Category: College Hockey Player

Undrafted left wing, Kobe Roth(11) finishes up a graduate season as captain of University Of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs to sign a 1st pro deal for 2022/2023 with Florida Everblades.

The 5’9″ 175 lbs. forward posted a college career best 16 goals and 13 assists last season and was a 3-time 10+ tally-getter.

We think the 25-year old from Mason City, IA is going to find some room in the ECHL to get on the scoreboard lots.

After spending most of his rookie season putting up formidable numbers with the eventual 2023 Kelly Cup Champs before getting traded to Kalamazoo Wings to finish out the frame, he has decided to look onwards.

For 2023/2024, he signs with Coventry Blaze and should see quite the uptick in his scoring in the EIHL.

And he definitely did, scoring 25 goals and 16 assists in 54 games, but will next take his game to Germany3 and signs with Tilburg Trappers for 2024/2025.

Trois Rivières Lions‘ rookie defenseman Connor Welsh(59) managed to do pretty well for himself despite playing on a non-playoff team with 2 goals and 18 assists.

The 5’11” 164 lbs. blue liner skated 2 years of BCHL junior hockey before heading off to 4 seasons at Dalhousie University Tigers, where he twice amassed 15 assists.

From Halifax, NS, the 25-year old is still getting his legs under him as a pro.

Worcester Railers see something they can use in the small-ish d-man and sign him up for 2023/2024.

He takes a 2nd ECHL season scoring 7 goals and 22 assists and will be back in a Railers‘ jersey for 2024/2025.

Unrestricted 9th year free agent Derek Forbort(24) signs a three-year NHL deal with Boston Bruins through 2023/2024 for $3M AAV.

The big 6’4″ 219 lbs. blue liner skated for Winnipeg Jets, who signed him to a simple deal for a season.

A veteran of 331 games, the 29-year old has 8 goals and 57 assists with a +8 rating and blocks a tremendous amount of shots.

The former three year University Of North Dakota Fighting Hawks‘ d-man and Los Angeles Kings‘  1st round, 2010, #15 overall pick is going to be a perfect fit with his new club.

He would have finished up 3 good years with the team from the East, but last year suffered some injuries that sidelined him for time, limiting his play to 35 games.

A free agent, he accepts a new 1-year deal with Vancouver Canucks for 2024/2025.

New York Islanders‘ 1st round pick in the 2016 draft (#19 overall), left wing Kieffer Bellows(20) signs a 1-year deal as a restricted free agent to stay.

The 6’1″ 195 lbs. forward play the entire 2020/2021 session up with the big club, but only skated 14 games, scoring 3 goals, so was either a healthy scratch or reassigned to the taxi squad.

As a 2nd year player, he would score an AHL best 22 goals and 9 assists for 31 points for affiliate Bridgeport Islanders (Sound Tigers).

The former Edina High School, MN native was selected to head to Boston University Terriers and went onto 2 very successful USHL seasons before heading to college, but only lasted there for one year before deciding to split for Portland Winterhawks.

In 56 WHL games, he scored 41 goals and 33 assists with a +40 rating.

The 23-year old is son of former NHL player of 1188 games, Brian Bellows.

He would end up playing his 1st full frame in the big league, skating a healthy 45 games, scoring a not so bad 6 goals and 13 assists that would lead to his new 1-year, 1-way deal worth a tidy $1.2M AAV.

For 2022/2023, he would start on the roster, but it was decided to waive with the intention of reporting to the minors, but Philadelphia Flyers didn’t let him sit long and pulled him in.

He’s played 3 games with his new team, and although all loses, he’s kept it simple in his 10+ minutes of play and is only a -1.

We think the now 24-year old finds his footing, sticks and starts to make an impression.

He actually doesn’t really find his footing with 3 goals through 27 games.

For 2023/2024, he signed a pto with Toronto Marlies, is scoring big, not looking back and gets a deal for the current season.

Nashville Predators see something for their weighted 2024/2025 lineup that may start with affiliate Milwaukee Admirals, but could get a call up for the 1st time in a couple of frames.

10th year, former 2012 1st round NHL draft pick, defenseman Brady Skjei(86) switches up to only his 3rd team for 2024/2025, signing a 7-year deal worth some $7M AAV with another contender, Nashville Predators.

The 6’3″ 209 lbs. blue liner, scored a new career best 34 assists and 47 points last season.

He did 3 years at University Of Minnesota Golden Gophers before signing his 3-year entry level deal with the team that selected him, New York Rangers.

There’s little doubt his game really came together in the 4 years with Carolina Hurricanes.

The 30-year old is likely very far from finished, obviously.

Undrafted 6th year center Andrew Poturalski(22) circles back to rejoin his original team, Carolina Hurricanes on a 1-year 2-way contract for 2021/2022.

He spent the last two years away under a pair of contracts to Anaheim Ducks, which saw him only play for their affiliate San Diego Gulls.

