Category: Europe

13th year center Carter Camper(11) is heading to a new league, Finland’s Liiga for 2023/2024 after 8 games in the Swiss NL and almost 3 SHL seasons with Leksands IF.

He will next skate for Tappara.

The 5’9″ 176 lbs. forward 3 times had 10+ goals and twice 30+ assists in Sweden’s top league.

He was mostly a more than point-per-game scorer through 4 years at Miami University (Ohio) Redhawks before signing as an undrafted, unrestricted free agent with Boston Bruins.

The Rocky River, OH native played 3 NHL games as a rookie and score a 1st goal.

He is a veteran of 558 AHL games.

At 35-years old, it’s hard to believe it’s been that long.

He scores nicely with 17 goals and 31 assists in 60 games with a +19 rating, then adds 7 points on his way to a 2024 Liiga Championship.

For 2024/2025, he eyes another opportunity in HockeyAllsvenskan, signing for 1-year with IK Oskarshamn.

6th year right wing Wade Murphy(6) returns to sign with Idaho Steelheads for 2022/2023 after spending the last 3 seasons of pandemic madness away in Norway, Austria and Slovenia, where he managed to capture that country’s 2022 league championship.

The 6′ 194 lbs. forward has 120 games of ECHL experience with decent scoring, but definitely could flatten that +/-.

Originally a Nashville Predators’ 7th round pick in the 2013 draft (#185 overall), he was never signed after an outstanding junior season based on his early college numbers.

He graduated after a 2 season transfer to Arizona State University Sun Devils from University Of North Dakota Fighting Hawks with a college career best 9 goals and 11 assists.

The 28-year old from Victoria, BC is a big frame that should be able to score goals almost at will we the right team in this league.

He takes a career high by a mile frame, scoring 21 goals and 22 assists in 54 games with a +38 rating to 20 playoff match ups and another 20 point total.

It’s an absolute no brainer that he receives a new contract to continue wearing a Steelheads‘ jersey for 2023/2024.

He is taking career scoring bests goals, assists, points with him for another foray to test his skills overseas in the tough to play Slovak Extraliga and signs with HC Slovan Bratislava for 2024/2025 and we think does very well here.

Limited to only 10 games last season, he scored 6 goals and 2 assists with a +5 rating and will next skate in the same league for HK Poprad in 2024/2025.

6th year center Cameron Brown(9) steps away from a pair of seasons with SonderjyskE and a very solid 10 goals and 21 assists in 31 Metal Ligaen games last year with a +23 rating to a new adventure in Ligue Magnus, signing for 2022/2023 to Les Ducs d’Angers.

The small 5’7″ 157 lbs. forward has definitely found ways to score, leaving three ECHL campaigns averaging 10+ goals and 20+ assists.

He dished 35 assists in 34 NCAA Division 1 games as senior captain at University Of Maine Black Bears.

The 29-year old, Natick, MA native may be able to play his way up a bit from a good session in France.

17 games into his season abroad, he has 1 goal and 7 assists, and decides to make a move over to Metal Ligaen, joining Esbjerg Energy for the remainder of the frame.

He grabs 17 points (6 goals, 11 assists) in 22 games with a +9 rating, which is pretty good, so he signs with league rivals, Herning Blue Fox for 2023/2024 and we expect him to do better.

For his 3 season, he will stay in Denmark, but returns to his original team in the country, SonderjyskE for 2024/2025.

7th year center Darik Angeli(18) re-signs with Kansas City Mavericks after putting up ECHL career highs 33 assists and 51 points.

He has played an almost eye-popping 357 games in the league.

The solid 6’3″ 203 lbs. forward has skated for 9 teams in the E, three times with Norfolk Admirals.

He has only agreed to terms in one season with an AHL team, Tuscon Roadrunners 2018/2019, but only stayed with them four games with an assist before being reassigned.

It would be little surprise to see the 30-year old, former Ohio State University Buckeyes to split for overseas for his next contract.

After a huge career year that saw him getting traded late to Florida Everblades and help them win the 2022 Kelly Cup Championship, where he scored 29 goals and 41 assists and another 3 goals and 3 assists with a +3 rating in the playoffs, he will take these fortunes overseas to another title winner, Belfast Giants in 2022/2023.

