Chirps from Center Ice

A fan blog about the AHL's Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins

2019 AHL Top 100 Free Agents and Beyond – The Big Board

3 Comments Posted by on June 27, 2019

Blogger Note: Big Board will be updated through July 20, 2019 and unstuck from top of blog on July 22, 2019.

Back for another year is an idea cooked up by the great Jonathan Bombulie a long time ago. This is actually Year Five of the on the blog of carrying the tradition that Bombulie conceived which was ranking the top AHL free agents available and putting out a list of the Top 100 and then a second list of the best available after that.

After hemming and hawing on the idea of whether I wanted to invest the time to carry this on for a fifth season, by the time I realized I was “all in” on the concept this year, I was done with half the teams. So I didn’t contract out to anyone this season as I had in seasons past. That’s not to say or suggest that I won’t ask for help in the future, but more of a, “can I do this myself” question that I answered with a resounding ‘yes’ as I was done well in advance of the July 1 start of NHL Free Agency.

Enough about how the idea came about this year and to the subject at hand, the Big Board.

All data compiled was taken from either Elite Prospects, Cap Friendly, the AHL and/or Twitter.

You will see some symbols / identifiers next to some players names. They mean the following:

^ – Group 6 Unrestricted Free Agent. Defined here.
* – Non-tendered Restricted Free Agent (RFA) – essentially a RFA who wasn’t given a qualifying offer.

They really don’t mean anything in the way that the Board was constructed, but in creating the Board I used these identifiers and just carried them over to the final product.

As always, if you spot any errors or omissions, please let me know in the comments. This Board will be updated as Free Agency begins and will be pinned to the top of the blog for a few weeks after the July 1 period.

If you didn’t link in directly from elsewhere, hit the jump and enjoy!

