10th year left wing Justin Florek(9) scored a career high 22 goals and 25 assists for 47 points in 2021/2022 for South Carolina Stingrays.
He was also a 3-time 30+ point guy in the AHL.
The big 6’4″ 205 lbs. forward played 3 seasons overseas and always notched 20+ points.
He also topped the 30+ mark as a sophomore and senior at Northern Michigan University Wildcats.
A former Boston Bruins‘ 5th round pick in the 2010 draft (#135 overall), the 31-year old from Marquette, MI is still at the top of his game.
He will return for a 3rd straight season in South Carolina.
A 3rd 40+ points ECHL season has him maybe put a small pause on the start of his 12th frame and he agrees to head back to Germany, signing with Dresdner Eislowen of DEL2, which should be a buzz for him.
7th year pro, right wing Alex Wideman(10) takes a solid season for Denmark’s Rungsted Seier Capital, getting 13 goals and 28 assists in 47 games en route to a 2021 Metal Ligaen Championship to a new opportunity in Ligue Magnus with Bordeaux.
It’s the small 5’8″ 168 lbs. forward third year overseas, producing as he did through 244 ECHL games, potting 76 goals and 128 assists.
The St. Louis, MO native played his college hockey for Miami University (Ohio) Redhawks, and as a 29-year old should continue to be able to take his game higher for at least the next few years.
After a solid frame in France, scoring a career 2nd best 36 assists in 43 games, he decides to return home in 2022/2023 to the team he’s played over 120 games with, Indy Fuel.
He scores a career high 50 assists last season and waits out signing for the new frame a little, before deciding to return to Cincinnati Cyclones to try to get up past 100 games played with that team.
3rd year right wing Aaron Miller(17) returned home after 2 years away, first in Finland’s tier 2 Mestis, then in Ligue Magnus, connecting very decently in both spots on the scoresheet.
The 5’9″ 172 lbs. forward initially signed with Wichita Thunder to come back, but was eventually dealt for the last 5 ECHL games to Norfolk Admirals, where he has 1 goal.
He played 4 years at Bemidji State University Beavers, where he twice was a 10+ goal scorer and assists.
The 28-year old from Superior, WI did 2 years of prolific scoring in the NAHL with Minnesota Wilderness.
Maine Mariners‘ 7th year goaltender Shane Starrett(40) started a career high 54 ECHL games last season and was loaned up for 1 successful AHL stint with Coachella Valley Firebirds.
He is actually signed by Providence Bruins.
In the previous session, he was in net with Glasgow Clan of the EIHL and started 1 less game than he did in 2022/2023, so is used to the workload.
The 6’3″ 194 lbs. backstop did 2 years at Air Force Academy Falcons before leaving to attend Edmonton Oilers‘ camps and eventually signed an NHL entry level contract.
A Bellingham, MA native, the 29-year old could definitely use a team that wins more games than it loses, but he can also help that battle.
Shane Starrett (95)
UMass Minutemen 2021 Championship goaltender Matt Murray(32) decided to extend his year of eligibility to spend a 5th season in the crease for his team.
He played a college career high 34 starts for a 21-12-2 record.
The 6’1″ 194 lbs. net minder won a 2016 AJHL title as a 2nd year junior player and committed to school from there.
He would add a campaign of USHL, playing a monster amount of games (52) for Fargo Force.
The undrafted 24-year old from St. Albert, AB finishes up school and looks for a contract, signing with Texas Stars.
A week later he gets his 1st AHL start posting a 3-2 win with 20 saves.
He’s going to be a good person to have on your team.
In 6 starts, he posts a 5-1 record with a 1.68 GAA and .948 SV%, then does even better in a pair of playoff appearances.
It’s an absolute no brainer for him to be brought back on a 2-year minor league deal and his play will almost undoubtedly put him on Dallas Stars‘ radar.
Happy Halloween: 10/31-2022 he scores himself a 1-year NHL contract for 2022/2023 that will likely be just the start.
To cap off a successful run for 1st place in the minors, the big club brings him up for his 1st start and he gets a 5-2 win on a limited use 19 saves against Chicago Blackhawks to start March.
