New York Islanders‘ 4th year center Alan Quine(10) scores himself a nice 2-year 1-way extension through 2017/2018 after appearing in a pair of big league games and scoring his first NHL goals.
It wasn’t until being inserted into the Stanley Cup Playoffs that he really made it stick though, as he added another tally and 4 assists through 10 contests.
The forward spent most of his time with affiliate Bridgeport Sound Tigers, where he has skated exclusively except for the tail end of his rookie season when he was reassigned to Stockton Thunder to gain some playoff experience.
He would follow-up the demotion with his best season playing a career high 75 AHL games scoring a best 23 goals and 38 assists for 61 points with 139 shots on net.
The 23-year old will still be a restricted free agent when his new contract expires but if he is sent down to the farm team at any point expect him to get claimed on waivers.
Undrafted 4th year defenseman Charlie Dodero(91) returns for a third run to the team he had his best point-production success with as a rookie, Idaho Steelheads.
He scored a career high 4 goals and 15 assists for 19 points in 44 ECHL games.
The fairly large 6’2″ 209 lbs. is mostly thought of as a stay-at-home shutdown style d-man and only reached and eclipsed the 20 assists mark in the final years of OHL as assistant captain for Sudbury Wolves.
He spent 2015/2016 with Greenville Swamp Rabbits, on a trade from Idaho, which returned him to where he started his pro career in 2013/2014.
In his sophomore campaign the blue liner was loaned just before the halfway mark to Syracuse Crunch on a pto, but was offered an AHL contract to stay a couple months later.
He would score one goal and two assists with a +7 rating, setting himself up for another 10 games in the higher league last year.
The soon-to-be 25-year old will likely get more face time on recall again in the new calendar but may even have another breakout on the stat sheet back in familiar territory.
Undrafted 2nd year left wing Gunnar Hughes(28) re-signs to stay with Adirondack Thunder for another season.
He had a very decent rookie campaign scoring 11 goals and 11 assists in 64 ECHL games with a -14 rating (that needs some work), then added another pair of tallies in 12 Kelly Cup Playoff match-ups.
The feisty 6’1″ 200 lbs forward has never been an outstanding point producer through a season with Waterloo Blackhawks in the USHL and four years at St. Lawrence University but seems poised to eclipse all those earlier marks as he gains more pro experience.
His hard ethic and tough style play was noticed by nearby Albany Devils, where he was loaned late in the calendar for a few games notching one assist.
He also isn’t afraid to drop the mitts and was involved in 5 fights during the season.
The soon-to-be 24 year old is fun to watch and it would be little surprise to see him grab a training camp invite from the higher league and stick but he’ll have to continue to work for it.
8th year center James Wright(18) signs a last minute one-year contract with Admiral Vladivostok returning for a second campaign to the KHL, where he skated 53 games for Medvescak Zagreb just a couple seasons ago scoring 15 goals and 4 assists.
The fairly big 6’4″ 210 lbs. power forward returned last year signing a two-way contract with New York Islanders but spent all his playing time with affiliate Bridgeport Sound Tigers.
He would put up a career high 2nd best in AHL scoring with 41 points (14-27) but was left unrestricted at the end of the run.
Originally a Tampa Bay Lightning 4th round pick in the 2008 draft (#117 overall), he was signed to a 3-year entry level deal at the beginning of the following campaign and actually made the squad out of training camp, but after 48 games with 2 goals and 3 assists he was loaned back to Vancouver Giants to finish out his fourth year of WHL juniors.
It would be in his rookie season reassigned to the farm club Norfolk Admirals that he put up still unbeaten numbers with 48 points (16-32).
In the final year of his first contract, he would get dealt to Florida Panthers but saw playing time only with San Antonio Rampage.
Somehow his short time in Texas was enough for the parent club to extend him for another pair of years.
That wouldn’t long though as he would be claimed off waivers by Winnipeg Jets just as the lockout thawed season started and stuck.
He finished out the 2012/2013 in the NHL getting another pair of tallies and 3 assists.
They must have liked what they saw though, as 2013/2014 would be his first full season in the big league.
The still fairly young 26-year old seems to be still awaiting a truly breakout offensive explosion and it’s possibly he could be a later bloomer especially with the size he brings to the table.
4th year left wing Kyle Flanagan(8) had a good rookie season with Adirondack Phantoms scoring a career high 6 goals and 16 assists for 22 points in 63 AHL games but had a woeful -15 rating.
On just a 1-year entry level deal, he was left unqualified and split for the SHL signing for 2014/2015 on a deal with MODO, where he struck for four goals and 11 assists in 38 contests.
The small forward didn’t decide to stay overseas, instead inked a one-year deal to head back to Glens Falls, NY, where it all started and skate for Adirondack Thunder in a lower league.
After only 12 ECHL games he was quick to prove he was better suited to move back up and loaned to Binghamton Senators.
