Coralville, Iowa- On Monday, June 10th, the Iowa Heartlanders and the other 26 returning ECHL teams announced their protected lists. This list allows a team priority negotiation for ECHL-level contracts with players who last played for their team, similar to restricted free agency at the NHL level.
Protected Players On The Heartlanders Active Roster During 2023-24:
Goaltenders
Drew DeRidder, Peyton Jones
Defensemen
Jules Boscq, Matt Brassard, Ben Brinkman, Louka Henault, Hunter Lellig, Chris Lipe, Kevin McKernan, Justin Wells
Forwards
Nicholas Blachman, Ethan Burroughs, Will Calverley, Nick Campoli, Liam Coughlin, Jake Durflinger, Adam Goodsir, Gavin Hain, Riley Hughes, Davis Koch, Tanner MacMaster, Yuki Miura, Jack Perbix, Dakota Raabe, Jonny Sorenson, Odeen Tufto
Protected Players Not In The ECHL During 2023-24
Defensemen
Clayton Phillips, Bo Hanson
Forwards
Tommy Parrottino, Michael Pastujov
Lastly, Forward Cameron Cook was also protected. He did not appear for the Iowa Heartlanders but was claimed off Waivers by the team on February 15, 2024, from the Adirondack Thunder.
Iowa has protected a total of 31 players, the second most in the ECHL (Cincinnati Cyclones, 33 players)
Heartlanders who are not on this list are either under contract by the Iowa Wild or Minnesota Wild, which means their contract either rolls into next year or a similar process occurs at their respective level. For example, Hunter Jones will be a Restricted Free Agent from Minnesota, but official announcements are yet to come as Calder and Stanley Cup playoffs continue.
Breakdowns of the other 26 Protected Lists can be found on our website.
