ECHL North Division: Rookies To Watch In 2025-26

The Adirondack Thunder currently have 10 rookies on their roster, with most of those guys having seen time in the ECHL. Heading into next season, there’s going to be a handful of rookies to watch, but the biggest name that comes to mind is Ian Pierce.

Pierce, 24, broke onto the scene in a big way, putting up points in five of his first ECHL games as he finished the season with two goals and four assists. During his collegiate career at Dartmouth, he had nine goals in 91 games, with four of those coming in his first season, where he played in 31 games. There’s no doubt that Piece will have an opportunity to make a name for himself on the Thunder blueline in his first full professional season.

Greensboro Gargoyles

Ethan Leyh

Leyh, 24, joins the Gargoyles after having back-to-back solid seasons at Bentley University, where he served as the team’s captain. During his 72 games with the Falcons, he put up 30 goals and 41 assists for 71 points. He was nominated for the Hobey Baker Award in 2024 and was named the AHA Best Defensive Forward last season.

Greensboro has also added some notable names, such as Logan Nelson and Wade Murphy, to their roster, as the pressure won’t be heavy on Leyh to start the year. He was also invited to both the Carolina Hurricanes and Chicago Wolves camps. I expect Leyh to be a big piece for the Gargoyles right out of the gate unless he finds his way onto the Wolves roster early in the season.

Maine Mariners

Robert Cronin

At the end of last season, there was one rookie on the Mariners who caught my attention, and that was Robert Cronin. The 25-year-old forward had a breakout season at UNH, where he had 17 goals and 11 assists for 28 points in 35 games. He continued to impress when he made the jump to the ECHL level, where he put up five goals and three assists for eight points in 13 games, including a goal and two assists on the power play.

Maine’s top two goal scorers from last year are staying with the organization, with Brooklyn Kalmikov signing an AHL deal with the Providence Bruins and Wyllum Deveaux re-signing with the Mariners. Croin should fit in nicely with the Mariners’ middle-six next season, with a chance to possibly see time on the top line, depending on injuries and call-ups.

Norfolk Admirals

Jack O’Leary

The 25-year-old forward made his ECHL debut at the end of last season, putting up an assist in six games. O’Leary made his name known in the Kelly Cup Playoffs. He scored an empty-net goal in the Admirals’ first game of the Kelly Cup Playoffs and finished with a goal and two assists for three points in nine Kelly Cup Playoff games.

The Smithtown, NY, native comes in as one of the shorter players in the ECHL, standing at 5’7. Despite the small size, we saw him take advantage of that last season, including during the Kelly Cup Playoffs when the stakes are higher. Don’t be shocked if he finds his way into the Admirals top-six this season.

Reading Royals

Jérémy Michel

Michel, 24, has a chance to be a big part of the Reading offense heading into the 2025-26 season. The former seventh-round pick of the St. Louis Blues in 2019 has put up solid numbers over the last few years. He had a 30-goal season in his last year in the QMJHL and has averaged over a point per game in his last two seasons in USports.

There’s also the opportunity for Michel, as the Royals lost a lot of key pieces this offseason, which includes Todd Skirving, Matt Brown, and Tyler Gratton, leaving some big shoes to fill. Don’t be surprised if the Royals consider giving him top-six minutes early in the season.

Trois-Riviéres Lions

Julien Paillé

Paillé, 22, is coming off back-to-back 20+ goal seasons to finish his QMJHL career. The reigning Kelly Cup Champions have brought back many pieces from last year, so I wouldn’t expect Paillé to see big minutes right away. He could be a really solid piece on the second or third line to help with some depth scoring heading into the 2025-26 season.

Heading into next season, Paillé is one of only three rookies on the Lions who have yet to see a game in the ECHL.

Worcester Railers

Luke Pavicich

Pavicich, 23, made his ECHL debut at the end of last season, appearing in three games with the Orlando Solar Bears, where he went 1-1 with a 3.48 GAA and .866SV%. Heading into the 2025-26 season, the Worcester Railers will likely see a goaltending duo consisting of Triston Lennox and Luke Pavicich. For Pavicich, he should find himself playing a decent amount, especially considering the Lennox is coming off an injury-shortened season in which he played in just four games between the New York Islanders and Bridgeport Islanders.

Hopefully, having an established role in his first full season with Pavicich and the Railers’ success heading into the 2025-26 season.

Wheeling Nailers

Aidan Sutter

Sutter, 22, enters the 2025-26 season with 23 ECHL games under his belt with the Florida Everblades and Wheeling Nailers. In 17 games last season with Wheeling, he picked up his first two career ECHL assists. The Nailers lost two big pieces on the blueline this Summer with David Drake signing with Greenville and Louie Rohel heading overseas. The Kamloops, British Columbia native has shown some of his offensive ability in the WHL and USports prior to going pro.

There’s no doubt that Sutter should be able to establish himself as a mainstay on the Wheeling Blueline. At the time of this article, Sutter is the only blueliner signed to an ECHL contract who spent time with the Nailers last season.