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.
Undrafted 4th year center Michael McNicholas(16) decides to head back overseas for 2021/2022 signing with Fife Flyers of the EIHL.
He first left to skate for Manglerud, scoring a couple goals and 7 assists in 15 Fjordkraftligaen before coming back, agreeing to terms with Maine Mariners.
As a rookie, he scored a career high 13 goals and 40 assists in 65 ECHL games.
He re-signed and maybe didn’t equal his earlier performance, but at least got close (11-27-38), although his on-ice accountability fell to a critically low -17 rating.
The 5’10” 174 lbs. forward was all set to return for a third campaign in Maine, but was forced to move on as the team shuttered for 2020/2021, so he would end up splitting time with Utah Grizzlies, Indy Fuel, who he skated 3 games with after college, and Tulsa Oilers.
He was a outstanding as a junior at University Of New Hampshire Wildcats, capturing 13 goals and 30 assists in 37 Hockey East games and followed it up with a solid senior year.
The 27-year old from Reno, NV will likely do well in his new hockey league and maybe even move up the ranks over there, which means we may not see him back here for awhile.
Undrafted, 8th year right wing Wade MacLeod(19) decided to sit last season out but comes back into the game with a new contract for 2021/2022 for Manchester Storm.
He last skated in 2019/2020 for Lowen Frankfort and put up 25 goals and 24 assists in 49 DEL2 games.
This was his 2nd foray in the league, having blown up scoring with Starbulls Rosenheim to the tune of 34 goals and 27 assists.
A decent scorer in the AHL, he was a point-per-game guy in the ECHL through 104 games netted 108 points.
The 4-year, former Northeastern University Huskies‘ senior assistant captain was a Hobey Baker Finalist, when he struck for 22 goals and 23 assists in 37 Hockey East games.
At 34-years old, he will likely blow-up the stat sheet in the EIHL much like he’s done in most any league he’s played, but mostly what he has been able to accomplish since falling to the ice in 2013 and being diagnosed with brain cancer is remarkable.
12th year undrafted center Ben Holmstrom(21) comes home from a single season overseas with Lillehammer IK of Fjordkraftligaen, where his scoring and game was equally on par with 6 goals and 13 assists in 23 games with a +12 rating.
The 6’1 203 lbs. forward signs with South Carolina Stingrays, his 2nd foray into the league after spending the recent 2019/2020 with Norfolk Admirals, then Cincinnati Cyclones.
He’s played a monumental 586 AHL games, 7 times serving in a team captain role, mostly with Adirondack Phantoms and Bridgeport Sound Tigers, scoring 79 goals and 132 assists.
The former three-time UMass-Lowell Riverhawks‘ captain, since his sophomore year, was a true leader in college hockey.
He also captained his junior team, Sioux Falls Stampede in his third and final year.
The Colorado Springs, CO native has been signed to 6 NHL contracts with Philadelphia Flyers, Carolina Hurricanes and New York Islanders, but only played 7 games in the big league with his first club, no points.
There’s little doubt, the gosh, now 34-year old will bring experience and lessons into the room for all the younger ECHL players to learn from.
After one season on as a freshman with RPI Engineers, defenseman Cory Babichuk(32) enters the transfer portal when a 2nd frame is left on the shelf due to the virus, and comes out as a 3rd year player with University Of Vermont Catamounts.
He played most of his junior hockey on home ice in the BCHL, where he likely committed to his first school, but did have a short foray into the USHL before heading back to Surrey Eagles, then playing a year of AJHL with Spruce Grove Saints.
The 5’10” 174 lbs., 22-year old blue liner will likely do well in Hockey East, considering he was good for 4 goals and 12 assists as a first year skater.
After a couple of seasons at University Of Maine Black Bears, junior defenseman Levi Kleiboer(16) decides to head to school closer to home at Mount Royal University Cougars for 2021/2022.
As a freshman, he saw playoffs get canceled, then endured a sophomore year where teams almost didn’t know whether they were going to be playing games or not.
He skated mostly a full schedule in his first campaign, but was limited to only 7 Hockey East games in 2020/2021, which is possibly why he decided to leave.
The 5’11” 176 lbs. blue liner played three sessions for Battlefords North Stars of the SJHL, confirming to his college after a successful 2nd stint, where he got 29 assists.
He would move down to play a year of American juniors, but quickly didn’t find the fit right at Sioux City Musketeers before switching to a much better one with Minot Minotauros.
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.
3rd year Robert Morris University Colonials‘ center Grant Hebert(3) heard what they were saying after hoisting career high 8 goals and 15 assists for 23 points with a +6 rating in 24 Atlantic Hockey games, entered the transfer portal and will come out with his senior year at University Of Maine Black Bears.
The terrain in Hockey East will no doubt be tougher, but we feel the big 6’3″ 175 lbs. forward will step it up.
He caught the attention of his first school with a massive breakout season for Cumberland Grads, throttling 27 goals and 64 assists in 60 CCHL games as the team’s assistant captain.
This set him up for the one year they likely wanted him to put in to a US junior hockey program and he was drafted by and played for Fargo Force, dominating on offense with 15 goals and another helper party of 39 assists with a +19 rating, then another 10 points (3-7) in 14 playoff games to win the 2018 USHL Clark Cup Championship.
We think the 22-year old from St. Andrews West, ON will have a good run with his new college club.
3rd year defenseman Jake Massie(56) signs a 1-year ECHL deal with South Carolina Stingrays for 2021/2022 after not being qualified when his 2-year NHL entry level deal to Florida Panthers expired.
He signed as an unrestricted free agent after leaving after three years at University Of Vermont Catamounts, but completing his degree before he left.
While mostly spending time with then affiliate Springfield Thunderbirds as a rookie, he was only able to get in roughly half the regular season slate of games, despite getting 3 goals and 2 assists in 29 AHL games with a +2 rating.
The 6’1″ 190 lbs. blue liner was reassigned for all of his sophomore campaign to Greenville Swamp Rabbits from Syracuse Crunch, who became the default affiliate during the faulty 2020/2021.
He was originally a Carolina Hurricanes‘ 6th round pick in the 2015 draft (#156 overall), and played only one year of junior hockey with Omaha Lancers, recording 10 points in 44 USHL games.
It seems like the 24-year old from St. Lazare, QC is still playing himself on an upper level radar, but may find better waters elsewhere.
7th year center Travis Boyd(72) finds a new home with Arizona Coyotes for the cap minimum after becoming unrestricted free agent.
He was last spotted skating for Vancouver Canucks after being picked up off waivers from 2020/2021 contract club Toronto Maple Leafs.
Originally a Washington Capitals‘ 6th round pick in the 2011 draft (#177 overall), he stayed with them most of his early career, playing 85 NHL games, getting 8 goals and 23 assists with a +12 rating, while his only AHL time was for affiliate Hershey Bears, picking up 57 goals and 115 assists in 221 games.
We do think it is believed the former University Of Minnesota Golden Gophers forward can score like he did as a college senior, posting 19 goals and 22 assists in 32 WCHA games.
