Category: Minor League Deal

15May

Mark Zengerle (89)

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9th year center Mark Zengerle(89) wins a pair of DEL Championships with Eisbaren Berlin and leaves for a new opportunity with rival Straubing Tigers.

It will be his 5th season in the league.

The University Of Wisconsin Badgers‘ forward scored 34 assists and 44 points in 37 NCAA Division 1 games as a senior.

He has never had an NHL contract and played 4 AHL seasons with one short stop in Sweden’s SHL before leaving for his half birth nation to continue his game.

The 33-year old from Rochester, NY must have a nice smile on his face playing in Germany.

He’s been with the same club for 2 years and by his previous marks, he needs to sign with a 4th team on that soil and takes a new country best 15 goals and will skate with Augsburger Panther 2024/2025.

14May

JJ Piccinich (14)

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5th year right wing JJ Piccinich(14) decides it’s time to look outside the box, signing a 1-year deal with Belfast Giants for 2021/2022.

The Paramus, NJ native had an interesting path to turning pro.

Originally a Toronto Maple Leafs‘ 4th round pick in the 2010 draft (#105 overall), he only ever signed with their affiliate Toronto Marlies.

He would next sign to San Antonio Rampage, but was reassigned mostly to affiliate Tulsa Oilers, where he popped in a massive 42 assists.

The 6′ 190 lbs. forward also had a pair of amazing sessions for London Knights, including his 2nd as team captain, scoring 138 points (56-82) in 132 games.

This followed up just a single season at Boston University Terriers.

The 25-year old will bring some good winning to his new club: 2016 Memorial Cup, 2016 OHL Championship and 2019 ECHL Kelly Cup with Newfoundland Growlers.

It’s almost as if he can’t stop winning titles, as his Ireland lands the 2022 EIHL Championship and he ends a career scoring season with a league most goals, assists, points, plus/minus and forward of the year award.

He’s decided to up and leave and try something different though, signing in Norway with Stjernen Hockey.

As he posted a 25 goal and 40 assist frame in 45 games with his new club and has gone on to include an assist in one playoff match, the almost point-per-game Youngstown Phantoms re-signs to stay.

In roughly 90 games, he amasses 110 points and decides to head back to England with the Giants to explode more scoring and look for a title.

11May

Riese Gaber (14)

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University Of North Dakota Fighting Hawks‘ senior, captain 20-goal scorer, right wing Riese Gaber(11) signs a 2-year AHL deal with Charlotte Checkers, beginning 2024/2025.

From Gilbert Plains, MB, the 5’9″ 170 lbs. forward plays 2 MJHL seasons winning a championship before coming down to blow up USHL scoring to become the league’s player of the year with Dubuque Fighting Saints in his 2nd frame with the team.

The 24-year old was supposed to connect with the team, but they have been since bumped from playoff action.

10May

Ryan Dmowski (16)

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Undrafted 3rd year, left wing Ryan Dmowski(16) leaves a pair of years and 10 games on an ato with Hartford Wolf Pack for a new contract with South Carolina Stingrays in 2021/2022.

The 6′ 206 lbs. forward played 31 AHL games with the team as a rookie, netting 4 goals and 2 assists, but figured in only 5 appearances last season for no points.

He’s never been the biggest point-getter, but did connect big in his one year of junior hockey with Des Moines Buccaneers for 23 goals and 16 assists, then as a senior at UMass-Lowell Riverhawks, potted 14 goals and 9 assists in 37 Hockey East games.

The 24-year old should do really well in the ECHL.

Traded to Idaho Steelheads, in his 2nd game with his new team, scored an outstanding 5 goals and an assist to greet the fans in Boise.

He is easily having a career year for himself.

After point-per-game numbers in the lower league, he scores a 23 loan up to Hershey Bears, where he grabs 7 goals and 3 assists in 23 games.

This showing is good enough for Texas Stars to step in and offer him a 1-year deal for 2022/2023.

He was shuttled for the entire season to the affiliate, where he scored big, but got no looks.

Looked to make sense for him to push off and he next signs in the tough to play Tipos Extraliga, joining HK Poprad, as assistant captain and scoring a Slovakian league high 30 goals.

The East Lyme, CT native will head to Czechia Extraliga, where he signs with Mountfield HK and we expect results to be again on another level.

We think we are spotting something here, but want to mostly enjoy watching the ride.

10May

Owen Fowler (16)

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UMASS-Lowell Riverhawks‘ sophomore left wing Owen Fowler(16) took last season off, as he informed the team of his imminent transfer to Hockey East foe University Of Maine Black Bears.

Seemed a little old school school switch-up model, but he saw it through and will skate just north in 2024/2025.

