11-year veteran defenseman Matt Smaby(32) played 122 NHL games, all for draft club (2nd round, 2003, #41 overall) Tampa Bay Lightning, scoring no goals and 6 assists.
He also skated 212 AHL games with 7 goals and 36 assists, the super-large 6’6″ 229 lbs. blue liner was a mostly stay-at-home style with good shot blocking capabilities.
The former University Of North Dakota Fighting Hawks‘ junior captain finished his pro career, playing four seasons for EHC Munchen and leaving the game on back-to-back 2016 & 2017 DEL Championships.
He would immediately take up as Team Manager for his old college team, before moving back to Germany for a year to be the assistant coach of EC Salzburg.
In his next move, it was likely best for him to stick close to home as a pandemic raged around the globe, so he took up as Youth Hockey Director with Grand Forks and coached their 14U Bantam AA.
This set him up perfectly for the next opportunity that would come knocking: USHL head coach Waterloo Blackhawks.
The 36-year old is moving on nicely.
Cornell University Big Red goaltender Matthew Galajda(35) leaves after a year of inactivity on ice for the transfer portal and agrees to join University Of Notre Dame Fighting Irish in their quest for a national championship.
The college hockey standout net minder posted a 60-15-9 record with a 1.64 GAA and .930 SV%, including 19 shutouts during his three-year stint.
He won a pair of high school, CISAA Championships in 2014 & 2015 at St. Andrews College before heading off to 2 seasons in the BCHL for Victoria Grizzlies.
The 6′ 192 lbs., 23-year old goalie will definitely be high on the list of unrestricted free agents to sign with an NHL team for 2022.
Undrafted right wing Eric Linell(5) leaves University Of Connecticut Huskies after a couple of seasons through the transfer portal to become a junior with Bentley University Falcons.
He spent most of his youth hockey with P.A.L. Junior Islanders and even played half a season with their junior Premiere squad before getting picked up by Cedar Rapids Roughriders, where he skated 35 USHL games.
The small 5’8″ 165 lbs. forward would next leave for the BCHL, and as it turned out was the best move he could possibly make as he connected for 28 goals and 18 assists for Coquitlam Express, where he committed to his first college.
He would split his next season with a couple of different teams but was still a strong, very close to point-per-game stats.
The 22-year old from Great Neck, NY should find Atlantic Hockey a little easier to find open spaces to score.
8th year defenseman Kevin Gravel(25) was no stranger to an AHL contract, having signed his first pro deal with Manchester Monarchs in 2014/2015 that led to a 2015 Calder Cup trophy before agreeing to 2-year entry deal with parent club Los Angeles Kings.
He inked another last season with a club, Bakersfield Condors, he spent 5 games with on loan from Edmonton Oilers and appeared in 37 games, getting a goal and 7 assists, then adding another pair of helpers in 6 playoff contests.
The former, 4 year, senior captain at St. Cloud State University Huskies has caught the eye of Calgary Flames, who put him under contract for 2021/2022, and the veteran could see significant time in the show on a team that has some needs to fill.
Undrafted, 6th year, third time unrestricted free agent net minder Alex Lyon(34) moves on for a first time in his pro career from a Philadelphia Flyers‘ contract.
He signs a 1-year 2-way NHL deal with Carolina Hurricanes, that will likely see him spending much time guarding the cage for affiliate Chicago Wolves.
After 3 outstanding campaigns for Yale University Bulldogs, he signed and stayed with his original club for 5 years, putting up a 75-54-22 record with 2.75 GAA and .913 SV% in the AHL.
The 6’1″ 201 lbs., 28-year old goalie will likely do very well for his new club.
Toledo Walleye undrafted, 6th year left wing Shane Berschbach(10) has decided after spending last year on the sidelines as his club suspended operations in 2020/2021 due to COVID restrictions, and he’s recently reached his 30th birthday, to suspend operations on playing hockey.
The 5’11” 165 lbs. forward spent 376 ECHL games with his one club, scoring a hefty, team leading 117 goals and 278 assists for 395 points with a +75 rating.
