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2025 College Free Agency Preview: Forwards

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With the NCAA tournament in full force, we’ve seen an influx of collegiate signings in recent days which is likely to continue over the next couple of weeks.  Generally speaking, college free agents are rarely coming in as impact prospects with high NHL ceilings but it’s an opportunity for teams to add some depth pieces that are further along in their development compared to players coming out of major junior.

We’re changing things up a bit in our annual preview this time around.  Earlier this week, Gabriel Foley took a closer look at the most prominent players from this year’s class.  Meanwhile, we’ll break down the rest of the class in two separate columns, one for forwards and one for goaltenders and defensemen.  We’ll start with the forwards.

As always, note that not all of these players will sign entry-level contracts as some will ultimately elect to return to college for another season (or more) while quite a few others not on this list will sign NHL or AHL deals in the coming weeks.

Dalton Bancroft (Cornell)

A player who was on this list last year, Bancroft’s stock has dipped a bit this season after a much-improved sophomore season.  Even so, he finished second on the Big Red in scoring while setting a new career-best in goals with 15.  Bancroft’s size and skill set profile him as a physical fourth liner and with him having some power play success in the past, he should have some interest from teams looking to add some extra depth.

Josh Eernisse (Michigan)

It’s believed Eernisse had some NHL interest last year but he opted to return to the Wolverines with the hope that he could land a bigger role and have a better season.  That didn’t happen as he wound up scoring just once in 36 games.  Nonetheless, his size, physicality, and speed will make him appealing to teams looking to add a fourth-line energy player.  That said, coming off a down year, he might be better off going back for his senior season and trying to boost his stock.

Christian Fitzgerald (Wisconsin)

Like Eernisse, Fitzgerald transferred to a more prominent program after his freshman year and has seen his production decline since then.  Nonetheless, a 16-goal showing two years ago should have him on the radar for some teams but at this point, an AHL deal might be all he could land, making him a realistic candidate to return to the Badgers next season.

T.J. Hughes (Michigan)

Hughes has been a prominent scorer over his three years with the Wolverines, averaging more than a point per game over that stretch.  Even with a bit of a quieter effort this season, he still led Michigan in scoring with 38 points in 36 games.  Hughes is a top-six player but can he be that in the NHL?  There might be some hesitance on that one but even if he’s viewed as a possible impactful AHL piece, that should generate some strong interest.

Carter King (Denver)

The Flames are among the teams known to be interested in King who is one of the top-scoring players in this year’s free agent class.  He played a prominent role last season en route to the NCAA championship and he’s playing a bigger one this season.  King is a bit undersized and is already 23 but as a two-way forward – he’s a nominee for NCHC Defensive Player of the Year – he can fit in enough roles that he should have strong interest.

Joey Larson (Michigan State)

It was a bit of a quieter year for Larson compared to last season where his performance landed him a bit of NHL interest and a spot on this list.  Still, he often played with new Flyers prospect Karsen Dorwart which means he has been seen by plenty of scouts.  Larson has been at NHL development camps for the last three seasons and should be at a fourth but this time as a full-fledged NHL prospect.

Josh Nadeau (Maine)

Not surprisingly, the departure of his brother Bradly to Carolina hurt Nadeau’s production this season after being a high-scoring freshman in 2023-24.  Still, the 21-year-old finished second on the team in assists and third in points which will have him on the radar.  It wouldn’t be surprising to see him return for his junior year to see if he can boost his stock but there should be some teams kicking the tires at least.

Rhett Pitlick (Minnesota State Mankato)

The former Canadiens prospect became a free agent last summer when he briefly entered free agency before turning to the transfer portal.  He set new personal bests in assists (27) and points (40) this season, eclipsing the point-per-game mark for the first time.  Will that be enough to earn an NHL deal or will he have to settle for an AHL pact?  That’s what we’ll find out in the coming weeks.

Ondrej Psenicka (Cornell)

Psenicka drew some NHL interest after a strong 21-point freshman season in 2021-22.  However, his output never improved much over the past three seasons with his best year being this season, a 22-point showing.  But at 6’6, he can be a grinding winger on the boards and could fit on a fourth line down the road, even with limited upside.  Now that his eligibility is exhausted, he’ll be signing somewhere but will it be an NHL or an AHL deal?

