10th year center Rylan Schwartz(13) helped his club Lowen Frankfurt win the 2022 DEL2 Championship with 14 points (6 goals, 8 assists) in 12 playoff games, and for his efforts earns a promotion up to their DEL team.
This will be his 7th year playing in either of Germany’s top leagues.
The 5’10” 192 lbs. forward left after a particularly good season for Orlando Solar Bears, scoring 23 goals and 19 assists in 40 ECHL games.
As an unrestricted free agent, graduating top scorer at Colorado College Tigers, he signed a 2-year entry deal with San Jose Sharks.
The 32-year old, who calls where he plays his half birth home, is likely pretty happy to be still playing good hockey.
For 2023/2024, he will stay on for a 3rd campaign with his champion club.
He would move down to DEL2 and signs with EC Kassel Huskies and does ok, especially in the playoffs.
At 34-years old, he is heading out for a new kind of hockey in the EIHL and signs with Glasgow Clan for 2024/2025.
After four solid seasons at Union College, scoring a collegiate career best 20 assists and 29 points in a COVID stopped 2019/2020, undrafted right wing Anthony Rinaldi(8) signed his first pro career with Kansas City Mavericks but after just 5 ECHL games with no points found the mix just didn’t fit and was traded to Greenville Swamp Rabbits.
The 6′ 188 lbs. forward has found his nitch with the new club, scoring 6 goals and 5 assists in 30 games with a +2 as a rookie.
We think the 25-year old native of Pierrefonds, QC can put up numbers like he did in two years of juniors, first in the BCHL (22-16-38), then the OJHL (38-35-72) for Kingston Voyageurs as assistant captain.
Coming off a rookie campaign scoring 7 goals and 6 assists in 43 games with a +1 rating looks like numbers that can be increased thinks Greenville Swamp Rabbits, who re-ups him for a 2nd, full 2021/2022.
After a 2nd solid frame in the league, he decided to leave for an opportunity to sign for 1-year with Les Jokers De Cergy Pontoise of Ligue Magnus for 2022/2023 and recorded 10 goals and 10 assists in 33 games, then added 7 points in 8 playoff matchups.
He’s moving over for 2023/2024 to the EIHL and agrees to terms with Dundee Stars, which should see him produce well.
After a first good season overseas, scoring a tidy 16 goals and 21 assists, he will take his game next to Germany3, where he signs with Tilburg Trappers for 2024/2025.
Undrafted defenseman Ryan Wheeler(6) signs fairly quickly after his college team, University Of Connecticut Huskies was eliminated from their deepest career run in Hockey East tournament history.
The 6′ 190 lbs. blue liner had a modest best tying his 2 goals and 4 assists, but elevating to a new high points of 6 in his senior year with a handy +4 rating.
He signs to play out 2021/2022 with Iowa Heartlanders and in his ECHL debut he notched a point, an assist.
The 24-year old Lancaster, NY, twice New Jersey Titans‘ d-man of 20+ points should be able to play a good game, if he can get on a decent enough team.
He was on for his rookie run 2022/2023, scored 1 goal and 10 assists in 59 games, but was released and sign by Cincinnati Cyclones to finish off the frame.
For 2023/2024, he’s setting new sights and signs a 1-year minor league deal with Adirondack Thunder, bringing him maybe a little closer to home.
After 61 games, getting 10 goals and 12 assists with a -1 rating, he skates 17 playoff matchups, scoring 4 goals and 1 assists with a +2 and he will re-sign to stay in a Thunder sweater, 2024/2025.
5th year center Myles Powell(17) helps his team HV71 win the 2022 HockeyAllsvenskan Championship with a nice job, 3 goals and 10 assists in 15 games and earns an SHL promotion, but in the process jumps ship and signs to rival IK Oskarshamn for 2022/2023.
The 5’9″ 181 lbs. forward, former R.I.T. Tigers‘ captain scored 13 goals and 26 assists as a senior before heading to Rochester Americans and affiliate Cincinnati Cyclones to start his pro career.
He stayed there for his rookie season not connecting in the AHL, but was a point-per-game guy in the ECHL.
The Comox, BC native bounced around the minors for the next two years before heading overseas.
At 27-years old he’s still elevating his game.
He scores 9 goals and 6 assists in 50 games, but will head back to the lower league in Sweden to take up with IF Bjorkloven for 2023/2024.
In 41 games, scoring 20 goals and 23 assists is very good, so he will next take his game to DEL, where he signs with ERC Ingolstadt for 2024/2025.
Worcester Railers signed Long Island University Sharks‘ graduate left wing Adam Goodsir(18) after he finished up his only season there at the independent school, scoring by miles a new college best 15 goals and 19 assists in 35 games.
The 6′ 194 lbs. forward is off to a good ECHL start scoring 4 assists in 3 games.
He committed to his first school, Michigan State University Spartans after his 2nd USHL season as captain for Tri-City Storm.
