Category: Minor League Deal

Sacred Heart University Pioneers‘ senior captain, defenseman Hunter Sansbury(8) played a college best 39 games last season, scoring a new best 15 assists and 21 points with a +12 rating.

The 5’11” 194 lbs. blue liner had 4 seasons with 10+ assists.

From Lomita, CA, he did 2 BCHL years before school.

The 25-year old signed a 1st pro deal after Atlantic Hockey tournament play was over with Florida Everblades.

In 9 ECHL games, he had no points and has yet to appear in the playoffs.

He will need a new deal for 2025/2026.

No points through 9 games and no playoff appearances, but he is signed to return for his rookie season, 2025/2026 to be an Everblades again.

He is limited to only 2 games last year, but hopefully can rebound and gets a new contract to stay an Everblades for 2026/2027, but then quickly gets dealt to Wheeling Nailers.

Quinnipiac University Bobcats‘ center Oliver Chau(20) is definitely glad he added another year to his college hockey playing days with the portal transfer from 2021 NCAA Division 1 champs University Of Massachusetts Minutemen.

The plays bigger than 5’9″ 165 lbs. forward has a new best 13 goals and 33 points, with his 20 assists just 2 behind the mark he set last season and has a +19 rating.

Undrafted, the 24-year old Oakville, ON native is definitely setting himself up for some looks with another potential title winner.

Soon after his team was eliminated from tournament competition, he signed on for the remainder of 2021/2022 with Tuscon Roadrunners and in 3 AHL games already has 2 assists.

He finished up his ato with 4 assists in 10 games, which definitely was a nice start to a pro career.

For 2022/2023, he signs a nice 1st deal with last year’s champions, Florida Everblades, which should be a great place to play his rookie frame.

He is able to put together 13 goals and 24 assists with a +32 rating in 42 ECHL games, then 7 goals and 10 assists in 19 playoff match ups en route to a 2nd 2023 Kelly Cup Championship.

It’s an absolute no brainer for him to return for his sophomore frame, 2023/2024.

After another career scoring season, then point-per-game playoffs to be MVP and win a 2nd straight 2024 Kelly Cup, he gets an offer to ascend and sign a 1-year AHL deal with Springfield Thunderbirds for 2024/2025.

He spent his 3rd season in Florida and would be named captain with once again very good scoring.

For 2025/2026, he returns for a 4th season and will likely continue in his role.

After another extraordinary season, hoisting a 3rd Kelly Cup, he decides to retire from the game as an Everblades.

Cornell University Big Red senior right wing Jack O’Leary(9) takes a college career best 8 goals and tying 17 points to a 1st pro contract with Norfolk Admirals.

In 6 regular season ECHL games, he had 1 assist and was a +3 rating.

The 5’7″ 162 lbs. forward has 1 goal and 2 assists in 9 playoff matchups with a +4 rating, so he’s assimilating well.

From Smithtown, NY, the 25-year old did 3 years USHL juniors.

After maybe just a slight hesitation, he re-signs to return for his rookie frame in an Admirals‘ jersey.

He plays a full frame of 72 games and scores 16 goals and 31 assists to become an easy invite to return in an Admirals‘ jersey for 2026/2027.

Trois Rivieres Lions‘ 2nd year defenseman Jacob Paquette(6) had his breakthrough last season with pro bests 17 assists, 21 points and a +36 rating, then another 5 points in the playoffs to a 2025 Kelly Cup Championship.

For 2026/2027, the 6’3″ 210 lbs. blue liner is headed overseas, signing with Dragons de Rouen of Ligue Magnus.

From Ottawa, ON, the 21-year old did 4 years OHL before joining Queens University Gaels.

4th year goaltender Cam Johnson(33) split his playing time between the AHL with Cleveland Monsters and ECHL for Florida Everblades, while under NHL contract for a 2nd season to parent club, Columbus Blue Jackets.

He started most of the season in the lower league, but played most of the latter part with the direct affiliate.

The 6’1″ 205 lbs. net minder was loaned down when the upper team’s year was up, he joined them to backstop their playoff run.

He would finish with a 15-2-1 mark and 1.90 GAA and .933 SV% on the way to being declared MVP of the 2022 Kelly Cup Champions.

The 27-year old from Troy, MI, who also won the 2016 NCAA Division 1 Championship with University Of North Dakota Fighting Hawks, needs a new contract for 2022/2023, but this seems like almost a 2-year lockup.

An unrestricted free agent, he wasn’t retained, but fairly quickly into free agency signs a 1-year deal with Charlotte Checkers, which seems like it will be a perfect fit.

After guiding the Everblades to a 2nd straight Kelly Cup and grabbing MVP honors, he is rewarded with a 1-year deal with parent club Charlotte Checkers for 2023/2024.

An unrestricted free agent, he signs with Springfield Thunderbirds and hopes to become their #1 net minder, returning him specifically to the league for the 1st time in a few seasons.

He is reassigned and plays a crazy 47 games with a league best 1.92 GAA and .921 SV% and a 37-6-4 record to win MVP.

For 2025/2026, he re-signs with the Thunderbirds and we shall see.

He wins another Kelly Cup in 2026 and signs with the new parent club, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins for 2026/2027.

The tower of a skater 6’6″ 231 lbs., undrafted center Jay Dickman(23) takes a pair of good seasons for Wichita Thunder and signs with HC Nove Zamky of Slovakia.

In 2020/2021, he scored an ECHL best 20 goals and 38 assists.

He did 5 years at Bemidji State University Beavers with his best totals as a junior, scoring 15 goals and 8 assists.

