BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – The Bloomington Bison announced its protected list for the 2026-27 season on Tuesday. The list of players whose ECHL playing rights have been retained by the Bison include 17 forwards, 11 defensemen and two goaltenders.

The Protected List is the first phase in a three-step offseason process in which teams can protect playing rights through the signing period. The list does not include players on AHL or NHL contracts and is not equal to a signing. The protected list is as follows:

FORWARDS: Brandon Yeamans, Ilya Tsulygin, Jonny Evans, Max Neill, Daniel Tedesco, Kohei Sato, Parker Lindauer, Shane Ott, Grant Porter, Lou-Felix Denis, Ayden MacDonald, Mikhail Abramov, Zach Faremouth, Eddie Matsushima, Brad Morrison, Mark Kaleinikovas, Chongmin Lee

DEFENSEMEN: Mason Wheeler, Kylor Wall, Jesper Solomon-Frisell, Theo Calvas, Zack Hoffman, Cullen Ferguson, Parker Gavlas, Riku Ishida, Nikita Sedov, Seung Jae Lee, Brenden Datema

GOALTENDERS: Alex Proctor, Dryden McKay

Teams are allowed to protect as many players as they wish provided the players protected meet the guidelines as defined in the Collective Bargaining Agreement between the ECHL and the Professional Hockey Players’ Association which state that teams shall retain the rights to each player that: 

1. Signed an SPC in 2025-26 with the Member, and has not been traded or released, OR

2. Signed an SPC in 2025-26 and was recalled to the NHL/AHL or IIHF team, and has not been traded or released, OR

3. Had received a Qualifying Offer last summer for the current Season, DID NOT sign an SPC, and has not been traded or released, OR

4. Has been suspended by the Member or League, and has not been traded or released, OR

5. Signed an SPC on or after the first day of the 2025-26 Regular Season, then subsequently signed an NHL/AHL contract, and has not been traded or released, OR

6. Has executed the ECHL Retirement Form and has not been traded or released. 
 

The ECHL also announced that teams must complete all Future Consideration trades by 3 p.m. ET on June 20 and that teams must submit their Season-Ending Roster by 3 p.m. ET on June 22. 

Season-ending rosters may include up to 20 players and cannot include any players who did not sign an ECHL contract in 2025-26.

2026-27 Full Season Memberships are available for as low as $72 per month on an interest free payment plan!! Special benefits include a Meet-the-Team event, Herd Store discount, invitation to exclusive events, ticket exchange program, exclusive FanSaves deals, and a personal Ticket Account Executive. Visit bloomingtonbisonhockey.com or call (309) 965-HERD for more information.