The 5’10” 183 lbs. forward was basically a point-per-game guy in 2020/2021, scoring 9 goals and 34 assists in 44 AHL games.

He was an outstanding scorer for then farm club Charlotte Checkers, averaging 20+ goals and 35+ assists in 3 years.

The 2-year University Of New Hampshire Wildcats‘ skater put up big numbers in Hockey East, just like he did in his 2nd year of the USHL with Cedar Rapids RoughRiders.

Although he may have only seen two NHL games as a rookie, we think he may be on a short list for a quick recall in 2021/2022.

Almost oddly, he is recalled for 2 games and grabs 2 assists, but is captain of affiliate Chicago Wolves and absolutely blows up scoring with 28 goals and 73 assists in 71 games, then goes on to win the 2022 Calder Cup Championship.

He is twice the league leading scorer.

As a free agent, he signs a 2-year deal with Seattle Kracken and helps lead their affiliate, Coachella Valley Firebirds to a pair of minor league finals before bowing out.

For 2024/2025, he signs another 2-year pact, but moves on to the rebuilding San Jose Sharks.

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.

Toronto Maple Leafs‘ 3rd round pick in the 2016 draft (#62 overall) goaltender Joseph Woll(60) maybe wasn’t quite as effective as he wanted to be in the crazy 2021 AHL season, going 7-7 with one shutout and a not great 3.54 GAA and .892 SV%.

The very sizable 6’3″ 205 lbs. goalie posted similar stats as a rookie on affiliate Toronto Marlies with their equally inconsistent .500 game record.

Although last campaign wasn’t pulled until the playoffs, he may have been just getting familiar with the pro side of the game in 2019/2020 after leaving a frame at Boston College Eagles on the shelf to sign his 3-year entry level deal.

He had a pair of decent showings for the USNTDP squad but mostly seemed to shine when he was involved in international play of the WJC tournaments.

The still young 22-year old from Dardenne Prairie, MO only has another season left on his contract, so we’ll look for him to step it up a level as he’s set to become a restricted free agent.

For 2021/2022, he opened the season as back-up in the minors, as part of a trio of able net minders in the system.

He played 3 games with a 2-1 record but his GAA and SV% were still nothing to brag about.

Maybe a little on the unlikely side, but he found himself to be the goalie on recall in November and started his first NHL game, and got a gattling-gun scoring 5-4 win.

He continued up on backup until a bit more than a week later was called for a 2nd start, which happened to be a 20-save shutout shrinking his GAA to 2.00 and .915 SV% on a 2-0 record.

This is a nice opportunity on a fairly smoking hot 2021/2022 club.

He has found himself pressed into action and has rolled a 3-1 record with 2.76 GAA and .911 SV% to earn a 2-year extension to keep working on his game in the system.

After 25 games in net last season, posting 12-11-1 record with good numbers, then goes 2-0 in the playoffs with a .86 GAA and .964 SV%, he earns himself a very nice 3-year extension to stay in a Leafs jersey.

Trois-Rivières Lions‘ rookie defenseman, Latvian-born defenseman Markuss Komuls(23) will take his pro game closer to home in 2024/2025, signing with HC Nove Zamky of the tough to play Slovak Extraliga.

The 6′ 190 lbs. blue liner came over early for junior hockey and played his way up from an EHL season to the NAHL for 3, earning a commit to University Of Alaska-Fairbanks Nanooks, where he skated 4 seasons.

We think the 26-year old does well there to continue to gain recognition.

Undrafted defenseman Zach Vinnell(6) will take his game to Bowling Green University Falcons for his senior year, leaving behind 3 seasons and a college career junior season at Merrimack College Warriors, scoring 4 goals and 12 assists in 35 NCAA Division 1 games.

The 6’1″ 185 lbs. blue liner from Cochrane, AB played 3 years of junior hockey in the close by AJHL.

We think the 24-year old scored himself a nice invite to Edmonton Oilers‘ development camp and will likely see some mature ice time in the CCHA.

Although he only scored 1 goal with his new college team, he did manage a best 19 assists.

He will take his recent fortunes to a 1st pro deal with Indy Fuel to finish out the season.

In 16 games to debut his pro game, he scores 1 goal and 9 assists with a 0 rating, then added 1 assist in 2 playoff matchups.

He’s taking his game elsewhere for 2023/2024, as he signs on to strengthen the blue line for 1-year with Glasgow Clan of the EIHL.

After 15 games, 1 goal 4 assists, he seemingly leaves and signs with Sheffield Steelers, who seem very happy to have him in their lineup.

He would do pretty well with 1 goal and 4 assists through 15 games with a +12 rating.

Something isn’t gelling on ice though and the 26-year old decides to retire and as soon as 2024/2025 will take up ranks as an assistant coach with rivals, Coventry Blaze.