Category: Minor League Deal

20Feb

Mike O’Leary (9)

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2nd year left wing Mike O’Leary(9) re-signs to stay with Hartford Wolf Pack for a third overall AHL contract with the team.

He played in roughly 3/4 of the games last season as a rookie, getting a goal and 2 assists in 16 appearances.

The 6’1″ 200 lbs. forward finished 4 years at University Of Notre Dame Fightining Irish with a college high 9 goals and 23 points in 37 games.

Heading into his first season that should seemingly be pulled off unencumbered may see him settle into some scoring.

In 53 games, he was able to notch 6 goals and 5 assists, and will take that to a next opportunity, a 1-year minor league deal with Iowa Wild for 2022/2023.

He takes his scoring up to a new level with 12 goals and 15 assists in 66 games, but in the current frame only has 3 assists in 40 contests.

Likely feeling pretty agitated, he moves on for a completely new experience, signing with Ilves of Liiga in hopes of finding that scoring touch once again, in Finland.

18Feb

Brandon Osmundson (25)

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Rookie right wing Brandon Osmundson(25) was loaned up to Norfolk Admirals from Huntsville Havoc, where he tipped their scoring sheet to the tune of 9 goals and 4 assists in 16 SPHL games with a +6 rating.

The small 5’9″ 175 lbs. forward has 6 goals and 10 assists in 26 ECHL games with a +8, so looks to be flirting with the devil and solidifying his spot on the upper league squad.

He did 4 years at Utica College Pioneers, scoring 10+ goals and 20+ assists in freshman and junior frames after coming off a 60 assist USPHL Premier frame for Hampton Roads Whalers, a team he plays a lot of his youth hockey for.

Settling in nicely for 39 games for the home team of the Chesapeake, VA native, he manages a very good 9 goals and 20 assists with a +20 rating to gain an invite back for a full season in an Admirals‘ uniform.

10Feb

Brian Bowen (21)

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Undrafted 4th year right wing Brian Bowen(21) re-signs with Fayettesville Marksmen for 2021/2022 after spending last season away with rivals Macon Mayhem.

The 6′ 220 lbs. forward had his best scoring frame with the team in 2019/2020, pocketing 30 goals and 28 assists for 58 points with a +27 rating in 46 SPHL games.

He also didn’t do so badly in the one weirdo 2020/2021 session away (18-12-30 in 28 games +16).

The former 3-year University Of Vermont Catamounts‘ initially left school and joined Worcester Railers for 11 ECHL games, getting 3 goals and an assist.

He’s been loaned up a couple of times since but hasn’t produced any more points in short activity.

There’s little doubt the 25-year old, Littleton, MA (that’s where we grew up) native, big body presence destroys scoring in the league he’s in and has received contracts and looks but it may just take one more season to secure that spot, if he even wants it.

Didn’t even take for the new 2021/2022 season to start and he gets recruited by Utah Grizzlies and will likely do very well.

In his rookie season in the upper league, he has a tidy 20 goals and 20 assists, but gets traded late in the frame to Orlando Solar Bears, who need to shore up their playoff spot before they look to go deep.

He will return where he finished last frame in Orlando but has been reassigned down to return to Fayettesville Markmen, where he has a goal in 3 games.

He blew up scoring in the lower league and was eventually loaned up to Norfolk Admirals, where he would get 14 goals and 5 assists in 25 games to prove himself worthy of a full look for 2023/2024.

Back in Worcester, he really wasn’t doing much through 6 games, so gets waived and immediately claimed by Reading Royals, who think they can turn the corner with him.

04Feb

Austin Rook (2)

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Long Island University Sharks‘ graduate defenseman Austin Rook(2) turns pro with the team right up the road from the 1st college he attended, Skidmore College Thoroughbreds, signing to Adirondack Thunder.

In 3 ECHL games he has no points.

In his senior year at his 1st college, he pulled off 8 goals and 14 assists in 23 games.

He 3 times has 10+ assists.

