10th year defenseman Aaron Ness(27) was in Boston Bruins‘ training camp, but signs for 2021/2022 with affiliate Providence Bruins to stay in the system.
It’s his 1st minor league deal.
The 5’10” 184 lbs. blue liner has played an outstanding 557 AHL games, scoring 45 goals and 222 assists with an overall +7 rating.
He’s appeared in 72 NHL games in 7 seasons with 3 different teams, scoring just a goal and 6 assists.
We do believe the 31-year old, former 3-year University Of Minnesota Golden Gophers will look to continue his hockey overseas next, just to be able to say he did it as a pro.
Looks like we guessed wrong, as he signs for 2022/2023 with the team he had a 50 assist campaign for a few years ago, Hershey Bears and the recently turned 32-year old should be able to help them find their playoff punch again.
He’s riding a good playoff run with the team after getting 5 goals and 14 assists in 69 games with a +14 rating during the regular season, but has yet to add anything in the playoffs.
No worries says this minor league club as they would like him to stay in Chocolatetown for at least another 2 more years.
For a 7th season, he will stay a Bears, 2024/2025.
Boston College Eagles‘ defenseman Drew Fortescue(5) had the 1st home goal for the team to start the 2023/2024 season in a 4-2 win.
Almost a little ironic considering he had no goals in 22 USHL games last season and only 1 in 62 games for the NTDP club.
A New York Rangers‘ 3rd round pick in the 2023 draft (#90 overall), he stands 6’2″ 176 lbs.
We think the 18-year old’s game will continue to grow and he’ll become a team leader.
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.
Montreal Canadiens‘ thus far unsigned draft pick, center Ty Smilanic(96) picked up in a trade with Florida Panthers has decided to switch up schools after a pair of years at Quinnipiac University Bobcats, he will head to University Of Wisconsin Badgers for his junior season.
He had a college career best 10 assists and 23 points last season.
The 6’1″ 174 lbs. forward twice skated USNTDP with solid enough results.
From Denver, CO, the 20-year old was a 3rd round pick in 2020 (#74 overall) and will likely do better scoring in the Big Ten.
Through only 14 games, he gets 1 goal and 1 assist.
He remains unsigned at the NHL level and as the new season is ready to roll, he signs with Trois-Rivieres Lions to possible stay close and potentially keep him a little on the radar.
Detroit Red Wings‘ 5th round pick in the 2015 draft (#140 overall), 3rd year center Chase Pearson(46) gets the nod and make his NHL debut.
The 6’3″ 205 lbs. forward skated 10 shifts for 7:40 ice time with 1 shot, 3 hits and went 100% on the face off dot.
He also left a 5-2 loss with a +1 rating.
The Alpharetta, GA native twice score 22 points as a rookie and 2nd year player for affiliate Grand Rapids Griffins, but did it in half the AHL games the 2nd time.
He was twice captain and 3-time 20+ point guy at University Of Maine Black Bears before leaving with a year on the table.
The 24-year old is set to become a restricted free agent for a 2nd time, but seems like a bit of a shoe in for another deal.
Heading into 2023/2024, he decides to go for something new, signing a 1-year deal with HC Dukla Michalovce of Slovak Extraliga.
Providence Bruins‘ very large 6’5″ 211 lbs. defenseman J.D. Greenway(26) gets sent to affiliate Maine Mariners, a place he is somewhat familiar with from his time playing college hockey at University Of Maine Black Bears for two years after a transfer from University Of Wisconsin Badgers.
In 2 ECHL games, he has yet to notch a point, but that’s not exactly the strong suit for this player.
He only had very decent scoring in his transfer year, when signed with Dubuque Fighting Saints, scoring 9 goals and 24 assists in 58 USHL games and the year before arriving at his 1st school with USDP U.S. National U18 Team.
The 23-year old, original Toronto Maple Leafs‘ 3rd round pick in the 2016 draft (#72 overall), signed a 2-year AHL deal through 2022/2023.
Used on sparingly in 21 games last season, he jumps for another opportunity, agreeing to a contract in the lower league with Greenville Swamp Rabbits for 2023/2024, which will likely be a good move for this extra big skater.
