Junior defenseman Elliot McDermott(58) cashes in a pair of seasons at Colgate University Raiders for a new adventure through the transfer portal, arriving at UMass Minutemen for 2022/2023.
The 5’11” 193 lbs. blue liner will has geared up nicely for the transition, scoring a college career tying 2 goals and new best 9 assists, 11 points with a +9 rating last year.
A Kingston, ON native, he played his high school and junior hockey relatively close to home.
The 23-year old will likely step nicely into Hockey East style.
While maybe not scoring a lot of points, he was still a + player after 2 seasons.
He would in fact, pull a graduate frame and scurried off to RPI Engineers, where ECAC style must have gelled with his, because he made off with a college best 3 goals, 15 assists in 35 games and a 0 rating.
Upon tournament elimination, he quickly signs with Adirondack Thunder and works himself into 5 ECHL games before the season is over.
He recorded an assist.
Miami University (Ohi0) Redhawks‘ graduate defenseman Jack Clement(4) tied a college best 7 assists and signs a 1st deal with Cincinnati Cyclones.
The big 6’4″ 201 lbs. blue liner has skated 8 ECHL games with no points on a non-playoff team.
He won a 2018 NAHL Robertson Cup in his 1st year in the junior league and committed after more good play in his 2nd.
The 24-year old from Detroit, MI may have found a good landing spot close to school, but we shall see.
He is signed, but traded to Tulsa Oilers, who will definitely look to make good use of his size.
In 45 games with 1 goal and 15 assists with a +6 rating, he is strong for this team.
Kalamazoo Wings, who unfortunately aren’t in playoff contention move to obtain him for future considerations.
In 10 games, he grabs 1 goal and 1 assist with a 0 rating.
He should return there.
Plymouth State University Panthers‘ junior defenseman Donte DiPonio(79) spent the last 2 seasons at University Of New England Nor’easters, but figured into only 16 games overall with 1 goal and 2 assists, so entered the transfer portal to arrive at his new college hockey home.
He’s already skated 17 in the current frame, so obviously made a good decision, but he also has 5 goals and 11 assists with a +16 rating in just 17 games.
The small-ish 5’9″ 175 lbs. blue liner did mostly 2 USPHL/NCDC seasons, but never quite struck for any points.
From Trenton, WI, the 23-year old has made a smart choice about where he is playing his hockey.
He skates 26 games in his senior year for 2 goals and 10 assists with a +10 rating and takes it to a 1st pro contract with Quad City Storm.
In 3 SPHL games, he records no points, but is likely a good signing going forward.
University Of Wisconsin Badgers‘ graduate right wing Brock Caufield(12) signs a 1st pro contract with Toronto Marlies for his rookie season, 2023/2024.
The 5’9″ 181 lbs. forward scored a college best 11 goals and 23 points last season.
From Stevens Point, WI and older brother of Cole Caufield(22), the 24-year old may find more room to score points.
He is mostly reassigned to affiliate Newfoundland Growlers, where he goes on to score 12 goals and 20 assists in 63 games, when he team vanishes at the tail end of last season.
For 2024/2025, he signs with Reading Royals.
He gets traded to a non-playoff team, Cincinnati Cyclones, plays 1 ECHL game and records an assist to be loved by club going forward if signed.
Atlanta Gladiators‘ 8th year right wing Eric Neiley(59) looks set to eclipse his best ECHL goals marks in the current frame with already 14 in 23 games.
He’ll need to surpass 27 posted in his 2nd season with the team, but regardless will hit the 20+ goal mark for a fourth time.
The prolific former assistant captain as a senior at Dartmouth College Big Green, he struck for 10+ goals and assists in his last pair of sessions.
He also skated to EIHL frames, but almost oddly didn’t score as well as he does at home.
The 5’11” 185 lbs is originally from Warminster Township, Pa.
Already 30-years old, it seems like he’s still just getting started.
1 more season of running up the point totals, 25 goals, just shy of his best and 19 assists for 44 points with a +10 rating in 50 games and that’s gonna be plenty enough hockey for the now 31-year old.
