Category: College Hockey Player

RPI Engineers‘ junior portal transfer from Northeastern University, left wing T.J. Walsh(13) has easily made the best hockey decision to switch up schools and join the ECAC.

The 5’9″ 165 lbs. forward has already blown the lid off his previous scoring, tying his college career high 2 goals and new best by lots 8 assists with a +2 rating in 15 games.

He only managed to light up scoring in his final year of juniors at Des Moines Buccaneers, getting 17 goals and 32 assists in 53 USHL games before hitting school.

The Shrewsbury, MA native did have one almost earth shattering session for Shattuck St. Mary’s 14U AAA, grabbing more than goal per game totals, 71 goals and 65 assists in 66 games.

Now that the switch is made and the season is off and running with the results he’s seeing, you got to think there’s a little smile on his face for 2021/2022.

In his senior year, he scored a new college best 7 goals, but his 15 assists as a 3rd year player stood as that category high.

For a graduate session, the undrafted 23-year old is heading to Sacred Heart University Pioneers and will compete some Atlantic Hockey for 2023/2024.

He scores a college best 13 goals and 13 assists for 26 points in his final frame and takes it to a 1st pro deal with Orlando Solar Bears, which should heed him good points in the ECHL.

In 2 games he has an assist.

For his rookie season, 2024/2025 he ultimately decides to sign with Iowa Heartlanders.

After a solid 43 point season in 66 games, he gets himself traded to his hometown team, Worcester Railers for 2025/2026.

In 11 games, he has only 2 assists, so Indy Fuel see what’s happening and offer up some future considerations to bring him over.

UMass-Lowell Riverhawks‘ Latvian-born, graduate goaltender Gustavs Davis Grigals(31) signs a 1st pro deal with Milwaukee Admirals for 2023/2024, but has joined the club for the Calder Cup playoff push, although not likely to see action.

The 6’2″ 196 lbs. net minder had a 12-9-2 record with a 2.05 GAA and .924 SV%, including 2 shutouts.

He was better than any previous season he played at University Of Alaska-Fairbanks Nanooks, but did have 1 outstanding run through the NAHL juniors with Shreveport Mudbugs.

The 24-year old should be a standout performer as a rookie.

Parent club, Nashville Predators step in as the season is wrapping up and sign him for the current frame to an NHL contract, in a move we can only feel has implications for next season moving forward.

He is mostly sent to play in the ECHL for his rookie season and he decides to move back closer to home, signing with HK Dukla Trencin of Slovak Extraliga, where we think he re-finds his game.

After 5 games, he will switch things up and move on to Finland’s top hockey, Liiga signing with SaiPa for 2024/2025.

We do think it gels for him here.

In 15 games, he has a 8-6-1 record with a 2.96 GAA and .899 SV%, which is good enough for him to earn an invite for another season, 2026/2027 to stay at SaiPa.

6th year left wing Danton Heinen(43) doesn’t find the right fit with Anaheim Ducks, who he was traded to late in 2019/2020 to by long time club Boston Bruins and signed for another year after producing 3 goals and an assist in 9 NHL games to start.

He seemed to mostly struggle on a non-winning team and wasn’t qualified to receive another deal.

Last year was easily an anomaly for the 6’1″ 188 lbs. forward, who signed a 1-year deal for $1.1 AAV a little late into free agency with Pittsburgh Penguins for 2021/2022.

The still only 26-year old, 2-year University Of Denver standout should be able to excel with the talent around him in PA.

For 2023/2024, as an unrestricted free agent looking for a new home, he accepts a training camp invite from his old haunt in Boston.

He comes into town, takes nothing for granted, works hard to gain notice and nets himself a 1-year contract worth $775 AAV.

Coming away with 36 points in 72 games with a +16 rating is all good and Vancouver Canucks swoop in, offering a 2-year deal at $2.25 AAV to move coasts.

After 51 games, he is traded back to Pittsburgh Penguins.

In the new season, he is reassigned to affiliate Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins for some games in the current frame, but is recalled to trade to Columbus Blue Jackets.

Jacksonville Icemen signed 4 year Army West Point Black Knights‘ senior defenseman Anthony Firriolo(23) to an ato.

In 5 ECHL games, he has 1 assist.

The 5’11” 165 lbs. blue liner had a college career best 24 assists and 29 points last season.

He put up 34 helpers in his 2nd NAHL campaign for Corpus Christi Ice Rays.

We would be surprised if the 24-year old from Towaco, NJ does find more room to head man the puck for points.

He’s not sticking around to see if the team he’s moving forward with, as he signs with Atlanta Gladiators for 2023/2024.

Released during training camp, Indy Fuel step right in to offer him a deal.

9 games in with 1 goal to his credit, he gets shipped to Iowa Heartlanders.

He stays here 21 games to record 2 goals and 8 assists with a -2 rating and once again during his rookie frame gets moved to Tulsa Oilers, who seem to want to add him.

