Holy Cross College Crusaders‘ senior captain, right wing Grayson Constable(13) is heading off to play an independent schedule in 2023/2024 for Long Island University Sharks.
The 6’2″ 201 lbs. forward scored a college career best 6 assists and 12 points last season.
For juniors, he skated a couple of frames in the BCHL, but really came alive after switching to the AJHL, hooking up a captain for Bonnyville Pontiacs.
The 25-year old Lethbridge, AB native does better with his new college club, scoring new bests 9 goals and 9 assists.
He signs with Coventry Blaze of the EIHL for his rookie campaign, 2024/2025.
Stonehill College Seahawks‘ sophomore defenseman William Tripp(44) was likely a lot disappointed with his output last season after coming off a freshman frame, where he produced 1 goal and 23 assists in 25 games with a +17 rating.
The last schedule was definitely much more weighted in D1 opponents, as opposed to the college club’s 1st year at the higher level.
From Lakeville, MA, the 5’11” 161 lbs. blue liner enters the transfer portal and will play for Connecticut College Camels as a junior in 2024/2025.
We look for the 22-year old, who only did 1 USPHL/NCDC with South Shore Kings before school to do well with the full D3 schedule.
Brown University‘s 2nd year Finnish-born defenseman Samuli Niinisaari(7) leaves college for hockey season to head back home and play in tier 3 league Suomi-sarja for Kotkan Titaanit and already has a nice 3 goals and 10 assists in 17 regular season games and has added another pair of helpers in the playoffs.
The 6’1″ 194 lbs. blue liner took spent most of his early game in his home country but did stretch out for one campaign of juniors in Saskatoon and then agreed to a year with Lincoln Stars of the USHL before making the college commitment.
It would be surprising to not see the 22-year old return to school as soon as the coast is clear.
He does return for the 2021/2022, recording a new best 11 assists and 12 points, then appeared in 30 games last season with 8 helpers to his credit.
For his senior year, he has decided to go for some new frozen waters, enters the transfer portal and comes out a member of the 2023/2024 UMass Minutemen.
He ups his challenge to take on Hockey East.
Through 27 games, he takes up his scoring to 3 goals and 9 assists with a +2 rating for possibly his best college frame.
He takes it back home to sign a 1+ year deal with Saipa and will skate his games in Liiga for 2024/2025.
Cornell University Big Red center Zachary Tupker(51) will head to Quinnipiac University Bobcats for a graduate season 2023/2024.
The 3-time CCHL Carleton Place Canadians‘ 6’1″ 197 lbs. forward scored pretty big in his 2nd and 3rd frames for the team.
From Collingwood, ON, the 23-year old stays in the ECAC.
He finishes with another 6 goals and new best 15 assists and +20 rating to sign a 1st pro contract with Greenville Swamp Rabbits.
In 3 ECHL games, he has 1 goal and 1 assist with a +4 rating, but will need a new deal for 2024/2025.
Stonehill College Skyhawks‘ sophomore big 6’4″ 205 lbs. defenseman Greg Japchen(2) commits to his 3rd college through the transfer portal and will next lace up for University Of Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks as a junior 2024/2025.
He played in a college high 30 games last season, scoring 3 goals and 11 assists.
From Doylestown, PA, he played his youth hockey with Philadelphia Jr. Flyers before eventually doing well in 2 NAHL frames before first heading to Union College.
We’ll see how the 22-year old responds to the new schedule.
Niagara University Purple Eagles‘ Czech-born, senior defenseman Josef Mysak(24) will do a year of eligibility with Merrimack College Warriors in 2024/2025.
The 6’3″ 216 lbs. blue liner, who twice recorded 10+ assists will definitely help shore up the Hockey East zone for his new college club.
After youth hockey back home, he came over for 3 NAHL seasons with Austin Bruins, always increasing his game.
The 24-year old’s brother Jan Mysak plays for San Diego Gulls.
