Category: Free Agent Signing

Undrafted 5th year right wing Vinni Lettieri(10) re-ups for a 2nd season in Anaheim Ducks‘ organization.

He only played 5 NHL games in 2020/2021, but lit up the scoresheet with affiliate San Diego Gulls, scoring 14 goals and 12 assists in 22 AHL games, adding another 3 points in 3 playoff contests.

The 5’11” 185 lbs. forward was originally signed to a 2-year entry level deal by New York Rangers after graduating from University Of Minnesota Golden Gophers, where he was a point-per-game player as a senior.

He was also a solid goal scorer in high school and one year of juniors for Lincoln Stars of the USHL.

The 26-year old has played 52 games in the big league, scoring 2 goals and 6 assists with a dismal -21 rating, but we think he’s one solid scoring line away from being an impact player.

In 2021/2022, he was given his best chance yet to become a permanent member at the higher level, appearing in a career best 31 games, scoring 5 goals and 5 assists.

Boston Bruins lean in on the opening day of free agency offering a 1-year, 2-way deal at almost a 1-way rate and he’s on board and will likely compete for any open roster spots available.

He scores a career best 26 assists and 49 points last season to earn himself a nice 2-year deal with Minnesota Wild, worth just below the average of a 1-way deal.

There’s little doubt he’ll be seeing a lot of playing time for Iowa Wild, but could score a recall as he did once last season.

He actually spends 46 games with contract club, scoring 5 goals and 4 assists and actually finds himself traded back to Boston, where he will compete for a spot once again.

An unrestricted free agent, who saw some good usefulness and an ability to connect, he is signed by Toronto Maple Leafs, who eye him for a possible spot in their lineup or he continues to score big in the minors.

Montreal Canadiens stepped up and claimed former Ottawa Senators‘ 1st round pick in the 2015 draft (#21 overall), center Colin White(36) from Pittsburgh Penguins, who put him on waivers after spending most of the current frame in the minors with affiliate Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

The 6’1″ 194 lbs. 7th year forward was a huge scorer in 2 campaigns of USNTDP and then 2 at Boston College Eagles.

He can score, as he did in his best season, his 2nd, where he struck for 14 goals and 27 assists in 71 NHL games.

The 27-year old can definitely still contribute, if he is placed in the right situation.

He scores nothing in the big league and signs with San Jose Barracuda for 2024/2025 and scores 5 goals and 5 assists in 20 games to gain notice and get signed by parent club, San Jose Sharks to a 1-year, 2-way deal for the remainder of 2024/2025.

With 25 points in 48 games and 3 games on recall and under a new contract, he is fully on the radar and no time is wasted to get a new 1-year deal to stay in a Sharks‘ uniform.

University Of Minnesota Golden Gophers‘ graduate captain, center Jaxon Nelson(82) went undrafted, but Boston Bruins signed him to a 1-year NHL entry level deal upon graduation after scoring new college bests 19 goals and 12 assists with a +14 last season.

The 6’4″ 220 lbs. plays the power forward style.

He did 3 USHL campaigns of juniors after potting 70 goals in his senior year at Luverne High USHS-MN.

Signing an ato with Providence Bruins last season, he appeared in 7 games and scored a 1st AHL goal.

The 24-year old is in rookies training camp and looks ready to get started.

After 35 games with 2 goals and 7 assists with a 0 rating, he is not qualified to stay, so signs with Iowa Heartlanders for 2025/2026.

8th year, big, very big 6’6″ 220 lbs. defenseman Jaycob Megna(24) gets rewarded by parent club San Jose Sharks for signing a minor league deal with their affiliate San Jose Barracuda for the weirdo run that was 2020/2021 with a new 1-year NHL 2-way contract for 2021/2022.

He has played 346 AHL games and 43 in the big league all with draft club Anaheim Ducks, who selected him in the 7th round 2012 (#210 overall).