Rank Name Position 2018-19 Team Comments
1 Daniel Carr F CHI Signed with Nashville (NHL) July 1.
2 Andrew Poturalski^ C CHA Signed with Anaheim (NHL) July 1.
3 Cal O’Reilly C IA Signed with Lehigh Valley (AHL) July 1.
4 Chris Mueller F TOR Signed with Tampa Bay (NHL) July 1.
5 Zane McIntyre^ G PRO Signed with Vancouver (NHL) July 1.
6 Michael Sgarbossa^ C HER Re-signed with Washington (NHL) June 29.
7 T.J. Tynan C CHI Signed with Colorado (NHL) July 2.
8 Ethan Prow^ D WBS Signed with Florida (NHL) July 1.
9 Andrew Agozzino F COL Signed with Pittsburgh (NHL) July 1.
10 Greg Carey F LV Re-signed with Lehigh Valley (AHL) July 1.
11 Sam Carrick C SD Re-signed with Anaheim (NHL) June 28
12 Matt Moulson F ONT Bright spot on a bad Ontario team. Very good year for Moulson who wore an ‘A’ for the Reign. He played every game and had 28 goals with 14 coming on power play.
13 Riley Barber^ F HER Signed with Montreal (NHL) July 1.
14 Scott Wedgewood^ G RCH Signed with Tampa Bay (NHL) July 1.
15 Tanner Kero^ F UTI Signed with Dallas (NHL) July 1.
16 Andy Andreoff F SYR Signed with Philadelphia (NHL) July 1.
17 Aaron Ness D HER Signed with Arizona (NHL) July 1.
18 Carter Camper F GR Signed with Utica (AHL) July 2.
19 Mark Letestu C CLE Signed by Winnipeg (NHL) July 2.
20 John Gilmour^ D HFD Signed with Buffalo (NHL) July 1.
21 Philippe Maillet C ONT Signed with Washington (NHL) July 1.
22 Erik Condra F TEX Signed with Colorado (AHL) July 22.
23 Chris Conner F LV Signed with Binghamton (AHL) July 17.
24 Tyler Graovac^ C STK Signed with Vancouver (NHL) July 1.
25 Harry Zolnierczyk F SPR Signed with Hartford (AHL) July 1.
26 Danny O’Regan^ F RCH Signed with New York Rangers (NHL) July 1.
27 Andrew Hammond G IA Signed with Buffalo (NHL)
28 Cole Schneider F MIL Re-signed by Milwaukee (AHL) July 2.
29 Jordan Szwarz F PRO Signed with Ottawa (NHL) July 1.
30 Wayne Simpson F RCH Signed with ERC Ingolstadt (DEL) July 9.
31 Kerby Rychel* F STK Stockton’s power play ace. Rychel has shown a knack for scoring at the AHL level, surprisingly not qualified by the Flames.
32 Gemel Smith* F PRO Signed with Tampa Bay (NHL) July 8.
33 T.J. Hensick F SJ Can still rack up points, started season in ECHL and was almost a point a gamer with the Barracuda when they signed him in February.
34 Blake Pietila^ F BNG Signed by Anaheim (NHL) July 2.
35 Jean-Sébastien Dea^ F SPR Signed with Buffalo (NHL) July 1.
36 Jayson Megna F HER Signed with Colorado (NHL) July 2.
37 Gabriel Dumont F SYR Signed with Minnesota (NHL) July 1.
38 Curtis Lazar* F STK Signed with Buffalo (NHL) July 1.
39 Max Lagacé^ G CHI Signed with Boston (NHL) July 1.
40 David Warsofsky D COL Signed with Pittsburgh (NHL) July 1.
41 Taylor Leier^ F RCH Signed with Rochester (AHL) June 28.
42 Steve Bernier F BRI Re-signed with Bridgeport (AHL) July 12.
43 Michael Hutchinson G TOR Re-signed with Toronto (NHL) June 28.
44 Nathan Walker^ F HER Signed with St. Louis (NHL) July 1.
45 Corey Tropp F SD 20-20 season for Tropp, 15 points on PP. Good for about 45 points a season.
46 Dustin Tokarski G CHA Signed with Wilkes-Barre (AHL) July 8.
47 Byron Froese F LV Signed with Calgary (NHL) July 1.
48 Kalle Kossila^ F SD 35 points in just 44 contests with San Diego. Use him on the power play.
49 Matt Read F IA NHL vet of nearly 450 games found a niche with Iowa last year and put up 37 points. Saw special teams work and had some success there. NHL ship may have sailed, would be a solid veteran addition.
50 Mike Vecchione^ F LV Signed with St. Louis (NHL) July 1.
51 Brendan Gaunce* F UTI Signed with Boston (NHL) July 1.
52 Daniel Audette* C LAV Third in points on a really bad Laval team last year. Not qualified by Montreal, this type of player is poised for a big breakout in the right type of situation.
53 Nick Schilkey F CHA Signed with Bridgeport (AHL) July 12.
54 Wade Megan C GR Power play sniper who put up almost 40 points in a rebound season. Well rounded offensively.
55 Travis Morin C TEX Stars veteran of 10 years whose production was slashed by more than half coming off the 76 point ’17-18 run. I’d be surprised if he plays anywhere else other than Cedar Park.
56 Evan McEneny^ D UTI Led Comets D in points, is a PP ace, four of his eight goals came on PP. Solid, 6’3 Kitchener product.
