3rd year left wing Patrick Curry(17) takes a 2-year deal with Grand Rapids Griffins to a new 1-year contract to rivals Iowa Wild for 2022/2023.
The former Boston University Terriers‘ senior captain scored a college career best 19 goals and 33 points before turning pro.
He actually did 8 games in Slovak2 Extraliga on loan to HC Detva before the COVID-cracked 2020/2021 AHL got started.
The 5’10” 185 lbs. 26-year old forward should continue to add to his totals, especially as he plays more games.
He puts up blockbuster ECHL numbers for Kansas City Mavericks with a single season best, scoring 39 goals and 48 assists with a +29 in a full-slate of 72 games.
For 2024/2025, he gets an offer to head to Liiga and sign with Kalpa to continue his game overseas.
After 2 seasons of scoring goals for 1 team, he switches to sign with rivals, Jokerit for 2026/2027 and will likely continue.
9th year left wing Ben Lake(9) had an impressive 18 goals and 27 assists for 45 points in 52 games with a +27 rating on the way to a 2nd straight 2023 EIHL Championship with Belfast Giants.
That’s a no-brainer to re-sign the 33-year old, Calgary, AB native for 2023/2024.
The 5’11” 170 lbs. forward has spent time with 3 different teams in the league after coming over following 2 campaigns for Alaska Aces of the ECHL.
He did 3 AJHL seasons with Fort McMurray Oil Barons before committing to school.
We think the 50% UK native, former Sacred Heart University Pioneers‘ graduate does well in another frame and looks to be setting himself up for a future coaching job.
After a couple league titles and always decent scoring, the 35-year after 6 years with 1 team, retires as a Giants.
UMASS Minutemen Swedish senior captain defenseman Lucas Olvestad(6) scored a college best 5 goals last season and leaves the program with a combined 2 year +11 rating.
The 6’1″ 201 lbs. blue liner signs a 1st deal with BIK Karlskoga for 2026/2027.
He was actually born in Tampa, FL, as his dad Jimmie Olvestad was playing 2 seasons for Tampa Bay Lightning.
His youth hockey and some juniors, plus 1 SHL game was down over there, but he did come in for 1 successful USHL frame before schoool.
We look for the 24-year old, 1-time University Of Denver Pioneers to do well over there.
10th year Czechia-born defenseman Andrej Sustr(19) hasn’t been home since an appearance in Czechia3 in 2008/2009, but signs for 2024/2025 in Czech Extraliga with the league powerhouse HC Dynamo Pardibuce.
The absolute huge 6’8″ 225 lbs. blue liner has 362 NHL games to his credit and is known for his large bruising presence.
He came over early after youth hockey back home and did 2 seasons of junior hockey before moving onto to 3 at University Of Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks.
Almost oddly he took off the season before COVID infected to play for Kunlun Red Star for 2 frames in the KHL before returning.
The 33-year old will be missed, but this has to be the right thing for him to do for his hockey career.
He does well there and plays himself up to a deal with Tappara, where he got 1 goal and 11 assists in 38 Liiga games.
For 2025/2026, he looks to return to the AHL, but after 11 games is released and takes up with Kalmar HC and has no points in 10 HockeyAllsvenskan games, but is a +4 rating.
He would end up appearing in 20 games for 1 goal and 4 assists with a +11 rating, then added another helper in 7 playoff matchups.
For 2026/2027, he heads to Liiga and signs with Jurukit, which will be another challenging step for the 35-year old.
14th year center Tyler McNeely(94) steps back to re-join Germany3 for 2024/2025, but will switch allegiances, signing with Bietigheim Steelers, who he played for their DEL2 team earlier career with success for a couple of seasons.
The 5’10” 183 lbs. forward has suited up for 3 different German teams over 12 years of his career.
Undrafted, the former twice captain of Northeastern University Huskies, 1st signed with Bridgeport Sound Tigers (Islanders), but quickly moved on after 2 seasons closer to home, Burnaby, BC.
At 37-years old, he must still be having fun, playing pro hockey.
He will spend a 14th season in German pro hockey, but once again ticks it down a level and sign for 2026/2027 with Hannover Indians, where he last scored 24 goals and 60 points in 42 games in the league.
9th year right wing Shawn O’Donnell(71) takes a couple of seasons of good numbers in Metal Ligaen, most currently for SønderjyskE to a new endeavor with Dornbirner EC of IceHL, Austria.
The 6’2″ 209 lbs. power forward has spent the majority of his playing time in the AHL with Hartford Wolf Pack, but was basically a point-per-game guy in the lower ECHL.
Through junior hockey in the MJAHL, he produced big numbers before heading to college at St. Mary’s University Huskies, where he won the 2010 CIS University Cup Championship as a freshman.
The 33-year old from Cole Harbour, NS is likely to be pretty happy to still be playing pro hockey.
