Category: Minor League Deal

Anna Maria College AMCATS‘ senior 3-time captain defenseman Derek Raposo(21) signs a 1st pro contract with Knoxville Ice Bears.

He squeezed into 5 regular season SPHL games and has skated 3 in the playoffs, but no points yet.

The always big guy, D3 d-man at 6’3″ 200 lbs. scored a college best 26 assists and 31 points with a +16 rating in 27 games last season.

From Hannon, ON, the 25-year old skated a couple Canadian junior leagues before college.

He would notch 2 points in 8 playoff games and will take it overseas to a rookie season with Bisons Les Neuilly-sur-Marne of France2, 2025/2026.

Matt Wiesner(25) comes off a 3rd D3 season of 10+ goal scoring for Babson College Beavers to sign a 1st pro contract for 2022/2023 with Greenville Swamp Rabbits.

At just 5’9″ 165 lbs. he will definitely have to move around some to find scoring space in the ECHL, but definitely could do so.

He was a 20 goal, 20 assist scorer in his 2nd NAHL season for Northeast Generals.

The Newport Beach, CA native looks to potentially be able to be loaned to Birmingham Bulls of the SPHL, but he’s likely trying to just look forward.

He has been good for 10+ goals and assists 3 years in the league and is off to a good start 2025/2026 with 1 goal and 5 assists in 14 games, but finds himself traded to Fayettesville Marksmen, which should prove to be a good landing spot.

Scoring well, he is traded for a 2nd time in a frame, heading to Peoria Rivermen for the balance of the frame.

After spending time with a 3rd team last season, he signs to return to his 1st league team in Birmingham for 2026/2027.

Niagara University Purple Eagles‘ Latvian-born senior center Glebs Prohorenkovs(4) scored 12 goals as a freshman and got 22 assist in his junior season.

The 6’3″ 203 lbs. forward did his youth hockey and some juniors back home before coming over for 1 NAHL season.

He did some junior hockey in Russia and even played 7 KHL games with Dinamo Riga.

For 2026/2027, he signs a 1st pro contract in the ECHL with Bloomington Bison.

Quinnipiac University Bobcats graduate right wing T.J. Friedmann(26) signs a 1st pro deal, an ato for the remainder of 2023 with Utica Comets.

In 2 AHL games, he has no points, as they head into the 1st round of the Calder Cup playoffs.

He scored a college career best 11 goals last season and twice had 20+ points.

The 6’2″ 180 lbs. forward from St. Louis, MO had a pair of solid junior campaigns in the BCHL for Victoria Grizzlies before committing to school.

He spent most of his rookie frame with affiliate Adirondack Thunder, scoring pretty well and signs with them for 2024/2025.

In his 2nd frame with the team, he scores 12 goals and 10 assists in 58 games, which is good enough to keep around and continue to develop as a Thunder.

After almost 3 years in the same jersey, he gets traded to Jacksonville Icemen, who apparently need him a bit more.

He scores 9 goals and 5 assists in 38 ECHL games and was looking to rejoin the Icemen for 2026/2027, but instead the 28-year old has chosen to retire for a new path.

Providence College 2021/2022 commit, center Blake Humphrey(20) agreed to head to this college after an outstanding season, playing 106 games for Buffalo Jr. Sabres 15U AAA, scoring 42 goals and 54 assists.

The 5’10” 161 lbs. forward looks to have played some of  the next year at Lawrence Academy, where he also popped the scoring bubble with 7 goals and 29 assists in 27 USHS-Prep games.

He would be selected in both 2020 drafts and reported to Sioux Falls Stampede but lasted just three USHL games with a goal and 2 assists and head to the other club he was selected by New Jersey Jr. Titans, where he played out the remainder of 2020/2021, getting a very decent 16 goals and 15 assists in 38 NAHL games.

The 19-year old will be an excellent addition to Hockey East action.

He actually recommits to Sacred Heart University Pioneers instead and spends 2 largely unspectacular years there, enters the transfer portal and will do his junior session at Lake Superior State University Lakers.

In 30 games as a junior he does reasonably well with 2 goals and 6 assists, but in 6 games in the current frame, he has yet to strike and decides to turn pro, signing a deal with Fayettesville Markmen.

We look for his scoring to take up as a pro in the SPHL 2nd half of 2025/2026.

He is loaned up for 6 games with 1 assist, but re-signs for 2026/2027 to return as a Marksmen.

Undrafted rookie defenseman Matt Hellickson(55) signs a 1-year AHL contract with Toronto Marlies for 2021/2022.

He did agree to an ato with Binghamton Devils last season upon graduating from 4-years at University Of Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

The 6′ 175 lbs. blue liner was a decent scorer, getting 13 goals and 39 assists in 146 B1G games and showed very good on ice accountability.