57 Patrick Brown F CHA Signed with Vegas (NHL) July 1.
58 Mitch Callahan F BAK Signed with Augsburger (DEL) July 19.
59 Brad Thiessen G CLE Re-signed with Cleveland (AHL) June 27.
60 Nick Lappin^ F BNG Signed with St. Louis (NHL) July 1.
61 Anthony Louis* C RFD Numbers took a dip this season on a Rockford team that missed playoffs after playing in Western conference final in ’17-18. Blackhawks did not qualify him.
62 Matt Mangene D SPR Second on Springfield in scoring among defensemen. Good on power play.
63 David Gust F BAK Undrafted, diamond in the rough type player from Ohio State was a 33 point player for a very good Bakersfield team last year. Might be looking for an NHL deal, but he’s going to be a good AHL player next season.
64 Adam Tambellini* F BEL Good special teams player who is down for about 32 points a season, was not given a qualifying offer by Ottawa.
65 Darren Archibald F BEL Signed with Toronto (AHL) July 8.
66 Tommy Cross D CLE Signed with Florida (NHL) July 1.
67 Marko Dano* C MTB Decent AHL player who you can use on the power play who was not given a qualifying offer by the Winnipeg Jets.
68 Justin Kirkland* F MIL Signed by Calgary (NHL) July 1.
69 Joel Lowry F SPR Re-signed with Florida (NHL) July 3.
70 Zack Mitchell^ F ONT Signed with Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk (KHL) July 1.
71 Alexandre Grenier F LAV Production went to hell after a 44 point season with Springfield the year prior with a terrible Laval team. Will be looking to rebound from this in the right type of situation.
72 Cameron Schilling D MTB Re-signed with Winnipeg (NHL) July 1.
73 Trevor Smith C SA Veteran AHL sniper has seen his number slightly decrease. Still, probably a good bet for 30 points a season.
74 Adam Wilcox^ G RCH Decent back up numbers playing on some good North Division teams these past three seasons.
75 Stuart Percy D PRO Had good numbers with Belleville, then was traded to Providence in March and was alright there. Former Maple Leafs first rounder in 2011 has only 12 NHL contests.
76 Adam Cracknell F SD Signed with Kunlun Red Star (KHL) July 4.
77 Colin McDonald F LV Vet leader who has captained the Phantoms for last four seasons. Can still get you 30 points a year.
78 Alex Broadhurst^ C CLE One of a lot of good special teams players on a Cleveland team that made it to the second round. Put him down for 35 points a season.
79 Jimmy Hayes F WBS Painfully slow skater who saw a flash of offense late in the year. He probably has one good year left in North America.
80 Jared Coreau G SA Signed with New York Islanders (NHL) July 10.
81 Jonathon Martin* F SJ Almost 30 points with Barracuda last year on a team that was stacked but was not tendered a QO by the Sharks.
82 Michael Joly F COL Re-signed with Colorado (AHL) July 15.
83 Bobby Butler F HFD Touted as a goal scorer with 20+ a year but his numbers took a dip on a bad Hartford team. Just 20 points this season.
84 Jean-François Bérubé G CLE Signed with Philadelphia (NHL) July 1.
85 Ben Street F SD Signed with New Jersey (NHL) July 1.
86 Tyler Gaudet^ F MIL Seemed to score in bunches, as his 18-19 game log has a lot of multi point affairs with them. Good special teams piece.
87 Ryan Sproul D HER Played for three teams and found a niche with the Bears where his numbers jumped. Very capable, steady defender.
88 John Muse G WBS Odd man out in WBS crease, spent most of season with Wheeling in ECHL. Will look to back up at AHL level for certain.
89 Colin Markison F TEX Signed with Charlotte (AHL) July 18.
90 Michael Carcone* F TOR Signed with Ottawa (NHL) July 15.
91 Dakota Mermis^ D TUC Signed with New Jersey (NHL) July 1.
92 Tomas Jurco F CHA Signed with Edmonton (NHL) July 1.
93 Cam Darcy F UTI Signed with San Antonio (AHL) July 1.
94 Mark McNeill^ F PRO Signed with EHC Linz (EVEL) July 2.
95 Colton Hargrove F TEX Signed with HC Bolzano (EBEL) July 12.
96 Ryan Schmelzer C BNG Re-signed with Binghamton (AHL) July 1.
97 Chase Balisy F BEL Signed with Straubing (DEL) July 19.
98 Tyler Sikura F RFD Signed with Rockford (AHL) July 1.
99 Scott Kosmachuk^ F COL Missed most of January, but still managed 23 points with Colorado. Good for about 30 a year.
100 Bobby MacIntyre F SA 21 points in first full AHL season, was named as San Antonio’s Man of the Year.