In 7 games, he scores 1 goal and 3 assists with a -3 rating and Toledo Walleye see something in his game that they sign him for 2024/2025.

After just 2 games with no scoring, he goes back to the Gladiators, who he didn’t play with after signing.

He is scoring decently with the team in a 2nd frame, but gets himself dealt back to Iowa Heartlanders for the remainder of the 2025/2026 season.

University Of New England Nor’easters‘ senior Ryan Kuzmich(23) scored a college best 21 goals in 29 games with a +23 rating for his final season.

The 6’2″ 205 lbs. forward had 22 assists and 37 points in 29 games, as a sophomore with a +25 rating.

From Norton, MA, the 24-year old signed a 1st pro deal with Knoxville Ice Bears for 2025/2026, his rookie frame.

In 23 games, he has 9 goals and 5 assists.

Salve Regina University Seahawks‘ senior left wing Ian Tookenay(27) doesn’t have any points in 4 games, but we expect once he finds the net it will equal some good results for what could be his final college year.

The 6′ 170 lbs. forward came over from Norwich University Cadets, where he skated only 5 games in 2 frames at the school.

A Fort Frances, ON native, the 23-year old played most of 2 seasons in the MJHL with Winkler Flyers, doing well in his 2nd session.

He scores 3 goals and 4 assists through 28 games in his junior frame and maybe plays a little more stay-at-home in his senior frame, but looks to continue and signs a pro deal for his rookie year, 2025/2026 with Danbury Hat Tricks, where he already has a 1st FPHL goal and 11 assists in 20 games for a nice start.

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.

Instead of reporting to his new, overseas team, he elected to sit last year out and returns in 2025/2026 to sign with Glasgow Clan of the EIHL.

Injuries continue to nag him, as he tries to move towards a comeback, but it turns out to be too much and he needs to hang up the skates, having 2 goals in 4 NHL games.

Something is nagging him and he signs for 2025/2026 with South Carolina Stingrays.

He actually heads to the semi-pro SaskEHL, but with 7 goals and 2 assists in 5 games, maybe thinks he should really play, gets a trade to and signs with Rapid City Rush.

UMASS-Lowell Riverhawks‘ graduate defenseman Jack Robilotti(28) came over after scoring a college best, as a senior at Holy Cross College Crusaders 3 goals and 6 assists in 35 games with a +9 rating.

In 5 games in the current frame, he has 1 assist with a +5.

We’re looking for that big smile on the 6’3″ 215 lbs. blue liner from New York, NY, when he scores a 1st Hockey East goal.

He comes away with 2 goals and 4 assists with a +6 rating in 36 games.

Upon finishing up tournament play, he signs an ECHL contract and joined Bloomington Bison.

In 8 games, he had 1 assist before bowing out without playoffs.

He signs a contract for his rookie season with Atlanta Gladiators, 2025/2026.

In 13 games, he has no points, but Iowa Heartlanders spot him and trade to bring him aboard.

Lake Superior State University Lakers‘ French-born junior center Louis Boudon(40) finds himself tied for the lead in NCAA Division 1 scoring with a handy 20 points in 14 games.

He looks to easily eclipse marks he set as a sophomore and a freshman, although he had 21 assists in his first year.

The 5’11” 181 lbs. forward skated two seasons for Northeast Generals, notching better than point per game numbers after a run lighting it up for Metro Jets in the NA3HL, got a NAHL tryout that produced a couple of goals and a deal.

He played all of his youth hockey back home and it will definitely be interesting to see who scoops on the future NHL unrestricted free agent.

Upon completing 4 years at college, he signs a 1st pro contract, leaving a 2nd season as team captain, an ato with Laval Rocket.

There’s not much time left to impress, but you can bet he’ll be constantly looking to connect as soon as he arrives in the AHL.

He doesn’t stick in Canada and signs with Iowa Wild, but splits time with Iowa Heartlanders and gets 1 goal and 2 assists in 3 ECHL games with a +7 rating.

In the next season, he is re-signed, but spends most of his time down, scoring 18 goals and 28 assists in 56 games on a non-playoff team.

The listed as Gernoble, FRA-born skater decides to head off for another pro hockey look, agreeing to terms with Nybro Vikings IF of HockeyAllsvenskan.

After a decent 47 game session in Sweden’s 2nd tier league, he returns to sign with Atlanta Gladiators and has popped scoring to the tune of 12 goals and 18 assists in 25 ECHL games and maybe gets a little antsy for a bit more and signs in Liiga with Jukurit, where he will be duly challenged for the rest of 2025/2026.

He will also skate the Olympics on the French national team.

Boston Jr. Terriers‘ 1st year left wing Nathan McDougall(17) took the transition from his junior team’s move to a higher league quite well, even adding to his scoring totals with 4 goals and 11 assists in 30 USPHL/NCDC games.

The 5’11” 194 lbs. forward skated 2 years in the EHL before being offered the chance to move up.

For 2025/2026, the 21-year old from Gatineau, QC, commits to Worcester State University Lancers, where in 7 games, he has 4 assists.