Training camps open Sept. 16, and for a group of established NHL hands and players looking for another crack at the league, the next two weeks will be an audition. Professional tryout contracts do not guarantee a roster spot, but a strong camp can turn a veteran into a signed player before the regular season begins Sept. 29.
NHL PTO watch: veterans arrive with jobs on the line
Florida, Toronto, Pittsburgh, Vancouver, Dallas, Ottawa, Nashville, Tampa Bay, Calgary, Washington and Columbus will all have notable unsigned players in camp. The group includes experienced penalty killers, depth defensemen, former NHL regular goaltenders and a few players coming off productive American Hockey League seasons.
Camp calendar
- Sept. 16: NHL training camps open, giving PTO players their first chance to work into preseason plans.
- Preseason: Clubs will weigh performance in practices and exhibition games before deciding whether to offer contracts.
- Sept. 29: The NHL regular season starts, setting the deadline pressure for players hoping to turn a tryout into a job.
Forwards chasing a contract
Nathan Bastian, Florida Panthers: The 28-year-old winger posted six goals and one assist in 36 games for the Dallas Stars last season. New Jersey selected him 41st overall in the 2016 NHL Draft. Across 312 regular-season games with Dallas, Seattle and the Devils, Bastian has 39 goals and 36 assists for 75 points. He has added a goal and an assist in 17 Stanley Cup Playoff games.
Tyson Jost, Nashville Predators: Jost, 28, remains in the building after recording eight goals and eight assists in 69 games for Nashville last season. The Colorado Avalanche took him 10th overall in 2016. He has played 564 regular-season NHL games for the Avalanche, Minnesota Wild, Buffalo Sabres, Carolina Hurricanes and Predators, collecting 69 goals and 96 assists. His playoff resume includes six goals and four assists in 46 games.
Kole Lind, Tampa Bay Lightning: The 27-year-old scored 11 times and added 24 assists in 70 games with Texas of the AHL last season. Vancouver drafted Lind 33rd overall in 2017. He has played 31 NHL games between the Canucks and Seattle Kraken, producing two goals and six assists.
Alex Nylander, Calgary Flames: Nylander brings one of the better recent AHL scoring lines to camp after putting up 24 goals and 29 assists, good for 53 points, in 65 games with Toronto last season. The 28-year-old appeared in five NHL games for the Maple Leafs in 2024-25. Buffalo chose him eighth overall in the 2016 draft, and he has 25 goals and 24 assists in 126 NHL games with Buffalo, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Columbus and Toronto. He went scoreless in eight playoff appearances.
Luke Glendening, Tampa Bay Lightning: At 37, Glendening is the most seasoned skater in the PTO field. He had two goals and seven assists in 70 games split between the Philadelphia Flyers and New Jersey Devils last season. An undrafted signing by Detroit on July 5, 2013, Glendening has skated in 934 regular-season NHL games for Detroit, Dallas, Tampa Bay, New Jersey and Philadelphia. He has 85 goals and 90 assists, plus seven goals and four assists in 60 playoff games.
Blue-line depth on display
Nick Blankenburg, Toronto Maple Leafs: Blankenburg, 28, had eight goals and 16 assists in 61 games divided between the Colorado Avalanche and Nashville Predators last season. Columbus signed him as an undrafted free agent on April 8, 2022. In 176 NHL games with Columbus, Nashville and Colorado, the right-shot defenseman has 18 goals and 40 assists. He scored once in five postseason games.
Ben Gleason, Dallas Stars: Gleason supplied two goals and 20 assists in 59 games for Iowa of the AHL last season. Dallas originally signed the 28-year-old as an undrafted player on Sept. 13, 2018. His NHL experience consists of four games with the Stars during the 2018-19 season, when he recorded one assist.
Scott Harrington, Ottawa Senators: The 33-year-old spent last season with Belleville in the AHL, posting three goals and 16 assists in 68 games. His most recent NHL action came with Anaheim in 2022-23, when he had three goals and one assist. Pittsburgh selected Harrington 54th overall in 2011, and he owns 11 goals and 38 assists in 255 NHL games with Pittsburgh, Toronto, Columbus, San Jose and Anaheim. He has four assists in 14 playoff games.
Carson Soucy, Columbus Blue Jackets: Soucy arrives in Columbus with 441 regular-season NHL games on his record. The 32-year-old had five goals and seven assists in 76 games last season while splitting time between the New York Rangers and New York Islanders. Minnesota selected him 137th overall in 2013. His NHL totals across Minnesota, Seattle, Vancouver, the Rangers and Islanders stand at 32 goals and 67 assists, while he has two goals and five assists in 38 playoff games.
Goaltenders in the camp crease
Collin Delia, Pittsburgh Penguins: Delia went 1-4-0 in six games, including five starts, for Brynas IF in Sweden last season. The 32-year-old finished with a 3.87 goals-against average and .791 save percentage in the Swedish Hockey League. His latest NHL season was 2022-23 with Vancouver, where he went 10-6-2 with a 3.28 GAA and .882 save percentage in 20 appearances. Chicago signed him as an undrafted free agent on July 28, 2017. Delia owns a 19-18-7 NHL record, a 3.51 GAA and .897 save percentage in 52 games, 45 of them starts, with the Blackhawks and Canucks.
Chris Driedger, Vancouver Canucks: Driedger posted an 8-9-2 record, 3.05 GAA and .897 save percentage over 23 games for Traktor Chelyabinsk of the Kontinental Hockey League last season. The 32-year-old last appeared in the NHL with Seattle in 2023-24, playing twice. Ottawa drafted him 76th overall in 2012. In 67 NHL games, including 60 starts, for Ottawa, Florida and Seattle, Driedger is 31-24-5 with a 2.45 GAA, .917 save percentage and five shutouts. His playoff record is 0-1 in three appearances, with two starts.
Cal Petersen, Washington Capitals: Petersen went 13-16-2 with a 2.73 GAA, .896 save percentage and four shutouts in 33 AHL games for Iowa last season. The 31-year-old last played in the NHL for Philadelphia in 2023-24, going 2-2-0 with a 3.90 GAA and .864 save percentage in five games, including four starts. Buffalo selected Petersen 129th overall in the 2013 draft. His NHL record with the Flyers and Los Angeles Kings is 46-44-10, with a 2.96 GAA, .903 save percentage and four shutouts in 106 games and 98 starts. He has one playoff appearance.
Vadim Zherenko, Ottawa Senators: The 25-year-old posted a 17-16-5 record, 3.08 GAA and .902 save percentage in 42 games for Springfield of the AHL last season. St. Louis selected Zherenko 208th overall in the seventh round of the 2019 NHL Draft. He has not yet appeared in an NHL game.
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NHL PTO Camp Watch: Veterans Seeking Contracts Before Opening Night
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NHL camps open Sept. 16 with Nathan Bastian, Tyson Jost, Alex Nylander, Carson Soucy, Chris Driedger and other veterans attending on professional tryouts.