–

Below are about 250 AHL Free Agents, listed in alphabetical order.

–

Kenny Agostino F LAV Signed with Toronto (NHL) July 1.
Domenic Alberga C TUC ECHL sniper who had a handful of games with Tucson last year.
Brandon Anselmini D UTI 10 games with Utica last year. Not a afraid to get his nose dirty.
Ken Appleby* G MTB Signed with Milwaukee (AHL) July 9.
Justin Auger F BEL Played primarily in the ECHL this past year where he was a point a gamer. 11 AHL contests last year.
Justin Bailey F LV Signed with Vancouver (NHL) July 4.
Nicholas Baptiste* F TOR Good depth find for Toronto in a trade midseason with Nashville. Plays with an edge and can put up points. Non-tendered RFA.
Cole Bardreau^ C LV Signed with New York Islanders (NHL) July 2.
Cody Bass F COL Hard working veteran center who likes the rough stuff. 450+ AHL contests.
Kyle Bauman C ONT Bemidji State product who averages about 25 points in college put up 18 in his first pro season with Ontario.
François Beauchemin F BEL Wore the C for the B-Sens last season is capable defender good for about 20 points a year.
Charles-David Beaudoin D MTB Defender who isn’t going to fill up a scoresheet.
Desmond Bergin D BNG ECHL loaner on D.
Mathew Berry F SD ECHL depth that contributed 18 points with the Gulls last season.
Chris Bigras* D HFD Signed with Philadelphia (NHL) July 1.
Conner Bleackley* C SA Drafted twice (2014/2016) and hasn’t really lived up to the billing, 16 points with San Antonio last season. Non-tendered RFA.
Sergei Boikov* D COL Signed with Dynamo (KHL) July 15.
Riley Bourbonnais C IA ECHL depth guy who has better numbers there, his 10 games with iowa last year were his first taste of the AHL.
Ryan Bourque F BRI Decent two way forward who had numbers take a dip this season with Bridgeport, but that may due to the fact that the Sound Tigers were stacked up front.
Brady Brassart F SYR Signed with Stavanger (Norway) July 15.
Chris Breen D PRO Re-signed with Providence (AHL) July 3.
Alex Breton D SPR Signed with Iowa (AHL) July 12.
Connor Brickley C HFD Ended season with Rangers, after mid January trade with NSH.
Terry Broadhurst F RFD Plays checking line role. Limited to just 40 games last season.
Cam Brown C WBS Balanced split for about 30 games each in ECHL / AHL. Better ECHL numbers. OK at AHL level.
Jarrett Burton C WBS Signed with Rochester (AHL) July 5.
Chris Butler D SA Retired July 3.
Colin Campbell C GR Good for about 20 points a season, good on power play.
Andrew Campbell D RFD 6’4 D that represented Rockford in Springfield at the All-Star classic. 700+ AHL games to his credit.
Chris Carlisle D BEL Fort Lee, NJ native played for three AHL teams last season on loan from ECHL Manchester.
Chris Casto D BRI In and out of the lineup with Bridgeport, just 43 games. Seemed to catch fire a bit towards end of season.
Rourke Chartier* C SJ 18 points in 26 AHL games for San Jose, had 13 NHL games for the Sharks.
Trevor Cheek F TUC Signed with Esbjerg Energy (Denmark) July 5.
Emerson Clark F MIL 12 games with AHL, 14 in ECHL. Had an OK season with San Jose Barracuda in 17-18.
Garret Cockerill D CLE Spent 58 games in ECHL with Jacksonville and Reading after 40 games with Cleveland in ’17-18.
Mark Cooper F SA ECHL help on loan from Kansas City, chipped in here and there with San Antonio.
Eric Cornel* C RCH Re-signed with Rochester (AHL) July 5.
Mike Cornell D BRI Re-signed with Bridgeport (AHL) July 12.
Frank Corrado D TOR Just 39 games last season for Toronto as injuries continued to plague him.
Kyle Criscuolo F RCH Signed with Philadelphia (NHL) July 1.
Kyle Cumiskey D PRO Mid-December add by P-Bruins. Decent skater who will be 33 this December.
Alexis D’Aoust F MTB Re-signed with Manitoba (AHL) July 3.
Kevin Davis D COL Re-signed with Colorado (AHL) July 18.
James De Haas D LV Re-signed with Lehigh Valley (AHL) July 2.
Dan DeSalvo C CLE ECHL depth winger who can put up points from time to time in AHL.
Philippe Desrosiers* G TEX Signed with Florida (NHL) July 3.
Jamie Devane F ONT 304 AHL games to his credit with a handful of goals. Does not shy away from dropping the gloves from time to time.
Josiah Didier D CHA Signed with Boston (NHL) July 1.
Jagger Dirk D UTI ECHL defensive plug in with a cool name.
Michael Doherty F PRO 11 games on loan to BNG / PRO, no points.
Jake Dotchin* D SD Signed with St. Louis (NHL) July 1.
Jack Dougherty* D RCH Signed with Belleville (AHL) July 10.
Thomas Ebbing C LAV ECHL depth center with better numbers there.
John Edwardh F BNG ECHL depth from UMass-Lowell put up a boatload of points with Adirondack. 10 games with Bingo as a fill in, three goals.
Justin Falk D BEL 6th/7th D option type player. Stay at home defender type who doesn’t put up a ton of numbers.
Bobby Farnham F SPR High energy scrapper who chips in a goal or assist here or there.
Hunter Fejes F HER Bit of an AHL journeyman at just 25, playing for six teams so far, three last year. Was signed to an ECHL deal with Orlando.
Landon Ferraro F IA Iowa’s Yanick Dupre nominee limited to just 12 contests with the Wild last year.
Matt Finn D GR 9 games with three AHL clubs on loan from ECHL Florida. 2nd round pick in 2011 by Toronto hasn’t panned out yet.
Gerry Fitzgerald C IA Signed with Lehigh Valley (AHL) July 2.
Cavan Fitzgerald* D SJ Good PP QB who had 5 of those types of goals.
Matt Fonteyne F SJ Responsible winger who doesn’t take a ton of penalties.
