Junior net minder Dominic Basse(31) heads to St. Cloud State University Huskies in hopes to change his luck from a couple of tough sessions with Colorado College Tigers.
At 6’6″ 185 lbs., he’s a pretty massive block, who will likely find a ton more luck on a good club in the WCHA.
The Alexandria, VA native is a Chicago Blackhawks‘ 6th round pick in the 2019 draft (#167 overall), who will almost assuredly step up on their radar after just a season where he’s headed.
He’s still super young at 21.
After 2 decent years at his new school, he heads to St. Lawrence University Skating Saints to play a graduate frame.
He gets a couple tryouts that don’t go as well as anyone would have liked, but has waited and signs with Pensacola Ice Flyers for the remainder of 2025/2026.
Loaned up to the ECHL on a number occasions, he decides to return to the SPHL and signs with Macon Mayhem for 2026/2027.
Misericordia University Cougars‘ graduate defenseman Domenic Della Civita(2) signs a 1st pro deal with Watertown Wolves.
In 9 games, he has 2 assists.
The 6’1″ 190 lbs. blue liner had a college best 2 goals and 5 assists last season.
He came over after 4 years at SUNY Morrisville Mustangs.
From Trenton, ON, the 25-year old must feel good to being playing pro and likely looking to elevate that game.
In 14 FPHL games, he scored 3 goals and 5 assists, then added another 2 points in the playoffs and gets elevated to the SPHL and sign with Macon Mayem to start 2025/2026.
He would only come away with 1 assist in 13 games, so returns to the Wolves and has 1 goal in his 1st game back.
For the start of the new season, he would actually sign with Macon Mayhem and through 13 SPHL games had 1 assist with a 0 rating.
He was put on suspension and ultimately went back to Watertown Wolves, running up point totals to the tune of 3 goals and 7 assists in 7 games with a +5 rating, but they trade him to PeeDee IceCats.
After 4 goals and 9 assists in 30 games with a +18 rating, then adds another 5 points with a +4 in the playoffs, but elects to sign with rivals Columbus River Dragons for 2026/2027.
UMass-Lowell Riverhawks‘ senior left wing Blake Wells(54) heads into the transfer portal for a graduate season roughly 90 minutes west at American International College Yellowjackets.
The 6’2″ 201 lbs. forward should find more room in Atlantic Hockey to score.
His best season was as a junior, getting 3 goals and 5 assists in 29 games.
The 23-year old Blackie, AB native played 2 seasons in the nearby AJHL for Okotoks Oilers before committing to school.
He comes away with a college best 4 goals and 6 assists in his extra frame and signs a pro deal with Utah Grizzlies, where we suspect he will find more room in the ECHL to score using his power forward size.
After 3 games with no points, they would like to see what he does in a full frame, so sign him to continue wearing a Grizzlies‘ jersey for 2024/2025.
He was season-ending injured on opening night in his rookie frame, but is set to go for another 1st year run in 2025/2026 and signs with Tahoe Knight Monsters.
Beginning his season with Pensacola Ice Flyers, he’s called up for the majority of the frame, playing 22 games scoring 3 goals and 4 assists with a +1 rating.
For 2026/2027, he signs a 1-year deal with Reading Royals that should equal good things.
University Of Vermont Catamounts‘ 2024/2025 commit, 1st year Latvian-born, New Jersey Jr. Titans‘ right wing Kristofers Krumins(13) is off to a hot start with 5 goals in 12 NAHL games with a +1 rating.
We think the 6’2″ 198 lbs. forward could top at least 40 points in the frame before school.
He came over quickly to attend Don Bosco High School in Boston, where he light up scoring and also played youth hockey in New Jersey to catch his current team’s eye.
It’s his size and willingness to engage in the play that will bring him success at the college level.
He gets a late trade in his 2nd season to Maryland Black Bears, where he scores well, but re-decides his choice of schools and will head to Neumann University Knights for 2026/2027.
Niagara University Purple Eagles‘ assistant captain, junior right wing Declan McDonnell(26) had 12 goals and 14 assists in 37 games last season.
He came over from 2 USports‘ seasons at Saint Mary’s University Huskies, where he also scored well.
The 5’10” 185 lbs. forward has had a wild little run already, doing 4 years OHL, but going pro in the AHL the COVID campaign 2020/2021 with Syracuse Crunch.
Originally a Tampa Bay Lightning 7th round pick in the NHL draft (#217 overall) made sense for him to play with the affiliate.
From Buffalo, NY, the 24-year old played his youth hockey in the Jr. Sabres‘ system.
He foregoes a senior year and signs a pro deal with Worcester Railers.
