Michigan State University Spartans‘ senior captain defenseman Nash Nienhuis(4) scored a college career best 9 goals and tied his 15 assists set as a junior.
The undrafted 5’10” 181 lbs. blue liner will take his game overseas for his rookie frame, as he signs with EC Salzburg of IceHL.
From Sarnia, ON, he did 1 season GOJHL before transferring to the USHL, where he skated mostly with Muskegon Lumberjacks before heading to school.
We look for the 24-year old to do well in Austria’s top league.
UMass-Lowell Riverhawks‘ senior left wing Blake Wells(54) heads into the transfer portal for a graduate season roughly 90 minutes west at American International College Yellowjackets.
The 6’2″ 201 lbs. forward should find more room in Atlantic Hockey to score.
His best season was as a junior, getting 3 goals and 5 assists in 29 games.
The 23-year old Blackie, AB native played 2 seasons in the nearby AJHL for Okotoks Oilers before committing to school.
He comes away with a college best 4 goals and 6 assists in his extra frame and signs a pro deal with Utah Grizzlies, where we suspect he will find more room in the ECHL to score using his power forward size.
After 3 games with no points, they would like to see what he does in a full frame, so sign him to continue wearing a Grizzlies‘ jersey for 2024/2025.
Yale University Bulldogs‘ senior defenseman Ryan Conroy(8) takes a new college best 2 goals and 11 assists to a 1st pro deal with Adirondack Thunder.
The 5’9″ 171 lbs. blue liner scored a 1st ECHL goal in his 2nd game and has appeared in 5.
From Chestermere, AB, the 23-year old did 4 years of the AJHL, committing after a huge 21 assist campaign before doing 1 USHL season doing well for Omaha Lancers.
He scores some for his new team, even in the playoffs and they are going to sign him up for his rookie season, 2024/2025 back in a Thunder sweater.
University Of New Hampshire Wildcats‘ senior right wing Cameron Gendron(21) enters the transfer portal and heads to Hockey East rivals Providence College Friars to start a graduate program in 2024/2025.
The 6’3″ 181 lbs. forward played 2 NAHL seasons for New Jersey Titans, scoring pretty well in his 2nd frame.
From Wilmington, MA, we will see if the 25-year old is utilized more by his new college club.
Philadelphia Little Flyers‘ 3rd year goaltender Ronnie Petrucci(1) will go to Trine University Thunder for 2024/2025.
The 6′ 175 lbs. net minder played himself up from starting in the EHLP after finishing up USHS-DE.
He was huge in last year’s EHL playoffs with a 6-2 record, 2.25 GA and .943 SV%.
University Of Lowell Riverhawks‘ undrafted junior center Reid Stefanson(14) catches maximum air in their first of two vs. Northeastern University Huskies.
The Winnipeg-born 6′ 185 lbs. forward was not able to connect with the scoresheet in the game but was a full part of a sound 4-1 win.
He did two years of junior hockey starting with a season in the NAHL but finished up skating for Sioux Falls Stampede of the USHL.
The senior graduated with exact totals of 8 goals and 12 assists he posted as a rookie, but always skated hard and was tough to play against.
Upon getting beaten in Hockey East tournament play, he signs a 1st pro contract with somewhat local Maine Mariners.
He didn’t connect in his debut, but got on the score sheet in game 2 and followed it up with another and a two-game point streak.
The 25-year old is finding his footing quickly in the ECHL.
He will return to Maine for his rookie season after scoring a pair of goals and assists in 9 games on an ato, and another 2 points in 6 playoff appearances.
The power forward should be able to take his game up nicely in his first official season and could even score a loan up.
After a 22 goal and 25 assist performance with a +22 rating in 69 games, he is an easy re-sign to stay in a Mariners‘ jersey for 2023/2024.
He’s an easy point-per-game player as a full 2nd year player in the league and looks elsewhere to find a nice deal with Vienna Capitals to continue in IceHL, where he will likely do very well for himself and become something of a star on skates.
In 13 games, he comes away with 2 goals and 6 assists and maybe doesn’t feel like he is quite catching on, so heads to the EIHL, where he signs with Nottingham Panthers for 2024/2025.