For 2022/2023, he heads back to the 1st league he joined coming over from the US, DEL2 and signs with EHC Freiburg.
After 24 games this season, he has tied his goal mark in the league at 8 and set a new assist high with 19 helpers to earn himself another year of his contract for 2024/2025, which has to be nice for the now 34-year old pivot.
He would captain the team in his 3rd year and stay for a 4th, scoring an equal to his best 15 goals, but decides to move on to team up with rivals, Dusseldorfer EG for 2026/2027.
Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod‘s 2nd year center Kenny Agostino(11) is already off to a good start for 2022/2023 with 2 goals and 3 assists in 7 KHL games with a +3 rating.
Last season he scored 20 goals and 20 assists in 46 games with a +8, his 1st season overseas.
The former 4-year 10+ goal scorer and 2 time 20+ assist guy at Yale University Bulldogs was originally a Pittsburgh Penguins‘ 5th round pick in the 2010 draft (#140 overall).
He was traded to Calgary Flames and signed an entry level deal before his skates ever hit the ice.
The Morristown, NJ native bounced around on 1-year deals mostly before getting signed to a 2-year, 1-way contract late with Toronto Maple Leafs, yet he only appeared in 1 NHL game with them.
At 30-years old, he’s done ok enough, but is still likely earning his way in Russia and playing some elite puck.
For 2023/2024, he is trading in a couple of seasons where he is for new surroundings in the SHL and will join Skelleftea AIK.
He actually switches things up and heads to Germany instead, signing with Dusseldorfer EG of DEL and scores himself point-per-game numbers in 48 (14-34), but will ink with rivals, ERC Ingolstadt for 2024/2025 and likely do just as well.
With another 19 goals to his credit last season, he is easily wanted to return for a 3rd frame at Ingolstadt 2026/2027.
University Of Vermont Catamounts‘ graduate left wing Chris Theodore(26) may have not put up best in his 6th college frame, but was still a competent 8 goals and 6 assists in 27 outings.
The 5’6″ 178 lbs. forward came down from his hometown in Beaconsfield, QC for USHS-Prep, which he detonated, then slipped away for a junior year in the CCHL before committing.
He originally committed to 4 years at American International College Yellowjackets, and may have been granted a year of exception due to only 3 games as a sophomore.
From there, he moved onto what must have been his senior year at Union College Dutchmen.
The 26-year old certainly would get a look if he decides to turn pro.
He signs for 2024/2025 as a rookie in Ligue Magnus with Les Jokers Cergy-Pontoise.
After scoring 8 goals and 8 assists in 44 games, he will next head to DEL2, signing with Lausitzer Fuchse for 2025/2026.
With a decent 10 goals and 10 assist frame, he is asked to return for a 2nd year in Fuchse, 2026/2027.
11th year center Corey Trivino(86) switches up 3.5 years with EC Kassel Huskies to rivals Eisbaren Regensburg for 2022/2023 in DEL2.
He has been very successful dishing helpers in 2 of the last 3 seasons, amassing 30+ assists in each frame.
Originally a New York Islanders‘ 2nd round pick in the 2008 draft (#36 overall), he never signed, spending most of his 1st 3 seasons in the ECHL, but then turned a 39 AHL game loan into an overseas deal.
He switched up his early time overseas between the KHL and EBEL mostly before leaving for Germany’s tier 2 league.
The 32-year old, former Boston University Terriers‘, 2009 NCAA Division 1 Champion doesn’t seem to see an end line anywhere.
In the new session with his new club he has already run up a league best for himself 18 goals and is projected to possibly do better than his assist best of 39, so he agrees to stay on for a 2nd campaign 2024/2025, because he’s having a grand old time.
He continues at a clip of almost point-per-game numbers and is asked to return for a 4th season with Eisbaren.
12th year center Robbie Czarnik(77) signs on for a 3rd tour with Ravensburg Towerstars after posting exactly 30 assists for a 2nd time and adding 15 goals with a +13 rating, then popped in another 10 points in 13 playoff games.
His 241 games in DEL2 mark the most in any league he’s played.
The 6′ 190 lbs. former Los Angeles Kings‘ 3rd round pick in the 2008 draft (#63 overall) has scored 120 goals and 145 assists with a +54 rating and a 2019 Championship in his 1st run with current club.
He was pretty much a similar sniper in the ECHL through 183 games.
The 32-year old from Detroit, MI, who played his college hockey for just two years at University Of Michigan Wolverines has to have a little smile on his face, seeing how smoothly things go.
He signs on for a 6th season in a Towerstars‘ jersey 2024/2025, where he recorded his 3rd straight 40+ point session.
Another 29 goals and 29 assists in 50 games and it’s another no-brainer to have him return as a 36-year old in a Towerstars‘ uniform.
