Category: Minor League Deal

21Apr

Donte DiPonio (79)

Posted in College Hockey Player, D3, Juniors, Minor League Deal, Transfers | Leave a comment

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.

20Apr

Brock Caufield (12)

Posted in College Hockey Player, Juniors, Minor League Deal | Leave a comment

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.

19Apr

Eric Neiley (59)

Posted in College Hockey Player, Europe, Juniors, Minor League Deal | Leave a comment

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.

13Apr

Patriks Marcinkevics (26)

Posted in College Hockey Player, Juniors, Minor League Deal, Transfers | Leave a comment

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.

10Apr

Keegan Iverson (13)

Posted in College Hockey Player, Juniors, Minor League Deal | Leave a comment

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.

10Apr

Cooper Flinton (20)

Posted in College Hockey Player, Juniors, Minor League Deal, NHL Draft Pick | Leave a comment

Dartmouth University Big Green sophomore left wing Cooper Flinton(20) is a Tampa Bay Lightning 7th round pick in the 2021 draft (#211 overall) and has scored a new college best 9 goals this season, but needs some more helpers to equal last year’s mark.

The 6’2″ 205 lbs. forward only did 1 USHL campaign with Cedar Rapids RoughRiders of juniors with decently efficient scoring.

From Auburn, NH, the 20-year old has kept things fairly close to home, as he’s elevated his hockey to college and looks to be a fairly easy entry level contract sign.

In his junior year, he records a college best 15 assists and the parent club has seen enough to want to sign him to a 2-year NHL deal and he will join affiliate Syracuse Crunch immediately.

09Apr

Evan Buitenhuis (30)

Posted in College Hockey Player, D3, Europe, Juniors, Minor League Deal | Leave a comment

Wichita Thunder circles back to re-sign 4th year goaltender Evan Buitenhuis(30) after a trade sent him over for most of 2020/2021.

In 21 ECHL starts he went a career best 15-5-1 with a 2.19 GAA and .937 SV%, also league lows.

The 6’2″ 185 lbs. graduate of NCAA Division 3 Hamilton College signed a pair of AHL contracts, but not played any games.

Instead he was reassigned almost immediately upon his rookie season deal with Bridgeport Islanders (Sound Tigers) to affiliate Worcester Railers, where he played 28 games with good numbers.

For his sophomore frame, he simply just agreed to stick with the Central Massachusetts’ club and was credited with a new high 39 games in the cage.

He won the 2014 OJHL Championship with stellar numbers, 1.84 GAA and .943 SV% in his last year of junior hockey for the Burlington, ON native.

The 28-year old will likely see a lot of action in 2021/2022 and could also see his best totals.

He was definitely seeing a lot of time in the crease, playing a 2nd high 31 games recording a 11-15-4 mark with a 2.92 GAA and .919 SV%, which was decently in line where he was last season, but the team had sunk to last place, so have decided to cut ties and go with more youth in the cage for the time being.

The Burlington, ON native has decided to spread his wings and leaves for Storhamar of Fjordkraftligaen.

He returns to Kansas for a 3rd go at net after a good enough, but maybe brief showing in Norway.

After spending a couple of years in US minor league hockey, he is ready to move back overseas for hopefully a more extended run, signing for 2023/2024 with HC Innsbruck of IceHL.

We expect to see good things happen for the still only 29-year old in Austria’s top league.

Well, he does ok in his new league and is off to something better, signing with Jukurit of Liiga.

After a fairly solid performance with maybe not a winning record, he is wanted to return and re-signs to stay Jukurit.

We are sure, he is a fan favorite.

08Apr

Cody Kunyk (37)

Posted in College Hockey Player, Europe, Free Agent Signing, Juniors, Minor League Deal | Leave a comment

9th year center Cody Kunyk(37) returns to Karpat after a year away in the KHL that actually grabbed hold scoring come playoff time for Barys Nur-Sultan.

The undrafted 5’11” 194 lbs. forward has skated 5 seasons in Liiga, Finland’s top hockey and tossed off a league best 39 assists in 2019/2020.

He signed a 1-year entry level deal as an unrestricted free agent with Tampa Bay Lightning upon graduating University Of Alaska-Fairbanks Nanooks with 20+ goals and assists as a senior and even played 1 NHL game fresh out of school.

The Sherwood Park, AB native skated the AHL his rookie season for affiliate Syracuse Crunch, but left for Denmark’s Metal Ligaen in the next session, running up decent points for Gentofte Stars.

At 32-years old, he still seems to be connecting and is wanted for what he brings, so there’s little reason to put down the skates.

He would move along after a 5th strong year playing Finnish hockey to Germany and signed with Lowen Frankfort in 2023/2024, where he would come away with a pro best 17 goals and some decent point totals, but signs with rivals Augsburger Panther for 2024/2025 and should have continued success.

After a successful 1st season with the team, he re-signs to return a Panther for 2025/2026.