Michigan State University Spartans‘ senior defenseman, captain Nash Nienhuis(4) signs a 1st pro deal for 2024/2025 to start his pro hockey overseas with EC Salzburg.
The 5’10” 185 lbs. blue liner from Sarnia, ON started junior hockey local in the GOJHL, but was quickly drafted to the USHL with Muskegon Lumberjacks before he had his best junior success in 27 games for Omaha Lancers.
He had a college best 9 goals, tied his 15 assists set as a junior and had a new high 24 points with +20 rating.
The 24-year old will likely excel nicely in the IceHL.
Kalpa‘s rookie defenseman Aapeli Rasanen(22) left his final year at Boston College behind possibly not knowing how the upcoming season would turn out during a raging pandemic, as he signed soon after 2019/2020 was aborted.
The 6′ 207 lbs. forward came to life scoring in his final year at college with 11 goals and 13 assists in 34 NCAA games with a +14 rating.
He continued on that path his first year in Liiga grabbing 13 tallies and 9 helpers.
It’s not certain what his future will be with Edmonton Oilers, who drafted him in the 6th round of 2016 (#153 overall) and still retains his contract rights.
The 22-year old is back home in Finland and maybe not looking back, which is too bad because he was always a good player to watch in Hockey East.
He spends his 1st 4 pro years with the same team, scoring decently, but maybe it’s time for a rival switch, so he signs with Tappara for 2024/2025.
12th year, small 5’9″ 161 lbs. defenseman Chay Genoway(39) maybe wants to take the edge off playing for big squads in the KHL or SHL, as he’s been doing for the past 8 seasons.
For 2022/2023, he has signed with EC Salzburg of ICEHL and will definitely find some room to score big in Austria’s top hockey league.
In fact, in his 1st 2 games, the former University Of North Dakota Fighting Hawks already has a goal and an assist.
Undrafted, he signed an entry level deal with Minnesota Wild, yet only skated 1 NHL game at the end of his rookie season, coming away with an assist.
The 35-year old from Morden, MB is likely still just having too much fun playing the game to quit.
He posts 10 goals and 17 assists in 45 games, then adds another 8 points in 16 playoff matchups en route to the 2023 ICEHL Championship to earn himself another year on the now 36-year old’s contract.
At 37-years of age, he continues to contribute for a 2nd league title in a row and he is to be kept on in a Red Bulls‘ uniform for a 3rd straight year, 2024/2025 (and another championship).
American International College Yellowjackets‘ Finnish-born, senior center Julius Janhonen(11) heads home to Liiga to sign with HPK for 2024/2025.
The 6’1″ 185 lbs. forward played a college high 40 games and scored a best 19 assists and 24 points last season.
He did all his youth and junior hockey back home for the 25-year old and should do well upon returning.
9th year defenseman Davis Vandane(55) will head back to IceHL, where he was for most of 2021/2022, before leaving at the end to help Lowen Frankfort win the DEL2 Championship, scoring 3 goals and 7 assists in 12 games.
The big 6’4″ 207 lbs. blue liner was rewarded with a 1-year move up to DEL with the same club, where he would score 7 goals and 20 assists with a +11 rating in 56 games.
He decides not to stay and return to Austrian hockey for 2023/2024, signing with HC Bolzano Foxes.
From Yorkton, SK, the 31-year old played 3 WHL seasons for Spokane Chiefs and Prince Albert Raiders before heading to 2 sessions at University Of Calgary Dinos.
He’s got to be pretty happy with the way things have turned out.
It looks like he’s in a habit of jumping back-and-forth in between Germany and Austria and heads back to the former for 2024/2025 with Krefeld Pinguine.
Brown University‘s 2nd year Finnish-born defenseman Samuli Niinisaari(7) leaves college for hockey season to head back home and play in tier 3 league Suomi-sarja for Kotkan Titaanit and already has a nice 3 goals and 10 assists in 17 regular season games and has added another pair of helpers in the playoffs.
The 6’1″ 194 lbs. blue liner took spent most of his early game in his home country but did stretch out for one campaign of juniors in Saskatoon and then agreed to a year with Lincoln Stars of the USHL before making the college commitment.
