Category: Minor League Deal

Tulsa Oilers just grabbed 5th year left wing scorer Alec Butcher(11) from 2nd year team Reading Royals after tallying 4 goals and 3 assists in 15 ECHL games.

The 5’10” 181 lbs. forward has been putting up pretty great numbers in the league, so that will very likely continue with his new team.

He was a pretty good scorer at Sacred Heart University Pioneers, but seemed to come to life as a senior with University Of Alaska-Anchorage Seawolves.

The Anchorage, AK native did 2 years of NAHL juniors with “local” Kenai River Brown Bears.

As a 29-year old pro, he’s probably just looking for a consistently good team to play for.

He scores 18 goals and 16 assists in 56 games last season to earn another 1-year deal to return to the Oilers for 2024/2025.

Robert Morris University Colonials‘ graduate goaltender Francis Boisvert(31) signs a rookie tryout agreement with Fort Wayne Komets.

The 6’2″ 170 lbs. net minder did 4 years at St. Lawrence University Saints, but was used little after his freshman year.

From Blainville, QC, he played 2 years of CCHL before college.

The 25-year old may be just waiting for this ECHL opportunity to shine.

11th year center Chad Nehring(16) decided to head off for something new to start 2022/2023, signing with Grenoble of Ligue Magnus, but after popping 4 goals and 5 assists in just 6 games with a +8, heads back for his 5th DEL season, instead with fourth club Loewen Franfort.

A solid scorer, performer in the AHL, as a +10 player, he earned himself his only NHL contract with Ottawa Senators after scoring a career high 22 goals and 26 assists in the previous frame.

The 5’11” 201 lbs. former 4-year Lake Superior State University Lakers‘ forward left after that season.

At 35-years old, he’s still playing some excellent hockey and may not be eyeing an exit quite yet.

He grabs 12 goals and 10 assists back in Germany, which is good enough by their standards to keep him around and re-up him for another run.

You may think he should just transition straight into coaching where he is, but he has decided to wrap it up at age 37-years old, leaving behind 232 DEL games, 179 AHL, 130 ECHL and 147 NCAA, a really nice total and for his next role becomes a pro scout for Pittsburgh Penguins, starting 2024/2025.  Smooth move.

Mercyhurst University Lakers‘ senior captain, center Marko Reinfenberger(24) signs his rookie season contract with Norfolk Admirals for 2024/2025 after originally suiting up for South Carolina Stingrays in 14 games, getting 3 goals and 1 assist with a +2 rating.

The 6′ 198 lbs. forward scored best as a junior with 6 goals and 8 assists.

He also played 4 years of junior hockey, concluded with 1 very good frame in the NAHL before college.

The Hastings, MN 25-year old will probably do decently as a rookie in the ECHL.

University Of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs‘ right wing graduate Nick Swaney(13) takes four seasons of consistent scoring numbers to a 1-year entry level contract with his home state draft club, Minnesota Wild (7th round, 2017, #209 overall) that starts for 2021/2022 but will sign an ato with affiliate Iowa Wild to start immediately.

The 5’11” 175 lbs. forward scored 20+ points in each of his college campaigns with his best total 28 most recently as a senior.

He was also a point-per-game skater in two years at the USHL for Waterloo Blackhawks.

We have a feeling he gets started on the scoresheet sooner than later.

He spends all of his playing time in the AHL, scoring pretty big, but gets injured last season to throw things off track.

For 2024/2025, he does something he has yet to do in his pro career, signs a minor league deal with Chicago Wolves.

Washington Capitals‘ 6th round pick in the 2017 draft (#182 overall) defenseman Benton Maass(11) goes from a four-year skate for University Of New Hampshire Wildcats to a fifth year of eligibility, playing close to home on the start of a graduate degree with Minnesota State University Mavericks.

Although maybe not the biggest point-getter on the ice, the 6’2″ 205 lbs. blue liner did manage 23 assists as a senior at the hometown Elk River High in 25 USHS-MN games and 13 helpers at a freshman as his new college.

He also had 16 points (a high of 7 tallies and 9 assists) in 26 NAHL games, when he arrived at Fairbanks Ice Dogs upon completing high school.

It’s all happened fairly quickly for the 22-year old but the player who’s been in three NHL development camps looks ready at every turn.

As he finishes up, his 5th college season, he signs an ato with affiliate Hershey Bears and will join them for the remainder of the AHL frame.

Almost oddly, he plays only 2 games with his contract club, getting 1 assist and a +2 rating and is reassigned to affiliate South Carolina Stingrays, where he gets 4 goals and 7 assists in 55 ECHL games with a +13 rating.

His play is good enough to earn a continued look in Chocolatetown.

In his 2nd frame further down south, he scores a new career best 8 goals and 19 assists in 64 games with a +17 rating, so things are looking up.

Something is amiss though, as he decides to accept an assistant coach role at Lindenwood University Lions for 2024/2025, changing the role he will play in pro hockey.

2nd year right wing Parker Saretsky(28) switches up teams for his 2nd ECHL frame.

He had 8 assists in 43 games last season for Trois Rivieres Lions, but signs with Wichita Thunder for 2024/2025.

This should turn out to be a good move for the 6′ 176 lbs. forward.

From Wainwright, AB, he scored fairly strongly in his last 2 frames of AJHL before school.

He would head to 4 years at Michigan Tech University Huskies.

The 25-year old will likely find more room with his new club.

Pensacola Ice Flyers‘ rookie right wing Zach Walker(18) has a couple of goals and an assist in 21 SPHL contests.

The 6′ 200 lbs. forward was never much of a scorer during four seasons at Boston College.

He posted his highest totals as a freshman with 2 goals and 5 assists.

The still young 22-year old started with a couple of campaigns in the USNTDP.

It will be interesting to see if he plays himself up to another level or heads overseas for different gold.

He finished his first session, scoring 4 goals and 6 assists in 36 games, then went on to light it up for a goal and 3 assists with a +5 in 4 playoff contests, which easily put him back on the radar.

The Boise, ID native gets the call from his local team and signs a 1-year ECHL deal with Idaho Steelheads for 2021/2022.

He was originally going to sign with them for last season, but they decided to sit out the pandemic run and he becomes the first born in the state capital to play for the team.

After 10 goals and 13 assists in 63 games with a +6 rating, he’s definitely feeling right at home, and stays for a 2nd session.

He’s basically fairly steady in his 2nd session, getting 6 goals and 12 assists in 56 games with a +12 rating.

For 2023/2024, he leaves home and signs a 1-year deal with Adirondack Thunder that should makes sense for his scoring to continue.

He is limited to only 27 games last season and is involved in some incidents that get him suspended for long stretches, but the wear and tear on him is enough as he leans into what to do for 2024/2025 and will stay in a Thunder “jersey” joining their front office to handle the team’s community relations and also take part in some sales.

Hobart College Statesmen senior defenseman Kevin Lassman(55) has not been known to score a lot, but last season got 1 goal with 7 assists in only 24 games with a nice +18 rating.

From Parkland, FL, the 24-year came in from 2 USPHL/NCDC frames, where in 47 games in his 2nd year he had 15 assists.

The 5’8″ 165 lbs. blue liner, who won consecutive NCAA D3 Championships signs a 1st pro deal with Knoxville Ice Bears and will skate SPHL as a rookie 2024/2025.