9th year, veteran defenseman Seth Helgeson(2) recently appeared in his 500th AHL game with 5th year club, Bridgeport Islanders.
The 6’4″ 216 lbs. blue liner was originally a New Jersey Devils‘ 4th round pick in the 2009 draft (#114 overall) and played in their system for his first 4 seasons.
He skated his only games in the big league with the team and even got a 1st NHL goal in his 44th appearance, where he also had 3 assists and almost oddly a +1 rating.
The former 4-year University Of Minnesota Golden Gophers‘ d-man has never been a big point scorer, but does have 2 goals in the current frame.
If he adds another one, he will have a career high 3.
He’s 3 times had 10+ assists in the league and twice close.
The 31-year old has done well for himself and it’s a bit of wonder if he doesn’t go exploring for his next contract, just for some different kind of fun in the game.
For 2022/2023, he re-signs to stay in Connecticut another season.
He will return to captain the little Islanders for a 7th straight run.
It took him a minute, but he will return on a pro for a 8th season in a little Islanders‘ jersey, but you got to figure, unless he decides not to, he will sign.
UMASS-Lowell Riverhawks‘ Swedish-born, graduate center Filip Fornaa Svensson(14) skated only 3 games with his 1st team, Fort Wayne Komets grabbing an assist, but is wanted for his 6’4″ 216 lbs. frame in Norfolk Admirals to continue.
He transferred to his new school as a senior, coming over from University Of Alaska-Fairbanks Nanooks, where he scored his college best as a junior with 9 goals and 16 assists.
All of his junior hockey was played back home before coming over strictly for school and now for his pro game.
RPI Engineers‘ senior left wing Ryan Mahshie(25) is coming off a college career best 15 goals and 22 points to enter the transfer portal for a graduate season that he will spend with University Of Connecticut Huskies and put himself in the middle of Hockey East battle.
The 6’3″ 215 lbs. forward won the 2019 AJHL Championship in his 2nd junior season for Brooks Bandits.
Undrafted, the 24-year from Stony Creek, ON is already a welcome scoring addition to his new team.
After 21 games with only 2 goals and 3 assists, it’s maybe not moving as he had envisioned, so he leaves school to turn pro and signs for the remainder of 2024 with Orlando Solar Bears, where the big pivot will likely step right in to help the team win.
He gets 1 goal in 12 games and they offer him an ECHL contract for his rookie season, 2024/2025.
In 8 games, he scores no points and gets himself traded to Allen Americans, who are looking to put his size to their advantage.
Defenseman Matt Irwin(52) will skate his 14th season for Vancouver Canucks.
He is signed to a 2-way deal, so potentially could be sent to play for affiliate Abbotsford Canucks, which could be ok at this point in his career.
In the last 7 years, he has skated 4 AHL games with the rest in the NHL.
The 35-year old has skated a handy 461 games in the big league, so this season could reach a milestone.
At the very least, for the 1st time, the former 2-year UMass Minutemen d-man, is skating closer to his Victoria, BC home this upcoming frame.
After a full season in the minors, doing very well with the farm club, he has yet to announce a new move in addition to his retirement from playing.
He had quite the successful run and was in the dressing room, when I got married at center ice of a Worcester Sharks‘ 2011 game.
Merrimack College Warriors‘ graduate center Ryan Leibold(16) signs a 1st pro deal with South Carolina Stingrays.
He transferred from 4 solid seasons at Holy Cross College Crusaders, where he had a college career high as a senior, 10 goals and 16 assists in 35 games with a +3 rating in Atlantic Hockey play.
The looks smaller 5’10” 194 lbs. forward is a spark plug on the ice and despite maybe not always getting points is right in the play at all times.
From Ashburn, VA, the 24-year old with 5 years of extra school under his belt should be able to assimilate himself nicely into the pro ranks.
He even got himself a pair of assists in a crushing 11-0 win against another top ranked ECHL team.
In 9 games, he scores a 1st league goal and adds 3 assists to earn himself a full look for his rookie season 2023/2024.
After a successful 1st pro frame, scoring 14 goals and 16 assists in 65 games with a +1 rating, he re-signs to stay with the Stingrays for 2024/2025.
He plays 5 games into his 2nd season scoring 2 assists and gets traded to Reading Royals, where he has 1 helper in 2 games.
