University Of Denver Pioneers‘ junior defenseman Garrett Brown(59) signs a 2-year NHL entry level deal with draft club (4th round, 2023, #99 overall) Winnipeg Jets and joins affiliate Manitoba Moose for 4 AHL Calder Cup playoff games.
The 6’3″ 190 lbs. blue liner scored a 2nd season of 2 goals and new best 12 assists on the way to a 2026 NCAA D1 trophy.
He did 2 years of USHL before college.
From San Jose, CA, the 22-year old is set to get going.
His dad is former NHLer Curtis Brown.
Anaheim Ducks‘ 5th round pick in the 2019 draft (#132 overall), Notre Dame University Fighting Irish senior center, assistant captain Trevor Janicke(27) already has a career high 10 assists, but may not equal his 15 goals as a junior, with 9 this season in 28 games.
He played 2 campaigns for USNTDP before signing with Central Illinois Flying Aces for his 3rd, best USHL frame, scoring 22 goals and 26 assists in 58 games.
The 22-year old from Maple Grove, MN should be an easy get for an NHL entry level deal, when college is done.
He goes unsigned and agrees to a 2-way AHL contract with Calgary Wranglers for his rookie frame.
In 64 games with Fort Wayne Komets, he scores 11 goals and 17 assists under contract to Bakersfield Condors.
For 2026/2027, he signs with Greensville Swamp Rabbits that should work most scoring wonders.
Clarkson University Golden Knights‘ senior defenseman Noah Beck(20) takes 2 years of 17 assists to a graduate season at Arizona State University Sun Devils for 2024/2025.
The Richmond Hill, ON native did 1 season juniors OJHL before coming down to the USHL upon the encouragement of new college team and then getting drafted by St. Louis Blues in the 7th round of 2020 (#194 overall).
He scored well with 4 goals and 23 assists in 44 games.
The 6’3″ 183 lbs. blue liner will likely do well playing his new club’s independent schedule.
He explodes scoring 5 goals and 28 assists in 37 games with a +12 rating to become an unrestricted free agent and get signed by San Jose Sharks, as he wasn’t picked up by the team that selected him.
To start his pro career, he reports to affiliate San Jose Barracuda on an ato.
He would sign on for the full 2025/2026, but spent most of his playing time with affiliate Wichita Thunder, posting 9 goals and 32 assists in 44 ECHL games with a +4 rating.
For 2026/2027, Hershey Bears are watching and sign him up to a new AHL deal.
9th year net minder Pheonix Copley(29) has finally found his NHL team, Los Angeles Kings after some searching and a 237 journey through the AHL.
He did start the frame in the minors with affiliate Ontario Reign before his recall, which quickly netted wins and solidified his spot as the team’s starter.
The 6’4″ 200 lbs. wall has a 17-4-2 record with a 2.74 GAA and .901 SV%.
Undrafted, the former Michigan Tech Huskies‘ goalie has played 6 years in the system of initial signing club, Washington Capitals.
The 31-year old picks up a nice new 1-year deal to stay at $1.5M AAV.
He plays 1 game in the big league with not great results, but hums along nicely in 42 games in the minors with a good record to earn another year, basically at league minimum to return in a Kings‘ jersey.
We actually think there is more shine in the now 33-year old.
He is claimed off waivers by Tampa Bay Lightning, who will use him as a back-up and with affiliate Syracuse Crunch.
Mostly tending net with Ontario Reign last season, he puts up impressive numbers still and gains the eye of Columbus Blue Jackets, who sign him for 2026/2027.
St. Louis Blues‘ 2nd round pick in the 2018 draft (#45 overall), rookie defenseman Scott Perunovich(48) gets a first NHL recall after putting up a dandy 2 goals and 18 assists in 12 AHL games for affiliate Springfield Thunderbirds.
In his debut he skated an almost unreal 24 shifts for 18:26 ice time with 1 shot on net in a 3-2 loss.
They must figure the unlikely 5’10” 175 lbs. blue liner is accountable and may come to life head-manning the puck.
In his first and second years at University Of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs managed to capture a pair of back-to-back NCAA Division 1 Championships. and left winning Player Of The Year award and the Hobey Baker Award as a junior.
He played three campaigns recording 85 assists with an overall +49 rating.
The 23-year old, Hibbing, MN native is just getting started.
He would stay up in the big league for 19 games and record 6 assists with a +2 rating, then added another 4 assists in 7 playoff contests.
For his efforts, he gets rewarded with a 1-year, 1-way contract at the league minimum to show them some more.
He was just about a point-per-game player in the minors, playing limited games due to a season ending injury, but returned to appear only in the big guns lineup and scores 17 assists in 54 games with a +1 rating.
His efforts are rewarded to return in a Blues‘ jersey for 2024/2025.
NY Islanders are suffering injuries in their zone and inquire, pick him up in a trade and will employ his services for the remainder of the year.
He has 2 goals and 4 assists with a +1 rating.
As a free agent, he signs a new 1-year 2-way deal with Utah Mammoth that will hopefully bring his assist strength back.
He heads to affiliate Tuscon Roadrunners and runs up 9 goals and 40 assists in 64 games with a +4 rating.
An unrestricted free agent, he signs a 1-year deal with Los Angeles Kings for 2026/2027.
