Running Out Of Ink

While not every ECHL team will have a U SPORTS player on their roster when training camps open this season, we've seen a pile of players signed by a number of teams as ECHL general managers look north to bolster their squads. Wednesday seems to be the day where things slow down slightly, so we're back again today - a Wednesday! - to update everyone on who is going where in terms of players who have U SPORTS ties. Perhaps this year will see a number of U SPORTS-trained players win a Kelly Cup or, ideally, promoted to AHL clubs, but we'll start with ECHL training camps in terms of getting everyone into the game.

With start with the signing that happened last Thursday as the Kalamazoo Wings dipped back into the U SPORTS player pool and signed former Brock Badgers captain and defender Connor Walters! Walters played two seasons with the Badgers after enrolling at Brock in 2018 after a solid OHL career with Owen Sound and Hamilton. In 56 games with Brock, Walters scored three goals and added 26 assists while taking just five minor penalties, so one can see why Brock liked what Walters brought to the ice. He played 63 games for the Wichita Thunder in 2022-23, earning the Thunder's Community Service Award for his contributions off the ice in the local community. Wichita acquired Walters at the trade deadline in 2021-22, and Wichita dealt Walters to Kalamazoo on June 21 to finalize the deal for forward Brett Boeing. The Wings will want to see Walters setting up scorers on their blue line this season after inking him to a deal!

The Wichita Thunder got in on the signing action on Thursday as well as they inked former Carleton Ravens defender Jeremy Masella to a deal for this season! Masella might have had one of the shortest university careers as he played just eight games with the Ravens in 2021-22 before jumping at a professional opportunity with the Kalamazoo Wings. In those eight games, though, Masella did score a goal and sat for ten minutes in penalties, so one could say he contributed. Prior to enrolling at Carleton, Masella played for the WHL's Victoria Royals and Prince Albert Raiders. Last season, Kalamazoo traded Masella to the Savannah Ghost Pirates where he played just nine games. He logged time with the Evansville Thunderbolts in the SPHL last season. Masella will look to get his career trajectory heading upward with Wichita this season!

Wichita went back to the well again yesterday as they signed former Ontario Tech Ridgebacks forward Cameron Hough for this season! I'm almost certain that Hough had the shortest U SPORTS career of any signing yet as he played just seven games for the Ridgebacks in the 2021-22 season before jumping to the professional ranks. Hough was certainly a good player in his brief cameo for Ontario Tech, scoring three goals and adding a helper in those seven games before signing with the ECHL's Wheeling Nailers! Hough's career prior to his quick stop at Ontario Tech saw him play with Sarnia and Kingston in the OHL, Pembroke in the CCHL, and the Weeks Crushers of the Maritime Hockey League. Since leaving Ontario Tech, Hough played 16 games in Wheeling before landing with the SPHL's Knoxville Ice Bears in 2022-23 before the Thunder came calling and signed him to a 17-game stint. He'll be back with the Thunder this season, looking to build on the two goals and one assist he had last season with Wichita!

The Orlando Solar Bears joined the fun in signing guys with Canadian university lineage as they inked former Alberta Golden Bears defender Ben Carroll to a contract today! Carroll spent four years at the University of Alberta from 2016-20, playing 90 Canada West games where he scored six goals and added 32 assists in that time while helping the Golden Bears claim the 2018 U SPORTS National Championship. Carroll spent four years with the Edmonton Oil Kings prior to joining the Golden Bears, winning a Memorial Cup with Edmonton in 2013-14. He signed with the Allen Americans in 2019-20 after Alberta's season ended, and returned for two more seasons as one of Allen's top-pairing defenders. Last year, he jumped to Denmark where he played with the Aalborg Pirates, scoring four goals and 12 assists in 44 games. Orlando is looking to have Carroll bring his steady influence to their blue line this season!

The final signing that happened over this last week came courtesy of the Worcester Railers who saw what they liked in former Dalhousie Tigers defender Connor Welsh after acquiring him from the Trois-Rivieres Lions for future considerations today! Welsh played three seasons with the Tigers from 2018-22, scoring seven goals and 41 assists in 81 AUS games while being named as the 2021-22 Dalhousie team MVP! Welsh played two seasons in the BCHL with Alberni Valley and Trail prior to arriving at Dalhousie, and he signed a deal with Trois-Rivieres after the Tigers' season ended in 2021 that saw him play 11 games with the Lions. Trois-Rivieres liked what they saw as they brought him back for 2022-23 where he scored two goals and 18 assists in 63 games. In total, Welsh has three goals and 19 assists in 74 ECHL games thus far. The Railers clearly liked his scoring potential from the blue line in making the trade-and-sign deal, and they're hoping Welsh can have a big season on their blue line!

We're about six weeks away from opening night in the ECHL, and teams are still adding talented players who played at the Canadian university level. I'm in the camp of "more is better", so hopefully we'll see a few more players off the free agent market in the next few weeks as teams prepare to open training camps. Nevertheless, five more players with U SPORTS ties will attend camps who signed over the last week, and that's another strong sign that U SPORTS hockey is a great place for talent!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!