Vancouver Canucks‘ 7th round pick in the 2019 draft (#195 overall), senior left wing Aidan McDonough(25) signs his 2-year entry level deal after finishing up 4 years at Northeastern University Huskies, including his last as team captain, scoring 1 point off his junior career high with a college best 18 assists, 39 points (25 goals, 14 assists).
He could join the parent club immediately.
The 6’3″ 190 lbs. is big on his skates and plays an effective power forward style.
In the only year of USHL junior hockey he skated, he scored 21 goals and 21 assists for Cedar Rapids Roughriders.
The 23-year old from Milton, MA has a bright future ahead of him and we bet he’ll be playing for it.
He does join the big league immediately with 6 games and gets a 1st NHL goal, but is reassigned for his entire rookie frame to affiliate Abbotsford Canucks, scoring 11 goals and 8 assists with a +2 rating.
Almost oddly maybe, he isn’t given a qualifying offer and signs an AHL deal for 2024/2025 with Charlotte Checkers that should heed great results.
11th year, Columbus Blue Jackets‘ 6th round pick in the 2008 draft (#157 overall) right wing Cam Atkinson(89) gets traded from the nest of the only team he’s ever known for his 10 year pro career that maybe wasn’t considered likely seeing his stealthy 5’8″ 176 lbs. frame.
He heads to Philadelphia Flyers to ride out the final 4 years of his big money 7-year deal he signed in 2018/2019.
The Riverside, CT native has skated an almost eye-popping 627 NHL games, scoring 213 goals and 189 assists with an overall +17 rating.
He signed his entry level deal after twice scoring big for Boston College Eagles and would report to affiliate Springfield Falcons at the end of his third year, only to pop in a 1st 3 goals and 2 assists in 5 AHL games.
At 32-years old, it’s definitely a bit of a scary signing, but he has averaged 20+ goals and once hit 29, 35 and 41 in a session.
He doesn’t quite hit his previous marks with 10+ numbers in 2 seasons for his new club, including 1 completely scrapped due to injury and is bought out of his final year of his deal.
For 2024/2025, he hooks up with only his 3rd team ever in 14 seasons of play, Tampa Bay Lightning think they can lift the now 35-year old’s scoring level.
10th year Czechia-born defenseman Andrej Sustr(2) hasn’t been home since an appearance in Czechia3 in 2008/2009, but signs for 2024/2025 in Czech Extraliga with the league powerhouse HC Dynamo Pardibuce.
The absolute huge 6’8″ 225 lbs. blue liner has 362 NHL games to his credit and is known for his large bruising presence.
He came over early after youth hockey back home and did 2 seasons of junior hockey before moving onto to 3 at University Of Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks.
Almost oddly he took off the season before COVID infected to play for Kunlun Red Star for 2 frames in the KHL before returning.
The 33-year old will be missed, but this has to be the right thing for him to do for his hockey career.
Merrimack College Warriors‘ graduate center Will Calverley(36) comes over from 4 years at RIT Tigers, where he managed to score 10+ goals and assists in each of his last three seasons.
The small 5’9″ 174 lbs. firecracker on ice will have to work hard, but could eclipse earlier marks in tougher to play Hockey East competition, but has scored 1 goal and 7 assists in 15 games to get himself going in the right direction.
He played two seasons for Chilliwack Chiefs, running up some big totals in 111 BCHL games.
From Scarborough, ON, this will be an excellent player to watch turn pro.
He finishes up with a very decent 5 goals and 15 assists with a +4 rating in 38 games and a good push to the finals of the Hockey East tournament.
Wasting no time, he signs a 1st deal with Florida Everblades and gets an assist in his ECHL debut, then plants a 1st goal 3 games later.
He would finish the regular frame with the 2 points, then add 5 (3 goals, 2 assists) in 12 games en route to a 2nd straight 2023 Kelly Cup for the team from FLA.
Well, nothing like winning a title to want to return for your sophomore frame in 2023/2024.
He’s probably in a little bit of shock, but he will take place amongst the blue liners with his just traded to team, Iowa Heartlanders.
After a good rookie season with a non-playoff team, scoring 8 goals and 13 assists in 39 games with a -1 rating, he gets a new 1-year deal to return to be a Heartlanders for 2024/2025.
MCLA Trailblazers‘ senior defenseman Nathan Walerowicz(44) transferred from little use at Finlandia University Lions and played a college high 21 games, scoring 3 assists.
He’s pretty big at 6’1″ 203 lbs. signed with Elmira River Sharks upon graduation, but only figured in a single appearance.
