Category: Minor League Deal

09Jul

Jon McDonald (47)

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UMass-Lowell Riverhawks‘ graduate captain, defenseman Jon McDonald(47) signed an ato with Toledo Walleye after finishing up Hockey East tournament play last season.

The tough as nails, the undrafted 6′ 181 lbs. blue liner scored 3 assists in 10 ECHL games.

He played 2 years of USHL junior hockey with Fargo Force and helped them with the 2018 Clark Cup Championship.

The Livonia, MI native signs for his rookie season, 2023/2024 with South Carolina Stingrays.

We think the 25-year old will have great luck with this club.

In 64 games, he scores 4 goals and 13 assists with a +2 rating to score himself a contract with the parent club, Hershey Bears heading into his 2nd campaign.

He would appear in 31 games, scoring 3 goals and 3 assists with a -5 rating, then appeared in 7 playoff matchups with o points, but was a +2.

For 2025/2026, he re-signs to stay a Bears and will likely be mostly on a 1-way deal.

08Jul

Grant Gabriele (12)

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Last season rookie defenseman Grant Gabriele(12) scored 6 goals and 16 assists in 67 ECHL games for Maine Mariners with a +5 rating.

He signs a new 1-year deal with Toledo Walleye for 2023/2024, which couldn’t be a better team for him to hook up with.

The 6’2″ 196 lbs. blue liner was a 2-time 10+ assist man in his 5 years at Ohio State University Buckeyes.

He twice played for the USNTDP and for 3 different USHL clubs before heading to school.

The 26-year old from Brighton, MI should have an outstanding season.

He scores 1 goal and 14 assists in 40 games with a tremendous +34 rating to earn himself a 2nd season as a fish in a Walleye jersey.

Loaned up to Cleveland Monsters for 15 AHL games with no points, he gets traded to Utah Grizzlies.

In the offseason, he gets dealt to Fort Wayne Komets in a d-man switch for 2025/2026.

08Jul

William Lemay (8)

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University Of Vermont Catamounts‘ senior left wing William Lemay(8) signs a 1st pro deal fairly quickly after exiting the Hockey East tournament with Trois-Rivieres Lions.

The 5’10” 194 lbs. forward has 2 goals and 2 assists in 7 ECHL games as a pro.

His highest totals through college were 9 assists as a freshman and 5 goals as a junior.

The 24-year old from Marieville, QC could find the room he needs in this league to score more frequently.

4 goals and 4 assists in 14 games on an ato means sign this man up to a rookie T-RLions‘ contract for 2023/2024.

After escaping late last season to Italy2 to blow up scoring, especially in the playoffs to help win the Italian Cup for Pergine.

He will take off to the better known Ligue Magnus for 2024/2025, signing with Diables Rogues de Briancon.

In 44 games, he scores 20 goals and 18 assists with a +10 rating, but is wooed by rivals, Gothiques d’Amiens to sign a contract for 2025/2026, which should go as well as it did in his 1st frame.

08Jul

Terrance Amorosa (2)

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Former Clarkson University Golden Knights‘ defenseman Terrance Amorosa(2) took some time before signing any deal for 2020/2021 and recently hooked up with Laval Rocket on a pto.

The sizable 6’2″ 202 lbs blue liner got in his first career AHL game and left a 3-0 blanking with no points but a +1 rating.

He had signed a pair of deals previously in the league, but was reassigned down to ECHL affiliates and last season had a decent 6 goals and 12 assists for Kansas City Mavericks.

Originally a Philadelphia Flyers‘ draft pick in the 5th round of 2013 (#132 overall), he never signed and was released to unrestricted free agency.

At 26-years old the big d-man could just be getting his footing but we shall see.

The Kirkland, QC native scored a rookie contract with Laval Rocket and wound up with 1 goal and 12 assists with a massive +22 rating in 35 games.

He has decided to head oversea for his 3rd season, signing a 1-year deal with Gherdeina of AlpsHL for 2022/2023.

After putting up 31 assists and 5 goals in 24 games with a +20 rating, he jumps to a higher league, joining HC Bolzano Foxes of IceHL, where he should continue his scoring success.

For 2023/2024, he will roughly stay put, but switch allegiances to rivals Rittner Baum.

He has been on a bit of a tear with assists in his “home” league, but decides after 2 years to switch things up and signs with Coventry Blaze of the EIHL for 2024/2025.

In 54 games, he scores 7 goals and 27 assists with a +3 rating, which he will take to Metal Ligaen, signing for a year with Herning Blue Fox for 2025/2026.

07Jul

Marc Johnstone (26)

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Undrafted rookie right wing Marc Johnstone(26) signs a 1-year ECHL deal with Newfoundland Growlers for 2021/2022.

He only managed to get in 6 games with South Carolina Stingrays, recording 2 assists for 2020/2021’s completely weirdo hockey season before being released.

This came after the former two-time captain of Sacred Heart University Pioneers‘ forward graduated, having potted point-per-game numbers (6-10-16) in 16 Atlantic Hockey games as a senior.

He was always a good scorer at school, coming in after a decent 2nd showing with Chicago Steel that exploded in playoff run for 3 goals and 12 assists in 14 USHL games en route to the 2017 Clark Cup Championship.

The Cranford, NJ native was also captain of this club.

At 25-years old and having seen him play, we feel he may just be getting started for some attention.

