Category: Europe

01Dec

Joseph LaBate (16)

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7th year left wing Joseph LaBate(16) signed a 1-year AHL deal with Milwaukee Admirals for 2021/2022 and is off to a nice 2 goal in 4 game start.

The very big 6’5″ 217 lbs. forward played 4 years at University Of Wisconsin Badgers, averaging 20 points per season before signing his 2-year entry deal with draft club, Vancouver Canucks (round 4, 2011, #101 overall).

He stayed with them for three campaigns and did play 13 NHL games (no points) before becoming a group 6 free agent and signing the first of three minor league contracts with Belleville Senators.

It was his 2nd run with the club, when he put up his best numbers, just a couple seasons ago, a tying 10 goals and best 16 assists and 26 points with a +19 rating.

The 28-year old, Eagan, MN native has to be looking overseas for his next play and could likely do incredibly well with that big frame.

He comes away with 5 goals and 7 assists in 56 games last season and decides to stick around, signing for 2022/2023 with Chicago Wolves.

In 53 games, he walks with a new best 11 goals and 11 assists with a +3 rating and will take that fortune to a new KHL cal with Barys Astana for 2023/2024, as he enters his 9th pro season.

For his 10th year playing pro hockey, he returns from 8 goals and 10 assists in 49 games to sign pto with Cleveland Monsters to make the team for 2024/2025.

He scores 1 goal and 3 assists in 5 games and he gets himself signed to a 1-year, 2-way contract by the parent club, Columbus Blue Jackets.

29Nov

Anthony Greco (28)

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6th year right wing Anthony Greco(28) receives the nod from 2nd year club New York Rangers to come up and skate an NHL game.

In his debut (2nd overall all game in the league), he played 14 shifts for 9:44 ice time with 5 shots on net, 1 block and 1 giveaway.

He was the leading goal scorer in 2018/2019, while under a 2nd contract to Florida Panthers, for affiliate Springfield Thunderbirds, getting 30 goals and 59 points.

The 5’10” 172 lbs. forward originally signed a minor league deal with this team, but was up to a 2-year entry level contract, when he produced as a rookie.

He had a good 4 years at Ohio State University Buckeyes, leading them as a senior captain.

The 28-year old has 93 goals and 108 assists in 320 AHL games and sure would love to play himself into a spot up.

After putting up a career best 39 assists and tying his 59 points from a few years ago, he isn’t waiting around to see if he be re-signed as a ufa and signs a 1-year deal with Frolunda HC.

He is easily the type of player that could put up huge numbers in the SHL.

In his 2nd season with HC Linkoping, he does reasonably well, but gets an opportunity to play the KHL and signs with HC Lada Togliatti for 2024/2025.

After 19 games without much pop, he decides to head to the much friendlier NL for his next hockey and signs with EHC Biel-Bienne.

28Nov

Jerry D’Amigo (74)

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13th year left wing Jerry D’Amigo(74) stays in DEL for a 2nd straight season, but leaves an alright frame with Düsseldorfer EG to sign with rivals Loewen Frankfort for 2022/2023.

He briefly returned home for a season, signing with Orlando Solar Bears after his 1st pair of years in Germany’s top league, which followed a some ok frames in Liiga, where he split time with a couple teams.

The 5’11” 201 lbs., originally a 2009 Toronto Maple Leafs‘ 6th round NHL draft pick (#158 overall) is bit streaky scoring, but did manage 10+ goals 4 times in the AHL and once hit 20 with 6 seasons of 10+ assists to go along with.

At 31-years old, the Binghamton, NY native, who only did 1 year at RPI Engineers, lightly up Atlantic Hockey, is likely pretty happy to still be signing good contracts.

After 4 seasons in Germany and 2 in Finland, it’s time to come back and sign with a team that has some sunny weather going for it year round, agreeing to terms with Jacksonville Icemen for the rest of 2023/2024.

