Utah Grizzles‘ 2nd year right wing Dakota Raabe(22) re-ups after a successful rookie run, scoring 11 goals and 25 assists in 55 ECHL games last season.
He was never really a scorer through school with a sophomore best of 5 goals and 9 assists at University Of Michigan Wolverines and didn’t even do as well in a graduate season at Sacred Heart University Pioneers.
Upon finishing up though, has found the net in his 1st run where he is, connecting for 3 goals and 4 assists in 10 games with a +6 rating, then adding 6 points in 14 playoff matchups.
The 5’9″ 170 lbs. speedy forward from Capistrano Beach, CA has to be on a short list of guys that need a look at a higher level.
He actually gets moved to Iowa Heartlanders to hopefully energize their scoring and could find new energy with a different club.
In 12 games, he grabs 4 goals and 4 assists to earn himself an invite to return in a Heartlanders‘ jersey for 2024/2025.
After a very decent full frame, in 44 games scoring 9 goals and 15 assists, he next decides to head off to Ligue Magnus, signing with Rapaces de Gap for 2025/2026.
Undrafted 5th year defenseman Matt Petgrave(22) takes 200 ECHL games of experience to a new venture for 2021/2022 with HK Spisska Nova Ves of Tipos Extraliga.
The solid 6’1″ 201 lbs. blue liner posted 32 and 26 assists for Brampton Beast, and has definitely shown he can be a big assist guy, like he was dishing 40 helpers in his overage OHL year for Oshawa Generals.
Without a pro team holding his playing rights, he next decided to head to school at University Of New Brunswick Reds, where he won back-to-back CIS, then USports Championships.
The 29-year old will likely take to pro hockey in Slovakia well and could put up new career high stats.
He would put up 9 goals and 20 assists in 34 games with a +11, but decided to leave near the end of the season for the Czech League, signing with HC Dynamo Pardubice.
For 2022/2023, he heads to the EIHL, where he is sure to become a hugely popular player and run the scoresheet with Sheffield Steelers.
9 goals and 39 assists in 54 games with a +41 rating, means he will don the Steelers‘ jersey for a 2nd straight season.
He would only manage 7 games due to injury and then decided to sit 2024/2025 out, but is back for 2025/2026 and signs a 1-year deal with Indy Fuel that should work well.
Norfolk Admirals‘ 2nd year Russian-born left wing Denis Smirnov(8) is looking to up his totals from his 1st year with the team, when he scored 9 goals and 12 assists in 39 ECHL games.
The 5’9″ 185 lbs. forward already has 7 goals and 9 assists, so things are looking quite positive.
He came over pretty quickly to play youth hockey, displaying amazing numbers to get drafted into juniors and wins the USHL Clark Cup Championship in his 1st of 3 years in the league.
Penn State University Nittany Lions‘ 4-year scorer took a couple of years after college hockey through COVID to establish his game as a pro.
He is an exciting player to watch.
In 51 games, he scores 14 goals and 32 asssists with a +3 rating to earn an easy invite back in an Admirals‘ jersey for 2024/2025.
He’s a high scoring free agent heading into 2025/2026 and a powerhouse team, Toledo Walleye step in to offer him a 1-year deal.
University Of Vermont Catamounts‘ Russian-born, senior right wing Timofei Spitserov(18) signs an ato with Norfolk Admirals to get his pro game on.
He played 33 games last season, scoring a new best 12 goals and 18 points.
The 6′ 176 lbs. forward played only 2 games of USHL juniors before heading to college right after blowing up scoring at USHS-Prep.
He played 2 ECHL games and will need a new contract for 2025/2026.
It’s getting close to the start of the new season and I think most folks knew, he would be returning for his rookie frame as an Admirals.
Undrafted, center Justin Young(21) finished up a 2nd, graduate year with American International College Yellowjackets, scoring a college career high 12 goals and 19 assists for 31 points with a +18 rating in 36 NCAA Division 1 games and took it to a 1st pro contract with Allen Americans.
In 7 ECHL games, the 6′ 183 lbs. forward has an assist with a +2 rating.
He has yet to appear in a Kelly Cup Playoff game.
The Leduc, AB native played 3 seasons in the local AJHL, scoring very decent numbers.
