CollegeHockeyPlayers

Undrafted 2nd year defenseman Ivan Chukarov(13) takes the COVID season off, but decides to get back on the ice and switches allegiance from Worcester Railers, the only team he’s played for since graduating UMass Minutemen to Wheeling Nailers for the 2021/2022 ECHL.

The 6’2″ 203 lbs. forward was a big scorer in his 2nd year of junior with Minnesota Wilderness, scoring 12 goals and 31 assists in 55 NAHL games to get his college commitment.

Originally a Buffalo Sabres‘ 7th round pick in the 2015 draft (#182 overall), it seems like the 26-year old still can be a big contributor, despite what league he eventually lands.

He would actually land at Adirondack Thunder for last season’s play and had 2 goals and 5 assists in 38 games, but a terrible -22 rating.

For 2022/2023, the Des Plaines, IL native will return to continue work on his game, trying to contribute.

He puts up a career best 11 assists with 12 points and was a +12 rating through 58 games last season.

For 2023/2024, he gets traded and signs a 1-year deal with Jacksonville Icemen, his 3rd team in the league.

After 67 games, scoring a new best 7 goals and 26 assists with a +16 rating, he will take his game for a 1st time overseas, joining Coventry Blaze of the EIHL for 2025/2026.

In 23 games, he is scoring ok, but has a bad +/-, so decides to come back and signs with Bloomington Bison for the 2nd half of 2025/2026.

4th year center Kevin Conley(20) has played most of his time in the AHL under contract to teams in the league and this year signed with Manitoba Moose for a 2nd season, but after 2 goals in 5 games has been mostly reassigned to affiliate Norfolk Admirals.

The 6’1″ 205 lbs. has 9 goals and 8 assists in 28 games in the ECHL and maybe got a little bored, so is off to find some better hockey and signs with Graz99ers of the IceHL for what’s remaining of 2025/2026.

From Wassua, WI, he did 1 year with University Of Denver Pioneers, but was maybe a little unhappy as to how it turned out despite scoring ok and returned to the USHL for a year before signing up with University Of Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks for 4 seasons.

The 28-year old, twice captain of his college team should find some good hockey over there.

Undrafted, 2nd year left wing Blake Christensen(27) takes a weirdo COVID run rookie season with Bakersfield Condors, but only appearing in a limited 10 AHL games, getting a pair of tallies, including a game-winner.

The small 5’9″ 174 lbs. forward signs a new deal to play in the exact rink he spent his college days at, the Mass Mutual Center, inking for 2021/2022 with Springfield Thunderbirds.

He had four solid years, graduating with 48 goals, 71 assists, 119 points, while skating for an outstanding America International College Yellowjackets team in 142 Atlantic Hockey games.

The Coral Springs, FL native spent two seemingly uninspired campaigns in the USHL before leaving to the BCHL to finish up before school and produced pretty well with Wenatchee Wild.

He was also given a nice chance to play a little hockey in Fjordkraftligaen for Manglerud, connecting for a nice 4 goals and 5 assists.

We think the 25-year old is still getting his wheels on the cart.

After scoring 18 goals and 10 assists on loan to Worcester Railers, he signs a 1-year ECHL deal for 2022/2023 to stick around and pot more tallies.

He records a career best 15 assists in his 2nd frame through 35 games, but gets an offer to join HC Thurgau for their SL playoff run and jumps at the opportunity.

In 4 contests, he has a goal and 2 assists with a +2 rating, but could have suffered an injury.

For 2023/2024, he decides to return to the Railers and hopes to build on what he established with them early.

He maybe doesn’t quite score as much as he did in his rookie campaign, but has a new high assists with 15.

New league club Tahoe Knight Monsters see the upside in his game and sign him for 2024/2025.

He is actually traded to Kalamazoo Wings, where he continues scoring, but in his 2nd run with the team isn’t going quite as well and he is waived only to be picked up quick by Rapid City Rush to see if they can find those points in his game again.

