Category: Minor League Deal

Trois-Rivieres Lions‘ 2nd year defenseman Wyatt McLeod(2) had 22 assists and 23 points last season, a new high for all of his playing career.

In 23 ECHL games in 2025/2026, he has 1 goal and 6 assists with a +10 rating.

The 6’3″ 204 lbs. blue liner did 5 years of WHL, but left his final season to join Utah Grizzlies.

Through 15 games, he had 2 goals and 2 assists.

He next decided to head to University Of Alberta Golden Bears for 3 campaigns before the 25-year old turned pro again.

In 40 games, he has 2 goals and 9 assists with a +6 rating, but decides to head for a bit of a trickier hockey to play and heads for Tipos Extraliga, signing with HK Poprad for the rest of 2025/2026.

Undrafted, 2nd year left wing Blake Christensen(27) takes a weirdo COVID run rookie season with Bakersfield Condors, but only appearing in a limited 10 AHL games, getting a pair of tallies, including a game-winner.

The small 5’9″ 174 lbs. forward signs a new deal to play in the exact rink he spent his college days at, the Mass Mutual Center, inking for 2021/2022 with Springfield Thunderbirds.

He had four solid years, graduating with 48 goals, 71 assists, 119 points, while skating for an outstanding America International College Yellowjackets team in 142 Atlantic Hockey games.

The Coral Springs, FL native spent two seemingly uninspired campaigns in the USHL before leaving to the BCHL to finish up before school and produced pretty well with Wenatchee Wild.

He was also given a nice chance to play a little hockey in Fjordkraftligaen for Manglerud, connecting for a nice 4 goals and 5 assists.

We think the 25-year old is still getting his wheels on the cart.

After scoring 18 goals and 10 assists on loan to Worcester Railers, he signs a 1-year ECHL deal for 2022/2023 to stick around and pot more tallies.

He records a career best 15 assists in his 2nd frame through 35 games, but gets an offer to join HC Thurgau for their SL playoff run and jumps at the opportunity.

In 4 contests, he has a goal and 2 assists with a +2 rating, but could have suffered an injury.

For 2023/2024, he decides to return to the Railers and hopes to build on what he established with them early.

He maybe doesn’t quite score as much as he did in his rookie campaign, but has a new high assists with 15.

New league club Tahoe Knight Monsters see the upside in his game and sign him for 2024/2025.

He is actually traded to Kalamazoo Wings, where he continues scoring, but in his 2nd run with the team isn’t going quite as well and he is waived only to be picked up quick by Rapid City Rush to see if they can find those points in his game again.

Quinnipiac University Bobcats‘ graduate defenseman Griffin Mendel(77) had his best college scoring season with his new school, almost equaling 4 years of totals he had at his initial one, University Of Denver Pioneers.

He takes his game to the pro level upon finishing up a 5th year of school and signs with Chicago Wolves for the rest of the AHL 2021/2022.

The towering 6’6″ 220 lbs. blue liner played a couple years of junior hockey, sort of close to home in Kelowna, BC for Penticton Vees and skated an equal 52 games, en route to a 2017 BCHL Championship in his 2nd session.

We think it’s his NCAA Division 1 +53 rating that gets the 23-year old the most notice.

In 10 games, he gets 2 assists with a +5 rating and then gets into 1 playoff contest, but leaves a +2.

The Kelowna, BC native is staying put for what will be his rookie season, 2022/2023

With 9 goals and 10 assists in his 1st frame, the big d-man earns himself a handsome 1-year NHL entry level deal from parent club Carolina Hurricanes.

He wasn’t really scoring, until he was reassigned down to Norfolk Admirals, where he finally struck for 3 goals and 3 assists in 8 games with a +3 rating

For 2024/2025, he takes his game to Czech Extraliga and signs with Rytiri Kladno.

In 52 games, he gets 1 goal and 5 assists with a -1 rating to get himself a new deal for 2025/2026.

He continues to do well and is offered a 1-year extension to continue with Kladno.

