Toledo Walleye undrafted, 6th year left wing Shane Berschbach(10) has decided after spending last year on the sidelines as his club suspended operations in 2020/2021 due to COVID restrictions, and he’s recently reached his 30th birthday, to suspend operations on playing hockey.
The 5’11” 165 lbs. forward spent 376 ECHL games with his one club, scoring a hefty, team leading 117 goals and 278 assists for 395 points with a +75 rating.
You also have to love he scored an exact equal 20 goals and 43 assists in his final two frames ’18/19, ’19/20, which seems like a perfect way to leave it.
That’s a pretty huge lift for the one-time Western Michigan University Broncos, who also connected big in college with 117 points (39-78) in 146 NCHC games with a +27.
We hope he puts his degree earned to good use, but see him as a perfect coaching fit somewhere.
Undrafted 4th year defenseman Garrett Cecere(29) circles back to re-sign with Reading Royals after a year away in which they had to decide not to play hockey in 2020/2021 due to COVID restrictions, but was scheduled to re-join them, ended up taking residence for a decent enough 25 ECHL game season with Tulsa Oilers with no goals but a new high 8 assists.
He once posted 20 assists in 24 games for Sioux City Stampede during his 2nd year of juniors.
The small 5’8″ 165 lbs. d-man first attended Colorado College prior to his first year with Janesville Jets, potting a healthy 24 assists in 52 NAHL games.
He would leave college early in his 2nd season to hook back up with his USHL team from SD.
The 26-year old Wes Demoines, IA native was also super solid for helpers in Shattuck St. Mary’s 14U and 16U AAA.
We’re thinking the eventual Northeastern University Huskies blue liner should see his best pro numbers in a campaign that’s hopefully just 100% straight ahead.
Undrafted 6th year center Nick Saracino(13) decides it’s time to head off for a great, new option, signing a 1-year deal with HKM Zvolen of Slovakia Extraliga.
After 4 very good years at Providence College Friars (46-70) in 145 Hockey East games with a mammoth +43 rating, he played his first 7 games for Iowa Wild, pocketing a 1st AHL goal and assist and then signing for his rookie campaign.
He only appeared in 33 games in his first season, so went unsigned and agreed to terms with a young Worcester Railers‘ club for a first full ECHL affair.
The 5’11” 185 lbs. always plays full throttle finds his scoring footing in the lower league and would next move onto a one-year deal on a trade to Wheeling Nailers and really popped the bubble with 17 goals and 20 assists in 27 games with a +17 rating.
This show would earn him a contract from Binghamton Devils, where he looked to make more sense, grabbing 6 goals and 4 assists in 38 games.
He returned to become captain of his PA club for a 2nd run, and although only good to go for 31 games, still scored at a great pace (8-15-23).
During the COVID stunted 2020/2021, he first was to play for South Carolina Stingrays, but they suspended, so decided to head to FL for a run with Jacksonville Icemen, and as it turned out, playing the somewhat weirdo schedule was his best production yet with a career high 18 goals and 27 assists for 43 points, the 29-year old says later on, going to find some Slovak hockey for myself.
Undrafted 3rd year defenseman Jon Lizotte(55) takes a pair of pretty decent minor league deals with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins to a new one-year, two-way deal with Minnesota Wild, that will no doubt see him reassigned to affiliate Iowa Wild.
The 6′ 210 lbs. blue liner had a career high 19 assists as a rookie and a +16 rating.
He managed 3 goals and 6 assists in a shortened 32 AHL in 2020/2021 weirdo season.
The former St. Cloud State University Huskies‘ d-man left with a mammoth +47 rating through 4 years and was also rock solid through 2 seasons of the NAHL for Minot Minotauros.
We think his first major contract club sees the 26-year old, Grand Forks, ND native as starting to arrive.
6th year defenseman Reece Wilcox(44) leaves after spending most of 2020/2021 on loan from contract club Florida Everblades of the ECHL to Hershey Bears.
The big 6’4″ 205 lbs. blue liner has played 259 AHL games, recording 12 goals and 59 assists, 3 times having 10+ helper seasons.
