Category: Free Agent Signing

15Feb

Zach Solow (73)

Posted in College Hockey Player, Free Agent Signing, Juniors, Minor League Deal | Leave a comment

Former Northeastern University Huskies‘ captain, undrafted center Zach Solow(73) signs an ato with Chicago Wolves for the remainder of 2021, but it’s said to be tied to a whisper that he’s actually Nashville Predators‘ property and news actually came through their COVID dormant affiliate Milwaukee Admirals that he signed for 2021/2022, but we still have yet to see the confirmed word of his definite big league deal.

He’s a pure digger and was a point-per-game player last season for a first time in his college career.

Little doubt the only 5’9″ 170 lbs. forward has to be on a few teams lists for a big, unrestricted free agent pick up but as we said, he may be spoken for.

The 22-year old Naples, FL native did three years of junior hockey, committing to college just before his breakout campaign, when he scored 18 goals and 51 assists for 69 points (both most in the league) in 52 USHL games for Dubuque Fighting Saints.and was selected Forward Of The Year.

His initial foray into pro hockey turned out decent, as he was also signed to Florida Everblades, where he became a point-per-game player in 4 playoff games.

He signed on an AHL deal with Milwaukee to stay in the system, was in and out of the lineup before he went back down towards the end of the session to rejoin the ‘Blades.

Here he struck playoff gold and won the 2022 Kelly Cup Championship. with 9 goals and 9 assists in 19 games.

For 2022/2023, he heads into a new direction, signing a 1-year deal with Toronto Marlies.

Reassigned to ECHL affiliate Newfoundland Growlers, he is a point-per-game scorer.

He returned for last season and his game improved to 11 goals and 15 assists in 66 games, then 2 assists in 3 through the playoffs.

For 2024/2025, he is back on another 1-year deal with the Marlies.

In 52 games, he scores 6 goals and 13 assists with a +6 rating, then adds 2 goals in 2 games in the playoffs.

He will take off and signs with Adler Mannheim for 2025/2026 and we think will continue to grow his game in DEL.

In 44 games, with 14 goals and 19 assists with a +10 rating earns him another year to stay in a Mannheim jersey through 2026/2027.

10Feb

Riley Barber (11)

Posted in College Hockey Player, Europe, Free Agent Signing, Juniors, NHL Draft Pick | Leave a comment

8th year right wing Riley Barber(11) signs a 1-year deal with Dallas Stars for 2022/2023, as an unrestricted free agent, coming out of 2 years of contracts with Detroit Red Wings.

The 6′ 194 lbs. forward is off to another quick start this season, scoring 3 goals and 2 assists in 6 AHL games for affiliate Texas Stars.

He once had north of 30 goals and 4 times passed the 20+ tally mark and on 3 occasions had 20+ assists.

Originally a Washington Capitals‘ 6th round pick in the 2012 draft (#167 overall), he stayed in their system for 4 years after burning a hole through the college score sheet with Miami University (Ohio) Redhawks.

The 28-year old has somehow skated in 16 NHL games but not registered a point.

You have to think he’ll get another opportunity where he is this season.

He manages a very good, career high 32 goals and 32 assists in 69 games for the Cedar Park team and will next take his scoring abilities to the KHL, signing a 1-year deal with Barys Astana for 2023/2024.

While scoring 10 goals and 13 assists in 28 games, he still finds himself on the move and will head to AK Bars Kazan for the rest of the season.

He does ok, but signs with his 3rd team, Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk, where he scores well with 16 goals and 14 assists, but lacks a little with a -13 on ice accountability.

For 2025/2026, he decides to move to Germany and ERC Ingolstadt step right in to ink him to a DEL deal.

He absolutely blows up scoring to the tune of 27 goals and 29 assists in 46 games with a +24 rating to conservatively only signing for another year in 2026/2027, Ingolstadt.

02Feb

Andrej Sustr (19)

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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.

26Jan

Joe Snively (7)

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Washington Capitals‘ 3rd year undrafted center Joe Snively(7) gets a 1st recall after lighting it up big for affiliate Hershey Bears with 8 goals and a career high 14 assists for 22 points with a +13 rating in 21 AHL games.

