Category: Europe

Undrafted 3rd year, left wing Ryan Dmowski(16) leaves a pair of years and 10 games on an ato with Hartford Wolf Pack for a new contract with South Carolina Stingrays in 2021/2022.

The 6′ 206 lbs. forward played 31 AHL games with the team as a rookie, netting 4 goals and 2 assists, but figured in only 5 appearances last season for no points.

He’s never been the biggest point-getter, but did connect big in his one year of junior hockey with Des Moines Buccaneers for 23 goals and 16 assists, then as a senior at UMass-Lowell Riverhawks, potted 14 goals and 9 assists in 37 Hockey East games.

The 24-year old should do really well in the ECHL.

Traded to Idaho Steelheads, in his 2nd game with his new team, scored an outstanding 5 goals and an assist to greet the fans in Boise.

He is easily having a career year for himself.

After point-per-game numbers in the lower league, he scores a 23 loan up to Hershey Bears, where he grabs 7 goals and 3 assists in 23 games.

This showing is good enough for Texas Stars to step in and offer him a 1-year deal for 2022/2023.

He was shuttled for the entire season to the affiliate, where he scored big, but got no looks.

Looked to make sense for him to push off and he next signs in the tough to play Tipos Extraliga, joining HK Poprad, as assistant captain and scoring a Slovakian league high 30 goals.

The East Lyme, CT native will head to Czechia Extraliga, where he signs with Mountfield HK and we expect results to be again on another level.

We think we are spotting something here, but want to mostly enjoy watching the ride.

UMass-Lowell Riverhawks‘ senior center, assistant captain Zach Kaiser(23) had a college career best 8 goals and 8 assists in 30 games before turning pro with Trois Riviere Lions upon finishing up Hockey East last season.

The 6’1″ 181 lbs. forward has decently high scoring frames in AJHL juniors.

From Orangeville, ON, the 24-year old signs for 2023/2024 with EV Lindau of Germany3, where we think he will do exceedingly well.

He blows up scoring to the tune of 27 goals and 28 assists in 47 games to earn a contract up from DEL2, where he will join EC Bad Nauheim for 2024/2025.

In the most likely of the offseason signings, Plymouth State University Panthers‘ Swedish-born senior goaltender Kalle Andersson(29) signs with Tyringe SoSS of tier 3 HockeyEttan for 2024/2025.

The big 6’4″ 210 lbs. net minder had a college best 21-3-1 record last season with a 1.85 GAA and .932 SV%.

We think the 24-year is ready to get started and could very well play his way up over there and more.

3rd year center Trevor Gooch(7) returns from an outstanding 2nd seasons overseas, 1st with MAC HKB Újbuda, scoring a 16 goals and 19 assists in just 21 Erste Liga games with a +21 rating to re-sign to his original team from graduating 4 years at Colorado College Tigers, Reading Royals.

The 6’1″ 185 lbs. forward made his 1st ECHL game back memorable with a goal and a fight to re-introduce himself.

In 5 games he has 3 goals and 3 assists with a +4 rating to contribute.

He spent a couple of successful campaigns overseas, with the first for Sterzing/Vipiteno, scoring a 25 goals and 20 assists in 36 AlpsHL games with a +19 rating.

It may be a bit of a wonder why the Mantua, NJ native decided to return from mostly Austrian hockey, but he’s surely a welcome member back.

After putting up a career high 34 goals and 27 assists for 61 points with a +28 rating, he will head back overseas, signing for 2021/2022 with EHC Freiburg of DEL2.

He should run some more really good scoring totals in Germany’s 2nd tier league.

The 27-year old would tip the scoring scale with a career high 34 goals and 27 assists in 52 games with a +28 rating, then added another 12 points in 13 playoff matchups.

He’s taking these totals to a new experience overseas with Aalborg Pirates of Metal Ligaen and he should completely pop scoring in Denmark’s top hockey.

After putting up close to point-per-game numbers in the regular frame and then matching the output in the playoffs, he moves on for a higher league, signing with HK Olimpija Ljubljana of IceHL for 2023/2024.

He posts all career high stats his 1st year in the league and decides to sign with rivals, Graz99ers for 2024/2025.

13th year center Andy Miele(51) finishes up another decently successful run through the SHL, this time as assistant captain for HV-71.

For 2023/2024, he decides to head off on a new adventure, signing a 1-year deal with Grizzlys Wolfsburg and he will skate his 1st season in Germany’s top league, DEL.

The small 5’9″ 170 lbs. forward started overseas in Sweden after 15 NHL games (2 assists, +2 rating) and 478 AHL and won himself a 2018 Championship with Vaxjo Lakers.

His biggest success was likely the 3 seasons he spent in the KHL with Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod.

The 35-year old, former Miami University (Ohio) Redhawks is likely to continue to do well.

Scoring 44 assists 3 straight seasons in the league below the show indicates he can score and as he’s getting older he shows little signs of slowing, grabbing 14 goals and 32 assists in 52 games to earn the now 36-year old another look in Germany with the Grizzlys.

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.

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.

6th year center Kevin Roy(12) signs for 2021/2022 with Laval Rocket.

It’s his 2nd contract in the league, as he skated for Tuscon Roadrunners, getting 11 goals and 19 assists in 35 AHL games last season.

Originally an Anaheim Ducks‘ 4th round pick in the 2012 draft (#97 overall), he played for 3 years on 2 contracts in their system and appeared in 28 NHL games over a pair of years, scoring 6 goals and an assist.

The 5’9″ 172 lbs. forward has 56 goals and 97 assists through 218 games in the farm league.

In his one campaign of junior hockey for Lincoln Stars, he got voted USHL Player Of The Year, Most Points, Most Goals, Most Assists, Best Plus/Minus and Forward Of The Year with his 54 goals and 50 assists in 59 games.

He was easily set to go to Northeastern University Huskies, where he twice struck for 19 goals and averaged 26 assists as a sophomore then junior before being named team captain as a senior.

The 28-year old should put up good numbers for his Montreal Canadiens‘ affiliate club and may even spark some notice.

After a very solid frame in Quebec, scoring 13 goals and 20 assists, he decides to split for Sweden, joining Brynas IF of the SHL late, but after 6 games with little pop, leaves for Liiga, and signs with HIFK.

Only getting 1 goal and 5 assists in 19 games, has him looking for a good next stop and he has found it, signing with HC Innsbruck of IceHL f0r 2023/2024.

He posts an almost silly 25 goals and 33 assists with a +20 rating in 47 games, and next will skate for rivals Graz99ers in 2024/2025.