12th year right wing Brandon Yip(18) re-ups with Kunlun Red Star after taking a single COVID volatile season away, skating for Jukurit of Liiga.
It will be his 4th season with the team he served as team captain for the last couple years.
The 6’1″ 198 lbs. forward has played 174 NHL games, 103 in the AHL, 163 so far in the KHL, and a 2015 DEL Championship with Adler Mannheim, when he first arrived overseas.
He’s always been a decent scorer in these leagues but as a junior in the BCHL, he twice equaled more than point-per-game totals in the 2 years with Coquitlam Express.
The Maple Ridge, BC native would take his game to Boston University Terriers next and strike for 22 assists as a rookie and put up 43 points (20-23) in 47 Hockey East games as a senior and help the team win the 2009 NCAA Championship.
You have to wonder if the 36-year old has it anywhere in his mind to retire soon.
He just can’t stop and returns for a 5th overall season with the China-based, Russia-league club.
Staying on as 2nd year captain, he only appears in 8 games for 2 assists.
After 347 KHL games and 7 years in the league for the newly named Shanghai Dragons, he at age 40 says it’s time to find something else for his ice time.
Bowling Green University Falcons‘ 2nd year German-born defenseman Tommy Pasanen(18) heads home for his 1st pro contract, signing with Lowen Frankfort for 2025/2026.
The big 6’4″ 218 lbs. blue liner came over for 2 USHL seasons of juniors with Sioux City Musketeers after doing youth hockey back home and Czechia.
He started college hockey with 2 fairly successful frames with Clarkson University Golden Knights.
Undrafted defenseman Jeff Baum(6) spent a 1st collegiate year at Providence College Friars, but after a somewhat flat season entered the transfer portal to attend American International College Yellowjackets and completed his education, along with showing a nice uptick in his Atlantic Hockey play.
The 5’11” 185 lbs. blue liner will next head to the EIHL, joining Belfast Giants for 2021/2022.
Never the biggest point getter, in his 2nd season of juniors for Wichita Falls Wildcats, he was able to take it up a level with 10 goals, 20 assists and a +21 rating in 57 NAHL games, his best effort.
The 25-year old from Colleyville, TX native should find his footing in England’s top hockey.
Winning a league 2022 Championship, scoring a tidy 2 goals and 16 assists with a massive +28 rating, it’s a bit of a no brainer for him to return for a 2022/2023 sophomore run.
He may not be quite as generous as he was last year with his scoring 2 goals and 6 assists, but maintained a +22 rating in 10 less, 43 games.
It’s a complete easy thinker to return him for a 3rd campaign in his role as fan favorite to a team that has won 2 straight titles with him in the teal lineup.
After 4 seasons and 2 championships, he decides to play his hockey a little closer to home for 2025/2026 and signs with Idaho Steelheads, where we know he will contribute well.
UMASS-Lowell Riverhawks‘ Swedish-born senior defenseman Isac Jonsson(32) takes with him 138 games played, 10 goals and 41 assists with a +6 rating to a 1st deal with Kansas City Mavericks after tournament play concluded, scoring 1 goal and 1 assist in 3 ECHL games with a +1 rating.
The 5’10” 183 lbs. blue liner did 1 USHL junior season after coming across from 6 SHL games and 3 Hockeyettan.
He will return on a 1-year deal with IK Oskarshamn of HockeyAllsvenskan for 2025/2026, as a rookie.
11th year center Louie Caporusso(23) signed for a 2nd season with Cincinnati Cyclones after lighting it up for 22 goals and 44 assists in 67 ECHL games last season.
The 5’9″ 185 lbs. forward has 7 times had 10+ goals, 3 times 20+ assists and once had 30 assists in his 3rd DEL campaign.
He also had three 20+ goals and twice 20+ assists at University Of Michigan Wolverines.
Originally an Ottawa Senators‘ 3rd round pick in 2007 (#90 overall), he was in their system for a couple of sessions, but left unqualified and signed the next year with Reading Royals.
He would last only 24 games before leaving for his 1st of 6 frames in Germany’s top hockey.
At 33-years old, the Toronto, ON native is likely just still having fun.
