The shortened offseason is almost over as NHL training camps are just a few weeks away, with the regular season following close behind. European leagues have gotten underway and the minor league season is just around the corner. With that in mind, we’ll keep track of all the notable minor moves right here as teams attempt to round out their rosters.
- Patrick Sieloff, who spent last season with the Hartford Wolf Pack, has signed with Kolner Haie of the German DEL for the upcoming season. The 27-year-old defenseman has bounced around to several teams in the AHL over the years, suiting up in Abbotsford, Adirondack, Stockton, Binghamton, Belleville, San Diego, Syracuse, and Hartford, while only receiving two games at the NHL level.
- The Utica Comets have added some toughness, signing Patrick McGrath to an AHL deal for 2021-22. The 28-year-old McGrath split last season between the ECHL’s Indy Fuel and the AHL’s Rochester Americans, being his normally in-your-face self no matter where he was playing. The undrafted forward has carved out a role as a fourth-line agitator and has just nine points in 106 AHL games. Even at the ECHL level, there isn’t much difference, as McGrath has just 15 points in 162 games at the low minors.
- After a short but stellar appearance in the AHL last season, goaltender Parker Gahagen is hoping to make it a whole season. The Milwaukee Admirals have announced a one-year deal with the veteran keeper, who has had a journeyman career to say the least but may be on the cusp of sustained success. Gahagen played in 17 games with the ECHL’s Utah Grizzlies last year, recording a stunning .929 save percentage and 2.02 GAA, but was even better on loan with the AHL’s Colorado Eagles, logging a .939 save percentage and 2.09 GAA for a 2-0-0 record in three appearances. While previous AHL outings have not been as successful for the West Point grad, he hopes to build on his recent results and find a role for himself in Milwaukee behind Connor Ingram.
- Trades in the ECHL are not common, but even more rare is a trade involving names familiar to NHL fans. Such a deal occurred today, as a pair of 2017 NHL Draft selections were swapped for one another. Defenseman Luke Martin was acquired by the Utah Grizzlies in exchange for forward Cedric Pare heading to the Greenville Swamp Rabbits. Martin was a second-round pick of the Carolina Hurricanes who played four seasons at the University of Michigan but was not signed by the team when he turned pro last season. Pare was a sixth-round pick of the Boston Bruins who was never signed, but made headlines anyway as the center for Alexis Lafreniere with the QMJHL’s Rimouski Oceanic in 2019-20.