Category: Minor League Deal

15Apr

Jimmy Lambert (60)

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Providence Bruins welcome in 2nd year right wing Jimmy Lambert(60) after scoring 11 goals and 13 assists in 27 games with a +6 rating on reassignment with Worcester Railers from contract club, Bridgeport Islanders.

He scored 1 goal and 6 assists in 33 games up with a +1.

The 6′ 176 lbs. former University Of Michigan Wolverines wasn’t a huge scorer at school.

Originally from Newcastle, GBR, the 26-year old could see time playing for rival Maine Mariners.

In 21 ECHL games this season, he’s tied his 13 assists, but will still need to add on tallies to his 4 to get him past those pretty amazing marks of 11 as a rookie.

He does well last season, tying his goals at 11 and 23 assists is a new career league best.

Though he appears in only 10 AHL games, he is wanted to return to continue and work on his game.

Mostly dispatched to Maine, he is scoring on a point-per-game pace and decides to branch out for some more difficult hockey in DEL and agrees to terms with Grizzlys Wolfsburg.

After 14 games with 2 goals and 4 assists, he is liked and asked to return for 2025/2026 as a Grizzlys.

13Apr

Patriks Marcinkevics (26)

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Long Island University Sharks‘ Latvian-born, freshman left wing Patriks Marcinkevics(26) leaves through the transfer portal to arrive at the much more contentious Michigan Tech University Huskies for 2023/2024.

The small-ish 5’9″ 159 lbs. forward had a bit of a strange path through juniors, starting with Islanders HC of USPHL ranks, running up point-per-game totals to the weirdo COVID struck 2020/2021, where he ultimately would play for New England Wolves and run up crazy tier 3 EHL numbers (11-5 in 6 games).

For his final frame before heading to school he agreed with Jersey Hitmen and would go bananas on the scoresheet: 34 goals, 62 assists for 96 points in 49 games, then another 15 points in the playoffs on the way to the 2022 NCDC Champions, which included personal awards for most assists, points and Valuable Player.

The undrafted 22-year old will likely do well in the CCHA.

He skates 5 games with his new college team, potting 1 goal and 1 assist, but something isn’t right and he decides it’s time to turn pro, signing a contract with Utah Grizzlies going forward.

Ending up with Quad City Storm to round out the season, he clicks with 7 goals and 17 assists in 20 games with a +9 rating to score a contract for 2024/2025 with Allen Americans.

He would start the session with Macon Mayem, but after is loaned up to Atlanta Gladiators and eventually signs an ECHL contract to stay and scores 6 goals and 14 assists with a +5 rating, but gets himself traded to Bloomington Bison.

In 5 games with his new team, he has 2 goals and 1 assist for a nice start.

12Apr

Andrius Kulbis-Marino (6)

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Long Island University Sharks‘ graduate defenseman Andrius Kulbis-Marino(6) signs a 1st pro deal with Utah Grizzlies.

The 6’2″ 190 lbs. blue liner had 3 goals and 7 assists in 34 games last season with a +6 rating on a team that maybe won a surprising amount.

He didn’t outpace scoring he had at Sacred Heart University Pioneers as a sophomore, when he had a college best 6 goals and 10 assists in 35 games with a +3 rating.

10Apr

Keegan Iverson (13)

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2nd year right wing Keegan Iverson(13) gets loaned from Indy Fuel to Ontario Reign and grabs an assist, his 1st appearance in the AHL (with the same team) since he was a rookie 2017/2018.

The sizably strong 6’2″ 214 lbs. forward took most of the next season off, skating just a pair of games for Lacombe Generals of the ACHW. before deciding to head to Mount Royal University Cougars for a few years, but only played one full frame there.

He spent five (including an overage) campaign for Portland Winterhawks, running up some admirable numbers with a +47 rating and was chosen in the 3rd round of the 2014 draft (#85 overall) by New York Rangers, but never signed.

The 25-year old has already had an interesting journey, but will be more interesting to see where it takes him next.

He would get traded to Rapid City Rush halfway through the session, and found a place, scoring 3 goals and 6 assists in 23 ECHL games.

It’s a good fit and he will return for 2022/2023.

He gets 1 goal and 6 assists, which seems a little low through 67 games last season and will branch out, signing a new 1-year deal with Norfolk Admirals to hopefully get some of that scoring punch back in his game.

We feel he has found a place where he is popular and is a good place to play, so after a full plus season, he re-signs to stay for 2024/2025 in an Admirals‘ jersey.

Although, he does appear in 35 games, scoring 2 goals and 6 assists, he maybe not in quite enough and gets dished to Tulsa Oilers, where in 6 games, he’s already struck for 2 goals and 1 assist.

10Apr

Cooper Flinton (20)

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Dartmouth University Big Green sophomore left wing Cooper Flinton(20) is a Tampa Bay Lightning 7th round pick in the 2021 draft (#211 overall) and has scored a new college best 9 goals this season, but needs some more helpers to equal last year’s mark.

The 6’2″ 205 lbs. forward only did 1 USHL campaign with Cedar Rapids RoughRiders of juniors with decently efficient scoring.

