RIT Tigers‘ senior defenseman Ryan Nicholson(24) signed an ato with Savannah Ghost Pirates upon finishing school and scores 1 assist in 2 ECHL games to get his pro career started.
For his official rookie season, he will head to Finland’s tier 2 Mestis league and signs with RoKi for 2024/2025.
The 6’3″ 201 lbs. blue liner had a college high 9 assists last season.
From Mississauga, ON, he did 3 years of juniors close to home before college.
We think the 25-year old does well in this league.
He scores 1 goal and 7 assists in 47 games and will next take it to the EIHL and signs with Fife Flyers for 2025/2026.
In 54 games, he gets 1 goal and 12 assists, but decides to continue to cycle and signs for 2026/2027 with Rapaces de Gap of Ligue Magnus.
Undrafted left wing Jackson Jutting(9) trades in a pair of seasons at Colorado College Tigers, scoring a college best 3 goals and 7 assists in 35 NCAA Division 1 games for a junior year, closer to home with Bemidji State University Beavers.
The 5’10” 196 lbs. forward was a solid scorer through 4 years at Prior Lake High, always increasing his point totals through USHS-MN seasons until hitting 42 points in 24 games as a senior captain.
He was selected by his 1st school early in his sophomore session.
The 21-year old will likely find the CCHA a little tougher going, but should be able to find space to add to scoring.
By the time he hit a graduate frame at his new school, he had 14 goals and a 2nd season of 22 points to his credit.
He signs a 1st pro contract with Kansas City Mavericks, where he runs up scoring to 30 goals and 29 assists in 66 ECHL, then adds another 18 points in 17 playoff games to the Kelly Cup Finals. and also gets loaned up for 4 AHL games to Grand Rapids Griffins.
For 2026/2027, he decides to look for something different and signs to MODO Hockey of HockeyAllsvenskan.
7th year defenseman Ian McCoshen(3) is off trying something new this season, playing on a 1-year deal in Finland’s top league, Liiga for Assat.
In 23 games, the 6’3″ 215 lbs. blue liner has 3 goals and 11 assists with a +4 rating.
He was always decent with scoring in the AHL, where he played some 242 games, but was a more accountable +15 rating.
The oddball Anaheim, CA native also has 60 games NHL experience, all with draft club Florida Panthers, round 2, 2013 (#31 overall).
A former 3-year Boston College Eagles, he left a year on the table, to sign his entry level deal.
At just 27-years old, he’s likely just getting started over there.
He takes a very decent frame in Finnish hockey to another stop overseas and skate Czechia Tipsport Extraliga with Bili Tygri Liberec doing well enough to be wanted back for another season and he’s still not yet 30.
Just like that he gets a better deal from a KHL club to play with Kunlun Redstar for 2024/2025 instead.
He takes some ok scoring, but a terrible +/- to a new contract for 2025/2026 with rivals, Barys Astana.
After 66 games with 3 goals and 5 assists, he fairly quickly signs a 1-year extension to stay Barys Astana for 2026/2027.
Arizona State University Sun Devils‘ German-born, sophomore transfer Tim Lovell(43) has already completely burnt through any scoring he had in one year at Boston University Terriers (2 assists in 18 games with a +3 rating).
In 10 NCAA Division 1 games, he has 3 goals and 8 assists, but does have a -6, so needs to work on that.
The small 5’8″ 156 lbs. blue liner did most of his youth hockey in the Boston Advantage 15U to 18U AAA, a team his father Tim Lovell is currently General Manager of, and he played 7 NAHL games with Northeast Generals, while his dad was assistant coach.
He was drafted by Chicago Steel, but didn’t last long before he took up shop with Des Moines Buccaneers for 27 USHL games (5 goals, 11 assists) and then headed to school.
The 19-year old is definitely setting himself up for some looks.
He had a particularly productive senior year with college bests 5 goals and 32 assists with a +10 rating before transferring once more to University Of Michigan Wolverines for an extra frame.
Well, the graduate defenseman takes his 10 games in 2024/2025 with new college club to a 1st professional deal midseason with Mikkelin Jukurit of Liiga.
In 3 games, he has yet to record a point, but hockey in Finland will be a good look.
He figures into 6 games with 1 goal and 1 assist to his credit, but decides to US shores, signing for 2025/2026 with Greenville Swamp Rabbits, where in 3 ECHL games has 1 assist.
After a pretty good showing, he heads for a nice opportunity with Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk 2026/2027.
Tuscon Roadrunners‘ pto defenseman Brandon Estes(6) comes in after completing a 5th year at Union College Dutchmen, putting up college career bests 7 goals, 22 assists and 29 points in 37 NCAA Division 1 games.
The 6′ 175 lbs. blue liner played two virtually equal seasons of junior hockey, first in the NAHL, then USHL before heading to school.
He has a pair of assists in 5 AHL games with a +3 rating, so is off to kind of a booming start.
The 25 year old from Richardson, TX is setting himself for a good contract somewhere next season.
He signs a 1-year deal with division rivals Henderson Silver Knights for 2022/2023.
Mostly reassigned down to affiliate Savannah Ghost Pirates, he strikes for 9 goals and 15 assists in 62 games, while playing only 4 up with no points.
