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.
3 seasons in Germany is all good and is heads of to IceHL and signs with HC Bolzano Foxes for 2025/2026.
We think the 33-year old will do well and discover a few more years remaining.
Finnish-native net minder Daniel Lebedeff(60) spent 5 years in the U.S. honing his hockey skills but decided to head back home as the pandemic closed down the postseason and more, signing a two-year deal with HPK of Liiga.
After doing all of his youth hockey with HIFK, the fairly large 6’2″ 194 lbs. goalie left to sign with Madison Capitals of the USHL, where he spent a little over a year and committed to University Of Wisconsin Badgers but decided to leave for the lower NAHL joining Janesville Jets.
He would better excel in this league and even made the playoffs for a couple of appearances.
Although his record at college (23-26-2) wasn’t exactly stellar with a 3.49 GAA and .892 SV% in 55 NCAA Big Ten Conference games, I think folks who know how better than us still see promise in the still young 21-year old, potentially from the one pretty strong junior campaign.
The Helsinki native is putting up some outstanding numbers through the midway point of 2021/2022, running together a 6-2-3 record with a 1.55 GAA and .938 SV% to earn another year added to his current deal.
After 5 years back in his home country, he is branching out to the tough to play Slovak Extraliga and signs with HK 32 Liptovsky Miskulas for 2025/2026.
2022/2023 was certainly a busy 1st season for Connor Jean(12) coming off 11 games for Holy Cross College Crusaders, his 2nd stint with the college club, but decided to turn, signing a contract with Fort Wayne Komets.
After 5 ECHL games, that relationship went south and he switched to Indy Fuel, where he lasted 14 games, grabbing a 1st goal an an assist.
The 5’10” 183 lbs. forward then shifted down to sign with Evansville Thunderbolts and connected for 3 goals, including 2 in his debut and 2 assists in 5 SPHL games, but seems to be on the move again.
This time he’s really going away to agree with Perth Thunder for the summer league, AIHL in Australia, where the seasons are opposite.
The 26-year old from Oakland, MI will likely find his scoring footing nicely in the land down under and hopefully parlay that into something good for himself in 2023/2024.
He takes some insane numbers from Australian, 17 goals and 25 assists in just 19 games to a new deal for 2023/2024 with Kalix HC of HockeyEttan.
Through 34 games, he nets 12 goals and 17 assists, then another 7 points in 7 playoff games.
In what we see as a bit of an oddball move, unless he was somehow wooed, he signs with Les Remparts des Tours of France2 for 2024/2025 and should absolutely blow up scoring there.
He scores point-per-game numbers and even better in the playoffs, so he is easily wanted to return to des Tours for 2025/2026.
Former two-time Mercyhurst University Lakers‘ center captain Derek Barach(19) signs himself a nice tw0-year deal to head to Finland’s top hockey Liiga, joining Assat starting 2021/2022.
He skated 31 AHL games last season for Texas Stars, scoring 3 goals and 4 assists.
The small 5’8″ 165 lbs. forward has always been a good scorer and hard player on ice but probably no period was better than when he scored 38 points in 37 Atlantic Hockey games as a junior, then in his senior frame grabbed 37 points in 38 contests.
That’s just math.
The 26-year old native of Glenmont, NY will likely find enough open space to become a big scorer in the league.
In 2 seasons playing the highest hockey in the Finnish culture, he pots 33 goals and 27 assists in 114 games, then adding another 6 in 8 during the playoffs last frame.
He is rewarded for his efforts with a contract to play his game in the KHL with Vityaz Moscow Region for 2023/2024.
Through 68 games he scores 10 goals and 25 assists, yet is a horrible -21 rating, but is wanted back.
After a 2nd solid session of increased scoring even, he decides to switch ranks, joining up with rivals, Metallurg Magnitorgorsk for 2025/2026 and will likely just continue.
University Of Connecticut Huskies‘ graduate defenseman Andrew Lucas(6) turns pro and signs an ato with San Diego Gulls.
He scored a new college best 5 goals, but didn’t equal those 22 assists and 24 points he set as a senior.
The very solid 6′ 179 lbs. blue line played only 1 season of junior hockey, bouncing from the BCHL quite successfully to Brooks Bandits, where he won the 2019 AJHL Championship before committing.
He started with 3 seasons at University Of Vermont Catamounts and became team captain for 2 years as a sophomore.
The 25-year old from Alexandria, VA already looks like a pro has 3 assists in 6 AHL games, so just needs a permanent jersey.
It’s an absolute no brainer to have him return for his rookie season for the Gulls, 2024/2025.
He was mostly reassigned down to Tulsa Oilers, where he blew up scoring a bit with 6 goals and 23 assists in 39 ECHL games.
For 2025/2026, he will challenge himself further by signing in the Slovak Extraliga with HC Banska Bystrica.
UMass-Lowell Riverhawks‘ Latvian-born, sophomore right wing Girts Silkalns(16) figured into only 10 games last season and 18 as a freshman, so it’s little guess he enters the transfer portal and will next skate at Northern Michigan University Wildcats.
The 6’2″ 187 lbs. forward did his youth hockey at home and even played some games prior to doing 1 year USHL before college.
We will see if the strategy finds him more opportunities to play and score.
Ohio State University Buckeyes‘ Swedish-born, junior center Travis Treloar(97) takes a college best scoring 8 goals and 13 assists to the transfer portal to arrive at 2023 NCAA Division 1 Champs, Quinnipiac University Bobcats for his senior campaign in 2023/2024.
The 5’11” 176 lbs. forward had 2 successful runs at USHL juniors, but really took it up in his 2nd round with Lincoln Stars, notching point-per-game numbers.
He at 22-years old will likely do pretty well in ECAC style game.
In his graduate frame at his new school, he scores a college best 16 goals and 20 assists with a +3 rating, which he will take back home to a deal in HockeyAllsvenskan with Mora IK.
Rochester Jr. Americans‘ 2nd year left wing Landon Brownlee(18) taks a junior best scoring 19 goals and a 2nd straight season of 17 assists and new high 36 points in 58 NAHL games with a +18 rating.
He added another 4 points in 12 playoff matchups with a +5 rating.
The 6’1″ 201 lbs. forward from Finch, ON did 2 CCHL sessions before coming down.
For 2025/2026, he commits to Middlebury College Panthers.
UMASS-Lowell Riverhawks‘ Swedish-born, graduate center Filip Fornaa Svensson(14) skated only 3 games with his 1st team, Fort Wayne Komets grabbing an assist, but is wanted for his 6’4″ 216 lbs. frame in Norfolk Admirals to continue.
He transferred to his new school as a senior, coming over from University Of Alaska-Fairbanks Nanooks, where he scored his college best as a junior with 9 goals and 16 assists.
All of his junior hockey was played back home before coming over strictly for school and now for his pro game.
He takes a solid scoring ECHL season with 25 goals and 13 assists in 48 games with a +16 rating to a new deal in his homeland HockeyAllsvenskan with Vimmerby HC for 2025/2026.
American International College Yellowjackets‘ Swedish-born, senior left wing Oscar Geschwind(17) takes a 2nd season of 7 assists to a 1st pro contract back home in HockeyEttan with Tingsryds AIF for 2025/2026.
The 6′ 196 lbs. forward had his best college scoring season as a sophomore with 8 goals and 7 assists after he transferred from doing his freshman year at Northern Michigan University Wildcats.
He did all his youth hockey and juniors back home, even getting into a couple league games, where he will officially start as a rookie.
The 24-year old we think will do really well.
