University Of Alaska-Anchorage Seawolves‘ graduate left wing Jamie Collins(15) turns pro, accepting terms on a 1-year deal with Meudon of France2.
The small 5’7″ 160 lbs. forward had a college career best 3 goals and 4 assists in 27 games last season.
A Fergus, ON native, he came down to attend high school, but returned for a pair of BCHL campaigns for Nanaimo Clippers before committing to school.
We think the 25-year old finds room in this lower league to score points.
After 3 seasons at Boston University, undrafted center Jack DeBoer(19) decides to switch it up almost completely, deciding to leave for Niagara University Purple Eagles for his senior 2021/2022 year.
The big 6’3″ 187 lbs. forward originally committed to college in his first year at Salisbury School USHS-Prep but would only stay there a season before moving onto two years of the USDP U17-18 program before heading off to school on the young side for hockey.
He’s not exactly the biggest goal scorer but in Atlantic Hockey the 20-year old could hover around the net and open up a bit more room to pot shots.
He is also the son of former Vegas Golden Knights‘ coach Pete DeBoer.
In a pair of frames for his new school, he continues to struggle to score points with only 2 goals and 1 assist in 35 games.
The graduate student decides to go pro upon finishing up a 5th year at school and signs a 1-year deal in BeNe League with EHC Neuwied.
11th year defenseman Chad Billins(41) re-signs with HV71 for 2022/2023, but gets an SHL promotion after helping his team to the 2022 HockeyAllsvenskan Championship with a league most 35 assists in the regular season.
It will be his 6th year in the top Swedish hockey league.
Undrafted, he signed with Grand Rapids Griffins as a rookie after completing four years at Ferris State University Bulldogs.
The 5’10” 181 lbs. won the 2013 Calder Cup in that season and he managed a nifty 2 goals and 12 assists in 24 AHL Playoff games with a +5 rating.
He was subsequently signed by Calgary Flames, giving him a 1st NHL contract, skated 10 games over a pair of recalls and grab an assist in each of his 1st 2 appearances, but was reassigned back down.
The Marysville, MI would leave for the KHL in the next session, but only lasted half a campaign before leaving for Sweden.
He would return a couple years later under contract to Vancouver Canucks, but skated the entire frame as veteran presence with affiliate Utica Comets.
To follow that up, he made the easy return to Linkoping HC and was once again the assist king.
At 33-years old, it’s still got to be a thrill to play for someone who always seems to show a lot of passion for the game on ice.
He must be having some sort of hockey laugh to himself with his current deal to head back to his 3rd team, Brynas IF, but walking back down a rung to Allsvenskan for 2023/2024.
Bentley University Falcons‘ senior center Joe Winkelman(24) signs a 1st from deal with Corsaires de Dunkerque of France2 for 2023/2024 after coming off a modest college best 2 goals and 5 assists in 30 games last season.
His best look was oddly the game on/game off 2020/2021 affair, where he played in 4 and scored 1 goal and 1 assist.
The 5’11” 180 lbs. forward committed to school after his 2nd NAHL frame for Odessa Jackalopes, racking up 30 points (12-18) in 21 games.
He plays aggressively enough to potentially score a lot more in this pro league for the 23-year old.
3rd year extra large 6’7″ 239 lbs. defenseman Connor McCarthy(2) is heading to Slovakia’s top hockey, signing 1-year with HC Banska Bystrica for 2023/2024.
He is mostly a stay at home style blue liner, who was twice signed by Bridgeport Islanders, but skated mostly for affiliate Worcester Railers.
The former Clarkson University Golden Knights senior assistant captain should do very well where is headed.
Westfield State University Owls‘ Swedish-born, junior defenseman Tom Skold(13) has made the decision to leave school and turn pro back in his home country with tier 3 Hockeyettan, signing for Huddinge IK in 2023/2024.
The 6’2″ 192 lbs. forward scored 4 goals and 7 assists in 44 games over 2 seasons.
He was a pretty good assist guy in junior hockey and tallied 27 in 45 EHL games with Boston Jr. Rangers in his final year before school, which he started at Becker College Hawks before they went belly up.
We do believe the 23-year old finds more room to score points in the league he’s headed to.
Plymouth State University Panthers‘ Latvian-born, senior transfer from 2 years at Norwich University Cadets defenseman Niks Krollis(10) turns pro, signing for 1-year with DEAC of Erste Liga.
The 6′ 180 lbs. blue liner had a college career best by a mile 8 goals and 14 assists last season.
He was also a good scorer through 2 years with New Hampshire Avalanche of the EHL.
We’re thinking the 24-year old plays himself nicely into the mix and has a good rookie run.
Yale University Bulldogs‘ senior captain defenseman Michael Young(3) is going pro and signs with Anglet Hormadi of Ligue Magnus for 2023/2024 after scoring a college best 5 assists last season for a mostly stay-at-home d-man.
The fairly big and stocky 6’1″ 209 lbs. blue liner played 2-58 BCHL game seasons for Vernon Vipers twice grabbing 9 goals and in his 1st frame 23 assists.
A Medford, MA native, the 24-year old will likely do pretty well in the top France league.
2nd year Merrimack College Warriors‘ graduate center Max Newton(10) looks to be on his way to blowing out any scoring he was able to managed at University Of Alaska-Fairbanks Nanooks having already pocketed 7 goals and 8 assists in 14 games with a +3 rating to start the 2021/2022 session.
He was a good scorer through his first two years at the BCHL, but really popped on a shift to a new team, Cowichan Valley Capitals with 25 goals and 34 assists in 58 games.
The 5’10” 184 lbs. 25-year old will be an interesting watch to see what might materialize for this skater that plays with full-on compete next.
When his team pushed Hockey East playoffs as far as they would go, he quickly turned his attention to signing an spc with Worcester Railers to finish off the 2021/2022 season.
In his debut, he records an assist, then follows it up with his 1st ECHL goal in the next game to match his Merrimack pal he signed contracts with.
After scoring 3 goals and 5 assists in 13 games and getting a 2 game loan up to Providence Bruins, notching an assist, he signs for his official rookie session with rival Reading Royals, where scoring will continue to come for one of the hardest workers out there.
He exploded scoring in the league last season to the tune of 34 goals and 38 assists in 67 games, then added another 10 points in 10 playoff games.
For 2023/2024, the Vancouver, BC will take it up a notch, signing with HK Dukla Michalovce of Slovak Extraliga.
8th year center Joel Lowry(17) has switched leagues each of the three seasons he’s been away.
He started scoring well in DEL, then moved over to Austria’s top league IceHL to sign with Vienna Capitals before returning for 2022/2023 to Germany, but going down a rung to DEL2, joining EC Kassel Huskies, where he’s basically a point-per-game player.
The big 6’2″ forward played 208 AHL games with good marks, including a +11 rating.
A former 4-year Cornell University Big Red graduate, it will be interesting to see how and where the 31-year old, son of NHL great Dave Lowry from Calgary, AB will go.
In the 2nd tier German league, he puts up almost point-per-game numbers, then adds more in the playoffs with a combined +30 rating to rightly earn himself another season to stay with the Huskies, but he could also be in line for a promotion is what we are seeing.
