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Offseason Central
Although it's only four months long, the hockey offseason is one of the busiest times of the year, and it's hard to keep track of where everyone's favorite player has signed. We're going to take as much confusion and searching out of the game for you as possible, and make Offseason Central your one-stop shop for player movement this summer.
The first thing to cover is significant dates, so get your calendars out.
Protected List: Due June 8th at 3:00 p.m.
Only ECHL contracts can be on this list. There is no limit to how many players can be listed, and even players who were suspended or extended a qualifying offer last summer may be included.
Future Considerations Trade Deadline: June 20th at 3:00 p.m.
Trades that have future considerations components must be completed by this date.
Season-Ending Roster: Due June 22nd at 3:00 p.m.
Maximum 20 players. Only ECHL contracts can be on this list. If a team names a player to its season-ending roster, that team has exclusive rights to negotiate with and sign that player until qualifying offers are due.
FIRST DAY TO SIGN CONTRACTS: June 23rd
Get excited! This is when pen can start getting put to paper, and you begin to find out who will be taking the ice for the upcoming season!
Qualifying Offers Due: July 7th at 11:59 p.m.
Maximum 8 players. If a team hasn't signed a player prior to this date, they may extend that player a qualifying offer. That offer ensures that the player's ECHL rights stay with that team for a full season.
NEW THIS SEASON: Any player who has played in more than 190 professional regular season games is ineligible to receive a qualifying offer.
Below, you will see various lists of players who played with the Nailers in 2025-26, or had their ECHL rights with Wheeling in 2025-26, and what their statuses are for the 2026-27 season.
ECHL Contracts
| Player Name | Protected List | Season- Ending Roster | Qualifying Offer | Status for 2026-27 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matt Crasa (Acquired in trade from Wichita) | X | X | X | Signed by Wheeling |
| Alexander Kuqali | ✓ | ✓ | Ineligible | Re-Signed by Wheeling |
| Remy Parker | X | X | X | Signed by Wheeling |
| Hunter Sansbury (Acquired in trade from Florida) | X | X | X | Signed by Wheeling |
| Dante Sheriff (Acquired in trade from Wichita) | X | X | X | Signed by Wheeling |
| Mitchell Smith (Acquired in trade from Rapid City) | X | X | X | Signed by Wheeling |
| Aidan Sutter | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Re-Signed by Wheeling |
| Craig Armstrong | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Nick McCarry (Rights acquired in trade with Norfolk) | X | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Logan Pietila | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Mike Posma | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Tristan Thompson | ✓ | ✓ | Ineligible | |
| Tiernan Shoudy | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Signed by Wilkes-Barre/Scranton |
| Gabriel D'Aigle (Rights traded to Florida) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Signed by Pittsburgh |
| Connor Lockhart (Rights traded to Wichita) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Signed by San Jose (AHL) |
| Tanner Andrew | ✓ | ✓ | X | Signed by Cholet (France) |
| Owen Cole | ✓ | ✓ | X | Signed by Solway (Scotland) |
| Randy Hernández | ✓ | ✓ | X | Signed by Fort Wayne (ECHL) |
| Matthew Quercia | ✓ | ✓ | Ineligible | Signed by Chicago (AHL) |
| Ryan Mahshie | ✓ | X | X | Traded to Rapid City (ECHL) |
| Jack Works | ✓ | X | X | Traded to Maine (ECHL) |
| Bogdans Hodass (Suspended - Europe) | ✓ | ✓ | X | Signed by Jukurit (Finland) |
| Nick Hutchison (2025 Qualifying Offer) | ✓ | X | X | Signed by Villacher (Austria) |
| Eli Lieffers (2025 Qualifying Offer) | ✓ | X | X | |
| Jordan Martel (2025 Qualifying Offer) | ✓ | X | X | Signed by Mladá Boleslav (Czechia) |
| Louie Roehl (2025 Qualifying Offer) | ✓ | X | X | Signed by Frederikshavn (Denmark) |
| Jake Smith (Suspended - Europe) | ✓ | ✓ | X | Signed by Milano (Italy) |
| Evan Stella (2025 Qualifying Offer) | ✓ | X | X | Signed by Olomouc (Czechia) |
AHL Contracts
| Player Name | 2025-26 Status | Status for 2026-27 |
|---|---|---|
| Raivis Ansons | 1-year AHL contract | Signed by Bloomington (ECHL) |
| Blake Bennett | 1-year AHL contract | Signed by Greenville (ECHL) |
| David Breazeale | 1st of 2-year AHL contract | Signed by Wilkes-Barre/Scranton |
| Scooter Brickey | 1-year AHL contract | Signed by Nizhny Novgorod (Russia) |
| Tommy Budnick | 1-year AHL contract | Signed by Rockford (AHL) |
