USNTDP 2nd year center LJ Mooney(18) had quite the 2024/2025 season.
The small 5’7″ 157 lbs. forward scored a new junior best 23 assists and 28 points; he had 10 goals as a 1st year player.
From West Mifflin, PA, he did his youth hockey in the Pittsburgh Penguins‘ system.
The 17-year committed to University Of Minnesota Golden Gophers for 2026/2027 and sees himself selected in the 4th round of the NHL draft by Montreal Canadiens (#113 overall).
He had a good year.
Arizona Coyotes‘ rookie center Jack McBain(22) gets a first crack at the NHL after scoring a Boston College Eagles‘ career best by a long shot 19 goals and 14 assists for 33 points with a +13 rating, then signing his entry level contract a couple weeks ago.
In his debut, he skated 24 shifts for 13:45 ice time with one shot block and left a 6-2 loss a -1.
The 6’3″ 201 lbs. Toronto, ON native did a couple of seasons in the OJHL with Toronto Jr. Canadiens, exploding the stat sheet in his 2nd year before school.
He also won an Ivan Hlinka Memorial Gold Medal with 2018 Team Canada.
The 22-year old will have to show up game in and game out with this team, but they are likely counting on that after picking him up from draft club Minnesota Wild (round 3, 2018, #63 overall).
Through 82 NHL games, he picks up 12 goals and 14 assists as a rookie on a non-playoff by a long shot club.
He avoids arbitration, agreeing to a new 2-year Coyotes‘ deal worth $1.599M AAV, which seems pretty accurate.
There’s little doubt now that he has this contract will look to put his team back on the map.
In his 1st full season with new Utah Mammoth hockey club, he scores a new high 14 goals and 13 assists in a full slate of 82 games with a +8 rating.
As a restricted free agent, he is fully rewarded with a 4-year, $4.25M AAV contract.
Montreal Canadiens‘ 3rd round pick in the 2018 draft (#71 overall), Northeastern University Huskies‘ senior captain Jordan Harris(22) signs his 2-year entry level deal upon finishing up the Hockey East season.
Tying a career high 39 NCAA Division 1 games played, the 5’11” 179 lbs. blue liner had a new best 5 goals and 15 assists for 20 points with a +11 rating as a senior captain.
The Haverhill, MA, former Kimball Union Academy defensive stud played only 5 USHL junior games before committing to school.
At just 21-years old, with the 4 seasons of hockey he just came from, maybe has readied him for the big time.
In his 10th game, he picks up his 1st NHL tally and ends the 2021/2022 with a +3 rating.
A forthcoming restricted free agent with 3 goals and 12 assists in his rookie frame in the offseason, he was fairly quickly inked to stay on another two seasons for $1.4AAV per, which is a nice fee to get him started.
After 2 seasons of doing well on their blue line, he is traded in a big 2024/2025 deal to Columbus Blue Jackets, who will definitely welcome him into a full-time top 6 role.
He is not qualified for an offer in 2025/2026 and Boston Bruins zoom right in to pick up the hometown boy and give him a chance to play pro hockey in his backyard.
9th year defenseman Mike Reilly(6) signs a 1-year deal with Florida Panthers for 2023/2024 after spending most of the last 2 seasons with Boston Bruins, although he was dished to their affiliate Providence Bruins for most of last season and his contract was eventually bought out and he was waived.
He’s 3 times reached 10+ assists and 4 times 10+ points in a frame.
The 6’1″ 195 lbs. blue liner was originally a Columbus Blue Jackets‘ 4th round pick in the 2011 (#98 overall) draft, but 1st signed his 2-year NHL entry level deal as an unrestricted free agent with Minnesota Wild, then re-upped with them on a 1-way deal for another 2.
A former University Of Minnesota Golden Gophers, he is a veteran of 339 games in the big league and the 30-year old could hang up his skates happy if he wanted to at this point.
He was ready to be reassigned to their AHL affiliate, but in steps New York Islanders to claim him off waivers, as they look to have a need for him to help cover their blue line.
Through a 2nd best 59 games, he scores a new high 6 goals and 24 points to earn himself another 1-year deal to stay on the Isle for 2024/2025.
He misses a chunk of last season due to concussion, which limits his availability to 18 games.