The St. Paul, MN native spent 2 years with Austin Bruins, running up point-per-game totals in 114 NAHL games before committing to school.

At 29-years old, he is heading out on a new hockey adventure and should do well.

He actually returned after a short 2 games away and powered in a new best 26 goals and 61 points in 67 games to want to keep him around in Kansas for continued views.

In his 4th overall frame with the team, he posts career bests 29 goals, 40 assists and 69 points to keep on keeping on in Wichita.

Well, he goes on to score a new career high 30 goals and 43 assists in a full tilt of 72 games with a +7 rating and he will return for a 6th season as a Thunder.

After a 3rd complete 72-game schedule, scoring 59 points, he finally decides to take his game for his 8th season to a new team, Tulsa Oilers in 2026/2027.

Rapid City Rush rookie signing, 4 year American International College Yellowjackets‘ left wing Blake Bennett(91) is off to a nice start as a pro, scoring his 1st ECHL goal in his 5th game and adding 3 assists in 6 total sightings.

The small 5’9″ but stocky 195 lbs. forward had a college career best 22 goals and 35 points in 38 games as a senior, his 2nd season with 20+ goals, 10+ assists and 30+ points.

He was a point-per-game player in his only NAHL session for Corpus Christi Ice Rays after playing himself up from a couple of seasons in lower levels and half a one in a Canadian based league before heading to college.

We predict the 24-year old from Grand Island, NY settles in nicely with his new club.

He finishes up from his ato with 1 goal and 4 assists in 15 games with a 0 rating.

This is good enough for the Rush to want to see a full rookie season by him in one of their jerseys.

In a full slate of 72 games, he absolutely blows up scoring with 35 goals and 28 assists, but decides to look elsewhere for his next contract and will head to Metal Ligaen to skate for Odense Bulldogs in 2024/2025.

He skates only 9 games, but scores 6 goals and 3 assists with a +1 rating.

Next, he will head to DEL2 and signs with EV Landshut for 2024/2025.

He does ok with 3 goals and 1 assists in 16 games, but maybe thinks he should be doing better, so eyes a return back to his one team, the Rush for the remainder of the frame.

After scoring a 2nd high numbered frame in the league, worth 50+ points, he signs a 2-way deal with parent club Calgary Wranglers for 2025/2026.

With 22 goals and 29 assists in 56 games, he is scoring and gets a trade to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

He is sent to Wheeling Nailers and scores well, but for 2026/2027, he signs with Greenville Swamp Rabbits.

9th year defenseman Josiah Didier(44) was an unrestricted free agent after signing a 2-year AHL deal with 4 season team Providence Bruins, where he served as team captain in his last two.

For 2023/2024, he steps off on a new route and signs a 1-year deal with Grand Rapids Griffins to help them shore up their back end.

The rather big 6’3″ 223 lbs. blue liner played 4 years at University Of Denver Pioneers, leaving the program with a +20 rating before turning pro with the final frame of Hamilton Bulldogs‘ storied career in Burlington, ON.

The former Montreal Canadiens‘ 4th round pick in the 2011 draft (#97 overall) would start his pro career with 2 years skating for St. John’s Ice Caps before trading that in for 2 campaigns including a 2019 Calder Cup Championship with Charlotte Checkers, which definitely brought him some attention.

From Littleton, CO, the 30-year old has worked hard for every inch he’s earned.

In 61 games, he scores 4 goals and 4 assists with a +6 rating serving as the team captain and will return in a Griffins‘ jersey for 2024/2025.

He scores 2 goals and 6 assists in 58 games with a +10 rating, but is an unrestricted free agent, so signs with Laval Rocket for 2025/2026.

In 6 games, he already has 2 assists with a +2 rating.

He scores 5 assists in 43 games last season with a +4  that he will take to a new hockey in the SHL, signing for 2026/2027 with IF Bjorkloven.

Northeastern University Huskies‘ senior right wing, assistant captain Riley Hughes(19) will take his game into the transfer portal for one more year at Ohio State University Buckeyes before hopefully signing an NHL entry level contract with draft team (7th round, 2018, #216 overall), New York Rangers.

The 6’1″ 172 lbs. forward’s numbers at Hockey East don’t match up with what he was able to do in high school, then one BCHL season with Victoria Grizzlies, notching more than point-per-game numbers in the regular campaign, then playoffs.

While we don’t expect the 22-year old Westwood, MA native to be a scoring machine once he arrives at Big Ten hockey, we do think he’ll connect with better frequency, and continue to play as he always does with a spark plug of energy out there.

He knew as he was entering the new season that he would not be signed, but still goes on after graduating to get a 1st pro deal with Iowa Heartlanders, where we feel once he reaches the ECHL will find the scoresheet with more frequency and came away with 3 goals and 1 assist in 12 games.

Charlotte Checkers are watching and sign him up for a 2-way AHL contract in 2024/2025.

After 31 games with the team and 20 reassigned to the ECHL, where he was a more than point-per-game performer, he receives another 1-year deal to continue being a Checkers.

He spend the full 2025/2026 with affiliate Savannah Ghost Pirates, but gets a new deal for 2026/2027 to continue a Checkers.

University Of Maine Black Bears‘ senior defenseman Brandon Chabrier(15) takes 12 assists last season with a +8 rating in 31 games to a 1st pro contract with the in-state pro team, Maine Mariners.

The 6′ 185 lbs. blue liner had his most college points as a sophomore with 6 goals and 16 assists.

In 4 ECHL games, he has 1 assist.

The Bayville, NY 23-year old did 3 USHL seasons before college.

For his rookie season, 2026/2027, he signs with New Mexico Goatheads, 1st year team.