Category: Minor League Deal

Cornell University Big Red junior, center Matt Stienburg(36) is a Colorado Avalanche 3rd round pick in the 2019 draft (#63 overall) and looks to be ready for another breakout session.

In 3 games, he’s got a pair of goals and looks to score many many more in 2021/2022.

The 6’1″ 192 lbs. native of Halifax, NS originally accepted his college in his first season, then was NHL selected in the follow-up frame, where he was almost a point and a half player and served as team captain, while also heading to 3 USHL games with Sioux City Musketeers of a junior hockey career during break.

At 21-years old and one year away from finishing through some tough college hockey times without a 2020/2021 frame, he probably should just continue before signing an entry level deal, but he’s easily the style of power forward the parent club wants.

Smitten by the injury bug, his senior year as assistant captain was limited to 18 appearances with 2 goals and 5 assists.

He plows through though and signs an ato to join Colorado Eagles to hopefully get back to pushing his game forward.

In his 4th AHL game, he records a 1st point, a nice assist for himself.

He appears in 4 more playoff games and gets another helper point for himself.

It looks as though he has made a decent enough impression to score a contract for 2023/2024.

Through 54 games last season, he scores 5 goals and 8 assists with a +2 rating and in the opening 2 games of the 2024/2025 season, he grabs 1 goal and 1 assist with a +2 to earn a 1st NHL recall.

In his debut he skates 9 shifts for 4:36 of ice time, including 3 hits and 1 fight with a -1 rating in a 5-3 loss, then follows it up with 8 shifts for 5:16 ice and 2 shots on net in an overtime win.

6th year center Cameron Brown(9) steps away from a pair of seasons with SonderjyskE and a very solid 10 goals and 21 assists in 31 Metal Ligaen games last year with a +23 rating to a new adventure in Ligue Magnus, signing for 2022/2023 to Les Ducs d’Angers.

The small 5’7″ 157 lbs. forward has definitely found ways to score, leaving three ECHL campaigns averaging 10+ goals and 20+ assists.

He dished 35 assists in 34 NCAA Division 1 games as senior captain at University Of Maine Black Bears.

The 29-year old, Natick, MA native may be able to play his way up a bit from a good session in France.

17 games into his season abroad, he has 1 goal and 7 assists, and decides to make a move over to Metal Ligaen, joining Esbjerg Energy for the remainder of the frame.

He grabs 17 points (6 goals, 11 assists) in 22 games with a +9 rating, which is pretty good, so he signs with league rivals, Herning Blue Fox for 2023/2024 and we expect him to do better.

For his 3 season, he will stay in Denmark, but returns to his original team in the country, SonderjyskE for 2024/2025.

7th year center Darik Angeli(18) re-signs with Kansas City Mavericks after putting up ECHL career highs 33 assists and 51 points.

He has played an almost eye-popping 357 games in the league.

The solid 6’3″ 203 lbs. forward has skated for 9 teams in the E, three times with Norfolk Admirals.

He has only agreed to terms in one season with an AHL team, Tuscon Roadrunners 2018/2019, but only stayed with them four games with an assist before being reassigned.

It would be little surprise to see the 30-year old, former Ohio State University Buckeyes to split for overseas for his next contract.

After a huge career year that saw him getting traded late to Florida Everblades and help them win the 2022 Kelly Cup Championship, where he scored 29 goals and 41 assists and another 3 goals and 3 assists with a +3 rating in the playoffs, he will take these fortunes overseas to another title winner, Belfast Giants in 2022/2023.

Almost oddly, following 24 games played, scoring 6 goals and 6 assists with a +9 rating with little word on why, he leaves to sign with Vienna Capitals for the balance of 2023 and should continue to score like a champ in IceHL.

He gets 3 goals and 2 assists in 11 games with a horrendous -9, but gets to the playoffs and adds 5 helpers in another 11 matchups.

For the remainder of 2024, the now 33-year old re-ups with Orlando Solar Bears, where he played some 5 or so years ago with good results.

