Undrafted right wing Brett Cameron(10) will spend his sophomore season in Norway’s GET-ligaen with Lillehammer joining former South Carolina Stingrays‘ teammate Stephan Vigier.
He had an impressive rookie campaign scoring 20 goals and 28 assists in 61 ECHL games and then added another 5 goals and 4 assists in 19 Kelly Cup Playoff games with a +8 rating.
The 6’2″ 202 lbs. forward was always able to put up close to point-per-game stats through three years of AJHL with Spruce Grove Saints but seemed to slow that pace once he made it to University Of Alaska-Anchorage, where he spent five seasons with one cut short and the last two as team captain.
He would get right back to business potting three goals and an assist upon turning pro on an ato with the South Carolina after finishing up college.
He would also be loaned to Adirondack Flames for 5 AHL games to finish 2014/2015.
The 26-year old should again find the net often once he lands overseas.
9th year defenseman Mike Ratchuk(7) splits North American hockey for a second time signing a one-year deal with Sheffield Steelers of the EIHL for 2016/2017.
He first left a few seasons ago for Erste Bank Eishockey Liga‘s Olimpija Ljubljana after winning the 2012 Kelly Cup with Florida Everblades but only last for half the year before returning to post a career high 19 assists in just 31 games.
The 5’11” 190 blue liner would next move on agreeing to a contract with Wheeling Nailers, where he played 69 ECHL games and set new bests for scoring with a league leading 15 goals by a d-man and 29 assists for 44 points, including an outstanding 183 shots on net.
He returned to the Nailers for another campaign but was injured limiting his play to 28 appearances, yet was still able to connect for a pair of goals and 9 assists.
Originally a Philadephia Flyers‘ 2nd round pick in the 2006 draft (#42 overall), he spent his rookie season with affiliate Philadephia Phantoms and would start his sophomore year in the system before being traded early on to Columbus Blue Jackets, where he took up with Syracuse Crunch.
He would start the last year of his entry level deal with new farm club Springfield Falcons but was sent further down to Fort Wayne Komets of the Central Hockey League and appeared in their playoffs.
The 28-year old has proven he can put up points and will likely do very well over in England.
5th year center Max Reinhart(25) has decided to take his game overseas signing a one-year deal with Kolner Haie of DEL for 2016/2017.
He was set to become a restricted free agent for the 2nd time in his career and may have been hearing rumblings from contract club Nashville Predators about leaving him unqualified for another extension after playing a career high 73 AHL games, scoring 23 goals.
This was still drastically down from his sophomore season with draft team Calgary Flames‘ (3rd round of 2010, #64 overall) affiliate Abbotsford Heat, where he pocketed 21 goals and 42 assists for 63 points in 66 games.
The 6’1″ 196 lbs. forward easily has that goal scoring ability in his game, as he did through four years of juniors for Kootenay Ice, where he won the 2011 WHL Championship with a playoff league leading 15 goals.
The still only 24-year old will do well in German pro hockey and may return on another NHL deal.
9th year undrafted goalie David Leggio(73) played his first season after 4 years at Clarkson University on a minor league deal with Albany River Rats but spent most of his rookie campaign in the ECHL tending net for Florida Everblades.
Maybe not the start to his career he wanted to have but he did manage to put up some impressive numbers with a decent postseason run.
He would next leave for overseas signing a one-year contract with Finland’s TPS.
The 6′ 185 lbs. backstop was decent through the regular season but took it to another level in the playoffs posting a 1.57 GAA and .942 SV%, good enough to lead his team to the 2010 Liiga Championship.
Good enough to catch the attention of Buffalo Sabres, who inked him to an entry level deal and kept him in the prospect system for three years, appearing in a monumental 64 AHL games with Rochester Americans in 2012/2013.
He would try his hand at unrestricted free agent status to follow up the strong performance agreeing to a term with Washington Capitals but would be their primary goal presence with affiliate Hershey Bears but no NHL games to add to his credit.
New York Islanders became his next suitors to give them some veteran presence in net but he struggled with farm team Bridgeport Sound Tigers before being shipped to Arizona Coyotes, where he circled back to Portland Pirates.
That was enough of North American hockey for the veteran net minder, so he was off to Germay’s DEL with EHC Red Bull Munchen for his next adventure and what a ride it was.
He rose up to get back on his game playing 23 games with a sturdy 2.02 GAA and .930 SV% but it was again in the playoffs that he really came back to life shutting down opponents in 14 games on a 1.76 GAA and repeat .930 SV% to be crowned 2016 DEL Champions.
The soon-to-be 32-year old wasted little time to consider where he’d play in 2016/2017, instead re-signing to stay put for repeat shot at the title.
