Florida Panthers‘ 1st round pick in the 2017 draft (#10 overall) rookie right wing Owen Tippett(74) played 7 games in the big league to start 2017/2018 and even scored a 1st NHL goal in his 4 games before being returned for his third OHL season with Mississauga Steelheads.
He was also sent to affiliate Springfield Thunderbirds at the end of that campaign scoring a goal and an assist in 5 AHL games.
The solid 6’1″ 216 lbs. forward spent the entirety of his 4th year in juniors splitting time with Saginaw Spirit and coming up just a point shy of the 75 he put up in successive years as a 2nd and 3rd year skater.
A bit of a late reassignment to the minors, he’s quickly got busy putting up 4 goals and 5 assists in 10 games with a +2 rating that definitely has the 20-year old back on the radar of the parent club.
Tampa Bay Lightning 7th year defenseman Luke Witkowski(28) returned to his draft club on a bit of an odd two-way deal after a pair of seasons away under a one-way contract with Detroit Red Wings., where he scored his first NHL goal.
With 8 games under his belt for 2019/2020 scoring a goal and an assist already for the mostly stay at home d-man , the 27-year old looks well on his way to making his promised $700,000 AAV up in the big league.
Chicago Blackhawks‘ 6th year right wing/center Ryan Carpenter(22) picked up a nice new 3-year deal worth $1M AAV on the opening day of unrestricted free agency and in his first 10 NHL games with his new team has 4 quick assists.
He scored a career high 13 assists and 18 points in his 2nd year with Vegas Golden Knights, his first on a one-way contract.
The 28-year old seems to have found a good choice for home ice and may even help them back into the playoff picture.
Ottawa Senators‘ 1st round pick in the 2016 draft (#11 overall), big 6’6″ 220 lbs. 2nd year center Logan Brown(21) was signed soon after he was selected, then won a Memorial Cup trophy with OHL club Windsor Spitfires.
In his final season of junior hockey, sent back after he played his first 4 NHL games, he had most assists (22) in the playoffs and won bronze at the WJC.
He had a solid first campaign as a rookie for affiliate Belleville Senators scoring 14 goals and 28 assists with a team high +19 for affiliate and also appeared in two more big league games.
Starting the 2019/2020, the 2nd year of his entry level deal with a pair of slides, he was reassigned but got hot quickly with 3 goals and 4 assists in 7 AHL games to earn a quick recall.
The 21-year old has played two more games netting another assist and should be able to play himself into a full-time spot with a bit more effort.
18th year German-born defenseman Dennis Seidenberg(44) signed a one-year deal to continue with New York Islanders for a 3rd season but had a hard time cracking the lineup, so has decided at age 38 to hang up the skates.
Originally a Philadelphia Flyers‘ 6th round pick in the 2001 draft (#172 overall), he has skated 859 NHL games for 6 different teams.
The solid 6′ 199 lbs. blue liner started his pro career with a pair of campaigns for Adler Mannheim and won the 2001 DEL Championship, then was grabbed as a deep selection after his rookie run.
He also grabbed the 2005 Calder Cup with Philadelphia Phantoms, his third year in North America.
6 years later as a member of Boston Bruins, he also claimed a spot on the 2011 Stanley Cup.
No doubt, this is a player who has had a great pro career and earned a crap load of cash.
Ottawa Senators‘ 3rd year center J.C. Beaudin(64) makes his NHL debut skating a very conservative 10 shifts for 6:39 total ice including one shot on net, 0ne hit, one takeaway and he went 100% on the face-off dot but was a -1 rating in a 5-2 win.
The 6’1″ 196 lbs. forward was recalled from affiliate Belleville Senators after only a pair of AHL games with no points but the parent club has seen something potentially valuable in his game to promote.
He was a huge scorer in his 2nd and third seasons with Rouyn-Noranda Huskies ascending to 80+ points in each outing and won the 2016 QMJHL Presidents Cup.
The Colorado Avalanche 3rd round pick in the 2015 draft (#71 overall) also won a 2018 ECHL Kelly Cup Championship with Colorado Eagles.
He was traded near the end of the 2nd year of his entry level deal and is set to become a restricted free agent at the end of the current session.
The 22-year old knows how to win and will definitely bring that to any game.
Washington Capitals‘ 6th year center Nic Dowd(26) posted a career high 8 goals and tying 22 points in 64 NHL games to earn a nice 3-year deal at a very conservative $750,000 AAV, but decent enough for the deep draft pick who just played his 200th game.
He started that ascension just after posting 48 points in his second AHL season to earn a spot on the opening night roster heading into 2016/2017 and despite a trade to Vancouver Canucks before being signed on the opening day of unrestricted free agent to move to the nation’s capital, he’s not looked back.
In 6 appearances so far this season he has 2 goals and an assist so the 29-year old may just put up some new bests right away.
Undrafted 6th year defenseman Robert Shea(92) returns to pro hockey after a season away, joining the Chinese-based club ORG Beijing of the VHL for 2019/2020.
He left after recording a career high 8 goals and 27 assists for 35 points with a +32 rating in 63 ECHL games for Fort Wayne Komets, then added another 9 points in 18 playoff games in 2017/2018.
The 5’11” 198 lbs. former 4-year Bowling Green University blue liner won a 2013 Kelly Cup on an ato with Reading Royals in his debut after completing college.
He’s signed a few AHL contracts but has skated most of his games in the lower league.
The 29-year old got off to a nice start with his new club and has been given a promotion up to the KHL with affiliate Kunlun Red Star, where he just may stick.
Tuscon Roadrunners‘ undrafted rookie defenseman Ryker Killins(43) started his first pro season with affiliate Rapid City Rush and he went right to work scoring a goal and 2 assists in 3 ECHL games to earn a quick recall.
The small but agile 5’9″ 181 lbs. blue liner should be able to do ok in the AHL.
He spent four seasons at Ferris State University but only really put up decent points as a junior, so his sudden scoring streak sort of nicely comes out of nowhere.
After completing his final year of college he signed an ato with South Carolina Stingrays and that’s where his offense started to see the light as he struck for 3 goals and 6 assists with a +7 rating, which eclipsed like two campaigns at school.
The 23-year old will have to work hard to find his spot at the next level but just may do it.
Toronto Maple Leafs‘ 5th round pick in the 2015 draft (#125 overall) 4th year Ukraine-born left wing Dmytro Timashov(41) grabs a spot on the opening night roster, already has a multi-point game and now adds a 1st NHL goal to his early credit.
