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.
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.
University Of Maine Black Bears‘ Swedish-born senior right wing Didrik Henbrant(6) announces his commitment to a pro contract and signs with Nottingham Panthers for 2023/2024.
The 5’10” 181 lbs. forward spent his 1st 3 years at University Of Alaska-Fairbanks Nanooks, recording his best frame as a junior with 11 goals and 9 assists.
He had one successful season in NAHL with Minot Minotauros before college, but did most of his junior hockey back home and even got into a couple SHL games before heading over.
The 25-year old may find some space in the EIHL to score a bit more.
16th year veteran left wing Derek Nesbitt(17) will have his career culminate with his 1000th pro game played for 9th ECHL season club, Atlanta Gladiators, 5th as captain.
He has skated games in 4 different leagues, including 7 playoff matchups for Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs of the CHL (Central Hockey League) and one season overseas for HC Bolzano in EBEL.
The 6′ 195 lbs. forward has 372 AHL games to his credit, appearing in 4 full frames in the league, but also a pair of years, where he was playing more games closer to the NHL than not.
He has played for 5 teams that don’t exist anymore and the native of Egmondville, ON won a 2007 Kelly Cup in his one season with Idaho Steelheads.
The 39-year old, former graduate, almost point-per-game player at Ferris State University Bulldogs has to have a little smile on his face for the achievement, but also taking in as much of the game as he’s been able to in his time on ice.
At the conclusion of 2021/2022, he closes the door on 615 games played, 538 points scored in the E, 372, 225 points in the A and 154 games, 142 points NCAA.
His no. 17 is retired to the rafters and he assumes duties as the team’s assistant coach.
1 year later and he is named the 6th Head Coach in the team’s history and everyone in Gladiatortown is completely happy.
14th year right wing Ryan Lasch(19) will return to Liiga, a league he spent the COVID 2020/2021 with, signing to Pelicans for 2023/2024.
He has spent 7 of his seasons skating for Frolunda HC.
The 5’7″ 157 lbs. forward was a 2-time 20+ goal scorer and 4-time assists at St. Cloud State University Huskies, then immediately headed overseas to start his pro career.
He only returned for his third season, but didn’t fully stay.
The 36-year old Lake Forest, CA native is likely happy to still be playing some pretty great hockey
