Minor Transactions: Stevens, Newkirk, Fontaine, Jandric
John Stevens, a veteran of nearly 400 career AHL games, will depart Liiga’s Kiekko-Espoo after one season there, according to a team announcement on social media. Stevens signed with the club last summer, a move that appeared to end – or at the very least suspend – an AHL career spanning back to the 2016-17 season. Stevens won the Calder Cup with the Abbotsford Canucks in 2024-25, but didn’t get to play in their playoff run.
A former captain at the NCAA level for the Northeastern Huskies, Stevens developed into an impactful AHL scorer in Abbotsford. He was more of a bottom-six piece during the early portion of his AHL career in the New York Islanders organization with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, but a mid-season trade to the Canucks organization in 2020 helped spark a greater level of contributions. Stevens scored a career-high 19 goals and 43 points in 2021-22, and had a solid 35 points in 68 games as recently as 2023-24. For AHLers who have exceeded their status as “development players,” finding a way to stick in the league can be a challenge. Stevens’ 2024-25 season saw his production decline by 20 points, which appears to have spelled the end of his time in North America’s second-best league. His debut season overseas saw him score 10 goals and 23 points and wear an “A” for a Kiekko-Espoo side that reached the Liiga postseason.
Other minor transactions from across the hockey world:
- Another former Islanders prospect, Reece Newkirk, has elected to swap the North American minor leagues for Finland’s top division. Newkirk, 25, has signed a one-year contract with JYP Jyväskylä for the 2026-27 season. A 2019 fifth-rounder by the Islanders, Newkirk spent three seasons in their minor-league system serving as an AHL/ECHL bubble player. He developed into a point-per-game ECHL player for the Worcester Railers while serving in a depth capacity for Bridgeport. Newkirk exited the Islanders’ farm system in 2024 and has bounced around a bit, most recently settling with the Syracuse Crunch and their ECHL affiliate, the Orlando Solar Bears. Newkirk ranked No. 2 on the Solar Bears in scoring this past season with 51 points in 52 games, while also dressing in 15 games for the Crunch.
- Former New York Rangers prospect Gabriel Fontaine has signed a two-year contract with reigning German champions Eisbären Berlin, reports Jörg Lubrich of German outlet Bild. The 29-year-old was a 2016 sixth-round pick of the Rangers and spent a half-decade in the AHL (2017-2022) before heading overseas. Fontaine’s European career began in Liiga with Lukko Rauma, but he struggled in 2023-24 scoring just 13 points in 36 games. He transferred to Germany that summer, and ended up finding a home in Berlin, where he scored 19 goals and 40 points en route to a DEL title. He signed with Red Bull Munich last summer, but wasn’t able to repeat the success he had in Berlin, scoring just 21 points in 37 games. Now, Fontaine will return to Berlin and look to help their title defense.
- The Nürnberg Ice Tigers of the DEL announced the signing of ECHL champion Chris Jandric to a one-year contract. Jandric, 27, crossed the Atlantic and signed with the DEL’s ERC Ingolstadt last summer, and he ended up playing in just 28 games during the team’s regular season. Previously, Jandric had spent the entirety of his professional career split between the AHL and ECHL. A former top NCAA defenseman with North Dakota, Jandric developed into a legitimate No. 1 defenseman at the ECHL level, with his 50 points in 54 games helping lead Trois-Rivières Lions to a Kelly Cup title in 2025. He wasn’t able to bring that level of play over to the DEL with Ingolstadt, but he will hope that can change in Nürnberg.
AHL Notes: Marody, Fizer, Johnson, Newkirk, Scheel
AHL fixture Cooper Marody is returning to the Flyers organization after signing a two-year AHL contract with Lehigh Valley yesterday, per a team release. The 27-year-old became a UFA this summer after the two-year, two-way deal he signed with Philadelphia as a Group VI UFA in 2022 expired.
Marody was a sixth-round pick of the Flyers back in 2015 but never signed with them, instead landing with the Oilers as a free agent after a dominant senior season at Michigan in 2017-18. He spent four seasons in Edmonton as one of the AHL’s most dominant scoring threats, routinely putting up over a point per game, but appeared in only seven NHL games for them during that time. He reunited with Philly on the open market, but much like his time in Edmonton, he didn’t get an NHL shot and spent the entirety of his now-expired two-year deal in the minors.
Lehigh Valley hasn’t gotten the best version of Marody, but he’s still been a bonafide top-six AHL contributor. He led them in scoring last season with 56 points (19 goals, 37 assists) in 68 games. Marody has 271 points in 297 career AHL games dating back to his professional debut and will take part in his eighth minor-league season in 2024-25. He’ll play an important role in helping anchor the Flyers’ farm team as they look to graduate prospects from Lehigh Valley in the latter stages of their rebuild.
More updates from the AHL:
- The Blues’ primary affiliate was busy yesterday as the Springfield Thunderbirds announced a trio of signings. Forwards Tarun Fizer and Reece Newkirk, as well as goaltender Cam Johnson, will help fill out St. Louis’ organizational depth next season. Fizer does still carry a bit of upside at age 23, but the former Western Hockey League All-Star has struggled to keep a full-time role in the AHL since turning pro. The 5’11” winger had five points in 30 games for the Belleville Senators last season but looked quite comfortable at the ECHL level, posting 10 points in a 10-game stint for the Allen Americans. He’ll look to provide scoring depth for the T-Birds but may begin the season on assignment to the Blues’ new ECHL affiliate, the Florida Everblades. Newkirk, 23, was a fifth-round pick of the Islanders and 2019 but became a UFA this summer upon being non-tendered at the conclusion of his entry-level contract. He had three points in 16 games with AHL Bridgeport last season but, like Fizer, was an effective producer in limited ECHL minutes with 14 points in 16 games for the Worcester Railers. Johnson, 30, has backstopped ECHL Florida to three consecutive Kelly Cup championships and will head back there for another campaign. He’s been unreal in ECHL playoff action, posting a .928 SV% and 1.97 GAA with 11 shutouts and a 47-16 record in 63 games over the past three years.
- The Avalanche continued to replenish their goaltending depth with the AHL’s Colorado Eagles signing Adam Scheel to a one-year deal. Scheel, 25, was an undrafted free agent signing by the Stars out of North Dakota in 2021 but wasn’t given a qualifying offer when his entry-level contract expired in 2023. He spent last season in the starter’s crease for the AHL’s Chicago Wolves, making a career-high 42 appearances with a 2.84 GAA and .907 SV%. He’ll compete for playing time with the Avs’ NHL-contracted depth goalies, Kevin Mandolese and Trent Miner.