Category: Minor League Deal

Undrafted, big 6’4″ 215 lbs. left wing Kale Howarth(29) signs a 1-year AHL contract with Rockford Icehogs after spending the last three years at University Of Connecticut Huskies.

He wasn’t a huge scorer in college like he was in three seasons for Trail Smoke Eaters, where he got 66 goals and 80 assists in 148 BCHL games.

The Red Deer, AB native played all his youth hockey close to home.

Originally a Columbus Blue Jackets‘ 5th round pick in the 2017 draft (#148 overall), the 22-year old college graduate will look to play his way back onto another NHL club’s radar.

He scored 2 goals and 1 assist in 12 games in 2021/2022, but suffered a season ending injury to sideline his rookie campaign.

The forward will return for another run at it though, as he re-signs for 2022/2023.

And despite getting only a couple of assists in 31 games and 13 points reassigned to affiliate Indy Fuel, he is welcomed back on another 1-year minor league deal.

After 3 seasons with the same club, playing far too few games last season due to an injury, but is going to move on and signs with Milwaukee Admirals for 2024/2025.

Undrafted, 3rd year center Brent Beaudoin(12) not surprisingly jumps ship after 2 ECHL seasons with Worcester Railers to a great opportunity in Slovak Extraliga, signing to HK Poprad for 2023/2024.

The 5’11” 181 lbs. forward scored a career best 20 goals and 35 assists with a +5 rating in 71 games.

Where he is going will be tougher hockey for the Brown University Bears‘ senior, assistant captain.

From Londonderry, NH, the 27-year old played mostly tier 3 juniors to earn his way up.

After 7 games in Slovakia with only 1 assist, he has a change of heart and signs up with Dundee Stars to play in the EIHL for the remainder of the frame.

He takes some ok stats, 8 goals and 20 assists in 43 games, but decides to move on and signs with Anglet Hormadi Pays Basque of Ligue Magnus for 2024/2025, where we think he does very well.

RPI Engineers‘ graduate center Ryan Brushett(9) will definitely flirting with college career highs in all categories with 5 goals and 10 assists in 23 games, looking for 8 and 16 with 11 left.

The 6′ 185 lbs. forward has twice transferred, 1st appearing at University Of Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks for 2 frames, before heading to UMASS Lowell Riverhawks in 2 more successful sessions.

For juniors, he had 1 unsuccessful outing in the USHL before heading north closer to home to the BCHL, where in his final of 3 years had the most goals at 41 before heading to school.

The 25-year old from Verdun, QC plays super hard out there.

Finishing up, playing a college best 37 games, he signs a 1st pro contract for 2024/2025 with the not so distant from his house club, Trois-Rivieres Lions that should equal all kinds of good hockey things.

5th year goaltender Mitch Gillam(30) takes a good, much shortened season for Wichita Thunder, posting a 4-2 record with a 2.47 GAA and .927 SV% to a new deal with Indy Fuel for 2021/2022.

The 6′ 174 lbs., former 4-year Cornell University Big Red backstop put up real solid, good numbers at school (47-28-17) with a 2.15 GAA and .923 SV%.

He’s definitely made a career out of playing in the ECHL with 133 games to his credit, but almost oddly in his only AHL appearance with Bridgeport Sound Tigers left with a 1.54 GAA and .944 SV%, but has received no future looks from the top farm league.

If the 29-year old starts strong, he most definitely should earn another look from the level up, but we think he may set his sights on overseas options after this frame.

He will take what was a pretty good season with a 17-12-1 record to a new adventure, signing for 2022/2023 with Manglerud Star of Fjordkraft-ligaen.

After a bit of a rough go with his initial club, he would be traded to Valerenga, where things would improve dramatically, as he went 8-4 with a 2.08 GAA and .923 SV%, but has decided to push on and sign with Odense Bulldogs for 2023/2024 and skate in Metal Ligaen.

He’s not exactly doing so badly in Denmark, but he’s heading back to EliteHockey Ligaen, signing with his 3rd team, Frisk Asker.

In 6 games, he posts a 4-1 record with a 1.82 GAA and .932 SV%, then appears in 10 playoff games.

We are thinking maybe the job isn’t done here, so he signs on to where an ‘Asker jersey again in 2024/2025.

Wheeling Nailers‘ rookie defenseman Shane Kuzmeski(14) wasn’t exactly the biggest scorer through 4 years at Clarkson University.

He left school with a peak performance of one goal and 5 assists.

In 17 ECHL games, he a new goals scored in a season record with 2 and added 4 assists, which makes it look like turning pro was good for the blue liner to connect on the scoresheet.

He was able to put up a healthy amount of helpers through two years in the NAHL (18, 24) though, so maybe it’s an environment thing.

The Grayslake, IL native played limited games in 2021/2022 for Iowa Heartlanders, then had more luck with Utah Grizzlies, striking for 5 assists in 14 games last season.

