Mercyhurst University Lakers‘ freshman defenseman Jacob Leblanc(18) was forced to pick a new school for 2026/2027, his sophomore season and has chosen Lindenwood University Lions.
The 6’1″ 187 lbs. blue liner had 1 goal and 15 assists in 36 games last season.
From George Town, CYM, the 22-year old has a twin brother Andrew, who plays with him, did 4 years OHL juniors, posting 40+ assists in the last 2 before committing.
Undrafted 4th year center Ryan Schmelzer(26) signs a new 1-year AHL deal with Utica Comets for 2021/2022 after spending the last three seasons skating for Binghamton Devils.
In 133 games he wracked up 23 goals and 32 assists.
The former four-year Canisius College Golden Griffiths standout got 40 goals and 66 assists in 143 NCAA Atlantic Hockey games with a quite massive +43.
Almost oddly, the Buffalo, NY native skated all his junior hockey at home for Buffalo Jr. Sabres in the Canadian OJHL and was a point per game player.
The 6’2″ 187 lbs. forward should be right at home playing his style for a new club, seeing as his team from New York went belly up after 2020/2021.
In 2021/2022, he becomes team captain and posts a new career best 18 goals and 32 points with a +6 rating, then comes away with another 2 points in 5 playoff games gets him a new deal to stay and keep grabbing points.
The word determination is definitely in his vocabulary, as he records a career high 29 assists and 35 points in his 2nd frame with the team and then goes on last season to score another 18 goals, adds new best 34 assists and 52 points with a +14 rating to earn himself a 2-year NHL deal with parent club, New Jersey Devils.
Considering he has been their captain for the last 5 years, they play on adding a 6th to his Comets‘ portfolio.
Tampa Bay Lightning were rumored to have interest in Merrimack College Warriors‘ junior defenseman Declan Carlile(3) and they confirm the news, signing him to a 2-year NHL entry level deal that will see him report to affiliate Syracuse Crunch.
The 6’2″ 192 lbs. blue liner had a college career year with a best 7 goals, 24 points and +14 rating in 35 NCAA Division 1 games.
For juniors, he first headed north and won a 2018 OJHL Championship with Wellington Dukes, passing ahead an impressive 33 helpers, then added 5 goals and 8 assists in 25 playoff games before committing to school and likely agreeing to a year in the USHL before school.
He split time between a couple of different clubs, but was able to access 15 assists.
The Flint, MI native got to school and as a freshman ran up 18 assists as a freshman, so that had to get the now still young 21-year old on the radar screen.
He would stay in the system and played 42 NHL games last season.
For 2026/2027, the unrestricted free agent signs for 2 years with Pittsburgh Penguins.
Binghamton Devils‘ undrafted 3rd year defenseman Jacob McDonald(23) is having some kind of career year with 12 goals and 20 assists in 42 AHL games.
His tallies are first in the league for his position and 2nd overall in points.
He’s in the 2nd year of a two-year deal with the team, signed near the end of 2016/2017 after a mid-season loan up from Toledo Walleye of the ECHL that obviously stuck.
The 6′ 208 lbs. d-man was chosen to be in the 2018 AHL All Star game and had a solid showing with an impressive tricky shoot out goal that should easily put him on the radar of an NHL team.
A former Waterloo Blackhawks standout before heading to four years at Cornell University there’s little doubt he’s starting to blossom, big.
At 24-years old he’s definitely on track for a 2-year entry level contract.
Not bad for a player who started as a rookie with a season for the ill-fated Elmira Jackals.
He would score his 1st NHL deal the following season and played full campaigns at least 3 times.
For 2026/2027, the now 33-year old gets a 1-year deal from Washington Capitals.
Calgary Flames‘ 8th year center Kevin Rooney(21) gets re-upped for a 1-year extension, as his 2-year deal was set to expire.
He signed for the same money $1.3M.
The 6’2″ 201 lbs. forward has skated for 3 different teams, originally signed by New Jersey Devils after 4 years and an 2015 NCAA Division 1 national title with Providence College Friars.
He almost ironically seemed to do best in 2 seasons with New York Rangers before heading to his current club.
The 30-year old from Canton, MA has to be pretty happy how things have turned out.
After adding training camp look that didn’t quite settle, Utah Mammoth step in and offer him a 1-year 2-way deal for 2025/2026.
He spent most of last season, aside from 1 game with 1 goal with affiliate Tuscon Roadrunners and the 33-year is comfortable to signs an AHL contract to stay on for 2026/2027.
University Of North Dakota Fighting Hawks‘ graduate defenseman Logan Britt(29) had a college career best 7 goals last season.
