The Cleveland Monsters announced Thursday that the team has signed veteran goaltender Brad Thiessen to a one-year AHL contract for the 2019-20 season. Thiessen, 33, posted a record of 12-8-4 in 26 regular-season appearances for Cleveland in 2018-19 with a 2.36 goals-against average, a .913 save percentage and two shutouts, helping the Monsters reach the Calder
American Hockey League
The Pittsburgh Penguins have re-signed defensemen Zach Trotman and Kevin Czuczman to two-year, two-way contracts. Trotman, 28, recorded one goal and four assists in 24 AHL games with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in 2018-19, and added one assist in 13 NHL games with Pittsburgh. A native of Carmel, Ind., Trotman has appeared in 232 career AHL
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. … The American Hockey League announced today that Mark Giordano of the Calgary Flames has been selected as the Ephesus/AHL Graduate of the Month for June. At the NHL Awards ceremony in Las Vegas on June 19, Giordano won the Norris Trophy as the National Hockey League’s top defenseman for the first time in
The Hockey Hall of Fame on Tuesday announced that American Hockey League alumni Guy Carbonneau, Sergei Zubov and Jim Rutherford are part of the induction class of 2019. Carbonneau and Zubov will be enshrined in the players’ category along with Hayley Wickenheiser and Vaclav Nedomansky; Rutherford will be joined by Jerry York in the builders’
As most of the Blue Jackets front office left Vancouver to fly back to Columbus after the weekend’s NHL draft, the newest member of the organization’s management team was returning to a place with a special place in his memory. Mike Eaves, who was hired last week to coach the team’s AHL affiliate in Cleveland,
The St. Louis Blues have agreed to terms on a one-year, two-way contract with forward Jordan Nolan. Nolan appeared in 59 AHL games with the San Antonio Rampage in 2018-19, tying for the team lead with 17 goals and finishing fourth on the club with 35 points. He also posted two assists in 14 NHL
The New Jersey Devils on Saturday acquired forward Adam Helewka from the Nashville Predators for future considerations. Helewka, 23, recorded 21 goals and 29 assists for 50 points in 65 AHL games between Tucson and Milwaukee in 2018-19, his third pro season. A native of Burnaby, B.C., Helewka has appeared in 189 career AHL contests
The Chicago Blackhawks have acquired forward John Quenneville from the New Jersey Devils in exchange for forward John Hayden. Quenneville, 23, recorded 18 goals and 21 assists for 39 points in 37 games with the AHL’s Binghamton Devils in 2018-19 and played in his first AHL All-Star Classic. In 138 AHL games over his three
The Vancouver Canucks have acquired forward Francis Perron and a seventh-round selection in the 2019 NHL Draft from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for forward Tom Pyatt and a 2019 sixth-round pick. Perron, 23, set career highs with 18 goals, 29 assists and 47 points in 63 games for the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda
Thirty-one National Hockey League teams are preparing to take part in this weekend’s 2019 NHL Draft in Vancouver, and their top affiliates are ready and waiting for the next wave of young American Hockey League stars to begin their professional careers. In 2018-19, a total of 242 former first- and second-round draft picks played in
The Detroit Red Wings on Monday announced the hiring of Todd Krygier as an assistant coach for the Grand Rapids Griffins. Krygier joins fellow assistants Matt Macdonald and Mike Knuble, goaltending development coach Brian Mahoney-Wilson, and video coach Bill LeRoy on second-year head coach Ben Simon’s staff for 2019-20. “Combining his playing and coaching experiences,
Syracuse Crunch alumni Nikita Kucherov and Andrei Vasilevskiy of the Tampa Bay Lightning were landslide winners at the annual NHL Awards ceremony in Las Vegas on Wednesday night. Kucherov, who began his professional career with Syracuse by notching 24 points in 17 games in 2013-14, captured the Hart Trophy as the National Hockey League’s most valuable player, receiving 164
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. … The American Hockey League is holding the 2019 AHL Team Business Meetings presented by ExteNet Systems this week, with more than 200 representatives from the league and its member clubs gathering at the Sheraton Charlotte Hotel in Charlotte, N.C. Team and league front-office personnel from throughout the American Hockey League meet each
The Columbus Blue Jackets have named director of player personnel Chris Clark general manager of the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters, and signed Mike Eaves to a multi-year contract to become the sixth head coach in Monsters franchise history. Eaves, 63, joins the Monsters with 34 seasons of experience coaching in the professional and collegiate ranks, including
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. … The American Hockey League has selected Paul Branecky, vice president of marketing and communications for the Charlotte Checkers, as the winner of the league’s Ken McKenzie Award for the 2018-19 season. Recognizing the important role played by team management in building a successful franchise, the Ken McKenzie Award is presented annually to
The Anaheim Ducks today announced that they have named Dallas Eakins head coach. Eakins, who spent the last four seasons coaching the Ducks’ AHL affiliate in San Diego, becomes the 10th head coach in franchise history. “Dallas is an outstanding head coach who has worked well with our players since joining the organization four years ago,” said
Mike Vellucci downplayed a lot of accolades this season. When the Checkers clinched a playoff berth, it was business as usual. When he helped guide the team to the league’s best regular season record, the focus was already on the postseason. When the team punched their ticket for the first-ever Finals appearance in team history,
Charlotte (Carolina Hurricanes) found a perfect balance between the two this season by winning the Calder Cup after a 51-win, 110-point regular season. Here are four takeaways of what it all means for Charlotte, which defeated Chicago (Vegas Golden Knights) in five games for the Calder Cup, and the Hurricanes: Winning matters Mike Vellucci, in