WORCESTER, Mass. – The Worcester Railers Hockey Club, ECHL affiliate of the St. Louis Blues, announced that the club has re-signed forwards Lincoln Hatten and Declan McDonnell, along with defensemen Michael Suda, Connor Federkow and Gabe Blanchard to contracts for the 2026-27 season.

Hatten, 26, re-signs with Worcester for his third professional season. The Railers originally signed Hatten on Oct. 22, 2024 from the Evansville Thunderbolts of the SPHL. During the 2025-26 season with the Railers, Hatten set a career-high in games played at 68, topping the 2024-25 season by two games. The Hattiesburg, Mississippi native set career-highs in goals (13) and points (25) while adding 12 assists for Worcester. Hatten led the Railers in penalty minutes with 129. He currently sits fourth all-time in Railers history in penalty minutes with 223, 13 behind Ross Olsson (2018-24) at 236. Hatten was named the Worcester Railers Player of the Month for Oct./Nov. 2025, and was the recipient of the team's Tough Guy Award for the 2025-26 season, as voted on by the Worcester Railers Booster Club.

Suda, 24, re-signs with Worcester for his first full season with the team. The Railers first acquired Suda in a trade with the Savannah Ghost Pirates on Nov. 6, 2025. Since he joined the Railers in November, the Buffalo, New York native finished first among Railers defensemen, fifth among all Railers skaters, and 19th amongst all ECHL defensemen in points with 39 (5g-34a). He had two power-play goals on the season, and was tied with Railers captain Anthony Repaci for the team lead in power-play assists with 12. Suda was named the Worcester Railers Rookie of the Year for the 2025-26 season, as voted on by the Worcester Railers Booster Club.

McDonnell, 24, re-signs with the Railers for his first full professional season. The Railers originally signed McDonnell on March 10, 2026 following the conclusion of his lone season at Niagara University. In 11 games with Worcester last season, the Buffalo, New York native scored five points (1g-4a). He recorded the first multi-point game of his career on April 2 when he tallied two assists in a 5-3 win over the Reading Royals. Prior to his collegiate career, McDonnell made appearances in the Ontario Hockey League and the United States Hockey League. Over his junior career, McDonnell amassed 196 games and 148 points (63g-85a) to go with 161 penalty minutes in four seasons played from 2018-23. McDonnell was selected in the seventh round (217th overall) by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. During the 2020-21 season, McDonnell played 16 games with the Syracuse Crunch of the American Hockey League.

Federkow, 22, re-signs with the Railers for his first full season with the team. The Railers first signed Federkow on Dec. 29, 2025 from the Evansville Thunderbolts of the SPHL. In 20 games with the Railers last season, the St. Catherines, Ontario native recorded eight penalty minutes to go with a +1 rating. Prior to playing professional hockey, he spent three seasons in the OHL between the London Knights and the Niagara IceDogs. In 153 OHL games, Federkow had 18 points (4g-14a) to go with 225 penalty minutes.

Blanchard, 25, re-signs with the Railers for his first full season with the team. The Railers first acquired Blanchard in a trade with the Greensboro Gargoyles on Dec. 1, 2025. In 37 games with the Railers last season, the Buffalo, New York native totaled three points (1g-2a). Prior to professional hockey, he had a four-year collegiate career between Sacred Heart University and UMass-Lowell. In 103 collegiate games, he had 12 points (2g-10a) along with 85 penalty minutes.