It would be surprising to not see the 22-year old return to school as soon as the coast is clear.
He does return for the 2021/2022, recording a new best 11 assists and 12 points, then appeared in 30 games last season with 8 helpers to his credit.
For his senior year, he has decided to go for some new frozen waters, enters the transfer portal and comes out a member of the 2023/2024 UMass Minutemen.
He ups his challenge to take on Hockey East.
Through 27 games, he takes up his scoring to 3 goals and 9 assists with a +2 rating for possibly his best college frame.
He takes it back home to sign a 1+ year deal with Saipa and will skate his games in Liiga for 2024/2025.
5th year center Scott Pooley(12) trades in a 1st good season overseas for Lukko, scoring 18 goals and 16 assists in 55 Liiga games for a new experience with HockeyAllsvenskan, signing for 2022/2023 to IF Bjorkloven.
The 6’2″ 201 lbs. forward has signed 3 times with Toronto Marlies and played 63 AHL games, while being reassigned down to the ECHL Newfoundland Growlers, where he was a point-per-game player and helped them win the 2019 Kellly Cup.
He had 34 points in 36 NCAA Division 1 games as a senior at Holy Cross College Crusaders and 20+ points each previous frame.
The 28-year old from Granger, IN was never much of a point getter in 2 years of junior, one north in the AJHL, but definitely figured out how to connect at the higher levels.
He would spend 2 years scoring for his tier 2 Swedish hockey team and decides to trade it in for a contract with rivals AIK for 2024/2025.
12th year left wing Mike Connolly(22) will spend an 8th season in a Straubing Tigers‘ uniform.
The 5’9″ 181 lbs. forward had his best year scoring 19 goals and 53 points in 2021/2022.
He has 5 times put up 30+ assists for this team.
The top scorer in his 3 campaigns at University Of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs, hitting 54 points in 42 NCAA Division 1 games as a senior.
He only played 2 sessions in the AHL and did appear in 2 NHL games with Colorado Avalanche after a rookie trade sent him away from San Jose Sharks‘ system.
At 33-years old, the Calgary, AB native has to be pretty happy about how his pro hockey life is still going.
He scores 16 goals and 22 assists in 50 DEL games last season and yup, will return for a 9th season in a Tigers‘ jersey.
2024/2025 will be his 10th season in a Straubing uniform, coming after a 34 assist, 45 point season.
2nd year defenseman Max Balinson(8) up and leaves for DEL2 to skate for Eispiraten Crimmitschau in 2023/2024 after bouncing around with 3 ECHL teams as a rookie, but ultimately landing at least decently successfully with Orlando Solar Bears, scoring 4 goals and 11 assists in 24 games.
The 6’1″ 198 lbs. blue liner from Ancaster, ON played 3 seasons of GOJHL junior hockey with hometown team, Ancaster Avalanche before committing to 1st school, Arizona State University Sun Devils.
He transferred after not playing during his junior campaign to Long Island University Sharks and served as assistant captain during his graduate session.
We think the 26-year old of split Canadian/German descent will do well in Germany tier 2 league.
He must have felt right at home, as he connected for 21 goals and 23 assists through 51 games with a +15 rating, then added another 3 points in the playoffs.
For his efforts, he has been elevated to DEL and signs with Dusseldorfer EG for 2024/2025.
Czech-born defenseman Patrik Demel(3) heads home to join HC Litvinov of the Czech League after 4 seasons with AIC Yellowjackets, including a best 19 assists and 21 points as a senior, which could have been even better if it wasn’t derailed by COVID.
The 5’11” 185 lbs. blue liner skated most of his youth and junior hockey with a couple of programs close to home and even played a couple games with a couple of goals in Czech3 as a 19-year old before heading over for a season of juniors in the NAHL with Bismarck Bobcats.
He scored a pretty phenomenal 2 goals and 30 assists with a +9 rating before heading to his college commitment.
We’re pretty sure the 25-year old will be happy where he is and may just try to grow that into something for himself.
His solid play with 4 goals and 14 assists in 55 games earns him a 3rd contract to stay and continue to grow.
After 4 seasons, 208 games with the same club, he signs for 2024/2025 with rivals HC Vitkovice Ridera.
