Just two weeks removed from defenceman Leon Gawanke's decision to sign a four-year deal with Adler Mannheim of Germany's Deutsche Eishockey Liga - or what is more commonly known as the DEL - another prominent Manitoba Moose player has submitted his walking papers.
On Tuesday, it was announced that forward Cole Maier has agreed to a one-year contract with the DEL's Nurnberg Ice Tigers, where he will face off against Gawanke in the 14-team league at least four times next season.
Having served as an alternate captain for the Moose in each of the past two years, Maier joined the team at the end of the 2018-19 season, at the conclusion of his NCAA career.
The 6-foot-2, 200-pound forward has since skated in 213 career regular season games for Manitoba, where he produced 48 goals, 94 points and 153 penalty minutes. Maier added a goal, five points and six penalty minutes in 10 postseason games over two playoff runs with the Moose.
He scored 15 times and added another 12 assists in an injury-riddled 2022-23 campaign in Manitoba.
"In Cole Maier we have signed a physically robust and strong center forward who can draw on the experience of 223 games in the AHL," said Ice Tigers sporting director Stefan Ustorf. "As a right-hand shooter, he gives our team additional flexibility on face-offs and power plays.”
The move to Nurnberg is somewhat surprising, considering Maier is a New Jersey product, significantly different than his former teammate Gawanke, who hails from Germany. But unlike Gawanke's four-year deal, Maier's contract is only one year in length.
The 2021-22 season was Maier's best, to which he scored 17 goals and 37 points in 68 games. He was also presented with Manitoba's MVP award at the conclusion of the year.
"Get back home, try to get in the ocean a bit and get some sun," Maier said when asked by Illegal Curve's Dave Minuk about his summer plans at his year-end media availability. "It will be good to just relax and lay down and see some friends and family. It's tough for them to get out to Winnipeg; it's a little tricky. But it will be good to see everyone and get a little reset in. But then I'll be looking forward to getting back into hockey."
Maier never did officially specify Winnipeg as his destination for next season, or give any reason to suggest he wouldn't be returning in his final conversations with the media. But as fate would have it, Manitoba is no longer in the cards. At least not for 2023-24.
Despite throwing a slight jab at his winter city of residence, Maier did appear to have enjoyed his time spent in Winnipeg.
“Feels so much like home," he reflected. "You do learn so much about it. For me I guess, being from the States, how big of a role hockey plays in Winnipeg. Seeing the Jets games close by and everything. How passionate the fan base is and how much they really do love hockey here.”