Montreal Canadiens sign UMass-Lowell Riverhawks‘ senior captain Lucas Candotta(28) to a 1-year entry level deal after posting a college career high 10 goals and 13 assists for 23 points in 33 NCAA Division 1 games.
The 6’2″ 209 lbs. forward reports to affiliate Laval Rocket and signs a pto to play out the remainder of the season.
He has consistently been a good scorer, putting up 82 points (35 goals, 47 assists) in his third and final year of OJHL junior hockey for Markham Royals.
In 7 games to finish out the session, he had one assist.
The Georgetown, ON native now has a 1st AHL goal as he connects in his 2nd playoff game.
At 24-years old, we look for him to do well with his short pro commitment.
After skating 72 games for the minor league club, grabbing 16 goals and 14 assists as a rookie, he scores a 1st recall.
In his debut, he scores a 1st NHL in his opening shift and shot, skates 13 shifts for 11:09 total ice with 5 snaps at the net and 3 hits before being returned for the Calder Cup playoffs.
Curry College Colonels‘ graduate goalie Reid Cooper(33) apparently gained notice from a bit of an unlikely source, as he will join Washington Capitals on an ato in a back-up mode for their last game of the regular season.
The 6’2″ 190 lbs. net minder posted a 20-6-1 record in 2022/2023 with a 1.92 GAA and .935 SV% in 27 D3 games with 3 shutouts to earn the division CCC Goaltender Of The Year for his outstanding work to win the conference and move on to the final 8.
With this nod, it will be interesting to see where the 25-year old from Corman Park, SK and former 3-year Robert Morris University Colonials will go.
Coumbus Blue Jackets sign Colorado College Tigers‘ junior center Hunter McKown(41) to a 3-year NHL entry level deal.
The 6’1″ 205 lbs. forward scored a college career best 21 goals and 28 points in 38 games as assistant captain last season.
A 20-year old San Jose, CA native played 2 years of USNTDP before heading to college.
They seem to have plans for this skater.
Undrafted, UMass-Lowell Riverhawks‘ Swedish-born, senior, captain center Carl Berglund(18) scores himself a nice 2-year NHL entry level deal with Edmonton Oilers, who easily had him on their radar to pursue a signing so quickly as he opts out of the Hockey East Tournament and any further playoff action.
He scored a college best 12 goals and one point off his career high points 27 last season, so definitely has shown good consistency.
The 6’2″ 207 lbs. forward is likely to report to affiliate Bakersfield Condors to get some starting time play.
It will be little surprise to see the 23-year old make the parent club out of training camp in the fall.
14th year right wing Dan Sexton(15) traded in a healthy 8 KHL year career to head to an opportunity in the SHL with Vaxjo Lakers HC that has him striking for 8 goals and 16 assists with a +14 rating to earn another year on his current contract.
Undrafted from Apple Valley, MN, he spent most of his rookie season, 41 NHL games with Anaheim Ducks, earning 9 goals and 10 assists.
The 5’10” 181 lbs. forward only spent the next 47 games in the big league, grabbing 4 goals and 9 assists but spent all of his follow up contract in the minors, despite being on a one-way deal in his 2nd term.
At 35-years old, the 2-year Bowling Green University Falcons is likely pretty happy how things have gone.
11th year center Riley Sheahan(15) started the new season under contract to Buffalo Sabres for 2022/2023 and even appeared in a couple of NHL games after starting the new frame with affiliate Rochester Americans.
A former Detroit Red Wings‘ 1st round pick in the 2010 draft (#21 overall), he won an AHL Calder Cup with affiliate as a rookie.
The big 6’2″ 214 lbs. power forward has played 634 games in the big league, but only in a pair of seasons came away with 10+ goals and 20+ assists, so hasn’t maybe achieved what was expected of the former 3-year Notre Dame University Fighting Irish.
He has decided to switch things up, opting out of his current contract to sign with EHC Biel-Bienne for the remainder of 2022/2023.
It will be interesting to see if he explodes the stat sheet in Swiss Hockey’s top league, NL.
9th year left wing Mike Zalewski(96) was scheduled to start the new season with EC-KAC, but returns for a 2nd season with Graz99ers, where he put in 10 goals and 11 assists in 36 IceHL games.
Undrafted, he signed a free agent NHL entry level contract with Vancouver Canucks and managed to appear in 6 games over 3 seasons and picked up 2 assists in the process.
Maybe not the most prolific scorer in the minor league with 63 points in 167 AHL games, he did however possess a nicely accountable +21 rating.
The 30-year old, New Hartford, NY native only did 2 seasons at RPI Engineers before turning pro, but can still pull in a good contract.
7th year center Nick Lappin(28) re-decides retirement and will return to the ice, signing a 1-year ECHL deal with Florida Everblades, his 1st journey into the league, since signing a pair of AHL deals for the last couple seasons.
Undrafted, he signed a 2-year NHL entry level deal after skating 4 frames at Brown University Bears, 2 as assistant captain and after his point-per-game senior session, he signed an ato with affiliate Albany Devils and scored 3 goals and 4 assists in 12 games, then another 7 points in 11 playoff matchups to get his pro career started.
The 6’1″ 174 lbs. forward played most of his rookie season in the upper league, but had a pretty miserable -17 rating, but was a solid scorer at the lower level.
For his next two years he mostly toiled in the minors.
At 30-years old, he likely wasn’t ready to give up the game he loves quite yet and will be an invaluable part of the dressing room for his new club.
13th year defenseman Matt Bartkowski(43) was released from his tryout by New York Rangers as the new season begun.
It took him a few weeks to find himself a new deal for 2022/2023, but he decides to sign with Rochester Americans.
The 6’1″ 194 lbs. blue liner will add to his 436 AHL game total and even if he misses a few games could roll 500 games played in the league.
He also has 236 NHL appearances to his credit.
The former 2-year Ohio State University Buckeyes was originally a Florida Panthers‘ 7th round pick in 2008 (#190 overall), but signed his 1st entry level deal with Boston Bruins, where he stuck in the system for 5 sessions, including his 1st pair of full frames in the big league.
At 34-years old, he has earned well, so must just still love playing the game and giving back at this point to the younger set playing minor league hockey.
Buffalo Sabres‘ 6th year 6’7″ 218 lbs. center Tage Thompson(72) gets rewarded with a handsome 7-year $7M+ deal through 2029/2030 after scoring a career high by a mile 38 goals and 30 assists in 78 NHL games.
Originally a St. Louis Blues‘ 1st round pick in the 2016 draft (#26 overall), he was traded in the offseason after splitting his rookie season between the big league and AHL.
He twice scored 32 points as a member of the University Of Connecticut Huskies, where he played for two seasons before turning pro.
The 24-year old from of all places Glendale, AZ could easily be a 100-point player.
