6 NCAA Players Become UFAs After Aug. 15 NHL Signing Date Passes

Sunday, August 16, 2026 , ,
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The August 15th deadline has passed for unsigned NHL draft picks finishing their NCAA careers. Six players have now become unrestricted free agents. 

College players must be signed to their entry-level contracts by their drafting teams by Aug. 15th following their fourth year of undergraduate eligibility, or they become UFAs.

With that, here are the six that are now back on the open market as of today, in alphabetical order. 
  • Chase Clark (Canisius), 6th rd. pick by Washington Capitals, 2021
  • Kienan Draper (Michigan), 7th rd. by Detroit Red Wings, 2020
  • Tyson Dyck (Wisconsin), 7th rd. by Ottawa Senators, 2022
  • Owen McLaughlin (Boston U.), 7th rd, Philadelphia Flyers, 2021
  • Joe Miller (Harvard), 6th rd., Toronto Maple Leafs, 2020
  • Cal Thomas (Minnesota), 6th rd. Arizona/Utah, 2022

Now, none of these players were going to move the needle for any of their drafting clubs. One recognizable name, however, is Draper, the son of former Red Wings' four-time Stanley Cup champion, Kris Draper. 

Kienan was selected by his hometown team back in 2020, but after an unremarkable four years at University of Michigan (he topped out with 18 points in 40 games this past season), he didn't make enough of an impact to earn a contract with the big club. He did play a couple of games with their AHL affiliate to finish out the season, and he will return there for the coming year after signing a two-year deal with Grand Rapids. 
The other name of note, as explained by Tyler Kuehl of Daily Faceoff, is McLaughlin. He wasn't offered a contract with the Flyers, but he will stay under their watchful eye, as he's signed a deal with their AHL affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. He showed the team something in 13 games with their ECHL teamthe Reading Royals,  to finish off last season, with eight points and a +2 rating in those 13 games. 




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