In 9 games, he has a 1st ECHL goal and 2 assists.
He ends up with 1 goal and 4 assists in 11 games and is an easy invite for his rookie season to return as a Railers for 2026/2027.
University Of Connecticut Huskies‘ senior defenseman Thomas Messineo(47) signs a 1st pro deal with Kansas City Mavericks, as tournament play winds down.
The 6′ 190 lbs. blue liner played 3 ECHL before being loaned up to San Jose Barracuda on a pto.
He played 3 AHL games and 1 in the playoffs.
From Westwood, MA, the 24-year old will still need to be signed for 2026/2027.
After his 3-game loan, he scores a 2026/2027 deal for his rookie season with the Barracuda.
6th year right wing Wade Murphy(6) returns to sign with Idaho Steelheads for 2022/2023 after spending the last 3 seasons of pandemic madness away in Norway, Austria and Slovenia, where he managed to capture that country’s 2022 league championship.
The 6′ 194 lbs. forward has 120 games of ECHL experience with decent scoring, but definitely could flatten that +/-.
Originally a Nashville Predators’ 7th round pick in the 2013 draft (#185 overall), he was never signed after an outstanding junior season based on his early college numbers.
He graduated after a 2 season transfer to Arizona State University Sun Devils from University Of North Dakota Fighting Hawks with a college career best 9 goals and 11 assists.
The 28-year old from Victoria, BC is a big frame that should be able to score goals almost at will we the right team in this league.
He takes a career high by a mile frame, scoring 21 goals and 22 assists in 54 games with a +38 rating to 20 playoff match ups and another 20 point total.
It’s an absolute no brainer that he receives a new contract to continue wearing a Steelheads‘ jersey for 2023/2024.
He is taking career scoring bests goals, assists, points with him for another foray to test his skills overseas in the tough to play Slovak Extraliga and signs with HC Slovan Bratislava for 2024/2025 and we think does very well here.
Limited to only 10 games last season, he scored 6 goals and 2 assists with a +5 rating and will next skate in the same league for HK Poprad in 2024/2025.
He is seemingly doing ok over there for a couple different teams, but has decided to return to strap on an Idaho jersey yet again.
St. Lawrence University Skating Saints‘ senior, captain defenseman Drake Burgin(26) signs a 1st pro contract with Kansas City Mavericks and in 10 ECHL games, nets 2 goals and 2 assists with a +2 rating.
The 6′ 181 lbs. blue liner scored best as a junior with 7 goals and 13 assists.
From Winnipeg, MB, he did 3 seasons of juniors up there.
The 24-year old has yet to appear in the playoffs and may have not made that roster, but will need a deal for 2025/2026.
He does sign and figures nicely in their push to the Kelly Cup Finals and even got loaned up to the AHL for 1 game.
For 2026/2027, he is actually picked up by Savannah Ghost Pirates in a trade.
University Of Massachusetts Minutemen graduate center Liam Gorman(20) may only have 2 assists in 10 games, but you feel the 6’2″ 187 lbs. power forward will strike for some Hockey East points sooner than later.
He had a college career best 12 goals and 10 assists as a senior with Princeton University Tigers.
The 23-year old from Boston, MA is a Pittsburgh Penguins‘ 6th round pick in the 2018 draft (#177 overall), but was traded to Chicago Blackhawks and will need an NHL entry level deal after this frame.
Through 28 games, he only scores 1 goal and 3 assists with a +2 rating, but is not signed, so the free agent agrees to terms with Allen Americans for his ECHL rookie season, 2024/2025.
After 6 goals and 11 assists in 62 games last season, he is traded to Maine Mariners, who look to add him.
He gets 4 goals and 2 assists in 34 games with a 0 rating and is released to Kansas City Mavericks, where his scoring is almost assured to increase.
In only 4 games, he comes away with no points and for 2026/2027 signs with Savannah Ghost Pirates to hopefully help his scoring fortunes.
UMASS-Lowell Riverhawks‘ senior defenseman Brehdan Engum(10) enters the transfer portal to do a graduate frame at Boston University Terriers in 2024/2025.
The 6’3″ 220 lbs. blue liner doesn’t score a lot of points, but is definitely accountable on a good team.
He left the USHL for Waterloo Blackhawks with 2 seasons of 10+ assists and a +36 rating.
From Burnsville, MN, the 24-year continues his Hockey East play another frame.
The big d-man scores only 2 assists in 30 games with a +7 rating last season and signs a 1st pro contract with Norfolk Admirals that should be an awesome pro match for both.
He scored 2 goals and 16 assists in 66 ECHL games with a +8 rating and signs another deal to continue with the Admirals for 2026/2027.
