University Of North Dakota Fighting Hawks‘ 2024/2025 commit, USNTDP 2nd year defenseman EJ Emery(6) is selected #30 in the 2024 NHL draft by New York Rangers.
From Surrey, BC, the 6’3″ 185 lbs., 18-year will definitely fit right into NCHC play.
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.
EHC Red Bull München‘ 4th year center Ben Smith(12) re-ups after a 3rd 15+ assist season with a monster +61 rating.
It’s the 5’11” 203 lbs. forward’s 15th pro year.
A former Boston College Eagles‘ assistant captain, he twice had 20+ assists in college hockey, yet played no junior hockey after Westminster Prep USHS-Prep.
He was a Chicago Blackhawks‘ 6th round pick in the 2008 draft (#169 overall).
The Winston-Salem, NC native has 237 NHL games experience.
At 35-years old, he seems well happy playing his game in Germany.
Newfoundland Growlers‘ rookie defenseman Jonny Tychonick(81) was actually AHL signed by affiliate Toronto Marlies and returned when the ECHL went belly up right at the end of 2023/2024.
He almost oddly had 1 goal and 1 assist in 3 games, when reassigned down, then added another assist in his reappearance.
From Calgary, AB, he did 2 BCHL seasons with Penticton Vees before heading 1st to University Of North Dakota Fighting Hawks, then 3 years at University Of Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks, where he posted a college best 8 goals and 18 assists in his graduate frame.
Ottawa Senators drafted him in the 2nd round of 2018 (#48 overall), but another bit of a head scratcher did not sign him.
The 6′ 172 lbs. blue liner heads off to sign with Djurgardens IF of HockeyAllsvenskan for 2024/2025 and should bang Sweden’s tier 2 league.
3rd year left wing Collin Adams(18) heads home to skate next for Kalamazoo Wings in 2023/2024.
Last season, he managed point-per-game numbers: 14 goals, 18 assists in 30 ECHL games for Worcester Railers and 3 goals and 4 assists in 20 AHL games with Bridgeport Islanders, while under a 2-year NHL entry level deal from draft team (6th round, 2016, #170 overall) New York Islanders.
The 5’9″ 194 lbs. forward graduated University Of North Dakota Fighting Hawks as a solid junior and senior scorer.
He also lit up 2 USHL frames for Muskegon Lumberjacks.
The 25-year old from Brighton, MI should do as well as he’s done, if not better next season.
He played a career best 64 games ,scoring new high 22 goals and 21 assists and will head over to Tipos Extraliga for 2024/2025, signing with HC Banska Bystrica.
University Of Connecticut Huskies‘ Finnish-born, sophomore center Samu Salminen(13) is a New Jersey Devils‘ 3rd round pick in the 2021 draft (#68 overall) enters the transfer portal to go play some different college hockey with the current NCAA Division 1 champs, University Of Denver Pioneers.
The 6’2″ 185 lbs. forward played all of his junior and youth hockey back home.
He had 17 points in each of his 1st two frames and we look for that total to expand.
University Of Connecticut Huskies‘ freshman right wing Joey Muldowney(8) scored 5 goals and 9 assists in 35 games.
The 5’9″ 160 lbs. forward is a San Jose Sharks‘ 6th round pick in the 2022 draft (#172 overall), selected after a monster senior year at Nichols School, worth 57 goals and 40 assists in 56 games.
He went onto 1 USHL season with Des Moines Buccaneers.
We definitely expect him to take up scoring as a sophomore.
Bridgeport Sound Tigers‘ rookie center Jake Pivonka(37) was mostly sent down to the ECHL, where he exploded on the stat sheet for Worcester Railers to the tune of 21 goals and 24 assists through 60 games with a +5 rating on a non-playoff team.
A New York Islanders‘ 4th round pick in the 2018 draft (#103 overall), he signed an AHL deal.
The 5’11” 198 lbs. forward from Olathe, KS came up initially through the Chicago Mission program before heading to 2 seasons of USNTDP.
He went to 4 years of University Of Notre Dame Fighting Irish, the final frame as captain before taking on a year of eligibility with University Of Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks, where his scoring came alive with 10 goals and 8 assists in 37 games.
For 2024/2025, he signs with Dusseldorfer EG and will try his hand at DEL hockey.
Undrafted rookie defenseman Jack St. Ivany(3) signs a 2-year NHL entry level deal with Pittsburgh Penguins.
The 6’3″ 195 lbs. blue liner had two solid seasons at Boston College Eagles on transfer from Yale University Bulldogs and put up a college career high 20 assists and 24 points as a senior.
Not exactly known for recording points, he did post 30 assists in his 2nd USHL season for Sioux Falls Stampede.
Originally a Philadelphia Flyers‘ 4th round pick in the 2018 draft (#112 overall), the 23-year old from Manhattan Beach, CA went unsigned.
He should fit right in at the AHL level with affiliate Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and compete for a spot with the big club.
Through 63 games, he looks to be gaining comfort with 8 assists to his credit and earns a look from the top, skates 20 shifts for 12:28 ice time with 1 block shot and 1 hit dished in a 4-2 Penguins‘ loss.
He stays up for 14 games, recording 1 assist with a 0 rating, and then goes on to record 4 goals and 11 assists in 54 games with a +17 rating.
They are liking what they see and offer him a 3-year deal to stick around Pittsburgh with the 3rd year being on a 1-way deal at $750K.
16th year left wing Ryan Stoa(13) re-signs with Nurnberg Ice Tigers for a 4th season, where 3 times he has scored 10+ goals in a season.
The one-time University Of Minnesota Golden Gophers‘ senior captain, 40+ point player has done quite well overseas with 6 KHL campaigns and 3 in the SHL before heading to Germany.
Originally a Colorado Avalanche 2nd round pick in the 2005 draft (#34 overall), he has skated 40 NHL games, scoring 4 goals and 3 assists, but has 290 AHL games of experience.
The 6’3″ 223 lbs. from Bloomington, MN did 2 junior seasons with the USNTDP.
At 37-years old, he’s still having fun out there to sign.
