7th year center Joel Lowry(14) switches it up overseas, heading from Iserlohn Roosters of DEL to Vienna Capitals IceHL for 2021/2022.
The 6’2″ 192 lbs. power forward was originally a Los Angeles Kings‘ 5th round pick in the 2011 draft (#140 overall), spent 2 years in the system, but was left unqualified when his entry level deal expired.
His only other big league contract was a season signed by Florida Panthers, after producing high marks (10 goals, 20 assists) for their affiliate.
The Cornell University Big Red graduate had three 20+ point campaigns in college.
It will be little surprise to see the 29-year old detonate Austria’s collective league.
Former teammates: Northeastern University Huskies‘ portal transfer, senior Jakov Novak(10) hits the center dot for the 1st drop of a puck on the 2021/2022 NCAA Division 1 college hockey season vs. Bentley University Falcons‘ graduate student Brendan Hamblet(6).
7th year defenseman Patrick McNally(3) is coming off a career year for assists (24) and points (32) in the ECHL, but switches allegiances in a deal that sent him from Wheeling Nailers to Reading Royals for 2021/2022.
Originally drafted by Vancouver Canucks (4th round, 2010, #115 overall), he was traded to San Jose Sharks as he was getting his pro career started, after finishing up 4 years at Harvard University Crimson.
A decent scorer at school, he took it up to point-per-game numbers as a senior (6-15) in 21 ECAC games with a +16 rating.
He was left unqualified as his entry level deal was finishing up and signed with Worcester Railers, but that relationship lasted less than half a season before he decided to seek pro hockey elsewhere.
The Glen Head, NY native next left for 17 HockeyAllsvenskan games for Leksands IF.
He would leave there for a his most successful season for Eispiraten Crimmitschau, scoring 12 goals and 36 assists in 59 DEL2 games and followed it by almost equal success in Tipos Extraliga with a pair of different clubs.
The 29-year returned for 2020/2021 pandemic season and did what he normally does on the scoresheet, but we are a little surprised to see him return once again to continue his game in PA.
5th year defenseman Rob O’Gara(42) decides to call it a career, just as he accepts the assistant coaching position at his old school, Yale University Bulldogs.
The big 6’4″ 214 lbs. d-man skated 33 NHL games, 11 with draft club Boston Bruins (5th round, 2011, #151 overall), no points and 22 for New York Rangers, who he was traded to in a late season deal.
He got his only points with the Blueshirts, 3 assists.
In 205 AHL games with 5 different clubs, most notably two seasons for Providence Bruins, he has 14 goals and 29 assists, but most notable is his overall +21 rating of in zone accountability.
The 28-year old will likely miss competing on ice for a bit, but his experience will help develop young players.
7th year center Brendan O’Donnell(21) once again trades out his overseas leagues and teams, agreeing to a 1-year deal with Dusseldorfer EG for 2021/2022.
It seems like he joins a new country’s team, detonates the score sheet and leaves to go elsewhere from the first time he arrived under contract to Kunlun Red Star.
He may have only had limited success in the KHL, but when reassigned down to KRS Heilongjang, scoring 3 goals and 10 assists in 13 VHL games.
Almost exactly like the previous season, he next went on to join KooKoo, but after only 3 Liiga games with no points maybe split from the tryout for Dornbirner EC Bulldogs and scored 33 goals and 20 assists in 43 EBEL games with a +7 rating.
The 6’2″ 197 lbs. former Tampa Bay Lightning 6th round pick in the 2010 draft (#156 overall) almost shockingly never signed.
His first contract was with Florida Everblades after 4 steady years at University Of North Dakota Fighting Hawks.
Despite blowing up the scoring in Austria’s top league, he next went to Czech Extraliga and was decently solid, but following it up by heading to Slovakia’s Tipos Extraliga, skating for HC Slovan Bratislava once again elevated his game.
The now 29-year old will have to be on his best game going into DEL, but very well could be a great fit for his style.
