The American Hockey League sends a parade of young talent to the NHL each season, but it can be a place for second or third chances as well.
Be it an injury, slower-than-hoped-for development, or running into heavy competition at their position, sometimes a player’s first team ends up not being the right fit. But a new home can revive his career.
Here are five players whose careers have found new life in the AHL after switching organizations (listed in alphabetical order):
Will ButcherD, Texas (Dallas Stars)
After being limited to 37 games with the Buffalo Sabers last season due to injuries, Butcher signed a one-year, two-way contract with Dallas on July 22.
Dallas sent the 27-year-old to Texas before the start of the season. He has 14 points (two goals, 22 assists) in 22 games.
He was named to the NHL All-Rookie Team in 2017-18 after having 44 points (five goals, 39 assists) with the New Jersey Devils. Selected by the Colorado Avalanche in the fifth round (No. 123) in the 2013 NHL Draft, he has 114 points (16 goals, 98 assists) in 275 NHL games.
Lane PedersonC, Abbotsford (Vancouver Canucks)
The 25-year-old is with his fourth NHL organization since the end of the 2020-21 season.
Originally signed as an undrafted free agent by the Arizona Coyotes on Oct. 13, 2016, he was traded to the San Jose Sharks for a fourth-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft on July 28, 2021. He then went to the Carolina Hurricanes as part of the trade for Brent Burns on July 13, and then was traded to the Canucks along with defenseman Ethan Bear for a fifth-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft on Oct. 28.
Pederson, who had five points (one goal, four assists) in 44 NHL games (15 for Arizona, 29 for San Jose), had four assists in four games for Chicago of the AHL and has 18 points (12 goals, six assists) in 15 games for Abbotsford.
Darren RaddyshD, Syracuse (Tampa Bay Lightning)
The undrafted defenseman has 29 points (eight goals, 21 assists) in 21 games, which leads AHL defensemen and is second among all skaters. He also leads defensemen in goals.
The 26-year-old was originally signed by the Chicago Blackhawks, and in his second season with Rockford, was traded to the New York Rangers for Peter Holland on Feb. 18, 2019.
Raddysh had his best season to date in 2019-20, when he had 28 points (six goals, 22 assists) in 62 games for Hartford. He was signed as a free agent by Tampa Bay on July 28, 2021, and then signed a two-year contract with Tampa Bay on June 29. He had no points in four NHL games last season.
Anthony RichardF, Laval (Montreal Canadiens)
A fourth-round pick (No. 100) by the Nashville Predators in the 2015 NHL Draft, Richard has excelled with Laval, leading the league with 30 points (15 goals, 15 assists) in 20 games.
Traded to Tampa Bay by Nashville on Feb. 1, the 25-year-old signed with Montreal as a free agent on July 14. He earned that one-year contract after a strong 2021-22 season split between Syracuse (Tampa Bay) and Milwaukee (Nashville), in which he had 38 points (17 goals, 21 assists) in 71 games. He played five games for Syracuse against Laval in the 2022 Calder Cup Playoffs and had six points (four goals, two assists).
Richard’s 15 goals are tied with Matthew Phillips of Calgary (Calgary Flames) for the AHL lead.
Christian WolaninD, Abbotsford
Wolanin once again is healthy and in a new NHL organization after three trying seasons.
The 27-year-old, who was named the AHL player of the week Monday, is tied for ninth in the AHL with 24 points (four goals, 20 assists) in 20 games. He had four assists in a 6-3 home win against Laval on Sunday. His 20 assists are second to Raddysh in the AHL and he has a 12-game point streak (three goals, 18 assists), the longest in the AHL this season.
Vancouver recalled Wolanin to begin the week before returning him to Abbotsford on Tuesday.
Selected by the Ottawa Senators in the fourth round (No. 107) in the 2015 NHL Draft, he sustained a shoulder injury with the Senators before the 2019-20 season that required surgery. Before joining the Vancouver organization, he had been limited to 79 games across three seasons between the NHL and AHL with the Senators, Los Angeles Kings and Buffalo Sabres.
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