More Ink On Deals

Over the last nine days, ECHL teams have gone on a frenzy in signing players to deals. Teams from all over the ECHL map were busy signing players and re-signing players in order to have their training camp rosters ready for September. Among the players being signed were those who played in U SPORTS, and they're from all parts of Canada in terms of the schools they attended. I've been doing my best to keep up with all the signings of players, so let's dive into another round of free agents inking deals tonight!

Before we get into who signed where, there are eight new deals that involve U SPORTS players. I'm going to try and keep the blurbs small about each player so you're not reading all day. Just know that was one AUS deal, two Canada West deals, and five OUA players signed to deals over the last week and a half. Some players have been playing in the league already while a few will be joining their teams after finishing their final seasons of eligibility this year. Either way, though, the collection of U SPORTS players playing professional hockey in 2023-24 remains strong!

Back on August 2, the Jacksonville Icemen offered a deal to Guelph Gryphons forward Luke Bignell which he signed! Bignell played two seasons with the Gryphons where he scored a respectable ten goals and 11 assists in 45 games. Bignell's not afraid to mix it up as shown by his 125 PIMs with Guelph or the 170 PIMs he racked up with the Barrie Colts in his three seasons in the OHL. The Icemen will get some leadership qualities from Bignell as well as he captained the Colts in the final two seasons he was in Barrie, but the Icemen will want Bignell on the ice for his power forward qualities!

August 3 saw the Rapid City Rush join the party as they signed former Acadia Axemen defender TJ Fergus to a deal! Fergus had himself a suitcase-style 2022-23 as he suited up for four different ECHL teams in Reading, Iowa, Savannah, and Wheeling, but his rights were acquired by the Rush in a season-ending future considerations trade with the Reading Royals to complete the August 2022 exchange for Alex Butcher. Fergus, the son of former NHLer Tom Fergus, skated with Acadia from 2018-22 where he recorded three goals and seven assists in 59 AUS games after winning an OHL championship with the Erie Otters in 2017-18. Rapid City fans will like Fergus' vision on the ice as he's a good passer, and that skill will help the Rush push the play up the ice against their opponents!

August 4 was a good day for former McGill Redbirds forward Jordan-Ty Fournier as he inked a deal with the Allen Americans! The Americans liked the power forward element that Fournier brings to the ice as he was reliable scorer in the QMJHL while posting 90-or-more PIMs in each of his four seasons, and he followed that up with 77 OUA games over four seasons where he scored 19 goals and 15 assists while posting 112 PIMs. His playoffs in his senior year showed his talents as he scored 14 points in 16 OUA playoff games for McGill! What isn't shown in the stats is that Fournier will join his older brother, Stefan, on the Americans! Need another fun fact? Fournier's signing with Allen makes him the 100th McGill player to sign a professional hockey deal!

The Cincinnati Cyclones decided to bring back a player they signed last season out of Wilfrid Laurier University as former Golden Hawks defender Steven MacLean re-upped with Cincy! The 6'7" MacLean recorded two goals and four assists in 21 games with the Cyclones last season after signing with them at the conclusion of Laurier's season, and MacLean played well in his short ECHL stint including scoring his first professional goal in his second game! MacLean's scoring prowess may have been unexpected considering he scored three goals and and 12 assists in 65 OUA games, but Cincinnati will gladly take those points off MacLean's stick for a guy who is normally described as a "stay-at-home defender"!

A four-year ECHL veteran is back for another year with the Utah Grizzlies as former Laurentian Voyageurs forward Dylan Fitze re-signed with the Salt Lake City-based squad! Fitze played all 72 games for the Grizzlies last season, and he turned in a 17-goal, 21-assist campaign to finish fifth on the team in scoring. Fitze joined the Grizzlies last season in a trade with the Orlando Solar Bears on March 24, 2022 after playing 129 games for the Solar Bears in three seasons. Fitze's OUA career lasted from 2013-2018 with the Voyageurs where he posted 46 goals and 32 assists while twice hitting 70 PIMs. He'll be counted on to duplicate that solid 2022-23 season he had for Utah this year!

August 9 saw the Allen Americans dip back into the U SPORTS pool as they decided to bring back former Calgary Dinos defender Ryan Gagnon! Gagnon played the full 72-game schedule for the Americans last season after signing with them in the summer of 2022, and his rookie season saw him post four goals and five assists while spending 80 minutes in the sin bin. Gagnon was never known for goal scoring while the Dinos, but he was a good setup guy in his final two seasons in Calgary. In 99 Canada West games, he scored eight goals and added 40 assists with 29 of those helpers coming over those final two years in Calgary red-and-yellow. Allen allowed a ton of goals last season so they need good defenders, and bringing back Ryan Gagnon is a good way to shore up that defensive zone!

Another player who got the opportunity to head back to the same team is former Brock Badgers forward Adam Berg who signed a deal to return to the Cincinnati Cyclones for this season! Berg played in the final 19 games of the Cyclones' season last year where he scored four goals and added two helpers, but the Cyclones liked what they saw in the winger after he played in all 11 playoff games where he bagged a couple of goals as well. Berg had a solid era at Brock from 2018-23 where he scored 35 goals and 33 assists over 91 games including a senior season where he had 14 goals and 15 helpers, and he will be counted on to help keep Cincinnati at the top of the Central Division standings as one of Cincinnati's goal-scoring threats!

Another player who got a late-season audition with an ECHL team is returning to that team as former Mount Royal Cougars winger Jared Power has re-signed with the Utah Grizzlies for the 2023-24 ECHL season! Power arrived in Utah last season after two campaigns in Calgary with the Cougars where he scored seven goals and 15 assists in 42 games. Upon arriving in Utah last season, Power played in 16 games where he potted one goal and added five helpers. Prior to landing at Mount Royal where he finished his degree, he played for the SAIT Trojans in 2019-20 where he notched 18 goals and 19 assists in 28 games of ACAC action. That's the kind of production Utah's hoping they see from Power this year!

As August rolls on, there likely will be more U SPORTS players landing deals with ECHL teams as everyone gets set for the upcoming season. The ECHL will kick off its 2023-24 season with a Thursday night, all-Florida battle between the defending Kelly Cup champions in the Florida Everblades who will be visiting the Orlando Solar Bears on October 19. The following night sees a number of other teams start their seasons, so mark your calendars accordingly if you want to catch the action with the players listed above!

Congratulations to the eight men above who will take another step forward in their blossoming hockey careers. You're making the schools you attended proud, and I'm excitd to see what the future holds for each of you!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!