Category: College Hockey Player

22Oct

Kyle Betts (61)

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Undrafted center Kyle Betts(61) signs a 1st pro deal with Utah Grizzlies after 5 years at Cornell University Big Red, where he took advantage of the year of eligibility to put up new bests 6 goals and 12 assists in 32 NCAA Division 1 games with a +6 rating.

In his ECHL debut, he pots a 1st goal.

The Flesherton, ON native spent two years in the BCHL, scoring 20+ goals and assists for Powell River Kings.

At 6’1″ 181 lbs., the 24-year old is definitely well-suited to do well in this league.

And just like that, he gets loaned up to the parent club, Colorado Eagles.

He signs for 2022/2023, but after 2 games is called by Belleville Senators and stays for 40 AHL games, scoring 1 goal and 2 assists with a +1 rating before heading back to Maverick Center, where he hammers 6 assists in 5 games, then another 6 points (3-3) in 6 playoff match ups.

It’s a little surprising he signs for a 2nd season in Utah, but we think the same result will occur.

He maybe wakes up one morning with a bit of a surprise, as he’s traded for 2024/2025 to Florida Everblades, which should actually yield good results.

22Oct

Cam Tobey (10)

Posted in College Hockey Player, D3, Game View, Juniors, Minor League Deal, Transfers | Leave a comment

Anna Maria College Amcats‘ sole graduate student on the 2023/2024 roster is defenseman Cam Tobey(10), as seen in preseason play at the home arena, Horgan.

He had college career highs 8 goals and 10 assists as a senior.

The 6’2″ 210 lbs. blue liner played 1 year junior hockey for Walpole Express, recording 10 goals and 13 assists in 38 EHL games after heading to Westfield State University Owls straight out of strong play at hometown Falmouth High School USHS-MA.

At 24-years old, he’s likely fully settled into his D3 hockey game and we look for him to help the team win.

Visiting him last season as he enters a year of eligibility, which he finishes 23 games with 12 points and a +8 rating, for his next move signs a 1-year deal with Knoxville Ice Bears and in his SPHL debut, he comes away with a goal.

21Oct

Reed Lebster (13)

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UMass Minutemen senior right wing Reed Lebster(13) is going to extend college for another year and will attend Michigan State University Spartans for the start of a graduate program.

Last season the 6′ 187 lbs. forward had a college career best 14 assists and 22 points.

He was on the team, who won the 2021 NCAA Division 1 Championship.

A Grand Rapids, MI native, he had a strong 2nd frame of USHL junior hockey with Des Moines Buccaneers.

The 24-year old will likely do pretty good in Big Ten Conference play.

He holds his own at his new school, scoring 6 goals and 13 assists with a +11 rating to signing a 1st pro contract with Florida Everblades, where he has only been able to figure in 1 playoff game on the reserved list.

Appearing in 5 playoff games for some experience en route to the team’s 3rd straight Kelly Cup Championship, he is liked enough for his contributions to sign up for his rookie season, 2024/2025.

As he is to get started on a pro career, a pitfall occurs almost immediately, as he is traded to Utah Grizzlies, where he will definitely be a valued team member.

21Oct

Jack Adams (2)

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South Carolina Stingrays‘ 2nd year center Jack Adams(2) arrived at the ECHL and did something he didn’t do with the clarity he was doing at college, scoring big.

The 6’6″ 209 lbs. forward scored 27 goals and 35 assists in 71 games.

His best scoring at University Of Notre Dame Fighting Irish came as a senior with 7 goals and 10 assists in his junior year.

The Boxford, MA native also did 3 years at Union College Dutchmen and 1 with Providence College Friars, but played little games at both.

There is little doubt the 27-year old is emerging.

For 2024/2025, he decides to head to the new team in the league and signs with Bloomington Bison and should explode the stat sheet again.

Not even a few days with his new team (we’re not sure he reported) and he gets scooped up by Orlando Solar Bears, who want his stick in their lineup.

21Oct

Landon Slaggert (84)

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University Of Notre Dame Fighting Irish senior left wing Landon Slaggert(84) is exited from college playoffs and signs his 2-year NHL entry level deal with draft team (3rd round, 2020, #79 overall), Chicago Blackhawks.

The 6′ 190 lbs. forward takes a new college best 20 goals and 31 points to his new gig.

He did 2 years USNTDP after youth hockey with Chicago Mission.

The South Bend, IN, 21-year old gets right into big league games to start.

He played 21 games last season with 1 goal and 3 assists and a +1 rating on a non-playoff team.

After what must have been an impressive camp, he gets a new 2-year deal to continue and already has 1 assist in 2 AHL games with affiliate Rockford Icehogs.

20Oct

Wade Murphy (6)

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6th year right wing Wade Murphy(6) returns to sign with Idaho Steelheads for 2022/2023 after spending the last 3 seasons of pandemic madness away in Norway, Austria and Slovenia, where he managed to capture that country’s 2022 league championship.

The 6′ 194 lbs. forward has 120 games of ECHL experience with decent scoring, but definitely could flatten that +/-.

Originally a Nashville Predators’ 7th round pick in the 2013 draft (#185 overall), he was never signed after an outstanding junior season based on his early college numbers.

He graduated after a 2 season transfer to Arizona State University Sun Devils from University Of North Dakota Fighting Hawks with a college career best 9 goals and 11 assists.

The 28-year old from Victoria, BC is a big frame that should be able to score goals almost at will we the right team in this league.

He takes a career high by a mile frame, scoring 21 goals and 22 assists in 54 games with a +38 rating to 20 playoff match ups and another 20 point total.

It’s an absolute no brainer that he receives a new contract to continue wearing a Steelheads‘ jersey for 2023/2024.

He is taking career scoring bests goals, assists, points with him for another foray to test his skills overseas in the tough to play Slovak Extraliga and signs with HC Slovan Bratislava for 2024/2025 and we think does very well here.

Limited to only 10 games last season, he scored 6 goals and 2 assists with a +5 rating and will next skate in the same league for HK Poprad in 2024/2025.

20Oct

Matt Stienburg (36)

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Cornell University Big Red junior, center Matt Stienburg(36) is a Colorado Avalanche 3rd round pick in the 2019 draft (#63 overall) and looks to be ready for another breakout session.

In 3 games, he’s got a pair of goals and looks to score many many more in 2021/2022.

The 6’1″ 192 lbs. native of Halifax, NS originally accepted his college in his first season, then was NHL selected in the follow-up frame, where he was almost a point and a half player and served as team captain, while also heading to 3 USHL games with Sioux City Musketeers of a junior hockey career during break.

At 21-years old and one year away from finishing through some tough college hockey times without a 2020/2021 frame, he probably should just continue before signing an entry level deal, but he’s easily the style of power forward the parent club wants.

Smitten by the injury bug, his senior year as assistant captain was limited to 18 appearances with 2 goals and 5 assists.

He plows through though and signs an ato to join Colorado Eagles to hopefully get back to pushing his game forward.

In his 4th AHL game, he records a 1st point, a nice assist for himself.

He appears in 4 more playoff games and gets another helper point for himself.

It looks as though he has made a decent enough impression to score a contract for 2023/2024.

Through 54 games last season, he scores 5 goals and 8 assists with a +2 rating and in the opening 2 games of the 2024/2025 season, he grabs 1 goal and 1 assist with a +2 to earn a 1st NHL recall.

In his debut he skates 9 shifts for 4:36 of ice time, including 3 hits and 1 fight with a -1 rating in a 5-3 loss, then follows it up with 8 shifts for 5:16 ice and 2 shots on net in an overtime win.