Category: Europe

21May

Scott Pooley (12)

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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.

20May

Mike Connolly (22)

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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.

19May

Max Balinson (8)

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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.

18May

Patrik Demel (3)

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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.

15May

Mark Zengerle (89)

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9th year center Mark Zengerle(89) wins a pair of DEL Championships with Eisbaren Berlin and leaves for a new opportunity with rival Straubing Tigers.

It will be his 5th season in the league.

The University Of Wisconsin Badgers‘ forward scored 34 assists and 44 points in 37 NCAA Division 1 games as a senior.

He has never had an NHL contract and played 4 AHL seasons with one short stop in Sweden’s SHL before leaving for his half birth nation to continue his game.

The 33-year old from Rochester, NY must have a nice smile on his face playing in Germany.

He’s been with the same club for 2 years and by his previous marks, he needs to sign with a 4th team on that soil and takes a new country best 15 goals and will skate with Augsburger Panther 2024/2025.

14May

JJ Piccinich (14)

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5th year right wing JJ Piccinich(14) decides it’s time to look outside the box, signing a 1-year deal with Belfast Giants for 2021/2022.

The Paramus, NJ native had an interesting path to turning pro.

Originally a Toronto Maple Leafs‘ 4th round pick in the 2010 draft (#105 overall), he only ever signed with their affiliate Toronto Marlies.

He would next sign to San Antonio Rampage, but was reassigned mostly to affiliate Tulsa Oilers, where he popped in a massive 42 assists.

The 6′ 190 lbs. forward also had a pair of amazing sessions for London Knights, including his 2nd as team captain, scoring 138 points (56-82) in 132 games.

This followed up just a single season at Boston University Terriers.

The 25-year old will bring some good winning to his new club: 2016 Memorial Cup, 2016 OHL Championship and 2019 ECHL Kelly Cup with Newfoundland Growlers.

It’s almost as if he can’t stop winning titles, as his Ireland lands the 2022 EIHL Championship and he ends a career scoring season with a league most goals, assists, points, plus/minus and forward of the year award.

He’s decided to up and leave and try something different though, signing in Norway with Stjernen Hockey.

As he posted a 25 goal and 40 assist frame in 45 games with his new club and has gone on to include an assist in one playoff match, the almost point-per-game Youngstown Phantoms re-signs to stay.

In roughly 90 games, he amasses 110 points and decides to head back to England with the Giants to explode more scoring and look for a title.

12May

Ethan Roswell (5)

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Ethan Roswell(5) graduates Bentley University Falcons as team captain, capturing a career best 6 assists and 6 points in 34 NCAA Division 1 games.  and heads to France2, joining Les  Corsaires de Dunkerque for 2022/2023.

The 5’11” 185 lbs. Paradise Valley, AZ native came east for school and junior hockey with Boston Jr. Bruins.

Serving as their captain, he picked up 6 goals and 11 assists in 49 USPHL/NCDC games before heading to school.

It would be little surprise to not see him be easily one of the best players in this league.

He scores 9 goals and 15 assists in 25 games with a +18 rating, then adds another 10 points in 9 playoff match ups, but decides to head back closer to home, signing a 1-year ECHL deal with Wichita Thunder for 2023/2024.

In 12 games, he scores 2 goals and 3 assists with a +4 rating, but is put on waivers and decides he wants to head back to France, signing with Gap of Ligue Magnus.

He does well in the top French league, but has decided that’s all he wants to pursue professionally and decides to retire.

10May

Ryan Dmowski (16)

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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.

08May

Haralds Egle (49)

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Manitoba Moose undrafted, rookie, Latvian-born right wing Haralds Egle(49) has a pair of goals in 17 AHL contests, and he scored those goals in successive outings, his 9th and 10th games.

The solid 5’10” 194 lbs. forward started the season on loan to DVTK Jegesmedvek of the Slovakian League and he lit it up scoring 6 goals and 11 assists in 18 appearances.

He also had solid numbers through four years at Clarkson University Golden Knights with a total of 44 goals and 61 assists in 135 NCAA ECAC Division 1 contests and a +19 rating.

Coming over early to play junior hockey he started in a pay for league but burst that bubble in a single showing and quickly was placed on Muskegon Lumberjacks, where he stay for one campaign before taking up with Madison Capitals and started to strike the stat sheet.

He split his next frame where he was before being traded to Chicago Steel running up some 30 assists to get him notice by his college of choice.

The 24-year is pretty likely to find better footing as he continues to play more.

He takes a very decent showing, scoring 5 goals and 9 assists in 30 games with a +10 rating to a new journey, signing with SC Langenthal of Swiss League for 2022/2023.

Through 41 games, he blows up scoring to the tune of 14 goals and 37 assists with a +7 rating and will take those totals to a much better hockey in 2023/2024, agreeing to terms with HK 32 Liptovsky Mikulas of Slovak Extraliga.

He finds luck in the tough to play Slovakian hockey league, scoring 11 goals and 28 assists in 49 games, then adds another 4 points in the playoffs.

For 2024/2025, he signs with rivals HC Slovan Bratislava, where we think he will find a lot of success.

Beginning of the season, he is doing well with 5 goals and 5 assists in 17 games, but finds himself returning to HK 32 Liptovsky Mikulas.

He continues to do ok, but has decided he wants a new challenge and HC Energie Karlovy Vary of Czech Extraliga  for 2025/2026.

04May

Zach Kaiser (23)

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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.