8th year net minder Connor LaCouvee(1) is off to a hot start in his 2nd Tipsport Extraliga season for Vici Zilina, 2025/2026.
The 6’1″ 201 lbs. goalie is 9-3 in 12 games with a 2.03 GAA and .932 SV%.
From Qualicum Beach, BC, he did his senior year at Minnesota State University Mavericks and 3 at Boston University Terriers, going 23-6 in his final year with a 1.80 GAA through 31 games.
The 31-year old has spent the better part of 5 years in the league.
University Of Vermont Catamounts‘ senior, Finnish-born captain, center Joel Maata(21) took a college best 9 goals and 18 assists in 37 games with a +5 rating to a 1st pro contract back home in Liiga with TPS.
He has become their assistant captain.
The 6’2″ 205 lbs. forward did 2 years of USHL before college.
In 19 games with his new team, he has 5 goals and 4 assists.
He was an Edmonton Oilers‘ 7th round pick in the 2022 draft (#222 overall), but was left unsigned.
Ohio State University Buckeyes‘ graduate, captain defenseman Will Riedell(24) played a couple of AHL games with Lehigh Valley Phantoms after graduating, but signs for his rookie season 2022/2023 with the brand new Savannah Ghost Pirates.
He didn’t put up many points last season, but was always good for at least getting on the scoring sheet every other game or so, as a junior and senior with Lake Superior State University Lakers.
At 6’2″ 194 lbs., the blue liner plays a shut down style and left college as a +22 player.
The 26-year old from Greensboro, NC should find plenty of room to play his game and contribute points in the ECHL.
After 15 games, recording 4 assists with a +4 rating, the fairly sizable d-man gets loaned up to San Jose Barracuda and in 20 games only grabs 1 tally, but the team likes what they see and recently sign up for the remainder of the frame.
He moved onto Calgary Wranglers in the next frame and split time with Rapid City Rush.
In his 3rd season, he would re-sign with the Ghost Pirates, but leave late, signing with EHC Munchen.
Despite recording no points, he is wanted for the upcoming season, 2025/2026 with Fischtown Pinguins.
He actually decides to play his hockey closer to home and signs with Savannah Ghost Pirates.
Undrafted 3rd year center Max Willman(10) has quite the unlikely, surprise hockey story to tell.
Upon finishing up his one year in a graduate program at Boston University Terriers after a transfer from Brown University Bears, he signed an ECHL contract to join Reading Royals.
The 6′ 183 lbs. forward was loaned up to Lehigh Valley Phantoms a couple of months into his rookie run and earned an spc, mostly staying in the AHL, earning 3 goals and 6 assists in 24 games before the season exploded with no playoffs.
He re-signed to stay and in a weirdo season with like 3 constant opponents, he ascended to a career high 9 goals, 7 assists and 16 points with a +7 in just 30 games.
His efforts have earned him an NHL 2-year, 2-way deal with Philadelphia Flyers that starts in the upcoming frame.
The 26-year old is likely all smiles heading into 2021/2022.
And the story continues to take the strangest turns, as the Barnstable, MA native has made the opening night roster of the Broad Street Bullies and skated 13 shifts for 9:30 of total ice with one shot on net, one hit, 2 minutes in the sin bin and left the 5-4 shootout loss a -1 rating.
An unrestricted free agent, he signs a 1-year 2-way deal with New Jersey Devils for 2023/2024.
In 18 games with the big club, he scores 3 goals and 1 assist with a +1 rating and he scores himself another year, another look in a Devils‘ jersey.
After 69 games on reassignment with Utica Comets, scoring 10 goals and 20 assist, he is off for his next venture, signing with Barys Astana of the KHL for 2025/2026.
5th year center Troy Josephs(16) signs on for a 2nd season with HC Lugano, continuing his climb up Swiss Hockey leagues.
He skated for EHC Visp of the tier 2 SL, when arriving from North America.
The 6′ 194 lbs. was originally a Pittsburgh Penguins‘ 7th round pick in the 2013 draft (#209 overall), but only signed an AHL deal with affiliate Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
He was two years in the system, but mostly reassigned down to Wheeling Nailers, where he exploded on the scoresheet as a more than point-per-game player and eventually just signed an ECHL contract.
There’s little doubt the 27-year, former 4-year Clarkson University Golden Knights‘ old found his footing immediately overseas and will continue to do so, as he climbs.