The 6’2′ 205 lbs. blue liner has definitely shown the potential to put up assist points.

26-years old from Shrewsbury, MA you know he’ll fight for every inch.

He takes a moment, but will return to Glens Falls, NY to continue his game.

03Feb

Hayden Shaw (82)

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Undrafted 4th year defenseman Hayden Shaw(82) takes 3 AHL contracts for Manitoba Moose and solid play in the ECHL for Trois-Riveries Lions last season, scoring 6 goals and 17 assists with a +5 in 33 games, then added another 5 points in 7 playoff contests to a 1-year deal with Nurnberg Ice Tigers of DEL for 2022/2023.

The 5’11” 194 lbs. blue liner is an accountable force, maintaining a +33 rating through 4 years at University Of North Dakota Fighting Hawks.

A Woodbury, MN native, the26-year old should do well in Germany’s top league.

In 46 games, he puts in 7 goals and 11 assists, which is good enough to secure him another year for the Ice Tigers.

He is liked in the town of Germany and signs up to stay through 2024/2025 and be an Ice Tigers.

02Feb

Nolan Vesey (11)

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3rd year center Nolan Vesey(11) is off to his best start with a pair of goals and an assist in 5 ECHL games with new contract club, Worcester Railers.

The North Reading, MA native sort came home to a degree, signing with the close to home team for 2021/2022.

A one-time Toronto Maple Leafs‘ 6th round pick in the 2014 draft (#158 overall), he was chosen after an exceptional one year of junior hockey for South Shore Kings USPHL Premiere team, and then went on to attend University Of Maine Black Bears for 4 seasons, but never signed.

He was three times a 10+ goals and 10+ assists player in Hockey East.

The 6′ 185 lbs., 26-year old forward seems to be a bit of an underachiever, considering his brother Jimmy is a full-time NHL skater.

After throwing in a career high by a long shot 12 goals and 28 assists with a +13 rating in 62 games as assistant captain last season and a 3-game loan up to Springfield Thunderbirds, he decides to stick around in central MA for a 2nd run.

He posts a career best 13 goals last season in the lower league, but his eyes are open for opportunities leading in his next stage and he maybe a tiny bit oddly late signs with DVTK Jegesmedvek of Erste Liga for the remainder of the frame.

01Feb

Geoff Kitt (10)

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Mercyhurst University Lakers‘ graduate, senior captain center Geoff Kitt(10) signs a 1st pro deal with Kansas City Mavericks for 2022/2023.

In his last year, he scored a college career best 9 assists and 12 points, which isn’t a lot, but we think the 6’3″ 198 lbs. forward will open up some space to score in the ECHL.

He was an almost point-per-game scorer in his 2nd and 3rd year of CCHL juniors for Carleton Place Canadians.

The 25-year old from Sioux Lookout, ON will be an interesting watch.

He did try something new signing with EV Duisburg of Germany3 and scored decently, but was hampered by an horrendous +/-.

So, the player who skated exactly 1 SPHL game on reassignment before agreeing with a couple Austrian leagues returns.

Tulsa Oilers think they can turn the big man into a scorer.

26Jan

Maxim Trepanier (15)

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Trois-Rivieres Lions‘ rookie left wing Maxim Trepanier(15) has 5 goals and 1 assist as 2023/2024 rolls in.

The 5’11” 190 lbs. forward took a bit of an interesting little journey before turning pro.

From St-Jean-sur-Richilieau, QC, he did 4 years in the QMJHL, leaving the Quebec development league in his 3rd season to start at the higher junior level.

He made the smart decision to continue his education as COVID was locking down society as we knew it and enrolled at Concordia University Stingers, where he stayed and score point-per-game stats for 3 years.

The 24-year old has hockey pro written all over him and we are sure he will gain scoring footing in the ECHL.

He actually decides to bolt and leaves for EliteHockey Ligaen signing with Storhamar for the remainder of the frame.

22Jan

Justin Florek (9)

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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.

21Jan

Alex Wideman (10)

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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.