Through 4 years at Yale University Bulldogs, he was a more than point-per-game player, scoring 58 goals and 81 assists in 129 NCAA Division 1 games with a +18.

He was similarly good in 2 years of junior hockey for Sioux City Musketeers, getting 132 points in 164 USHL games.

In his NHL debut, he skated 11 shifts for 6:53 ice time with an assist, 2 shots on net, 1 hit and left a 3-2 loss with a +1.

The 25-year old Virginia native will be a 2nd time restricted free agent at the end of the current frame and should be a early shoe in for a couple campaign contract extension.

He must have also had a lot of family and friends in the stands for his first game.

For 2024/2025, coming off a 2-year extension that paid him basically 1-way money and winning a 2nd straight Calder Cup Championship with his team of 3 seasons, he decides to look elsewhere and agrees to a 1-year, 2-way deal with Detroit Red Wings that we are sure he hopes means more playing time up.

He takes a minor league best 21 goals with Grand Rapids Griffins to a new project, signing with Djurgardens IF of SHL for 2025/2026 that looks to be equally great.

In 38 games, he grabs 10 goals and 19 assists to earn a 2-year extension to stay Djurgardens IF through 2028.

24Jan

Alex Steeves (21)

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Toronto Maple Leafs‘ undrafted recent 3-year free agent entry level deal signee, forward Alex Steeves(21) is set to have the summer off as his contract kicks in for 2021/2022, and it doesn’t look like he’s set to sign an ato with say, affiliate Toronto Marlies to get some more playing time in.

The 5’11” 185 lbs. pivot leaves a year on the table at Notre Dame University Fighting Irish after scoring a career high 15 goals and 17 assists for 32 points in 29 games.

His team had to unfortunately pull out of the NCAA Tournament due to COVID protocols.

He opened the season he committed to college in tier 3 junior hockey EHL with a team he’d been with through 16 & 18U, New Hampshire Jr. Monarchs.

After blowing things up quickly with 6 points in 4 games, he agreed to join Sioux City Musketeers, got noticed then played two seasons with Dubuque Fighting Saints, where he was a point-per-game skater in his 2nd campaign.

He may start out in the minors but look for him to make a splash quickly.

The 22-year old scores his first NHL recall due to injury, so may get a more advanced look.

In a 3 games, he’s skated an average of 13 shifts for roughly 7/8 minutes with a few shots, takeaways and even recorded a 1st point, an assist in a win.

He continues to put up scoring with a new best 27 goals and 57 points in 65 AHL games last season to earn himself another 1-year, 2-way deal to keep on, keepin’ on.

After blowing up scoring in his 4th season on the books with draft club, he becomes an unrestricted free agent and on opening day, signs a 1-year $825K AAV deal with sort of hometown club, Boston Bruins for 2025/2026.

In 33 games, he has 8 goals and 6 assists, which earns him a 2-year extension to stay a Bruins through 2028 at $1.625M AAV, a nice pay increase.

20Jan

John Gilmour (7)

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After two seasons suiting up for CSKA Moskva, 7th year defenseman John Gilmour(7) signs with rivals Dinamo Minsk for 2022/2023.

Originally a Calgary Flames‘ 7th round pick in the 2013 (#198 overall), he was never signed and picked up as a free agent and signed to an NHL entry level deal by New York Rangers upon graduating Providence College Friars.

He was an important part of the team, when they won the 2015 NCAA Division 1 Championship.

The 6′ 192 lbs. blue liner spent 3 years in the system, skating 33 big league games, pocketing 2 goals and 3 assists.

He would next sign with Buffalo Sabres on a one-way contract before leaving for the KHL.

At 29-years old, he likely still has a long way to go.

He scores basically the same exact totals for his new team as he did for his old and has decided to move on for something new, signing for 2023/2024 with Adler Mannheim.

We expect him to do very well in Germany’s top league, DEL.

After 3 years of consistent scoring, he is re-up for another 1 year to stay in Adler Mannheim through 2026/2027

20Jan

Steven Oleksy (4)

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11th year defenseman Steven Oleksy(4) elected not to play last season, but returns for 2021/2022 and re-signs with Toledo Walleye, a team he was with for 36 ECHL games (1 goal, 14 assists) in 2019/2020 before leaving for a 1st visit overseas to Black Wingz Linz of EBEL.