He would end up a 2nd full session with the NL club, putting up 5 goals and 15 assists that he will take to a new, bold opportunity, signing a 1-year deal with Lada Togliatti of the KHL.
Doing best in his first run at Russian hockey, he scores 20 goals, but is fairly consistent as he travels between a couple of teams and for 2025/2026 will head to a 3rd, signing with HK Sochi.
After 10 games with 2 assists, not sure what has occurred, but he becomes available to Shanghai Dragons to sign for the term.
Undrafted 7th year center Josh Jooris(36) leaves North American pro hockey for a first time to sign with Lausanne HC of NLA for 2019/2020.
He departs having played 213 NHL (23-32-55) games for 5 different teams but was exclusively in the minors with Toronto Marlies last season, although signed by the parent club Toronto Maple Leafs.
The former high scoring 6’1″ 198 lbs. Union College forward has less AHL games to his credit at 160 (20-26) but suited up for an equal amount of teams as he did at the higher level.
He is now 34-years old and that hasn’t deter how well he does in Switzerland’s top hockey.
Staying with his new Swiss team for 2 seasons, he switches it up to sign with Geneve-Servette HC, where he agrees for a 4th frame and is scoring pretty well out of the gate.
Consistently producing 20+ points, he is back for a 5th season with Geneve-Servette and is scoring very well with 3 goals and 5 assists in 17 games.
American International College Yellowjackets‘ Swedish-born sophomore defenseman Theo Angesved(2) leaves to turn pro back home, as his college team takes a year off to transition to D3 play in 2026/2027.
The 5’11” 179 lbs. signed in tier 3 Hockeyettan with Tingsryds AIF and already has 4 assists in 5 games.
He played previous games in the league after junior hockey back home and even had 1 SHL appearance.
We look for the 23-year old to do well.
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.
In 6 NHL games, he records an assist and is good for 8 goals and 13 assists in 51 games in the minors last season.
An unrestricted free agent, he heads back to his draft team and signs a 1-year deal with Vancouver Canucks for 2025/2026 and will likely join Calder Cup Champs Abbotsford Canucks for a little bit.
He is off to a hot start and maybe had a good training camp that sets him for a 1st NHL game with the team since 2017.
Arizona State University Sun Devils‘ German-born, sophomore transfer Tim Lovell(43) has already completely burnt through any scoring he had in one year at Boston University Terriers (2 assists in 18 games with a +3 rating).
In 10 NCAA Division 1 games, he has 3 goals and 8 assists, but does have a -6, so needs to work on that.
The small 5’8″ 156 lbs. blue liner did most of his youth hockey in the Boston Advantage 15U to 18U AAA, a team his father Tim Lovell is currently General Manager of, and he played 7 NAHL games with Northeast Generals, while his dad was assistant coach.
He was drafted by Chicago Steel, but didn’t last long before he took up shop with Des Moines Buccaneers for 27 USHL games (5 goals, 11 assists) and then headed to school.
The 19-year old is definitely setting himself up for some looks.
He had a particularly productive senior year with college bests 5 goals and 32 assists with a +10 rating before transferring once more to University Of Michigan Wolverines for an extra frame.
Well, the graduate defenseman takes his 10 games in 2024/2025 with new college club to a 1st professional deal midseason with Mikkelin Jukurit of Liiga.
In 3 games, he has yet to record a point, but hockey in Finland will be a good look.
He figures into 6 games with 1 goal and 1 assist to his credit, but decides to US shores, signing for 2025/2026 with Greenville Swamp Rabbits, where in 3 ECHL games has 1 assist.
4th year defenseman Philip Beaulieu(25) signs with Asiago of IceHL for 2023/2024, which should turn out to be a lot of fun for him.
The 5’11” 194 lbs. blue liner had 2 good seasons for Allen Americans.
He got 8 goals and 30 assists in 1 frame.
The former Northern Michigan University Wildcats‘ captain as a senior was always a good assist man in school.
From Duluth, MN, the 28-year old may just stay over there in Austria.
He plays just 20 games, scoring 1 goal and 4 assists, so maybe that helps with his decision to return and play closer to home with Kalamazoo Wings for 2024/2025.
Pretty strong on assists, Maine Mariners take notice and trade for him in 2025/2026.