| Matty De St. Phalle | 2nd of 2-year AHL contract | Signed by Allen (ECHL) |
| Brayden Edwards | 1st of 2-year AHL contract | Signed by Wilkes-Barre/Scranton |
| Zach Gallant | 2nd of 2-year AHL contract | Signed by Utica (AHL) |
| Max Graham | 1st of 2-year AHL contract | Signed by Wilkes-Barre/Scranton |
| Brent Johnson | 1-year AHL contract | Re-Signed by Wilkes-Barre/Scranton |
| Ryan McAllister | 1-year AHL contract | |
| Maxim Pavlenko | 1-year AHL contract | Signed by Spartak Moskva (Russia) |
| Nolan Renwick | 1-year AHL contract | Signed by Providence (AHL) |
| Zach Urdahl | 1-year AHL contract |
NHL Contracts
| Player Name | 2025-26 Status | Status for 2026-27 |
|---|---|---|
| Taylor Gauthier | 1-year NHL contract | Re-Signed by Pittsburgh |
| Finn Harding | 1st of 3-year NHL contract | Signed by Pittsburgh |
| Daniel Laatsch | 1st of 2-year NHL contract | Signed by Pittsburgh |
| Emil Pieniniemi | 1st of 3-year NHL contract | Traded to Florida (NHL) |
Organizational Depth
Listed below are the players who are currently signed to either NHL or AHL contracts by the Blue Jackets.
Goaltenders
| Name | NHL/AHL Contract |
|---|---|
| Pheonix Copley | NHL |
| Evan Gardner | NHL |
| Jet Greaves | NHL |
| Nolan Lalonde | NHL |
| Elvis Merzlikins | NHL |
Defensemen
| Name | NHL/AHL Contract |
|---|---|
| Boston Buckberger | NHL |
| Corson Ceulemans | NHL |
| Jake Christiansen | NHL |
| Charlie Elick | NHL |
| Dante Fabbro | NHL |
| Erik Gudbranson | NHL |
| Caleb MacDonald | NHL |
| Luca Marrelli | NHL |
| Denton Mateychuk | NHL |
| Ivan Provorov | NHL |
| Guillaume Richard | NHL |
| Damon Severson | NHL |
| Zach Werenski | NHL |
| Colton White | NHL |
Forwards
| Name | NHL/AHL Contract |
|---|---|
| Riley Bezeau | NHL |
| Charlie Coyle | NHL |
| Luca Del Bel Belluz | NHL |
| Jordan Dumais | NHL |
| Josh Eernisse | NHL |
| Conor Garland | NHL |
| Danton Heinen | NHL |
| Kent Johnson | NHL |
| Oiva Keskinen | NHL |
| Ryan Lomberg | NHL |
| Isac Lundeström | NHL |
| James Malatesta | NHL |
| Kirill Marchenko | NHL |
| Max McCue | NHL |
| Sean Monahan | NHL |
| Valeri Nichushkin | NHL |
| Mathieu Olivier | NHL |
| Luca Pinelli | NHL |
| Mikael Pyyhtiä | NHL |
| Cole Sillinger | NHL |
| Owen Sillinger | NHL |
| Luke Tuch | NHL |
| Dmitri Voronkov | NHL |
| Jack Williams | NHL |
| Miles Wood | NHL |
| Roman Ahcan | AHL |
| Tate Singleton | AHL |
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ECHL Network
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ECHL Teams
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Adirondack Thunder
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Allen Americans
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Atlanta Gladiators
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Bloomington Bison
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Cincinnati Cyclones
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Florida Everblades
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Fort Wayne Komets
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Greensboro Gargoyles
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Greenville Swamp Rabbits
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Idaho Steelheads
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Indy Fuel
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Jacksonville Icemen
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Kalamazoo Wings
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Kansas City Mavericks
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Maine Mariners
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New Mexico Goatheads
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Norfolk Admirals
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Orlando Solar Bears
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Rapid City Rush
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Reading Royals
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Savannah Ghost Pirates
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South Carolina Stingrays
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Tahoe Knight Monsters
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Toledo Walleye
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Trenton Ironhawks
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Trois-Rivières Lions
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Tulsa Oilers
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Wheeling Nailers
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Wichita Thunder
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Worcester Railers
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