiliate Providence Bruins for the remainder of the calendar.
After signing a 2-year contract to remain, he assume starting net minder duties in the AHL, while only appearing in one big league game.
The agile 5’11” 185 lbs. back stop began the lockout shortened final season of his deal back in the KHL, where he started his pro career in 2006/2007 with 16 games for Metallurg Magnitogorsk.
He also played his junior hockey with the squad.
Signing until the big league restarted with Atlant Mytishchi, he would assume his first full-time back-up duties getting 14 NHL games in the shortened campaign.
His next stop would take him to Carolina Hurricanes on a one-year deal and he played in a career high 36 games, then receive a two-year extension to stay put but was traded to Anaheim Ducks for the second season of the contract, where he was caught in a glut of starting net minders and spent all but 9 games with affiliate San Diego Gulls.
The 30-year old should split duties nicely on his second tour with the black & gold and give the team confidence in their “new” backstop.
Boston Bruins‘ 11th year center David Backes(42) looked happy to be part of his first day of training camp with his new squad after returning from the World Cup with Team USA.
The fairly big 6’3″ 221 lbs. power forward signed a handy 5-year deal as an unrestricted free agent.
It’s his first new hockey home in 10 years after skating the entire beginning of his career with draft team St. Louis Blues (2nd round in 2003, #62 overall).
He has retained the position of captain for the team for the last five seasons.
The 6 time 20+ goal scorer (twice 30+), 5 time 30+ assists and 5 time 50+ points 32-year old should settle into a great life wearing his new colors, black & gold.
Ottawa Senators‘ 4th year left wing Matt Puempel(26) re-ups for another season on a two-way 2016/2017 deal.
The former high draft pick is definitely looking to spend a full campaign in the big league after splitting almost equal time between the two tops leagues last season.
He marked almost point-per-game status in the AHL but was held to only his 13 game 2014/2015 career high of 2 goals and 1 assists in 26 NHL contests last year.
The still young 6’2″ 205 lbs. forward will need a strong training camp to make the opening night roster of the parent club and definitely shows the compete level at times but has to take it up to the next level sooner than later.
Undrafted goaltender Jeff Malcolm(33) signs his fourth AHL deal with Hartford Wolf Pack, sticking with the only contract team he’s ever had.
Although he’s played more ECHL games with affiliate Greenville Swamp Rabbits than he has in the higher league, he was in net for a career high 14 games (7-5) at the upper level last season, while also suffering an injury that kept him out of action for an extended time.
The 6’2″ 185 lbs. net minder also posted new bests 2.41 GAA and .912 SV% with 2 shutouts.
He won the 2013 NCAA Championship in his fourth and final year at Yale University, where he played almost every game with a 2.24 GAA and .919 SV%.
The 27-year old is still looking for a breakout campaign and based on last year’s totals, could be staring it in the face.
Undrafted 3rd year defenseman Kevin Raine(33) moves east inking for 2016/2017 with Charlotte Checkers from Los Angles Kings‘ prospect system after signing two minor league deals with affiliates.
The looks bigger than listed 6’1″ 205 lbs. blue liner put up identical 4 point AHL campaigns with Ontario Reign last season and as a rookie en route to the 2016 Calder Cup Championship as part of Manchester Monarchs.
He also won the 2012 OHL Championship with London Knights as a rookie in juniors but the mostly stay at home, strong in his own zone d-man has never really affected the score sheet.
At only 23-years old, he still has time to prove he can elevate his game in all areas of the ice but might need to do it in the upcoming schedule or will drop down a league or need to leave North American pro hockey for other opportunities.
4th year net minder Ty Rimmer(31) decides to take his game overseas for the next step in his pro career joining WSV Sterzing Broncos of Italy in the new Alps HL.
He has played most of his playing time in the ECHL but has signed twice with an AHL team.
After a year under contract with Bakersfield Condors in the lower league, he re-signed with the club when they moved up in 2015/2016 but only appeared in 6 games before being reassigned for the remainder of the calendar to affiliate Norfolk Admirals.
In 34 games he posted a slightly winning record of 14-13-3 with a 3.01 GAA and .910 SV%, which was close to his best performance as a rookie with Quad City Mallards.
The 24-year old should do well in this new environment and could find some legs to climb the hockey ladder.
New York Islanders‘ 4th year right wing Ryan Strome(18) was rewarded by the only team he’s known with a brand new, just before training camp begins, 2-year extension.
He got off to a bit of a difficult start in the final season of his entry level deal and was demoted almost a month into his 3rd campaign to affiliate Bridgeport Sound Tigers to get his mojo back.
In 8 AHL games he scored 2 goals and 2 assists with a +3 rating before being recalled.
Although he didn’t post nearly what he was able to achieve as a sophomore skater with the big club (17 goals, 33 assists, 50 points with a +23 in 81 NHL games), he did spring to life whenever he was inserted in the Stanley Cup Playoff with a goal and 3 assists in 8 contests.
The 23-year old will still be a restricted free agent once his new contract expires but should start to affect the score sheet with much more frequency like he did through 4 years of OHL, where he was a 1.31 per-game performer.
It’s also though that if he doesn’t coming out of the gate quick and challenge those career high scoring totals from 2014/2015, he could be on the trading block.
4th year defenseman Michael Sdao(4) signs for 2016/2017 with Colorado Eagles, marking his first time in the ECHL.
The one-time Ottawa Senators‘ 7th round pick in the 2009 draft (#191 overall) signed a 2-year entry level deal and an extension but spent all his playing time with affiliate Binghamton Senators.
He skated a career low 29 AHL last season, splitting time with Rochester Americans after a late season trade sent him to Buffalo Sabres‘ system but scored a new best 6 assists in a campaign.
The quite sizable 6’4″ 228 lbs. blue liner has never exactly exhibited an offensive upside other than maybe his fourth year at Princeton University, when he netted 10 goals and 10 assists in just 30 games.
The 27-year has shown a great level of on-ice accountability with a +11 rating in the minors and will likely continue displaying that kind of game in the lower league.
6th year right wing Jason Akeson(18) splits for Russia’s KHL signing a late one-year deal with Admiral Vladivostok for 2016/2017 after coming off a season that saw him get traded from Buffalo Sabres to Ottawa Senators in a multi-player deal.
The small-ish forward was not recalled from the minors from either Rochester Americans or Binghamton Senators, where he was once again notching either team high AHL scoring or was first or a close second in goals or assists.
He spent the first four years of his career with draft team Philadelphia Flyers, playing mostly with affiliate Adirondack/Lehigh Valley Phantoms but did score a pair of final regular season game recalls, getting his first NHL goal in the first appearance and an assist in his second.
He also became one of those rare players to skate games in all three top pro leagues in a single season as he was reassigned at the start of his sophomore campaign for an almost unheard of 14 contests to Trenton Titans of the ECHL.
Through almost four years with Kitchener Rangers, he always connected big on the score sheet averaging well over a point-per-game status and even helped win the 2008 OHL Championship as a rookie.
In the contract season at the end of his entry level deal, he also was summoned to start the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs and appeared in all 7 games (2 goals, 1 assist) before a first round exit.
He wasn’t quite as lucky in a bit of an extended run with the parent club on a one-year extension he inked for 2014/2015, going scoreless in 13 games.
The 26-year old should be able to do very well overseas and may even produce well enough to get another look from a big league club.
