Claude Giroux looked around in NHL free agency and is returning to his 2025-26 team.
The Ottawa Senators announced on Tuesday, July 7, that they had re-signed the forward to a one-year deal that has $2 million in salary and up to $3 million in bonuses.
“Claude took his time to evaluate his options and his decision to re-sign with us shows his belief and commitment to our group,” said general manager Steve Staios. “He is the consummate professional and brings veteran experience to our core on and off the ice.”
Giroux, 38, will return for a fifth season in Canada's capital. He signed with his hometown Senators in 2022 after spending most of his career with the Philadelphia Flyers, plus a short stint with the Florida Panthers.
He played all 82 games for the 10th time in his career and finished with 49 points as the Senators made the playoffs for the second year in a row. They were swept in the first round by the Carolina Hurricanes.
“I chose to come back because I want to be here. I’m excited to be an Ottawa Senator,” said Giroux. “Being around those guys for four years, we got really close. This team feels like a family. I just care for those players.”
Giroux is an alternate captain on the Senators, who need a captain after Brady Tkachuk was traded to the Florida Panthers.
With Giroux off the list, the top remaining free agents include Patrick Kane, Anthony Mantha and Vladimir Tarasenko.
After nine seasons in the NHL, former Chicago Blackhawks forward David Kampf is heading overseas.
HC Litvinov of the Czech Extraliga has announced that they have signed Kampf to a three-year contract.
Kampf heading overseas comes after he posted two goals, six points, 45 hits, and a 52.3 faceoff winning percentage in 40 games last season split between the Vancouver Canucks and Washington Capitals. The Capitals traded his signing rights to the Buffalo Sabres as part of the sign-and-trade to land Alex Tuch, but Buffalo chose not to sign Kampf.
Kampf spent the first four seasons of his NHL career with the Blackhawks from 2017-18 to 2020-21. In 235 games with the Blackhawks over that span, he posted 17 goals, 41 assists, and 58 points.
Following his time with the Blackhawks, Kampf had stints with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Canucks, and Capitals. In 576 career NHL games, he posted 50 goals, 99 assists, 149 points, and 498 hits.
Apr 20, 2026; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Ottawa Senators right wing Claude Giroux (28) gets the shot away against the Carolina Hurricanes during the first overtime in game two of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images
James Guillory-Imagn Images
OTTAWA, Ontario — Claude Giroux is returning to the Ottawa Senators after agreeing to terms Tuesday on a contract for next season with a $2 million salary that can be worth up to $5 million in bonuses.
“Claude took his time to evaluate his options, and his decision to re-sign with us shows his belief and commitment to our group,” Ottawa general manager Steve Staios said. “He is the consummate professional and brings veteran experience to our core on an off the ice.”
Giroux, 38, was linked in free agency to the Philadelphia Flyers this summer, but a reunion did not materialize. He spent his first 15-plus NHL seasons with them from 2008-22 before getting traded at the deadline to Florida.
The Hearst, Ontario, native played the past four seasons with the Senators. Going back to Ottawa makes Giroux a candidate to succeed Brady Tkachuk as captain, following his trade last month to the Panthers to play with his brother, Matthew.
“I chose to come back because I want to be here,” Giroux said. “Being around those guys for four years, we got really close. This team feels like a family. I just care for those players.”
Giroux’s 1,165 regular-season points rank 60th in league history and are the eighth-most among active players.
OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Claude Giroux is returning to the Ottawa Senators after agreeing to terms Tuesday on a contract for next season with a $2 million salary that can be worth up to $5 million in bonuses.
“Claude took his time to evaluate his options, and his decision to re-sign with us shows his belief and commitment to our group,” Ottawa general manager Steve Staios said. “He is the consummate professional and brings veteran experience to our core on an off the ice.”
Giroux, 38, was linked in free agency to the Philadelphia Flyers this summer, but a reunion did not materialize. He spent his first 15-plus NHL seasons with them from 2008-22 before getting traded at the deadline to Florida.
The Hearst, Ontario, native played the past four seasons with the Senators. Going back to Ottawa makes Giroux a candidate to succeed Brady Tkachuk as captain, following his trade last month to the Panthers to play with his brother, Matthew.
“I chose to come back because I want to be here," Giroux said. "Being around those guys for four years, we got really close. This team feels like a family. I just care for those players.”