16 years and 965 NHL games played is plenty enough for David Backes(42) to call it a career at the ripe old age of 37.
The 6’3″ 215 lbs. always a banger signed a 1-day deal with St. Louis Blues, the team he skated 727 of those games with.
He was five-time team captain before being wooed by a lucrative 5-year deal from Boston Bruins to leave the nest.
This was the team who selected him in the 2nd round of the 2003 draft (#62 overall), he spent the first 10 years of his pro career with.
The former Minnesota State University (Mankato) Bulldogs‘ junior captain was a huge, twice 40+ point scorer through 3 years of college.
He only spent half of one season in the minors with Peoria Rivermen and originally signed an ato with the team after signing his entry level deal.
The Minneapolis, MN native only one a single title, the 2003 Clark Cup Championship with his 1.5 year junior club, Lincoln Stars.
4th year center Blaine Byron(12) takes 153 AHL games of playing experience to a new adventure with Eisbaren Berlin of DEL for 2021/2022.
The former University Of Maine Black Bears‘ forward, who went on a scoring splurge in his senior year for 18 goals and 23 assists in 36 Hockey East games, signed three consecutive contracts with Springfield Thunderbirds, and definitely had a breakout frame in his 2nd campaign, grabbing 13 goals and 12 assists.
He would be traded in the middle of the next season to Ontario Reign and once again had 12 goals and this time 22 assists in 54 games.
The 6′ 172 lbs. light pivot stuck on a follow-up deal, and through the bizarre 2020/2021 scored 6 goals and 6 assists in 17 games, which probably put him fully on the radar for the Germany club to grab.
It would be little surprise to see the 25-year old excel in this very solid overseas league.
Buffalo Sabres‘ 3rd round pick in the 2016 draft (#86 overall), defenseman Casey Fitzgerald(5) re-ups for another 2-years as he was set to enter restricted free agent status.
He scored a career tying 2 goals and high 9 assists and 11 points for affiliate Rochester Americans in 2020/2021.
The former two-time Boston College Eagles‘ captain averaged 15 assists per season through college with an overall +26 rating.
He was a 2-year member of the USNTDP for junior hockey.
The 5’11” 181 lbs. blue liner, son of New Jersey Devils‘ General Manager, Tom Fitzgerald could get the nod for some NHL time this season.
Minnesota Wild 2nd round pick in the 2013 draft (#46 overall), 8th year, Swedish-born defenseman Gustav Olofsson(29) and was signed to a pair of contracts, including the 2nd being his only one-way deal, before being traded to Montreal Canadiens, where he was signed to a pair of one-year deals.
He has just agreed to his latest NHL contract, a two-way shot with Seattle Kracken.
The 1-year Colorado College d-man, who happened to just be over to play with the local Colorado Thunderbirds 16U AA & 18U AA will likely see most of his playing time with affiliate Charlotte Checkers.
He’s played 203 AHL games with a healthy showing of 11 goals and 60 assists and not too untidy -4 rating.
The 6’3″ 200 lbs. blue liner was likely selected for his size and the fact he put up 21 assists for Green Bay Gamblers with a +11 rating, then signed to a three-year entry level deal a year into school.
It wouldn’t be out of the realm to see the 26-year old potentially make the opening night roster for a spot in the show to start 2021/2022.
We are deeply saddened by the news of 7-year NHL, former Boston Bruins‘ (2015-2017) right wing Jimmy Hayes(11) sudden death at age 31.
The big 6’5″ 215 lbs. forward played 334 games in the big league, scoring 54 goals and 55 assists.
He signed 5 major contracts with 5 different clubs, but was probably most successful in his pair of seasons with Florida Panthers, where he struck for 30 goals and 23 assists, including 3 game-winners and 7 on the pp.
The Dorchester, MA native also won the 2010 NCAA Division 1 Championship with his school of 3 years Boston College.
We’re all going to miss that big smile, we got to enjoy just once at an appearance at a local shoe outlet, where we got the chance to meet and talk with him as a member of the Black & Gold.