His decent size makes the 24-year old from Okemos, MI one to watch.
After posting 5 assists and generally just looking like he belongs out there, he signs with the Railers for his rookie year in 2023/2024.
He actually gets moved in a future considerations deal with Iowa Heartlanders and they will be the team he skates for this season.
Through 53 games, he scores 4 goals and 9 assists with a not so great plus/minus, but he’s a got fit and asked to return for 2024/2025 and wear the Heartlanders‘ colors.
Rookie left wing Jack Olmstead(9) blew up scoring in Finland’s Division 2 for Amals SK to the tune of 28 goals and 29 assists in 27 games played and wants to return close to home late season, signing with Kalamazoo Wings for their playoff run.
The 5’10” 181 lbs. forward played 3 years at Miami University (Ohio) Redhawks, but wasn’t really a big scorer and that came after 2 years of little use with University Of Michigan Wolverines.
From Troy, MI, the 25-year old only did 1 NAHL season, popping the scoring for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights for 23 goals and 30 assists.
We are interested to see if his scoring can extend into the ECHL, but we suspect he’ll connect.
He doesn’t much connect in his time back and looks to an opportunity in Germany3 with EC Bad Tolz for 2024/2025.
After a 5th year, serving as captain of Colorado College Tigers‘, showcasing a 3rd 10+ point season defenseman Bryan Yoon(4) signs a 1st pro deal with Utah Grizzlies for 2023/2024.
The 6’1″ 180 lbs. blue liner pulled off back-to-back 60 game USHL seasons for Tri-City Storm with his 32 assists, doubling what he did in his 1st year.
A native of Parker, CO, he also had an equally impressive 1 BCHL frame with 27 assists.
The 25-year old is likely ready to get started in the ECHL.
He pulls off 3 goals and 14 assists in 35 games with a +11 rating to earn a loan up to Hartford Wolf Pack, where he signs a 1-year AHL deal for 2023/2024 to stay.
In 18 games, he grabs 2 goals and is a +1 skater, but elects to head home and signs with Colorado Eagles for 2024/2025, but could see playing time with affiliate Utah Grizzlies too.
Former AIC captain, undrafted defenseman Brennan Kapcheck(5) graduates and signs and 2-year AHL deal with Toronto Marlies to get his pro career started.
The small 5’9″ 170 lbs. defenseman is very mobile and knows how to move and head man the puck.
He may have failed to tally a goal in this last frame but did put up 18 assists, which basically gave him an average of 20 helpers per season throughout his college career with a combined +41 rating.
The Illinois native can also score goals, as he did in his second session with Aston Rebels of the NAHL, where he struck for 17 goals and left the program with a huge +59.
There’s a lot of upside to this young signing, who should be able to contribute positively right away.
To start 2023/2024, he started in Slovakia Extraliga with HKM Zvolen, but through 10 games only recorded 1 assist and returns under contract to the only ECHL team he has played games for, Newfoundland Growlers, where he had 25 assists last season.
After 34 games, the team collapses and he waits to sign his next contract.
The new Tahoe Knight Monsters sign him up for 2024/2025.
10th year defenseman Andrew MacWilliam(4) switched up 2 years in DEL skating for EHC Munchen to signing with EC Salzburg for 2022/2023.
In 15 IceHL games, he has a goal and 3 assists with a +6 rating.
The fairly big 6’2″ 223 lbs. blue liner has 413 AHL games to his credit, scoring 9 goals and 53 assists with a +6 rating.
He has also played 12 NHL games with a draft team Toronto Maple Leafs (7th round, 2008, #188 overall), recording 2 assists.
A University Of North Dakota Fighting Hawks‘ graduate, he may have not put up a lot of points, but left school a +37 player.
The 32-year old from Calgary, AB may just be starting a new chapter.
After just one year away from Germany, he missed it and returns to sign on for a 3rd frame with the Red Bull Munchen boys.
Finishing up with his team of mostly the last few seasons, he heads to his 3rd overseas league, EIHL and agrees to terms with Cardiff Devils, which should equal a good late career move.
Niagara University Purple Eagles‘ senior center Jason Pineo(34) finishes up Atlantic Hockey play and signs a 1st pro deal with Wichita Thunder, a team fighting for their playoff existence.
The 6’2″ 201 lbs. forward had his best college season last year with 9 goals and 13 assists in 40 games.
He had 2 solid frames in juniors and won the 2019 OJHL Championship with Oakville Blades, scoring point-per-game numbers in the playoffs.
In 11 ECHL games, the 25 year old from Toronto, ON has 2 goals and 3 assists.
He should do ok in this league if he decides to stay and try to play himself up.
Through 71 games, he scores 13 goals and 14 assists, but is a -10, which hurts a little, but not bad for a rookie.
For 2024/2025, he splits for Erste Liga and signs with DVTK Jegesmedvek and we do look for him to do well here.