Giroux's 1,165 regular-season points rank 60th in league history and are the eighth-most among active players.
Around the NHL, the Philadelphia Flyers will be public enemy No. 1 after their ambitious Leo Carlsson offer sheet in an attempt to steal the player from under the noses of the Anaheim Ducks organization.
The Ducks, and the other 30 NHL teams, will be looking to get back at the Flyers and general manager Danny Briere at some point, which means the Flyers will have to set up their defenses and defend themselves in the future.
NHL insider Elliotte Friedman compared the Flyers to the Carolina Hurricanes, the Metropolitan Division rival that knocked them out of the Stanley Cup playoffs, and won the Stanley Cup by deploying the same stratgey.
The Montreal Canadiens once signed Sebastian Aho with an offer sheet, the Hurricanes got the Canadiens back by swiping Jesperi Kotkaniemi, and then the Hurricanes tried to bully Edmonton out of Evan Bouchard before eventually getting K'Andre Miller from the New York Rangers.
That worked out well for them.
"Briere had a lot of his business lined up. Briere now will know he'll be a target. If you look at Carolina, they did an offer sheet with Kotkaniemi that was revenge for the Aho one. They threatened Bouchard, and they threatened K'Andre Miller and they got the player," Friedman mused on his latest episode of the "32 Thoughts" podcast.
"What has Carolina done? They've made sure they're not vulnerable. They've gotten their guys signed. [Alexander Nikishin] is not eligible for [an offer sheet]. They know that one day, someone's coming after them and they'll have to defend themselves. Philly will have to do the same thing. They will have to make sure, with guys they really like, they are protected.
"Right now, because [Jamie Drysdale and Trevor Zegras] have filed for arbitration, you can't offer sheet them, so that's sorted out."
On top of Drysdale and Zegras going to arbitration, the Flyers have gotten Owen Tippett, Cam York, and Tyson Foerster locked down in recent years, and Matvei Michkov, who became eligible to sign a contract extension on July 1, will have to be next heading into a contract year.
The Flyers have set themselves up nicely for future success, but they'll need to land Carlsson from the Ducks to make it count, then keep their foot on the gas in future negotiations to stay ahead of the game with other NHL front offices.
One major change that Chayka executed was with the head coach, firing Craig Berube on May 13 and eventually bringing in Jim Hiller.
Since Berube was let go, he hasn't spoken much about the disastrous 2025-26 campaign in Toronto, which saw them miss the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time in 10 years. However, as a guest on Simmer's Morning Skate, Berube opened up about a key aspect that was missing from the team this past year.
Rob Simpson, host of the show, asked Berube who the emotional centerpiece of the Leafs team was that he had coached through the past two years.
"Mitch Marner," Berube said firmly. "Mitch brought the energy and the emotion to the game, I thought, on a nightly basis and in practice. Vocal guy, chatted a lot on the bench, chatted a lot in practice. When he came back to the bench, he'd let guys know, 'pick it up, let's go.'
"He was great, I really enjoyed coaching him," the former Leafs' bench boss added.
Along with what Marner brought to the table as an all-around talent, Berube admitted it was a heavier loss because of what he did off the ice.
"I thought we lost our emotional leader, for sure," Berube said. "It was a big loss, not only the player, but in the locker room, on the bench, in practices, things like that. I thought that he brought that element. I thought he held guys accountable."
See more of The Hockey News on Google — Save us as Preferred Source
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
The Ducks have signed another RFA to a contract extension. This time, its defenseman Tyson Hinds, who made his NHL debut towards the end of the regular season. Hinds appeared in six regular season games and nine Stanley Cup Playoff games as part of the third defensive pair.
With Olen Zellweger dealt to the Buffalo Sabres and Pavel Mintyukov recently signed to a five-year contract extension, the Ducks appear to have their left side of the blue line solidified for the upcoming season. Hinds’ contract extension is for two years. It’s a one-way deal with an AAV of $900,000.
After playing most of the season in the AHL with the San Diego Gulls, Hinds was recalled on April 4, making his NHL debut that night against the Calgary Flames. He impressed in his debut, playing alongside John Carlson and finishing the game with over 23 minutes of time on ice. He was paired primarily with Drew Helleson for the rest of the regular season and into the playoffs, prioritized over Zellweger during the postseason for his defensive-minded approach.