Maine Mariners welcome back 3rd year right wing Lewis Zerter-Gossage(37) for 2021/2022.

He would have likely returned last season, if the team had not elected to take the COVID busted 2020/2021 campaign off, but instead decided to play elsewhere, signing with Blue Devils Weiden of Germany3.

The 6’2″ 195 lbs. forward skated 13 ECHL games on reassignment by contract club Hartford Wolf Pack as an AHL rookie.

He also appeared in 8 games with Reading Royals after a trade sent his rights over.

The former Harvard University Crimson senior captain was a three-time 20+ point getter in college hockey and heading into a new year that’s hopefully completely straightforward will put up new career highs.

After 17 games, scoring 7 goals and 7 assists, he re-signs to stay in Maine for 2022/2023.

He also scored an 8 game loan up to Tuscon Roadrunners, where he picked up a couple of assists.

For 2022/2023, he heads to DEL and signs with Eisbaren Berlin, but late in the season is loaned down to Lausitzer Fuchse, where he does better in DEL2.

He would jump around in the league and back, but for 2025/2026 agreed to terms with Starbulls Rosenheim, where he looks to be scoring and settling to earn a 3-year extension through 2028/2029.

Undrafted 4th year defenseman Tariq Hammond(25) re-ups for a 3rd season with South Carolina Stingrays.

The former University Of Denver Pioneers‘ senior captain skated a season in the AHL with Binghamton Devils and signed with them on an ato upon graduation.

He may have only had limited scoring through college, but a solid +28 rating.

The 6’2″ 194 lbs. d-man already has a +38 through 101 games heading into 2021/2022.

He would come away from last season with a career best 15 assists and 18 points and was loaned up on a couple of occasions.

The 28-year old from Calgary, AB is going exploring and signs for 2022/2023 with HK Dukla Michalovce of Slovak Extraliga.

He has himself a very full and seemingly fairly decent run in Slovakia, scoring 2 goals and 9 assists in 50 games, then adding another 6 in 15 playoff matchups and will take it to DEL2 and suit up for Eisbären Regensburg. in 2023/2024.

After a best scoring season with new high 17 assists and a 2024 Championship, he signs with rivals Dresdner Eislowen and has another good frame and wins a 2nd straight 2025 Championship.

He takes this to a contract with the same team in the higher DEL, but leaves 44 games in to join Dusseldorfer EG for the rest of the 2025/2026 run.

3rd year left wing Lincoln Griffin(44) has skated most of his first two years in the SPHL, but on a pair of loans he scored 3 goals and 2 assists in 13 ECHL games as a rookie.

For 2021/2022 he agrees to terms on a new deal with Indy Fuel.

The former Northeastern University Huskies‘ forward was a decent scorer at college, taking his totals up to new highs as a senior (7-14-21) with a +20 rating.

He was a big scorer through 4 years at Thayer Academy.

The 24-year old from Walpole, MA should be able to elevate his game in the higher league.

He would actually end up playing the entire 2021/2022 frame with Cincinnati Cyclones, scoring an almost bananas, best by a mile 21 goals and 25 assists in 57 games.

There’s little doubt he would be invited back to try to win the whole league thing.

He is taking a very good 2nd frame with the team from Ohio to a new adventure, signing a 1-year deal with HK Nitra to play his next games in Slovak Extraliga 2023/2024.

Only managing to get into 12 games over there, scoring 1 goal and 1 assist, he decides to return home to the team he knows and obviously likes a lot, having spent more than 100 games with in the Cyclones for 2023/2024.

Another solid season of getting points and he is back for a 3rd swing through Cincinnati and may be searching for a home.

He goes on to score new bests in his 4th frame with 25 goals and 27 assists in 70 games with a +7 rating and he will be back for more as a Cyclones again.

In 39 games, he has 7 goals and 9 assists, but a miserable -19, so is traded to Jacksonville Icemen to hopefully improve his fortunes.