- Six NCAA players formally became unrestricted free agents when the Aug. 15 deadline passed Saturday
- Cruz Lucius was not one of them, and Pittsburgh still holds his rights until he files his paperwork
- Read below for the full list of who got out and who is still stuck waiting
Cruz Lucius was supposed to headline this year’s college free agent class. He is still sitting on Pittsburgh’s reserve list.
Saturday was the Aug. 15 cutoff, and PuckPedia broke down what actually happened when the date came and went. Six players from its watch list formally became unrestricted free agents. Another 15 can still get there, but only once they hand in the right forms:
The rule trips up a lot of people. A drafted college player who finishes his fourth year of NCAA eligibility does not get released automatically. He has to notify NHL Central Registry that he is no longer enrolled, and only then does he come off his draft team’s reserve list.
Dominic Tiano hit the same wall Sunday when he assumed a few of those names were already available:
None of this changes where Lucius is headed. The Arizona State winger told the Penguins back in April that he would not sign his entry-level deal, and he put up 15 goals and 46 points in 36 games as a senior to close out his case.
Daily Faceoff’s Tyler Kuehl ran through the six who did get out on Saturday:
- Detroit Red Wings: Kienan Draper (Michigan)
- Ottawa Senators: Tyson Dyck (Wisconsin)
- Philadelphia Flyers: Owen McLaughlin (Boston University)
- Toronto Maple Leafs: Joe Miller (Harvard)
- Utah Mammoth: Cal Thomas (Minnesota)
- Washington Capitals: Chase Clark (Canisius)
Most of that group is not going anywhere new. Draper, son of former Red Wings center Kris Draper, signed a two-year AHL contract with Grand Rapids in April and stays inside Detroit’s system. McLaughlin landed an AHL deal with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms after finishing last season in the ECHL with Reading.
Kyle Kukkonen went the same route. The Wisconsin forward is still on Anaheim’s reserve list, and he signed a one-year AHL contract with the San Diego Gulls in July.
Minor league paper does not block an NHL offer, so any of these players can still take one. Lucius is the name teams are waiting on, and Pittsburgh keeps his rights until his forms hit Central Registry.