You also have to love he scored an exact equal 20 goals and 43 assists in his final two frames ’18/19, ’19/20, which seems like a perfect way to leave it.
That’s a pretty huge lift for the one-time Western Michigan University Broncos, who also connected big in college with 117 points (39-78) in 146 NCHC games with a +27.
We hope he puts his degree earned to good use, but see him as a perfect coaching fit somewhere.
Undrafted 4th year defenseman Garrett Cecere(29) circles back to re-sign with Reading Royals after a year away in which they had to decide not to play hockey in 2020/2021 due to COVID restrictions, but was scheduled to re-join them, ended up taking residence for a decent enough 25 ECHL game season with Tulsa Oilers with no goals but a new high 8 assists.
He once posted 20 assists in 24 games for Sioux City Stampede during his 2nd year of juniors.
The small 5’8″ 165 lbs. d-man first attended Colorado College prior to his first year with Janesville Jets, potting a healthy 24 assists in 52 NAHL games.
He would leave college early in his 2nd season to hook back up with his USHL team from SD.
The 26-year old Wes Demoines, IA native was also super solid for helpers in Shattuck St. Mary’s 14U and 16U AAA.
We’re thinking the eventual Northeastern University Huskies blue liner should see his best pro numbers in a campaign that’s hopefully just 100% straight ahead.
Undrafted defenseman Brett Orr(18) was originally to start his pro career last season with Cardiff Devils, though maybe last minute decided to stay closer to home, signed a deal with South Carolina Stingrays but was released with the plethora of more experienced players needing a place to play.
Well, it’s a new year and just as the summer is heating up, the 5’10” 181 lbs. blue liner re-ups what he left to get things started.
The former Bentley University Falcons‘ captain was always able to come up with assists in scoring, but his +18 rating through school means accountability.
He stayed close to home for his junior hockey, playing three campaigns for the MJHL Portage Terriers.
The 25-year old is likely to make a good impression as soon as his skates hit the ice.
After 5 seasons in Boston Jr. Bandits‘ system, starting with 16U AAA, defenseman Connor Sullivan(8) decided to spread some wings and joined Philadelphia Hockey Club for his 3rd year of junior hockey.
He was originally heading to the BCHL for a stint with Cranbrook Bucks, but may have stepped off that stick of dynamite as the pandemic continued to rage.
It lasted only 10 UPSHL/NCDC games before he would move on to sign with Islanders Hockey Club for the remainder of the frame.
He played 19 games with the team, scoring a goal and 9 assists before adding another couple of assists in 5 playoff matchups.
The 5’11” 174 lbs. blue liner was captain in the final year with his former club, which was when the 20-year old committed to Yale University Bulldogs to further his hockey and education on a strong showing, best 7 goals and 38 assists.
He should do well in ECAC once he arrives.
Undrafted 6th year center Nick Saracino(13) decides it’s time to head off for a great, new option, signing a 1-year deal with HKM Zvolen of Slovakia Extraliga.
After 4 very good years at Providence College Friars (46-70) in 145 Hockey East games with a mammoth +43 rating, he played his first 7 games for Iowa Wild, pocketing a 1st AHL goal and assist and then signing for his rookie campaign.
He only appeared in 33 games in his first season, so went unsigned and agreed to terms with a young Worcester Railers‘ club for a first full ECHL affair.
The 5’11” 185 lbs. always plays full throttle finds his scoring footing in the lower league and would next move onto a one-year deal on a trade to Wheeling Nailers and really popped the bubble with 17 goals and 20 assists in 27 games with a +17 rating.
This show would earn him a contract from Binghamton Devils, where he looked to make more sense, grabbing 6 goals and 4 assists in 38 games.
He returned to become captain of his PA club for a 2nd run, and although only good to go for 31 games, still scored at a great pace (8-15-23).
During the COVID stunted 2020/2021, he first was to play for South Carolina Stingrays, but they suspended, so decided to head to FL for a run with Jacksonville Icemen, and as it turned out, playing the somewhat weirdo schedule was his best production yet with a career high 18 goals and 27 assists for 43 points, the 29-year old says later on, going to find some Slovak hockey for myself.
