4th year defenseman Rick Pinkston(7) is forced into early retirement due to a nagging injury after grabbing a career high 4 goals and 28 assists for 32 points with a +18 rating in 52 EIHL games.
No determination has been made what he’ll do post-hockey career but his 4-year degree from Dartmouth College will likely help the 28-year old as he transitions.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins‘ 2nd year Latvian-born left wing Renars Krastenbergs(12) gets an extension to play in the system for another season despite not appearing in any AHL games as a rookie.
He spent all of his ice time with affiliate Wheeling Nailers scoring a very solid 19 goals and 25 assists for 44 points with a -17 rating on a non-playoff club.
The 5’11” 183 lbs. forward was given a contract initially off a training camp invite after showing some scoring punch with 2nd year junior club Oshawa Generals of the OHL and it should be expected the still super young 20-year old will graduate and play the majority of his games this season with the team.
Undrafted 5th year left wing Josh MacDonald(86) takes a career best 28 goals and tied 29 assists in 62 ECHL games for Reading Royals and a first ever loan up to affiliate Lehigh Valley Phantoms for 8 AHL appearances to a new adventure signing for 2019/2020 with SoderjyskE of Metal Ligaen.
The 5’11” 190 lbs. forward has been a consistent scorer through 207 ECHL games (76 goals, 83 assists).
He was also a decent scorer through 4 campaigns in the OHL, with Barrie Colts then Peterborough Petes, posting 20+ goals on two occasions.
The 25-year will likely put up the numbers and probably elevate himself to another level over there in a season.
4th year net minder Michael Garteig(34) takes a super-solid season guarding the cage for 1st season 2019 Kelly Cup Champion Newfoundland Growlers to a new job undertaking similar duties across the way with Tappara of Liiga.
It was quite the rebound for a goalie who had a less than good 2nd ECHL campaign with Kalamazoo Wings and next found a home with the Canadian club.
His 23-14 record helped the team to a best division record for home seed and then went 16-6 in the playoffs with a 2.19 GAA and .928 SV% and stood on his head at times to help them win the entire thing.
He was signed midseason by Toronto Marlies and had a pair of impressive starts for a 1-1 mark and 2.52 GAA and .917 SV%, when recalled.
The 27-year old should do well in Finland’s top league and may be arriving overseas.
Vaxjo Lakers‘ 8th year center Brendan Shinnimin(24) re-signs for a 3rd season after virtual even 30+ point seasons and helping them win the 2018 SHL Championship in his first campaign for the club.
The 28-year old former 2012 CHL Player Of The Year and Top Scorer Award with 134 points seems to have found a pretty nice home and number one seeds don’t suck.
Almost crazy land nuts, 12th year defenseman Tim Erixon(3) decides it’s time to return home signing a two-year deal with Vaxjo Lakers of the SHL, a league he spent the first three years of his pro career in with one-time junior club Skelleftea IK.
The high draft pick leaves after signing a pair of minor league contracts and a return to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins last season, although he found himself on the wrong side of more than a few healthy scratches due to his veteran status and played only 28 times.
He leaves after 331 AHL games scoring 22 goals and 143 assists with a +44 rating and 93 NHL appearances (2-12-14).
The 28-year old did decently enough through 4 big league deals but at this point in his career will likely flourish in Sweden.
9th year center Andy Miele(21) returns to North American pro hockey after a successful campaign for Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod scoring 16 goals and 16 assists in 61 KHL games, which followed up his first jaunt overseas, a bit of an uneven season in the SHL with a couple of different teams.
The now 31-year old has only played 15 NHL games (2 assists) but could get very close or pass 500 AHL contests in 2019/2020 with 119 goals and 249 assists.
New York Islanders‘ 7th year team captain Anders Lee(27) signs on as an unrestricted free agent for another 7 seasons with the blue and orange.
The deep 2009 draft pick has played in the system ever since graduating from University Of Notre Dame and potting a goal and an assist in his first 2 NHL games.
He’s basically always been a goal scorer potting 20+ goals through 4 seasons (34 & 40 on two occasions) and 20+ assists three times and a career high 62 points in 2017/2018.
The 29-year old is definitely the chosen leader of his long time squad and just may lead them to another Stanley Cup before he’s done.
Undrafted 3rd year defenseman Sean Flanagan(3) takes his game overseas signing a 1-year deal with Herning Blue Fox of Metal Ligaen for 2019/2020.
The 6’1″ 181 lbs. blue liner put up almost identical 3 goal and 20+ assist marks in two ECHL seasons with Greenville Swamp Rabbits and Fort Wayne Komets.
He was a two-time 2014 & 2015 NCAA/WCHA Champion as a freshman and sophomore with Minnesota State University/Mankato.
The 27-year old Canadian-born d-man should do well in Denmark’s top league and continue to move up over there.
