Category: Minor League Deal

19Aug

Tommy Miller (12)

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After attending Northeastern University Huskies for a graduate season after 4 at the closer to home Michigan State University Spartans, defenseman Tommy Miller(12) signs a 1st pro contract for his rookie season with Toronto Marlies 2022/2023, but will likely start the season with affiliate Newfoundland Growlers.

The 6’2″ 196 lbs. had 8 assists and 9 points in tough Hockey East play last session with a +5 rating.

He mostly played 2 campaigns of USNTDP before committing to school.

The 23-year old from West Blomfield, MI will likely find room to assist goals and keep opponents from scoring in the ECHL.

He splits time between the 2 teams in his rookie season, but does well enough to earn an AHL spot for last season and answers with 1 goal and 4 assists in 44 games with a +2 rating, then had 2 assists with a +2 in a pair of playoff matchups, which easily has him returning to the Marlies.

For 2025/2026, he signs a 1-year deal with Syracuse Crunch.

18Aug

Wayne Simpson (21)

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wayne-simpson

Providence Bruins‘ undrafted 4th year right wing Wayne Simpson(21) is having himself a career year and that’s after only being with the team on a pto to start.

Signed to an spc one month in, he already has 7 goals and 11 assists with a +10 rating in 22 AHL games, which is only one tally off his season high set last year with Portland Pirates and may even eclipse the 28 helpers he dished in 2015/2016.

The 5’11” 194 lbs. forward was a solid performer on the stat sheet in his final three years at Union College grabbing 30+ points per campaign and a pair of NCAA/ECAC Championships in 2012 and 2013.

He started his pro career with two seasons for South Carolina Stingrays playing 131 ECHL games, scoring 22 goals as a rookie and a best 39 assists, 55 points as a sophomore skater and a +19 rating.

In an almost unprecedented move, when postseason rolled around he blew the lid off the score sheet grabbing a league high 25 assists, 38 points and +20 rating losing the 2015 Kelly Cup Championship in game 7.

At 27-years old a guy that’s had to continuously prove himself and earn every inch he’s got looks to just be getting started and may even play his way into a first big league contract for 2017/2018.

After a 6th season with ERC Ingolstadt of continued scoring and some 276 games in DEL, he decides at age 35, it’s time to adopt a new role.

18Aug

Nick Granowicz (15)

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UMASS-Lowell Riverhawks‘ graduate right wing Nick Granowicz(15) signs a 1st pro deal with Savannah Ghost Pirates after 4 goals and 4 assists in 25 games last season.

The 6’1″ 183 lbs. forward transferred from 4 years at University Of Michigan Wolverines, where he always seemed to put up similar numbers and played a college best 36 games as a senior.

He is also a +24 rating, so has good on ice accountability.

In 5 ECHL games, the Macomb, MI native has 3 goals (2 in his debut) and is a +3 rating.

The 26-year old should get re-signed by this non-playoff team for 2024/2025 in a second.

Yup, he’s going to return for his official rookie year to wear at Ghost Pirates‘ uniform.

He appears in a full slate of 72 games, scoring a nice 12 goals and 17 assists with a +4 rating to earn a new contract to stick around for more in 2025/2026 with Savannah.

18Aug

Jack Brackett (22)

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RPI Engineers‘ senior left wing Jack Brackett(22) had a college best 6 goals and 11 assists in 35 games with a +4 rating.

The 5’10” 181 lbs. forward signs a 1st pro contract with Greenville Swamp Rabbits.

He connects as a pro with 5 goals and 2 assists in 15 ECHL games.

From Manassas, VA, the 24-year old needs a new contract for his rookie season, 2025/2026.

He grabs a new deal to stay a Rabbits for 2025/2026.

18Aug

Austen Long (4)

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American International College Yellowjackets‘ graduate right wing Austen Long(4) takes a college high 38 games played, 8 goals, 8 assists and 16 points with a 5-year +21 rating to a 1st pro contract with Fayetteville Marksmen, where through 1 playoff game, he has yet to score a point, but we have to think he’s right on the cusp.

The 5’11” 175 lbs. forward skated 4 years of juniors and won a 2017 USHL Clark Cup Championship with Chicago Steel.

From Omaha, NE, the 26-year old is likely just getting started.

After a 36 game season, scoring 7 goals and 7 assists, he gets an invite to return to the Marksmen for 2025/2026.