The 5’10” 190 lbs. forward was selected from his youth team before heading to the USHL, where he spent a couple of seasons before college.

He had 5 goals and 7 assists in 33 games as a freshman and we feel he will have something to prove, when he returns.

From Tewksbury, MA, the 21-year old hits the restart button.

08May

Haralds Egle (49)

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Manitoba Moose undrafted, rookie, Latvian-born right wing Haralds Egle(49) has a pair of goals in 17 AHL contests, and he scored those goals in successive outings, his 9th and 10th games.

The solid 5’10” 194 lbs. forward started the season on loan to DVTK Jegesmedvek of the Slovakian League and he lit it up scoring 6 goals and 11 assists in 18 appearances.

He also had solid numbers through four years at Clarkson University Golden Knights with a total of 44 goals and 61 assists in 135 NCAA ECAC Division 1 contests and a +19 rating.

Coming over early to play junior hockey he started in a pay for league but burst that bubble in a single showing and quickly was placed on Muskegon Lumberjacks, where he stay for one campaign before taking up with Madison Capitals and started to strike the stat sheet.

He split his next frame where he was before being traded to Chicago Steel running up some 30 assists to get him notice by his college of choice.

The 24-year is pretty likely to find better footing as he continues to play more.

He takes a very decent showing, scoring 5 goals and 9 assists in 30 games with a +10 rating to a new journey, signing with SC Langenthal of Swiss League for 2022/2023.

Through 41 games, he blows up scoring to the tune of 14 goals and 37 assists with a +7 rating and will take those totals to a much better hockey in 2023/2024, agreeing to terms with HK 32 Liptovsky Mikulas of Slovak Extraliga.

He finds luck in the tough to play Slovakian hockey league, scoring 11 goals and 28 assists in 49 games, then adds another 4 points in the playoffs.

For 2024/2025, he signs with rivals HC Slovan Bratislava, where we think he will find a lot of success.

Beginning of the season, he is doing well with 5 goals and 5 assists in 17 games, but finds himself returning to HK 32 Liptovsky Mikulas.

He continues to do ok, but has decided he wants a new challenge and HC Energie Karlovy Vary of Czech Extraliga  for 2025/2026.

08May

Donovan Villeneuve-Houle (96)

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University Of Maine Black Bears‘ senior right wing Donovan Villeneuve-Houle(96) signs an ato with San Jose Barracuda to get his pro career going.

The 6’1″ 195 lbs. had a college best 15 assists and 24 points last season.

He grabbed a 1st AHL assist in his 2 of 3 games played thus far.

The Montreal, QC native did a pair of SJHL junior seasons for Flin Flon Bombers before heading to school.

At 24-years old, he absolutely ready and signs a deal for 2024/2025.

07May

Brett Lockhart (18)

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Plymouth State University Panthers‘ senior defenseman Brett Lockhart(18) signs a 1st pro contract with Port Huron Prowlers of the FPHL and has 1 goal in 5 games, and no points in 3 playoff games, as he wraps up his 1st foray into being a pro.

The 6’1″ 181 lbs. blue liner scored a college best 11 assists and 11 points last season with a +17 rating in 27 games.

He played no junior hockey, heading straight to college from Tilton School USHS-Prep.

We shall see where the 23-year old from Braintree, MA signs next, but has himself a nice start.

05May

Liam Dennison (22)

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Merrimack College Warriors‘ graduate defenseman Liam Dennison(8) played a college high 35 games with 2 goals and 7 assists for 9 points and takes it to a 1st pro contract with Utah Grizzlies, who were just bounced from their postseason bid.

He played 7 ECHL games with no points and a -4 rating.

The small 5’9″ 172 lbs. d-man played 2 USHL seasons with Youngstown Phantoms, scoring a junior best 4 goals and 21 assists with a +5 in his 2nd frame.

From Manotick, ON, the 25-year may sign where he is or look elsewhere as a future rookie.

03May

Peter Muzyka (2)

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Long Island University Sharks‘ extra large 6’3″ 220 lbs. graduate defenseman Peter Muzyka(2) played only 6 games at Cornell University Big Red through 3 years of attending the school.

The Toronto, ON native had strong junior play in the OJHL with North York Rangers before committing to school.

He also skated 7 NAHL games in 2020/2021, as his team was COVID dormant.

The 23-year old may not put up many points, but we think his on ice accountability should make up for it, playing the independent schedule the team does.

Notching his 1st points, 2 assists in 35 games with a +2 rating, he agrees to terms with Rapid City Rush and all bets are on his produces some points in the ECHL.

Through 12 games to finish up the regular season, he gets another 2 assists as a pro, but will now need a new contract moving forward.