Patrick WilliamsTheAHL.com Features Writer
It’s off campus and straight to the AHL for several young prospects as the college season ends and professional careers begin.
Several AHL teams have bolstered their rosters recently by adding top-level college talent in the past month. The business of hockey moves quickly as organizations line up to add picks and free agents alike can bring high-pressure experiences.
The biggest benefit of signing those players is the opportunity for them to compete in the Calder Cup. Last season, he was a goalkeeper Jacob Fowler left Boston College to join the Laval Rockets and help them reach the Eastern Conference Finals.
This trend has continued this season. The Lehigh Valley Phantoms, for example, have been very active in adding college talent, and needed it all for Sunday’s crucial game against the Cleveland Monsters. Going by several exceptions, the Phantoms earned a much-needed 4-3 win Noah Powell (Arizona State) scores in the third quarter once Cole Knuckle (Notre Dame) tied the score in a shootout.
The Detroit Red Wings have been working hard to get NCAA talent from the Grand Rapids Griffins. Michigan State goalkeeper Trey Augustinea second-round pick by Detroit in 2023, made his pro debut with the Griffins Friday night; shortly after the puck dropped, he was announced by the NCAA as the Mike Richter Award winner as college hockey’s top goaltender after going 24-9-1 with a 2.11 goals-against average and a .929 save percentage for the Spartans.
Let’s review some of the signatories:
TJ Hughes – Colorado Eagles
Already one of the league’s best offensive teams, the Eagles have acquired Hobey Baker Award finalist Hughes after signing a free agent deal with the Colorado Avalanche through 2026-27. The undrafted captain and University of Michigan captain wrapped up his final season by finishing second in the nation in scoring with 57 goals (22 goals, 35 assists) in 40 games and helping the Wolverines reach the Frozen Four for the third time in his four seasons in Ann Arbor.
A subject of great interest to several NHL organizations, Hughes could get a chance to wear an Eagles jersey in the short term. The Eagles, fighting for second place in the Pacific Division, finish their regular season by beating the Calgary Wranglers on Friday and Saturday before advancing to the Calder Cup Playoffs.
Kiernan Draper – Grand Rapids Griffins
The Red Wings stayed close to home in signing Draper, a 24-year-old forward, to a two-year AHL deal that runs through next season. The roots of the new addition to the state of Michigan run deep; played four seasons at the University of Michigan along with his father, Krishe played 1,157 NHL games and won four Stanley Cups with Detroit, where he is now the Wings’ assistant general manager and director of amateur scouting.
In 40 games at Michigan this season, Draper had 18 points (five goals, 13 assists). Detroit took him in the seventh round of the 2020 NHL Draft.
Josh Eernisse – Cleveland Monsters
The Monsters have advanced to the Calder Cup Playoffs and will be adding the Michigan product to their roster.
Eernisse, a forward, has a new one-year entry-level contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets next season. For now, however, he has joined the Monsters as they finish their regular season and prepare for the postseason. Eernisse, also 24, had 19 points (11 goals, eight assists) in 38 games for Michigan. Like Hughes, he was undrafted. However, the Blue Jackets got used to him and brought him into their training camp last summer.
Christian Fitzgerald – Texas Stars
One reason why it’s so important for AHL teams to reach the Calder Cup Playoffs is the chance to extend the season with newly signed prospects like Fitzgerald, who is coming off a strong season at the University of Wisconsin with 31 points in 39 games and a trip to the national championship game. Fitzgerald, a 23-year-old forward, joined Texas and will begin a one-year contract with the Dallas Stars organization next season.
Dylan James – Grand Rapids Griffins
Another member of the Frozen Four, James comes to the Griffins from the prestigious University of North Dakota program. Detroit’s 2022 second-round pick signed a tryout with the Griffins and a two-year entry-level deal with the Red Wings.
James is only 22 years old, but he comes to the AHL with four collegiate campaigns behind him and posted 32 points (21 goals, 11 assists) in 40 games this season.
Ben Strinden – Milwaukee Admirals
A seventh-round draft pick by Nashville in 2020, Strinden joins Milwaukee after four seasons at the University of North Dakota. He put up 35 points in 38 games for the Fighting Hawks this year. It was a good season for Strinden, who lost his father, Tomto cancer in July 2025.
Strinden signed a two-year AHL contract with the Admirals beginning in 2026-27.
In the American Hockey League for two decades, TheAHL.com features writer Patrick Williams and currently covers the league for NHL.com and FloSports and is a regular contributor to SiriusXM NHL Network Radio. He was the recipient of the AHL’s James H. Ellery Memorial Award for the league’s top scorer in 2016.
