Undrafted Slovenia-born, 4th year center Gaspar Kopitar(13) obviously enjoyed his time with Manchester Monarchs last season enough to re-sign and stay on.
The 6′ 194 lbs. forward had 9 goals and a career high 24 assists and 33 points with a +12 rating and 116 shots on net in 57 ECHL games.
Taking a bit of an odd route to start he had two short runs for Portland Winterhawks of the WHL before leaving and taking a bit of a step back to join American junior hockey USHL Des Moines Buccaneers, where he stayed for the next two years before turning pro.
His first foray into pro hockey was signing with Mora IK to play in Sweden’s tier 2 league Allsvenskan.
He stuck with them for a season but after 13 games into his 2nd run split to North America inking with Ontario Reign.
It would be surprising to see the 24-year old stick around for too much longer in the lower league before splitting back to Europe in search of a little higher level of hockey and better paycheck.
He is also Los Angeles Kings‘ Anze Kopitar‘s younger brother by 5 years.
Undrafted 6th year right wing Trevor Parkes(84) flies the coop to Germany’s top league DEL signing a one-year deal with Augsburger Panther.
The big and aggressive 6’3″ 215 lbs. forward is coming off a season on an minor league contract with San Jose Barracuda that blew the lid off his bests of 9 points in three previous AHL campaigns.
He would score 18 goals and 23 assists for 41 points in 68 games with a +4 rating on a team that barely made the playoffs and had a solid 128 shots on net, and with a fairly high 73 penalty minutes, he only had on fight.
He’s only had one fight pretty much each season. Not a fighter but he plays a tough game.
Other than last year, he’s done his time in the lower league on reassignment but he’s also detonated the score sheet with more than a point per game production (50-51-101 in 89 ECHL games).
The 25-year old had a breakout season last year and seems poised to continue, especially in a whole new environment and maybe even win a championship right out of the gate.
6th year center Eric O’Dell(19) will take his game over to Russia’s KHL joining HK Sochi for 2016/2017 after putting together a career 2nd 25 goal and 48 point campaign with Binghamton Senators and Rochester Americans.
He posted AHL scoring bests in 2012/2013 with St. John’s IceCaps, the final campaign of his entry level deal.
This performance would ensure he received a qualifying offer and 1-year extension to stay in Winnipeg Jets‘ organization.
He would make his NHL debut in the following season, splitting time between the two leagues scoring 3 goals and 4 assists in 30 games with the parent club, while raising his status to a point-per-game skater with the farm squad.
That would basically be it for him within the team’s system as he appeared in only 11 games through 2014/2015, spending most of his playing time in the minors.
As an unrestricted free agent, he next signed a one-year two-way contract with Ottawa Senators before being dished to Buffalo Sabres to finish the season.
The 26-year old should do well overseas but it may take him a year to get situated and possibly excel better in another country.
Undrafted 3rd year defenseman Gabriel Verplaest(27) had his most productive offensive season with Norfolk Admirals‘ in 2015/2016.
Through 57 ECHL games he scored a career high 6 goals and 28 big assists for 34 points, tripling his stats from his rookie campaign with Bakersfield Condors.
The 6’1″ 195 lbs. blue liner never showed the kind of production he’s had since turning pro in four years in the QMJHL with Baie-Comeau Drakkar, where his best showing was 19 assists in his final run.
He was loaned to Stockton Heat late-ish into his sophomore season but failed to register a point in 8 AHL appearances.
He did get into one scrap, which mirrors the aggressive playing style he played in juniors and in the lower league, which was good for 15 fights in each of his first two years.
The still super-young 22-year old re-signs to stay put in Virginia for 2016/2o17, but should gain a training camp invite and could raise his game.
Undrafted 3rd year defenseman Kevin Czuczman(24) signs a one-year minor league deal with Manitoba Moose for 2016/2017.
The fairly large, sturdy 6’3″ 205 lbs. blue liner is coming off a career year with Bridgeport Sound Tigers, while under an entry level contract with New York Islanders.
