Rochester Americans‘ 2nd year right wing Gabe Randel(17) commits to University Of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Pointers for 2025/2026 after scoring a moderate junior best 6 goals and 11 assists in 56 NAHL games with a +1 rating, then added another 4 points in 12 playoff games with a +4.
The 6′ 185 lbs. forward came up from exploding scoring in NA3HL for Wausau Cyclones.
From Hortonville, WI, the 21-year old. will likely do well with his new school.
Minnesota Wild, German-born, unrestricted free agent signing, center Nico Sturm(78) is enjoying a first full (weirdo) season in the NHL, where he has tallied 8 goals and 5 assists in 41 games with a pretty excellent +14 rating on a team that is already playoff bound.
He’s still under a two-year one-way contract he signed before the start of 2020/2021.
The rather large 6’3″ 205 lbs. forward played 3 seasons at Clarkson University Golden Knights, leaving after posting college career highs of 14 goals and 31 assists for 45 points with a +23.
At 25-years old, he takes his place amongst many other “graduates” to the big league from the college.
It may have the biggest piece of career move luck, as he takes his career high 8 assists and points tied at 17 to a new endeavor on a trade to super-hot Colorado Avalanche.
He is set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the current session.
His luck would be worth a 2022 Stanley Cup with his new team and he would show himself to be a pivotal player.
San Jose Sharks like what they see and ink him for 3-years, $2M AAV, giving the now 27-year old a nice first big payday.
In his 3rd season with the same team, things are maybe ticking down a bit, so he gets a new, sunnier zip code in a trade for future considerations with Florida Panthers, where he should find better light to his game.
Despite being hobbled by the injury bug, he appears in 15 regular season games and 8 in the playoffs to be a contributor and hoist a 2025 Stanley Cup.
For 2025/2026, he looks to stay healthy and signs a 2-year, $2M AAV deal with Minnesota Wild, returning to the 1st team he signed with out of college.
9th year undrafted defenseman Nate Schmidt(88) gets dished to his 2nd new club in a couple seasons, as he goes from one term of service with Vancouver Canucks to Winnipeg Jets for 2021/2022 with four years left on his current deal.
He was coming off three very successful campaigns for Vegas Golden Knights and 4 excellent start-up runs with first major contract team, Washington Capitals.
Heading into his first session with his new squad, he takes 450 NHL games, 34 goals, 121 assists and a jaw-dropping +81 rating for the 6′ 194 lbs. blue liner.
The 30-year, former 3-year University Of Minnesota Golden Gophers will likely find a new home in Manitoba, considering he was born in St. Cloud, MN.
For 3 years, he performs well, but almost oddball has the final years of his contract bought out, as his offensive production has diminished.
His metrics are still sound though, a +21 player over his time, fills a gap that opened for Florida Panthers 2024/2025, as he agrees to a 1-year deal.
He performs pretty much as promised with his new club, playing 80 regular season games, scoring 5 goals and 14 assists with a +4 rating, but really came alive in the playoffs with 3 goals and 9 assists in 23 games with a +9 rating to help a 2nd straight Stanley Cup victory, the 1st player ever from St. Cloud to win it.
For 2025/2026, he signs a 3-year deal with Utah Mammoth for $3.5M AAV that should keep him smiling nicely.
Undrafted rookie right wing Marc Johnstone(26) signs a 1-year ECHL deal with Newfoundland Growlers for 2021/2022.
He only managed to get in 6 games with South Carolina Stingrays, recording 2 assists for 2020/2021’s completely weirdo hockey season before being released.
This came after the former two-time captain of Sacred Heart University Pioneers‘ forward graduated, having potted point-per-game numbers (6-10-16) in 16 Atlantic Hockey games as a senior.
He was always a good scorer at school, coming in after a decent 2nd showing with Chicago Steel that exploded in playoff run for 3 goals and 12 assists in 14 USHL games en route to the 2017 Clark Cup Championship.