Harrison Scott (Maine)

While Nadeau saw his numbers drop following the departure of his brother, his teammate in Scott saw his improve in his senior year, leading the Black Bears in scoring with 35 points in 38 games.  Already 24, there may not be a ton of developmental runway left but he fits the profile of a bottom-six energy forward who has shown a bit of scoring touch in his two seasons at Maine.

Jack Stockfish (Holy Cross)

He’s 6’4 and a right-shot center, both attributes that will catch the attention of scouts.  On top of that, Stockfish has had two solid college seasons so far, including a 15-goal, 27-point effort this year.  At 22, he’s one of the younger players on this list and while he has two years of eligibility left, this might be the right time to make the jump if some NHL entry-level offers present themselves.

Riley Thompson (Ohio State)

Thompson is one of the more intriguing players out of this group.  He transferred from Alaska-Anchorage for this season, a move that worked out well as he finished second on the Buckeyes in scoring with 17 goals and 16 assists.  He’s also a 6’4 center which will intrigue several teams.  It appears that there’s enough interest for him to land an NHL deal now but would he be better suited going back for another year to hone his game and then look to turn pro with an even stronger market?

Zach Urdahl (Nebraska-Omaha)

After two quiet years at Wisconsin, Urdahl reached the double-digit goal mark in each of the last two seasons while finishing fourth on the team in scoring.  His speed will help attract some attention, making him another player who profiles as a bottom-six piece if all goes well.  With his eligibility now exhausted, someone will be signing him in the coming weeks.

Lightning Sign Connor Kurth

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A breakout season at the University of Minnesota has landed Connor Kurth his first professional contract.  The Lightning announced that they’ve signed the forward to a two-year, entry-level deal that begins next season; financial terms were not disclosed.

The 21-year-old was selected in the sixth round (192nd overall) back in 2022 out of USHL Dubuque.  With them, Kurth put up 50 goals and 72 assists in 114 games over two seasons but offensive production was much harder to come by when he made the jump to the college level.

Over his first two seasons with the Golden Gophers, Kurth picked up 14 goals combined, seven in each campaign.  But this year was by far his best as he notched 18 goals along with 21 assists in 40 games, putting him in a tie for second in team scoring with Nashville first-rounder Matthew Wood, who signed his entry-level deal on Saturday.  That performance was good enough to secure a contract and forego his final season of eligibility.

Even though his contract doesn’t start until 2025-26, Kurth will get a taste of the pros this season as he has signed a tryout deal with AHL Syracuse and will be eligible to suit up for them down the stretch and in the playoffs.

Lightning Acquire And Sign Lucas Mercuri

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Earlier this month, Lucas Mercuri informed the Hurricanes that he wouldn’t be signing with them.  It didn’t take Carolina long to find a team that the center was amenable to joining, as the Lightning announced that they acquired the prospect for a 2025 sixth-round pick and signed him to a two-year, entry-level contract.  Financial terms of the deal, which begins next season, were not disclosed.

The 23-year-old was a sixth-round pick by the Hurricanes back in 2020, going 159th overall.  In essence, they’re going to land a pick that’s somewhat close to what they originally used on him which isn’t the worst return for a player who doesn’t want to sign with a team.  It wasn’t disclosed why Mercuri didn’t want to sign with Carolina.

Mercuri just wrapped up his college career with UMass, saving his best season for last.  In 40 games for the Minutemen this season, he notched 10 goals and 21 assists, both personal bests while finishing fifth on the team in scoring.  Over his four-year career with them, he recorded 28 goals and 57 assists in 148 games.

While Mercuri’s contract won’t start until next season, he will be able to get a head start on his professional career.  As part of the acquisition announcement, the Lightning revealed that he has signed a tryout deal with AHL Syracuse and will play with them for the rest of the season.

San Jose Sharks Recall Jimmy Schuldt

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Veteran defenseman Jimmy Schuldt is getting another look with the Sharks.  The team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled Schuldt from AHL San Jose; it’s his fourth recall of the month.

The 29-year-old is in his first season with the Sharks after signing a one-year, two-way deal with them last summer.  He has seen his first NHL action since the 2018-19 campaign with Vegas so from that standpoint, the choice was a good one.