After 3 seasons of point-per-game scoring with Cincinnati Cyclones, he decides looking back on some 265 ECHL games and 216 in DEL Germany is quite enough and will at now 36-years old ease into a special team coaching role with his former, still current team.
American International College Yellowjackets‘ Swedish-born junior left wing Alexander Malinowski(25) enters the transfer portal to next play at University Of Alaska-Fairbanks Nanooks for 2025/2026.
The 5’11” 187 lbs. forward had 8 assists in 25 games last season.
He actually played 2 SHL games and 8 Hockeyettan before coming over for NAHL junior hockey, where he skated for Fairbanks Ice Dogs, so is returning at his new school.
His old school was taking their program down to the D3 compete level.
We think the 24-year old does well with his new club in familiar surroundings.
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.
After 1st full season, in 55 games scoring 6 goals and 13 assists with a +6 rating and next he will head to the SHL and signs with Malmo Redhawks for 2025/2026.
5th year center John Stevens(16) has maybe started to find his footing with new team Abbottsford Canucks, scoring 3 goals and 3 assists in 22 AHL games.
He signed a one-year, two-way NHL deal with parent club, Vancouver Canucks after producing well for former affiliate Utica Comets in the weird 2020/2021 frame.
The 6’3″ 204 lbs. forward had his best season as a rookie with 19 points in 66 games for Bridgeport Sound Tigers, while under a 2-year entry level deal to New York Islanders.
He was a 3-time 20+ point player and once, as a junior 30+ for Northeastern University Huskies was maybe some of his highs, but we think the 27-year old is ready to start connecting at a higher clip.
We think the 27-year old scores an oddball recall in 2022 for his chance at the big league.
He may have not grabbed that recall, but he did run up a career best 19 goals and 24 assists with a +11 rating to secure a 2nd season under a major contract for the now 28-year old.
While he didn’t score a recall for his 6 goals and 13 assists in 43 games last season, he was still steady as she goes per usual on his playing style with a +5 rating to earn himself a 2-year minor league deal going forward.
After 4 seasons with Abbotsford Canucks and to win the 2025 Calder Cup, he is finally after 8 pro seasons heading off to try something new, signing in Liiga with Kiekko-Espoo for 2025/2026.
Sacred Heart University Pioneers‘ Belarus-born, graduate left wing Mark Cheremeta(24) signs a 1st pro deal for 2024/2025 with ECHL team, Kalamazoo Wings.
The 5’11” 185 lbs. forward also played 3 years at Ohio State University Buckeyes and as a freshman with Boston University Terriers.
He came over as a teenager and elevated his game as a junior player to connect big in his only UPSHL/NCDC frame before school.
At 25-years old, he should do pretty well in the league.
In his rookie frame, he grabs a 1st goal and 2 assists in 14 games, but is dished to Orlando Solar Bears, where he should strike better for points.
He bounces around as a 1st year player and ultimately ends up with Worcester Railers, where he is able to strike for 3 goals and 1 assist in 9 games with a +3 rating.
For 2025/2026, he going to head home to Belarusian Extraliga and signs with Dinamo Molodechno.
Providence Bruins‘ undrafted 4th year right wing Wayne Simpson(21) is having himself a career year and that’s after only being with the team on a pto to start.
Signed to an spc one month in, he already has 7 goals and 11 assists with a +10 rating in 22 AHL games, which is only one tally off his season high set last year with Portland Pirates and may even eclipse the 28 helpers he dished in 2015/2016.
The 5’11” 194 lbs. forward was a solid performer on the stat sheet in his final three years at Union College grabbing 30+ points per campaign and a pair of NCAA/ECAC Championships in 2012 and 2013.
He started his pro career with two seasons for South Carolina Stingrays playing 131 ECHL games, scoring 22 goals as a rookie and a best 39 assists, 55 points as a sophomore skater and a +19 rating.
In an almost unprecedented move, when postseason rolled around he blew the lid off the score sheet grabbing a league high 25 assists, 38 points and +20 rating losing the 2015 Kelly Cup Championship in game 7.
At 27-years old a guy that’s had to continuously prove himself and earn every inch he’s got looks to just be getting started and may even play his way into a first big league contract for 2017/2018.
After a 6th season with ERC Ingolstadt of continued scoring and some 276 games in DEL, he decides at age 35, it’s time to adopt a new role.
