Patrick Williams, TheAHL.com Features Writer
With NHL training camps set to open next week, several names familiar to AHL fans remain available.
They are notable ones, too. NHL teams might need a few extra faces to round out their preseason rosters. Maybe it’s a chance to get an up-close look at someone who can fill a key position somewhere inside an organization come October. And for those players, some of whom lifted the Calder Cup fewer than three months ago, perhaps a chance exists to go earn a contract now after spending the summer in career limbo.
NOT SET IN NET?
The New Jersey Devils are bringing in two experienced goaltenders on professional tryout deals. The pair could supplement New Jersey’s organizational depth chart after prospect Isaac Poulter signed with the Winnipeg Jets this summer.
Georgi Romanov spent the past two seasons in the San Jose Sharks organization, including 50 games with the San Jose Barracuda. The 25-year-old went 11-6-3 with a 3.10 GAA and .905 save percentage in 21 AHL appearances last season and also has 10 career NHL games. Also coming east to New Jersey is 26-year-old Adam Scheel from the Colorado Eagles. Scheel registered a 10-2-2 record in 14 games with the Eagles and split time in the ECHL as well. He has played 101 career AHL games with the Eagles, Texas Stars, and Chicago Wolves.
Aaron Dell’s recent retirement along with New Jersey bringing in the Romanov-Scheel duo helped to ease glut in the goaltending market, at least a bit. Still, several top-flight netminders still are out there.
Jack Campbell has been trying to put his career back together in the AHL, and remains unsigned after being limited to 14 games last season with the Grand Rapids Griffins. If a team brings Campbell aboard, they would be getting a goaltender with 176 games of NHL experience.
Malcolm Subban (Belleville Senators) and Dustin Tokarski (Chicago Wolves) are out there unsigned as well. Tokarski is a two-time Calder Cup champion, and Subban reached the Eastern Conference Finals with Rochester two years ago. Troy Grosenick, who missed last season with a knee injury, and Oscar Dansk are other veteran options with lengthy resumes.
DEPENDABLE DEFENSIVE DEPTH
For most teams, it is not too long before injuries and NHL recalls test their depth on the blue line.
Christian Wolanin, last seen raising the Calder Cup with the Abbotsford Canucks on June 23, needs a deal. Wolanin won the Eddie Shore Award as the AHL’s top defenseman in 2022-23 and has remained a high-end talent. He had 40 points (four goals, 36 assists) in 58 regular-season games in 2024-25 before producing 10 points (two goals, eight assists) in 17 playoff contests while taking on heavy minutes. Wolanin’s Abbotsford teammate, Akito Hirose, also remains unsigned after taking a regular turn on the blue line for the Canucks this past spring.
Jake Livingstone is coming off two strong seasons with the Milwaukee Admirals. Scott Harrington (Springfield Thunderbirds), Colton Poolman (Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins), Robbie Russo (Tucson Roadrunners), Joakim Ryan (Chicago) and Jarred Tinordi (Calgary Wranglers) all are proven names for a team’s blue line.
FINDING FORWARDS
Depending on where NHL organizations are in their prospect cycle, jobs can be hard to find even for top veterans.
There is Brett Murray, who recorded 27 goals for the Rochester Americans and went to the AHL All-Star Classic last season. Murray is reportedly attending Pittsburgh’s training camp on a tryout. Rochester’s captain last season, Mason Jobst, remains available as well. Syracuse Crunch fixture Daniel Walcott is in search of a new home after 10 seasons with that team, and will reportedly get a camp tryout with Florida. For any team in the market for a dependable forward, top-tier leader, and community star, Walcott easily fits that job description.
The Calder Cup finalist Charlotte Checkers saw relied heavily on all-purpose forwards Kyle Criscuolo and Will Lockwood. They do not have deals signed yet, either. Chase De Leo, who has 10 years in at the AHL level, joined Milwaukee midseason in 2024-25 and found his form for the Admirals. He brings a hard-working motor each night.
Jujhar Khaira, also a member of Abbotsford’s championship club, came to the Canucks last March in a trade with Syracuse; the power forward quickly provided that team with the extra bit of brawn needed to go through five rounds of playoff hockey. Former Abbotsford teammates Ty Glover and Nathan Smith are also on the free agent market.
On the American Hockey League beat for two decades, TheAHL.com features writer Patrick Williams also currently covers the league for NHL.com and FloSports and is a regular contributor on SiriusXM NHL Network Radio. He was the recipient of the AHL’s James H. Ellery Memorial Award for his outstanding coverage of the league in 2016.