For 2023/2024, he will take up as Assistant Coach with this same Gladiators‘ club.
And for 2024/2025, he comes back off the bench to sign a 1-year deal to play with the home team, Gladiators once again.
After another good season, helping his team score points with 13 goals and 21 assists in 45 games, he announced his retirement x2, but will likely find himself riding a Glads‘ bench is what we are thinking.
Lebanon Valley College Dutchmen graduate left wing Darion Benchich(13) signs a 1st pro contract with Binghamton Black Bears.
The 5’8″ 174 lbs. forward has skated 4 FPHL games, recording an assist.
He only played just over a half of a season in USPHL Premier junior, blowing up scoring before he was wooed to come to college.
The 24-year old should do well as a pro.
Providence Bruins welcome in 2nd year right wing Jimmy Lambert(60) after scoring 11 goals and 13 assists in 27 games with a +6 rating on reassignment with Worcester Railers from contract club, Bridgeport Islanders.
He scored 1 goal and 6 assists in 33 games up with a +1.
The 6′ 176 lbs. former University Of Michigan Wolverines wasn’t a huge scorer at school.
Originally from Newcastle, GBR, the 26-year old could see time playing for rival Maine Mariners.
In 21 ECHL games this season, he’s tied his 13 assists, but will still need to add on tallies to his 4 to get him past those pretty amazing marks of 11 as a rookie.
He does well last season, tying his goals at 11 and 23 assists is a new career league best.
Though he appears in only 10 AHL games, he is wanted to return to continue and work on his game.
Mostly dispatched to Maine, he is scoring on a point-per-game pace and decides to branch out for some more difficult hockey in DEL and agrees to terms with Grizzlys Wolfsburg.
After 14 games with 2 goals and 4 assists, he is liked and asked to return for 2025/2026 as a Grizzlys.
Lindenwood University Lions‘ senior left wing David Gagnon(11) signs a 1st pro contract with Rapid City Rush and already has 17 ECHL games under his belt with 5 goals and 2 assists.
The 6′ 181 lbs. forward scored 10+ goals and 10+ assists through 3 college years.
From Halifax, NS, he did 2 CCHL campaigns before college.
The 24-year old looks to have set himself up for this next step.
Long Island University Sharks‘ Latvian-born, freshman left wing Patriks Marcinkevics(26) 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.
He would start the session with Macon Mayem, but after is loaned up to Atlanta Gladiators and eventually signs an ECHL contract to stay and scores 6 goals and 14 assists with a +5 rating, but gets himself traded to Bloomington Bison.
In 5 games with his new team, he has 2 goals and 1 assist for a nice start.
2nd year right wing Keegan Iverson(13) gets loaned from Indy Fuel to Ontario Reign and grabs an assist, his 1st appearance in the AHL (with the same team) since he was a rookie 2017/2018.
The sizably strong 6’2″ 214 lbs. forward took most of the next season off, skating just a pair of games for Lacombe Generals of the ACHW. before deciding to head to Mount Royal University Cougars for a few years, but only played one full frame there.
He spent five (including an overage) campaign for Portland Winterhawks, running up some admirable numbers with a +47 rating and was chosen in the 3rd round of the 2014 draft (#85 overall) by New York Rangers, but never signed.
The 25-year old has already had an interesting journey, but will be more interesting to see where it takes him next.
He would get traded to Rapid City Rush halfway through the session, and found a place, scoring 3 goals and 6 assists in 23 ECHL games.
It’s a good fit and he will return for 2022/2023.
He gets 1 goal and 6 assists, which seems a little low through 67 games last season and will branch out, signing a new 1-year deal with Norfolk Admirals to hopefully get some of that scoring punch back in his game.
We feel he has found a place where he is popular and is a good place to play, so after a full plus season, he re-signs to stay for 2024/2025 in an Admirals‘ jersey.
Although, he does appear in 35 games, scoring 2 goals and 6 assists, he maybe not in quite enough and gets dished to Tulsa Oilers, where in 6 games, he’s already struck for 2 goals and 1 assist.
