12th year right wing Steve Moses(12) returned to the 1st place he skated after graduating University Of New Hampshire Wildcats, Liiga to play for HPK last season.
He skated 2 seasons with long-time club Jokerit in the league, then moved onto the KHL with them, offering up mostly good results in 6 different campaigns with the team.
The 33-year old from Leominster, MA is headed to a new place for 2023/2024, signing a 1-year deal with HC Kometa Brno of Czechia Extraliga, which should work out well for him.
He gets himself 20 goals and 13 assists in 52 games, so does pretty well in the league, but instead of returning, opts to sign to a rival, inking with BK Mlada Boleslav for 2024/2025.
New York Islanders‘ 2nd round pick in the 2018 draft (#39 overall), small and speedy Russian-born center Ruslan Iskhakov(37) couldn’t wait around to see if college hockey would play in 2020/2021, so decided it was time for him to turn pro.
The 5’8″ 150 lbs. forward signed a one-year deal with TPS and has gotten right to it with 9 goals, 25 assists in 46 Liiga games and a +5 rating.
He played two seasons at University Of Connecticut putting up 21 points for successive years and the thought was he would return for his junior campaign, but has voiced his desire to play pro as quickly as possible and this looks to be the best possible route to achieve it.
2-50 point AHL seasons scores him a 1st NHL recall and skated 20 shifts for 14:11 ice time with 2 shots, 1 assist and a 5-4 victory.
7th year center Nick Huard(40) switches up 4 unreal, good years with Dresdner Eislowen, producing a fantastic 90 goals and 120 assists with a +23 rating in 198 DEL2 games.
The small-ish 5’9″ 181 lbs. forward is heading to Erste Liga, signing a 1-year deal with ASC Corona Brasov Wolves for 2021/2022.
He originally started his junior hockey in the QMJHL, but had little success as a rookie.
Almost oddly, he came out of the gate strong with 2 goals and 2 assists in 4 games in the next session for Lewistown Maineiacs, but maybe had already made the decision to move on to skating for Woodstock Slammers of the MJAHL and took scoring once again to a completely different level (97-126=223) in 139 games before deciding to attend University Of Guelph Gryphons.
Once again he would detonate the score sheet in CIS games before agreeing to terms on an ato upon graduation with Cincinnati Cyclones, where he potted his first 3 goals and 3 assists in 13 ECHL games and also was loaned up to Adirondack Flames for his only AHL game.
The 30-year will no doubt light up the Hungary/Romanian league and probably have a lot of fun in the process.
He detonates scoring in a couple leagues over there, then last season heads back to Deutschland, but signing with Tolzer Lowen of Germany3, where he had a very easy time scoring 27 goals and 48 assists with a +18 in 41 games.
The now 9th year vet must be getting some decent money to go where he goes, because his next stop is AlpsHL on a 1-year deal with EK Zeller Eisbaren for 2023/2024.
He explodes the stat sheet with 20 goals and 28 assists in just 36 games with a +28 rating to get a big invite to return.
American International College Yellowjackets‘ Swedish-born senior Oscar Geschwind(17) did all of his youth hockey back home and even figured in 2 HockeyEttan games for a couple different teams, scoring some points.
The 6′ 190 lbs. forward didn’t have a junior year he maybe wanted for goals and points, but was a very accountable +9 rating and we have to think that changes in the upcoming frame.
He played his freshman year at Northern Michigan University Wildcats.
It’s very likely he will head back home to start his pro career after school is complete.
Rookie left wing Austin Albrecht(11) did make a quick appearance last year for 1 ECHL game with Wichita Thunder, but everything was pretty much up in the air, especially for newer players in 2020/2021.
For 2021/2022, he branches out entirely, heading to Germany3 on a try-out that easily turned into a 1-year deal with Hochstadter EC, where he’s connected for 3 goals and 6 assists in just 6 games.
The 6′ 196 lbs. forward committed to his first school UMass Minutemen after a 2nd season of point-per-game production numbers for Wichita Wildcats of the NAHL.
