Category: Free Agent Signing

4th year center Sam Lafferty(18) gets a new start, as he is traded to Chicago Blackhawks from draft club, Pittsburgh Penguins (4th round, 2014, #113 overall) after appearing in only 10 NHL games with two assists and a 0 rating.

The former Brown University Bears‘ forward will likely find more room to continue to develop his game.

He has 94 games to his credit, scoring 6 goals and 15 assists.

The 26-year old is fairly prolific in the minors with 17 goals and 38 assists through 85 AHL games.

If he can catch on with his new team, there’s little doubt he’ll earn a new contract, but if that doesn’t happen, we expect him to pick up and leave for overseas.

After a solid 2021/2022 season, scoring 5 goals and 6 assists in 46 games, he picks himself up a healthy 2-year extension to continue.

He actually takes a trade travel path from scoring a best 10 goals and 11 assists in 53 games to being dealt to Toronto Maple Leafs near the end of that campaign, where he did ok in just 19 games, then 9 in the playoffs.

In the offseason, the unrestricted free agent signs with Vancouver Canucks and this turns out to be pretty successful with a new best 13 goals and 24 points in 79 games with a +4 rating.

He will need a new contract, but he returns to the Blackhawks in yet another transaction for the Hollidaysburg, PA native.

Buffalo Sabres step in and offer him 2 years for $2M AAV and he accepts.

He was maybe a bit off step with only 4 goals and 3 assists on a pretty horrible team and Chicago Blackhawks trade for him to hopefully spark a reignite in their fortunes.

13th year center Andrew Rowe(19) has spent the last 4 seasons skating for SC Rapperswill-Jona Lakers of NL, a team he served as team captain of the past 3 sessions.

The 6’2″ 185 lbs. forward started with two season in the SHL for Mora IK upon leaving on his best AHL numbers, 13 goals and 23 assists in 66 games for Bridgeport Sound Tigers.

He has 206 appearances in the league to his credit and 214 in the ECHL with point-per-game numbers.

The 34-year old, former 3-year Michigan State University Spartans is likely happy to still be pulling in good contracts.

After playing hockey for the last 4 years in one away from home country, he has decided to switch things up and head to DEL for his next experience with ERC Ingolstadt in 2023/2024.

He will only spend 1 frame in Germany, as he is maybe unhappy with his performance and makes a great move to skate next in the IceHL and signs with the famous EC Red Bull Salzburg for 2024/2025.

EHC Red Bull München‘ 4th year center Ben Smith(12) re-ups after a 3rd 15+ assist season with a monster +61 rating.

It’s the 5’11” 203 lbs. forward’s 15th pro year.

A former Boston College Eagles‘ assistant captain, he twice had 20+ assists in college hockey, yet played no junior hockey after Westminster Prep USHS-Prep.

He was a Chicago Blackhawks‘ 6th round pick in the 2008 draft (#169 overall).

The Winston-Salem, NC native has 237 NHL games experience.

At 35-years old, he seems well happy playing his game in Germany.

Undrafted rookie defenseman Jack St. Ivany(3) signs a 2-year NHL entry level deal with Pittsburgh Penguins.

The 6’3″ 195 lbs. blue liner had two solid seasons at Boston College Eagles on transfer from Yale University Bulldogs and put up a college career high 20 assists and 24 points as a senior.

Not exactly known for recording points, he did post 30 assists in his 2nd USHL season for Sioux Falls Stampede.

Originally a Philadelphia Flyers‘ 4th round pick in the 2018 draft (#112 overall), the 23-year old from Manhattan Beach, CA went unsigned.

He should fit right in at the AHL level with affiliate Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and compete for a spot with the big club.

Through 63 games, he looks to be gaining comfort with 8 assists to his credit and earns a look from the top, skates 20 shifts for 12:28 ice time with 1 block shot and 1 hit dished in a 4-2 Penguins‘ loss.

He stays up for 14 games, recording 1 assist with a 0 rating, and then goes on to record 4 goals and 11 assists in 54 games with a +17 rating.

They are liking what they see and offer him a 3-year deal to stick around Pittsburgh with the 3rd year being on a 1-way deal at $750K.

16th year left wing Ryan Stoa(13) re-signs with Nurnberg Ice Tigers for a 4th season, where 3 times he has scored 10+ goals in a season.

The one-time University Of Minnesota Golden Gophers‘ senior captain, 40+ point player has done quite well overseas with 6 KHL campaigns and 3 in the SHL before heading to Germany.