17Aug

Matt Salhany (2)

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6th year right wing Matt Salhany(2) returns on a deal with Jacksonville Icemen for 2022/2023 after scoring big for Sonderjyske in 2 years (one shortened) and 41 games in Metal Ligaen.

He left after running up some good totals for Adirondack Thunder, scoring 25 goals and 26 assists in 62 ECHL games.

The 5’10” 179 lbs. forward has mostly come to life as a pro.

He only ever did 7 goals and 13 points in 34 games for University Of Alabama-Huntsville Chargers as a senior captain.

The 29-year old should find some really good scoring footing with his new club and recently competed in the debut 3Ice Hockey Tournament and came out winners on Team Trottier.

From Warwick, RI, he scores big in a 2nd frame for Aalborg Pirates, where he won the 2023 league championship in his 1st year with the team.

For 2024/2025, he heads to Ligue Magnus, signing with Spartiates de Marseille.

He basically a point-per-game player last season in France and for 2025/2026, he will return home, signing a 1-year deal with Adirondack Thunder.

17Aug

Hank Kempf (26)

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Cornell University Big Red senior defenseman Hank Kempf(26) is a New York Rangers‘ 7th round pick in the 2021 draft (#208 overall) and could use a contract once the season concludes.

The 6’2″ 201 lbs. blue liner plays with explosive power, consistently breaking up plays down low.

From Wilmette, IL, the 22-year old has come up nicely through the Chicago Mission youth hockey system.

He goes unsigned, but agrees to an ato once tournament play is up with Colorado Eagles that yields a pair of assists in regular season and playoff games to earn him a 1-year AHL deal to skate his rookie season, 2025/2026, which we think will keep eyes of the parent club on him as well.

16Aug

Austin Albrecht (27)

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Rookie left wing Austin Albrecht(27) did make a quick appearance last year for 1 ECHL game with Wichita Thunder, but everything was pretty much up in the air, especially for newer players in 2020/2021.

For 2021/2022, he branches out entirely, heading to Germany3 on a try-out that easily turned into a 1-year deal with Hochstadter EC, where he’s connected for 3 goals and 6 assists in just 6 games.

The 6′ 196 lbs. forward committed to his first school UMass Minutemen after a 2nd season of point-per-game production numbers for Wichita Wildcats of the NAHL.

He would then be drafted to the USHL by Sioux Falls Stampede and he maybe didn’t have the year he did previous but 10 goals and 35 assists in 57 games was definitely ok.

The Flemington, NJ native had a decent rookie run in Western Mass, but decided he would continue school down the road at American International College Yellow Jackets, where he did slightly better in Atlantic Hockey play.

It would be interesting to see where the 25-year old is able to land next, if he continues to put up big numbers in Germany’s tier 3 pro league.

After 8 games, he is wooed to join Manchester Storm of the EIHL and accepts.

He would return and work his way up from the SPHL to loans up to Maine Mariners, where he connected and was re-signed for a full campaign.

Doing well with a career best 16 assists and 21 points, he finds himself dealt to Tulsa Oilers.

He wouldn’t come away with any points in 7 games, but spies an opportunity and no stranger to hockey overseas, heads off to Australia for part of the summer to play in the AIHL for Melbourne Ice, where he should see his numbers climb.

Blowing up scoring to the tune of 26 goals and 42 assists in 21 games through his 2nd frame over there, he returns to the Oilers for 2025/2026.

Maybe in a somewhat oddball move, he actually agrees with Monroe Mocassins of the FPHL for next frame.

16Aug

Anthony Callin (17)

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Worcester Railers‘ new signing, Anthony Callin(17) comes in after 5 seasons at Clarkson University Golden Knights, where he scored a college best 11 goals and 19 points as a graduate student and leaves as a +11 player.

The undrafted, 6′ 205 lbs. forward grabbed a 1st assist in his 2nd ECHL game loss, but scored a pair, including the game-winner in his 3rd appearance, a 3-2 win.

We do think the 24-year old from Middleton, WI turns the corner nicely and will do well as a pro wherever he goes to play.

2 goals and 5 assists, playing a power forward role, he is guaranteed a spot to return to the Railers for 2023/2024.

He is a synched to want to return, as he’s a power forward, who scored 14 goals and 35 assists with a +4 rating as a rookie, so a Railers‘ jersey looks good on him.

Another stellar scoring season with 24 goals and 24 assists in 65 games and he is set to return to the Railers for 2025/2026, his third in a team jersey