Canisius College Golden Griffins‘ graduate right wing Erik Urbank(24) wastes no time signing with Pensacola Ice Flyers, as soon as his team was bounced from Atlantic Hockey play and scores an assist in his SPHL debut.
The 6’2″ 195 lbs. forward transferred from Dartmouth College Big Green, as a senior and his game immediately seemed to step it up.
From Orchard Park, NY, the 23-year old 1st went to the OJHL with great results, then switched into a year of the USHL before school.
Mercyhurst University Lakers‘ graduate captain left wing Rylee St. Onge(37) will switch things up in Atlantic Hockey for a graduate year, heading through the transfer portal to newly restarted Robert Morris University Colonials for 2023/2024.
The 5’11” 196 lbs. forward spent an extraordinary 5 years in junior hockey, initially playing 3 in the close by OJHL mostly for Markham Royals before coming to the US for successful NAHL and USHL sessions with Corpus Christi Ice Rays and Des Moines Buccaneers, then committing to University Of Alaska-Anchorage Seawolves.
He’s had his best frame as a junior, scoring 15 goals and 8 assists in 36 games.
At 25-years old, we do look for the St. Catherines, ON native to connect better at his new school.
He would score a pretty nice 11 goals and 9 assists in 38 games and takes it to a 1st pro contract with Rapid City Rush.
We think he finds footing in the ECHL.
Canisius College Golden Griffins‘ senior left wing Max Kouznetsov(72) takes a college best 15 assists and tied 23 points as a sophomore to a 1st pro contract with Reading Royals.
In 3 ECHL games, he already has a 1st assist.
The 5’11” 174 lbs. forward was outstanding in his 2nd junior hockey NAHL season with Johnstown Tomahawks, scoring 15 goals and 34 assists in 45 games with a +23 rating.
From Vorhees, NJ, the 23-year old split US/Russia nationality should do pretty well once he settles with a team.
Harvard University Crimson senior defenseman Ryan Siedem(22) adds on another year, another challenge, as he joins University Of Notre Dame Fighting Irish for a graduate frame in 2023/2024.
The undrafted 6’2″ 192 lbs. blue liner was smart about his college hockey, as he elected to return to the USHL and sign with Fargo Force, as his college team elected to sit the COVID season out, along with all of the ECAC.
From Madison, NJ, the 22-year old will make space for himself in Big Ten hockey and will likely post a 3rd 15+ assist season.
He ties his 3 goal mark and the 17 assist high set as a sophomore to sign a 1st pro deal, a 2-year AHL deal with Hartford Wolf Pack for 2024/2025, but will start immediately on an ato for the remainder of this run.
Long Island University Lakers‘ senior right wing Jordan Timmons(7) scored a college career high 8 assists and 16 points with a +3 rating through a new best 29 games.
He takes those numbers to a 1st pro ECHL contract with Idaho Steelheads to finish out 2021/2022.
In his debut, only 4 days after his last college game, he grabbed a pair of assists in a 7-4 win.
The very solid 6’2″ 225 lbs. forward had an interesting trek through college, starting with a pair of years at University Of Connecticut Huskies before entering the transfer portal to play a season at Robert Morris University Colonials before they decided to suspend their program and he wound in LI.
As a youngster, the Bridgeville, PA native played in the Pittsburgh Penguins’ Elite system growing up, then had a breakout scoring 2nd campaign tallying 24 for Cedar Rapids RoughRiders before college.
The 23-year old should do well for himself.
He would finish his ato scoring a goal and those 2 assists in 6 games and they like what they see, so sign him to a 1-year deal for 2022/2023, where his game may just open up big.
Seems like he’s still struggling to find his space, but Greenville Swamp Rabbits see something they may be able to use and we’re thinking they work to park him in front of opposing nets for chances and goals.
He finds himself only part of 16 games and is finally released to be claimed by Fayetteville Marksmen, where he should really find his footing in the SPHL.
University Of Alaska-Fairbanks Nanooks‘ graduate left wing Jonny Sorenson(4) has 4 goals and 2 assists in 10 games so far this season, but still has a ways to go to equal his 10 goals and 18 assists he set as a senior.