Originally a Colorado Avalanche 2nd round pick in the 2005 draft (#34 overall), he has skated 40 NHL games, scoring 4 goals and 3 assists, but has 290 AHL games of experience.

The 6’3″ 223 lbs. from Bloomington, MN did 2 junior seasons with the USNTDP.

At 37-years old, he’s still having fun out there to sign.

12th year, small 5’9″ 161 lbs. defenseman Chay Genoway(39) maybe wants to take the edge off playing for big squads in the KHL or SHL, as he’s been doing for the past 8 seasons.

For 2022/2023, he has signed with EC Salzburg of ICEHL and will definitely find some room to score big in Austria’s top hockey league.

In fact, in his 1st 2 games, the former University Of North Dakota Fighting Hawks already has a goal and an assist.

Undrafted, he signed an entry level deal with Minnesota Wild, yet only skated 1 NHL game at the end of his rookie season, coming away with an assist.

The 35-year old from Morden, MB is likely still just having too much fun playing the game to quit.

He posts 10 goals and 17 assists in 45 games, then adds another 8 points in 16 playoff matchups en route to the 2023 ICEHL Championship to earn himself another year on the now 36-year old’s contract.

At 37-years of age, he continues to contribute for a 2nd league title in a row and he is to be kept on in a Red Bulls‘ uniform for a 3rd straight year, 2024/2025 (and another championship).

5th year center Scott Pooley(12) trades in a 1st good season overseas for Lukko, scoring 18 goals and 16 assists in 55 Liiga games for a new experience with HockeyAllsvenskan, signing for 2022/2023 to IF Bjorkloven.

The 6’2″ 201 lbs. forward has signed 3 times with Toronto Marlies and played 63 AHL games, while being reassigned down to the ECHL Newfoundland Growlers, where he was a point-per-game player and helped them win the 2019 Kellly Cup.

He had 34 points in 36 NCAA Division 1 games as a senior at Holy Cross College Crusaders and 20+ points each previous frame.

The 28-year old from Granger, IN was never much of a point getter in 2 years of junior, one north in the AJHL, but definitely figured out how to connect at the higher levels.

He would spend 2 years scoring for his tier 2 Swedish hockey team and decides to trade it in for a contract with rivals AIK for 2024/2025.

12th year left wing Mike Connolly(22) will spend an 8th season in a Straubing Tigers‘ uniform.

The 5’9″ 181 lbs. forward had his best year scoring 19 goals and 53 points in 2021/2022.

He has 5 times put up 30+ assists for this team.

The top scorer in his 3 campaigns at University Of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs, hitting 54 points in 42 NCAA Division 1 games as a senior.

He only played 2 sessions in the AHL and did appear in 2 NHL games with Colorado Avalanche after a rookie trade sent him away from San Jose Sharks‘ system.

At 33-years old, the Calgary, AB native has to be pretty happy about how his pro hockey life is still going.

He scores 16 goals and 22 assists in 50 DEL games last season and yup, will return for a 9th season in a Tigers‘ jersey.

2024/2025 will be his 10th season in a Straubing uniform, coming after a 34 assist, 45 point season.

University Of Denver Pioneers‘ freshman center Massimo Rizzo(13) is tied for 3rd in NCAA Division 1 scoring at 24 points (10 goals, 14 assists).

He is a Carolina Hurricanes‘ 7th round pick in the 2019 draft (#216 overall) and looking to prove them right with the deep pick.

The 5’10” 174 lbs. forward was a solid performer through 3 years of BCHL with a couple of teams (43 goals and 80 assists in 132 games) and won a 2017 championship with Penticton Vees, the year he arrived from youth hockey.

This is definitely the style player from Burnaby, BC that can break through and find space in the NHL.

After another 40+ points frame, the now junior decides to leave a year on the table and signs a 2-year NHL entry level deal with Philadelphia Flyers, who picked up his playing rights in a trade.

University Of Maine Black Bears‘ Swedish-born, senior net minder Victor Ostman(35) gets himself a nice 2-year NHL entry level contract from Seattle Kracken.

The big 6’4″ 205 lbs. goalie had his best college season record last year with a 13-6-1 mark, but his junior stats at 2.21 GAA and .918 SV% in 33 starts were highs.

He came over for 1 USHL season with Chicago Steel.

The 23-year old reported to affiliate Coachella Valley Firebirds, but has yet to appear in the playoffs.