5th year goaltender Mark Visentin(29) was looking to possibly kickstart his career signing overseas with Fervarhar AV19 but was limited to one disastrous start before deciding nagging injuries were too much to endure.
He retires having started one NHL game for draft club Arizona Coyotes (0-1, 3.06 GAA and .906 SV%), 89 AHL and 27 ECHL contests to his credit.
The 26-year old definitely had to hang up the skates early but hopefully has found a good life after pro hockey.
9th year left wing Hunter Bishop(61) signed at the beginning of 2018/2019 to play for Belfast Giants after 4 strong campaigns in the EBEL, the last three for HC Innsbruck averaging 20+ goals and 10+ assists, and was doing decently in 34 EIHL games (4-15-19), but as the season wore on was offered a coaching job with the new for 2019/2020 Charleston Colonials of junior hockey USPHL in his adopted hometown in South Carolina and accepted.
Instead of continuing to play pro hockey, the 31-year old decided to opt out of his contract and focus on the future back home.
He initially left for overseas after a first full year in the AHL on extension with Manchester Monarchs and didn’t look back.
The always hard playing forward also has opened the success Hunter Bishop Hockey school to train younger players elevate their game.
Adirondack Thunder‘s Peter MacArthur(16) rounds out an 11-year career with a tidy 32 assist showing and reached 40+ point totals for a fourth time (including career high 63 in 2016/2017), one of those was as a sophomore skater with Rockford Icehogs.
He hangs up his skates having played 190 AHL games, 227 ECHL, 87 DEL and 78 EBEL without ever netting a big time contract despite putting up 147 points in 159 NCAA games while at Boston University.
At 33-years old and the type of time he’s put on the ice, he deserves a nice retirement and it would be little surprise to see him becoming an assistant coach for the upper state New York home town team he spent most of three seasons with.
After 13 years, left wing Jay Rosehill(37) decided it was time to call it a day for pro hockey after 2017/2018.
He leaves after a pair of seasons overseas in the EIHL, where he put up a career high 6 goals before leaving and a best 18 assists and 22 points during his first campaign.
The big forward leaves the game he loves having skated 117 NHL games, including 352 penalty minutes and 32 fighting majors, which is dwarfed by the 33 matchups he had in just one AHL season 2008/2009 and 102 overall battles.
He played 448 games in the lower league and spent only one full season up in the show, 2013/2014 for Philadelphia Flyers but was a healthy scratch more often than not.
Still, the 33 year old had one heck of a good career to look back upon.
Undrafted 5th year right wing Tyler Barnes(7) decides to call it a day after ascending to 20+ goals for a 4th time in the ECHL.
Tying his career high mark of 71 games played, he had a 2nd best 28 goals last season for Worcester Railers.
He’s never quite ascended to the bests he posted as a rookie (34-40-74 in 71 games) but has always been a counted upon scorer.
Signed to AHL deals for the first 3 years pro, he was mostly reassigned but did skate 25 games for Rockford Icehogs in 2016/2017 scoring 4 goals and 3 assists.
The 6′ 194 lbs. forward has seemed to always have a knack for putting up points through 2 years with Waterloo Blackhawks, then four at University Of Wisconsin, where he was a 4 time 10+ assist and 3 time 10+ goal producer.
The 29-year old may be seeming giving up the ghost a little early but could be looking at possibilities in hockey outside of playing the game to pursue.
After 6.5 seasons in a South Carolina Stingrays‘ uniform center Patrick Gaul(22) decides to call it a career at 29-years old.
He has scored exactly 11 goals for the past three campaigns topping off his 4th 20+ point mark to go along with a pair he ascended to 30+ points.
It appears he is taking his Business Administration degree he earned at University Of Notre Dame onto the life as a financial advisor, a job he held on the side during his final run.
We do wonder if the five time assistant captain could be wooed into a coaching role.
Utica Comets‘ defenseman Jaime Sifers(26) calls it at lucky 13 for a career that has spanned 651 AHL and 37 NHL games, along with three successful seasons for Adler Mannheim of DEL from 2011-2014.
He did sign a two-year deal returning to Columbus Blue Jackets after a successful season as an assistant captain with their affiliate upon returning to North America from Germany.
In his first season with new farm club Cleveland Monsters, he just so happened to help his team travel all the way to a 2016 Calder Cup Championship.
With two full years in the minors, he next agreed to spend the next and final two campaigns of his pro hockey life with Utica Comets.
The 36-year old, three-time captain at University Of Vermont has yet to announce what’s next but he could very likely easily step into coaching back at his old school, if that’s a route he decides to take.
17-year veteran net minder Peter Budaj(31) decides it’s finally time to hang up the skates after spending last season mostly with Ontario Reign, while under contract for his 2nd go round to Los Angeles Kings.
He did tend net 3 times with the big club in 2018/2019, which is a nice way to leave the ice after 368 NHL games (158-132-40) with a 2.70 GAA, .904 SV% and 18 shutouts.
The 36-year old may have not won any championships along the way but was part of many big games in his travels.
Cory Ward(11) from Manchester Monarchs and Brian Ward of Adirondack Thunder face-off in game 5 of the ECHL Kelly Cup Playoffs round 1.
Between them, not related they have over 60 AHL games played, including a career high 18 for Brian, who was actually under contract with Binghamton Devils for 2018/2019.
Carolina Hurricanes‘ 5th year Finnish-born left wing Aleksi Saarela(7) received a 1st NHL emergency recall for game 5 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs after posting a career high and team leading 30 goals and 24 assists for 54 points in 69 AHL games for affiliate Charlotte Checkers.
In his debut he skated 15 shifts for 9:10 of total ice with 1 hit and 1 giveaway in a 6-0 drubbing.
The 5’10” 200 lbs. speedy forward with good hands was reassigned back to the minors to help the farm club in their first round Calder Cup series.
Originally a New York Rangers‘ 3rd round pick in the 2015 draft (#89 overall) he was traded as he was putting up his best numbers back home.
He started his pro career with three years of Liiga playing two campaigns for Assat, then a season on loan to Lukko. after playing all of his junior hockey in Finland.
The 22-year old is signed to a three year entry level deal.
He’s under contract through 2019/2020.
