3rd year right wing Aaron Miller(17) returned home after 2 years away, first in Finland’s tier 2 Mestis, then in Ligue Magnus, connecting very decently in both spots on the scoresheet.
The 5’9″ 172 lbs. forward initially signed with Wichita Thunder to come back, but was eventually dealt for the last 5 ECHL games to Norfolk Admirals, where he has 1 goal.
He played 4 years at Bemidji State University Beavers, where he twice was a 10+ goal scorer and assists.
The 28-year old from Superior, WI did 2 years of prolific scoring in the NAHL with Minnesota Wilderness.
Undrafted 7th year right wing Tanner Fritz(11) signs a 2nd straight AHL contract, but will skate for heated CT opponents from where he’s played 198 games, Bridgeport (Sound Tigers) Islanders to Hartford Wolf Pack for 2021/2022.
The 5’11” 192 lbs. forward originally signed a minor league deal after 4 years at Ohio State University Buckeyes , including captain as a senior and junior assistant, to the only team he’s thus far appeared with, but was up to a 2-way NHL contract after his sophomore season in which he popped 19 goals and 23 assists.
He played all of his youth hockey and 4 years of junior hockey close to home with Grand Prairie Storm and won the 2009 AJHL Championship, then was voted most valuable player, scoring 70 points in 60 games, before heading off to college.
The 30-year old signed a pair of contracts with parent club New York Islanders, including a single 1-way deal, and played in 42 games with 3 goals and 5 assists.
It’s likely this could be his last time in the minors, as we’re predicting he leave for some hockey overseas before retirement.
After 2 years of playing up the road in Connecticut, he returns on a 1-year minor league deal with Bridgeport for 2023/2204.
After 20 games, scoring 1 goal and 6 assists, he may be getting a little bored as he closes in on 350 games played in the league.
He decides to leave and signs with Dinamo Minsk of the KHL, which should definitely bring some challenge and excitement back into his game.
Defenseman Taylor Brierley(2) decided to enter the transfer portal and leave 4 years at Union College Dutchmen, where he didn’t get to play in 2020/2021 for Wilkes University Colonels.
From a scoring perspective it worked wonders as he struck for 3 goals and 22 assists in 24 D3 games.
The 5’10” 175 lbs. blue liner had 10+ assists through 2 years of USHL juniors, most recently with Dubuque Fighting Saints.
He will take his new scoring prowess to a deal with Chambery of France2.
The 25-year old from East Grand Forks, MN seems to be starting a little low on the pro hockey chain, but look for him to move up quickly.
In 12 games, he scores 3 assists, but decides to head back, closer to home, signing again with Birmingham Bulls, scoring 1 goal and 6 assists in 17 SPHL games with a +19 rating, which gets noticed and loaned up to Fort Wayne Komets, quite a nicely ECHL landing spot.
Detroit Red Wings‘ 3rd round pick in the 2018 draft (#81 overall) defenseman Seth Barton(49) was signed to a 2-year entry level deal after completing his third season at UMass-Lowell Riverhawks in a very COVID cut short 2020/2021.
The very decently sized 6’3″ 185 lbs. blue liner from Kelowna, BC played a year in Canadian juniors for Trail Smoke Eaters of the BCHL putting up 27 assists in 49 games before reporting to college.
It looks as though the 21-year old reports first to affiliate Grand Rapids Griffins, but his play could gain him a look early from a team that has struggled in 2020/2021.
He skates most of his 2nd season in the system up, but gets reassigned late to Toledo Walleye, finishes the season strong with 8 points in 10 ECHL games, then adding another 13 points (1 goal, 12 assists) in 13 games in the playoffs.
With no qualifying offer to stay, he becomes an unrestricted free agent, signing a 1-year AHL deal with Hartford Wolf Pack for 2023/2024.
He starts the new season with Cincinnati Cyclones, but after just 1 game spies a new deal he is going after, a 1-year deal to sign with KooKoo and play his hockey in Liiga for the near future.
In 10 games, the big back liner scores his 1st Finnish goal and adds 5 assists with a +8 rating to earn a +1 next to his contract for 2024/2025.
Undrafted 6th year, left wing J.C. Campagna(93) comes off a season, where he skated only 4 ECHL games for Florida Everblades and Wichita Thunder, but mostly took 2020/2021 off.
He has played 171 games in the league, scoring 65 goals and 58 assists.
The 6’4″ 205 lbs. power forward played in three junior leagues (OJHL, OHL and QMJHL) before turning his sights on St. Thomas University Tommies for two years, then University Of Prince Edward Island Panthers for one before turning pro with Adirondack Thunder, potting 6 goals and 4 assists in 16 games.
Nothing strange about that, except the former Ohio Blue Jackets 16U AAA is a Dallas, TX native.
The 28-year old signs with Toledo Walleye for 2021/2022 and we think that could be a super-charged good choice to pocket some career point totals.
He actually switched out his signing to Allen Americans more than midway through the frame, scoring 10 goals and 5 assists in 21 games to agreeing to a new contract for 2022/2023 with Tulsa Oilers, which should be an awesome resting space for him.