The Cranford, NJ native was also captain of this club.
At 25-years old and having seen him play, we feel he may just be getting started for some attention.
Through 46 games as a rookie, he has scored 7 and assisted on 13 for 20 points to earn notice and a recall from parent club, Toronto Marlies.
For 2022/2023, he doesn’t need to look far, as he’s given a new AHL deal to continue.
He scores 9 goals and 13 assists in 69 games and catches the attention of Pittsburgh Penguins, who sign him to a 2-year, 2-way NHL deal through 2024/2025.
In 21 games with the affiliate Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, he has 2 goals and 3 assists, but mostly we feel it’s his style of play earns him a 1st game in the big league for Christmas 2023.
He skated 10 shifts for 7:19 ice time, dished 2 hits and took 1 face-off successfully in a 3-1 loss.
Reassigned, he scores 3 goals and 6 assists, but is an unrestricted free agent and signs a 2-year minor league deal with Toronto Marlies.
University Of Connecticut Huskies‘ graduate portal transfer from 4 years at Yale University Bulldogs‘ right wing Kevin O’Neil(17) has definitely chosen right to continue his year of eligibility, scoring a goal and 3 assists in 7 games, but the 5’11” 181 lbs. power forward could step up those totals at any point.
The Latham, NY native only played one year of juniors, splitting time between Madison Capitals and Fargo Force after detonating three years at Albany Academy.
It’s possible this is the type of player that could get them an invite to an NHL camp and be discovered.
The 24-year old finishes up his year of eligibility with totals very much in line with his bests, hovering in the land of 16 and his team presses Hockey East as far as they have ever to fulfill an unreal season.
Deciding to turn pro, he signs a 1st deal with South Carolina Stingrays to hopefully get them pointed in a better scoring direction and has a pair of goals and an assist in 3 ECHL games with a +3 rating.
Nice start.
He finishes up his tryout deal scoring 6 goals and 4 assists in 10 games to be a cinch to stay a Stingray for 2022/2023.
After 2 games loan to Hershey Bears, scoring a 1st AHL goal and a prolific frame for the lower league team, potting 24 goals and 26 assists, he scores a 1-year deal in the upper league for 2023/2024.
He would mostly play in the lower league and blows up scoring to the tune of 16 goals and 47 assists in 63 games with only 4 games up for the contract club.
Utica Comets step right in and offer the close by NYer a 1-year deal for 2024/2025.
He is mostly reassigned to affiliate Adirondack Thunder, where he scores a big 19 goals and 30 assists.
For 2025/2026, he will take his game overseas, signing in Slovak Extraliga with HC Banska Bystrica for 2025/2026.
Wheeling Nailers‘ rookie defenseman Louie Roehl(4) skates a full slate of 60 ECHL games, scoring 4 goals and 20 assists with a +4 rating, but with no playoffs, he lucks out and gets loaned up to Hartford Wolf Pack, who are chasing their own Calder Cup trophy.
The 5’11” 185 lbs. blue liner did 5 years at University Of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs, maybe not connecting as well as he has in his 1st frame.
He had a very solid 30 assists in his 1 NAHL session for Minnesota Wilderness.
The 25-year old from Eden Prairie, MN likely just wants to get some AHL under his belt.
He actually figures into no games in the upper ranks, but is signed for a 2nd season that doesn’t quite go as good as his 1st, but he is still wanted to return for a 3rd frame in a Nailers‘ jersey.
In his 3rd year with his new club, he scores a new best 5 goals and ties his 20 assists from his 1st season in a full slate of 72 games, but will take it overseas, signing with Pioneers Vorarlberg of IceHL for 2025/2026.
American International College Yellowjackets‘ Finnish-born graduate defenseman Lauri Sertti(5) signs a contract to return home for his rookie season, Liiga with HPK 2025/2026.
The 6’1″ 190 lbs. blue liner scored 1 goal and 6 assists in 37 games with a +1 rating last season.
