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Read: Railers Announce Protected List from 2025-26 Season

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. 

Protected lists may exceed 20 players.

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.

All future considerations trades from the 2025/26 season must be completed by June 20th, 2026. Worcester completed two future considerations trades ahead of the deadline:

• The Worcester Railers traded defenseman Max Ruoho to the Tulsa Oilers, completing a future considerations trade
• The Worcester Railers traded forward Ryan Miotto to the Idaho Steelheads, completing a future considerations trade

Read: Railers Announce Season-Ending Roster from 2025-26 Season

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

Each team is entitled to reserve rights to a maximum of eight players from the list of 20 by extending a qualifying offer no later than 11:59 p.m. ET on July 7. Players on open qualifying offers cannot be traded. Teams are not required to extend a qualifying offer to players who sign a contract prior to July 7. 

The qualifying offer must remain open for acceptance until 11:59 p.m. ET on July 22 at which time the qualifying offer becomes null and void and the team may sign the qualified player to any salary or may elect to take no further action. Teams that extend a valid qualifying offer to a player shall retain the rights to that qualified player for one playing season. Any Player who has played in more than 190 professional regular-season games is ineligible to receive a Qualifying Offer.

All regular-season games played in any of the following leagues shall count towards a Player’s Rookie/Veteran and Qualifying Offer status.
 

The Worcester Railers may sign players to an SPC (Standard Player Contract) starting June 23rd.

Players that have signed:

Forwards

• Anthony Repaci
• Lincoln Hatten
• Declan McDonnell
• Riley Piercey
• Riley Ginnell

Defensemen

• Michael Suda
• Connor Federkow
• Gabe Blanchard
• Adam Samulesson
• Vinny Corcoran

Read: WORCESTER RAILERS HC RE-SIGN CAPTAIN ANTHONY REPACI FOR 2026-27 SEASON

Read: WORCESTER RAILERS HC ANNOUNCE FIVE SIGNINGS FOR 2026-27 SEASON

Read: WORCESTER RAILERS HC ANNOUNCE FOUR SIGNINGS FOR 2026-27 SEASON

Read: Worcester Railers HC Announce Qualifying Offers

Players who had already signed a contract by July 7 did not need to receive a qualifying offer. 

Each team was entitled to reserve the rights to a maximum of eight qualified players. Players on open qualifying offers cannot be traded. 

The qualifying offer must remain open for acceptance until 11:59 p.m. ET on July 22 at which time the qualifying offer becomes null and void and the team may sign the qualified player to any salary or may elect to take no further action. Teams that extend a valid qualifying offer to a Player shall retain the rights to that qualified player for one playing season. Any Player who has played in more than 190 professional regular-season games is ineligible to receive a Qualifying Offer.

All regular-season games played in any of the following leagues shall count towards a Player’s Rookie/Veteran and Qualifying Offer status.

North America – National Hockey League, American Hockey League, ECHL, Central Hockey League (Defunct, but games played count toward veteran status)

Europe – Czech Extraliga (Czech Republic), Liiga (Finland), DEL (Germany), KHL (Russia), Slovak Extraliga (Slovakia), SHL (Sweden), National League (Switzerland)