Schuldt has suited up in five games for the Sharks this season, all of which have come this month.  He has been held off the scoresheet in those outings while averaging a little under 15 minutes a game of playing time.  Meanwhile, with the Barracuda, Schuldt has six goals and 14 assists in 59 outings, his second straight year of declining offensive production in the AHL.

Schuldt is expected to add to his NHL games played total tonight against the Rangers as it’s believed he’ll draw in for the injured Vincent Desharnais.  However, his recall will likely be short-lived as Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News relays (Twitter link) that it appears that blueliner Marc-Edouard Vlasic will be available to play Sunday versus Los Angeles.  At that time, the emergency conditions for Schuldt’s recall will terminate, meaning he’ll either have to return to the Barracuda or be converted to one of San Jose’s four post-deadline regular recalls.

Philadelphia Flyers Sign Karsen Dorwart

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Mar. 29: According to a team announcement, the Flyers have confirmed Dorwart’s two-year contract, also sharing that he’ll join the team immediately.

Mar. 28: Dorwart’s deal is done, per PuckPedia. He lands the maximum entry-level cap hit of $975K on his two-year deal, which begins immediately. His 2024-25 salary figure will be prorated. Dorwart will earn an $877.5K base salary, a $97.5K signing bonus, and an $85K minors salary each season with no performance bonuses.

Mar. 22: College free agency has already started for some players while some of the more notable ones will become available in the coming weeks once their Frozen Four tournament comes to an end.  One of the players in that category is Michigan State forward Karsen Dorwart.  He’s expected to have several suitors with Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reporting that several teams feel the Flyers are expected to strongly pursue Dorwart’s services.

The 22-year-old is in his junior year with the Spartans, one that has seen him take a bit of a step back offensively.  After putting up 15 goals and 19 assists in 38 games last season, Dorwart has 11 goals and 16 helpers in 33 games so far.  Despite the drop in output, he’s still second on the team in scoring behind Tampa Bay winger Isaac Howard.

Dorwart was viewed as one of the top college free agents available last year with Friedman noting that the Maple Leafs nearly landed him at that time before he decided to remain in school.  With that in mind, it seems likely that Toronto will take a run at trying to sign him again as well.  Dorwart is among the top options available again this year so it’s likely he’ll be able to secure a contract that allows him to play down the stretch this season (he won’t be playoff-eligible, however) and burn one of the two years of his entry-level deal in the process.

Lack Of Cap Space An Impediment For Lightning And Isaac Howard

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With more college teams starting to be eliminated, we’re seeing an influx of NHL prospects signing contracts.  With Michigan State losing on Thursday, several of their prospects will be turning pro.  While it’s expected that Lightning winger Isaac Howard will be one of them, his situation might take a little longer to resolve.

Scott Wheeler of The Athletic relays (Twitter links) that Howard’s desire is to burn a year of his entry-level deal right away and join Tampa Bay for the stretch run where he could play for them, including in the playoffs.  However, that’s something they can’t afford to do.  Per PuckPedia, the team has just $8,372 of cap space which obviously isn’t enough to fit Howard in.  Even prorating by day, they’d likely only be able to sign him with two days left in the regular season.  That’s still not for another roughly three weeks and it might be harder for the team to consider using him in the playoffs after sitting for so long.

Alternatively, the Lightning could push for Howard to go to AHL Syracuse.  For that to happen, he’d have to sign an entry-level deal that begins next season (eliminating his NHL eligibility this season) or sign a tryout deal with the Crunch, play with them for a bit, and then sign an NHL deal with Tampa Bay beginning this year to be playoff-eligible.  The latter route is rarely taken but there is a recent instance of a player doing that; Anaheim’s Sam Colangelo took that path last season.

Howard started his college career at the University of Minnesota-Duluth in 2022-23 but went to Michigan State via the transfer portal the following year.  He put up a point per game last season and found another gear offensively this year, tallying 26 goals and 26 assists in just 37 games, slotting him fifth in NCAA scoring while demonstrating he’s ready to make the jump to the pros.  But with Tampa Bay’s cap situation, just how exactly he’s going to start his professional career remains in question.

Predators Sign Matthew Wood

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Another top college prospect has decided that the time is right to turn pro.  The Predators announced that they have signed forward Matthew Wood to a three-year, entry-level contract.  Financial terms of the deal, which begins this season, were not disclosed.