The 3-year University Of Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks‘ d-man was picked after his rookie season, but did also have a nice lead in with Muskegon Lumberjacks, dishing 17 assists in 55 USHL games.

It looks as though the 28-year old is set to resume his duties as team captain of the farm club, but we’re thinking he may get a look or two up in the show.

Playing his 1st full set of games in the big league, he has skated a new best 48 appearances for 2022/2023, scoring a goal and new best 11 assists with a +6 rating and finds himself traded to a rival, Seattle Kracken to help round out their blue line for a playoff pump.

He plays only 6 games up and is put on waivers to be claimed by Chicago Blackhawks, who throw the big man straight into the lineup and he records an assist in his debut.

Finishing up with a tied for 2nd most games in the big league at 44, and unrestricted free agent, the Plantation, FL native next signs with hometown team, Florida Panthers, where he figures into 8 games en route to a 2025 Stanley Cup trophy.

He signs a 2-year deal with Vegas Golden Knights that looks to be on a one-way value.

8th year center T.J. Tynan(9) for the 2nd straight AHL season is the league’s MVP.

He has played 498 games, scoring 85 goals and a massive 361 assists with a +77 rating.

Originally a Columbus Blue Jackets‘ 3rd round pick in the 2011 draft (#66 overall), he has only skated 21 NHL games, recording 1 assist.

He was selected after an explosive freshman campaign at University Of Notre Dame Fighting Irish and at the conclusion of his sophomore session.

The 30-year old needs a new contract to extend with Los Angeles Kings, as he is an unrestricted free agent or try his hand with another club.

He always rolls huge assists and 3 years did for Ontario Reign, but re-signs to head back to Colorado Avalanche, where he played 16 games, but will likely end up with another season in a Colorado Eagles‘ jersey.

In 52 games, he scores 8 goals and 41 assists with a +12 rating and also appears in 9 games with the big club, recording 1 assist.

For 2025/2026, he signs a 1-year, 1-way deal to stay an Avalanche.

10th year defenseman Joel Hanley(44) re-ups with Dallas Stars for another 2-years potentially putting him on track to 7 years of his pro career with one team.

They are the 1st team to give the 5’11” 190 lbs. blue liner a full-time role in the big league after a couple solid campaigns with affiliate Texas Stars to earn his stripes.

He started his pro career on a minor league deal with Portland Pirates, but after a solid rookie season caught the attention of Montreal Canadiens.

The former UMass Minutemen graduate, who always was good for 10+ assists through his college career next went on to sign with Arizona Coyotes, but was little used.

Even though the 32-year old from Keswick, ON earns just over the league, he still has to have a smile on his face from where he came from.

After 6 years with the same team, he moves on to sign with Calgary Flames after a trade set him up to record a career best 9 points in 53 games with a +12 rating last season to score a new 2-year extension to stay on.

 

Ohio State University Buckeyes‘ Russian-born, freshman left wing Georgii Merkulov(10) leads NCAA Division 1 players in goal scoring with 18.

The 5’11” 185 lbs. forward spent all of his youth hockey in his homeland and played junior hockey in the MHL for a couple seasons, including 6 VHL games for HK Tambov before leaving during the 2019/2020 session to start his American.

He joined Youngstown Phantoms and was a bit of an instant success with 6 goals and 27 assists in 36 USHL games.

The 21-year old played one more successful campaign of juniors before committing to school.

Undrafted, he will easily be a player to watch.

Boston Bruins waste no time and scoop him from one successful year at college hockey to a 3-year NHL entry level deal starting next season.

He scores a meager 24 goals and 31 assists with Providence Bruins and is back up in rookies training camp to begin the 2nd year of his entry level deal for 2023/2024 and by the looks of it is ready to compete for a spot on the big club.

After a 3rd season of 30+ assists, with a new high 39 last season, he gets a new 1-year deal to stay a Bruins and keep building.

He’s still our pick to make the big club on a more permanent basis.