3rd year right wing Nicolas Guay(91) returns rather quickly for a little overseas pro hockey experiment in Slovak Extraliga with HC Nove Zamky to sign with the team he has spent 108 ECHL games with Trois Rivieries Lions for the now remainder of 2024/2025.
He was a pretty big scorer as a rookie with 12 goals and 35 assists in a full load of 72 games.
The 6′ 185 lbs. forward did most of 5 years in the QMJHL before heading to 2 seasons at University Of New Brunswick Reds, scoring big in his 2nd frame.
From Chataeuguay, QC, the 25-year old must have missed his hockey closer to home.
Chicago Blackhawks‘ 3rd round pick in the 2018 draft (#69 overall) senior, center Jake Wise(28) maybe somewhat surprisingly decides to branch out from 3 years at Boston University Terriers, and finish school at Ohio State University Buckeyes.
The 5’11” 190 lbs. often injured forward was selected after a strong second showing for US National U18 Team USDP, but quickly succumbed to the sidelines 12 games into his freshman year.
He was able to play all 33 Hockey East games as a sophomore, scoring 2 goals and 11 assists, although unfortunately mostly out of the lineup in the COVID stop and go 2020/2021.
He did get a goal and an assist in just 5 games.
The 21-year old, Reading, MA native has definitely shown he can score big goals, and will hope to stay healthy for a full schedule at his new school.
He finishes up his 2nd season in the midwest with a college career best 12 goals and 27 assists and signs with the playoff bound Charlotte Checkers on a pto.
In 1 AHL game, he grabs 2 assists, then in a playoff match off, scores a 1st goal.
For 2023/2024, he gets signed to a minor league deal and returns to North Carolina, but we expect him to get some looks.
After 38 games, he gets traded to Chicago Wolves in a minor league move at the trade deadline.
For 2024/2025, he signs with Colorado Eagles, on a pto and picks up a 1-year deal after potting 2 goals and 3 assists in 6 games.
5th year right wing Jake Smith(24) doesn’t seem to be bothered finding the net, regardless of the ECHL team he may be paired with at the moment.
The 5’10” 170 lbs. took a bit of a weird path, starting with 2 QMJHL seasons, then switching to the OHL and heading to a year at Carlton University Ravens before turning pro.
He started as a rookie in the SPHL, but would eventually split for a short run in Germany3 with Starbulls Rosenheim, a team he oddly played a year of youth hockey with, considering his birth place is Pickering, ON.
Returning, he skated the COVID-busted season in the league and would do well enough to score a look in the higher league.
He started with Kansas City Mavericks, but failed to connect and took up with Iowa Heartlanders and the scoring wasn’t immediate, but eventually pulled in for 25 goals and 25 assists in 52 games.
There’s little doubt he can score in the league, but could definitely use more on ice accountability.
The 26-year old seems to have found a good spot with Reading Royals, good for 7 goals and 5 assists in 19 games, but a lowly -12.
It takes a little while, but he signs a 1-year deal to stay in a Royals’ jersey for 2024/2025.
Merrimack College Warriors‘ Swedish-born senior center Filip Forsmark(19) signs a 1st ato deal with Allen Americans.
The 5’11” 176 lbs. forward 3 times had 10+ assists and once 10+ goals in college.
We think he finds more room to score in the ECHL.
The 25-year old did 2 USHL years of juniors with Tri City Storm and was drafted after the 1st campaign, but ended up posted 38 assists with a +37 rating a year later.
He plays only 2 games to finish out last season and for 2024/2025 and signs with Atlanta Gladiators to get his pro career started.
After 4 game, he isn’t finding his footing and gets waived to sign a new pro contract to start his pro game in Sweden’s tier 3 Hockeyettan, signing with IF Troja Ljungby.
Norfolk Admirals‘ 3rd year defenseman Lordanthony Grissom(27) won the 2022 SPHL Championship with Peoria Rivermen after completing 4 years, twice as captain at Aurora University Spartans.
He actually scored points in that league, raising his profile to score ECHL contracts moving forward.
The very large 6’4″ 229 lbs. blue liner had a league career best 3 goals and 7 assists last season for Greenville Swamp Rabbits.
From Detroit, MI, the 28-year old has 1 assist in 3 games in the current frame and could find his way to scoring more points when out there.
