Making More Deals

As I've been committed to doing all summer thus far, we have another entry in the never-ending signings of former U SPORTS players in the ECHL! This is a great sign that the ECHL is recognizing that U SPORTS players have immense talent and potential to help teams succeed, and the time spent in the ECHL for some of these players likely will be a rung on the ladder they're climbing in their professional hockey careers. Where ever these players end up, U SPORTS played a part in getting to the next level!

We'll start with a re-signing as former McGill Redbirds forward Keanu Yamamoto inked a deal to return to the Rapid City Rush for this season on August 10. Yamamoto played 71 games in South Dakota last season where he scored 18 goals and added 27 helpers as an effective winger for the Rush, finishing the season fifth-overall in points on the team. His four years at McGill saw him play effectively there as well. The former Spokane Chiefs sniper attended McGill from 2017-2022 after his junior career, and Yamamoto skated in 98 games with the Redbirds, notching 29 goals and 53 assists. Clearly, the Rush have seen him continue to produce at a consistent rate enough that they re-signed him for 2023-24!

Another re-signing that happened on August 14 had former UPEI Panthers centerman Carson MacKinnon agree to terms to return to the Jacksonville Icemen! MacKinnon skated in 11 games with the Icemen last season where he scored two goals, but the Icemen liked what they saw from that introduction, it seems. Prior to jumping into the ECHL, MacKinnon spent two seasons with the UPEI Panthers from 2021-23 where he skated in 47 games, scoring seven goals and 22 assists for the Panthers. He also skated for Rimouski and Gatineau in the QMJHL and for Summerside in the MHL prior to arriving at UPEI! Just as a note, MacKinnon scored both of his Icemen goals last year in the same game and period - April 15 against the South Carolina Stingrays in the first period! Not a bad start for the kid from Summerside, PEI!

Another AUS player who turned a good start into a new contract this season is former UNB Reds defender Connor Hall who re-signed with the South Carolina Stingrays! Known more for his defensive work, Hall skated in eight games with the Stingrays last season where he scored a goal and added three helpers! Hall was at UNB for three seasons from 2019-2023 where he played in 64 games, amassing eight goals, fourteen assists, and 169 PIMs with 109 of those minutes coming in his final season with the Reds. Prior to his arrival in Fredericton, Hall skated in parts of five seasons with the Kitchener Rangers in the OHL. He did help UNB win their ninth championship prior to heading to the ECHL, so South Carolina is getting a player with a championship pedigree for the 2023-24 season!

The former captain of the Mount Royal Cougars is back in South Dakota as the Rapid City Rush announced today that they have re-signed defender Tyson Helgesen to a deal for the upcoming season! Helgesen played parts of the last two seasons with the Rush including 66 games last year where he two goals, 14 assists, and logged 117 PIMs in the sin bin. He also made a one-game appearance with the AHL's Calgary Wranglers against the Colorado Eagles on March 4 where he had no statistics recorded. In 76 Canada West games with the Cougars, Helgesen recorded three goals and 24 assists from 2018-22 after having a solid four-year career with the Spokane Chiefs. In 81 ECHL games with the Rush to date, Helgesen has totalled three goals, 18 assists, and 130 PIMs.

The final signing for this week came today as well as the Jacksonville Icemen announced they had re-signed former Manitoba Bisons defender Mackenzie Dwyer to a 2023-24 contract. Dwyer played parts of four seasons with the WHL's Everett Silvertips and MJHL's Portage Terriers before landing for a single season in 2018-19 with the Bisons where he scored one goal and five assists in 26 Canada West games. As evidenced by the only photo I could find of him in brown-and-gold colours, Dwyer's short stint with Manitoba led to him signing in the SPHL with the Birmingham Bulls before landing with the Norfolk Admirals in 2022-23. Last season saw him with the Bulls for 25 games, the Fort Wayne Komets for five contests, and the Icemen for 32 games where he scored one goal and six assists. Dwyer's ECHL totals to date show him scoring two goals and 14 assists in 69 games. He'll return to Jacksonville to see if he can build on those numbers while helping the Icemen earn a Kelly Cup!

Five more former U SPORTS players are in or returning to the professional ranks this season, and all of them will be a part of teams who want to add a Kelly Cup to their trophy cases. We saw a handful of U SPORTS players help both Florida and Idaho to the championship final last season, so it's entirely possible that we could see more former U SPORTS players win this season. Will any of the five above be among that group? They'll all work to make that happen, and congratulations to all of them for earning contracts for this season!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!