New York Islanders‘ 2nd round pick in the 2018 draft (#39 overall), small and speedy Russian-born center Ruslan Iskhakov(37) couldn’t wait around to see if college hockey would play in 2020/2021, so decided it was time for him to turn pro.
The 5’8″ 150 lbs. forward signed a one-year deal with TPS and has gotten right to it with 9 goals, 25 assists in 46 Liiga games and a +5 rating.
He played two seasons at University Of Connecticut putting up 21 points for successive years and the thought was he would return for his junior campaign, but has voiced his desire to play pro as quickly as possible and this looks to be the best possible route to achieve it.
2-50 point AHL seasons scores him a 1st NHL recall and skated 20 shifts for 14:11 ice time with 2 shots, 1 assist and a 5-4 victory.
Merrimack College Warriors‘ senior left wing Alex Jefferies(38) is a New York Islanders‘ 4th round pick in the 2020 draft (#121 overall) and signs an ato with affiliate Bridgeport Islanders to get his pro game started.
He had an assists in his AHL debut and has skated 4 games.
The 6′ 194 lbs. forward had a 3rd straight college frame of 10+ goals in his final year and 27 assists as a junior.
From Framingham, MA, the 22-year old played only 2 USHL games of junior hockey for Dubuque Fighting Saints, but that was while he was playing USHS-Prep.
University Of Vermont Catamounts‘ senior goaltender Gabriel Carrier(35) takes a college career high 34 games to with a 2.77 GAA and .908 SV% to an ato with San Jose Barracuda.
The 6’2″ 185 lbs. backstop did 3 seasons of junior hockey, eventually making it to Waterloo Blackhawks of the USHL.
From Ottawa, ON, the 23-year old will hopefully impress to score an AHL deal for 2024/2025 and he does.
Northeastern University Huskies‘ senior center Alexander Campbell(27) has a team best 9 goals and 16 points so far this season.
He had already been spotted by Nashville Predators to pick him up in the 3rd round of the 2019 draft (#65 overall) after a rather impressive BCHL session with Victoria Grizzlies.
The 5’10” 176 lbs. forward came over after 3 seasons at Clarkson University Golden Knights, scoring 10+ goals twice and 10+ assists 3 times.
From Chateauguay, QC, the 22-year has the scoring touch.
He finishes with a team high and new college best 22 goals and 20 assists for 42 points in 36 games with a +13 rating and signs an AHL deal with affiliate Milwaukee Admirals and will join them immediately on an ato, but either this club or another smart one will enter into the fray and sign him after August 15.
In 7 games, he already has his 1st 2 goals in the league.
7th year center Nick Huard(40) switches up 4 unreal, good years with Dresdner Eislowen, producing a fantastic 90 goals and 120 assists with a +23 rating in 198 DEL2 games.
The small-ish 5’9″ 181 lbs. forward is heading to Erste Liga, signing a 1-year deal with ASC Corona Brasov Wolves for 2021/2022.
He originally started his junior hockey in the QMJHL, but had little success as a rookie.
Almost oddly, he came out of the gate strong with 2 goals and 2 assists in 4 games in the next session for Lewistown Maineiacs, but maybe had already made the decision to move on to skating for Woodstock Slammers of the MJAHL and took scoring once again to a completely different level (97-126=223) in 139 games before deciding to attend University Of Guelph Gryphons.
Once again he would detonate the score sheet in CIS games before agreeing to terms on an ato upon graduation with Cincinnati Cyclones, where he potted his first 3 goals and 3 assists in 13 ECHL games and also was loaned up to Adirondack Flames for his only AHL game.
The 30-year will no doubt light up the Hungary/Romanian league and probably have a lot of fun in the process.
He detonates scoring in a couple leagues over there, then last season heads back to Deutschland, but signing with Tolzer Lowen of Germany3, where he had a very easy time scoring 27 goals and 48 assists with a +18 in 41 games.
The now 9th year vet must be getting some decent money to go where he goes, because his next stop is AlpsHL on a 1-year deal with EK Zeller Eisbaren for 2023/2024.
He explodes the stat sheet with 20 goals and 28 assists in just 36 games with a +28 rating to get a big invite to return.
Northeastern University Huskies‘ senior defenseman Jeremie Bucheler(98) will head north to Hockey East rival, University Of Vermont Catamounts to start a graduate year.
The impressively big, undrafted 6’4″ 200 lbs. blue liner had solid junior and senior campaigns with a goal and 10 then 9 assists, but a combined +28 rating.
With a good graduate frame, the 23-year old, Montreal, QC native could easily jump on an NHL teams radar.
He takes a fully breakout season, scoring new bests 6 goals, 12 assists and 18 points in 33 games to signing a 1st pro deal, an ato to join San Jose Barracuda.
Clarkson University Golden Knights‘ junior net minder Ethan Haider(31) takes his game into the transfer portal to come out to guard the cage for University Of Connecticut Huskies in 2023/2024.
He moves on after playing 80 NCAA Division 1 games, posting a handy 36-31-12 record on a team that always played hard for his 2.36 GAA and .910 SV%.
A St. Louis Park, MN native, he had a good high school run before agreeing to play for his 1st NAHL junior team, close to home, Minnesota Magicians.
The big 6’3″ 203 lbs. goalie next played in the USHL before heading to school.
At 21-years old, this is a great team for him to play for to have draft team Nashville Predators (5th round, 2019, #148 overall) to see him compete.
He starts 21 games with a 7-11-2 record and a 2.91 GAA and .906 SV%, mostly splitting time with another draft pick.
Finishing up Hockey East play without a tournament start, he signs an ato with Milwaukee Admirals that will turn into an AHL deal for 2024/2025, where he will be under the watchful eye of the parent club, affiliate.
RPI Engineers‘ senior defenseman Mason Klee(7) will extend his college career for a graduate season at Ohio State University Buckeyes in 2023/2024.
He had a modest new college best 6 assists and 7 points last season, but it’s his 6’2″ 192 lbs. size that brings accountability into the zone.
2 years of USHL juniors did see him raise the 2019 Clark Cup Championship with Sioux Falls Stampede.
He takes 1 goal and 4 assists in a college best 38 games to a 1st ECHL contract with Worcester Railers and in 5 games has 1 assists and is a +1 rating to get himself loaned up to old “affiliate” pal San Jose Barracuda, where he has no points in 4 AHL games, as they fight for a playoff berth.
UMass Minutemen senior left wing Cal Kiefiuk(8) will do a graduate season at Hockey East rival Providence College Friars in 2023/2024.
He had a college career best 7 goals and 14 assists for 21 points last season.
The 5’10” 185 lbs. forward did 2 decently productive USHL seasons with Central Illinois Flying Aces.
From Macomb, MI, he comes out of the Honeybaked hockey system.
We think the 23-year old will have fun competing for the enemy.
He maybe scored a little better for his former club, but still did decently enough to score a 1st contract with Wheeling Nailers.
UMass-Lowell Riverhawks‘ senior left wing Blake Wells(54) heads into the transfer portal for a graduate season roughly 90 minutes west at American International College Yellowjackets.
The 6’2″ 201 lbs. forward should find more room in Atlantic Hockey to score.
His best season was as a junior, getting 3 goals and 5 assists in 29 games.
The 23-year old Blackie, AB native played 2 seasons in the nearby AJHL for Okotoks Oilers before committing to school.
He comes away with a college best 4 goals and 6 assists in his extra frame and signs a pro deal with Utah Grizzlies, where we suspect he will find more room in the ECHL to score using his power forward size.
