GREENSBORO, NC – The Greensboro Gargoyles, proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s Eastern Conference Champion Carolina Hurricanes and the AHL’s Western Conference Champion Chicago Wolves, announced their 2026 Protected List as they build their 2026-27 roster.
This is the first of a several step process that ECHL teams use to begin building their rosters. Names on the Protected List do not indicate signed contracts or intent to return. The following players were protected by Greensboro:
Forwards: Tian Rask, Ryan Richardson, Drew Kuzma, Demetrios Koumontzis, Jake Elmer, Ethan Leyh, Roman Kraemer, Blake Humphrey, Josh Groll, Nick DeSantis, Jordan Biro, Greg Smith, Caden Brown, Blake Swetlikoff, Jack Seymour, Zach White, Nate Hanley
Defensemen: Ayodele Adeniye, Austen May, Blake Dangos, Noah Delmas, Caleb Price, Bryan Huggins, Braden Doyle, Dalton Skelly, Artyom Borshyov, Colton Leiter
There is no cap on the number of players each team can use on their Protected Lists, which includes all ECHL contracted players whose rights belong to the team. Players placed on the Protected List are protected through June 22, 2026. The Gargoyles will then announce their Season Ending Roster, cutting their total number of players down to a maximum of 20 names. Any player left off the Season Ending Roster will become a free agent on June 23, 2026.
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