For 2022/2023, he signs a new deal with Norfolk Admirals and may just be able to find some better footing.

He actually spends zero time where he signs and instead splits time with Indy Fuel, doing remarkably well before a trade sends him to Trois-Rivieres Lions for the remainder of the session.

Looks like he will lace up the skates for a 6th league team in 2023/2024, as he signs with Fort Wayne Komets, as place he likely hopes he can stick around for awhile.

And before he can even throw on the skates for a home game, he gets dealt to Florida Everblades, where he should be super happy.

He is doing pretty well with 1 goal and 4 assists with a +6 rating, but Wichita Thunder want him for their blue line and trade to get him.

And lookie there, in 3 games he has 2 assists and a +3 rating.

Through 35 games, he scores 1 goal and 7 assists with a +14 rating and is invited to return for the Thunder.

Trois Rivières Lions‘ center Cedric Lacroix(19) has finally seemingly arrived at a team he feels comfortable being with, as he’s scoring a decent 5 goals and 5 assists in 18 ECHL games on a non-playoff team.

He’s had forays in the AHL, but only when he 1st arrived and played 1 game with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, getting 2 goals, but then being reassigned for the rest of the frame to Wheeling Nailers was odd.

His 4 seasons at University Of Maine Black Bears all looked relatively similar.

It’s a little tough to say why the 28-year old from Shefford, QC hasn’t found his hockey home.

In what is a no surprise move, he decides to move on and signs with Pioneers Vorarlberg of IceHL for 2023/2024.

He scores 6 goals and 8 assists in 19 games, but something isn’t right, so he switches to agreeing to the remainder of the frame with Vasterviks IK of Allsvenskan.

For 2024/2025, he heads back to Austria, signing with HC Pusteral Wolfe.

7th year center Evan Jasper(26) signs into his 7th overseas league, the IceHL for 2024/2025, joining Vienna Capitals.

His best scoring across the way has been 2 years in DEL and 1 VHL.

The 5’10” 190 lbs. forward from Whitby, ON lit up 3 years of OJHL for Cobourg Cougars before committing to Sacred Heart University Pioneers.

Already 32-years old, he still appears to be making his mark and playing at a great level.

4th year center Mason Jobst(26) circles back to re-sign for 2022/2023 with the team he originally inked last season with, Rochester Americans before being dealt late to San Jose Barracuda.

The 5’8″ 185 lbs. forward had a career tying 5 goals and best 10 assists and 15 points in 2021/2022, but could bring his on ice accountability up a bit.

He averaged 40+ points per frame in 4 years, twice captain at Ohio State University Buckeyes, so can definitely put up stats.

Almost oddly he didn’t strike as much until his 3rd year of juniors with Muskegon Lumberjacks.

We look for the 28-year old from Speedway, IN to have a career best session and potentially move on, but we shall see.

He scores a career best 22 goals and 28 assists in 64 games with some good playoff points to add and earns a 1-year, 2-way deal from Buffalo Sabres to continue, his 1st NHL deal in 5 seasons.

We also have to think he’s on a bit of a short list for a recall from the Amerks.

2nd year defenseman Owen Headrick(7) gets traded from Chicago Wolves to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

He had 1 assist in 5 games before being dealt.

The 6′ 194 lbs. blue liner really made a name for himself last season on reassignment to Idaho Steelheads, scoring 15 goals and 39 assists in 61 ECHL games with a +35 rating, then added another 19 points in 20 playoff matchups to be named Defenseman Of The Year.

He’s taken probably the oddest path to get to where he is and it’s almost odd his still only 26-years old.

The Garden River, ON native did 2 years and an NOJHL Championship before going to Lake Superior State University Lakers for almost a full 2 before deciding to sign with Erie Otters.

He did that striking fairly big in his 2nd frame for 33 assists and turned pro for 4 games with Wheeling Nailers.

His next decision is a bit of a thinker, but he had 4 really successful years at University Of Prince Edward Island Panthers before once again turning pro, but had elevated his game to the AHL.

We thinking he settles and gains footing in the league with his new club.

He almost fails to find any footing with 3 different clubs, so is looking elsewhere to sign with Nurnberg Ice Tigers and will play 2024/2025 in DEL.

University Of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs‘ graduate center Quinn Olson(51) signs with Ontario Reign upon graduation and plays 1 AHL with no real results to move down and agree with Greenville Swamp Rabbits, where in 6 playoff games, he scored 2 goals and 2 assists.

The 5’11” 170 lbs. forward was a Boston Bruins‘ 3rd round pick in 2019 (#92 overall), but went unsigned.

A Calgary, AB native, he scored 17 assists twice before leaving school and 19 once as a sophomore.

He scored big points in 2 AJHL seasons with Okotoks Oilers before college.

The 22-year old will need a new contract and gets a 1-year deal with the team he signed with out of college to start as a rookie.