Category: Minor League Deal

03Aug

Matt Cairns (22)

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Undrafted rookie defenseman Matt Cairns(22) signs a one-year AHL contract with Rochester Americans for 2021/2022 after completing his senior year at University Of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs.

The big 6’3″ 213 lbs. blue liner skated three seasons at Cornell University Big Red, but we think saw the writing on the wall of a suspended 2020/2021, so entered the transfer portal to continue playing college hockey.

He won an OJHL Championship in his 2nd year of juniors in the league with Georgetown Raiders, scoring all bests 9 goals and 24 assists for 33 points, then added another 3 goals and 16 assists in 21 playoff games to the title.

The Mississauga, ON native would next try his hand at American junior hockey, signing on with Fargo Force, but leaving after 17 USHL games to join Powell River Kings and would keep scoring 2 goals and 14 assists in 18 BCHL games.

We’re not sure how much the 23-year old will be able to connect with points in his new top notch pro league, but do think he’ll be able to shut down offense as necessary.

He was mostly reassigned down to Cincinnati Cyclones for his 1st season, scoring 2 goals and 14 assists with a +21 rating.

For 2022/2023, he re-signs to stay in Ohio and should have another good ECHL year.

1 goal and 5 assists in 45 games with a +17 rating, then 11 playoff match ups, and he is invited to return again for 2023/2024.

Splitting his time between affiliates, his league rights get traded to Maine Mariners, but things get confusing and before you can blink he is going to Indy Fuel for some future rights considerations, so was wanted in the midwest.

He actually sticks through 49 games, 3 goals and 13 assists with a +13 rating, so does pretty well for himself, but is heading to the IceHL, signing for 2024/2025 with Asiago.

We think he does really well in this top Austria league.

He scores pretty decently, but is off on the +/-, so figures he will do better in Sweden’s tier 2 HockeyAllsvenskan and signs with IF Bjorkloven.

After 27 games with only 1 goal, but a +14 rating, he decides to leave for HC Bolzano.

He picks up 5 assists there, but continues to move on and signs with Esbjerg Engergy of Metal Ligaen for 2026/2027.

03Aug

Cole Tymkin (91)

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Rookie right wing Cole Tymkin(91) was doing nicely with 4 goals and 5 assists in 38 games with a +3 rating, but found himself traded late to Rapid City Rush.

In 11 ECHL games with his new club, he has 1 goal.

The 6’1″ 201 lbs. forward did 5 years at Brock University Badgers upon completion of his junior career.

From Rainy River, ON, the 27-year old will need a new deal for 2026/2027.

It’s no big guess, he gets signed by the Rush to continue in 2026/2027.

02Aug

Matt Marcinew (8)

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5th year right wing Matt Marcinew(8) makes a decision he maybe should have made earlier in his career, heads off to Europe after a career year, scoring 23 goals and 25 assists in 57 ECHL games for Indy Fuel.

The 5’10” 190 lbs. forward signs with HPK of Liiga for 2021/2022.

While the former 4-year University Of Denver assistant captain as a senior consistently been a great scorer at the lower level (59-82-141 in 184 games with a +15 rating), but almost oddly has been given much opportunity in the AHL with only 1/2 season on the books.

Finland’s top hockey will be very competitive for the 27-year old that could excel his game and start a great career away from home in Calgary, AB.

He finds limited success in Finnish hockey, so decides to sign with Sodertalje SK, scoring 7 goals and 8 assists in 35 Allsvenskan games.

For 2022/2023, he returns to sign a 2-way deal with the brand new Calgary Wranglers.

After spending all of last season running up the scoresheet for Rapid City Rush to the tune of a career high 30 goals and 38 assists for 68 points in 64 ECHL games.

For 2023/2024, he signs with Allen Americans, where those scoring talents are once again very likely to flourish.

He scores 8 goals and 13 assists in 18 games to start the new session and might be looking for another step, so signs for the rest of the year with Krefeld Pinguine of DEL2.

In a full frame, he is essentially a point-per-game performer, but decides to look for another league to conquer and signs in the EIHL with Nottingham Panthers for 2025/2026.

Not surprising, he is a point-per-game player for his new club and decides to return to Germany, but signs with rivals EC Bad Nauheim for 2026/2027.

02Aug

Mason Klee (24)

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RPI Engineers‘ senior defenseman Mason Klee(24) will extend his college career for a graduate season at Ohio State University Buckeyes in 2023/2024.

He had a modest new college best 6 assists and 7 points last season, but it’s his 6’2″ 192 lbs. size that brings accountability into the zone.

2 years of USHL juniors did see him raise the 2019 Clark Cup Championship with Sioux Falls Stampede.

He takes 1 goal and 4 assists in a college best 38 games to a 1st ECHL contract with Worcester Railers and in 5 games has 1 assist and is a +1 rating to get himself loaned up to old “affiliate” pal San Jose Barracuda, where he has no points in 4 AHL games, as they fight for a playoff berth.

In 5 games in the upper league, he ultimately comes away with 1 goal and for 2024/2025, he re-signs for his rookie season with the Railers.

He left for 2025/2026, joining Odense Bulldogs and had 7 goals and 16 assists with a +2 rating in 48 games.

For 2026/2027, he signs with Belfast Giants, which should turn out pretty great.

01Aug

Logan Drevitch (22)

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Savannah Ghost Pirates‘ 2nd year left wing Logan Drevitch(22) will take a rookie 13 goals and 24 assists in 69 ECHL games and look to increase those numbers in a return engagement for 2023/2024.

The 5’9″ 170 lbs. forward started juniors with 2 USHL sessions, but wasn’t fully connecting.