Martin Frk* F GR Signed with Los Angeles (NHL) July 1.
Zach Fucale* G CHI Signed with Syracuse (AHL) July 1.
Austin Fyten F BEL Gritty depth winger in and out of lineups for Providence and Belleville last year.
Kurtis Gabriel F BNG Signed with Philadelphia (NHL) July 1.
Alex Gallant* F CHI Signed with Stockton (AHL) July 10.
Matt Gaudreau F BRI ECHL point producer, four point in eight contests last year for the Sound Tigers.
Luke Gazdic F SD Limited to 20 games, in and out with San Diego last year.
Mason Geertsen* D COL Eagles enforcer plays a grinding style. Non tendered RFA.
Stephen Gionta F BRI Veteran of over 700 pro games can still skate, which makes him a serviceable AHL winger.
Félix Girard C MTB Durable depth center good for about 20 points a season. He’s 25 and has already played 350+ AHL games.
Jeff Glass G SD Veteran goalie with average numbers.
Tyrell Goulbourne^ F LV Signed with Vegas (NHL) July 1.
Jesse Graham D UTI Bottom pair D appeared in 52 for Utica where he was a -20.
Colin Greening C TOR Retired July 5.
Eric Gryba D BNG A Binghamton legend. Plays a hard nosed game.
Hampus Gustafsson* C HER Bottom line Swedish forward who spent 15 more games with Hershey than he did in South Carolina.
Brandon Halverson* G HFD 2014 2nd rounder by NYR had more impressive ECHL numbers with Maine than he did with Hartford. Went 8-8 in 19 contests. Non-tendered RFA.
Tariq Hammond D BNG Signed with Hershey (AHL) July 18.
Shane Hanna D TEX Michigan Tech product who was with Texas as a depth defender.
Josh Healey* D STK Undrafted Ohio State defender has 107 caps with Stockton Heat in more of a depth role.
Sam Herr F ONT Signed with Nottingham (EIHL) July 5.
Blake Hillman* D RFD Skating is so-so. Defensive defenseman. Non-tendered RFA.
Ben Holmstrom C BRI Has worn a “C’ all of his pro career. Ironman type player limited to just 40 games with Sound Tigers, where he’s spent the last four seasons.
Jake Horton C SPR Re-signed with Springfield (AHL) July 18.
Ryan Horvat F SPR Numbers took a dip this past season and his stock has fallen into dime a dozen territory.
Philippe Hudon F LAV Unsigned 5th rounder by Detroit signed PTO with Laval late last year.
Derek Hulak F GR Turned into a solid player for the Griffins after coming over from Hershey on a PTO.
Michael Huntebrinker C LV Depth center with gaudy ECHL numbers.
Matt Iacopelli F RFD ECHL depth with a handful of AHL games for Rockford last year. Wasn’t tendered a QO by Los Angeles.
Juuso Ikonen F HER Signed with HV71 (SHL) July 15.
Sam Jardine D TOR Used as defensive depth with the Marlies. Won Kelly Cup with the ECHL affiliate in Newfoundland.
Cam Johnson* G BNG Signed with Milwaukee (AHL) July 16.
Luke Johnson* C RFD Signed with Minnesota (NHL) July 1.
Michael Kapla* D BNG Signed with Toronto (AHL) July 18.
Mario Kempe F TUC Signed with Los Angeles (NHL) July 5.
Kale Kessy F COL Signed with Hershey (AHL) July 3.
Alex Kile F LAV Signed with Maine (ECHL) July 19.
Nikita Korostelev F CLE Re-signed with Cleveland (AHL) July 17.
Miles Koules F CLE Re-joined Monsters in January after a stint in Finland. almost 200 games of North American experience.
Alex Krushelnyski F BNG Better ECHL numbers through 19 games than AHL through 32. Split work with Lehigh Valley and Binghamton last year with a stint in ECHL Reading.
Jeff Kubiak C BRI Re-signed with Bridgeport (AHL) June 28.
Ivan Kulbakov G UTI 25 contests with Utica and was one of a revolving door of goaltenders for the Comets struggled at times, but managed to win 10 games.
Jake Kulevich D BAK Re-signed with Bakersfield (AHL) July 16.
Sam Kurker F BNG ECHL depth who chips in from time to time. Played for equally bad Ontario and Binghamton teams last year.
Joseph LaBate F BEL Re-signed with Belleville (AHL) June 27.
Samuel Laberge F TEX Injuries limited him to 31 games. Had a handful of fights for the Stars.
Hubert Labrie D SYR Signed with Belleville (AHL) July 8.
Eddie Läck G BNG 6 games with Binghamton last season before injury derailed his season. He’s 31 now.
Joey Leach D HER Captained the Bears ECHL affiliate in South Carolina. More time spent there than with Hershey.
Boston Leier F BEL Depth forward. Six points this year and last year with Belleville.
Michael Leighton G UTI Sure fire AHL Hall of Famer has been used as a rental these past few seasons, playing for six AHL clubs in the last three seasons.
Brett Lernout* D LAV Signed with Vegas (NHL) July 1.
Zac Leslie^ D CHI Signed with Stockton (AHL) July 10.
Tobias Lindberg* F BEL Pro game hasn’t translated yet for Lindberg, who scored 78 points with Oshawa in his only season there in ’14-15. Non-tendered RFA by Vegas.
Alex Lintuniemi D ONT Signed with Carolina (NHL) July 2.
Kevin Lough D CHI Actually saw more playoff games (15) than regular season games (14) with Chicago in depth defender role.
Vincent LoVerde D TOR Signed with Hartford (AHL) July 1.
Cam Maclise F MTB ECHL depth. 20 points with the IceMen last season.
Tanner MacMaster C TOR Re-signed with Toronto (AHL) July 9.
Dan Maggio F TUC ECHLer these days with 170+ games of AHL experience.
Matt Marcinew F SPR U of Denver product with decent number in ECHL and NHL who you can use with success on special teams.
Étienne Marcoux G LAV Better ECHL numbers playing for Brampton, who made playoffs this past year.
Spencer Martin* G COL Signed with Tampa Bay (NHL) July 1.
Phélix Martineau C LAV Captained Cape Breton in the Q, ECHL depth guy with better numbers there. 30 games with Laval last season.
