The past ICEHL season once again showed how important dominant performances from the blue line can be to a team’s success. Several defenders impressed with strong offensive values and an enormous influence on their teams’ play. Particularly interesting: Some of these defenders currently have no confirmed future and could therefore become exciting names on the transfer market. Below we take a closer look at three defenders who attracted lasting attention in the 2025/26 season.
Max Gildon (D)
In his first season at HC Bozen, Max Gildon immediately developed into one of the most complete defenders in the league. The American played 48 games in the regular season and recorded a strong 37 points. Particularly impressive: With a plus/minus value of +33, the former Florida Panthers draft pick even led the entire ICEHL. Gildon impressed with his strong first pass, a lot of calm on the screen and his ability to repeatedly get dangerous on the offensive end. The 26-year-old had already attracted attention with strong performances in Slovakia, where he won the championship with HC Kosice and was one of the best defenders in the league. The tall defender also gained experience in the AHL and DEL with Adler Mannheim. Immediately after the season, rumors about a possible move to EC Red Bull Salzburg increased, but nothing has been officially confirmed yet. Due to his strong season, Gildon is likely to be one of the most sought-after defenders on the ICEHL market.
Rasmus Bengtsson (D)
Rasmus Bengtsson also impressed in his first ICEHL season. The Swede scored a strong 31 points in 46 games for league newcomers Ferencvárosi TC, making him one of the most important cornerstones of the Hungarians’ defense. The former second-round pick of the Florida Panthers brought a tremendous amount of experience from the SHL and HockeyAllsvenskan to Budapest and gave the team a lot of stability and overview, especially in the power play. For years, Bengtsson was considered a reliable two-way defender in Sweden and was able to demonstrate his offensive qualities there on several occasions. Among other things, he was named HockeyAllsvenskan’s best defender in 2021. In addition, the now 32-year-old also gained international experience with the Swedish youth national teams and won the silver medal at both the U18 and U20 World Championships. After his strong debut season in the ICEHL, Bengtsson could now also be interesting for larger clubs within the league.
Jon Blum (D)
The signing of Jon Blum caused a stir across the league last summer. The former NHL defender and long-time top player at EHC Munich moved to HC Pustertal with great expectations and brought experience from the NHL, KHL, SHL and DEL with him to South Tyrol. In his first ICEHL season, the now 37-year-old had 26 points in 42 games, plus another seven points in the playoffs. Although Blum repeatedly showed his enormous class and overview, especially in the power play, overall the veteran was not able to fully meet the high expectations. Nevertheless, the American’s CV remains impressive: The former first-round pick of the Nashville Predators played over 100 NHL games and won the DEL title with Munich in 2023. Blum was also one of the most offensive defenders in Europe for years. There are currently many indications that Blum and HC Pustertal could part ways again after just one season. This means that the experienced defender could still be an interesting option for several European clubs despite his age.
Image: EC Red Bull Salzburg
“), i.text = “window._taboola = window._taboola || ();_taboola.push({mode:’alternating-thumbnails-a’, container:’taboola-below-article-thumbnails’, placement:’below-article’, target_type: ‘mix’});”, n.appendChild(l), n.appendChild(i), e(n, t) } Array.prototype.filter || (Array.prototype.filter = function(e, t) { if (“function” != typeof e) throw TypeError(); let n = (); for (let l = 0, i = this.length >>> 0; l < i; l += 1) if (l in this) { let r = this(l); e.call(t, r, l, this) && n.push(r) } return n }), window.insertAfter = e, window.getElementByXPath = t, window.injectWidgetByXpath = function e(l) { let i = t(l) ||. document.getElementById("tbdefault"); i && n(i) }, window.injectWidgetByMarker = function e