For 2025/2026, he signs a simple 1-year $1.1M AAV deal with Carolina Hurricanes, a team that can use his veteran leadership.
6th year center Sean Kuraly(52) was seeing less playing room in the system he’d spent his first five development years with, Boston Bruins, so makes the smart, even best move of unrestricted free agency and signs a nice 4-year deal with close to home Columbus Blue Jackets.
He was born in Dublin, OH, skated his T1EHL 16U & 18U for Ohio Blue Jackets, played 4 years and was senior captain with hometown Miami University (Ohio) Redhawks, so gets to return big.
The 6’2″ 218 lbs. forward is going to be a perfect fit in his new club’s system, so may have also hit nice pay dirt.
4 years passes pretty quickly and he becomes 3-time assistant captain in his new team’s system, always brings his game despite maybe not scoring quite as many points as he once did when he first came over and put up a new best 30 points.
In an oh, my god move, he returns to Boston Bruins on a 2-year $1.85M AAV NHL contract that will see him back to lead a newer, younger club.
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.
USNTDP 2nd year right wing Jacob Kvasnicka(7) will take his 5 goals and 9 assists in 29 USHL games with a +5 rating, first to another year of juniors in the BCHL for Penticton Vees before he heads to a 2026/2027 commit at University Of Minnesota Golden Gophers.
The 5’11” 172 lbs. blue liner was just selected by New York Islanders in the 7th round of the 2025 NHL Draft (#202 overall).
From Burnsville, MN, the 17-year old scored well through youth hockey and in high school before embarking on the road he is on now.
Boston Bruins‘ 7th round pick in the 2023 draft (#220 overall), Swedish-born defenseman, 6’6″ 220 lbs. tower, Kristian Kostadinski(4) is a Boston College Eagles‘ commit for 2025/2026.
He did his youth hockey and juniors, as captain back home before coming over last season for a USHL run with Dubuque Fighting Saints for a monster +25 rating.
The 20-year is huge and Hockey East style will help focus his game.
Boston Bruins‘ 6th year left wing Trent Frederic(21) signs on for another 2 seasons at a healthy pay raise of $2.3M AAV through 2024/2025.
The 6’3″ 214 lbs. forward is a former 2016 1st round draft pick (#29 overall).
He stayed only 2 years at University Of Wisconsin Badgers before turning pro and did 2 years of USNTDP previous to school.
It would be little surprise to see the 25-year old from St. Louis, MO stay with 1 team for a long while.
At the end of his 7th season with the team, pitching maybe less than previous results on a terrible club, as he is coming to the end of his current 2-year deal, he finds himself traded to Edmonton Oilers to continue.
He plays just 1 regular season game, but then in 22 playoff matchups, scoring 1 goal and 2 assists with a +1 rating to earn himself a new 8-year deal worth $30.8M ($3.5 AAV), as he has arrived in his new NHL home.
Northeastern University Huskies‘ sophomore defenseman Michael Kesselring(7) fires the puck basically exactly where I’m standing (thank you, glass) looking to clear the puck from the zone.
The Edmonton Oilers‘ 6th round pick in the 2018 draft (#164 overall) scored his first goal of the season in a 5-4 win over University Of New Hampshire Wildcats (2/13).
After only one season on juniors in the USHL with Des Moines Buccaneers then Fargo Force, the large than life 6’4″ 215 lbs. blue liner from New Hampton, NH has decided it’s time to turn pro, signing a three-year entry level contract starting immediately.
We knew it. Too big not to play with the big boys already.
As he heads into the final season on his initial deal, he finds himself traded to Arizona Coyotes, who we believe super like the 13 goals and 9 assists he’s posted in the minors with Bakersfield Condors with that super large frame of his and give him his NHL debut, skating 24 shifts for 16:04 of ice time in a 6-1 loss with a 0 rating.
Through 65 games, he scores 5 goals and 16 assists with a +11 rating on a non-playoff team to earn himself a 2-year deal worth $1.4M AAV.
He’s turned out to be a solid contributor at the blue line, scoring a new high 7 goals and 22 assists in a full slate of 82 games last season and was a bit of a fan favorite, but finds himself dished to Buffalo Sabres, who could certainly use him in the 2nd year of his contract.