Almost oddly, following 24 games played, scoring 6 goals and 6 assists with a +9 rating with little word on why, he leaves to sign with Vienna Capitals for the balance of 2023 and should continue to score like a champ in IceHL.

He gets 3 goals and 2 assists in 11 games with a horrendous -9, but gets to the playoffs and adds 5 helpers in another 11 matchups.

For the remainder of 2024, the now 33-year old re-ups with Orlando Solar Bears, where he played some 5 or so years ago with good results.

He scores 31 points in 35 games, then 11 in 11 in the playoffs and is definitely wanted to return in a Solar Bears’ jersey, where he has to be a fan favorite.

Rapid City Rush rookie signing, 4 year American International College Yellowjackets‘ left wing Blake Bennett(48) is off to a nice start as a pro, scoring his 1st ECHL goal in his 5th game and adding 3 assists in 6 total sightings.

The small 5’9″ but stocky 195 lbs. forward had a college career best 22 goals and 35 points in 38 games as a senior, his 2nd season with 20+ goals, 10+ assists and 30+ points.

He was a point-per-game player in his only NAHL session for Corpus Christi Ice Rays after playing himself up from a couple of seasons in lower levels and half a one in a Canadian based league before heading to college.

We predict the 24-year old from Grand Island, NY settles in nicely with his new club.

He finishes up from his ato with 1 goal and 4 assists in 15 games with a 0 rating.

This is good enough for the Rush to want to see a full rookie season by him in one of their jerseys.

In a full slate of 72 games, he absolutely blows up scoring with 35 goals and 28 assists, but decides to look elsewhere for his next contract and will head to Metal Ligaen to skate for Odense Bulldogs in 2024/2025.

He skates only 9 games, but scores 6 goals and 3 assists with a +1 rating.

Next, he will head to DEL2 and signs with EV Landshut for 2024/2025.

Undrafted 3rd year right wing Patrick Newell(14) will next take his game to Stjernen Hockey of Fjordkraftligaen for 2021/2022, and we think will find some excellent results, as his 2-year entry level deal with New York Rangers doesn’t net a qualifying offer.

The 5’10” 170 lbs. forward was signed upon completing 4 years at St. Cloud State University Huskies, pocketing 21 goals and 26 assists for 47 points in 39 NCHC games with a highly impressive +35 rating and a Hobey Baker Finalist nod.

From Thousand Oaks, CA he quickly moved to play a split frame of juniors, both successful, with Fairbanks Ice Dogs of the NAHL and USHL‘s Indiana Ice, where he stayed to play a follow-up frame.

He would help them win the 2014 Clark Cup Championship, scoring 13 goals and 30 assists in regular season, then another 4 and 3 in 12 playoff contests to the title.

Next he would move up to a year with Penticton Vees before committing to college and yup, his 16 goals and 31 assists in the natural frame, then 3 tallies and 11 helpers in 22 playoff games led to a 2015 BCHL Championship.

The 25-year old small spark should light up Norway hockey.

Exactly what we thought would happen, happened, as he struck for 21 goals and 30 assists with a +15 rating in 42 games, then added another 8 points in 12 playoff contests.

This performance got him looking and he signs for 2022/2023 with Fehervar AV19 of IceHL, and no doubt he will be more challenged in this top Austrian league.

He actually leaves after 17 games with decent scoring for HockeyAllsvenskan, signing for the rest of the frame with Sodertalje SK and does ok with 15 points in 30 games.

Something has changed his mind though and he is returning for 2023/2024 on a 1-year ECHL deal with Orlando Solar Bears.

Through 18 games, he has 4 goals and 10 assists, which is maybe a little easy pickins’, so decides to head to Slovakia Extraliga joining HK Nitra and has 1 goal in 2 games.

He does quite well here, scoring 3 goals and 7 assists in 16 games with a +9 rating, then adds another 9 points in 21 playoff games with a +6 to win the 2024 Slovakian Extraliga Championship. , but has decided he’ll return to playing pro hockey closer to home, signing with Tahoe Knight Monsters for 2024/2025.