Nashville Predators‘ 5th round pick in the 2017 draft (#154 overall) Czech Republic-born goaltender Tomas Vomacka(33) gets signed to a two-year entry level deal after completing his college studies at University Of Connecticut Huskies in three seasons.
He’s appeared in 71 NCAA Hockey East games posting a 2.87 GAA and .903 SV%.
The fairly large 6’3″ 190 lbs. net minder started most of his playing time back home but came over for a pair of campaigns, first in the NAHL with Corpus Christi Ice Rays, where he made his college commitment, then a run in the USHL for Lincoln Stars.
His contract kicks in immediately but considering the parent club doesn’t have an affiliate, it’s unsure where he’ll start his pro career.
He would mostly be reassigned to a pair of ECHL clubs for his contract period, but does not get a qualifying offer to stick.
The Trutnov native will head home to continue his pro career, maybe conservatively signing a 1-year deal with HC Dynamo Pardubice of Czechia2 for 2023/2024.
10th year center Corban Knight(9) signs to stay on for a 3rd season with Avangard Omsk Hawks.
Originally a Florida Panthers‘ 5th round pick in the 2008 draft (#135 overall), he eventually signed an entry level deal with Calgary Flames after completing 4 successful years at University Of North Dakota Fighting Hawks.
He would next sign with the team that selected him and play a career high 20 NHL games, scoring 2 goals and 5 assists.
For the 6’2″ 195 lbs. forward final big league contract, he agreed to terms with Philadelphia Flyers and appeared in 23 games before deciding to next leave for the KHL.
The 32-year old from Oliver, BC put up a career best 30 assists and 48 points last season and raised the 2021 Gagarin Cup with his current club and also was credited with the most points in a session by a foreigner.
He didn’t match his totals from the previous campaign, but 15 goals and 19 assists through 58 games with a +14 rating, then adding another 10 points (5-5) in 14 playoff matchups, and easily he would be in good standing.
For 2023/2024, he decides to embark on something different and signs for 1-year with SC Bern of NL.
He should do really well in Switzerland’s top hockey.
Anaheim Ducks‘ 1st round pick in the 2019 draft (#9 overall) center Trevor Zegras(46) got off to a fantastic pro start with affiliate San Diego Gulls, scoring goals in both his first pair of AHL games and adding two, then one more assist en route to capturing the CCM Player Of The Week and two team victories.
The 6′ 174 lbs. pivot spent only a single at Boston University collecting 11 goals and 25 assists with a +8 rating that signaled as of age 18 his skill set was taking off.
He did much the same through a couple of years of USNTDP, especially in his 2nd session in the program.
The 19-year old zapped a quick 4 goals and 5 assists in 8 games, which had all the fans for the main squad screaming to recall him, which he received on 2/23 and now through 14 games he has a sweet, first NHL goal and 4 assists with a +1 rating on a club that’s very much out of the postseason.
In his 1st 2 full seasons up in the show he matches 23 goal outputs and comes away with a career best by 4 over his rookie campaign of 42 assists, but as a restricted free agent needs a new deal going forward.
It seems to take a bit of haggling, but he comes away with a 3-year contract worth a tidy $5.75M AAV to stay a Ducks.
7th year left wing Anders Bjork(10) signs an AHL deal with Rockford Icehogs for 2023/2024, you have to wonder if it’s under the radar of Chicago Blackhawks, who obtained him close to the trade deadline last season and he came through with a tidy 2 goals and 6 assists in 13 NHL games with a +4 rating.
The former Boston Bruins‘ 5th round pick in the 2014 draft (#146 overall) has skated 225 games in the big league.
He was with them for 3.5 years before getting traded to Buffalo Sabres, where he stayed for roughly 2 years, but was bumped down for most of last campaign.
The 3-year University Of Notre Dame Fighting Irish from Mequon, WI scored of 21 goals and 31 assists in 39 games as a junior left 1 year on the table, but where he is could even return online to finish up.
He’s still just 27-years old.
