Michael DiPietro is instinctively gregarious, but his energetic personality is being tested amid the constraints of the coronavirus pandemic.

It’s been a bit of an odd route to professional hockey, but Johnathan Kovacevic is proof that getting there is more important than how you get there.

The Colorado Eagles have signed defenseman Keaton Middleton to an AHL contract for the 2020-21 season.

The Iowa Wild have re-signed defenseman Keaton Thompson to a one-year AHL contract for the 2020-21 season.

The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins have signed forwards Nick Schilkey and Zach Nastasiuk to American Hockey League contracts for the 2020-21 season.

The Laval Rocket have agreed to terms with forward Sam Vigneault and defenseman Corey Schueneman on one-year AHL contracts for the 2020-21 season.

Morgan Frost may not dress for any Stanley Cup playoff games this year, but he is focused on getting ready to challenge for a permanent NHL spot after two recalls to the Flyers during the 2019-20 regular season.

Dave Andrews took one of hockey’s top jobs when he replaced the Jack Butterfield as head of the American Hockey League in 1994. From there he completely rebuilt hockey’s player-development model to fit the needs – and wants – of 31 NHL organizations.

It’s no secret that the 2019-20 Ontario Reign were substantially better than their predecessor, and a large reason for the jump were the improvements, development and overall production of their returning prospects.

NHL.com’s Q&A feature called “Five Questions With …” runs every Tuesday and talks to key figures in the game to ask them questions to gain insight into their lives, careers and latest news.