In his year of eligibility, right wing graduate student Tyler Welsh(44) chose to attend Long Island University Lakers after completing four years at Yale University Bulldogs with a drop season due to COVID.
He made a good choice, because he came away tying his career high 23 points, while managing a career best 16 assists in only 25 NCAA games.
The 5’10” 174 lbs. forward was a point-per-game guy in his 2nd year of BCHL for Victoria Grizzlies, where he first committed to school.
It will be interesting to watch what the 25-year old, Whistler, BC native will do next.
Newfoundland Growlers sign him for the remainder of 2021/2022 and he’s already appeared in one absolute 9-4 ECHL drubbing, so hopefully has that kind of game worked out of his system for a bit.
He would end up with 1 goal and 2 assists in 9 games with a +4 rating, so obviously fortunes changed.
For his official rookie season, he decides to leave for Ligue Magnus, signing for 2022/2023 with Scorpions Mulhouse.
He takes essentially point-per-game numbers (36 points, 12-24 in 36 games) in France to a new adventure, agreeing to 1-year with Nottingham Panthers, which will likely see him to just as good in the EIHL.
After just one season in England, he’s heading back to France, but signs with rivals, Les Jokers de Cergy-Pontoise for 2024/2025.
University Of Vermont Catamounts‘ senior left wing William Lemay(8) signs a 1st pro deal fairly quickly after exiting the Hockey East tournament with Trois-Rivieres Lions.
The 5’10” 194 lbs. forward has 2 goals and 2 assists in 7 ECHL games as a pro.
His highest totals through college were 9 assists as a freshman and 5 goals as a junior.
The 24-year old from Marieville, QC could find the room he needs in this league to score more frequently.
4 goals and 4 assists in 14 games on an ato means sign this man up to a rookie T-RLions‘ contract for 2023/2024.
After escaping late last season to Italy2 to blow up scoring, especially in the playoffs to help win the Italian Cup for Pergine.
He will take off to the better known Ligue Magnus for 2024/2025, signing with Diables Rogues de Briancon.
4th year Latvian-born defenseman Janis Jaks(72) signs on for a 2nd season to stay with HC Litvinov of Czechia Extraliga for 2023/2024.
The 6’1″ 190 lbs. blue liner played a lot of his youth hockey and beginnings of juniors before coming over to the NAHL with Minnesota Wilderness, where he was twice a +10 player fully grounded in his own zone and helped his team with the 2015 Robertson Cup.
After spending 4 fairly strong sessions at American International College Yellowjackets, he signed with Dinamo Riga, but after 17 KHL games, the relationship soured and he agreed next to Bakersfield Condors and things were looking decent with 2 goals and 4 assists in 20 AHL games with a +3 rating.
He would return to Russia to skate for HK Sochi, but the results didn’t yield much, so he turned his attention to where he is now with much better results, 8 goals, 17 assists in 47 games with a +3 rating to move forward.
The 27-year old has to have at least a little smile on his face to how things are going, especially after winning Bronze at the recent IIHF Worlds.
After 2 strong seasons with the same team, he was in a pretty good spot for himself, but decides to sign with rivals, HC Energie Karlovy Vary.
12th year, Swedish-born defenseman Philip Samuelsson(34) left 3 seasons of playing in his home country’s top league, SHL for a new adventure, signing for 2022/2023 with Fischtown Pinguins.
In 22 DEL games, he has 12 assists, so is on pace for a big first season in Germany.
The former Pittsburgh Penguins‘ 2nd round pick in the 2009 draft (#61 overall) has played 512 AHL games, scoring 27 goals and 124 assists with a massive +76 rating.
He’s also appeared in 13 NHL games.
Because his dad, Ulf Samuelsson(5) was playing hockey in the US, he did his high school and junior hockey here.
The 6’2″ 194 lbs. blue liner even did 2 years at Boston College Eagles before turning pro on a 3-year entry level deal.
At 31-years old, he is still able to pull down good contracts, so must have at least a little smile on his face.
He finishes up his debut frame in Germany with 4 goals and 27 assists in 47 games only to be wooed by rivals Straubing Tigers to stay in the country and sign for 2023/2024.
After an exceptionally strong year, scoring 4 goals and 12 assists with a +5 rating through 49 games, then adding another 4 points in 11 playoff matchups, it’s a no brainer to keep him in a Tigers‘ jersey for 2024/2025.
10th year center Brett Cameron(91) steps down a notch in German hockey to Germany3, signing with Hannover Scorpions for 2024/2025 at 34-years old.