7th year left wing Daniel Ciampini(12) started the season in Czech Extraliga, but failed to connect and split after 8 games with only a single goal and heads to IceHL, joining HC Bolzano for the remainder of 2021/2022.

In 7 games, he has 3 goals and 2 assists.

The 5’11” 185 lbs. forward has played 116 AHL games for 4 different clubs, scoring 13 goals and 18 assists with a +8 rating.

In the ECHL, he’s almost a point-per-game playing with 46 goals and 87 assists in 142 games.

The former Union College, 2014 NCAA Division 1 Champion, was a great scorer, especially as a junior and senior before turning pro with Worcester Sharks.

At 31-years old, he’s likely still just happy to be playing hockey at a high level.

After a decent little frame in Austria, he leaves to sign with Sheffield Steelers, which proves to be great landing ground, as he stays for 3 seasons, signing on 2024/2025, winning the 2024 EIHL Championships and walking away with a career high 34 assists last frame.

He plays a 3rd successful frame scoring in the league, but maybe at 34-years old, he thinks it’s time to move on from the ice, so retires a Steelers.

9th year defenseman Dakota Mermis(5) re-signs to stay within Minnesota Wild organization for a 4th straight year after posting a career high 3-time tying 21 assists in a frame for affiliate Iowa Wild.

The 6′ 194 lbs. blue liner took a somewhat odd path up through junior hockey starting a year with the USNTDP before moving on to 1 season for Lincoln Stars, where he won the 2012 USHL Clark Cup, then committing to University Of Denver Pioneers.

That was 19 games short-lived, as he went on to join London Knights and win the 2013 OHL Championship, then 2 years later would pull the same feat, plus the 2015 Memorial Cup for Oshawa Generals.

He has 426 AHL games to his credit and 27 in the NHL with a 1st goal coming from his time with New Jersey Devils.

Undrafted, the 29-year old from Alton, IL continues to pull big contracts and that has to make him feel pretty good.

He actually plays more time with the main club, 47 games, scoring 3 goals and 5 assists, which is good enough to net him a new 1-year deal with Toronto Maple Leafs, but could find himself more with their affiliate Toronto Marlies.

After 3 games with his new team, scoring 1 assist and a +2 rating, he is recalled and waived only to be claimed by Utah Hockey Club.

He skates on game with his new club, only to be waived and reclaimed by the Leafs, then sent back down.

Liked within the organization, he is signed to a 2-year extension through 2026/2027 in Toronto.

6th year right wing Anthony Greco(28) receives the nod from 2nd year club New York Rangers to come up and skate an NHL game.

In his debut (2nd overall all game in the league), he played 14 shifts for 9:44 ice time with 5 shots on net, 1 block and 1 giveaway.

He was the leading goal scorer in 2018/2019, while under a 2nd contract to Florida Panthers, for affiliate Springfield Thunderbirds, getting 30 goals and 59 points.

The 5’10” 172 lbs. forward originally signed a minor league deal with this team, but was up to a 2-year entry level contract, when he produced as a rookie.

He had a good 4 years at Ohio State University Buckeyes, leading them as a senior captain.

The 28-year old has 93 goals and 108 assists in 320 AHL games and sure would love to play himself into a spot up.

After putting up a career best 39 assists and tying his 59 points from a few years ago, he isn’t waiting around to see if he be re-signed as a ufa and signs a 1-year deal with Frolunda HC.

He is easily the type of player that could put up huge numbers in the SHL.

In his 2nd season with HC Linkoping, he does reasonably well, but gets an opportunity to play the KHL and signs with HC Lada Togliatti for 2024/2025.

After 19 games without much pop, he decides to head to the much friendlier NL for his next hockey and signs with EHC Biel-Bienne.

He does pretty nicely in Swiss hockey, but wants to continue to move along and signs with Adler Mannheim of DEL for 2025/2026, another league we feel he’ll do well in.