2nd year defenseman Max Balinson(8) up and leaves for DEL2 to skate for Eispiraten Crimmitschau in 2023/2024 after bouncing around with 3 ECHL teams as a rookie, but ultimately landing at least decently successfully with Orlando Solar Bears, scoring 4 goals and 11 assists in 24 games.
The 6’1″ 198 lbs. blue liner from Ancaster, ON played 3 seasons of GOJHL junior hockey with hometown team, Ancaster Avalanche before committing to 1st school, Arizona State University Sun Devils.
He transferred after not playing during his junior campaign to Long Island University Sharks and served as assistant captain during his graduate session.
We think the 26-year old of split Canadian/German descent will do well in Germany tier 2 league.
He must have felt right at home, as he connected for 21 goals and 23 assists through 51 games with a +15 rating, then added another 3 points in the playoffs.
For his efforts, he has been elevated to DEL and signs with Dusseldorfer EG for 2024/2025.
Undrafted, Finnish-born left wing Ottoville Leppanen(7) will complete his senior year at Merrimack College Warriors after entering the transfer portal following 3 seasons with RPI Engineers.
The 5’10” 185 lbs. forward blew the lid off his scoring in a new best 42 NCAA Division 1 games, he scored new highs 9 goals and 21 assists for 30 points with a +1 rating.
He came to school after an impressive U20 SM-liiga campaign, where he scored 53 points in 53 games.
The 23-year old will do well in Hockey East competition.
Upon finishing up the tournament at the Finals before bowing out and having a pretty, nice graduate season run, he signs his 1st pro deal with Orlando Solar Bears, who may only have a couple games left to get his feet wet.
He plays 4 ECHL games, then for his rookie frame looks home to sign with Jukurit, where in 41 Liiga games he scored 7 goals and 8 assists with a +6 rating, then got another goal in the playoffs.
Loaned out for 2 Mestis games, he signs with rivals Kiekkoo-Espoo for his 2nd session in the league, 2024/2025.
Minnesota Wild 6th round pick in the 2019 draft (#166 overall), transfer, defenseman captain Marshall Warren(77) will head to University Of Michigan Wolverines for a graduate year after completing 4 at Boston College Eagles.
His best season scoring was as a junior, grabbing 6 goals and 15 assists, but getting 11 points and +22 rating in the COVID cut 2019/2020 season that should have been that team hoisting an NCAA D1 Championship was maybe the best of his 1st college team’s runs.
The 5’11” 181 lbs. blue liner spent 2 solid runs with USNTDP before committing to college.
From Laurel Hollow, NY, the 22-year old could definitely use an entry level contract soon.
He plays a college high 41 games in his year of eligibility, but remains unsigned by the team that selected him and get picked up on a 2-year NHL entry level deal by his hometown New York Islanders.
Brown University Bears‘ 2-time captain, senior right wing Tristan Crozier(16) will extend a year of eligibility and head to Merrimack College Crusaders for 2022/2023.
He scored a college career best 6 goals and 9 assists last season in 26 NCAA Division 1 games played.
The 5’11” 183 lbs. forward from North Vancouver, BC spent 4 years in junior hockey, first a pair of seasons in the AJHL, then 2 super good in the BCHL for Nanaimo Clippers before heading to school.
He will definitely be more challenged where he’s headed, but the 24-year old could be ready.
In 38 games, he gets 2 goals and 9 assists on a ride that ends in the Hockey East Finals.
Upon being eliminated, he signs a 1st pro deal with Tulsa Oilers and in 7 ECHL has 1 goal and 3 assists on a non-playoff club.
For his official rookie season, he is setting off to see something different and play elsewhere, signing a 1-year deal with Les Jokers Cergy-Pontoise of Ligue Magnus 2023/2024.
He actually seems to have a decent amount of success in the regular campaign, then through the playoffs, but has decided he won’t want to seek out another contract and retires.