UMASS-Lowell Riverhawks‘ graduate, twice captain, defenseman Ben Meehan(7) initially signed with Iowa Wild after tournament play, but agrees to Lehigh Valley Phantoms on a 2-way deal for his rookie season, 2025/2026.
The 6′ 187 lbs. blue liner had a college best 14 assists last season and tied his 17 points from his junior year.
From Boston, MA, the 24-year old did only 1 year of USHL before school.
After a 12 goals and 34 assists in 69 games for affiliate Reading Royals, he gets signed to a 1-year AHL deal with Toronto Marlies.
Merrimack College Warriors‘ sophomore center Matt Copponi(28) gets a maybe little surprising nod on NHL draft day, as he is selected in the 7th round of 2023 (#216 overall) by Edmonton Oilers.
He was actually ranked fairly decent by NHL Scouting.
As a 2nd year college player, he put up a best 13 goals and 14 assists in 37 games last frame with a +8 rating.
The 6″ 179 lbs. forward from Mansfield, MA skipped junior hockey, arriving at college straight from Dexter Southfield School USHS-Prep.
He’s just 20-years old.
For his senior year, he enters the transfer portal to skate for Boston University Terriers.
He posts decent numbers (6-18) in a college high 40 games played with a new best +15 rating.
Upon graduation, he signs an ato with the affiliate Bakersfield Condors and records an assist in his 2nd AHL game, where he was possibly signed to a deal by the parent club, but that seems to only be a rumor so far.
He records 2 assists in 3 games with a +2 rating to earn a new deal to stay a Condors.
After splitting time, he signs for 2026/2027 with 2026 Calder Cup Champ Toronto Marlies.
4th year center Sam Lafferty(18) gets a new start, as he is traded to Chicago Blackhawks from draft club, Pittsburgh Penguins (4th round, 2014, #113 overall) after appearing in only 10 NHL games with two assists and a 0 rating.
The former Brown University Bears‘ forward will likely find more room to continue to develop his game.
He has 94 games to his credit, scoring 6 goals and 15 assists.
The 26-year old is fairly prolific in the minors with 17 goals and 38 assists through 85 AHL games.
If he can catch on with his new team, there’s little doubt he’ll earn a new contract, but if that doesn’t happen, we expect him to pick up and leave for overseas.
After a solid 2021/2022 season, scoring 5 goals and 6 assists in 46 games, he picks himself up a healthy 2-year extension to continue.
He actually takes a trade travel path from scoring a best 10 goals and 11 assists in 53 games to being dealt to Toronto Maple Leafs near the end of that campaign, where he did ok in just 19 games, then 9 in the playoffs.
In the offseason, the unrestricted free agent signs with Vancouver Canucks and this turns out to be pretty successful with a new best 13 goals and 24 points in 79 games with a +4 rating.
He will need a new contract, but he returns to the Blackhawks in yet another transaction for the Hollidaysburg, PA native.
Buffalo Sabres step in and offer him 2 years for $2M AAV and he accepts.
He was maybe a bit off step with only 4 goals and 3 assists on a pretty horrible team and Chicago Blackhawks trade for him to hopefully spark a reignite in their fortunes.
Despite playing in only 29 games last season, Florida Panthers think they can put him to better use and sign him for 2026/2027.
UMass Minutemen junior defenseman Matthew Kessel(51) decides to leave a year on the table and signs his 2-year entry level deal with St. Louis Blues.
The 6’3″ 203 lbs. blue liner was a 5th round pick in 2022 (#150 overall).
He reports to affiliate Springfield Thunderbirds and in 12 AHL games, has a pair of assists and is a +5 rating, heading into the playoffs.
The 2019 USHL Clark Cup Champion with Sioux Falls Stampede had a junior career high 17 assists that season.
He is definitely the height of on-ice accountability with an NCAA Division 1 hockey +37 rating.
The 21-year old may just play himself onto the big league squad before too long.
With some injuries to the blue line, the Scottsdale, AZ native scores a 1st NHL game for himself, in which he skates 15:17 ice time with 1 shot on net, 1 block shot and left the 4-3 shootout loss with a -1.
Still, nice start.
He signs a 2-year 1-way extension through 2025/2026 to continue in a Blues‘ jersey.
In his 35 game season (37th overall), he scores a 1st NHL goal for himself.
For 2026/2027, he signs a 1-year deal with New York Islanders.
Buffalo Sabres‘ 6th year center Sean Malone(17) continues with Rochester Americans under a new 1-year deal from the team he’s skated 5 seasons for.
The former Harvard University Crimson senior scorer is coming off a career year, getting a new best 20 goals and 37 points.
He only has 2 NHL games to his credit, with an assist in his 2nd appearance with 1-year contract club, Nashville Predators.
A Buffalo, NY native, the 27-year old is definitely keeping his hockey close to home.
Following 6 years and 284 AHL games, the 28 year is heading off to Switzerland to skate in the NL with SCL Tigers in 2023/2024.
He has two good Swiss seasons and takes it to a new deal with Orebro HK of SHL for 2025/2026.
At the end of the session, he would get loaned back to the SCL Tigers of NL, but for 2026/2027 elects to sign with Augsburger Panther.