At 35-years old, the former 3-year Lake Superior State University Lakers‘ blue liner doesn’t really need to do it for the paycheck.

He’s had quite the interesting career journey starting through a series of minor league deals that even took him to the ill-fated IHL with Port Huron Icehawks as a rookie, but it was time spent with Idaho Steelheads that got him noticed, initially by Bridgeport Sound Tigers to sign him to an AHL deal, then his first NHL contract.

Washington Capitals signed him and for the first two seasons, he play games and contribute all the way to 7 Stanley Cup Playoff appearances.

The solid 6′ 190 lbs. d-man has signed 4 big league deals including 1 one-way deal and would also love it if you bought his coffee, The Elite Coffee Co.

He would get traded midseason to Orlando Solar Bears and finished up decently strong with 1 goal and 6 assists in 28 games.

The Chesterfield Township, MI native seemed to like his hockey experience in Florida and has elected to return for 2022/2023.

He steps back off for a few seasons, but likes the itch and signs at age 39 with local Jacksonville Icemen, where in 3 games, he has 1 assist and is a +1 rating.

10Jan

Justin Hryckowian (49)

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Northeastern University Huskies‘ junior center captain Justin Hryckowian(49) takes a college best 30 assists and 43 points in 32 games with a +24 rating to a 2-year entry level deal with Dallas Stars.

Undrafted, the 5’10” 194 lbs. forward from L’lle Bizard, QC came down for a senior year at high school before heading off to 2 USHL years of junior hockey.

The 23-year old will likely report to affiliate Texas Stars to get started, but could warrant a look up in the show.

And he does.

Recalled due to injury and his scoring streak in the minors, he waits, but eventually makes his big league debut before the end of the new year.

He skates 9 shifts for 5:50 ice time in his NHL debut, has 1 hit and 1 giveaway in a 5-1 win. Nice start.

In 43 games this season, he has 6 goals and 7 assists, which is good enough to earn him a nice 2-year extension to stay a Stars.

08Jan

C.J. Smith (29)

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JYP left wing C.J. Smith(29) quickly signs up for a 1-year extension after 1 goal and 4 assists through 5 games looks like a lock for him to score goals in Liiga after starting the season late with the team.

After 3 years at UMASS-Lowell Riverhawks, the 5’11” 183 lbs. forward signed an NHL entry level deal as an unrestricted free agent with Buffalo Sabres and stayed in their system for 4 years.

The 29-year old from Des Moines, IA is said to be coming back from surgery due to an injury, so this is a nice landing spot for him to re-stake his game.

He comes away with 8 goals and 12 assists in 33 games, which gains interest from Barys Astana of the KHL for 2024/2025.

So much for the tryout in Germany, as he will head home under contract to Charlotte Checkers, where he should do well and help.

He definitely help his new team win games, going into the playoffs, but waits a moment before signing 2025/2026 and agrees to terms with Bridgeport Islanders.

07Jan

Gustavs Davis Grigals (31)

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UMass-Lowell Riverhawks‘ Latvian-born, graduate goaltender Gustavs Davis Grigals(31) signs a 1st pro deal with Milwaukee Admirals for 2023/2024, but has joined the club for the Calder Cup playoff push, although not likely to see action.

The 6’2″ 196 lbs. net minder had a 12-9-2 record with a 2.05 GAA and .924 SV%, including 2 shutouts.

He was better than any previous season he played at University Of Alaska-Fairbanks Nanooks, but did have 1 outstanding run through the NAHL juniors with Shreveport Mudbugs.

The 24-year old should be a standout performer as a rookie.

Parent club, Nashville Predators step in as the season is wrapping up and sign him for the current frame to an NHL contract, in a move we can only feel has implications for next season moving forward.

He is mostly sent to play in the ECHL for his rookie season and he decides to move back closer to home, signing with HK Dukla Trencin of Slovak Extraliga, where we think he re-finds his game.

After 5 games, he will switch things up and move on to Finland’s top hockey, Liiga signing with SaiPa for 2024/2025.

We do think it gels for him here.

In 15 games, he has a 8-6-1 record with a 2.96 GAA and .899 SV%, which is good enough for him to earn an invite for another season, 2026/2027 to stay at SaiPa.