Category: NHL Draft Pick

13rd year left wing Jason Zucker(16) signed a 1-year deal with Buffalo Sabres for 2024/2025 after a similar contract last season with Arizona Coyotes that yielded some ok results on a far from playoff team.

The always looked smaller than 5’11” 192 lbs. forward has 3 times scored 20+ goals and once 30+ and had an exact same ratio in assists.

From Newport Beach, CA, he did only 2 sessions at University Of Denver Pioneers, as he ran up 45 and 46 points to quickly move on.

He made all the right moves, playing his way through the USNTDP on up.

On a decent scoring team, his point production escalates to 18 goals and 26 assists to net him a new 2-year deal to stick in a Sabres‘ jersey and help out with the younger guys for a nice $4.75AAV.

Almost unreal, 18th year center Jon Matsumoto(11) will do a 2nd DEL2 season with Krefeld Pinguine after scoring 10 goals and 13 assists in 30 games last season.

He had previously played 9 years in the upper German league, DEL and twice won the Championship back-to-back with EHC Munchen.

The 5’11” 185 lbs. forward was a Philadelphia Flyers‘ 3rd round pick in the 2006 NHL draft (#79 overall) and spent his 1st 3 years with the team after leaving Bowling Green University Falcons with a year on the table.

From Ottawa, ON, the 37-year old may hit 20 years as a pro barely blinking.

Exploding for point-per-game numbers in the current frame (20-30-50), he is signed to stay a 3rd year to hopefully build a new championship for the Pinguine,.

After 11 years with the team that initially signed him in a trade following the completion of 3 years at Boston College Eagles, Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Brian Dumoulin(8) steps away for a 1st time, agreeing to 2 years with Seattle Kracken at a nice $3.15M AAV.

He was initially drafted by Carolina Hurricanes in the 2nd round of 2009 (#51 overall).

The 6’4″ 207 lbs. rock of a blue liner has a combined +98 rating, 2 Stanley Cups and 2 NCAA Division 1 titles.

He played a career high 82 game slate last season, scoring a new best 24 assists and 25 points.

The 31-year old, originally from Biddeford, ME is only smiling, playing hockey.

He scores a career high 6 goals in his 1st season away from home, but isn’t retained and traded to Anaheim Ducks for 2024/2025.

The continued upward movement is on in New Jersey Devils, who trade to pick him up the soon to be unrestricted agent and insure their upward movement.

Florida Panthers‘ 1st round pick in the 2019 draft (#13 overall) goaltending wizard Spencer Knight(30) signs his 3-year entry level deal after only a 2 season stay with Boston College Eagles. where he went a phenomenal 39-12-3 record with a 2.05 GAA and .931 SV%, including 8 shutouts.

The fairly sizable 6’3″ 192 lbs. net minder has a collection of awards but maybe none better than the recent 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship gold medal earning.

He will turn just 20-years old soon but more importantly, now signed, where does he go?

The openings seem slim at the AHL, where the parent club is only riding along as their affiliate shut down operations during the pandemic, so maybe he’ll simply be an add to the taxi squad with the main group and go from there.

Before his entry level contract is up, they solidify him to stay with the Litter Cats going forward on a 3-year deal worth $4.5M AAV.

He plays a continuous workload of games with stellar results, but looking for a little more up front, he is traded to Chicago Blackhawks to start their rebuilding process and he starts with a 5-1 win to stake that claim.

Montreal Canadiens‘ 7th round pick in the 2014 draft (#207 overall), 4th year center Jake Evans(71) gets a new 3-year deal to continue his progress with the Le-Bleu-Blanc-Rogue.

He skated a career high 47 NHL games last seasons, scoring 3 goals and 10 assists with a +2 rating to earn his new $1.7M AAV deal .

The former University Of Notre Dame Fighting Irish forward was a big scorer as senior team captain (46 points in 40 games) and also reached the 40-point mark as a junior.

He was also a point-per-game player in two years of juniors for St. Michael’s Buzzers and won the 2013 OJHL Championship in his first campaign there.

The 25-year old hopes to be just getting started.

This season he is flirting with career high numbers and is set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the current session, so the only team he’s ever suited up for offers him 4-years at $2.8M AAV to stay and he will continue to wear the Canadiens‘ colors.

Boston University Terriers‘ 2023/2024 commit, left wing Shane Lachance(18) was going to head to 1 season with Youngstown Phantoms before reporting to school, but plans changed.

In 14 USHL games he has a goal and an assist.

The very big 6’4″ 190 lbs. Andover, MA native forward was coming off a solid season with local Junior Bruins, scoring 6 goals and 9 assists in 25 USPHL/NCDC games.

He’s an Edmonton Oilers‘ 6th round pick in the 2021 draft (#186 overall) and the 18-year old son of Scott Lachance, who played 819 NHL games.

In maybe a little bit of a last minute decision, he stayed on for a 2nd season of junior hockey and throws up 33 goals and 21 assists in 62 games with a +13 rating and is ready for Hockey East matchups.

Through 8 games, the xl up-front guy has 2 goals and 3 assists and is looking like he belongs out there.

In his 2nd season, as captain he has another 10+ goals and new best 15 assists and maybe a little off the radar, his playing rights are traded to New Jersey Devils, where he will join a team, looking to remake a giant.