His best scoring in college came as a junior at RPI Engineers, where he had 4 goals and 11 assists in 40 games.
He did most of his youth hockey and juniors at home until coming over for a single NAHL frame before school.
We look for the 25-year old to do pretty well in his home league.
9th year defenseman Mike Reilly(6) signs a 1-year deal with Florida Panthers for 2023/2024 after spending most of the last 2 seasons with Boston Bruins, although he was dished to their affiliate Providence Bruins for most of last season and his contract was eventually bought out and he was waived.
He’s 3 times reached 10+ assists and 4 times 10+ points in a frame.
The 6’1″ 195 lbs. blue liner was originally a Columbus Blue Jackets‘ 4th round pick in the 2011 (#98 overall) draft, but 1st signed his 2-year NHL entry level deal as an unrestricted free agent with Minnesota Wild, then re-upped with them on a 1-way deal for another 2.
A former University Of Minnesota Golden Gophers, he is a veteran of 339 games in the big league and the 30-year old could hang up his skates happy if he wanted to at this point.
He was ready to be reassigned to their AHL affiliate, but in steps New York Islanders to claim him off waivers, as they look to have a need for him to help cover their blue line.
Through a 2nd best 59 games, he scores a new high 6 goals and 24 points to earn himself another 1-year deal to stay on the Isle for 2024/2025.
He misses a chunk of last season due to concussion, which limits his availability to 18 games.
For 2025/2026, he signs a simple 1-year $1.1M AAV deal with Carolina Hurricanes, a team that can use his veteran leadership.
6th year center Sean Kuraly(52) was seeing less playing room in the system he’d spent his first five development years with, Boston Bruins, so makes the smart, even best move of unrestricted free agency and signs a nice 4-year deal with close to home Columbus Blue Jackets.
He was born in Dublin, OH, skated his T1EHL 16U & 18U for Ohio Blue Jackets, played 4 years and was senior captain with hometown Miami University (Ohio) Redhawks, so gets to return big.
The 6’2″ 218 lbs. forward is going to be a perfect fit in his new club’s system, so may have also hit nice pay dirt.
4 years passes pretty quickly and he becomes 3-time assistant captain in his new team’s system, always brings his game despite maybe not scoring quite as many points as he once did when he first came over and put up a new best 30 points.
In an oh, my god move, he returns to Boston Bruins on a 2-year $1.85M AAV NHL contract that will see him back to lead a newer, younger club.
St. Louis Blues‘ 2nd round pick in the 2018 draft (#45 overall), rookie defenseman Scott Perunovich(48) gets a first NHL recall after putting up a dandy 2 goals and 18 assists in 12 AHL games for affiliate Springfield Thunderbirds.
In his debut he skated an almost unreal 24 shifts for 18:26 ice time with 1 shot on net in a 3-2 loss.
They must figure the unlikely 5’10” 175 lbs. blue liner is accountable and may come to life head-manning the puck.
In his first and second years at University Of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs managed to capture a pair of back-to-back NCAA Division 1 Championships. and left winning Player Of The Year award and the Hobey Baker Award as a junior.
He played three campaigns recording 85 assists with an overall +49 rating.
The 23-year old, Hibbing, MN native is just getting started.
He would stay up in the big league for 19 games and record 6 assists with a +2 rating, then added another 4 assists in 7 playoff contests.
For his efforts, he gets rewarded with a 1-year, 1-way contract at the league minimum to show them some more.
He was just about a point-per-game player in the minors, playing limited games due to a season ending injury, but returned to appear only in the big guns lineup and scores 17 assists in 54 games with a +1 rating.
His efforts are rewarded to return in a Blues‘ jersey for 2024/2025.
NY Islanders are suffering injuries in their zone and inquire, pick him up in a trade and will employ his services for the remainder of the year.
He has 2 goals and 4 assists with a +1 rating.
As a free agent, he signs a new 1-year 2-way deal with Utah Mammoth that will hopefully bring his assist strength back.
