Vaisanen was the fourth-round pick of the Rangers in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft and has earned himself a three-year, entry-level contract. The 21-year-old forward has 14 points (9G / 5A) in 58 games this season with TPS Turku (SM-liiga).
Mancini was a fifth-round pick of the Rangers in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft and has spent the last three seasons playing with the University of Nebraska-Omaha. The 21-year-old defenseman scored 23 points (4G / 19A) in his 110-game college-hockey career.
Nelson is an undrafted 24-year-old out of Minnesota who has spent the last four seasons playing collegiate hockey with the University of Minnesota. In 39 games this season, Nelson scored 31 points (19G / 12A).
Black is a 6'8 goalie out of Michigan who has spent the last two seasons playing collegiate hockey with Dartmouth College. The 22-year-old netminder has a 2.58 GAA and .910 SV% in 30 games this season (13-8-8).
The Leafs announced the signing of the college free-agent during their game against the Panthers on Monday night. The contract will officially begin during the 2024-25 season, and Quillan will technically spend the rest of this season on an amateur try-out in the AHL with the Toronto Marlies. Quillan scored 17 goals and 29 assists in 39 games with Quinnipac University this season, and was notably named the 2023 Frozen Four Most Outstanding Player.
Rodrigue has earned himself a one-year, two-way extension with the Oilers after an impressive 17-10-4 record, .915 SV% and 2.72 GAA with Bakersfield (AHL) in 2023-24. The 23-year-old was Edmonton's 2018 second-round pick (62nd overall).
Ufko is Nashville's 2021 fourth-round pick (115th overall) and signed a three-year, entry-level contract with Nashville on Friday. The 20-year-old defenseman had an impressive third season at UMass (NCAA) as the team captain, with 10 goals, 26 points, 14 PIMs and a +4 plus/minus in 37 games played.
Myatovic was drafted by Anaheim in the 2023 second round (33rd overall) and has signed a three-year, entry-level contract on Friday and will join San Diego (AHL) for the remainder of the season. The 19-year-old left-winger just completed his fourth junior season with the Seattle Thunderbirds (AHL) and had nine goals, 30 points and 20 PIMs in 34 games played.
In his first season with the Maple Leafs, Benoit has five points (1G / 4A), 205 hits and 82 blocked shots in 54 games. Benoit gives the Maple Leafs a rugged depth defenseman who will serve as a third-pairing guy during his contract.
Dragicevic is Seattle's 2023 2nd round pick (57th overall) and has signed a three-year, entry-level contract on Thursday. The 18-year-old puck-moving defenseman just completed his third WHL regular season with Tri-City (WHL) and had an impressive 14 goals and 50 points in 66 games played.
Annunen has been rewarded for his stellar play lately, signing a two-year, $1.666 million contract extension. The 24-year-old Annunen has won four straight and has been tremendous when called upon lately, allowing only seven total goals in his last five games (4-0-1), posting a dazzling .954 SV%.
Peart was a second-round pick of Minnesota in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft and has earned himself a three-year, entry-level contract. The 20-year-old Peart has spent the last three seasons playing collegiate hockey with St. Cloud State and had 11 points (3G / 11A) in 38 games this season.
Finnie was a seventh-round pick of the Red Wings in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft. The 18-year-old has been productive with the Kamloops Blazers (WHL) this season, scoring 59 points (19G / 40A) in 62 games.
Draws closed out his collegiate career after five successful seasons with three different schools last week and has earned himself a one-year, entry-level contract with Dallas that starts in 2024-25. The 23-year-old towering netminder posted an impressive 2.49 GAA and .919 SV% in 2023-24 despite having an uninspiring 14-17-6 record on a middling St. Lawrence University (NCAA) team.
Jurmo was the 82nd overall pick of the Vancouver Canucks in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft and has played exclusively in the Finnish Elite league since. The 21-year-old defenseman has four points (1G / 3A) in 18 games with KooKoo Kouvola (SM-liiga) this season.
Steeves is an undrafted 21-year-old who has played collegiate hockey with the University of Minnesota-Duluth for the last two seasons. The 5'9 forward has produced at nearly a point-per-game pace, scoring 62 points (45G / 17A) in 72 games with the club.
Halliday had just finished his second season at Ohio State (NCAA) and has signed with Ottawa on a two-year, entry-level contract that starts in 2024-25. The 21-year-old undrafted forward enjoyed a very strong season with the Buckeyes in 2023-24, with 10 goals, 36 points and 30 PIMs in 38 games played.
Thiesing is an undrafted 22-year-old forward out of Tennessee who has spent the last three seasons playing collegiate hockey with Ohio State University. In the 2023-24 campaign, Thiesing scored 16 points (9G / 7A) in 31 games with OSU.
Some of the top NHL free agents available this summer are Mitch Marner, Mikko Rantanen, Aaron Ekblad, Nikolaj Ehlers, John Tavares, Brock Boeser, Brad Marchand and Linus Ullmark.
This offseason will bring a stacked crop of free agents to the market that will shape the landscape of the 2025-26 NHL season. Not only will the final landing spots for each of the top 2025 NHL free agents shake up the framework of the league, but will also have major implications on the upcoming fantasy hockey season. Be sure to stay in the know in regard to the latest free agency updates with our NHL player news.
On July 1st, 2025, at 12 PM EST, the 2025 NHL free agency period officially opens. While some players will have all but signed the dotted line up to this point, nothing can become official until noon on Canada Day.