Winnipeg Jets 5th round pick in the 2019 draft (#144 overall) goaltender Logan Neaton(31) isn’t finding enough space in the cage for UMass Lowell Riverhawks, so after two tries goes through the transfer portal to commit to Miami University (Ohio) Redhawks for 2021/2022.

The large 6’4″ 205 lbs. net minder maybe wasn’t able to settle in Hockey East play after putting up stellar numbers, first for Fairbanks Ice Dogs of the NAHL, then even better with Prince George Spruce Kings going 32-8-5 with a league best 1.92 GAA, then posting a 16-1 mark with a 1.46 GAA and .940 SV% en route to a 2019 BCHL Championship.

He also had shutdown numbers at his local Brighton High USHS-MI.

The 22-year old may just need the belief he can play the minutes and backstop wins.

For his rookie season, he bounces around some ECHL teams to arrive at Kalamazoo Wings with a deal for 2024/2025.

Allen Americans are struggling some, so trade to bring him in to hopefully solidify the starter’s role with the team.

He continued to move and ended up with Kansas City Mavericks, where in 1 start he didn’t post the win, but had a 2.08 GAA and .938 SV%.

4 times moved with little starts and he goes to Indy Fuel, who hopefully look to use him a bit more.

9th year, veteran defenseman Seth Helgeson(2) recently appeared in his 500th AHL game with 5th year club, Bridgeport Islanders.

The 6’4″ 216 lbs. blue liner was originally a New Jersey Devils‘ 4th round pick in the 2009 draft (#114 overall) and played in their system for his first 4 seasons.

He skated his only games in the big league with the team and even got a 1st NHL goal in his 44th appearance, where he also had 3 assists and almost oddly a +1 rating.

The former 4-year University Of Minnesota Golden Gophers‘ d-man has never been a big point scorer, but does have 2 goals in the current frame.

If he adds another one, he will have a career high 3.

He’s 3 times had 10+ assists in the league and twice close.

The 31-year old has done well for himself and it’s a bit of wonder if he doesn’t go exploring for his next contract, just for some different kind of fun in the game.

For 2022/2023, he re-signs to stay in Connecticut another season.

He will return to captain the little Islanders for a 7th straight run.

It took him a minute, but he will return on a pto for a 8th season in a little Islanders‘ jersey, but you got to figure, unless he decides not to, he will sign.

And 7 games in, he officially re-signs.

5th year right wing Jeremy Bracco(97) is off to a hot start with his new club overseas, Krefeld Pinguine. scoring 6 goals and 11 assists in 15 DEL games.

He had 17 points (2-15) last season with KalPa in just 24 Liiga games.

The 5’11” 194 lbs. forward was originally a Toronto Maple Leafs 2nd round pick in 2015 (#61 overall) and spent his 1st 3 pro years in their system, playing for affiliate Toronto Marlies. but somehow amassing 145 points in 169 AHL games isn’t good enough to score a qualifying offer.

He was signed to play with Carolina Hurricanes last season, but when he was to be sent to the minors, entertained and accepted a more lucrative offer and was released on unconditional waivers to Finland.

It seems likely that if the still young 24-year old, former 5-game Boston College Eagle (3 assists), who quickly left for a pair of very solid OHL campaigns before turning pro will get pick up by an NHL team for a one-way contract if he keeps scoring big.

He may not be making his way to the big league in North America quite yet, but does take it up another level overseas, joining Bary Nur-Sultan of the KHL after putting up a career 2nd best 40 assists in Germany’s top hockey.

We do think the Freeport, NY native and 2018 Calder Cup Champion will return.

He starts his 2nd year with the team after 14 goals and 26 assists last season, but records only 1 goal in 6 games and maybe they get nervous and deal him to HC Sochi.

We do believe he will do just fine.

In 33 games, he scores 8 goals and 7 assists that he will take with him to his new league, Slovak Extraliga, where he signs with HKM Zvolen for 2024/2025.

He almost oddball takes 7 assists in 6 games to a new deal with HC Innsbruck and will head over to IceHL for his next hockey.

Scoring pretty well in Austria, he wants to head back to the tougher Slovakia and signs with HK Poprad.

Pittsburgh Penguins‘ 5th year defenseman Mark Friedman(52) re-ups for another two years after scoring a goal and 4 assists in 26 NHL games with a +1 rating.

The 5’10” 192 lbs. blue liner has appeared in big league games for the last 4 seasons, but seems to have arrived in the current session.

He scored 2 goals and an assist in 5 games, when he arrived via the waiver wire from Philadelphia Flyers.

The Bowling Green State University Falcons blue liner left a year on the table after scoring college career best 8 goals, 18 assist and 26 points.

It looks like the 26-year old is in a good spot with his new team.

He picks up 20+ games in the big league 2 years in a row, but gets himself traded in sort of a minor deal to Vancouver Canucks, where he could find a spot on d with the big club.

In 5 games, he had no points, but got 1 goal and 5 assists in 20 games with a +4 rating for affiliate Abbotsford Canucks.

He finds himself traded to Nashville Predators to help shore up their zone, but initially he will head to Milwaukee Admirals.