Every indication is that Hinds will have priority for a regular lineup spot heading into the 2026-27. Tristan Luneau, who he spent most of the season playing alongside in the AHL, is also expected to be given plenty of rope as he too competes for full-time spot on the NHL roster. It’s possible that they could form one of the Ducks’ three defensive pairs.
With $9 million in projected cap space (per PuckPedia) remaining, the Ducks still have a few RFAs left to sign, namely budding star Cutter Gauthier. A decision for Leo Carlsson’s five-year, $90 million offer sheet from the Flyers looms on Friday, though the projected cap space takes his cap hit into account. However, Gauthier’s eventual extension will leave general manager Pat Verbeek with very little wiggle room to operate with for any further additions.
Just under a week ago, the Edmonton Oilers made a quiet addition to their roster with a depth forward that went largely unrecognized except by Detroit Red Wings fans.
On July 1, the Oilers signed former Grand Rapids Griffins forward Eduards Tralmaks to a one-year, two-way contract worth $850,000, giving the 29-year-old winger his first real shot at cracking an NHL lineup after years as a career minor leaguer.
Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman spoke on the move during Monday's episode of his podcast, 32 Thoughts, pointing to new Oilers head coach Mike Babcock, who won a Stanley Cup with Detroit back in 2008, as the kind of coach who could get the best out of a player with Tralmaks' skill set.
Friedman suggested Babcock's track record of developing depth players into legitimate NHL contributors could give Tralmaks a real chance to work his way into a regular role at the game's highest level, something the Red Wings never gave him during his one year with the franchise.
Red Wings fans saw Tralmaks at his best last season, when he recorded 26 goals and 16 assists for 42 points in 64 AHL games with Grand Rapids, finishing fourth on a Griffins team that broke several league records during a 51-win campaign in just 72 games.
Tralmaks did earn emergency recalls and practiced with the Red Wings at times, but he never once cracked the lineup for an actual NHL game, spending his entire tenure in the organization strictly as a minor-league piece.
Tralmaks likely helped his case with his performance at the Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina, where he was one of the better players in the tournament for Latvia, scoring three goals and adding an assist for a point-per-game average across the country's four games, with several of those goals proving to be genuine difference-makers.
Now heading to Edmonton, Tralmaks will get an extended look with the Oilers as they aim to finally get over the hump under Babcock after two Western Conference Championships in the last three seasons.
Never miss a story by adding us to your Google News favorites!
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
TORONTO (AP) — Daniel Alfredsson, once public enemy No. 1 in Toronto as captain of the Ottawa Senators, is leaving Canada's capital to join the Maple Leafs as an associate coach.
The Maple Leafs announced the move Tuesday, saying John Gruden and Brad Werenka also are joining coach Jim Hiller’s staff as assistants.
Alfredsson, 53, spent the last three seasons as an assistant in Ottawa after a Hall of Fame playing career spent mostly with the Senators.
The Swedish winger was a prominent figure in the “Battle of Ontario” between the Maple Leafs and Senators, which included four playoff showdowns between 2000 and 2004.
Senators owner Michael Andlauer in a statement said that while he wished Alfredsson were not joining a rival organization, the door would always be open for a return.
The Maple Leafs announced that assistant coaches Mike Van Ryn and Derek Lalonde would not return.
Although the St. Louis Blues entered the 2026 NHL draft with four first-round picks, they left making just two of those picks but added three left-handed centers.
With the 11th overall pick, the Blues selected two-way, smooth-skating center Tynan Lawrence. Then, they flipped the 15th and 29th overall picks to land 23-year-old Mason McTavish. With their final piece of business in the first round, the Blues selected 6-foot-4 Quebec native Maddox Dagenais.
The Blues entered the draft with a bit of a shortage of centers. In the NHL, they had Robert Thomas and Dalibor Dvorsky, both of whom stand at six feet and 6-foot-1. While they are not small by any margin, size and physicality aren’t strengths of their game. McTavish is listed at 6-foot-1, but he can play with a physical edge.
Lawrence is listed at 6-foot-1 as well, but his play style doesn’t scream bruiser. Dagenais, on the other hand, is a physical beast, bringing an element that the Blues need at the center ice position.
