An AHL talent cashes in on his NHL debut, the WBS Pens sign a grizzled vet, and more news and notes from around the league.
It was a lean night of action across the AHL last night. The Utica Comets mowed over the struggling Rocket 4-1, Cleveland edged Grand Rapids 4-3 in the shootout, Syracuse tripled up on Rochester 7-2 and Providence shut down the Penguins 3-1.
The only game on the docket today, a matchup between the Milwaukee Admirals and Iowa Wild, is currently ongoing.
Calgary Wrangler's sensation Connor Zary made the most of his call-up to the Calgary Flames, scoring his first goal on his first-ever shot in a National Hockey League game.
Zary, who has 10 points through six games with the Wranglers, saw 16:11 minutes of ice time and finished with a -1 with six shots on goal and two penalty minutes in the Flames' 4-3 loss to the Dallas Stars on Wednesday.
The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins announced today that they have signed defenseman Mark Pysyk to a professional tryout agreement.
The 31-year-old blueliner has 521 games of NHL experience earned as a member of the Buffalo Sabres, Florida Panthers and Dallas Stars. Over 10 seasons, Pysyk has picked up 28 goals and 76 assists for 104 points.
Pysyk has previously played in the AHL for the Rochester Americans from 2012-16. A first-round pick (23rd overall) by the Sabres in 2010, he posted 47 points (8G-39A) in 145 games as an Amerk.
Pysyk signed with the Detroit Red Wings for the 2022-23 season, but missed the entire campaign after undergoing surgery for a torn achilles. He recently attended Pittsburgh Penguins training camp on a professional tryout agreement.
The American Hockey League announced yesterday that they will be joining the National Hockey League and the National Hockey League Players’ Association for their Hockey Fights Cancer™ campaign. More on the fantastic initiative here.
Elsewhere, the American Hockey League announced yesterday that Springfield Thunderbirds forward Adam Gaudette, Laval Rocket forward Joshua Roy, and Belleville Senators goaltender Mads Sogaard have been selected as the league’s award winners for October. More on their fantastic stat lines here.
Finally, The American Hockey League today announced the four people selected for induction into the American Hockey League Hall of Fame as the Class of 2024.
Honored by the AHL Hall of Fame Selection Committee as the latest group of enshrinees are Dennis Bonvie, Gordie Clark, Gerry Ehman, and Roy Sommer. More on the selection and their pedigree is available here.