He scores 31 points in 35 games, then 11 in 11 in the playoffs and is definitely wanted to return in a Solar Bears’ jersey, where he has to be a fan favorite.

Michigan State University Spartans‘ graduate transfer from 4 years at Clarkson University Golden Knights, defenseman Michael Underwood(5) has always been a plus player on the blue line, but his team is off to a bit of an uneven, close game start and he’s for the first time on the minus side.

We do expect that to change.

The 6’2″ 205 lbs. d-man was a +29 skater leaving junior hockey before entering college.

At 24-years old, the Bloomfields Hill, MI native is playing his college hockey close to home.

After finishing up his 5th session in school, he signed an pto with Colorado Eagles and joined them for 3 AHL games with no points.

They liked what they saw of the fairly big d-man and sign him up for his rookie run 2023/2024.

He played only 3 ECHL games last season and signs with Savannah Ghost Pirates for 2024/2025.

Just before the start of the new year, he finds himself traded to Maine Mariners for the new frame.

Rapid City Rush rookie signing, 4 year American International College Yellowjackets‘ left wing Blake Bennett(48) 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.

Massive 6’5″ 216 lbs. center Patrick Giles(39) took 4 years, 2 as assistant captain at Boston College Eagles to a 1st pro contract upon elimination from the NCAA Division 1 tournament.

He signs an ato with Charlotte Checkers under the watchful eye of parent club Florida Panthers dictating moves and will skate under an AHL deal for 2022/2023.

In 10 games, he has only an assist, but is likely adjusting to the new style game.

Although playing Hockey East for 4 sessions definitely had to help and in his senior year he scored a college career best 15 goals and 22 points.

The 22-year old from Chevy Chase, MD, who came up through the USNTDP program should be able to find his game, but will have to work for it and look for his spots.

After 10 pro games to end the 2021/2022 session, he had 1 assist, but the big team see something in the towering frame moving forward and sign him up for a 2-year NHL entry level deal through 2023/2024.

He’s had 2 good seasons in the minors without a recall, but is looking closer to ready to earn a 2-year extension to stay with the affiliate, Checkers.

Signed to another 2-year extension, he looks set to make the big club and just a few games in, earns a spot due to the injury bug hitting early and he makes an NHL debut, skates 11 shifts for 7:34 of ice time with 2 shots, 1 block, 2 giveaways and went 75% in the face off dot in a 5-2 loss.

Undrafted 3rd year right wing Patrick Newell(14) will next take his game to Stjernen Hockey of Fjordkraftligaen for 2021/2022, and we think will find some excellent results, as his 2-year entry level deal with New York Rangers doesn’t net a qualifying offer.

The 5’10” 170 lbs. forward was signed upon completing 4 years at St. Cloud State University Huskies, pocketing 21 goals and 26 assists for 47 points in 39 NCHC games with a highly impressive +35 rating and a Hobey Baker Finalist nod.

From Thousand Oaks, CA he quickly moved to play a split frame of juniors, both successful, with Fairbanks Ice Dogs of the NAHL and USHL‘s Indiana Ice, where he stayed to play a follow-up frame.

He would help them win the 2014 Clark Cup Championship, scoring 13 goals and 30 assists in regular season, then another 4 and 3 in 12 playoff contests to the title.

Next he would move up to a year with Penticton Vees before committing to college and yup, his 16 goals and 31 assists in the natural frame, then 3 tallies and 11 helpers in 22 playoff games led to a 2015 BCHL Championship.

The 25-year old small spark should light up Norway hockey.

Exactly what we thought would happen, happened, as he struck for 21 goals and 30 assists with a +15 rating in 42 games, then added another 8 points in 12 playoff contests.

This performance got him looking and he signs for 2022/2023 with Fehervar AV19 of IceHL, and no doubt he will be more challenged in this top Austrian league.

He actually leaves after 17 games with decent scoring for HockeyAllsvenskan, signing for the rest of the frame with Sodertalje SK and does ok with 15 points in 30 games.

Something has changed his mind though and he is returning for 2023/2024 on a 1-year ECHL deal with Orlando Solar Bears.

