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.
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.
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.
USNTDP 2nd year defenseman Drew Schock IV(10) is a University Of Michigan Wolverines‘ commit for 2025/2026.
In 4 USHL games, he has yet to record a point, but the 5’10” 167 lbs. blue liner had 2 goals and 7 assists in 35 games last year.
From Green Bay, WI, the 17-year old is 2025 NHL draft eligible.
Anaheim Ducks select him in the 4th round of the 2025 draft (#101 overall).
University Of Michigan Wolverines‘ senior defenseman Ethan Edwards(73) is a New Jersey Devils‘ 4th round pick in the 2020 draft (#120 overall) and signs his 2-year NHL entry level deal as his team concludes tournament play.
He manages to pull himself in for 10 AHL games with affiliate Utica Comets, scoring 3 assists.
From Grand Rapids, AB, the 5’10” 176 lbs. blue liner did 1 year close by home juniors AJHL before heading to the USHL prior to school.
University Of North Dakota Fighting Hawks‘ senior center Jackson Kunz(89) signs a 1-year AHL deal with draft team Vancouver Canucks (4th round, 2020, #113 overall) affiliate Abbotsford Canucks for 2025/2026.
He joined the team for 1 game and recorded an assist, but play in no playoff games en route to the 2025 Calder Cup Championship.
The 6’3″ 207 lbs. forward blew up USHS-Prep scoring, then took that to 1 off the hook USHL frame before college.
Charlotte Checkers‘ 8th year center Scott Wilson(10) is off to a good start with his new team, scoring 4 goals and 2 assists in 16 AHL games, while helping them win games.
Originally a Pittsburgh Penguins‘ 7th round pick in the 2011 draft (#209 overall), he was selected after a 2nd strong session for Georgetown Raiders of the OJHL.
The 5’11” 176 lbs. forward would then head to UMass-Lowell Riverhawks for three seasons.
He spent three years in the Pens’ system and played the entire 2016/2017 in the NHL en route of the 2017 Stanley Cup Championship, where he played 20 playoff matchups, scoring 3 goals and 3 assists.
The 29-year old should have some fun with his minor league deal this year and then look for a nice overseas contract for 2022/2023.
After scoring a career best 24 goals in 71 games, he decides at the last minute to head off and sign with Vityaz Podolsk, as we thought he might do, after initially thinking he was going to return.
He should be able to match up well in the KHL.
After a couple of good 20-goal scoring seasons, he was maybe off a bit in the current frame, so switches up allegiances to skate for Salavat Yulaev Ufa for the remainder of 2024/2025.
He has a pretty spectacular season with 9 goals and 14 assists in 30 games with a +13 rating, then added 16 points in 19 playoff matchups, but for 2025/2026, he will sign with a 5th league team, agreeing to terms for HC Sibir Novosibirsk for 2025/2026.
