Category: Minor League Deal

19Jul

Wilmer Skoog (32)

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Boston University Terriers‘ defacto leader, Swedish-born center Wilmer Skoog(32) signs a 2-year AHL with Charlotte Checkers that fully has parent club, Florida Panthers playing puppet master.

The 6’2″ 196 lbs. forward scored a college best 16 goals and 31 points last season with a +13 rating that saw him ride the wave to the Final Four.

He did his 1st year of college hockey coming out of a scoring spree in his 2nd NAHL frame for Maryland Black Bears, potting 16 goals and 18 assists in 24 games, committing and getting 5 goals and 2 assists in 17 games for his new college team with a +1 rating.

The Stockholm-born pivot played 10 games in tier 3 Hockeyettan for VIK Vasteras HK with no points.

At 23-years old, he has to be pretty happy with his arrangement moving forward.

In his rookie season with affiliate he scores 22 goals and 9 assists in 49 games with a +3 rating, heading into the playoffs to net himself a 1-year 2-way NHL deal for 2024/2025.

He continues decent play in his 2nd frame, but comes alive even more in the playoffs for 7 points (4 goals, 3 assists) in 18 games with a +5 rating.

His good play keeps him in the fold for another season in a Panthers‘ jersey 2025/2026.

He plays a new high 61 games, scoring bests 18 goals and 19 assists to earn himself a 1st recall and in 3 games, all wins has 2 NHL assists and is a +3 rating.

An unrestricted free agent, he signs with Detroit Red Wings for 2026/2027.

19Jul

Eduards Tralmaks (34)

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Providence Bruins‘ undrafted rookie Latvian-born forward Eduards Tralmaks(34) scored his first pro goal in the first period of his AHL debut.

He spent 4 years at University Of Maine as a fairly consistent scorer grabbing 39 goals and 43 assists in 119 NCAA games with a solid +22 rating.

Arriving as a 14-year old, he got right to the stat sheet in 3 sessions of youth hockey before starting his 1st campaign for the Boston Bandits (now Bridgewater Jr. Bandits) of the EHL, where once again he ran up scoring totals and was scouted by the college and sent to the USHL Chicago Steel.

There he won the 2017 Clark Cup Championship and was named MVP before arriving at school the following year.

At 6’4″ 209 lbs. he’s a big power forward, great around the net, who may get himself a look from an NHL club to see if he has what it takes to make the next step up.

The 24-year old accomplished 2 goals and 2 assists in 8 games with a +1 rating in his pro debut.

It looks as though he is set to return to Rhode Island for a rookie season, as he is fully in training camp with parent club, Boston Bruins.

After 2 seasons of decent enough scoring, he decides to move on and signs a 1-year deal with Rytiri Kladno and will skate the very decent level of game in Czechia Extraliga.

He scores 21 goals and 11 assists in 52 games, but is a horrible -20 rating, yet is wanted to return to Kladne crew for 2024/2025.

In 2 years, he proves there’s no doubt he can put up big points, 23 goals and 28 assists in 48 games last season to score a new deal with Detroit Red Wings for 1-year on a 2-way contract that will see him at least 1st with affiliate Grand Rapids Griffins, where we expect him to do well.

Through 64 games, he scores a new best 26 goals and 16 assists with a +29 rating that catches the attention of Edmonton Oilers, who sign him up on a 1-year deal for 2026/2027.

18Jul

Ryan Schmelzer (26)

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Undrafted 4th year center Ryan Schmelzer(26) signs a new 1-year AHL deal with Utica Comets for 2021/2022 after spending the last three seasons skating for Binghamton Devils.

In 133 games he wracked up 23 goals and 32 assists.

The former four-year Canisius College Golden Griffiths standout got 40 goals and 66 assists in 143 NCAA Atlantic Hockey games with a quite massive +43.

Almost oddly, the Buffalo, NY native skated all his junior hockey at home for Buffalo Jr. Sabres in the Canadian OJHL and was a point per game player.

The 6’2″ 187 lbs. forward should be right at home playing his style for a new club, seeing as his team from New York went belly up after 2020/2021.

In 2021/2022, he becomes team captain and posts a new career best 18 goals and 32 points with a +6 rating, then comes away with another 2 points in 5 playoff games gets him a new deal to stay and keep grabbing points.

The word determination is definitely in his vocabulary, as he records a career high 29 assists and 35 points in his 2nd frame with the team and then goes on last season to score another 18 goals, adds new best 34 assists and 52 points with a +14 rating to earn himself a 2-year NHL deal with parent club, New Jersey Devils.

Considering he has been their captain for the last 5 years, they play on adding a 6th to his Comets‘ portfolio.

18Jul

Jacob McDonald (23)

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Jacob-McDonald

Binghamton Devils‘ undrafted 3rd year defenseman Jacob McDonald(23) is having some kind of career year with 12 goals and 20 assists in 42 AHL games.

His tallies are first in the league for his position and 2nd overall in points.

He’s in the 2nd year of a two-year deal with the team, signed near the end of 2016/2017 after a mid-season loan up from Toledo Walleye of the ECHL that obviously stuck.

The 6′ 208 lbs. d-man was chosen to be in the 2018 AHL All Star game and had a solid showing with an impressive tricky shoot out goal that should easily put him on the radar of an NHL team.

A former Waterloo Blackhawks standout before heading to four years at Cornell University there’s little doubt he’s starting to blossom, big.

At 24-years old he’s definitely on track for a 2-year entry level contract.

Not bad for a player who started as a rookie with a season for the ill-fated Elmira Jackals.

