NHL hockey is nearly here. Rookie tournaments have started, and training camps are soon to follow. Over the next few weeks, we’ll keep track of all the notable minor signings to see where minor league and fringe players will ply their trade this season.
- The Calgary Flames’ 2021 second-round pick, William Stromgren, is switching SHL clubs. The forward spent last season with Rogle BK and scored a hat-trick in his first game this season for Rogle’s junior team. Per a team announcement, Stromgren has signed a two-year contract with Brynas IF, the club he said he believes is the best place for his development.
- Former New York Rangers prospect Gabriel Fontaine has nearly 200 AHL games on his resume, and now he’s chosen to leave that league and head overseas to continue his playing career. Fontaine has signed a contract with Lukko of the Finnish Liiga, and will head there hoping to find better offensive results than he had last season, when he scored just 13 points in 39 games.
- Nate Pionk, the brother of Winnipeg Jets defenseman Neal Pionk, is back in the ECHL. After splitting time last season between the ECHL and the SPHL, Pionk has signed a one-year deal with the Indy Fuel. Pionk had nine points in 29 games for the South Carolina Stingrays last season and will likely play a depth role for the Fuel as they look to rebound from a difficult 2021-22 campaign.
- After turning pro with the Wichita Thunder last season, former Colgate Raider Tyler Jeanson will head overseas to continue his career. Per a team announcement, Jeanson has signed a contract with Nykopings SK of the Swedish third-tier HockeyEttan. Jeanson had just 29 points in his 114-game collegiate career but was a member of Colgate’s leadership team as a senior, and he will bring that skillset to Nykopings.
- Goalie Jake Kielly, who was in the playoff bubble with the Vancouver Canucks in 2020, is headed to Europe. The netminder has signed a contract with the EC Kassel Huskies of the German second-tier DEL2. Kielly has played at both the AHL and ECHL levels since he finished his collegiate career at Clarkson University and will compete with DEL2 veteran Jerry Kuhn for ice time with the Huskies.
This page will be updated throughout the day.