Salve Regina University Seahawks‘ senior left wing Damon Zimmer(17) scored 6 goals in 3 of his 4 college seasons and also recorded 11 assists in his 1st two frames.

The 6’2″ 196 lbs. forward started junior hockey in the AJHL, but moved down to the NAHL before heading to school.

He started the SPHL with Peoria Rivermen, but transferred to Birmingham Bulls, where he has skated 25 games for 3 assists.

From Heisler, AB, the 25-year old should hit the net for more points, as he goes.

After 28 games, he is released and quickly picked up by Knoxville Ice Bears for the rest of 2025/2026.

Rookie center Tanner Andrew(28) was a senior graduate, captain at RIT Tigers and signed with Norfolk Admirals after tournament play.

The 5’9″ 170 lbs. forward played 2 ECHL games in the 2025/2026, but was maybe released and quickly signed to a league contract by Wheeling Nailers.

He has 3 goals and 5 assists in 26 games with a +3 rating.

In college, he had 10 goals as a sophomore and in his junior year, scored 15 assists.

From Virden, MB, we look for the 25-year old to continue doing well with a good team.

Maine Mariners welcome back 3rd year right wing Lewis Zerter-Gossage(37) for 2021/2022.

He would have likely returned last season, if the team had not elected to take the COVID busted 2020/2021 campaign off, but instead decided to play elsewhere, signing with Blue Devils Weiden of Germany3.

The 6’2″ 195 lbs. forward skated 13 ECHL games on reassignment by contract club Hartford Wolf Pack as an AHL rookie.

He also appeared in 8 games with Reading Royals after a trade sent his rights over.

The former Harvard University Crimson senior captain was a three-time 20+ point getter in college hockey and heading into a new year that’s hopefully completely straightforward will put up new career highs.

After 17 games, scoring 7 goals and 7 assists, he re-signs to stay in Maine for 2022/2023.

He also scored an 8 game loan up to Tuscon Roadrunners, where he picked up a couple of assists.

For 2022/2023, he heads to DEL and signs with Eisbaren Berlin, but late in the season is loaned down to Lausitzer Fuchse, where he does better in DEL2.

He would jump around in the league and back, but for 2025/2026 agreed to terms with Starbulls Rosenheim, where he looks to be scoring and settling to earn a 3-year extension through 2028/2029.

2nd year Fayettesville Marksmen defenseman Alex Wilkins(5) is traded to Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs after maybe not scoring quite as well as he did as a rookie.

The 5’10” 181 lbs. blue liner had 18 assists last season.

In 2 SPHL games with his new team, he has an assist.

He did 4 years at SUNY Geneseo Knights, where he twice got 15+ assists.

From Kennett Square, PA, the 27-year has a restart.

Undrafted 4th year defenseman Tariq Hammond(25) re-ups for a 3rd season with South Carolina Stingrays.

The former University Of Denver Pioneers‘ senior captain skated a season in the AHL with Binghamton Devils and signed with them on an ato upon graduation.

He may have only had limited scoring through college, but a solid +28 rating.

The 6’2″ 194 lbs. d-man already has a +38 through 101 games heading into 2021/2022.

He would come away from last season with a career best 15 assists and 18 points and was loaned up on a couple of occasions.

The 28-year old from Calgary, AB is going exploring and signs for 2022/2023 with HK Dukla Michalovce of Slovak Extraliga.

He has himself a very full and seemingly fairly decent run in Slovakia, scoring 2 goals and 9 assists in 50 games, then adding another 6 in 15 playoff matchups and will take it to DEL2 and suit up for Eisbären Regensburg. in 2023/2024.

After a best scoring season with new high 17 assists and a 2024 Championship, he signs with rivals Dresdner Eislowen and has another good frame and wins a 2nd straight 2025 Championship.

He takes this to a contract with the same team in the higher DEL, but leaves 44 games in to join Dusseldorfer EG for the rest of the 2025/2026 run.