He would once again produce 6 goals and only two fewer assists than his bests as a first year player (14) but did it in almost 20 fewer games (44) and with more accountability, a 0 plus/minus.
This offensive output has earned him a return to Bingo and you have to think he’s ready for a breakout campaign at age 27.
Undrafted 3rd year goaltender Doug Carr(31) signs for 2016/2017 with Wheeling Nailers, who he watched make it all the way to the Kelly Cup Finals last season.
He started his sophomore campaign on a pto with Albany Devils and stay with them for the first pair of months before signing to play out the campaign with Manchester Monarchs.
The 6’1″ 195 lbs. net minder appeared career high 24 ECHL games posting a 10-8-5 record with a 2.77 GAA and .915 SV%, then played his first four postseason matchups but saw his team drop a tough battle in the opening round.
He was also loaned back up twice but only served as back-up.
The four year UMass-Lowell graduate had some pretty exciting college hockey winning the 2013 NCAA (Hockey East) Champion, following that season up with a 1.80 GAA and .935 SV% before signing an ato with Abbotsford Heat and continuing his outstanding play through 4 AHL games.
For his rookie season he would sign a minor league deal with Adirondack Flames but first attend Calgary Flames‘ training camp.
He played only 13 games with the farm club spending the majority of his playing time with affiliate Colorado Eagles.
The 27-year old should assume the starting role duties with his new team and could see a spike in stats with more minutes in the cage.
Philadelphia Flyers‘ 6th year defenseman Brandon Manning(23) was recently rewarded for his consistent good and only getting better play with a new 2-year one-way contract.
The physical blue liner skated his first full NHL season in 2015/2016 appearing in 56 games scoring a career high one goal (his first) and 6 assists for 7 points with a +2 rating.
It was just two years prior when he failed to appear in even a single big league game but put up an impressive AHL bests with 8 goals, 23 assists for 31 points with an abysmal -24 rating but was seemingly enough to keep him on the radar screen and help him eek out another contract to stick with it.
Although he only played in 11 contests with the parent club in the next campaign 2014/2015, he continued on a path of bettering his performance with three assists and continued his on ice accountability.
He owns a +10 plus/minus in the show and never backs down from a physical battle.
The 26-year old could find himself as a bit on the cusp of staying with the organization and may be considered trade bait if they are looking for more fire power up front.
Or he could stick with the only team he’s known and be counted on for his tough and consistent play.
6th year left wing Brandon Defazio(24) had a career year scoring (21-22-43) in his 2nd run with Utica Comets while under contract with Vancouver Canucks, which included his only 2 game visit to the NHL.
The unrestricted free agent would leave the nest heading into 2015/2016 signing another 1-year 2-way deal with Boston Bruins.
Almost ironically he matched his scoring best output from the previous season but exactly switched goals t0 22 and assists to 21 in slightly fewer games, while taking his penalty minutes done to a new low level (38).
He wasn’t as lucky in three playoff contests going with no points.
For 2016/2017, the 27-year old has signed his first AHL contract with Texas Stars to continue.
He’ll likey get an invite to Dallas Stars‘ training camp but unless he explodes the score sheet out of the gate will likely stay in the minors.
San Jose Sharks‘ 7th year net minder Martin Jones(31) is likely done proving himself as a #1 NHL goalie after taking a California team that has notoriously choked every playoff run since it’s existence all the way to the 2016 Stanley Cup Finals in his debut year with the club.
As impressive as the run was, what’s more over the top is his numbers and all the stand on your head saves he made, especially through the postseason.
Through a career high 65 games he posted a nice 37-23 record with 2.27 GAA and .918 SV%, then in the playoffs went 14-10 and an even better 2.16 GAA and .923 SV%.
After a trade sent him from the team he’d been with from the start for 6 seasons, Los Angeles Kings that sent him to Boston Bruins as a mere stop over before heading to San Jose, his main suitor all along.
Signed to a new 3-year deal through 2018, the 26-year old is just getting started.
Undrafted 2nd year left wing Ryan Lomberg(32) re-signs to return to Stockton Heat, where he was somewhat on a seesaw going up and down with affiliate Adirondack Thunder.
In 13 AHL games the small 5’9″ 187 lbs. plays a hard-skating style but could only connect for 3 assists.
It was a different story when reassigned.
He was able to notch a team second best 18 goals and 17 assists for 35 points in only 43 ECHL games with a highly accountable +14 rating, and also grabbed another 6 points (3-3) in 13 Kelly Cup Playoff match-ups.
Taking a very odd route to turning pro, he spent one season in the USHL with Muskegon Lumberjacks before accepting an invite to join University Of Maine but left after two year under less than desirable circumstances returning to American junior hockey and signed with Youngstown Phantoms.
Seems an odd path for the Richmond Hill, Ontario-born player.
The still super-young 21-year old has a decent amount of time to continue to improve his game but may look elsewhere if he’s unable to grab a full-time spot in the higher league.
