Undrafted, small 5’9″ 170 lbs. center Jonny Evans(67) is off to a fast start with 2 goals and 3 assists in 3 ECHL games, including 2 multi-point efforts for a slumping South Carolina Stingrays, since signing his first pro contract just barely a week ago upon graduating University Of Connecticut Huskies.
He didn’t have an explosive senior year on the scoresheet, but always brings a consistency and definitely helped his team to their deepest Hockey East run to the Finals this season.
At 24-years old, with 4 years of junior hockey for Powell River Kings, scoring pretty big especially in his last 3 BCHL sessions, he appears ready.
We think he gets a look at a higher level in someone’s training camp come next Fall.
After scoring 7 goals and 6 assists in 11 games, the Delta, BC native decides to stay and re-sign for 2022/2023.
He would grab 9 goals and 21 assists with a +1 rating in 41 games as a rookie.
They want him to return for 2023/2024, so he will don the Stingrays‘ jersey for a 3rd frame.
After a career setting 2nd frame, he scores himself an AHL tryout with parent club, Hartford Wolf Pack, we believe will stick for him 2024/2025.
He is actually passed down to Bloomington Bison, where in 30 games he scores 2 goals and 9 assists and is an easy ask to return for 2025/2026.
University Of North Dakota Fighting Hawks‘ senior assistant captain, center Jake Schmaltz(9) finished up with 6 goals and 10 assists in 38 games with a +2 rating that he took to a 1st contract with Providence Bruins after tournament play concluded.
A Boston Bruins‘ 7th round pick in the 2019 draft (#192 overall), he signed a 1-year 2025/2026 AHL deal with the affiliate for his rookie season, 2025/2026.
He scored a 1st pro goal in his 2nd appearance.
From McFarland, WI, the 6’2″ 185 lbs. forward, 24-year old should catch on.
Colgate University Raiders‘ graduate, captain defenseman Reid Irwin(43) scored a new college best 6 goals and 17 points in 32 games last season, which he took to a 1st pro contract with Wichita Thunder and scored a 1st ECHL goal and assist in 9 games.
The 6’1″ 198 lbs. blue liner decides to sign with Belfast Giants of the EIHL for his official rookie year, 2025/2026.
From Victoria, BC, the 25-year old transferred from 2-years at University Of Denver Pioneers.
He did 3 years of junior hockey.
Providence College Friars‘ graduate center Jamie Engelbert(18) scores 7 goals for a 2nd time in his college career and will take that to a 1st pro contract with the new Bloomington Bison of the ECHL for his rookie season, 2024/2025.
The big 6’4″ 205 lbs. forward should find the net better in his upcoming 1st season.
From Coburg, ON, he played 2 strong frames for local Cobourg Cougars of the OJHL before committing.
The 24-year old is likely ready for the next challenge.
After 2 games and 1 assist with a +1 rating, he finds himself maybe a little fortunately heading to South Carolina Stingrays to complete an earlier trade transaction.
He scores 17 goals and 14 assists in 38 games with a +13 rating and also gets loaned to Manitoba Moose for 3 games to get a 1st AHL goal and a +1 rating.
For 2025/2026 Rockford Icehogs pick him up on their radar and sign him to a 1-year deal.
Alvernia University Golden Wolves‘ senior defenseman Logan vande Meerakker(46) takes a college best 14 goals and 19 assists in 27 games with a +24 rating to a contract for his rookie season, 2024/2025 with Evansville Thunderbolts.
He joined them upon graduation and didn’t register a point in 3 SPHL games, but then popped for 2 goals and 1 assists in 5 playoff matchups with a +1 rating.
The 6′ 209 lbs. solid blue liner from Dieppe, NB should do well in a full frame and it’s possible the 24-year old gets loaned up.
After an outstanding frame, scoring 18 goals and 19 assists in 54 games with a +4 rating, then another 7 points (4-3) in 7 playoff matchups, he will take these numbers over to the NIHL and signs with Swindon Wildcats for 2025/2026.
8th year, big, very big 6’6″ 220 lbs. defenseman Jaycob Megna(24) gets rewarded by parent club San Jose Sharks for signing a minor league deal with their affiliate San Jose Barracuda for the weirdo run that was 2020/2021 with a new 1-year NHL 2-way contract for 2021/2022.
He has played 346 AHL games and 43 in the big league all with draft club Anaheim Ducks, who selected him in the 7th round 2012 (#210 overall).