The 18-year-old was a former first overall pick in the QMJHL, but he hasn’t necessarily lit it up offensively just yet. In 2025-26, Dagenais notched 30 goals and 62 points in 62 games, taking a large step forward in his development from his rookie season in 2024-25.
Dagenais has some international experience as well, representing Canada at the U-17 and U-18 Levels, but hasn’t broken out offensively there either.
Despite that, Dagenais brings several intriguing elements. We’ve touched on his power forward traits, but he is also a strong skater who excels in transition. His shot is strong, and he became more comfortable utilizing it as the season went on.
His playmaking needs some development, but if that develops, Dagenais has all the traits of a top-six NHL center.
Eliteprospects.com compared Dagenais’ game to Toronto Maple Leafs winger Matthew Knies and former Blues first-round pick Zachary Bolduc.
The Blues have plenty of highly skilled prospects, and although Dagenais is very skilled, he brings a different element that the Blues may have been putting off recently. Diversifying the prospect pool was a must, and there is an avenue for Dagenais to be successful with the Blues in the NHL.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free.
See more of The Hockey News on Google and save us as a preferred source.Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
The Buffalo Sabres could go a number of different ways as the NHL is in the midst of trade season following the NHL Draft and the opening of free agency on July 1. With the departure of winger Alex Tuch and defenseman Bowen Byram, GM Jarmo Kekalainen is expected to seek out offensive reinforcements to make up for the 44 goals lost by their departures.
Over the next few weeks, we will continue to look at potential options for the Sabres. Some of the possibilities are not going to match Tuch’s stats, but any additions could provide some relief to the pressure that youngsters Konsta Helenius, Jiri Kulich, or Noah Ostlund will be under to make up the deficit.
Kekalainen ideally would like to replace the 60-to-70 point production that he lost with Tuch, and one possibility is Seattle Kraken winger Jared McCann. The 30-year-old is in the final year of a five-year, $25 million contract with the Kraken, and his name has begun to pop up on trade rumors. After starting his career in Vancouver in 2015, the winger played three years in Florida, and another three with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Sabres extend Zach Benson for seven years
The Pens traded him to Toronto, who exposed him in the 2022 expansion draft, where the Kraken claimed him. The Stratford, ON native has scored 20 or more goals in each of his five seasons in the Pacific Northwest, with his career-high 40 goals in 2023. McCann played only 52 games last season due to recurrent lower-body injuries, but still posted 40 points (20 goals, 20 assists).
McCann has a 10-team modified no-trade list, which could still be a hurdle that Kekalainen has to clear with some players. The cost certainty of a $5 million cap hit would be attractive to the Sabres with their limited cap space, and the fact that he could be a one-year rental would keep the trade price down. Moving him would be a head-scratcher for former Sabres GM Jason Botterill, but it could be indicative that McCann or the Kraken are not open to a contract extension.
The Sabres have to be looking for someone who could replace as much of Tuch’s production as possible, and in the final year of his contract, McCann would be motivated to put up big numbers in advance of hitting the open market next July. The fact that the Sabres are relying on internal improvement of their young players to make up the difference is a risky proposition, since them taking the next step is not linear. The addition of someone like McCann or Buffalo native Patrick Kane will not make up for all the offense and leadership lost with the departure of Tuch, but it would definitely help.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have announced major changes across the entire coaching staff.
Since hiring Jim Hiller as the bench boss on June 17, the Maple Leafs have brought in John Gruden, Daniel Alfredsson and Brad Werenka behind the bench, the team announced on Tuesday.
This past year, the Maple Leafs started the campaign with Craig Berube as the head coach, with Derek Lalonde, Mike Van Ryn and Marc Savard as the assistants. On Dec. 26, Savard was replaced as the power-play coach by Steve Sullivan.
Ultimately, the Leafs announced that Lalonde and Van Ryn won't be returning to the organization as assistant coaches.
Former Ottawa Senators assistant coach and star, Alfredsson, will be joining the Maple Leafs behind the bench as Hiller's associate coach.
He becomes just the second instance of the Maple Leafs naming an associate coach. Lane Lambert was the last coach to hold that title, which lasted for one season before becoming the head coach of the Seattle Kraken.
Alfredsson spent the past three seasons as an assistant coach with the Senators, earning the role in December 2023 and holding onto it ever since.
Outside of his NHL experience, he was also a senior advisor for Team Sweden at the 2025 World Championship and an assistant coach for his nation at the 4 Nations Face-Off.