The 6’1″ 185 lbs. plays a power forward style and transferred after 3 years at University Of Minnesota Golden Gophers.
He also did his only session of NAHL junior hockey with Fairbanks Ice Dogs, so is familiar where he was going.
From St. Louis Park, MN, the 24-year looks pretty comfortable with his college club.
He completes his 5th year at school as team captain and signs with Iowa Heartlanders, where he pocketed a 1st ECHL point, an assist in his debut.
6th year center Kevin Roy(12) signs for 2021/2022 with Laval Rocket.
It’s his 2nd contract in the league, as he skated for Tuscon Roadrunners, getting 11 goals and 19 assists in 35 AHL games last season.
Originally an Anaheim Ducks‘ 4th round pick in the 2012 draft (#97 overall), he played for 3 years on 2 contracts in their system and appeared in 28 NHL games over a pair of years, scoring 6 goals and an assist.
The 5’9″ 172 lbs. forward has 56 goals and 97 assists through 218 games in the farm league.
In his one campaign of junior hockey for Lincoln Stars, he got voted USHL Player Of The Year, Most Points, Most Goals, Most Assists, Best Plus/Minus and Forward Of The Year with his 54 goals and 50 assists in 59 games.
He was easily set to go to Northeastern University Huskies, where he twice struck for 19 goals and averaged 26 assists as a sophomore then junior before being named team captain as a senior.
The 28-year old should put up good numbers for his Montreal Canadiens‘ affiliate club and may even spark some notice.
After a very solid frame in Quebec, scoring 13 goals and 20 assists, he decides to split for Sweden, joining Brynas IF of the SHL late, but after 6 games with little pop, leaves for Liiga, and signs with HIFK.
Only getting 1 goal and 5 assists in 19 games, has him looking for a good next stop and he has found it, signing with HC Innsbruck of IceHL f0r 2023/2024.
He posts an almost silly 25 goals and 33 assists with a +20 rating in 47 games, and next will skate for rivals Graz99ers in 2024/2025.
Bentley University Falcons‘ graduate left wing Jonathan Bendorf(7) signs a 1st pro deal with Reading Royals of the ECHL.
He twice scored 20+ goals and 30+ assists in NAHL juniors for Aberdeen Wings and helped them to a 2019 Robertson Cup.
The 5’11” 187 lbs. forward was only twice decently prolific through college scoring 11 goals as a sophomore at 1st commit Mercyhurst University Lakers and had 14 assists in his junior frame.
7th year defenseman Dajon Mingo(6) was a waiver claim by Adirondack Thunder late last season from a team he was certainly decently familiar with spending the previous year and most of the current frame with, Cincinnati Cyclones.
The 5’8″ 174 lbs. blue liner would help his new team secure a spot to the Kelly Cup Playoffs, getting 1 goal and 2 assists in 6 games with a +2 rating.
He stayed only 8 games in his senior year at Bowling Green University Falcons before deciding to turn pro, signing with Toledo Walleye.
The 31-year old, Canton, MI native has 348 ECHL games to his credit with a +21 rating.
He waits a tiny bit to step back in, but eventually agrees to terms with Fort Wayne Komets, scoring a goal on his 1st night with the team.
Through 17 games, he isn’t scoring a ton, but is a steady +2, but Reading Royals want him heading into their playoff push and trade future considerations for him.
6th year defenseman Rob Hamilton(65) trades in the remainder of his 2-year AHL deal with Colorado Eagles to sign a similar pact to Traktor Chelyabinsk through 2024.
The solid 6′ 194 lbs. blue liner played his way up from originally agreeing to ECHL deals, almost literally the same way he is entering his new deal in the KHL.
A former 4-year University Of Vermont Catamounts, he came alive scoring as a senior with 10 goals and 11 assists in 38 games.
The 28-year old from Calgary, AB may just get comfortable in his new hockey environs.
Through 9 games in 2023/2024, he records only 1 assist and is a -4, which must have made his club antsy, as he gets dealt to Dinamo Minsk.
His game curves much the way it did when he 1st arrived, but even better with 4 goals and 19 assists with a +15 rating in 54 games, then another 3 assists in 3 playoff games and he gets re-upped to Minsk for another 2 seasons through 2025/2026.
