Category: Minor League Deal

Undrafted, small 5’9″ 170 lbs. center Jonny Evans(67) is off to a fast start with 2 goals and 3 assists in 3 ECHL games, including 2 multi-point efforts for a slumping South Carolina Stingrays, since signing his first pro contract just barely a week ago upon graduating University Of Connecticut Huskies.

He didn’t have an explosive senior year on the scoresheet, but always brings a consistency and definitely helped his team to their deepest Hockey East run to the Finals this season.

At 24-years old, with 4 years of junior hockey for Powell River Kings, scoring pretty big especially in his last 3 BCHL sessions, he appears ready.

We think he gets a look at a higher level in someone’s training camp come next Fall.

After scoring 7 goals and 6 assists in 11 games, the Delta, BC native decides to stay and re-sign for 2022/2023.

He would grab 9 goals and 21 assists with a +1 rating in 41 games as a rookie.

They want him to return for 2023/2024, so he will don the Stingrays‘ jersey for a 3rd frame.

After a career setting 2nd frame, he scores himself an AHL tryout with parent club, Hartford Wolf Pack, we believe will stick for him 2024/2025.

He is actually passed down to Bloomington Bison, where in 30 games he scores 2 goals and 9 assists and is an easy ask to return for 2025/2026.

University Of North Dakota Fighting Hawks‘ senior assistant captain, center Jake Schmaltz(9) finished up with 6 goals and 10 assists in 38 games with a +2 rating that he took to a 1st contract with Providence Bruins after tournament play concluded.

A Boston Bruins‘ 7th round pick in the 2019 draft (#192 overall), he signed a 1-year 2025/2026 AHL deal with the affiliate for his rookie season, 2025/2026.

He scored a 1st pro goal in his 2nd appearance.

From McFarland, WI, the 6’2″ 185 lbs. forward, 24-year old should catch on.

Colgate University Raiders‘ graduate, captain defenseman Reid Irwin(43) scored a new college best 6 goals and 17 points in 32 games last season, which he took to a 1st pro contract with Wichita Thunder and scored a 1st ECHL goal and assist in 9 games.

The 6’1″ 198 lbs. blue liner decides to sign with Belfast Giants of the EIHL for his official rookie year, 2025/2026.

From Victoria, BC, the 25-year old transferred from 2-years at University Of Denver Pioneers.

He did 3 years of junior hockey.

Providence College Friars‘ graduate center Jamie Engelbert(18) scores 7 goals for a 2nd time in his college career and will take that to a 1st pro contract with the new Bloomington Bison of the ECHL for his rookie season, 2024/2025.

The big 6’4″ 205 lbs. forward should find the net better in his upcoming 1st season.

From Coburg, ON, he played 2 strong frames for local Cobourg Cougars of the OJHL before committing.

The 24-year old is likely ready for the next challenge.

After 2 games and 1 assist with a +1 rating, he finds himself maybe a little fortunately heading to South Carolina Stingrays to complete an earlier trade transaction.

He scores 17 goals and 14 assists in 38 games with a +13 rating and also gets loaned to Manitoba Moose for 3 games to get a 1st AHL goal and a +1 rating.

For 2025/2026 Rockford Icehogs pick him up on their radar and sign him to a 1-year deal.

Alvernia University Golden Wolves‘ senior defenseman Logan vande Meerakker(46) takes a college best 14 goals and 19 assists in 27 games with a +24 rating to a contract for his rookie season, 2024/2025 with Evansville Thunderbolts.

He joined them upon graduation and didn’t register a point in 3 SPHL games, but then popped for 2 goals and 1 assists in 5 playoff matchups with a +1 rating.

The 6′ 209 lbs. solid blue liner from Dieppe, NB should do well in a full frame and it’s possible the 24-year old gets loaned up.

After an outstanding frame, scoring 18 goals and 19 assists in 54 games with a +4 rating, then another 7 points (4-3) in 7 playoff matchups, he will take these numbers over to the NIHL and signs with Swindon Wildcats for 2025/2026.

7th year defenseman Sam Jardine(21) leaves for overseas hockey a 2nd time, this time signing with Bratislava Capitals of IceHL for 2021/2022.

Originally a 6th round pick by Chicago Blackhawks in 2011 (#169 overall), he initially signed a one-year minor league deal with affiliate Rockford IceHogs to stay in the system but was sent further down for most of his rookie campaign.

The almost deceptively built 6’2″ 209 lbs. d-man has played 228 ECHL games and won a pair of Kelly Cups: 2017 and most notably 2019 in a great run with Newfoundland Growlers.