Through 18 games, he has 4 goals and 10 assists, which is maybe a little easy pickins’, so decides to head to Slovakia Extraliga joining HK Nitra and has 1 goal in 2 games.

He does quite well here, scoring 3 goals and 7 assists in 16 games with a +9 rating, then adds another 9 points in 21 playoff games with a +6 to win the 2024 Slovakian Extraliga Championship. , but has decided he’ll return to playing pro hockey closer to home, signing with Tahoe Knight Monsters for 2024/2025.

Long Island University Sharks‘ Latvian-born, freshman left wing Patriks Marcinkevics(27) leaves through the transfer portal to arrive at the much more contentious Michigan Tech University Huskies for 2023/2024.

The small-ish 5’9″ 159 lbs. forward had a bit of a strange path through juniors, starting with Islanders HC of USPHL ranks, running up point-per-game totals to the weirdo COVID struck 2020/2021, where he ultimately would play for New England Wolves and run up crazy tier 3 EHL numbers (11-5 in 6 games).

For his final frame before heading to school he agreed with Jersey Hitmen and would go bananas on the scoresheet: 34 goals, 62 assists for 96 points in 49 games, then another 15 points in the playoffs on the way to the 2022 NCDC Champions, which included personal awards for most assists, points and Valuable Player.

The undrafted 22-year old will likely do well in the CCHA.

He skates 5 games with his new college team, potting 1 goal and 1 assist, but something isn’t right and he decides it’s time to turn pro, signing a contract with Utah Grizzlies going forward.

Ending up with Quad City Storm to round out the season, he clicks with 7 goals and 17 assists in 20 games with a +9 rating to score a contract for 2024/2025 with Allen Americans.

Undrafted 4th year right wing Josh Kestner(62) takes a fantastic first season overseas at TPS, scoring 24 goals and 25 assists in 59 Liiga games with a +6 rating to a new contract with Admiral Vladivostok of the KHL for 2021/2022.

The 6’1″ 185 lbs. forward had a very similar session for Newfoundland Growlers, grabbing another 49 points (22-27) in 61 ECHL games with a +8, then potted another 9 goals and 7 assists in 21 playoff contests en route to the 2019 Kelly Cup Championship.

He would next sign an AHL deal with Grand Rapids Griffins but was exclusively dished to Toledo Walleye, where he received accolades for Most Goals (33), Most Points (73) and League MVP.

The 27-year old Huntsville, AL native and graduate of University Of Alabama-Huntsville Chargers seems to be just getting started.

He would take a decent frame in Russia back to a less successful year in Switzerland and then branch out for Czechia Extraliga and will next arrive at the tough to play Slovakia Extraliga, signing with HK Spisska Nova Ves for 2024/2025.

Undrafted third year defenseman Charlie Curti(3) somewhat returns home to Adirondack Thunder, where he had a breakthrough rookie campaign, scoring a career high 11 goals and 20 assists for 31 points in 56 ECHL games.

He had to go away as a sophomore skater, signing for 2020/2021 with Rapid City Rush, as his upper state NY club was forced to sit due to COVID restrictions.

The 6′ 191 lbs., 26-year old, former 4-year Yale University Bulldogs‘ blue liner returns to his first year club and could very well set more bests point totals.

Instead of heading back to upper state New York for a 2nd season, the 25-year old has rethought that decision and accepts a contract with Aalborg Pirates of Metal Ligaen.

This may just be the start of his hockey life overseas as he could do very well in Denmark’s top league.

He would return after scoring nicely overseas and sign a 1-year ECHL deal with Toledo Walleye, where he ran up 25 points in 39 games with a +20 rating before adding 8 assists in 12 playoff matchups.

For 2023/2024, he is heading to play with 2-time EIHL Champs Belfast Giants, where he just may help them raise a 3rd straight trophy.

He maybe didn’t capture a title, but did nicely with 2 goals and 17 assists in 39 games with a +11 rating to sign with rivals, Guilford Flames for 2024/2025.