There is some shock attached to this hire considering the history between the Maple Leafs and Alfredsson.
Alfredsson was a star for the Senators during his time as a player in the NHL. He played 18 seasons in the league, 17 of which in Ottawa, and was the captain of the Sens from 1999-00 to 2012-13.
Alfredsson and the Leafs have been through some heated affairs in the Battle of Ontario. Some moments that stick out are their first-round playoff series in 2003-04.
Now, he contributes to the same franchise as Leafs senior executive advisor Mats Sundin. Alfredsson famously mocked Sundin for throwing his broken stick into the crowd back in their playing days.
Gruden joins the Leafs fresh off a Calder Cup win in the AHL as the head coach of the Toronto Marlies this past season, and for the past three years.
He'll understand what sort of talent Toronto has in its system, and he has experience handling young players. That'll be a resource with Easton Cowan and Gavin McKenna likely in the NHL lineup regularly.
He also has experience with Auston Matthews from their time in the USA Hockey National Team Development Program.
Gruden has five years of experience as an NHL assistant coach with four seasons with the New York Islanders and one with the Boston Bruins from 2018-19 and 2022-23.
As for Werenka, he doesn't have experience in the NHL as a coach like Alfredsson and Gruden do. However, from 2022 to 2025, he was an assistant at the University of Calgary. He led the Dinos to a Canada West Men’s Hockey Championship in 2023.
See more of The Hockey News on Google — Save us as Preferred Source
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
On July 1, the Chicago Blackhawks signed forward Cole Smith to a three-year, $9 million contract. With this move, the Blackhawks have added more experience and depth to their forward group.
While Smith may not be the biggest signing of the summer, he could end up being a very solid addition to the Blackhawks' roster. The 31-year-old should fit nicely in Chicago's bottom six due to his high-energy style of play and grit.
Smith should also provide value because of his strong defensive play. Because of this, he should now be a key contributor to the Blackhawks' penalty kill. This element of his game should benefit the Blackhawks nicely as they look for better results in 2026-26. This is especially so when noting that they lost top penalty-killing forward Ilya Mikheyev to the Tampa Bay Lightning in free agency this off-season.
Smith appeared in 63 games last season split between the Nashville Predators and Vegas Golden Knights, where he recorded eight goals, 12 points, and 173 hits. He also had three goals, six points, and 24 penalty minutes in 22 playoff games this spring for the Golden Knights.
Smith's best offensive NHL season was in 2023-24, when he posted career highs with nine goals, 14 assists, and 23 points in 80 games with the Predators. If he can produce offense like this in a bottom-six role and maintain his hard-nosed style of play, he could end up being a nice pickup for Chicago.
According to TVA Sports, the Montreal Canadiens have put pen to paper on a one-year, two-way deal with right-shot defenseman Reilly Walsh. The American-born 27-year-old blueliner was a third-round pick by the New Jersey Devils at the 2017 NHL draft (81st overall) but never really made it in the NHL, suiting up for only one game with the Devils, in which he collected an assist.
Once drafted, he went from the Chicago Steel in the USHL to Harvard in the NCAA, where he spent three seasons before turning pro and spending three seasons with the Devils’ AHL affiliate. He then spent one season with the Boston Bruins farm team in Providence before skating for the Los Angeles Kings’ AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign, for a single campaign. In 304 AHL games, the 6-foot-185-pound blueliner put up 159 points and accumulated 121 penalty minutes.
After five seasons in the AHL, Walsh decided to head to the KHL for the 2025-26 season, where he suited up for the Kazakhstan-based Astana Barys. A team that only won 16 games last season, put up 54 points, and missed the playoffs by 15 points. As for Walsh himself, in 68 KHL games, he did put up 46 points, the fourth-highest total for a defenseman in the league behind Damir Sharipzyanov (67 points), Daniil Pylenkov (54 points), and Mitchell Miller (47 points).
This is a depth signing for the Habs and he will more than likely spend the year with the Laval Rocket, but his arrival will help make up for the fact that the AHL side will have to make do without Bryce Pickford for a while since the highly-touted prospect underwent shoulder surgery last week and will need to rehabilitate before starting his professional career.