Originally committing to his college as a Rogers, MN High student, he would move onto the USNTDP program for a couple years before playing a single successful season in the USHL for Sioux City Musketeers (6-22-28 with a +19 rating).

The 23-year old scores a 1st goal in his 12th game and adds a pair of assists in a big win for a 1st multi-point effort.

After a 1st season, where he grabs a goal and 5 assists in 26 games with only a -2 rating and adds another 7 points in 13 contests with affiliate Newfoundland Growlers, earns him a new contract for 2022/2023.

In 2023/2024, signed to Toronto Marlies, he skated no games and then took the next 2 years off potentially regrouping after injury and for 2026/2027 signs with Cincinnati Cyclones.

In his year of eligibility, right wing graduate student Tyler Welsh(44) chose to attend Long Island University Lakers after completing four years at Yale University Bulldogs with a drop season due to COVID.

He made a good choice, because he came away tying his career high 23 points, while managing a career best 16 assists in only 25 NCAA games.

The 5’10” 174 lbs. forward was a point-per-game guy in his 2nd year of BCHL for Victoria Grizzlies, where he first committed to school.

It will be interesting to watch what the 25-year old, Whistler, BC native will do next.

Newfoundland Growlers sign him for the remainder of 2021/2022 and he’s already appeared in one absolute 9-4 ECHL drubbing, so hopefully has that kind of game worked out of his system for a bit.

He would end up with 1 goal and 2 assists in 9 games with a +4 rating, so obviously fortunes changed.

For his official rookie season, he decides to leave for Ligue Magnus, signing for 2022/2023 with Scorpions Mulhouse.

He takes essentially point-per-game numbers (36 points, 12-24 in 36 games) in France to a new adventure, agreeing to 1-year with Nottingham Panthers, which will likely see him to just as good in the EIHL.

After just one season in England, he’s heading back to France, but signs with rivals, Les Jokers de Cergy-Pontoise for 2024/2025.

He scores close to point-per-game totals, but once again next inks with rivals Spartiates de Marseilles for 2025/2026.

In 43 games, he gets 10 goals and 17 assists with a +10 rating, which is good, but for 2026/2027, he elects to leave and signs with Aalborg Pirates of Metal Ligaen for 2026/2027.

Yale University Bulldogs‘ senior, captain left wing Will Dineen(26) signs an ato with Laval Rocket and in 9 games has a 1st AHL goal and 1 assist with a -2 rating.

He doesn’t figure in the playoffs.

The 6’2″ 194 lbs. forward had a college best 12 assists and 18 points last season.

From Hinsdale, IL, he did 2 USHL years for Sioux Falls Stampede.

The 24-year old gets a 1-year deal for 2025/2026.

He played 35 games, scoring 3 goals and 2 assists with a +5 rating and for 2026/2027, he gets signed by Calgary Wrangers.

Canisius College Golden Griffins‘ senior right wing Randy Hernandez(20) takes 2 seasons of almost identical 8 goals and 13/14 assists to a rookie ECHL contract with Fort Wayne Komets.

The 6′ 190 lbs. forward did his freshman season at Robert Morris University Colonials, until their hockey program went belly up.

He played almost 3 years of USHL junior hockey before transferring to almost 2 seasons AJHL before college.

From Miami, FL, the 25-year old is a leader on ice and we’re sure will be a great teammate where he is going.

He wouldn’t play any games after school with his new contract club, so for his rookie season, 2024/2025 he elects to sign with Orlando Solar Bears, where he will likely do well.

Before his 1st run even gets started, he is traded to Atlanta Gladiators.

He scores a tidy 11 goals and 9 assists in 65 games with a 0 rating and is set to return, but instead gets traded to Wheeling Nailers for 2025/2026.

In 50 games with his new team he scores 7 goals and 9 assists with a +11 rating that gets him noticed by Fort Wayne Komets, who sign him for 2026/2027.

Yale University Bulldogs‘ senior defenseman Ryan Conroy(8) takes a new college best 2 goals and 11 assists to a 1st pro deal with Adirondack Thunder.

The 5’9″ 171 lbs. blue liner scored a 1st ECHL goal in his 2nd game and has appeared in 5.

From Chestermere, AB, the 23-year old did 4 years of the AJHL, committing after a huge 21 assist campaign before doing 1 USHL season doing well for Omaha Lancers.

He scores some for his new team, even in the playoffs and they are going to sign him up for his rookie season, 2024/2025 back in a Thunder sweater.

In 67 games with new team, Atlanta Gladiators, he scores 5 goals and 12 assists with a +5 rating, then adds another 2 points in the playoffs to score a new deal for 2026/2027 to stay.