He returned for a final season with Boston Jr. Bandits, the team he committed to Merrimack College Warriors, as a youth skater and detonated USPHL/NCDC scoring with 21 goals and 34 assists in 42 games before heading to school.

From Middleboro, MA, the 25-year old has to be liking the way things are developing and his brother joins him on this team this season.

He does manage to increase those numbers to 19 goals and 33 points for another return visit to the Ghost Pirates for 2024/2025.

As team captain, he once again explodes scoring with a new best 40 assists and tied last year’s 52 point mark, so he will be an easy return for a 4th year in Savannah.

For 2025/2026, he once again acts as captain for his squad and still scores pretty well, but after 64 games, decides at age 28 to retire.

We do believe he has eyed another idea.

31Jul

Matt Quercia (22)

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Wheeling Nailers‘ rookie left wing Matt Quercia(22) arrived from almost finishing up college hockey as a senior at Michigan Tech University Huskies.

The 6’3″ 203 lbs. forward left after playing 14 NCAA Division 1 games, scoring 2 goals and 2 assists.

He was a portal transfer from three seasons at Boston University Terriers.

His best campaign was as a sophomore, scoring 6 goals and 7 assists.

The 24-year old, Andover, MA native has skated 4 ECHL games with no points yet, but that seems imminent to happen.

After suffering an injury during training camp that knocked him out of the upcoming frame, he gets a new deal to stay in West Virginia for what will actually be his rookie season and show everyone what they know he can do in this league.

He does just that, coming away with 11 goals and 22 assists in 64 games with +13 rating, then another 6 points including a huge goal in 7 playoff matchups.

Parent club, WBS Penguins also ask him to loan up for 6 AHL games.

It’s the biggest no brainer that he will be back in a Nailers‘ jersey for 2024/2025.

After playing a new best 68 games, scoring new high 20 goals and tied his 33 points of his rookie frame, he re-signs to stay in Wheeling for a 3rd season.

Another good season of scoring, especially 10 points in 17 playoff games and he gains notice of Chicago Wolves, who offer him a 1-year deal for 2026/2027.

31Jul

Lynden Breen (23)

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University Of Maine Black Bears‘ graduate captain center Lynden Breen(23) maybe couldn’t have signed with a better minor league team, than agreeing to an ECHL contract through the remainder of the season with South Carolina Stingrays.

Through 5 regular season games, he scored 2 goals and 2 assists with a +4 rating and in the playoffs has 2 helpers through 5 games.

The 5’9″ 172 lbs. forward knows how to find his openings to score.

From Grand Bay-Westfield, NB, the 23-year old is on a good pro path to start.

He spent his rookie run, signed for the 2025/2026 season, scoring 4 goals and 21 assists in 59 games.

For 2026/2027, he decides to sign with the new into the league, New Mexico Goatheads.

31Jul

Owen Cole (49)

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UMass-Lowell Riverhawks‘ senior captain, center Owen Cole(49) had a college best 12 assists and 20 points last season in 36 games with a +1 rating.

He signed with Kansas City Mavericks upon completion of tournament play and in 8 ECHL games had 2 assists.

The 5’10” 172 lbs. forward from Dunnville, ON did 3 years of juniors up north before heading to school.

For his rookie season, 2025/2026, the 25-year old will need a new contract.

He actually signs with Cincinnati Cyclones, but after 19 games with 1 goal scored his luck is with him, as he gets traded to the 1st place Wheeling Nailers.

30Jul

Ryan Orgel (29)

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Adirondack Thunder 2nd year ECHL defenseman Ryan Orgel(29) scores a loan up to Syracuse Crunch.

In 1 AHL game, he has no stats to report.

The 6′ 190 lbs. blue liner has a career best 5 goals this season, but his 10 assists after moving up from the SPHL Pensacola Ice Flyers stands for now.

He did 2 years of little use at University of Denver Pioneers, only to transfer to University Of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Pointers where his best showing was the ill-fated 2020/2021, where he scored 5 goals and 4 assists in 10 games.

The 27-year old from Los Angeles, CA seems to be pulling his game together at the perfect time.

He actually left his 2nd NAHL season to head to college.

In 40 games, he scores a new best 5 goals and will take that to a contract with the new to the league, Tahoe Knight Monsters for 2024/2025.

He records 2 assists in 9 games with a +3 rating, but gets himself dished to Indy Fuel.

In 16 games, he has 1 goal and 2 assists with a +1 rating, but gets himself dealt again, this time to Fort Wayne Komets.

For 2025/2026, he decides to head down to sign with Knoxville Ice Bears and we are not sure if his age will cause him to not get loaned up, as quickly for good play.

He does go up to the Thunder and in 11 ECHL games scoring 4 assists, he is traded to South Carolina Stingrays for cash considerations and should incorporate into their lineup well.

Continuing to bounce, he ends up with Maine Mariners, where he does his best, but is waived again to join his 4th team of the season, Reading Royals, as playoff time rolls in.

He would bounce around 4 teams and that easily made him decide to head of to Ligue Magnus for 2026/2027 and he signs with Les Jokers Cergy-Pointoise.

30Jul

Sullivan Mack (13)

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Cornell University Big Red senior center Sullivan Mack(13) scored a college best 9 goals and 15 assists in 32 games with a +13 rating.

The 6’1″ 190 lbs. forward did a very short run in juniors after blowing up scoring in USHS-Prep.

He signed with Hartford Wolf Pack upon finishing up tournament play, figuring into only 1 AHL game, but re-signs for his rookie season, 2025/2026.

For most of his rookie season, he is reassigned to affiliate Bloomington Bison, where he scored 17 goals and 21 assists with a +27 rating in 52 ECHL games played.

He gets noticed by Manitoba Moose and signed to a 1-year deal, 2026/2027.