Originally a Philadelphia Flyers‘ 5th round pick in the 2012 draft (#141 overall), the Surrey, BC native played his junior hockey in the BCHL, spending two years with Merritt Centennials before committing to Cornell University Big Red.
He was team captain as a senior and upon graduation took up with affiliate Lehigh Valley Phantoms, skating his first 6 pro games, scoring a first goal and 2 assists.
The 27-year old will next embark on a new adventure, signing with HC Pustertal of IceHL and could do exceedingly well in this Austrian league.
8th year, undrafted center Allan McPherson(91) wins his 1st league title, the 2021 Slovakian Extraliga Championship, recording a Playoffs Most Points nod for the 20 he got with HKM Zvolen to a new league contract with rivals HC Kosice for 2021/2022.
He averaged 10+ goals and 15+ assists through 150 NCAA Division 1 Atlantic Hockey games with Clarkson University Golden Knights and was a point-per-game guy in three years of the CCHL.
The 5’10” 185 lbs. forward was also scored big in the ECHL with 134 points through 128 games with a +35 rating.
He’s easily as prolific where he currently is and there’s little doubt the 30-year old will not be for his new club.
Undrafted 3rd year defenseman Eric Israel(6) decides to go exploring after two seasons in uniform for Rapid City Rush.
He played 90 ECHL games, grabbing 2 goals and 24 assists.
The former Robert Morris University d-man was mostly good for a decent amount of points, averaging 5 goals and 16 assists with a +7 rating through 4 years.
He had more than similar success in two years of Canadian juniors with Brockville Braves of the CCHL, where he twice popped 3o assists and came close to 10 goals a frame.
The 26-year old leaves for Sweden’s tier 3 HockeyEttan, joining Kalmar HC for 2021/2022 and we think it will be an exciting signing.
RPI Engineers‘ graduate student, portal transfer from 4 years at Dartmouth College, left wing Shane Sellar(26) missed a pair of seasons, last year after arriving at upper state NY due to COVID restrictions, but is doing ok in his return with 4 goals and 2 assists in 21 NCAA Division 1 games.
The big 6’3″ 201 lbs. forward may not get a lot of points, but he’s very decently accountable on ice.
After finishing up three years at Canterbury School with outstanding numbers, he spent only one season split between the USHL and NAHL before heading to school.
He’s still only 24-years old and it will be very interesting to watch what happens with the Carlisle, PA native after the current session plays out.
In his rookie season with Reading Royals, he basically went a little crazy with 18 goals and 21 assists in 70 ECHL games.
For his efforts, he gets to continue playing pro hockey in his home state for 2023/2024.
After 5 years of pro hockey, including the last three overseas, defenseman Paul Geiger(33) decides to head off into the sunset on a career that concludes with a season in Austria’s IceHL for Fehervar AV19.
He finishes with decent enough scoring but we’re mostly looking at his +20 rating of accountability through his time across the way.
The very sizable 6’3″ 210 lbs. blue liner completed 4 years at Clarkson University Golden Knights, serving as team captain for his last two.
He was signed to a pair of AHL deals, including 9 games for Albany Devils, as school was wrapping up.
The Canadian native played almost equal time in the lower league, ECHL and really took scoring onto a new level for himself with South Carolina Stingrays, where he struck for 12 goals and 23 assists.
Undrafted 5th year defenseman Rob Hamilton(42) trades in almost three seasons for Stockton Heat to a new two-year deal with Colorado Eagles.
He hasn’t always been the biggest scorer, but has definitely shown flashes.
The solid 6′ 185 lbs. blue liner had 4 goals and 14 assists just a season ago, and previously put up career highs 7 tallies and 22 helpers in his first year in California.
He was signed up from starting his 2nd campaign in the ECHL, wracking up some points.
The solid and steady d-man maybe has it in him again to effectively hit the score sheet, but his AHL +19 has the best accountability to bring him aboard.
At 27-years old, the former four year University Of Vermont Catamounts‘ graduate did put up 10 goals and 11 assists as a senior.
The Calgary, AB native is definitely a very well-rounded player, who definitely may catch the sight of the parent Avalanche.