It’s the no-brainer, unrestricted free agent signing of the 2022 post-college hockey season, in undrafted center, twice captain Colin Bilek(6) at Army West Point Black Knights‘ gets a AHL contract with Manitoba Moose for 2022/2023 and stays on Winnipeg Jets‘ radar.
The 5’11” 195 lbs. forward came away from 2021/2022 with a college career high 20 assists and 31 points in 34 NCAA Division 1 games.
He scored 18 goals as a junior.
The Brighton, MI native also had 18 goals in each of his 2 years of junior hockey with Northeast Generals.
He also posted 22 and 32 assists.
The 25-year old will certainly arrive ready to compete for a roster spot as a rookie.
He skates only a couple of games with the big club before being dispatched to ECHL affiliate Trois-Rivieres Lions, where he has a decent 14 goals and 9 assists in 46 games.
As the trade deadline looms, he gets a new address as Rockford Ice Hogs will adopt his contract, but likely will start with Indy Fuel.
We will see if he can make a bigger difference for a playoff tilted team.
After just 1 game with new contract club and then being reassigned down, he 7 goals and 4 assists in 18 games, then another 2 goals and 1 assist in 4 playoff matchups, he gains their confidence to have him back in an Ice Hogs‘ jersey for 2023/2024.
He would be reassigned down for the entire frame, but got settled and started connecting regularly for 20 goals and 23 assists in 51 games with a +5 rating.
For 2024/2025, he officially signs with the Fuel to try to improve their playoff push.
Rochester Jr. Americans‘ 1st year center Massimo Gentile(24) commits to Colby College Mules for 2024/2025.
The 5’9″ 163 lbs. forward scored well in his 2nd CCHL frame, but nothing like he did last season of the NAHL, chalking up 31 goals and 44 assists in 60 games with a +34 rating.
From Pointe-Claire, QC, the 21-year old should see similar results putting up points in college hockey.
University Of Maine Black Bears‘ portal transfer graduate student from 4-years at Merrimack College Crusaders, defenseman Dominic Dockery(44) decides after 17 NCAA Division 1 games to turn pro, signing for the remainder of 2021/2022 with Wheeling Nailers.
He’s already played his first ECHL game, a crushing 7-1 defeat of a good club, where he unfortunately left with a -2 rating.
The 6’2″ 185 lbs. forward has never really been much of a point guy on the back end, but there is occasional glimmers of offense through juniors, even 13 assists in 60 USHL games with Youngstown Phantoms before he hit college.
At just 24-years old, the Lockport, NY native will likely take to the pro game pretty well and contribute.
He’s actually traded late to Indy Fuel for 3 games, putting up an assist after notching 5 helpers in 29 earlier in the frame.
For his 2nd outing in 2022/2023, he inks with Wichita Thunder, another good city for him to help out.
Through an almost full slate of games as a rookie, 71, he scores 2 goals and 8 assists, which is definitely worthy of another look in a Thunder uniform.
He is comfortable in a Thunder jersey, so will return a 3rd season after scoring 9 assists and needs to repair a better +/- with hopefully a team that competes for the playoffs a little better in 2024/2025.
Vancouver Canucks have picked up unrestricted free agent Brady Keeper(25) as his one-year extension to stay in Florida Panthers‘ system was up.
And even though the undrafted, 6’2″ 196 lbs. blue liner has only ever skated 2 NHL games, he is given a 2-year one-way deal to come play zone in the big league.
He originally came from three seasons of juniors in the MJHL for OCN Blizzard, serving as captain in his final session, before committing to University Of Maine Black Bears.
The Cross Lake, MB native played one full AHL campaign for affiliate Springfield Thunderbirds, earning 6 goals and 18 assists in 61 games.
He was loaned last season to Syracuse Crunch, where he figured into 11 games, scoring a goal and 2 assists.
They must see something in the 25-year old that looks ready to step it up full-time and it just may work.
He wouldn’t actually figure into any games for 2021/2022 after breaking 2 major bones in his leg, but returned for the next frame, contributing 1 goal and 5 assists in 35 games.
For 2023/2024, he has options and signs with Montreal Canadiens, but really is on a high-priced minor league deal with affiliate Laval Rocket.
He only figures into 22 games last season, but his accountability is good.
For 2024/2025, he signs with HK Poprad of Slovak Extraliga, which should provide the challenge the 28-year old needs.
