27 prospects become free agents after exclusive signing rights expire

Every year on August 15th, NHL drafted prospects who are exiting their final year of college can become unrestricted free agents, if the team that selected that opts not to sign them to an entry-level contract.

This year, a total of 27 prospects hit the open market and while some have already signed contracts in the American Hockey League or Europe, other may be on the radar of teams around the National Hockey League looking to add to their respective prospect pools.

Among the names that saw their exclusive signing rights expire on Wednesday were Rhett Pitlick (Montreal), Veeti Miettinen (Toronto) and Eamon Powell (Tampa Bay), the latter of whom had a strong year with Boston College and could garner some attention from NHL teams.

Let's take a look at the full list of prospects who became unrestricted free agents on Wednesday:
Jack Perbix (Anaheim Ducks)
Quinn Olson (Boston Bruins)
Liam Gorman (Chicago Blackhawks)
Cole Brady (Dallas Stars)
Cooper Moore (Detroit Red Wings)
Sam Stange (Detroit Red Wings)
Carter Berger (Florida Panthers)
Owen Lindmark (Florida Panthers)
Ben Meehan (Los Angeles Kings)
Rhett Pitlick (Montreal Canadiens)
Ty Smilanic (Montreal Canadiens)
Alexander Campbell (Nashville Predators)
Ethan Haider (Nashville Predators)
Bryce Brodzinski (Philadelphia Flyers)
Chase Yoder (Pittsburgh Penguins)
Alex Young (San Jose Sharks)
Nick Capone (Tampa Bay Lightning)
Eamon Powell (Tampa Bay Lightning)
McKade Webster (Tampa Bay Lightning)
Michael Koster (Toronto Maple Leafs)
Veeti Miettinen (Toronto Maple Leafs)
Carson Bantle (Utah Hockey Club)
Jack Malone (Vancouver Canucks)
Matthew Thiessen (Vancouver Canucks)
Ryder Donovan (Vegas Golden Knights)
Harrison Blaisdell (Winnipeg Jets)
Logan Neaton (Winnipeg Jets)

There's no doubt that at least a handful of these players will land an NHL contract in the coming days and weeks, but the two most notable that are garnering plenty of attention are Rhett Pitlick, who had 19 goals in 39 games for the University of Minnesota in 2023-24 and Eamon Powell, who finished the season with 38 points in 40 games. Powell's 38 points had him sixth in the entire NCAA among defenceman, 12 back of Zeev Buium for top spot.

Source: Pro Hockey Rumors
List Of Draft Rights Expiring August 15