Andreas Martinsen F RFD Signed with Anaheim (NHL) July 5.
Stefan Matteau^ F CHI Big winger with some zip in his skates. Nothing flashy, plays a reliable game.
Eamon McAdam* G TOR 19 games in AHL and ECHL this season as backup at both levels. 3rd rounder from NYI in ’13 with a SV% hovering around .900. Non-tendered RFA.
John McCarron C STK Big center with a ton of ECHL points, but only a handful in AHL.
Michael McCarron* F LAV 6’6 grinder who was limited to 32 contests with Laval last year. Can’t find anything official on whether he was given a QO by Montreal anywhere.
Tom McCollum G MIL Signed with Hartford (AHL) July 1.
Max McCormick F COL Played for three different organizations last season and settled with the Eagles. 20 points last year but is a dependable NHL fill in when needed.
Tim McGauley C COL Depth center with big ECHL numbers who occasionally chips in.
Tye McGinn F CHI Veteran depth winger with some offensive flash, reliable AHLer.
Patrick McGrath F WBS One trick pony who fights. Last of a dying breed in a league who wants to run far away from fighting.
Mike McKenna G LV Extremely capable journeyman goaltender, was traded twice last year. Ended up backing up in Lehigh Valley.
Mitch McLain C IA Re-signed with Iowa (AHL) July 12.
Jaycob Megna^ D SD Signed by Vegas (NHL) July 1.
Drew Melanson F HFD BU transfer from RPI product with 10 games with Hartford last year.
Julian Melchiori D SPR Battled injury which cost him some time. Hard nosed defender with a hell of a shot.
Joel Messner D PRO Re-signed with Providence (AHL) July 8.
Keaton Middleton D SJ Former Saginaw Spirit captain had pretty good season for Barracuda.
Hunter Miska* G TUC Signed with Colorado (AHL) July 12.
Mason Mitchell* F HER 20 games total in AHL / ECHL last season.
Griffen Molino F TOR Fringe winger who plays with pace and doesn’t fill up scoresheet.
Al Montoya G BAK Veteran goalie, 2004 draft pick of the Rangers spent 11 games with the Condors.
Bryan Moore F GR Signed with Cleveland (AHL) July 15.
Ryan Murphy* D BNG Traded to NJ at the end of January. Decent AHL depth D who is good on a PP. Devils did not qualify him.
Jordan Murray D BEL Re-signed with Belleville (AHL) June 29.
Julien Nantel* F COL Depth winger with a handful of AHL points. Non-tendered RFA.
Zach Nastasiuk F CHA Signed with San Antonio (AHL) July 1.
Brady Norrish D TEX Handful of games with Texas, spent majority of season in ECHL. RIT product.
Shawn O’Donnell F HFD Depth winger who doesn’t have a lot of points at AHL level.
Rob O’Gara^ D HFD Saw 30 NHL games in ’17-18 but none this past season playing in the Rangers organization. Injury limited him to 47 games.
Will O’Neill D WBS Reclamation project from Lehigh Valley attempted and failed with Wilkes-Barre. Went overseas and should stay there. Don’t sign him.
Steve Oleksy D TOR Capable veteran defender played for two teams last year.
Jimmy Oligny* D MTB Re-signed with Manitoba (AHL) July 3.
Martin Ouellette G SYR Decent AHL numbers in extremely limited sample size, used more as an ECHL starting goalie.
Nathan Paetsch D RCH Re-signed with Rochester (AHL) July 5.
Michael Paliotta D STK In and out of the Heat lineup, appearing in just 32 contests.
Zach Palmquist D LV Average defenseman with a sketchy +/-.
Robbie Payne C TEX Center depth for / from ECHL.
Brent Pedersen F MTB Rookie season saw about 30 games in AHL / ECHL with better number with the Solar Bears. Moose had him on loan.
Vince Pedrie D MIL Rangers waived him and he caught on with Milwaukee where he did OK. 6′ D man out of Rochester, MN.
William Pelletier F RFD Signed with Laval (AHL) July 1.
Anthony Peluso F STK Signed with Bakersfield (AHL) July 17.
Stephen Perfetto C SA ECHL hand with a ton of points at that level. Get him for depth.
Matt Petgrave D UTI Can plug him in on D and he plays forward a bit. He needs one more ECHL game for 100.
James Phelan C TEX In and out of the Stars lineup before being assigned to Idaho of ECHL. Checking / fourth line center type.
Calvin Pickard G TUC Signed with Detroit (NHL) July 1.
Émile Poirier F MTB 22nd overall pick in 2013 by Calgary hasn’t lived up to the billing, 8 NHL games and a 30 point AHL scorer when healthy.
Evan Polei F BAK Signed with St. Louis (NHL) July 1.
Brett Pollock* F STK Decent sized, reliable depth winger.
Tanner Pond C PRO Northeastern Huskie not afraid to mix it up and fight here and there.
Nate Prosser D IA Signed with Philadelphia (NHL) July 1.
Tom Pyatt F SJ Split a season in NHL / AHL, his first AHL duty in over nine seasons. Has never put up a ton of points. Good solid defensive forward, traded at the draft to San Jose.
Logan Pyett D HER Don’t see him coming back to the States as he left in December for a Finnish team.
Jonathan Racine D BEL 2011 third rounder by Florida has more ECHL service work in past two seasons. Not afraid to throw hands.
Tyler Randell F RCH Re-signed with Rochester (AHL) July 5.
Kristian Reichel C MTB Re-signed with Manitoba (AHL) July 3.
Griffin Reinhart^ D CHI Solid 6’4 defensive type defender who can chip in from time to time.
Dan Renouf^ D CHA Signed with Colorado (NHL) July 2.
Dennis Robertson D CHA Signed with HC Bolzano (EBEL) July 5.
Garret Ross F MIL Spent a handful of games in ECHL but spent more time in a support role with AHL Milwaukee.
Marc-Olivier Roy C CHI AHL depth center with better ECHL numbers.