He did well for the last 2 seasons with EV Landshut of DEL2 scoring almost 40 points each session.
The 6’2″ 203 lbs. forward has always consistently scored in the ECHL, 2 years in Norway and 2 in Switzerland.
From Edmonton, AB, he skated 5 seasons at University Of Alaska-Anchorage Seawolves.
We think he will absolutely blow up scoring in the upcoming frame.
13th year center Andrew Rowe(19) has spent the last 4 seasons skating for SC Rapperswill-Jona Lakers of NL, a team he served as team captain of the past 3 sessions.
The 6’2″ 185 lbs. forward started with two season in the SHL for Mora IK upon leaving on his best AHL numbers, 13 goals and 23 assists in 66 games for Bridgeport Sound Tigers.
He has 206 appearances in the league to his credit and 214 in the ECHL with point-per-game numbers.
The 34-year old, former 3-year Michigan State University Spartans is likely happy to still be pulling in good contracts.
After playing hockey for the last 4 years in one away from home country, he has decided to switch things up and head to DEL for his next experience with ERC Ingolstadt in 2023/2024.
He will only spend 1 frame in Germany, as he is maybe unhappy with his performance and makes a great move to skate next in the IceHL and signs with the famous EC Red Bull Salzburg for 2024/2025.
3rd year center Jacob Hayhurst(14) is most definitely off to his quickest star, getting 4 goals and 3 assists in 5 ECHL games for a +6 rating for 9-0 Worcester Railers and already has been loaned up to Springfield Thunderbirds for a pair of AHL appearances.
The undrafted 5’10” 180 lbs. forward had a strong 2nd session, scoring easy bests 15 goals and 33 assists in his 1st season with current club.
He also scored very decently in college, especially as a sophomore and junior at RPI Engineers, when he got 23 points in both frames, but did it a 2nd time in 7 less outings.
For his senior year, he maybe looked to take his game up a bit and transferred to University Of Michigan Wolverines with a decent enough showing.
The 25-year old from Mississauga, ON must be smiling pretty big.
He scored the insurance goal last night to secure his team’s historic season start.
After 10 goals and 12 assists in 25 games last season, he gets a look for 2023/2024 from Coachella Valley Firebirds and we believe this is a player who has played himself up.
He is actually reassigned to affiliate Kansas City Mavericks and blows up regular season and playoff scoring to be a single step away from the league championship, but he will take his game elsewhere for the future, signing with Vasteras IK of HockeyAllsvenskan, where he should absolutely blow up on the stat sheet in Sweden’s tier 2.
EHC Red Bull München‘ 4th year center Ben Smith(12) re-ups after a 3rd 15+ assist season with a monster +61 rating.
It’s the 5’11” 203 lbs. forward’s 15th pro year.
A former Boston College Eagles‘ assistant captain, he twice had 20+ assists in college hockey, yet played no junior hockey after Westminster Prep USHS-Prep.
He was a Chicago Blackhawks‘ 6th round pick in the 2008 draft (#169 overall).
The Winston-Salem, NC native has 237 NHL games experience.
At 35-years old, he seems well happy playing his game in Germany.
6th year right wing Matt Salhany(2) returns on a deal with Jacksonville Icemen for 2022/2023 after scoring big for Sonderjyske in 2 years (one shortened) and 41 games in Metal Ligaen.
He left after running up some good totals for Adirondack Thunder, scoring 25 goals and 26 assists in 62 ECHL games.
The 5’10” 179 lbs. forward has mostly come to life as a pro.
He only ever did 7 goals and 13 points in 34 games for University Of Alabama-Huntsville Chargers as a senior captain.
The 29-year old should find some really good scoring footing with his new club and recently competed in the debut 3Ice Hockey Tournament and came out winners on Team Trottier.
From Warwick, RI, he scores big in a 2nd frame for Aalborg Pirates, where he won the 2023 league championship in his 1st year with the team.
For 2024/2025, he heads to Ligue Magnus, signing with Spartiates de Marseille.
St. Lawrence University Saints‘ senior right wing Reilly Moran(17) tied his 8 points he had as a sophomore and new best 6 assists in 34 games with a +1 rating.
The 5’11” 186 lbs. forward from Hingham, MA signs a 1st pro deal as a rookie with Les Diables Rouges de Valenciennes of France2 for 2024/2025.
He played only 1 BCHL season after graduating Thayer Academy.
The 24-year old is bound to do well, where he is going.
