9th year right wing Bobby Butler(15) signs a 2nd AHL deal since returning from a year in the SHL with MODO and another season in the KHL splitting time between Medvescak Zagreb and Toredo Nizhny Novgorod.
In his return lacing up for Milwaukee Admirals, he did what he basically always has done in the minors scoring 20+ goals (24) and 20+ assists (21).
It’s only 10 games into the new season but he already has 2 goals and 3 assists, so is well on his way to matching previous point marks with his new club, the closer to home Hartford Wolf Pack.
The now 31-year old has played under NHL deals for original contract team Ottawa Senators, then New Jersey Devils and finally Florida Panthers.
He has 130 games to his credit with a very decent 20 goals and 29 assists.
It’s doubtful he reaches the big league again but winning a 2nd Calder Cup Trophy has to be on his list to accomplish.
His first was the absolute dream run of Binghamton Senators in 2011.
Carolina Hurricanes‘ 5th round pick in the 2014 draft (#127 overall) 3rd year center Clark Bishop(11) maybe got a bit of an unexpected 1st NHL recall early in his restricted free agent season after getting off to a hot start (1 goal, 2 assists) with affiliate Charlotte Checkers.
Not bad for a player who split time as a rookie with the farm club and further down the chain with Florida Everblades of the ECHL.
The 6′ 192 lbs. forward rebounded nicely as a sophomore skate scoring 7 goals and 21 assists with a +13 in 68 AHL games last campaign.
As a two-time captain for Cape Breton Screaming Eagles, he was always a decent point getter in the QMJHL but not exactly detonating the score sheet.
The 22-year old should be able to continue to impress and should likely grab more games in the big league, which should lead to a nice contract extension.
Philadelphia Flyers‘ 2nd round pick in the 2014 draft (#48 overall) right wing Nicolas Aube-Kubel(62) gets a 1st NHL recall after starting the season hot with affiliate Lehigh Valley Phantoms firing off 3 goals and 4 assists in 8 AHL games with a +6 rating.
The 5’11” 187 lbs. forward is simply adding to career high totals he posted in 2017/2018, when he struck for 18 goals and 28 assists, 46 points in 72 contests with a +24, good enough for third on team scoring and 1st plus/minus.
In his first pair of big league games he skated an average of 10 shifts for roughly a conservative 7 minutes of ice time with 1 shot on net and 6 hits dished in two team wins.
He was very decent marking up the score sheet through 4 years with Val-d’Or Foreurs getting more than a point-per-game in his final two seasons and helped them with the 2014 QMJHL Championship as a 2nd year player.
The 22-year old is set to become a restricted free agent as his three-year entry level deal is up at the end of the current campaign but will likely extend for at least continued look.
Boston Bruins‘ 15th year Slovakian-born net minder Jaroslav Halak(41) signed a generous new 2-year deal on the opening day of unrestricted free agency.
The kind of small-sized 5’11” 185 lbs. goaltender was coming off a difficult extended run with New York Islanders that showed even on a marginal squad he was able to post decent numbers, while playing a full-slate of games.
Originally a Montreal Canadiens‘ 9th round pick in the 2003 draft (#271 overall), he has played 456 NHL games but worked himself up through a solid effort as a rookie in the AHL and ECHL.
The 33-year old already has an outstanding record of 4-0-2 with a 1.52 GAA and .952 SV% and two shutouts proving he still has plenty left in the tank as he competes for a top spot with his new club.
New York Islanders‘ 1st round pick in the 2016 draft (#19 overall) left wing Keiffer Bellows(15) was reassigned maybe a little early to affiliate Bridgeport Sound Tigers but it’s likely they likely felt the point-per-game skater for Portland Winterhawks of the WHL was in need of some minor league seasoning before he’s ready to play in the show.
The 6’1″ 195 lbs. forward is off to a decent start with a goal and 2 assists in 9 AHL games but really looks to gain steam and start popping that puck in the net with more frequency as he skates hard and plays a full-on style.
