9th year right wing Brodie Reid(21) has been exercising a pattern, two years for each Erstebank Eishockey Liga team before he needs to find a new home.
He spent his first pair of seasons away from home with HC Bolzano Foxes scoring a career high 26 goals and 48 points in his 2nd campaign, then signed to Dornbirner EC and notched a new best 29 assists and solid 47 points in the next frame.
The 30-year old definitely likes his Austrian pro hockey as he signs on for a 5th season in the league with Villacher SV. and has 8 goals and 20 assists in 35 games with a -11 rating.
Undrafted 3rd year center Pierre-Luc Messier(21) signed at the beginning of the new session with Orlando Solar Bears but after only one game was released and quickly agreed to terms with nearby Jacksonville Icemen, where he skated 29 ECHL games scoring 10 goals and 11 assists with a +1 rating.
The 6’1″ 180 lbs. scrappy forward posted a career high 34 assists and 47 points last season with Rapid City Rush and Manchester Monarchs.
He opts out of his current deal to sign with HK Poprad of Slovak Tipsport Liga for the remainder of 2019/2020 and should do well in that country’s top league.
The 27-year old, former 10+ assists in all four campaigns at Bowling Green University may just be starting his new pro hockey journey.
10th year center C.J. Stretch(12) has three times scored 20+ goals, 4 times reached 30+ assists, four times ascended to 60+ points (three of those in Germany’s tier 2) and last season had a meager 51 as assistant captain for Orli Znojmo of EBEL.
The power forward signs with MAC Ujbuda of Slovakia Tipsport Liga for 2019/2020 and has continued to put up good numbers with 14 goals and 13 assists through 39 games, although he’s a bit of a miserable -14.
He did see a 62 point season with Ontario Reign of the ECHL, his third year pro.
His new best scoring 28 goals and 37 assists for 65 points in his 2nd campaign for Lowen Franfort comes a year after winning the 2017 DEL2 Championship.
The 30-year old is easily still having fun playing and contributing.
Undrafted 5th year right wing Casey Bailey(19) started the new season under contract with South Carolina Stingrays but a month in scored 8 goals and 3 assists in 9 ECHL games with a +10 rating to earn an easy loan up to Charlotte Checkers, where in 5 AHL contests he had a goal and 2 assists.
The big 6’3″ 194 lbs. forward returned from an unsuccessful KHL campaign for HC Slovan Bratislava but was obviously eyeing a return and a couple of weeks later after being released from his pto signed for the remainder of 2019/2020 with Vaxjo Lakers.
He’s off to a decent start with 3 goals and 3 assists in 14 SHL games with a -6 rating.
The 28-year old could catch fire to stick in Sweden’s top league but if he doesn’t it’s a bit of a wonder where he’ll look next to play.
6th year defenseman Eric Knodel(36) signed a new 2-way contract in the offseason with Lehigh Valley Phantoms but likely saw most of his role to being on reassignment to affiliate Reading Royals, where he had just under 300 games played in the ECHL, now at 307.
The very sizable d-man has been a top scorer in the league and named 2019 Defenseman Of The Year with 30+ assist seasons in the last two for Cincinnati Cyclones and is off and running with 22 helpers in 28 games including a +15 rating.
He was recalled just after the new year and in 7 AHL games has 3 assists, including a 2-point effort with a +3, so may just be cutting out a spot in the lineup one-step away from the NHL city he grew up next to and where he’s still looking for a first goal.
It would be little surprise to see the 29-year old former University Of New Hampshire blue liner continue to accept minor league contracts going forward.
7th year right wing Shawn O’Donnell(82) starts the new season with Allen Americans and puts up a goal and 2 assists but decides to split for DEL2 joining Ravensburg Towerstars for the remainder of 2019/2020.
He spent all of last season journeying back to earn a contract from original club Hartford Wolf Pack after scoring an ECHL career high 19 goals and 44 points with Cincinnati Cyclones.
Appearing in 53 AHL games, he scored 3 goals and 5 assists, which maybe wasn’t quite enough to earn more than an invite to Iowa Wild camp, which also turned into a shot to attend Minnesota Wild camp but not a contract.
The 31-year old could get hot in Germany’s tier two league and earn a promotion up to a DEL team.
11th year left wing Pierre Cedric Labrie(23) leaves North American pro hockey for a first time signing with Eisbaren Berlin for 2019/2020.
In 38 DEL games he has 7 goals and 8 assists, which seems a bit off from what he should be putting up but has a +3 so is fully accountable out there.
The 32-year old veteran forward of 629 AHL and 46 NHL games, who spent last year as a wrecking ball for Wichita Thunder in the ECHL amassing 180 penalty minutes scoring 19 goals, new best 28 assists and 47 points could settle in Germany but may look around if he decides to continue.
Kolner Haie‘s 9th year right wing Jason Akeson(19) signed up for a 2nd season with the team after scoring a tidy 16 goals and 26 assists in 52 DEL games.
He initially left for the KHL but returned to re-join Binghamton Senators on an minor league deal and went on to score 20 goals and 31 assists in 57 AHL games.
The speedy forward with great hands stayed to start 2017/2018 with Syracuse Crunch on a tryout agreement but was released after 11 games and left a month later for the SHL, agreeing to terms with Mora IK.
At 29-years old, he may permanently settle in Germany’s top league, though is off his marks from last season but still doing decently though 36 games with 7 goals and 17 assists with a +1 rating.
Florida Panthers‘ 6th year goaltender Chris Driedger(60) was maybe a little unexpectedly signed as back-up late last season as he was tending the cage for affiliate Springfield Thunderbirds.
Before the season was even up, the parent club was liking what they were seeing as he led the AHL with a 2.45 GAA and re-upped him on a 2-year 2-way extension but let him play out the season in the minors.
Recalled just before the 2nd month of the schedule was to get underway, he made his first NHL start.
The very sizable net minder pitched up a shutout in his return after his last disastrous outing in 2016 with Ottawa Senators and has effectively played his way to back-up duties sporting a very user friendly 5-2 record with a 2.35 GAA and .932 SV%.
Not bad for the still young 25-year old, who just last season played 12 games in the ECHL.
