Minor Signings: Russell, Berdin, Welsh
The ECHL’s Savannah Ghost Pirates have signed forward Mitchell Russell for the 2025-26 campaign, per a team announcement.
Russell, 24, was an undrafted free agent signing by the Sharks in 2022 from the OHL’s North Bay Battalion. Injuries limited him out of the gate, making just two appearances for the ECHL’s Wichita Thunder in his first professional season.
The 6’0″, 194-lb winger didn’t see NHL ice over the duration of his three-year, entry-level contract. He was non-tendered in June, making him an unrestricted free agent after he scored two goals in 12 games for the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda and a 19-25–44 scoring line in 81 games for Wichita over his brief pro career.
He’ll now head to Savannah, the second-tier affiliate of the Panthers, to further his pro career. The team only has eight players under contract for 2025-26, including Russell, and will no doubt have most of their roster filled out by loans from their AHL parent, the Charlotte Checkers.
More minor moves from around the sport:
- Former Jets goaltending prospect Mikhail Berdin is on the move in his native Russia, with the KHL announcing he’s signed a one-year deal with Ak Bars Kazan. Berdin, who became a Group VI unrestricted free agent in 2023, was limited to just 11 appearances last season with Avangard Omsk. He was spectacular when available, though, recording a .929 SV%, 1.87 GAA, and a 7-1-2 record. If the 27-year-old puts up a season like that for Ak Bars, he should put himself in contention for an NHL contract next summer.
- Journeyman defenseman Nicholas Welsh has signed with the Manchester Storm of the EIHL, the United Kingdom’s highest level of competition. Welsh, 28, was a dynamic threat in the QMJHL and racked up 181 points in 329 junior games for Shawinigan and Moncton but only sniffed a pro career in North America, recording three points in 17 games for the Sabres’ AHL affiliate in Rochester in 2020-21. He’s since made stops in Slovakia, Germany, Finland, and Austria. He ended last season with Liiga’s KooKoo, where he had four points in 14 combined regular-season and playoff games.
San Jose Sharks Sign Mitchell Russell
The San Jose Sharks have added another prospect, signing Mitchell Russell to a three-year, entry-level contract. The financial details of the deal were not disclosed. Sharks general manager Joe Will released a short statement on the free agent forward:
Mitchell is a character player and leader on the ice with good production that helps his team win. He has a strong pedigree as a skater who was selected in the first round of the OHL Draft.
Russell, 21, played his overage season with the OHL’s North Bay Battalion this year, and scored 41 goals and 88 points in 64 games. More impressive has been his playoff run, where he’s been basically unstoppable with 11 goals and 22 points in nine games, as the Battalion walked through Ottawa and Kingston without issue.
The interesting part about signing players like this is that Russell can move directly into the AHL next season and make an impact on the organization. Undrafted, his strong play is enough to land an entry-level contract, as the Sharks obviously saw something they like.
It will be a challenge for Russell to bring that production over to the professional ranks, but he’ll certainly have a coach that knows what it means to make an impact without big offensive totals. John McCarthy, named San Jose Barracuda head coach this week, was a seventh-round pick that had to find different ways to contribute in order to maintain his long playing career.