He came over to likely prove his game even further from a pair of years at Sacred Heart University Pioneers that followed 2 with Quinnipiac University Bobcats.
The 6’2″ 190 lbs. forward played a full docket of games in each frame and had 18 assists as a junior, playing Atlantic Hockey.
From Crystal Lake, IL, he signs with Greenville Swamp Rabbits and got 1 assist in 5 games and equaled his mark in the playoffs, as they push.
Sort of a no-brainer to bring him back for his rookie season, 2024/2025 in a Rabbits‘ jersey.
Just before the new season starts, he finds himself involved in a trade that sends him to Reading Royals, where he should continue to do ECHL well.
Signed with Orlando Solar Bears for 2025/2026 and scored a new best 18 assists, 20 points.
For 2026/2027, he decides to leave and signs in the IceHL with Pioneers Vorarlberg.
American International College Yellowjackets‘ junior right wing Noah Serdachny(91) scored a college best 4 goals and 12 assists last season, but the team he transferred to from 2 years at Colorado College Tigers is heading to a new division in 2025/2026, so heads to yet another new school, Long Island University Sharks.
The 6’1″ 190 lbs. forward did 2 years BCHL juniors, running up points, even in a shortened frame.
From Edmonton, AB, we think the 21-year old ignites at his 3rd school.
The senior has indeed taken his scoring to a new level with 9 goals and 15 assists in 30 games.
He is playing like a leader for LIU and unleashes quite the shot, when loaded.
In 33 games, he scores a new college hockey best 13 goals and 16 assists with a +1 rating that he will take to a new adventure overseas, signing for his rookie season 2026/2027 in IceHL with Pioneers Vorarlberg.
Boston Bruins have just traded a 7th round pick to obtain the NHL rights for Providence College Friars‘ senior defenseman, 3-time captain Michael Callahan(79).
The Franklin, MA native is essentially coming home if he signs his entry level contract.
He was an Arizona Coyotes‘ 5th round pick in 2018, #142 overall after finishing up his only USHL junior season split between a couple of teams with solid playoff run with Youngstown Phantoms.
The 6’2″ 196 lbs., 22-year old blue liner is a solid prospect, grinding his game the right way in Hockey East before turning pro.
Fresh out of his 4th year at school, he picks up a 2-year entry level deal and will likely report to affiliate Providence Bruins to start, which is basically right next to where he played his college game.
After a decent rookie frame, he finds himself back at Bruins‘ rookie camp and is looking like he will compete for whatever open spot on defense may exist for him to fill is how good he was out there.
He records new league highs for himself with 4 goals and 13 assists and is offered a 1-year deal to continue in a Bruins‘ jersey.
In 35 games with the affiliate, he scores 1 goal and 5 assists with a +1 rating to earn himself a 1st look in the big league.
For his NHL debut, he skates a full slate of 22 shifts for 14:11 of ice time with 1 shot and 2 giveaways and a +1 rating in a big 6-2 win.
He picks up a 1st NHL goal in his 16th game, where he also logs a most amount of 18:11 ice time.
In 17 games, he is looking like he belongs out there, but reassigned in 45 games, he scores 1 goal and 8 assists with a +3 rating to earn a 4th season with the hometown Boston team.
He scores 2 goals and 14 assists in 56 games with a +30 rating and was recalled for 5.
An unrestricted free agent, he for a 1st time signs away from home in a 1-year deal with Tampa Bay Lightning for 2026/2027.
Florida Panthers‘ 4th round pick in the 2020 draft (#95 overall), defenseman Mike Benning(20) gets himself a 3-year NHL entry level deal, leaving 1 season at University Of Denver Pioneers on the table.
The 5’9″ 177 lbs. blue liner is small, but leaves with a very accountable +55 rating and scored 10+ goals and 20+ assists as a sophomore and junior.
He is also only 1 season off winning the 2022 NCAA Division 1 Championship.
The 21-year from Edmonton, AB is with the big club for playoffs, but potentially should head to Charlotte Checkers to help them win a Calder Cup.
He actually scores 9 points in 18 playoff games with a +6 rating, which may have factored in the decision to keep him around another 1-year deal with the Panthers after also gaining a career high 23 assists.
In 56 games, he scores almost exact points from a year earlier and scores a 1st recall, as the parent club is absolutely struggling with injuries down the stretch.
He has 4 assists in 13 NHL games, getting his footing on a team his dad, Brian Benning(2) played on the inaugural 1993-1994 team.
With 8 goals and a 2nd season of 23 assists, he is a free agent, so signs with Calgary Flames for 2026/2027.
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.
In the off season, he gets traded to Winnipeg Jets for 2026/2027, the final year of his contract.
