Trois Rivières Lions‘ rookie center Brendan Locke(27) is off to a hot start with 3 goals and 6 assists in 16 ECHL games with a +5 rating, as the team heads into its 1st playoff berth.
He was coming off a 5th, graduate year at Cornell University Big Red, where he was always a solid scoring threat.
The 5’10” 176 lbs. forward did 4 campaigns of junior hockey, starting with a pair in the NOJHL before heading to 2 OJHL stints.
He twice was good for 40+ points in the Ontario league.
The 24-year old has to have a small smile on his face as he goes into postseason play.
For 2022/2023, he decides to sign with rivals Indy Fuel.
Undrafted left wing Steven Ipri(23) takes a 4-year college career at Mercyhurst University Lakers to a 1st pro contract with Wichita Thunder.
The 5’11” 155 lbs. forward was a solid scorer through 2 NAHL seasons, getting 17 goals and 27 assists in his 2nd frame.
In 3 ECHL games, he already has an assist.
The 24-year old from Broadview Heights, OH should find success in this league, if he sticks around.
In an almost odd move, he signs for 2022/2023 in Germany3 with HC Landsberg and will likely post some career high stats.
After 8 seasons of essentially guiding Reading Royals and winning the 2013 Kelly Cup with the team as an assistant captain, Kirk MacDonald(13) steps away for a new opportunity to become head coach with Dubuque Fighting Saints.
He wrapped up his playing days with that title and went on to become assistant coach at his old college, RPI Engineers to get his feet wet, but turned pro after a single frame.
Not sure what went into the 6’2″ 209 lbs. right wing veteran of 272 AHL games and 135 ECHL games had in mind to leave for a USHL junior hockey team, but obviously there is some reasoning there.
Undrafted, 4th year left wing Mike Szmatula(9) leaves after his 4th ECHL season and first away from Adirondack Thunder, who didn’t play last season, but had they, he would have returned yet again.
The former Northeastern University Huskies and ultimately after a portal transfer University Of Minnesota Golden Gophers skated for Jacksonville Icemen in 2020/2021, scoring a third 20+ goal campaign.
He left once briefly to play in Poland, but that lasted all of 4 games before his return.
The 5’9″ 181 lbs. forward will head to Denmark’s Metal Ligaen, signing with SoderjyskE for 2021/2022.
There’s little doubt the 28-year old will achieving new scoring heights if he stays in this league, but nothing is certain and he could come back to the team he’s played 122 games for.
The Commerce Township, MI native returns home to sign with the last team he left, Jacksonville Iceman and should be able to connect for even more scoring than he did previously.
5th year defenseman Simon Denis(9) tracks back and signs for a 3rd time with Toledo Walleye for 2022/2023 after spending the last four seasons in the Asia League and being voted MVP and league’s best d-man for Tohoku Free Blades.
The 5’10” 187 lbs. blue liner did 5 years at Ferris State University Bulldogs, averaging 10 assists in 4 sessions.
He has been recalled once to Hartford Wolf Pack and in 7 AHL games came away with 4 assists.
The part Japanese/Canadian 30-year old will likely put up some great stats for a team he’s super comfortable with and likely ready to win another title.
Standing in at 6’8″ 245 lbs., you can’t really say Toronto Marlies are taking a chance on with an AHL contract, as much as opening up room for recent University Of Maine Black Bears‘ graduate student Keenan Suthers(34) in the 2022/2023 season.
He scored a tying college career high 9 goals and 5 assists in his 3rd season at St. Lawrence University Saints, and also connected for 13 points in 2021/2022, which is where he seems to sit in roughly 30 NCAA Division 1 games played.
It’s very likely considering his size, the 24-year old from Tecumseh, ON could easily open up some room for himself in front of the net for more scoring chances than were available to him in college hockey.
3rd year net minder Stefanos Lekkas(40) takes some pretty impressive regular season ECHL stats to a new outlook, signing for 2022/2023 with Odense Bulldogs of Metal Ligaen.
He tended cage for 4 different clubs over 2021/2022, but seems to find his footing, when he arrived in a late trade to Maine Mariners, posting a 7-4 record with 2 shutouts, a 2.55 GAA and .920 SV%.
A University Of Vermont Catamounts‘ graduate, he looked to survive 4 years, keeping the puck out of the net as much as possible, leaving with a 2.62 and .918 marks.
The 26-year old should do very well on a good team in Denmark’s top hockey league.
Undrafted rookie left wing Jonathan Desbiens(21) signs once again with Maine Mariners for 2021/2022, just as he did in 2020, but the team had to opt out of the season due to COVID restrictions.
He was a fairly prolific scorer in 4 years at Bentley University Falcons, averaging 12 goals and 13 assists and twice hit the 30 point mark.
The Rosemere, QC native did come to play his first junior campaign for Lincoln Stars, getting 6 goals and 4 assists in 48 USHL games, but left fairly quickly agreeing to head to the other side of Canada, signing with West Kelowna Warriors and he had much better success, scoring 27 goals and 27 assists in 54 BCHL games.
This is where he was spotted and agreed to his college, then really blew up the scoring bubble with 44 goals and 39 assists.
We do believe the only 5’9″ 181 lbs., 25-year forward is going to become a scorer in the ECHL.
He ended up leaving his team midway through his rookie season for Ligue Magnus, agreeing to terms with Scorpions de Mulhouse, scoring 10 goals and 14 assists in 22 games, but for his encore signs 2022/2023 with rivals Gothiques d’Amiens.
5th year center Marcus Power(9) leaves for a 2nd time after skating his 3rd season with the only local to home North American team he’s ever signed with, Newfoundland Growlers, who he also won the 2019 Kelly Cup Championship.
His other time overseas, for EV Landshut, he scored new career highs 29 goals and 40 assists in 47 DEL2 games.
The 6′ 185 lbs. forward heads to IceHL for 2022/2023, agreeing with Vienna Capitals.
We do think the 28-year old from St. John’s, NL, who skated three seasons for Rouyn-Noranda Huskies of the QMJHL, then headed to 4 years at University Of Prince Edward Island Panthers will definitely make an impression in Austria’s top hockey.
Trent Vogelhuber(13) retired from pro hockey a few years ago and immediately was adopted by Cleveland Monsters to become their assistant coach, a role he’s filled for the last 4 seasons.
He actually had his best campaign for the team, when they were called Lake Erie Monsters, scoring 11 goals and 16 assists in 70 AHL games and helping them win the 2016 Calder Cup.
The 6’2″ 185 lbs. forward was actually a Columbus Blue Jackets‘ 7th round pick in the 2007 draft (#211 overall), but didn’t actually sign an NHL contract until after winning the minor league title by Colorado Avalanche.
He skated two sessions with their affiliate before deciding to change sceneries.
The former Miami University (Ohio) Redhawks from right there in Dublin, OH, at 33-years old becomes his team’s newest, 7th all-time head coach.