From Auburn, NH, the 20-year old has kept things fairly close to home, as he’s elevated his hockey to college and looks to be a fairly easy entry level contract sign.

In his junior year, he records a college best 15 assists and the parent club has seen enough to want to sign him to a 2-year NHL deal and he will join affiliate Syracuse Crunch immediately.

10Apr

Noah Beck (18)

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Clarkson University Golden Knights‘ senior defenseman Noah Beck(18) takes 2 years of 17 assists to a graduate season at Arizona State University Sun Devils for 2024/2025.

The Richmond Hill, ON native did 1 season juniors OJHL before coming down to the USHL upon the encouragement of new college team and then getting drafted by St. Louis Blues in the 7th round of 2020 (#194 overall).

He scored well with 4 goals and 23 assists in 44 games.

The 6’3″ 183 lbs. blue liner will likely do well playing his new club’s independent schedule.

He explodes scoring 5 goals and 28 assists in 37 games with a +12 rating to become an unrestricted free agent and get signed by San Jose Sharks, as he wasn’t picked up by the team that selected him.

To start his pro career, he reports to affiliate San Jose Barracuda on an ato.

09Apr

Evan Buitenhuis (30)

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Wichita Thunder circles back to re-sign 4th year goaltender Evan Buitenhuis(30) after a trade sent him over for most of 2020/2021.

In 21 ECHL starts he went a career best 15-5-1 with a 2.19 GAA and .937 SV%, also league lows.

The 6’2″ 185 lbs. graduate of NCAA Division 3 Hamilton College signed a pair of AHL contracts, but not played any games.

Instead he was reassigned almost immediately upon his rookie season deal with Bridgeport Islanders (Sound Tigers) to affiliate Worcester Railers, where he played 28 games with good numbers.

For his sophomore frame, he simply just agreed to stick with the Central Massachusetts’ club and was credited with a new high 39 games in the cage.

He won the 2014 OJHL Championship with stellar numbers, 1.84 GAA and .943 SV% in his last year of junior hockey for the Burlington, ON native.

The 28-year old will likely see a lot of action in 2021/2022 and could also see his best totals.

He was definitely seeing a lot of time in the crease, playing a 2nd high 31 games recording a 11-15-4 mark with a 2.92 GAA and .919 SV%, which was decently in line where he was last season, but the team had sunk to last place, so have decided to cut ties and go with more youth in the cage for the time being.

The Burlington, ON native has decided to spread his wings and leaves for Storhamar of Fjordkraftligaen.

He returns to Kansas for a 3rd go at net after a good enough, but maybe brief showing in Norway.

After spending a couple of years in US minor league hockey, he is ready to move back overseas for hopefully a more extended run, signing for 2023/2024 with HC Innsbruck of IceHL.

We expect to see good things happen for the still only 29-year old in Austria’s top league.

Well, he does ok in his new league and is off to something better, signing with Jukurit of Liiga.

After a fairly solid performance with maybe not a winning record, he is wanted to return and re-signs to stay Jukurit.

We are sure, he is a fan favorite.

09Apr

Ryan O’Reilly (22)

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Providence College Friars‘ graduate right wing Ryan O’Reilly(22) is looking to set new college bests scoring, if he can figure into enough games on a particularly deep, very good Hockey East team.

The 6’3″ 220 lbs. forward has 6 goals and 3 assists in 18 games with a +9 rating after coming over from 4 years at Arizona State University Sun Devils.

A 2018 Detroit Red Wings‘ 4th round pick in the draft (#98 overall), he had a blowout scoring debut USHL season.

From Southlake, TX, the 24-year old looks like he’d be an easy sign to see to an NHL entry level deal to see what he can do.

He goes unsigned, but inks a 1st deal with Orlando Solar Bears, where he should be a scoring force in the ECHL.

08Apr

Cody Kunyk (37)

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9th year center Cody Kunyk(37) returns to Karpat after a year away in the KHL that actually grabbed hold scoring come playoff time for Barys Nur-Sultan.

The undrafted 5’11” 194 lbs. forward has skated 5 seasons in Liiga, Finland’s top hockey and tossed off a league best 39 assists in 2019/2020.

He signed a 1-year entry level deal as an unrestricted free agent with Tampa Bay Lightning upon graduating University Of Alaska-Fairbanks Nanooks with 20+ goals and assists as a senior and even played 1 NHL game fresh out of school.

The Sherwood Park, AB native skated the AHL his rookie season for affiliate Syracuse Crunch, but left for Denmark’s Metal Ligaen in the next session, running up decent points for Gentofte Stars.

At 32-years old, he still seems to be connecting and is wanted for what he brings, so there’s little reason to put down the skates.

He would move along after a 5th strong year playing Finnish hockey to Germany and signed with Lowen Frankfort in 2023/2024, where he would come away with a pro best 17 goals and some decent point totals, but signs with rivals Augsburger Panther for 2024/2025 and should have continued success.

After a successful 1st season with the team, he re-signs to return a Panther for 2025/2026.