Not exactly sure what happened in Oklahoma, but it wasn’t necessarily bad stats, yet he decides to switch things up big and leaves for HC Presov of Slovak Extraliga and already has 4 goals and 1 assist in 4 games, so must be liking it alright.
He actually scores 6 goals and 6 assists in 17 games, but maybe his -10 wasn’t all that great, so left for DEL2, signing with EHC Freiburg, maybe taking it up a little in the playoffs.
For 2023/2024 though, he decides to return and signs with Utah Grizzlies.
11th year center Chris Brown(11) takes 4 seasons with Nurnberg Tigers and trades it in to return to Iserlohn Roosters, the team he started with overseas, for 2022/2023.
The 6’3″ 214 lbs. forward was originally a Phoenix Coyotes‘ 2nd round pick in the 2009 draft (#36 overall) and was in their system for only about a year and a half before being traded to Washington Capitals. , where he arguably had his best success, but still only played 23 NHL games with 2 goals, 1 assist and a +1 rating.
He’s a 3-time 10+ goal scorer and 20+ assist guy in DEL.
The 31-year old former 3-year University Of Michigan Wolverines from Flower Mound, TX keeps on ticking very nicely.
For 2023/2024, he will start a new adventure at now 32-years old and head to Slovak Extraliga to suit up for HC Slovan Bratislava.
He scores kind of big in Austria with 14 goals in 24 games and decides to head back to Germany and signs with Schwenninger Wild Wings.
Rookie right wing Jake Fuss(13) will take 4 SPHL games for Huntsville Havoc, scoring a 1st pro goal off to a new adventure, signing for the remainder of 2023/2024 in BeNeLiga with EG Diez-Limburg Rockets.
The 6′ 170 lbs., former University Of New England Nor’easters‘ twice 10+ goals and high 20+ assists scorer will likely do very well in this Belgium/Netherland-based league.
From Fairfield, CT he blew up scoring in the EHL before getting drafted into the NAHL, where he did also 1 successful 20+ goal and assist year before heading to school.
The 25-year old likely just wants a good spot to play some pro hockey.
5th year right wing Matt Marcinew(72) makes a decision he maybe should have made earlier in his career, heads off to Europe after a career year, scoring 23 goals and 25 assists in 57 ECHL games for Indy Fuel.
The 5’10” 190 lbs. forward signs with HPK of Liiga for 2021/2022.
While the former 4-year University Of Denver assistant captain as a senior consistently been a great scorer at the lower level (59-82-141 in 184 games with a +15 rating), but almost oddly has been given much opportunity in the AHL with only 1/2 season on the books.
Finland’s top hockey will be very competitive for the 27-year old that could excel his game and start a great career away from home in Calgary, AB.
He finds limited success in Finnish hockey, so decides to sign with Sodertalje SK, scoring 7 goals and 8 assists in 35 Allsvenskan games.
For 2022/2023, he returns to sign a 2-way deal with the brand new Calgary Wranglers.
After spending all of last season running up the scoresheet for Rapid City Rush to the tune of a career high 30 goals and 38 assists for 68 points in 64 ECHL games.
For 2023/2024, he signs with Allen Americans, where those scoring talents are once again very likely to flourish.
He scores 8 goals and 13 assists in 18 games to start the new session and might be looking for another step, so signs for the rest of the year with Krefeld Pinguine of DEL2.
UMASS Minutemen Latvian-born, freshman center Dans Locmelis(10) may only have 2 goals and 1 assist in 10 games, but he is always fully involved in the action, when he’s on the ice.
The 6′ 172 lbs. Boston Bruins‘ 4th round pick in the 2022 draft (#119 overall) played all his youth and junior hockey back home.
We feel we will see the former Lulea HF , Boston Bruins‘ 4th round pick in the 2022 draft (#119 overall) play out the full term of his college career and get himself an education.
The 19-year old is definitely a good watch.
Calgary Flames‘ 6th year defenseman Andy Welinski(45) has been spending time in 2021/2022 with affiliate Stockton Heat, putting up 2 goals with 12 assists and a +11 rating, helping a very good team win.
The 6’1″ 205 lbs. blue liner could easily score himself an NHL recall.
He played 14 games last season for a 2nd time for original entry level contract club Anaheim Ducks and maybe didn’t get any points, but was a nice +4 rating.
The former University Of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs averaged 6 goals and 10+ assists a season.
He also won the 2012 USHL Clark Cup Championship with Green Bay Gamblers before heading to school, so has that in his hockey pedigree.
At 28-years old, he only taking small bites off the apple for contracts and that just could be the way it plays out for him.
For 2022/2023, he signs a new 1-year, lucrative 2-way deal with New York Rangers, but will likely spend the majority of his time working with the youngsters for affiliate Hartford Wolf Pack.
He was a very solid plus player through regular season and playoffs.
Although he never appeared with the main club, he becomes a piece of trade bait at the deadline and is shipped to Chicago Blackhawks, where he could actually play in a game or two.
After 8 games with Utica Comets, he is waived and not long after, for a first time signs overseas with Lowen Frankfort of DEL to continue.