The 3-year University Of Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks‘ d-man was picked after his rookie season, but did also have a nice lead in with Muskegon Lumberjacks, dishing 17 assists in 55 USHL games.
It looks as though the 28-year old is set to resume his duties as team captain of the farm club, but we’re thinking he may get a look or two up in the show.
Playing his 1st full set of games in the big league, he has skated a new best 48 appearances for 2022/2023, scoring a goal and new best 11 assists with a +6 rating and finds himself traded to a rival, Seattle Kracken to help round out their blue line for a playoff pump.
He plays only 6 games up and is put on waivers to be claimed by Chicago Blackhawks, who throw the big man straight into the lineup and he records an assist in his debut.
Finishing up with a tied for 2nd most games in the big league at 44, and unrestricted free agent, the Plantation, FL native next signs with hometown team, Florida Panthers, where he figures into 8 games en route to a 2025 Stanley Cup trophy.
He signs a 2-year deal with Vegas Golden Knights that looks to be on a one-way value.
Reading Royals 2nd year captain, defenseman Garrett McFadden has decided to take his game to SlovakExtraliga for 2023/2024, signing a 1-year deal with HK Poprad.
He had 6 goals and 35 assists in 71 ECHL games with a +13 rating last season.
The 5’11’ 181 lbs. blue liner skated 5 years in the OHL, 2 as captain of Guelph Storm and even signed an ato with Laval Rocket, grabbing an AHL assist.
He would next head off to a degree program at Acadia University Axemen, where he stayed for the next 4 years.
With 1 goal and 18 assists, he decides to leave for Czech Extraliga, joining HC Energie Karlovy Vary.
He would go to IceHL last season, but he maybe would do quite as well as he wanted and will head to a team, where he will likely be very useful, Belfast Giants for 2025/2026.
University Of New Hampshire Wildcats‘ graduate center Harrison Blaisdell(24) accepts a 1st contract with Fort Wayne Komets for his rookie season, 2024/2025, but as the frame approaches gets shipped to Allen Americans.
The 5’11” 181 lbs. forward had a college high 11 goals last season.
He was a Winnipeg Jets’ 5th round pick in the 2019 draft (#134 overall), but not signed.
From Sheffield, GB, their isn’t a lot of English players selected, but his 2nd BCHL frame for Chilliwack Chiefs with 33 goals and 25 assists put him on radar.
We expect the 25-year old, who initially started school at University Of North Dakota Fighting Hawks for 2 years to do well in the ECHL.
Through 50 games, he scores 4 goals and 6 assists and is asked to return a 2nd year to be an Americans again.
10th year defenseman Joel Hanley(44) re-ups with Dallas Stars for another 2-years potentially putting him on track to 7 years of his pro career with one team.
They are the 1st team to give the 5’11” 190 lbs. blue liner a full-time role in the big league after a couple solid campaigns with affiliate Texas Stars to earn his stripes.
He started his pro career on a minor league deal with Portland Pirates, but after a solid rookie season caught the attention of Montreal Canadiens.
The former UMass Minutemen graduate, who always was good for 10+ assists through his college career next went on to sign with Arizona Coyotes, but was little used.
Even though the 32-year old from Keswick, ON earns just over the league, he still has to have a smile on his face from where he came from.
After 6 years with the same team, he moves on to sign with Calgary Flames after a trade set him up to record a career best 9 points in 53 games with a +12 rating last season to score a new 2-year extension to stay on.
7th year left wing Daniel Ciampini(12) started the season in Czech Extraliga, but failed to connect and split after 8 games with only a single goal and heads to IceHL, joining HC Bolzano for the remainder of 2021/2022.
In 7 games, he has 3 goals and 2 assists.
The 5’11” 185 lbs. forward has played 116 AHL games for 4 different clubs, scoring 13 goals and 18 assists with a +8 rating.
In the ECHL, he’s almost a point-per-game playing with 46 goals and 87 assists in 142 games.
The former Union College, 2014 NCAA Division 1 Champion, was a great scorer, especially as a junior and senior before turning pro with Worcester Sharks.
At 31-years old, he’s likely still just happy to be playing hockey at a high level.
After a decent little frame in Austria, he leaves to sign with Sheffield Steelers, which proves to be great landing ground, as he stays for 3 seasons, signing on 2024/2025, winning the 2024 EIHL Championships and walking away with a career high 34 assists last frame.
He plays a 3rd successful frame scoring in the league, but maybe at 34-years old, he thinks it’s time to move on from the ice, so retires a Steelers.
