3rd year right wing Jack Rodewald(12) started his sophomore season on reassignment to Wichita Thunder but after another 6 ECHL games scoring 5 goals and 3 assists with a +2 rating was quickly recalled to contract team Binghamton Senators, where he put up a career high 18 goals and 9 assists in 66 AHL games.
As a rookie he played most of the season for Orlando Solar Bears after being sent down from Toronto Marlies, where he signed his first pro contract after 4 campaigns in the WHL, 2 with Regina Pats and 2 with Moose Jaw Warriors.
He was a very prolific scorer in his last 2 years of juniors.
The 6’3″ 193 lbs. forward started the new calendar hot on an extension with new Ottawa Senators‘ affiliate Belleville Senators.
His offensive explosion and tenacious play caught the eye of the big club who signed him to a 2-year entry level deal and he was recalled two days later.
In 4 NHL games he failed to register a point playing an average of 10 shifts for under 10 minutes of total ice but dished out 5 hits, has 2 takeaways, 2 breakups, 2 giveaways and 2 penalty minutes in 1-2-1 results.
Despite being returned to the minors, the 23-year old must still be riding high from the whirlwind experience and will likely play twice as hard as he has to earn another chance.
6th year defenseman Bretton Stamler(4) makes a late decision to join Ritten/Renon of AlpsHL for 2017/2018.
He had a very decent last season as captain with Frederikshavn White Hawks of Metal Ligaen, where he scored 3 goals, 9 assists and had a +6 rating.
The 30-year old will likely continue to do well in the Austria-based league.
6th year left wing Kyle Jean(71) decides to head back overseas for 2017/2018 after a pair of successful seasons with Idaho Steelheads.
In 130 ECHL regular season and playoff games he scored 28 goals and 53 assists with a 0 rating and 298 shots on net.
A month into the new calendar he signs with Ritten/Renon of the AlpsHL, where when he arrives should literally start exploding the scoresheet.
If that happens, we’ll see where hockey takes the 27-year old next.
7th year defenseman Matt Donovan(15) signed on for a 2nd season with Frolunda HC of the SHL after a successful first run with the team scoring a goal and 14 assists with a +5 rating, and a 2017 Champions Hockey League tournament title.
He first left North American pro hockey as a 2nd time group 6 unrestricted free agent after a season under contract with Buffalo Sabres but was reassigned for the entire campaign to affiliate Rochester Americans.
The one-time New York Islanders‘ draft pick stayed with the team for 4 years, playing a career high 52 NHL games in the 2013/2014 campaign getting 2 goals and 14 assists.
He appeared in 15 other big league contests with the team and also skated a pair of playoff appearances.
The 27-year old is off to a nice start this season and could very well stay in Sweden.
New York Rangers‘ undrafted 5th year Russian-born defenseman Alexei Bereglazov(51) has decided it’s better to return to his hometown team to continue to development after 13 AHL games with affiliate Hartford Wolf Pack (1 goal, 3 assists, +1 rating).
He has played all his hockey (162 KHL games) up until this season for Metallurg Magnitogorsk doing quite admirably with 5 goals, 28 assists and a +33 rating.
The big 6’4″ 205 lbs. blue liner was also part of the 2016 Gagarin Cup Championship.
Signed to a 2-year entry level deal through 2019, it will be interesting to see if the 23-year old will return or eventually be unqualified or bought out as his contract expires.
12th year right wing Adam Cracknell(28) started the season on the opening night roster of Dallas Stars with a brand new one-way deal after playing a career high 69 NHL games scoring 10 goals and 6 assists for 16 points with a +9 rating on a non-playoff team.
A couple of days later he was waived for reassignment to affiliate Texas Stars but failed to make it as New York Rangers decided to step in a pick up his cap friendly contract.
The fairly large 6’2″ 218 lbs. power forward lasted only four games before being waived again and sent to farm club Hartford Wolf Pack.
Almost oddly he has yet to mark the score sheet but once that gets established it should continue.
The 32-year old is a veteran of 208 games in the big league grabbing 21 goals and 22 assists with a +4 and 424 AHL games getting 97 goals and 123 assists with a +15.
Seems like that might be the grab on the former Calgary Flames‘ 9th round pick (#279 overall) he’s definitely very accountable when he’s out there.
He spent his first three years playing in their system but was probably first regarded when he signed with St. Louis Blues and spent four pivotal seasons.
Tough to say what’s next but we’re having fun watching him play in the Northeast.
9th year defenseman Kevin Marshall(46) was all set to start his third season with Rogle BK but things didn’t shake out from the start and after four games he was loaned down to IK Oskarshamn and things didn’t seem to improve.
Never one to really ever dot the score sheet, he was coming off a year that he matched his career high 3 goals but was also a -8 rating in 52 SHL games.
The 6’1″ 201 lbs. blue liner has decided it’s best to take his game elsewhere and signs for the remainder of 2017/2018 with Dusseldorfer EG of DEL.
He should do well in the top German league if he puts his mind to it.
Almost hard to believe the former Philadelphia Flyers‘ prospect is 28-years old.
After only 8 AHL games on a pto with Grand Rapids Griffins (1 goal, 1 assist), undrafted 4th year left wing Matt Carey(22) decides to split to Allsvenskan signing for the remainder of the calendar with Leksands IF.
The 6’1″ 202 lbs. forward initially signed a two-year entry level deal with Chicago Blackhawks after only one year of playing at St. Lawrence University.
He skated 2 games in the big league after leaving college and scored his first and only NHL goal.
For his official rookie campaign he was reassigned to affiliate Rockford Icehogs scoring 10 goals and 11 assists with a -4 rating but added no points in 2 playoff contests.
He was left unqualified after 2014/2015 and next agreed to a one-year deal with Iowa Wild but spent most of the season on reassignment to Quad City Mallards, where in 49 ECHL games he was close to a point-per-game guy (25 goals, 22 assists).
Those lower league totals were significant enough for Hartford Wolf Pack to offer him a contract.
He appeared in a career high 73 games grabbing a new best 21 goals and 29 points but was not retained.
The 25-year old should do outstanding in Sweden’s tier two league and play himself up into some better hockey overseas.
4th year defenseman Brady Austin(3) was left without a qualifying offer from draft team Buffalo Sabres as his three-year entry level deal was expiring.
Unable to pick up a new big league deal the very sizable blue liner agreed to a pto with Cleveland Monsters.
One month in and he rightfully picks up a standard player contract.
He is seemingly off to a bit of a hot start (1 goal, 2 assists in 6 AHL games) for a d-man that isn’t ever known for picking up lots of points.
It’s very possible the 24-year old will take his game to a new level in the minors and play himself into a spot where he gets another NHL look or sets up the best possible overseas league as his new path.
Laval Rocket 7th year defenseman Eric Gelinas(2) signed his first minor league deal since being a New Jersey Devils‘ 2nd round pick in the 2009 draft (#54 overall) and going on to play 3 full seasons in the NHL.
He did relatively well in 2013/2014 scoring 7 goals and 22 assists in 60 games with a -3 but his numbers dropped to 6 goals, 13 assists in 61 appearances for the next campaign.
The big 6’4″ 225 lbs. blue liner was dealt to Colorado Avalanche shortly after signing a tidy two-year deal and things continue to go south, as he was reassigned down to affiliate San Antonio Rampage for a split session.
At 26-years old he found himself as an unrestricted free agent invited to attend Montreal Canadiens‘ training camp but was released and reported to their affiliate, where he agreed to terms.
It’s highly doubtful the former 2011 QMJHL Champion will stick around for more than a single season, as heading over to Europe would likely see him play a bit higher level of hockey and give him more money.
