WORCESTER, Mass. – The Worcester Railers Hockey Club, ECHL affiliate of the St. Louis Blues, announced that the club has signed forwards Jordan Kaplan and Tyson Fawcett, defensemen Cam McDonald and Will van der Veen, and goaltender William Lavallière to contracts for the 2026-27 season.

McDonald, 25, re-signs with Worcester for his third professional season. The Railers first signed McDonald to an ECHL contract ahead of the 2025-26 season following his rookie year under contract with the Bridgeport Islanders. Last season in Worcester, the Eagle River, Alaska native was second amongst Railers defensemen in games played (63) and assists (12). McDonald led all Railers defensemen, and had the second best +/- rating amongst all Railers skaters, at +9. All-time, McDonald is ninth amongst all Railers defensemen in games played with 98, one behind Trevor Cosgrove at 99 for eighth. 

Prior to professional hockey, McDonald played five seasons with Providence College, tallying 31 points (9g-22a) in 162 career games. McDonald served as the captain for the Friars in 2023-24, tying his career high in points (7), and recording a new high in assists (6).

Kaplan, 29, signs in Worcester for his sixth professional season. The Railers first acquired Kaplan from the Newfoundland Growlers for two games during the 2022-23 season before signing him to a contract for the 2024-25 and 2025-26 seasons. Last season, the Bridgewater, New Jersey native was traded to the Wheeling Nailers at the beginning of the year for 16 games before playing in 25 games for the Cincinnati Cyclones. Kaplan re-joined Worcester late in the season where he had six points (1g-5a) in nine games. Kaplan played in a career-high 68 games for Worcester during the 2024-25 season, which was good for second most among forwards and fifth on the team. Kaplan set career highs in goals (18), assists (31) and points (49) during the 2024-25 campaign, along with penalty minutes (108). He was third on the team in points behind only Anthony Repaci (65) and Connor Welsh (57).

Fawcett, 33, signs in Worcester for his 13th professional season. The Barrie, Ontario native played in 70 games for the Adirondack Thunder during the 2025-26 season, collecting 18 points (9g-9a) along with 47 penalty minutes. Fawcett has made stops in the ECHL with 10 organizations, including Adirondack, Greenville, Reading, Atlanta, Jacksonville, Fort Wayne, Tulsa, Elmira, Evansville and Brampton. In 509 total ECHL games, Fawcett has 184 points to go with 338 penalty minutes. He spent four seasons in the Elite Ice Hockey League with the Manchester Storm from 2019-23, playing in 168 games while scoring 88 points (41g-47a). Fawcett saw two games of American Hockey League action with the Rochester Americans during the 2016-17 season. 

van der Veen, 24, signs in Worcester for his first full season in the ECHL. The Duxbury, Massachusetts native spent the end of the 2024-25 season and the 2025-26 season playing for the Evansville Thunderbolts of the SPHL. In 61 regular-season games with Evansville, he had 16 points (5g-11a) to go with 109 penalty minutes and a +4 rating. van der Veen played in 12 playoff games for the champion Thunderbolts during the 2026 playoffs, tallying two assists and 20 penalty minutes along with a +7 rating. Additionally, van der Veen played in four games for the Tulsa Oilers during the 2025-26 season. 

Prior to professional hockey, van der Veen played four seasons of college between Saint Anselm College and Bowdoin College, where he had 23 points in 73 collegiate games. 

Lavallière, 33, signs in Worcester for his first full season in the ECHL. The Railers had signed Lavallière for two games during the 2025-26 season. Prior to his two games with the Railers last season, the Montréal, Quebec native joined the Railers following five games played for the Trois-Rivières Lions, where he amassed a 1.79 goals-against average along with a .934 save percentage and a 3-1-0 record. Preceding his time with Trois-Rivières, he played for the Athens Rock Lobsters of the FPHL to open the 2025-26 season, collecting a 15-3-0 record, a 3.10 goals-against average and a .906 save pecentage in 34 games played. All-time in the Federal Prospects Hockey League, Lavallière has a .917 save percentage to go with a 2.86 goals against average and a 36-13-0 record.