He’s also had 4 AHL contracts and played 71 games.

The Lacombe, AB native spent 2019/2020 overseas with Cardiff Devils of the EIHL, not scoring a load of points (15) but was a nice +24 rating for on-ice accountability.

He decided to spend 2020/2021 a little closer to home after confirming a return to England, and, inked with Greenville Swamp Rabbits, where he exploded for a personal best 41 assists and 44 points in 67 games.

The 29-year old, former 3-year, 10+ assist man at Ohio State University Buckeyes will likely do well in Austria’s 6 nation league.

As said, he excelled pretty well with a pair of goals and 4 assists in 14 games with a +2 rating to gain a look from HIFK of Liiga, so will head to Finland.

For 2022/2023, he went to skate in England’s top league for another spell with Cardiff Devils and although he may have not scored a ton of points, was an accountable +7.

He decides to return to the states for 2023/2024 and will come back to the Swamp Rabbits, where he recorded his greatest assist total.

Spending a bit more time on loan to Calgary Wranglers, he finishes up the year and has decided to return to Austria to sign with Fehervar AV19 for 2024/2025.

He actually has a change of attitude and signs in the Senior AAA Alberta league with Lacombe Generals, probably to just play some hockey somewhere to keep in shape.

For 2025/2026, he’s making a big return and signs with Idaho Steelheads.

UMass Minutemen undrafted freshman defenseman Aaron Bohlinger(25) has 15 assists in the 2020/2021 frame but no goals.

Well, not until the NCAA Championship Final vs. St. Cloud University Huskies, where he nets the opening tally and that might be enough to close the door on the title and also be a game-winner.

The small 5’9″ 165 lbs. blue liner early in his tenure with Waterloo Blackhawks of the USHL but was probably put on the radar after playing a year north in the BCHL for Alberni Valley Bulldogs, where he made a 7 goal and 27 assists in 55 games impression.

The 20-year old may be small but motors and can head man the puck with ease, so might garner some looks as he continues at school.

He becomes captain as a senior, but decides to add a year of eligibility and enters the transfer portal to skate for Quinnipiac University Bobcats, as a graduate.

ECAC was a nice switch up, as he scores a new best 3 goals and 11 assists with a +11 rating in 32 games.

He is set to turn pro and signs a 1st ECHL contract with Cincinnati Cyclones for 2025/2026.

8th year, big, very big 6’6″ 220 lbs. defenseman Jaycob Megna(24) gets rewarded by parent club San Jose Sharks for signing a minor league deal with their affiliate San Jose Barracuda for the weirdo run that was 2020/2021 with a new 1-year NHL 2-way contract for 2021/2022.

He has played 346 AHL games and 43 in the big league all with draft club Anaheim Ducks, who selected him in the 7th round 2012 (#210 overall).

The 3-year University Of Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks‘ d-man was picked after his rookie season, but did also have a nice lead in with Muskegon Lumberjacks, dishing 17 assists in 55 USHL games.

It looks as though the 28-year old is set to resume his duties as team captain of the farm club, but we’re thinking he may get a look or two up in the show.

Playing his 1st full set of games in the big league, he has skated a new best 48 appearances for 2022/2023, scoring a goal and new best 11 assists with a +6 rating and finds himself traded to a rival, Seattle Kracken to help round out their blue line for a playoff pump.

He plays only 6 games up and is put on waivers to be claimed by Chicago Blackhawks, who throw the big man straight into the lineup and he records an assist in his debut.

Finishing up with a tied for 2nd most games in the big league at 44, and unrestricted free agent, the Plantation, FL native next signs with hometown team, Florida Panthers, where he figures into 8 games en route to a 2025 Stanley Cup trophy.

He signs a 2-year deal with Vegas Golden Knights that looks to be on a one-way value.

Reading Royals 2nd year captain, defenseman Garrett McFadden has decided to take his game to SlovakExtraliga for 2023/2024, signing a 1-year deal with HK Poprad.

He had 6 goals and 35 assists in 71 ECHL games with a +13 rating last season.

The 5’11’ 181 lbs. blue liner skated 5 years in the OHL, 2 as captain of Guelph Storm and even signed an ato with Laval Rocket, grabbing an AHL assist.

He would next head off to a degree program at Acadia University Axemen, where he stayed for the next 4 years.

With 1 goal and 18 assists, he decides to leave for Czech Extraliga, joining HC Energie Karlovy Vary.

He would go to IceHL last season, but he maybe would do quite as well as he wanted and will head to a team, where he will likely be very useful, Belfast Giants for 2025/2026.