He played a new high 74 AHL games scoring 4 goals and 11 assists for 15 points with a +1 rating and 126 shots on net.
This was less than the parent club was looking for from a highly touted player that made his NHL debut for 13 games (2 assists, -5 plus/minus) after the conclusion of his third and final campaign at Lake Superior State University, where his numbers were decent.
Unfortunately he sputtered some in his rookie year with the farm club and was demoted further down for a month to Florida Everblades, getting a goal in 9 ECHL games.
This move seemed to drop him off the depth chart.
The change of scenery will likely do the 25-year old good and should score an invite to Winnipeg Jets‘ training camp.
He could even impress enough there to net another big league contract.
Undrafted 3rd year defenseman Mathew Maione(18) takes his game overseas to HC Banska Bystrica of Slovak Extraliga for 2016/2017.
He finished up last season with Wheeling Nailers after a trade brought him over from Brampton Beast, who he played for in all of 2014/2015, then re-signed for another campaign before the transaction sent him further east.
The small-ish 5’10” 195 lbs. blue liner was also named ECHL Defenseman Of The Year after posting a league high 43 assists and 54 points.
He would continue the offensive tear in the Kelly Cup Playoffs, once again leading all players at his position in all scoring categories (6-17-23) through 26 games before getting defeated in the Finals.
The seriously good puck-moving d-man never really put up outstanding offensive numbers through three years of juniors in the OHL, then four campaigns at college at University Of Prince Edward Island.
It was once he turned pro that the jets started to fire.
The 25-year old should do well overseas and climb the hockey ladder once he gets situated.
Detroit Red Wings‘ 4th year defenseman Danny DeKeyser(65) gets a long-term 6-year extension and handsome pay day to stick with the only team he knows.
After his entry level deal was up at the end of the 2013/2014 season, it took the restricted free agent until almost the start of the his 2nd full campaign to agree to a new two-year contract.
He would put up a career high 29 assists and 31 points with a +11 rating in a best 80 NHL games.
Last season he also reached a new milestone in scoring putting together a team leading 8 goal mark.
The now 26-year may be just getting started now that he’s on the books going into his early 30’s with the hometown squad.
Undrafted 4th year defenseman Michael Boivin(28) secures a one-year AHL contract with Tuscon Roadrunners after playing last season for Manchester Monarchs of the ECHL.
The 6’2″ 182 lbs. solid puck-moving player led his team in d-man goals (10) and points (33) with a +6 rating and 157 shots on net.
6 of his tallies were on the man advantage.
He put up solid numbers through his final two years at Colorado College before heading overseas for his rookie campaign with EC Red Bull Salzburg and in the next season just so happened to win the 2015 EBEL Championship while skating for Fehervar AV19.
The 25-year old should fit in nicely with the new affiliate of Arizona Coyotes and may even impress the big club in the upcoming training camp.
Vancouver Canucks gave veteran 8th year net minder Richard Bachman(32) a one-year extension before his current 2-year deal has expired keeping him in the system through 2018.
The 5’10” 176 lbs. goalie was starter for affiliate Utica Comets playing 35 AHL games with a 17-12-5 record posting a 2.75 GAA and .900 SV%.
Signed to a one-way contract he only appeared once with the parent club, but got the win pushing his mark in 43 NHL games to 18-14-2-2.
Originally a Dallas Stars‘ 4th round pick in the 2006 draft (#120 overall) he started his pro career playing 35 ECHL games with Idaho Steelheads and following that up with an outstanding Kelly Cup playoffs.
In 8 postseason matchups he posted 6-1-1 record with a 1.59 GAA and .943 SV%.
He would get his first big league appearance the following season and then get into 18 games in the last year of his entry level agreement notching another winning campaign at 8-5-1-1.
The just turned 29-year old Salt Lake City native has always had major contracts and it would be easy to see him as an outstanding goalie coach, whenever he decides to hang up the skates.
It would be unsurprisingly to see him retire after a couple seasons overseas, simply for the experience.