Taking a bit of an odd route to turning pro, he started with a pair of campaigns in the USHL, first with Sioux Falls Stampede, where he won the 2015 Clark Cup Championship, then went onto to a year with the USNTDP club leading to Boston University.
He lasted only one season of college hockey before splitting for more ice time in Canadian juniors.
At just 20-years old with a nice three-year entry level deal signed, it really looks like he’ll grow into his game, not unlike his dad, Brian Bellows, a veteran of 1,188 NHL games.
Toronto Maple Leafs‘ 5th year right wing Connor Brown(28) scored himself a handsome 3-year extension after getting a career high 20 goals and 16 assists for 38 points with a +3 rating in a full slate of 82 NHL games as he was entering his first restricted free agency.
He is currently in the 2nd season of the new deal and his numbers did tick down slightly in 2017/2018 (14-14-28) but he’s an effective checker and definitely has the ability to mark up the scoresheet.
The 24-year old has a goal and 3 assists in 10 games this season but numbers may not be the only look at his game.
Calgary Flames‘ 4th year center Austin Czarnik(27) signs a new 2-year deal with his new club at $1.25M AAV as unrestricted free agency opens.
He was a group 6 UFA after his one-year extension with original contract team Boston Bruins expired and wasn’t getting the opportunities with the big club he was looking for, so decided to look around and was inked on the opening day of unrestricted free agency.
The small but effective up front forward has skated 8 NHL games in 2018/2019 and scored a goal and 2 assists.
At 25-years old he could just be getting his footing together now that he’s with a club that believes in his abilities.
Tampa Bay Lightning 4th round pick in the 2015 draft (#120 overall) right wing Mathieu Joseph(7) started his sophomore season on the opening night roster after posting huge numbers as a rookie, leading affiliate Syracuse Crunch in assists (38) and points (53) with a +10 rating in 70 AHL games, then added another 7 points (3-4) in 7 Calder Cup Playoff contests.
The 6’1″ 190 lbs. forward was a more than point-per-game scorer during his last pair of campaigns for Saint Johns Sea Dogs and helped them win the 2017 QMJHL Championship with the most assists and points for any player during the playoffs.
Another awesome feat he accomplished before turning pro was his +87 rating in junior hockey.
The 21-year old is a bit unassuming putting up huge stats but consistently plays a very tough, hard checking, overall game, which adds to his depth.
In 8 NHL games he has only 1 assist but it could be just a slow start to get adjusted to the faster pace at the higher level.
Boston Bruins‘ 2nd round pick in the 2015 draft (#52 overall) defenseman Jeremy Lauzon(79) gets an emergency recall from affiliate Providence Bruins and gets into his first NHL game, a 3-0 victory.
He was off to a good start on reassignment grabbing a goal and 3 assists in 6 AHL games.
The very decently sized 6’1″ 204 lbs. blue liner skated 16 shifts for a healthy 11:25 total ice, which included much penalty kill time (1:47), 2 hits, 1 breakup, 1 takeaway.
As a third year player for Rouyn-Noranda Huskies he unloaded 40 assists, then added another 8 points in 9 playoff games en route to the 2016 QMJHL Championship.
Through 200 games in junior hockey he also held down a monster +81 rating.
The 21-year old is off to a nice start to his first trip up to the big league and may make it tough to reassign him back to the farm.
Undrafted 4th year defenseman Curtis Leonard(10) decides to take his game overseas joining Belfast Giants for 2018/2019.
In 12 EIHL games, he already has a goal and 4 assists.
The fairly big 6’3″ 202 lbs. blue liner had a career year, his third for Fort Wayne Komets, grabbing 18 assists and 21 points in 71 ECHL games with a monster +34 rating.
He was never actually a big scorer through four years at RPI but came in having won the 2011 OJHL Championship, tier 2 junior hockey in Canada and dishing 20 helpers that season.
At 26-years old he may have found a nice home for hockey where he’s at, but if he does well, look for him to move up a notch.