Undrafted third year center Stephan Vigier(28) has decided to take his game overseas, signing a one year deal with Lillehammer of GET-ligaen for 2016/2017.
The small and feisty 5’9″ 167 lbs. forward put up career high numbers last season with South Carolina Stingrays scoring 24 goals and 26 assists for 50 points in 68 ECHL games with a +11 rating, then added another 6 goals and 5 assists in 19 postseason contests.
This was his second visit with the team he joined after 4 successful years at Northern Michigan University, where he was named assistant captain as a junior and senior.
In 8 games to finish off the 2013/2014 season he notched his first 5 pro goals and an assist.
As a rookie he would sign his first deal with Cincinnati Cyclones and come out of the game decently potting 14 goals and 14 assists, while also getting a pair of helpers on his first and only loan up to affiliate San Antonio Rampage for 6 AHL games.
To start his sophomore season he signed with Toledo Walleye but that only lasted 2 games before heading back to the Stingrays.
The 26-year old should do very well in Norway.
New York Islanders wasted little time getting 12th year pro Bracken Kearns(38) back into the system after being a huge help with the prospects in the farm system, Bridgeport Sound Tigers and even chipping in an assist on a pair of NHL games recall.
It would be his 32nd and 33rd appearances in the big league.
While in the minors the veteran of 591 AHL games was taking it up a notch with a career high 23 goals and 53 points with a +17 rating, all team leading stats.
He even had two assists in three postseason contests.
Putting a season best 138 shots on net definitely helped his scoring game, while he also continued to play the feisty, hard-checking game he’s known for.
There’s little chance the recently turned 35-year old is slowing down, if anything he continues to get better with age.
Undrafted fourth year defenseman Nick Pageau(8) will take his game to Norway’s GET-ligaen joining Frisk Asker for the 2016/2017 season.
This comes after signing a contract and playing a career high 21 AHL games with Bakersfield Condors, a team he spent his first two campaigns with when they were an ECHL club putting up a scoring best 7 goals and 20 assists.
The 6’1″ 192 lbs. blue liner was reassigned on a few occasions back down to affiliate Norfolk Admirals but finished the year up.
He took a fairly long path before turning pro, first spending four seasons in the OHL with Belleville Bulls averaging 17 assists per year, then heading the college route for another 4 years at St. Francis Xavier University.
The 28-year old should find his game elevates to a whole new level overseas likely move up the European hockey ladder.
New York Islanders re-upped with the captain of their farm squad in Bridgeport Sound Tigers, center Ben Holmstrom(21) for another go at helping guide the youngsters.
He did a very nice job this past season as they scratched their way into a first Calder Cup playoff berth in a long while for the lower Connecticut team.
While he didn’t have his best year in AHL scoring, he still pocketed 20 assists for the third time in his career and hit the 20-point mark for his fifth.
The 29-year was named team captain for his 5th time, while playing more of a checking line role in 2015/2016 than he has in the past but will likely bring up his totals in the upcoming campaign as he gets more comfortable where he is and what his role is.
Who’s knows, he could play himself into an 8th career NHL game. His previous 7 were with draft team Philadelphia Flyers.
He also had a career third 7 fights this past season and that number will likely stay similar.
11th year Swedish-born defenseman Niclas Andersen(38) signed a 1-year 2-way deal with Pittsburgh Penguins for the 2015/2016 season but failed to crack the parent club’s lineup, playing his first full season in North America with affiliate Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
That was all the 28-year needed heading into his first unrestricted free agency status after putting together a decent 4 goals and 10 assists performance with a +6 rating in 69 AHL games as a “rookie.”
The 6’1″ 207 lbs. blue liner is heading back to the KHL signing for 2016/2017 with Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg.
He has already spent one other season in the league in 2012/2013 with Severstal Cherepovets but the majority of his playing time has been 6 years in his home country’s SHL for Brynas IF.
A fairly steady, stay at home d-man it’s almost ironic that he managed 14 points last season, as it’s his 2nd highest points, only beaten in 2014/2015 by a best mark of 5 goals and 17 assists for 22 total.
He also has a 2012 SHL Championship on his resume.
5th year Czech-born center Dominik Uher(92) will continue to pursue his pro career back home in the Czech Extraliga with HC Sparta Praha for 2016/2017.
Set to become a restricted free agent for a 2nd time, the 23-year old may have been in discussions about a new contract that wasn’t really going anywhere considering he appeared in a career low 48 AHL scoring only 5 goals and 8 assists with affiliate Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
He had his best year with the farm club in 2014/2015, when he scored a career high 13 goals and 26 points helping him earn a first NHL recall for a pair of games.
