Category: Minor League Deal

15Aug

Tristan Mullin (11)

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Undrafted, left wing Tristan Mullin(11) will return to Cleveland Monsters to play a full AHL season after joining them late last year for 15 games after his one session from the transfer portal at University Of Vermont Catamounts was complete.

The 6’2″ 192 lbs. forward got 3 goals and an assist with a +2 rating in the short run.

He was a decent scorer during his sophomore and junior years at Cornell University Big Red, scoring close to 10 goals twice and 13 assists with a +16.

The 24-year old, Manitoba native spent two years in his home country’s junior league and two in the BCHL with Powell River Kings, running up points (63-63-126 in 114 games).

He’s got to be smiling a little working his game up.

After scoring 7 goals and 12 assists in 53 games with a +4 rating, he decides to move on, signing with 1st year club, Coachella Valley Firebirds for 2022/2023.

Through 15 games, he does not register a point, so is released and signs with Kansas City Mavericks to score 25 points in 25 games.

For 2023/2024, he signs a 1-year deal with Hartford Wolf Pack that should work out better for him.

15Aug

Eric Cooley (27)

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Undrafted right wing Eric Cooley(27) signs a 1st pro contract with last year’s AHL champs, Chicago Wolves for 2022/2023.

The small-ish 5’9″ 185 lbs. forward played a graduate season at Ohio State University Buckeyes after finishing up 4 years at Niagara University Purple Eagles.

He played only a single NAHL season in junior hockey for Amarillo Bulls.

The 24-year old from Pittsburgh, PA should find a little more room to score.

He was also a recent invite to Carolina Hurricanes’ Development Camp.

For most of last season, he would spend with affiliate Norfolk Admirals, skating 42 ECHL games, scoring 9 goals and 10 assists.

He played 7 games with his contract club, recording 1 assist.

Utica Comets see something they can use and sign him up to a 1-year deal for 2023/2024.

14Aug

Jake Chelios (7)

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9th year defenseman Jake Chelios(7) continues to have luck with 4th year KHL team, Kunlun Red Star.

The 6′ 198 lbs. blue liner  had decent success through 296 AHL games, getting 17 goals and 91 assists with a 0 rating.

In 24 games this season, he has 1 goal and 7 assists.

The former Michigan State University Spartans had a nice 19 assists as a senior and does have a 5 NHL appearances to his credit.

At 31-years old, the son of former great Chris Chelios(24) is likely happy to still be playing at a high level of hockey.

In the last frame, he recorded a Russian league tying 3rd goal and new best 17 assists and 20 points in 51 games, so pretty obviously he needs to stay put under a new 2-year deal and continue on his China-based team.

13Aug

Tyler Harmon (30)

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Mercyhurst University Lakers‘ graduate netminder Tyler Harmon(30) concludes his college career and signs a 1st pro deal with Atlanta Gladiators, then is pressed into action immediately to score himself a 1st 2-1 win against a better Greenville Swamp Rabbits‘ team.

The 6’2″ 205 lbs. goalie did 5 years at University Of Vermont Catamounts, but only twice saw more than 10 appearances in a frame.

A Jonesville, MI native, it looks that he came east for most of his youth and junior hockey before committing.

No doubt someone said, give the 25-year old the game puck for the debut victory.

It’s basically a no-brainer to want him back in a Gladiators‘ uniform for his official rookie season 2023/2024.

11Aug

Matthew Maione (18)

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10th year defenseman Matthew Maione(18) signs with his 9th overseas team and 7th different league for 2023/2024, agreeing to terms with AIK of HockeyAllsvenskan.

He had one really successful run in the KHL for Dinamo Riga, grabbing 11 goals and 35 assists and won the 2017 Slovak Extraliga Championship with the famous HC Banska Bystrica.

The small 5’9″ but stocky 191 lbs. blue liner twice had most points by a defenseman in Liiga and the ECHL.

A Toronto, ON native, he played 3 OHL seasons before heading to 4 years at University Of Prince Edward Island Panthers before turning pro.

The 32-year old is bound to do well in Sweden’s tier 2 league and may even get a loan up.

08Aug

Carter Rowney (24)

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9th year center Carter Rowney(24) waits fairly deep into unrestricted free agency after a down season hampered by injury and the last of his 3-year deal with Anaheim Ducks for a new 1-year contract to Detroit Red Wings in 2021/2022.

The 6’1″ 208 lbs. forward started his 1st three seasons on AHL deals with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, where he was almost literally climbing the ranks.

By his 3rd year the former University Of North Dakota Fighting Hawks‘ 4-year skater was 100% with the team and took his scoring up to a new level with 24 goals and 32 assists with a +23 rating, then added another 12 points (4-8) in 10 playoff contests.