The 20-year-old was the 15th overall selection back in 2023, following a very impressive freshman season at the University of Connecticut.  That year, he had 11 goals and 23 assists in 35 games before averaging nearly two points per game for Canada at the World Under-18s, further boosting his stock heading into the draft.

But things didn’t go as well for Wood last season.  His point total dropped to 28 in 34 games although 16 of those were goals.  Nevertheless, he opted to enter the transfer portal after the season, joining the University of Minnesota.

Wood played for Canada at the World Juniors last year but didn’t make the squad this season.  However, he had a strong year for the Golden Gophers, setting new benchmarks in goals (17) and points (39) in 39 contests, good for a share of second place in team scoring while earning him a spot on the All-Big Ten Honorable Mention team.

Wood will now get his first taste of NHL action as he’ll report to the Predators in the coming days.  Because he’s burning the first year of his contract this season, he will not be eligible to report to AHL Milwaukee when Nashville’s season comes to an end.  The Preds have ten games left this season so Wood should have a chance to get at least a few games in with the big club, giving him a chance to make a good first impression toward a possible full-time spot next season.

Connor Zary Out Week-To-Week

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While it wasn’t the worst-case scenario for Flames forward Connor Zary as it pertains to his lower-body injury, he’ll still be out for a little while.  The team announced (Twitter link) that Zary has been listed as out week-to-week.

The injury was sustained back on Thursday in their loss to Dallas in a collision with Mikko Rantanen, requiring some assistance to get off the ice.  Initially feared it could be a recurrence of the significant knee injury that caused Zary to miss 15 games recently, it doesn’t appear as if the injury is as severe but nonetheless, he’s set to miss some time.

This is Zary’s first full NHL season after he spent a bit of time with AHL Calgary last year.  The 23-year-old had 14 goals and 20 assists in 63 games in 2023-24 and is producing at a similar clip this year, tallying 13 goals and 14 helpers in 54 outings, good for seventh in team scoring, fifth among Flames forwards.

Zary joins Anthony Mantha and Justin Kirkland (who both have season-ending injuries) on the shelf for Calgary as they look to get back into a playoff spot.  Entering tonight’s action, the Flames are six points out of the last Wild Card spot held by St. Louis but also have three games in hand on the Blues.  But they’ll have to find a way to stay in the mix without one of their top-six forwards for at least the next little while.

Bokondji Imama Out Four To Six Months After Bicep Surgery

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Bokondji Imama’s first season with the Penguins has come to an early end.  The team announced that the winger underwent successful surgery to repair a bicep injury.  The procedure carries a recovery timeline of four to six months.

The 28-year-old joined Pittsburgh in free agency last summer, inking a one-year, two-way contract.  Imama started the campaign with AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, notching three goals, two assists, and 47 penalty minutes in 24 games with them before being recalled to the big club in late January.

Since then, Imama has had his biggest taste of NHL action, getting into 16 games, tallying a goal, 30 penalty minutes, and 45 hits in a little under six minutes of playing time per night.  For his career, he has a pair of goals in 31 appearances at the top level.

Imama will once again be an unrestricted free agent this summer.  At the long end of the recovery timeline, he could miss part of training camp which might negatively affect his market in free agency.  Imama indicated earlier this month that his preference was to remain with Pittsburgh but with this injury, it remains to be seen if they’ll be willing to do so.

Flames Sign Jacob Battaglia To Entry-Level Contract

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The Flames have agreed to terms with one of their more promising prospects.  The team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve signed winger Jacob Battaglia to a three-year, entry-level contract.  The deal will carry an AAV of $931.7K and while not specified by the club, it will begin next season.

The 19-year-old was a late second-round pick last year, going 62nd overall after a promising sophomore season with OHL Kingston.  After potting seven goals and 20 assists as a rookie, those numbers jumped to 31 and 34, respectively, in 67 outings in 2023-24.

This season, Battaglia was able to add to those totals once again.  He finished up the campaign with 40 goals and 50 helpers in 68 games, good for a share of the team lead in scoring with Vegas prospect Tuomas Uronen.  Battaglia had a pair of assists in yesterday’s playoff opener as well.

As Battaglia won’t turn 20 until next March, playing in the minors next season won’t be an option.  He’ll have to make Calgary’s roster or be returned to Kingston.  The latter scenario is much more likely and in that instance, his deal will slide and still have three years left on it heading into the 2026-27 campaign.

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