Kevin Roy^ F SD Signed with Florida (NHL) July 5.
Kristians Rubins D TOR Re-signed with Toronto (AHL) July 3.
Scott Sabourin F STK Depth winger who plays with an edge.
Dylan Sadowy* F GR Depth guy with flashy ECHL numbers, didn’t get a qualifying offer from Detroit.
Charlie Sampair C SA ECHL depth with a good set of hands. Stick him on your fourth line.
Philip Samuelsson D LV Decent season with the Phantoms after going unsigned throughout last summer. Defensive defenseman type.
Henrik Samuelsson C RFD 201 AHL games, used more in the ECHL last season.
Bobby Sanguinetti D CHA Joined Checkers in January after playing in Switzerland for two seasons. Offensive-ish minded D man.
Nick Saracino F BNG Hard working ECHL depth guy that played 38 games with Binghamton, earning a contract in January.
Colton Saucerman D UTI 24 games with Utica on loan from ECHL. Support type player known for a large beard.
Tom Sestito F TOR Came out of retirement and played 13 games with the Marlies. Fighter with some scoring touch.
Ben Sexton C WBS Re-signed with Wilkes-Barre (AHL) July 11.
Derek Sheppard D CHA Re-signed with Charlotte (AHL) July 18.
Dominik Shine F GR Re-signed with Grand Rapids (AHL) June 29.
Hunter Shinkaruk* F LAV Signed with Charlotte (AHL) July 18.
Duncan Siemens D MIL 11th overall pick in 2011 has some NHL experience, but AHL numbers of recent are nothing to write home over, but shot blocks and hits aren’t registered at the AHL level.
Mike Sislo F BRI Signed with Grizzlys Wolfsburg (DEL) July 10.
Dalton Smith F RCH Re-signed with Rochester (AHL) July 1.
Devante Smith-Pelly F HER Got edged out of a spot with Washington late in the season and spent 20 games in the AHL with Hershey and produced. Probably won’t see any AHL time in ’19-20, but won’t pout if he ends up there.
Tyler Spezia F GR Re-signed with Grand Rapids (AHL) July 1.
Shawn St-Amant F HFD Speedy guy with average numbers.
Ryan Stanton D BAK Solid year with Bakersfield as a veteran with the Condors.
Lee Stempniak F PRO Mid-February add put up 18 points for the P-Bruins. NHL vet of over 900 contests.
John Stevens* C BRI Re-signed with Bridgeport (AHL) July 12.
Dyson Stevenson F UTI ECHL Wichita’s captain played three games with Utica and got in a fight in one of them. Not afraid to drop the gloves; 100+ PIMs a year in the Coast.
Zack Stortini F CHA Veteran presence who didn’t see that many games. Over 800 pro games.
Jakob Stukel F BAK 42 points with Wichita in ECHL. Condors had him on loan. Depth winger who can put up points.
Jordan Subban* D TOR Decent skating defender who distributes the puck well. Kind of fell out of favor with Marlies and the Maple Leafs didn’t qualify him.
Chris Summers D WBS Excellent defender who can chip in here and there. Wore an “A” in Wilkes-Barre.
Steven Swavely F LV Center / wing depth from ECHL, where he was over a point a gamer with the Royals.
Eric Tangradi F BNG Injuries limited him to 47 AHL/NHL contests and just 24 points total. Put up 64 with Grand Rapids in ’17-18.
Matt Taormina D STK Injury cost him three months so that really cut down on his point totals. Former AHL All-Star (’17-18) and Eddie Shore winner (’16-17)
Jeff Taylor* D WBS 2014 pick from Pittsburgh has bounced in and out of lineup in AHL with WBS. Numbers aren’t anything to write home about, so Pittsburgh didn’t qualify him.
Matt Tennyson D RCH Signed with New Jersey (NHL) July 1.
Kyle Thomas F UTI 6 games with Utica last year, almost 40 points with Kalamazoo in ECHL.
Keaton Thompson* D SD Depth defender who can fight. Wasn’t given a QO by the Ducks.
Ben Thomson F SD Scrappy winger with 91 PIMs with the Gulls last year.
Nolan Valleau D SYR Decent sized, puck moving defenseman.
Jared VanWormer F COL 8 AHL games with three different teams on loan from ECHL Kansas City. Gaudy ECHL numbers.
Yannick Veilleux F RCH Not afraid to mix it up with other teams enforcers. Chips in here and there offensively.
Tyler Vesel* C BAK One of seemingly endless pipeline of products churned out by Edmonton. Seems set for a breakout year, but was not qualified by Edmonton.
Sam Vigneault* C CLE Re-signed with Cleveland (AHL) July 1.
Justin Wade D CLE 33 points in 33 contests with ECHL Florida. Played a handful of games with AHL Cleveland. Notre Dame product.
Ryan Wagner F CHI Handful of points in a depth role with the Wolves.
Brian Ward C BNG Signed with Belfast (EIHL) July 20.
Spencer Watson* F RFD Point a gamer in ECHL, was traded to Chicago organization and played 10 games with IceHogs. Non-tendered RFA.
Matthew Weis C CHI Undrafted depth center out of The Ohio State who plays a sound responsible game.
Andy Welinski^ D SD Signed with Philadelphia (NHL) July 1.
Ryan White F MTB Vet winger of over 500 NHL/AHL games.
Chris Wideman D WBS Signed with Anaheim (NHL) July 15.
Charles Williams G ONT Signed with Indy (ECHL) July 17.
Garrett Wilson F WBS Likely graduated to NHL duty if he doesn’t bolt overseas. Was captain with WBS for 18 games.
Greg Wolfe F CLE Big time ECHL point producer didn’t register a point in 6 AHL contests with BNG / CLE.
Tyler Wong F CHI Signed with Kunlun Red Star (KHL) July 3.
Brendan Woods F UTI Signed with Providence (AHL) July 8.
Tyler Wotherspoon^ D SA Signed with Philadelphia (NHL) July 1.
Craig Wyszomirski D ONT 6’4 D who plays a gritty style.
Trevor Yates F WBS Better ECHL numbers than AHL ones. Acquired by WBS for futures with Grand Rapids.
The AHL

