Category: Minor League Deal

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

3rd year center Trevor Gooch(7) returns from an outstanding 2nd seasons overseas, 1st with MAC HKB Újbuda, scoring a 16 goals and 19 assists in just 21 Erste Liga games with a +21 rating to re-sign to his original team from graduating 4 years at Colorado College Tigers, Reading Royals.

The 6’1″ 185 lbs. forward made his 1st ECHL game back memorable with a goal and a fight to re-introduce himself.

In 5 games he has 3 goals and 3 assists with a +4 rating to contribute.

He spent a couple of successful campaigns overseas, with the first for Sterzing/Vipiteno, scoring a 25 goals and 20 assists in 36 AlpsHL games with a +19 rating.

It may be a bit of a wonder why the Mantua, NJ native decided to return from mostly Austrian hockey, but he’s surely a welcome member back.

After putting up a career high 34 goals and 27 assists for 61 points with a +28 rating, he will head back overseas, signing for 2021/2022 with EHC Freiburg of DEL2.

He should run some more really good scoring totals in Germany’s 2nd tier league.

The 27-year old would tip the scoring scale with a career high 34 goals and 27 assists in 52 games with a +28 rating, then added another 12 points in 13 playoff matchups.

He’s taking these totals to a new experience overseas with Aalborg Pirates of Metal Ligaen and he should completely pop scoring in Denmark’s top hockey.

After putting up close to point-per-game numbers in the regular frame and then matching the output in the playoffs, he moves on for a higher league, signing with HK Olimpija Ljubljana of IceHL for 2023/2024.

He posts all career high stats his 1st year in the league and decides to sign with rivals, Graz99ers for 2024/2025.

Cortland College Red Dragons‘ senior goaltender Jack Riedell(1) signs an amateur tryout offer with Rapid City Rush after posting a 12-3-0 record with 2.20 GAA and .935 SV% in 2023/2024.

The 6’3″ 191 lbs. backstop came from 3 very strong USPHL Premier seasons with the top-rated Charlotte Rush, earning a league best 1.61 GAA and .940 SV% in his final frame on a 25-5-0 record.

We look for him to do really well in the ECHL, if given the chance.