For 2024/2025, he will play his FPHL rookie season with the newly launched Monroe Moccasins.
From Sanborn, NY, the 25-year old, former EHL New York Applecore will like do well there as a 1st year pro.
Merrimack College Warriors‘ graduate left wing, Ben Brar(16) takes a new college best 14 assists to a 1st pro deal with Florida Everblades.
In 3 ECHL games, he has 2 assists.
The 6’2″ 195 lbs. forward from Abbotsford, BC did 3 BCHL seasons, really connecting in his 3rd frame as assistant captain with Prince George Spruce Kings before heading to school.
There’s little doubt the 25-year old is ready to contribute a power game style.
He keeps those 2 helpers through 5 games, then adds another 1 in 7 en route to the 2024 Kelly Cup Championship and he will return for more in 2024/2025.
Worcester Jr. Railers‘ 1st EHL year right wing Declan Chapman(3) is continuing to keep things close to home, Douglas, MA, by selecting Assumption University Greyhounds‘ commit for 2024/2025.
The 5’9″ 170 lbs. forward came out of strong play in high school hockey with a USPHL/NCDC frame that maybe wasn’t quite adding up for him to jump down.
It didn’t seem like it took him too much time to settle on a good team to continue his game with.
Boston University Terriers‘ senior center Jay O’Brien(18) leaves college hockey scoring a new best 24 assists and 32 points to sign a 1st AHL pro contract for 2023/2024 with Toronto Marlies.
The 5’11” 185 lbs. forward had 10 goals in 24 games as a junior.
He transferred to the school from a freshman year at Providence College Friars that was maybe a little early for the Hingham, MA native to attend, as he had only a few games of junior experience coming out of 2 years at Thayer Academy USHS-Prep, where he would emerge as a Philadelphia Flyers‘ 1st round pick in the 2018 draft (#19 overall)
They elected to not sign him, potentially due to an injury bug that has seemed to follow him through college hockey, despite scoring pretty effectively in each of those frames.
Next he would leave for a session in the BCHL with Penticton Vees that restored his scoring punch, setting him up to return to school.
No doubt, he will have to fight for room to score where he’s heading, but could very well find some light.
The 23-year old is likely just ready to get started and prove himself at the next level, pro, except suffers yet another unqualified injury and sits the entire frame.
For 2024/2025, Charlotte Checkers take the health gamble.
After a super strong showing for EHC Munchen, scoring 4 goals and 16 assists in only 26 DEL games with a +18 rating, 6th year defenseman Ethan Prow(7) nets a 1-year NHL deal from Buffalo Sabres for 2021/2022.
It’s the 6′ 185 lbs. blue liner’s first big league deal after 220 AHL games, with his best season coming in his 3rd for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, scoring a crazy 18 goals and 32 assists.
He originally left for Germany’s top league with a +32 plus/minus.
The former St. Cloud State University Huskies‘ d-man scored 30 assists to go along with 8 goals and a +29 as a senior.
It’s likely he’s destined for reasignment to affiliate Rochester Americans, but the 28-year old could be ready for a look in the show.
And he does some scoring business in the minors to merit a first game in the show, in which the now 29-year old scores a 1st NHL goal on a 1st shot.
For his 9th season, he simply returns to where he’s been playing his hockey for a 1-year deal with the Amerks.
cHp wants to wish one-time Boston Bruins‘ 7th round draft pick in the 2012 draft (#205 overall) left wing Colton Hargrove(7) a happy retirement in what’s easily too early of an exit, forced upon him by recurring back injuries.
The former Western Michigan University Broncos standout leaves hockey with a career high 14 goals and 22 assists for 38 points in 45 IceHL games for Ferhervar AV19.
He was basically good for 15 goals and 15 assists for any team he skated for.
The 6’1″ 215 lbs. power forward was always a pleasure to watch play for Providence Bruins in his first three pro years.
We wish the 28-year old Dallas, TX native, who did get to skate fairly close to home in Cedar Park one season for Texas Stars all the best whatever life holds for him moving forward with what’s next.
Well, he did sit out 2021/2022, after what maybe was a bit of a difficult 2nd run in Austria’s top hockey.
For last season though, when the air had completely cleared, he decided to lace them back up for the close to home Allen Americans.
He became the team’s captain and went onto as they said it an MVP frame, scoring a career best by a mile 39 goals and 46 assists.
That’s basically enough for the now 31-year old to want to return to play some more hockey.
Limited to just 12 games last season, because of a knee injury, he actually become a licensed real estate agent, but for 2024/2025 will continue to play hockey, but is moving away from home for his 9th season to join 2-time champs, Florida Everblades.