3 responses to “2019 AHL Top 100 Free Agents and Beyond – The Big Board”

  1. Richard Dopkin July 4, 2019 at 6:41 pm

    Jason,
    You really do an amazing job with your big board. Pat yourself on the back. Thank you from everyone.

  2. Charles-Olivier Mathieu July 8, 2019 at 11:20 pm

    Hi Jason,

    Been following you on Twitter for a while now, and have to say you always come up with excellent coverage. Keep up the great work!

    On a side note, I’ve spotted a few typos / minor corrections in your Big Board that I just thought you would like to correct. Here they are :

    François Beauchemin : “wore the C” – Beauchemin and Burgdoerfer are right next to each other in B’Sens alphabetical order. I suppose you thought about the latter when writing about the former…;)

    Josiah Didier : didn’t sign an NHL contract, but an AHL one. Source: https://theahl.com/bruins-add-gaunce-lagace-didier

    Michael McCarron : has indeed received a QO from MTL, as per Anthony Marcotte (Laval’s broadcaster). https://twitter.com/anthonymarcotte/status/1141792182053081089?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw (French translation : ”Marc Bergevin confirms that he has offered a qualifying offer to Michael McCarron to retain his services for next season. He also confirmed that he had said goodbye to Brett Lernout and Daniel Audette.”)

    Hunter Miska : though not 100 % official, multiple reports are leaning towards him signing an AHL deal with Colorado next season, presumably as a stop-gap for Werner of as an understuddy of an another vet to be signed later on this summer. https://twitter.com/myhockeyeyes/status/1145828232585011200 / https://twitter.com/Dave_Schwartz/status/1145796543313633280

    Hunter Shinkaruk : as a MTL/Laval hard fan who follows both teams very closely, I would say Shinkaruk was hands-on the biggest disappointment in Laval last year (closely followed by Grenier) based on what we gave up for him (Rychel) and the pedigree he carried from past seasons in Vancouver and Calgary. Just thought you could add that to his text.

    Other than that, it is indeed an awesome work from your end and very much appreciated by hardcore minor league followers like me. It is also a great comparison point with the ones created by Patrick Williams at EPRinkside and Tony Androckitis from Inside AHL Hockey.

    And before I forget : In case you would need some help for your next edition (contracting?) or for some writing on your blog on different topics (AHL, ECHL, SPHL, etc.), don’t hesitate to hit me up by email or in PM on Twitter (https://twitter.com/COMathieuHockey).

    Have a great one!

    Charles

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