CollegeHockeyPlayers

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.

Boston Bruins‘ new defenseman Jordan Harris taking laps, shooting pucks to start another day of training camp for the 4th year blue liner.

We were trying to get him to do the puck trick he got a tiny famous on YouTube for, but he wasn’t biting.

Still, so solid to see the former Northeastern University Huskies‘ captain in with the home team.

Despite missing a huge chunk of the season with an injury, he produces well in his short run to earn another 1-year NHL deal to stay a Bruins for 2026/2027.

Jordan Harris (22)

Nashville Predators‘ 4th round pick in the 2019 draft (#109 overall) defenseman Marc Del Gaizo(2) will leave a year on the table at UMass Minutemen after winning the 2021 NCAA Championship in a cinderella-like run.

The 5’10” 185 lbs. blue liner was selected after his freshman season at the college, where he put up as many points basically as he did the next two, although he was almost always a plus player, leaving the school with a +60 rating.

At just 21, he can also breathe a little sigh of relief that this season may wrap up, as his 3-year entry level deal starts 2021/2022, unless he is itchy and signs an ato somewhere.

He actually jumped on for his 1st 9 AHL games for Chicago Wolves and puts up 5 assists with a +3 rating.

His contract would initiate upon playing for Milwaukee Admirals, where in his 3rd year would come away with a season best 8 goals, 34 points with another 20+ assist frame and a +18 rating, then contributed 7 points in 15 playoff games.

The 24-year old, who also played 9 NHL games last season with 3 assists and a +2 rating becomes easy to sign to a 1 year deal to continue.

He would next season skate 46 games up, scoring 2 goals and 7 assists.

The free agent would sign with Montreal Canadiens for the follow-up, but be reassigned to Laval Rocket for the entire frame.

For 2026/2027, he signs a 1-year deal with New York Rangers.

San Jose Sharks‘ acquired defenseman Henry Thrun(3) from draft team Anaheim Ducks, where he was selected in the 4th round of 2019 (#101 overall) and after 3 years at Harvard University Crimson, putting up just about equal stats as a sophomore and junior with 7 goals and 25/24 assists, he has decided to sign a 2-year NHL entry level deal to turn pro.

The big 6’2″ 195 lbs. blue liner skated his 1st big league game with his new pro team, getting a tough 4-3 OT win and him picking up a pair of assists in the conquest, earning a 2nd star of the game.

He has always been a good assist guy, twice with 10+, almost 20 when with the USNTDP, when he got drafted.

The 22-year old from Southborough, MA plays to form and will likely do very well for himself.

In his 16th appearance, for the new year 2024, he steps up to score a first big league goal.

He is handily playing himself into a full-time role with the big club and it’s now extended for another 2-year to continue that growth in a Sharks‘ sweater for the big man on d.

In maybe an oddball move, he gets shipped to Toronto Maple Leafs with a year remaining on his low-pay contract and he should shine pretty bright on a team that could really use him to improve.

He spends the lions share of the year with affiliate Toronto Marlies and would help them win the 2026 Calder Cup Championship.

An unrestricted free agent, he signs for 2026/2027 with Winnipeg Jets.

10th year veteran defenseman Jamie Oleksiak(24) gets picked up by Seattle Kraken in the expansion draft, as he was scheduled to hit unrestricted free agency after the 3-year deal, originally signed with Pittsburgh Penguins, but had him return to his draft club of 8 seasons, Dallas Stars (round 1, 2011, #14 overall) was set to expire.

At 6’7″ 255 lbs. he may be a couple inches short of the tallest player in the league, but at 255 lbs. is the heaviest,

As he gets an official transfer, the 28-year old immediately signs a 5-year deal worth some $23M to stick with his new team long-term.

Not exactly the biggest point scorer, he has 24 goals and 48 assists in 369 NHL games.

He has also appeared in 171 AHL contests and helped Texas Stars win the 2014 Calder Cup Championship.

The former 1-year Northeastern University Huskies‘ blue liner was set to spend some time in school before signing his entry level deal but after one and a half campaigns in the USHL, splitting time with a couple of clubs, decided to head to the OHL for a single stint before turning pro.

He would spend 5 years with the same club, but for 2026/2027 as a now 33-year old he looks for maybe a little more money and signs with Vancouver Canucks for 2-years at a cool $5M AAV.