For 2023/2024, he re-signs to stay in GA with one of their newest ECHL teams.
He scores a new career best 25 assists and 32 points and will take these stats overseas, signing with Odense Bulldogs to play his hockey in Metal Ligaen 2024/2025, where he should do really well.
He takes a tremendous frame in Denmark, helping win the 2025 Metal Ligaen Championship to a new deal with Cardiff Devils that will take him to the EIHL for 2025/2026, another league he will likely do well in.
After a 6 goals and 36 assist frame, he is an easy invite back to be a Devils again for 2026/2027.
University Of North Dakota Fighting Hawks‘ graduate defenseman Logan Britt(29) had a college career best 7 goals last season.
He came over to likely prove his game even further from a pair of years at Sacred Heart University Pioneers that followed 2 with Quinnipiac University Bobcats.
The 6’2″ 190 lbs. forward played a full docket of games in each frame and had 18 assists as a junior, playing Atlantic Hockey.
From Crystal Lake, IL, he signs with Greenville Swamp Rabbits and got 1 assist in 5 games and equaled his mark in the playoffs, as they push.
Sort of a no-brainer to bring him back for his rookie season, 2024/2025 in a Rabbits‘ jersey.
Just before the new season starts, he finds himself involved in a trade that sends him to Reading Royals, where he should continue to do ECHL well.
Signed with Orlando Solar Bears for 2025/2026 and scored a new best 18 assists, 20 points.
For 2026/2027, he decides to leave and signs in the IceHL with Pioneers Vorarlberg.
American International College Yellowjackets‘ junior right wing Noah Serdachny(91) scored a college best 4 goals and 12 assists last season, but the team he transferred to from 2 years at Colorado College Tigers is heading to a new division in 2025/2026, so heads to yet another new school, Long Island University Sharks.
The 6’1″ 190 lbs. forward did 2 years BCHL juniors, running up points, even in a shortened frame.
From Edmonton, AB, we think the 21-year old ignites at his 3rd school.
The senior has indeed taken his scoring to a new level with 9 goals and 15 assists in 30 games.
He is playing like a leader for LIU and unleashes quite the shot, when loaded.
In 33 games, he scores a new college hockey best 13 goals and 16 assists with a +1 rating that he will take to a new adventure overseas, signing for his rookie season 2026/2027 in IceHL with Pioneers Vorarlberg.
8th year, undrafted center Allan McPherson(9) wins his 1st league title, the 2021 Slovakian Extraliga Championship, recording a Playoffs Most Points nod for the 20 he got with HKM Zvolen to a new league contract with rivals HC Kosice for 2021/2022.
He averaged 10+ goals and 15+ assists through 150 NCAA Division 1 Atlantic Hockey games with Clarkson University Golden Knights and was a point-per-game guy in three years of the CCHL.
The 5’10” 185 lbs. forward was also scored big in the ECHL with 134 points through 128 games with a +35 rating.
He’s easily as prolific where he currently is and there’s little doubt the 30-year old will not be for his new club.
Well, he is taking 4 seasons of putting away points for Hannover Scorpions, twice as captain for the Germany3 team and as a 35-year old will take it up a notch to skate with EC Bad Nauheim of DEL2 in 2026/2027.
Ohio State University Buckeyes‘ graduate defenseman Aiden Hansen-Bukata(29) had a 3rd straight season of outstanding assists that captured the eye of Syracuse Crunch upon finishing up tournament play.
The 6’1″ 194 lbs. forward signs for his rookie season with Utah Grizzlies.
From Vancouver, BC, we see the former 4-year RIT Tigers‘ 24-year old as getting loaned up and may stick.
As a rookie, he posts a massive 40 assists campaign and even gets a helper on loan to Colorado Eagles.
For 2026/2027, he signs overseas with Nottingham Panthers of the EIHL.
Minnesota Wild 4th round pick in the 2017 draft (#116 overall) center Bryce Misley(18) must have jumped at the opportunity to sign his first deal, an ato with affiliate Iowa Wild to show a little of what he’s able to produce after coming off a piss poor COVID busted 2020/2021 University Of Vermont Catamounts‘ NCAA Hockey East schedule of only 14 games.
In 9 AHL games, the 6’1″ 195 lbs. forward has a goal and 2 assists with a multipoint spread.
While not scoring big numbers through 4 years of college, the Calgary, AB native did hit the score sheet hard as a point-per-game producer through 2 seasons of junior hockey with Oakville Blades of the OJHL (45-56 in 99).
The 21-year old has yet to sign his entry level deal and ends up inking a 1-year minor league deal to stay in the system.
He is reassigned down to affiliate Iowa Heartlanders, scoring 11 goals and 19 assists, but unfortunately was a bit of an abysmal -29 rating on a team that struggled.
For 2022/2023, he has decided to split the scene and sign with Asiago of IceHL and should find his scoring elevates nicely.
He posts 9 goals and 30 assists in 49 games to earn himself another 2-year deal to continue.
In his time, he does pretty well on the scoresheet, but definitely could up his on-ice accountability, but will head next to skate for the “hometown” Italian team in the league, HC Bozen-Bolzano Foxes for 2025/2026.
He gets 9 goals in 48 games and is asked to return a 2nd year with the Foxes, 2026/2027.