He gets himself a nice new 1-year, 2-way deal to continue in Texas for 2023/2024.
After an 8-4-1 start in Cedar Park, he scores himself a 1st call up for the new year and posts a 4-0 shutout win for himself.
Trois Rivières Lions‘ 3rd year center Nicolas Lariviere(55) has 10+ goals as a rookie and sophomore player and got to 20 points in his 1st ECHL season, coming up from LNAH team, Thetford Mines Assurancia.
In 29 games this season he has 1 goal and 7 assists with still lots of room to put up points in bunches before this frame plays out.
The big 6’4″ 203 lbs. forward from Victoriaville, QC did 1 year of QJHL juniors before heading to 4 years at University Of Quebec-Trois-Rivieres Les Patriotes.
He’s worked for every inch the 27-year old has gained, but seems to have found home to play his pro hockey at.
4th year center Gabe Guertler(25) has gone a long way each season to prove himself of a spot on whichever team he may have been signed with.
The small 5’9″ 190 lbs. forward agreed for 2023/2024 with Maine Mariners after a trade and tying the 22 assists he had as a 1st year ECHL player with Atlanta Gladiators.
He skated his 1st, mostly COVID blocked campaign for Macon Mayhem, doing quite well in the SPHL to earn his next contract up.
The Plantation, FL native has definitely taken an interesting path to arrive where he is now.
From a strong 2nd USHL session for Fargo Force, he would next take up residence at University Of Minnesota Golden Gophers, but that lasted only 1 year, due to an incident.
He left and kept climbing to join Soo Greyhounds for 2 OHL sessions before heading to 4, but only playing 3 at University Of Prince Edward Island Panthers.
All of that is quite the journey for the 28-year old.
Idaho Steelheads‘ 2nd year center Zane Franklin(37) returns after an ECHL season best 16 goals and 33 points.
He had 23 assists as a rookie with Allen Americans.
The 5’11” 201 lbs. forward played 4 WHL seasons and was captain for Kamloops Blazers in his final year before turning pro.
He turned pro in that 2020/2021 year, that lost a lot of teams to COVID restrictions, but did manage to skate 60 games.
For his next frame though, he decided to attend 1 year at University Of Saskatchewan Huskies, then signed with Reading Royals for 4 games and 5 points, but would get traded to his current club.
The 24-year old from Marwayne, AB is likely looking to continue to up his game.
Almost oddly, he is sent to Cincinnati Cyclones in a deal for future considerations after running up 7 goals and 15 assists in 23 games, meaning he will be an asset for his new Eastern Conference club.
Quite potentially, voicing displeasure with what occurred sending him to another team in the league, he ups and leaves for Vienna Capitals and will continue to play his hockey in IceHL for the time being.
3rd year defenseman Elijah Vilio(41) re-signs to stay with Savannah Ghost Pirates after going there mid-last season from Norfolk Admirals.
Oddly, but maybe not, his best frame in ECHL so far has been as a rookie with Atlanta Gladiators, scoring 9 goals and 14 assists in 50 games.
The 6’2″ 205 lbs. blue liner from Abbotsford, BC played 4 years at Trinity Western University Spartans and able to connect for a good amount of points.
We are definitely looking at him to have an outstanding upcoming frame in a place he wants to be and the 26-year old could even get called up for a 1st time.
Through 10 games, he posts 1 goal and 5 assists with a +2 rating, but maybe thinking he is a little boxed in, so gets wooed across the pond to sign with Dundee Stars of the EIHL, which should also equal a good fit.
Rookie right wing Jake Fuss(13) will take 4 SPHL games for Huntsville Havoc, scoring a 1st pro goal off to a new adventure, signing for the remainder of 2023/2024 in BeNeLiga with EG Diez-Limburg Rockets.
The 6′ 170 lbs., former University Of New England Nor’easters‘ twice 10+ goals and high 20+ assists scorer will likely do very well in this Belgium/Netherland-based league.
From Fairfield, CT he blew up scoring in the EHL before getting drafted into the NAHL, where he did also 1 successful 20+ goal and assist year before heading to school.
The 25-year old likely just wants a good spot to play some pro hockey.