He has a decent season, leading in the ECHL, but is ready for more adventures overseas and signs with a 3rd new league, the tough to play Slovak Extraliga, signing with HK 32 Liptovsky Mikulas.

27Nov

Joe Cannata (35)

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12th year net minder Joe Cannata(35) switches up 4 seasons in Sweden, 3 with IK Oskarshamn of the SHL, loading some decent enough stats, but will go for something new and tend net in 2023/2024 for Lowen Frankfort of DEL.

Originally a Vancouver Canucks‘ 6th round pick in the 2009 draft (#173 overall), the 6’1″ 201 lbs. goalie was in the system for 4 years.

He would next bounce to Washington Capitals, then eventually Colorado Avalanche, where he would play shutdown for affiliate Colorado Eagles, going 21-5-2 with a 2.22 GAA and .931 SV% in the regular season, then backstopping a 2018 Kelly Cup Championship.

In his 1st year overseas, he basically won all the league awards in HockeyAllsvenskan.

The 33-year old, former Merrimack College Warriors from nearby Wakefield, MA probably has a little smile on his face how his hockey is still going.

He does ok for himself in a German net, but has decided to return to playing hockey much closer to home, signing a 1-year ECHL deal with Norfolk Admirals.

After 5 games in net and things maybe not going quite as well as he may have wanted, he decides he is heading back overseas and signs with Villacher SV in IceHL.

21Nov

Chase Zieky (25)

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Undrafted rookie right wing Chase Zieky(25) didn’t play last season, but decided to jump in 2021/2022 and signed with Idaho Steelheads.

He managed to put up 12 goals and 5 assists in 38 ECHL games, but was surrendered as compensation for an earlier trade and sent to Greenville Swamp Rabbits.

The 5’10” 187 lbs. forward seems to like his new team, as he grabbed an assist in his 2nd appearance, then a pair of goals in the follow-up.

After finishing up high school locally, the Avon, CT native went north for his only session of juniors lighting it up for Salmon Arms Silverbacks with 28 goals and 24 assists in 49 BCHL games.

He followed it up by heading to Providence College Friars, but in 2 seasons only figured in a handful of contests, so entered the transfer portal and arrived as a junior at RPI Engineers.

Arriving at his new school, he figured in the mix with his new club and as a senior posted a college career best 16 assists and 23 points with a +4 rating.

The 26-year old really seems to be just getting it started.

He would finish his rookie session with 3 goals and an assist in 6 games and only appeared in a single playoff game, but left with a +1, so he will stay in North Carolina to see if he can help ignite this club to the next level.

In a full season with his 3rd team in the league, Maine Mariners, he posts a much better 2nd frame with 17 goals and 20 assists in 50 games with a +5 rating, but he’s maybe a little anxious for more, so signs for 1-year with Rapaces de Gap of Ligue Magnus for 2024/2025.

He lasts all of 3 games in France and wants to return to his home-away-from-home, Maine.

21Nov

Mitchell Fossier (49)

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Rockford Icehogs‘ rookie left wing Mitchell Fossier(49) currently has a three-game scoring streak going pushing his totals for 2021 to 4 goals and 3 assists in 17 AHL games.

The former University Of Maine Black Bears‘ captain put up huge numbers as a senior notching 32 assists and 42 points with a +16 rating in 34 games with no playoffs possible.

Undrafted, the sturdy 6′ 188 lbs. forward had pretty big stats through 4 years of college, grabbing 38 goals and 90 assists in 134 NCAA Hockey East games.

He had similar success through a pair of campaigns at juniors, first in the NAHL with Janesville Jets, then moving up to the USHL to play for Sioux City Musketeers.

The 24-year old is finding his footing at exactly the right time.

Hello Chicago Blackhawks!

He finished his rookie run with 8 points in 19 games with a bit of a sad -9 rating to conclude 2020/2021.