He would score his 1st NHL deal the following season and played full campaigns at least 3 times.

For 2026/2027, the now 33-year old gets a 1-year deal from Washington Capitals.

18Jul

Logan Britt (29)

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University Of North Dakota Fighting Hawks‘ graduate defenseman Logan Britt(29) had a college career best 7 goals last season.

He came over to likely prove his game even further from a pair of years at Sacred Heart University Pioneers that followed 2 with Quinnipiac University Bobcats.

The 6’2″ 190 lbs. forward played a full docket of games in each frame and had 18 assists as a junior, playing Atlantic Hockey.

From Crystal Lake, IL, he signs with Greenville Swamp Rabbits and got 1 assist in 5 games and equaled his mark in the playoffs, as they push.

Sort of a no-brainer to bring him back for his rookie season, 2024/2025 in a Rabbits‘ jersey.

Just before the new season starts, he finds himself involved in a trade that sends him to Reading Royals, where he should continue to do ECHL well.

Signed with Orlando Solar Bears for 2025/2026 and scored a new best 18 assists, 20 points.

For 2026/2027, he decides to leave and signs in the IceHL with Pioneers Vorarlberg.

16Jul

Nick Rheaume (26)

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Northeastern University Huskies‘ junior left wing Nick Rheaume(26) transferred from UMASS-Lowell Riverhawks, where he had a college best 9 goals and 4 assists last season and has 1 goal and 1 assist in 5 games in the current frame.

The 6’3″ 195 lbs. forward did 2 BCHL seasons, scoring really well in his 2nd after attending Cushing Academy USHS-Prep.

From Sherbrooke, QC, the 22-year old continues to play Hockey East.

Undrafted, he decides to leave a year on the table to sign with Toronto Marlies for his rookie frame, 2025/2026.

He would spend the entire season with affiliate Cincinnati Cyclones, scoring pretty nicely, but as a free agent able to sign anywhere for 2026/2027 and Iowa Wild agree to terms with him.

16Jul

Aidan McDonough (25)

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Vancouver Canucks‘ 7th round pick in the 2019 draft (#195 overall), senior left wing Aidan McDonough(25) signs his 2-year entry level deal after finishing up 4 years at Northeastern University Huskies, including his last as team captain, scoring 1 point off his junior career high with a college best 18 assists, 39 points (25 goals, 14 assists).

He could join the parent club immediately.

The 6’3″ 190 lbs. is big on his skates and plays an effective power forward style.

In the only year of USHL junior hockey he skated, he scored 21 goals and 21 assists for Cedar Rapids Roughriders.

The 23-year old from Milton, MA has a bright future ahead of him and we bet he’ll be playing for it.

He does join the big league immediately with 6 games and gets a 1st NHL goal, but is reassigned for his entire rookie frame to affiliate Abbotsford Canucks, scoring 11 goals and 8 assists with a +2 rating.

Almost oddly maybe, he isn’t given a qualifying offer and signs an AHL deal for 2024/2025 with Charlotte Checkers that should heed great results.

He is a point-per-game player with his new club, but is a free agent and signs for 1-year with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, where we think he will play under the parent’s club radar.

In 65 games, he scores 23 goals and 21 assists with a +18 rating, then adds another 8 points in the playoffs.

Buffalo Sabres are paying attention and sign him to a 1-year 2-way contract for 2026/2027 that we think could score a recall.

16Jul

Drew Kuzma (20)

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Lindenwood University Lions‘ senior captain, left wing Drew Kuzma(20) wasn’t the biggest college hockey scorer, doing best as a sophomore with 4 goals and 6 assists in 25 games.

Upon completion of the indie tournament, the big 6’6″ 218 lbs. forward signs a 1st pro deal with Greensboro Gargoyles.

From St. Albert, AB, the 23-year old did his juniors in the SJHL before college and has scored 5 goals and 3 assists in 13 ECHL games with a +1 on a non-playoff team.

He will need a new deal for 2026/2027.

His play grabs the attention of Iowa Wild, who sign him to a 1-year AHL deal.

15Jul

Allan McPherson (9)

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8th year, undrafted center Allan McPherson(9) wins his 1st league title, the 2021 Slovakian Extraliga Championship, recording a Playoffs Most Points nod for the 20 he got with HKM Zvolen to a new league contract with rivals HC Kosice for 2021/2022.

He averaged 10+ goals and 15+ assists through 150 NCAA Division 1 Atlantic Hockey games with Clarkson University Golden Knights and was a point-per-game guy in three years of the CCHL.

The 5’10” 185 lbs. forward was also scored big in the ECHL with 134 points through 128 games with a +35 rating.

He’s easily as prolific where he currently is and there’s little doubt the 30-year old will not be for his new club.

Well, he is taking 4 seasons of putting away points for Hannover Scorpions, twice as captain for the Germany3 team and as a 35-year old will take it up a notch to skate with EC Bad Nauheim of DEL2 in 2026/2027.

15Jul

Aiden Hansen-Bukata (29)

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Ohio State University Buckeyes‘ graduate defenseman Aiden Hansen-Bukata(29) had a 3rd straight season of outstanding assists that captured the eye of Syracuse Crunch upon finishing up tournament play.

The 6’1″ 194 lbs. forward signs for his rookie season with Utah Grizzlies.

From Vancouver, BC, we see the former 4-year RIT Tigers‘ 24-year old as getting loaned up and may stick.

As a rookie, he posts a massive 40 assists campaign and even gets a helper on loan to Colorado Eagles.

For 2026/2027, he signs overseas with Nottingham Panthers of the EIHL.