He would then be drafted to the USHL by Sioux Falls Stampede and he maybe didn’t have the year he did previous but 10 goals and 35 assists in 57 games was definitely ok.
The Flemington, NJ native had a decent rookie run in Western Mass, but decided he would continue school down the road at American International College Yellow Jackets, where he did slightly better in Atlantic Hockey play.
It would be interesting to see where the 25-year old is able to land next, if he continues to put up big numbers in Germany’s tier 3 pro league.
After 8 games, he is wooed to join Manchester Storm of the EIHL and accepts.
He would return and work his way up from the SPHL to loans up to Maine Mariners, where he connected and was re-signed for a full campaign.
Doing well with a career best 16 assists and 21 points, he finds himself dealt to Tulsa Oilers.
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.
Swedish-born senior left wing Jake Stella(28) leaves 3 years at American International College Yellowjackets for something maybe a bit more challenging in the 2022/2023 schedule of UMass-Lowell Riverhawks.
The 5’11” 185 lbs. forward skated his youth hockey and some juniors at home, but came over initially playing with South Shore Kings for a season before switching to Corpus Christi Ice Rays of the NAHL as assistant captain, where he picked up his college commit and some solid scoring (21-17-38).
He posted college career high marks in 2021/2022, potting 12 goals and 16 assists with a +10 rating in 37 NCAA Division 1 games.
The 23-year old should continue to improve, even with some very tough ice ahead of him.
He actually scored decently as a senior with 4 goals and 9 assists, playing Hockey East schedule and added a graduate session, as team captain.
Finishing up playoff hockey, he signs a pro contract with Rapid City Rush, where in 8 ECHL games he has 1 assist with a +1 rating.
4th year left wing Corey Mackin(81) trades in a decent 1st season overseas for HC Vita Hasten, skating 51 Allsvenskan games, scoring 13 goals and 18 assists for a new look in IceHL with HC Innsbruck.
The twice former Ferris State University Bulldogs‘ captain, who scored exactly 10 goals and 15 assists 3 of his 4 college seasons, had two solid ECHL campaigns, originally with close-to-home Reading Royals before leaving.
He’s not big at 5’8″ 165 lbs., but gets involved in all plays and won a 2014 BCHL Championship with Coquitlam Express in his 1st session after arriving from home in Philadelphia, PA.
The 27-year old should light up Austria’s top hockey nicely.
After scoring 11 goals and 29 assists in 44 games with a +4 rating, he is invited to for a 3rd season, don a Sharks‘ jersey.
UMass-Lowell Riverhawks‘ Latvian-born, graduate goaltender Gustavs Davis Grigals(39) signs a 1st pro deal with Milwaukee Admirals for 2023/2024, but has joined the club for the Calder Cup playoff push, although not likely to see action.
The 6’2″ 196 lbs. net minder had a 12-9-2 record with a 2.05 GAA and .924 SV%, including 2 shutouts.
He was better than any previous season he played at University Of Alaska-Fairbanks Nanooks, but did have 1 outstanding run through the NAHL juniors with Shreveport Mudbugs.
The 24-year old should be a standout performer as a rookie.
Parent club, Nashville Predators step in as the season is wrapping up and sign him for the current frame to an NHL contract, in a move we can only feel has implications for next season moving forward.
Merrimack College Warriors‘ freshman 6’8″ larger than a house goaltender, Swedish-born Hugo Ollas(1) is off to a good 5-3 start with a 2.47 GAA and .908 SV%.
He played all his youth and junior hockey close to home with Linkoping HC U16-J20.
The 19-year old even played a 2 SHL games going 0-1, but with a 1.99 GAA and .903 SV%.
It is going to be interesting to pay attention to see if the New York Rangers‘ 7th round pick in the 2020 draft (#197 overall) plays out 4 years or signs an entry level earlier.
Leaving his senior year on the table, he agrees to a 2-year NHL entry level deal with the Rangers and will report to affiliate Hartford Wolf Pack to play out the rest of the frame.
This was a bit of an easy-see.