At 24-years old, we’re sure the one-time University Of Alaska-Fairbanks Nanooks pivot can turn his start into a full year’s contract, if he wants one.
He would actually skate in 5 playoff games, grabbing an assist and was a +1 rating.
For his efforts on an ato, he is given a 1-year contract to stay in Texas.
In 2023/2024, he decides to change sweaters and signs a 1-year deal with Norfolk Admirals, which he’ll have to work harder for, almost certainly.
He would take off for Germany3, signing with Herner EV 2007 and do fairly well in 14 games scoring, but for 2024/2025 wants to come back, so re-signs with the Admirals.
After scoring 12 goals and 16 assists in 54 games with a +11 rating, he is invited back for a 2nd season as an Admirals in 2025/2026.
University Of New Hampshire Wildcats‘ graduate defenseman Luke Reid(16) signs a 1st pro deal with Adirondack Thunder and in 6 ECHL games had 1 goal and 1 assist with a +3 rating to get him loaned up to affiliate Utica Comets for 5 AHL games, where he got himself 2 assists and a +1 rating.
The 6’1″ 200 lbs. blue liner from Warman, SK did 1 BCHL year before recording identical points in 2 USHL seasons for Chicago Steel before college.
He is 23-years old and was a Nashville Predators‘ 6th round pick in 2020 (#166 overall), but not sign and will need a new rookie deal for 2025/2026, we think will be at the upper level, 2-way.
After his 2 game loan up, he gets to claim a 1-year deal to return to the Comets for 2025/2026, his rookie frame.
New York Islanders‘ 1st round pick in the 2018 draft (#11 overall), 5th year right wing Oliver Wahlstrom(26) signs a conservative 1-year 1-way deal to stick for 2023/2024, as a restricted free agent.
The fairly stocky 6’2″ 205 lbs. forward has twice scored 10+ goals.
He only spent 1 year at Boston College Eagles after exploding his 2nd frame with USNTDP.
The 23-year old from Portland, ME definitely needs to step up his game.
He re-signs to spend a 6th year in the Isles‘ system, 2024/2025.
In 27 games, he has 2 goals and 2 assists and is put on waivers, knowing he will get picked up and skate for another team for the 1st time in his pro career.
A somewhat struggling Boston Bruins reaches out to welcome him back to where he attend on year of post-school.
He’s not a big scorer with 1 goal and 1 assist in 16 games and is basically a point-per-game guy in the AHL, which gains him a new minor league deal for 2025/2026 with San Jose Barracuda.
Niagara University Purple Eagles‘ senior left wing Shane Ott(27) ran up a college high 25 goals and 34 points.
The 6’1″ 181 lbs. forward did 3 years of junior hockey with his last in the NAHL.
From Centennial, CO, the 25-year old signed with Bloomington Bison and scored 12 assists in 14 ECHL games, but needs a new contract to return.
It’s an absolute no-brainer for him to return for his rookie slate in a Bison jersey.
American International College Yellowjackets‘ graduate center, assistant captain Chris Dodero(26) heads off for his 1st pro contract in IceHL with HK Olympija Ljubljana for 2022/2023.
The 5’9″ 175 lbs. forward scored his college best last season, getting 13 goals and 16 assists in 36 NCAA Division 1 games.
He spent 5 campaigns in junior hockey, initially in the USHL, but switching to the BCHL for a year, then NAHL for the session before heading to school.
The 26-year old, West Chicago, IL native will definitely do well in Austria’s top league.
After a decent frame, scoring 10 goals and 20 assist in 39 games, he signs for 2023/2024 with a rival, Grazz99ers.
He maybe couldn’t get it started with 2 assists in 8 games and a woeful -8 rating, so pulls up the stakes and signs for the remainder of 2023/2024 with Starbulls Rosenheim of DEL2 for a new German start.
After some good seasons to start pro hockey away, he decides to return “home” and signs with Tahoe Knight Monsters for 2024/2025.
He gains 3 goals and 3 assists in 15 games, but gets dished to the struggling Cincinnati Cyclones, who need some scoring.
With an ECHL high 6 goals and 12 assists through 39 games with a +1 rating, he is once again dealt, this time heading to Idaho Steelheads for 2025/2026.
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.
Through 62 games, he had 12 goals and 8 assists, but Jacksonville Icemen see more of a use for him, so trade to get him.
