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.
15th year veteran right wing Brian McGrattan(16) leaves North American pro hockey for the first time joining Nottingham Panthers of the EIHL for 2016/2017 after tying a career high AHL mark of 9 goals in a season that he set twice as a rookie and sophomore skater.
His 17 points for San Diego Gulls, while under contract with Anaheim Ducks, was also a third best but he also managed 144 in penalty minutes and 96 shots on net were probably the most he ever recorded.
The burly forward didn’t skate a single NHL game but has fielded a big league contract for 10 straight seasons.
For the just turned 35-year old this could be a last twirl around the ice in completely different surroundings but he could also do pretty well and find a nice temporary home in the new land.
4th year right wing Vinny Saponari(34) leaves North American pro hockey after three seasons of bouncing around between two leagues for Frisk Asker of Norway’s GET-ligaen.
He started 2015/2016 on a pto with Portland Pirates after competing for a spot in their training camp but was released a month in after playing only 6 AHL games but scored a nifty 1 goal and 3 assists with a +4 rating, so it’s a bit of a wonder what happened.
The 6’1 195 lbs. forward signed to return to Greenville Swamp Rabbits, where he spent most of the previous campaign on reassignment while under contract with Hartford Wolf Pack.
In that season he put up a career high 18 goals and 51 assists for 69 points with a +17, which had him first on the team in helpers and tied for overall scoring.
The former Boston University won the 2009 NCAA Championship but was sent away a year later for disciplinary issues and joined Dubuque Fighting Saints producing at better than a point-per-game before heading back into the college ranks with Northeastern Univerity Huskies to complete his degree.
Upon graduation he signed an ato with St. John’s IceCaps appearing in 7 games grabbing his first goal and assist.
He agreed to a first minor league contract with Milwaukee Admirals for his rookie season doing admirably with 15 goals and 18 assists but also spent 14 contests down with Cincinnati Cyclones.
Originally an Atlanta Thrashers‘ 4th round pick in the 2008 draft (#94 overall), the 26-year old should find his space to connect overseas and climb the European hockey ladder.
Undrafted 3rd year right wing Bryce Van Brabant(48) signs his first minor league contract for 2016/2017 with Idaho Steelheads, keeping him sort of close to his Alberta home to continue playing.
The rang-y 6’3″ 210 lbs. forward has never been a big point-getter but in the final year of three at Quinnipiac University he basically doubled what he did in the previous two scoring 15 and caught folks attention.
He signed a two-year entry level deal with Calgary Flames and at the completion of his final college season was on the roster in the big league.
In 6 NHL games he was unable to reach the score sheet.
He played exclusively for the parent club’s affiliates Adirondack Flames and last season Stockton Heat having fairly equal AHL seasons with 15/16 points.
Left unqualified heading in the new season, the 24-year old became an unrestricted free agent.
It would be little surprise to see him score an affiliate Dallas Stars‘ training camp invite and played some more games in the higher league again but also should do pretty well in the ECHL.
13th year veteran center Erik Christensen(24) signs for a fourth season with HV71 of the SHL, where he set a career high 31 assists mark just a couple years ago.
After finishing 2011/2012 with Minnesota Wild, the unrestricted free agent left for the KHL joining HC Lev Praha but left 12 games into his second campaign and headed to Sweden in hopes of finding better fortunes.
He has been fairly lucky in the country scoring 35 goals and 60 assists in 126 games with a +9 rating, adding another 9 points in 11 playoff contests.
The 32-year old will turn 33 at the midpoint of the current calendar and may be considering his next move once he hangs up the skates of a long and must be very satisfying hockey career.