This earned him his first NHL contract with Pittsburgh Penguins, where you split time during the season between the two leagues, but were mostly up near the end and figured in 20 playoff games, scoring 3 assists and a +3 rating on the way to the 2017 Stanley Cup Championship.

An unrestricted free agent going into the next frame, he signed his three year deal worth $1.133,333 AAV.

Other than last season’s bit of a fiasco, he’s a pretty decent scorer, who earn the money he was getting on a team almost in constant rebuild.

The 32-year old should find good space with his new team to be a contributor on the scoresheet.

For his 10th season, he leaves for Germany’s top league DEL and signs for 2022/2023 with Lowen Franfort, already putting up 2 assists in his debut game.

Through 55 games, he had a career best 37 assists and 58 points to earn him easily another year to stay German.

03Aug

Nick Wolff (65)

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Boston Bruins‘ unrestricted free agent signing, consecutive NCAA Division 1 Champion, University Of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs in 2018 and 2019, but was unavailable due to COVID shutting down hockey to finish 2020, defenseman Nick Wolff(65) signed a 1-year entry level deal just as the season was going belly up.

The Minnesota native who stands at a gigantic 6’5″ 224 lbs. was captain in his final year at college hockey.

Never the biggest scorer he finished up his senior year with 10 assists in 33 games.

He started his first pro season by heading over to Slovakia‘s top league joining DVTK Jegesvedmek and sort of came alive a little with 3 goals and 2 assists in 18 games.

The 24-year old has two assists in 24 AHL games on reassignment with Providence Bruins but we’re betting that as his career goes, goals are going to start to go with it.

For 2021/2022, he was fairly quickly retained on a 1-year 2-way deal, which we think could be counted as his rookie campaign.

He is currently in contract club, Black & Gold training camp.

After coming away from last season with 8 assists in 32 games with a +7 rating and adding his 1st league goal in 2 playoff appearances, he signs for 2022/2023 on another one year, two-way NHL deal.

Almost 3 years with one club out of college and it’s time to move on for the Eagan, MN native, who signs for 2023/2024 with San Diego Gulls, who could definitely use him to sure up their zone.

17Jul

Lukas Kaelble (27)

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Clarkson University Golden Knights‘ German-born, graduate defenseman Lukas Kaelble(27) is definitely glad he added a year of eligibility to his calendar, as he was able to come away with a college career high 7 goals in 32 NCAA Division 1 games.

The 6’1″ 205 lbs. blue liner takes what he was able to earn in 2021/2022 to a 1st pro contract with Florida Everblades.

He did all his early junior/youth hockey close to home in Mannheim, but did come over for a year of USHL, skating a full schedule for Fargo Force.

Lake Superior State University Lakers liked what they saw of his US play and invited him aboard.

He was captain as a senior.

The 24-year will likely do well wherever he ultimately decides to play hockey

In 9 ECHL games, he scores 1 goal and 5 assists with a +10 rating, then strikes for exactly the same numbers in 20 playoff games en route to the 2022 Kelly Cup Championship.

This showing earns him a contract with the parent club, Charlotte Checkers for 2022/2023, which should see him need to elevate his game, but hold his own to start in the AHL.

He was never quite able to appear in games at the upper level, as he was reassigned at the start of last frame to toil the zone for the lower affiliate, but he responded.

In 63 games, he posted 4 goals and 26 assists with a +19 rating, then added another 4 helpers in the playoffs, en route to another 2023 Kelly Cup Championship.

He has decided for his next step, he will take his game back home to DEL and signs a 1-year deal with Fischtown Pinguins to guard their territory.

12Jul

Connor McCarthy (2)

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3rd year extra large 6’7″ 239 lbs. defenseman Connor McCarthy(2) is heading to Slovakia’s top hockey, signing 1-year with HC Banska Bystrica for 2023/2024.

He is mostly a stay at home style blue liner, who was twice signed by Bridgeport Islanders, but skated mostly for affiliate Worcester Railers.

The former Clarkson University Golden Knights senior assistant captain should do very well where is headed.

27Jun

Joel Lowry (17)

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8th year center Joel Lowry(17) has switched leagues each of the three seasons he’s been away.

He started scoring well in DEL, then moved over to Austria’s top league IceHL to sign with Vienna Capitals before returning for 2022/2023 to Germany, but going down a rung to DEL2, joining EC Kassel Huskies, where he’s basically a point-per-game player.

The big 6’2″ forward played 208 AHL games with good marks, including a +11 rating.

A former 4-year Cornell University Big Red graduate, it will be interesting to see how and where the 31-year old, son of NHL great Dave Lowry from Calgary, AB will go.

In the 2nd tier German league, he puts up almost point-per-game numbers, then adds more in the playoffs with a combined +30 rating to rightly earn himself another season to stay with the Huskies, but he could also be in line for a promotion is what we are seeing.