SYRACUSE, N.Y. – (Alderson Photo) — The Syracuse Crunch have signed forwards Brandon Alderson and Olivier Labelle to professional tryout contracts, general manager Julien BriseBois announced today. Additionally, the Crunch have reassigned goaltender Nick Riopel to the Kalamazoo Wings of the ECHL.
Alderson, 24, has skated in 20 games with the Greenville Swamp Rabbits of the ECHL this season. His 11 goals are tied for first on the team and he ranks third in total points with 22. The Oakville, Ontario native has also appeared with the Hartford Wolf Pack this season earning one assist in three contests.
The 6-foot-4, 202-pound forward has played in 136 career AHL games with the Wolf Pack, Lehigh Valley Phantoms and Adirondack Phantoms racking up 32 points (17g, 15a) and 111 penalty minutes. He also has 64 points (29g, 35a) and 96 penalty minutes in 96 career ECHL games with the Swamp Rabbits and Reading Royals.
Labelle, 31, has appeared in 35 games with the Royals this season. He is second on the team with 14 goals and third with 29 points. Last season, the St. Eustache, Quebec native put up 36 points (11g, 14a) along with a plus-16 rating in 26 games for the Dragons de Rouen in the Ligue Magnus.
The 6-foot, 190-pound forward has accumulated 313 points (157g, 156a) in 371 ECHL games with the Royals, Victoria Salmon Kings and Utah Grizzlies. He also played in 126 career AHL games with the Providence Bruins, Bridgeport Sound Tigers, Manitoba Moose and the Crunch earning 39 points (15g, 24a). In 82 games with the Graz 99ers in the Erste Bank Eishockey Liga, the forward posted 51 points (23g, 28a). Labelle made his professional debut with the Crunch during the 2006-07 season.
Riopel, 27, has appeared with 13 games with the K-Wings this season, accumulating one shutout along with a 4-8-1 record and a .880 save percentage. The netminder appeared in 32 games with the Norfolk Admirals of the ECHL during the 2015-16 season, posting a 13-15-1 record along with a 2.56 goals-against average and .924 save percentage. He also had a 4.03 goals-against average and .843 save percentage in two games with the Rapid City Rush last season.
The 6-foot, 185-pound goaltender has appeared in 110 career ECHL contests with Kalamazoo, Norfolk, Rapid City and the Greenville Road Warriors, compiling a 55-46-6 record. Riopel also earned a 7-13-0 record in 21 career AHL games all with the Adirondack Phantoms.
Riopel was selected in the fifth round, 142nd overall, by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.