Undrafted 4th year right wing Josh Kestner(62) takes a fantastic first season overseas at TPS, scoring 24 goals and 25 assists in 59 Liiga games with a +6 rating to a new contract with Admiral Vladivostok of the KHL for 2021/2022.

The 6’1″ 185 lbs. forward had a very similar session for Newfoundland Growlers, grabbing another 49 points (22-27) in 61 ECHL games with a +8, then potted another 9 goals and 7 assists in 21 playoff contests en route to the 2019 Kelly Cup Championship.

He would next sign an AHL deal with Grand Rapids Griffins but was exclusively dished to Toledo Walleye, where he received accolades for Most Goals (33), Most Points (73) and League MVP.

The 27-year old Huntsville, AL native and graduate of University Of Alabama-Huntsville Chargers seems to be just getting started.

He would take a decent frame in Russia back to a less successful year in Switzerland and then branch out for Czechia Extraliga and will next arrive at the tough to play Slovakia Extraliga, signing with HK Spisska Nova Ves for 2024/2025.

Undrafted third year defenseman Charlie Curti(3) somewhat returns home to Adirondack Thunder, where he had a breakthrough rookie campaign, scoring a career high 11 goals and 20 assists for 31 points in 56 ECHL games.

He had to go away as a sophomore skater, signing for 2020/2021 with Rapid City Rush, as his upper state NY club was forced to sit due to COVID restrictions.

The 6′ 191 lbs., 26-year old, former 4-year Yale University Bulldogs‘ blue liner returns to his first year club and could very well set more bests point totals.

Instead of heading back to upper state New York for a 2nd season, the 25-year old has rethought that decision and accepts a contract with Aalborg Pirates of Metal Ligaen.

This may just be the start of his hockey life overseas as he could do very well in Denmark’s top league.

He would return after scoring nicely overseas and sign a 1-year ECHL deal with Toledo Walleye, where he ran up 25 points in 39 games with a +20 rating before adding 8 assists in 12 playoff matchups.

For 2023/2024, he is heading to play with 2-time EIHL Champs Belfast Giants, where he just may help them raise a 3rd straight trophy.

He maybe didn’t capture a title, but did nicely with 2 goals and 17 assists in 39 games with a +11 rating to sign with rivals, Guilford Flames for 2024/2025.

University Of Alaska-Fairbanks Nanooks‘ sophomore center Cade Neilson(25) enters the transfer portal to skate for Michigan Tech Huskies for 2024/2025.

The 6′ 189 lbs forward took up scoring last season to the tune of 5 goals and 14 assists in 31 games with a +8 rating.

He did 3 NAHL frames for Aberdeen Wings, blowing up scoring in his final year.

The Lafayette, LA native won a MJAHL Championship his 1st year of juniors after playing most of his youth hockey in England.

He actually decides to return home and signs with Glasgow Clan of the EIHL for the new season.

After just 4 games overseas, he decides to return and signs with Utah Grizzlies for 2024/2025.

Edmonton Oilers‘ 4th round pick in the 2020 draft (#100 overall), University Of Denver Pioneers‘ sophomore left wing Carter Savoie(48) is this close to knocking off first year totals in fewer games.

He already has a college best 12 assists and 22 points, with goal-scoring just one off his total from 2020/2021.

The small 5’9″ but stocky 190 lbs. forward has always been a heck of a point-producer through youth hockey, then blew up juniors with Sherwood Park Crusaders, notching a crazy 172 points (84 goals, 88 assists) in 112 AJHL games.

At just 19-years old, we’ll see what the parent club says about having him turn pro before his four years are up.

And just like that, as he finishes up a 2022 NCAA Division 1 Champion, he signs an at0 with affiliate Bakersfield Condors, which just may be the dawn of him officially signing an NHL entry level deal, turning pro.

After 2 years in the AHL, he gets a nice deal to leave and joins TPS of Liiga.

In 5 games in Finland’s top league, he records only 1 assist and decides to leave and return on a 1-year deal with Ontario Reign for 2024/2025.