The Alpharetta, GA native has decided to try his game in Slovak Extraliga for 2021/2022, signing a one-year deal with HC Banska Bystrica, and we’re thinking he could strike some gold in Slovakia’s top hockey.

He heads back from a season overseas to sign with the pro team in the same state as his college team, Maine Mariners for 2022/2023 after a decent 15 goal, 12 assist in 38 game showing in Slovakia.

It will be his debut ECHL season and he should do well.

He puts up more than point-per-game numbers: 21 goals and 36 assists in 47 games, but finds himself caught in a trade that sends him to Atlanta Gladiators, where he has signed for 2023/2024 and will likely continue to do just as well as he did in his last frame.

His numbers are point-per-game to earn him a loan up to San Jose Barracuda for 4 games with 1 assist and a +1 rating.

He will take last season over to the EIHL for 2024/2025, signing with Nottingham Panthers, which should keep him on the scoresheet.

15Nov

Nicolas Guay (91)

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3rd year right wing Nicolas Guay(91) returns rather quickly for a little overseas pro hockey experiment in Slovak Extraliga with HC Nove Zamky to sign with the team he has spent 108 ECHL games with Trois Rivieries Lions for the now remainder of 2024/2025.

He was a pretty big scorer as a rookie with 12 goals and 35 assists in a full load of 72 games.

The 6′ 185 lbs. forward did most of 5 years in the QMJHL before heading to 2 seasons at University Of New Brunswick Reds, scoring big in his 2nd frame.

From Chataeuguay, QC, the 25-year old must have missed his hockey closer to home.

14Nov

Jake Smith (24)

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5th year right wing Jake Smith(24) doesn’t seem to be bothered finding the net, regardless of the ECHL team he may be paired with at the moment.

The 5’10” 170 lbs. took a bit of a weird path, starting with 2 QMJHL seasons, then switching to the OHL and heading to a year at Carlton University Ravens before turning pro.

He started as a rookie in the SPHL, but would eventually split for a short run in Germany3 with Starbulls Rosenheim, a team he oddly played a year of youth hockey with, considering his birth place is Pickering, ON.

Returning, he skated the COVID-busted season in the league and would do well enough to score a look in the higher league.

He started with Kansas City Mavericks, but failed to connect and took up with Iowa Heartlanders and the scoring wasn’t immediate, but eventually pulled in for 25 goals and 25 assists in 52 games.

There’s little doubt he can score in the league, but could definitely use more on ice accountability.

The 26-year old seems to have found a good spot with Reading Royals, good for 7 goals and 5 assists in 19 games, but a lowly -12.

It takes a little while, but he signs a 1-year deal to stay in a Royals’ jersey for 2024/2025.

14Nov

Filip Forsmark (19)

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Merrimack College Warriors‘ Swedish-born senior center Filip Forsmark(19) signs a 1st ato deal with Allen Americans.

The 5’11” 176 lbs. forward 3 times had 10+ assists and once 10+ goals in college.

We think he finds more room to score in the ECHL.

The 25-year old did 2 USHL years of juniors with Tri City Storm and was drafted after the 1st campaign, but ended up posted 38 assists with a +37 rating a year later.

He plays only 2 games to finish out last season and for 2024/2025 and signs with Atlanta Gladiators to get his pro career started.

After 4 game, he isn’t finding his footing and gets waived to sign a new pro contract to start his pro game in Sweden’s tier 3 Hockeyettan, signing with IF Troja Ljungby.

09Nov

Max Lundgren (47)

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Merrimack College Warriors‘ Swedish-born, sophomore net minder Max Lundgren(47) picked up a 2nd big win of the 2024/2025 season, a 4-1 over University Of Connecticut Huskies to start the weekend and grabbed 1st player of the night honors.

The big 6’5″ 229 lbs. goalie did all of his youth hockey back home and even started 1 HockeyAllsvenskan game quite successfully before coming over for a single year of USHL junior hockey.

We expect the 22-year old to continue to push for the starter’s job.