ALLENTOWN, PA - MARCH 28: Quinnipiac Bobcats Forward Jeremy Wilmer (16) controls the puck during the first period of the NCAA DI Men's Hockey Eastern Regional Tournament game between the UConn Huskies and the Quinnipiac Bobcats on March 28, 2025, at the PPL Center in Allentown, PA. (Photo by Gregory Fisher/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Devils GM Sunny Mehta and Comets GM Braden Birch have begun revamping the AHL franchise. Here’s a look at some of the early summer roster changes.
Out With the Old
Utica’s goal leader last season, Angus Crookshank, was shipped off to the Florida Panthers in the Jacob Markstrom trade. Defenseman Calen Addison and forward Dylan Wendt were not tendered qualifying offers and walked to free agency. Lastly, UFA forwards Jonathan Gruden, Nathan Legare, and Mike Hardman were not brought back as of the writing of this article. That does not mean none of them will return. Free agent center Ryan Schmelzer signed a new AHL one-year contract on July 2nd according to the Comets website, a move that hasn’t been confirmed on Puckpedia as of Monday. Forward Jack Malone and netminder Jeremy Brodeur re-upped with new AHL deals on July 3rd and RFA goaltender Jakub Malek signed a two-year, two-way extension on July 6th.
In With the New
Diminutive winger Ben Steeves joined the roster as a piece of the Jacob Markstrom swap. Steeves was an offensive force for the Charlotte Checkers last season, scoring 23 goals and potting 45 points in 72 games and easily replaces Crookshank’s production. Steeves signed a one-year, two way contract with the Devils yesterday, so could be a candidate for a call-up to New Jersey at any point during the seaason.
A flurry of trades and signings in and around the draft and the beginning of free agency brought in some players who will be fighting for a spot in New Jersey, but may spend some time in Utica. Amadeus Lombardi is a 23-year-old center, who can play wing, and is looking to make the jump into the NHL after being a nearly point per game player for the Grand Rapids Griffins of the AHL the past two seasons. Sunny Mehta specifically mentioned Lombardi at his press conference as not only “depth”, but a “bet” as a player who’s shown promise of being ready for the next level.
Another depth “bet”, 28-year-old 6’6” winger Riley Tufte has been one of the AHL’s most prolific goal scorers, finishing tied for third in the league last season with 32 twine touchers in only 64 games. Tufte provides a different element to Lombardi as a large, netmouth presence with a scoring touch and will be an interesting player to watch in camp.
Lastly, left-handed defenseman Vladislav Kolyachanok is a 25-year-old, 6’1” puck mover, who will be competing with trade acquisition Declan Chisholm for a roster spot. Kolyachanok is an intriguing player. An analytics darling in small sample sizes at the NHL level, Kolyachanok has bounced around the Coyotes, Penguins, Stars, Bruins and their AHL affiliates in his short career.
Other players were signed to AHL contracts. Former teammate of Shane LaChance at Boston University, Jeremy Wilmer finished his collegiate career with Quinnipiac, and despite a season-ending injury his senior year, the undrafted, crafty winger put up 41 points in 38 games in his last full NCAA season. Center/winger Gabe Klassen put up 17 goals and 36 points in 59 games for the Wilkes-Barre Penguins last year. Former Red Wings 3rd round draft pick, Zach Gallant also signed an AHL deal. A highly physical energy forward, Gallant has split time between the AHL and ECHL after a stint with the U Sports McGill’s hockey program.
The Comets also signed 24-year-old defender Eamon Powell. A former fourth round pick of the Tampa Bay Lighting, Powell, known for his edgework and aggressive style, put up 7 points in 23 games for the Charlotte Checkers last season after five years at Boston College.
Another AHL signing, goaltender Seth Eisele has been one of the better netminders in the ECHL, finishing last season with a 18-7-1 record, 2.37 GAA and .919 SV% in 29 games for the South Carolina Stingrays. The 26-year-old will likely be competing with recently re-upped Jeremy Brodeur for platooning time between Utica and Adirondack and takes Tyler Brennan’s place down the goalie depth chart without the use of a NHL roster spot.
If there are themes in most of these moves, they seem to be the targeting analytical darlings and players who have excelled at the lower level and may be ready for the next step up, whether it be star AHLers, who may be ready for the NHL, or star ECHL and NCAA players, who may be ready for the AHL. It’s a fresh approach compared to the middling state Utica has been mired in for years. We will soon know how it plays out.
