Collegiate players making jump to AHL | TheAHL.com

Patrick Williams, TheAHL.com Features Writer

School’s out.

Tweaks to late-season rosters around the American Hockey League continue as NCAA talent begins to sign on and jump into the thick of the stretch drive to the Calder Cup Playoffs.

March is always a hectic time for AHL rosters. The NHL trade deadline. The AHL trade/loan deadline. Prospects from the Canadian Hockey League and European clubs trickle in as their seasons conclude.

U.S. college hockey is one of those talent sources. The NCAA national tournament began Thursday, but for players whose schools did not make the cut and who have elected to turn pro, the AHL is a logical next stop. More could join them as teams are eliminated from the tournament, which concludes April 10-12 with the Frozen Four in St. Louis.

Players coming out of the NCAA ranks have a few different contractual options. Some are NHL draft picks who sign an NHL deal that starts next season. In that case, they can sign an amateur tryout agreement with that NHL team’s AHL affiliate. They can also go the path of signing an AHL contract. And some others will find opportunities that may lead to eventual contracts.

Columbus Blue Jackets star defenseman Zach Werenski is one of the most high-profile examples of an NCAA player joining an AHL team late in the season. In 2016 after completing his second season at the University of Michigan, Werenski, a first-round draft pick by Columbus, elected to turn pro and join the Lake Erie Monsters. He immediately made himself an impact player and took on a top role as the Monsters advanced through the postseason and captured their first Calder Cup championship. For Werenski, then only 18 years old, going to the AHL provided a bridge from the college game that he used to help his transition to a long NHL career.

Let’s review some of the players who have already made that jump this month.

Brett Chorske – Charlotte Checkers

The Chorske name is a familiar one for hockey fans.

Brett Chorske’s father, Tom, played 596 NHL games and was a Stanley Cup champion who also spent time in the AHL with Sherbrooke and Utica.

Brett is a 23-year-old forward out of Colgate University who also played his first two college seasons at Colorado College. This season at Colgate, he broke out with 34 points (15 goals, 19 assists) in 36 games. Charlotte signed him to an amateur tryout deal for the remainder of the 2024-25 season, as well as to a two-year AHL contract that commences next season.

Chorske isn’t…