Through 46 games as a rookie, he has scored 7 and assisted on 13 for 20 points to earn notice and a recall from parent club, Toronto Marlies.

For 2022/2023, he doesn’t need to look far, as he’s given a new AHL deal to continue.

He scores 9 goals and 13 assists in 69 games and catches the attention of Pittsburgh Penguins, who sign him to a 2-year, 2-way NHL deal through 2024/2025.

In 21 games with the affiliate Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, he has 2 goals and 3 assists, but mostly we feel it’s his style of play earns him a 1st game in the big league for Christmas 2023.

He skated 10 shifts for 7:19 ice time, dished 2 hits and took 1 face-off successfully in a 3-1 loss.

Reassigned, he scores 3 goals and 6 assists, but is an unrestricted free agent and signs a 2-year minor league deal with Toronto Marlies.

07Jul

Louie Roehl (4)

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Wheeling Nailers‘ rookie defenseman Louie Roehl(4) skates a full slate of 60 ECHL games, scoring 4 goals and 20 assists with a +4 rating, but with no playoffs, he lucks out and gets loaned up to Hartford Wolf Pack, who are chasing their own Calder Cup trophy.

The 5’11” 185 lbs. blue liner did 5 years at University Of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs, maybe not connecting as well as he has in his 1st frame.

He had a very solid 30 assists in his 1 NAHL session for Minnesota Wilderness.

The 25-year old from Eden Prairie, MN likely just wants to get some AHL under his belt.

He actually figures into no games in the upper ranks, but is signed for a 2nd season that doesn’t quite go as good as his 1st, but he is still wanted to return for a 3rd frame in a Nailers‘ jersey.

In his 3rd year with his new club, he scores a new best 5 goals and ties his 20 assists from his 1st season in a full slate of 72 games, but will take it overseas, signing with Pioneers Vorarlberg of IceHL for 2025/2026.

04Jul

Connor Clifton (75)

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7th year defenseman Connor Clifton(75) found himself flipped from the only team he’s known, Boston Bruins to Buffalo Sabres before becoming an unrestricted free agent and signs himself a very handsome 3-year $10M deal to help his new team’s blue line execute their end.

The 5’11” 194 lbs. blue liner was originally a Phoenix Coyotes‘ 5th round pick in the 2013 draft (#133 overall), but failed to sign, so entered into an AHL agreement with Providence Bruins to start his pro career before signing a 2-year NHL entry level deal with the big club.

He did 4 years at Quinnipiac University Bobcats, including his last as senior captain.

A Long Branch, NJ native, he played his way up through junior hockey finally arriving at a pretty excellent USNTDP frame before heading to school.

The 28-year old may be only first arriving at his 1st big deal.

He has 2 seasons of almost equal decent enough stats to get himself traded to Pittsburgh Penguins with a year remaining on his current deal.

 

03Jul

Mathieu Gosselin (63)

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Clarkson University Golden Knights‘ graduate right wing Mathieu Gosselin(63) was a 3 time 10+ goals and twice 10+ assists and once more than 20 in a frame scorer and will next take his game to the ECHL, joining Newfoundland Growlers for the rest of the season.

The 5’10” 170 lbs. forward on 4 occasions played 30+ games.

From Quebec, QC, he did 2 BCHL sessions with Merritt Centennials, scoring more than point per game numbers in his 2nd year.

The 24-year old will likely find room to score in the league and does with 2 goals and 3 assists, but now has to find himself a new team to play for, as his ceased operations.

Parent club Toronto Marlies step right in and offer him an amateur tryout to see what he might do in the AHL, which turns into a full deal for 2024/2025.

He spends most of his time, running up numbers for affiliate Cincinnati Cyclones that he decides to take across the way to a deal with Guilford Flames, 2025/2026, where we think he will do very well for himself in the EIHL.

02Jul

Anthony Beauregard (92)

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6th year center Anthony Beauregard(92) signs a 1-year deal with Trois-Rivieres Lions after spending most of last season with the team, running new ECHL high totals with 26 goals.

He didn’t quite eclipse the massive 49 assists he put up with Wichita Thunder.

The 5’7″ 165 lbs. forward has twice gone overseas and shot 10+ goals and 20+ assists in seasons with Dundee Stars and HC Sierre.

He has twice earned AHL looks from Laval Rocket, once after completing 2 USports years at Concordia University Stingers.

From St-Damase, QC, the 27-year old would love to likely earn some more looks from the upper level, but in the meantime may just blow the lid off the league he’s in, scoring.

He may have not had quite the season he was hoping for, but is still a point producer and he becomes the 1st league player to re-sign with his club for what will become 3 years in a Lions‘ jersey.

Finishing up his 3rd frame with the team, skating a new best 67 games, scoring point-per-game numbers 25 goals and 42 assists, he will return once again as a team favorite for 2025/2026 after helping them win the 2025 ECHL Championship with 18 points in 21 games.

01Jul

Jackson Kunz (89)

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University Of North Dakota Fighting Hawks‘ senior center Jackson Kunz(89) signs a 1-year AHL deal with draft team Vancouver Canucks (4th round, 2020, #113 overall) affiliate Abbotsford Canucks for 2025/2026.

He joined the team for 1 game and recorded an assist, but play in no playoff games en route to the 2025 Calder Cup Championship.

The 6’3″ 207 lbs. forward blew up USHS-Prep scoring, then took that to 1 off the hook USHL frame before college.