SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The Tampa Bay Lightning have reassigned defenseman Matthew Spencer and goaltender Connor Ingram to the Syracuse Crunch. Additionally, the Crunch have returned goaltender Nick Riopel on loan to the Adirondack Thunder of the ECHL, general manager Julien BriseBois announced today.
Spencer, 20, appeared in three games with the Thunder and two with the Crunch this season. He skated in 60 games with the Peterborough Petes of the Ontario Hockey League this past season, recording seven goals and 29 points to go along with 60 penalty minutes. He ranked third among all Petes defensemen for assists with 22 during the regular season. The 6-foot-1, 207-pound defenseman also appeared in 12 OHL playoff games, posting seven points.
The Guelph, Ontario native has played in 251 career OHL games, all with Peterborough over the past four seasons, posting 19 goals and 79 points to go along with 203 penalty minutes. Spencer was selected by the Lightning in the second round, 44th overall, at the 2015 NHL Draft.
Ingram, 20, played in three games with Adirondack earning a 1.30 goals-against average and .960 save percentage along with two wins. He has also played in six games with Syracuse recording a 3.36 goals-against average and .860 save percentage. The 6-foot-1, 202 pound netminder appeared in 158 career WHL games with the Kamloops Blazers, posting a 2.68 goals-against average and a .918 save percentage with an 81-50-16 record. In 45 games last season, he posted career-highs with a 2.44 goals-against average, .927 save percentage, a 26-14-2 record and five shutouts. Ingram led the WHL for save percentage and ranked second among goaltenders with more than seven games played for goals-against average.
The Imperial, Saskatchewan native played in four games with Team Canada at the 2017 World Junior Championships, recording a 2-1 record and a 2.57 goals-against average with one shutout, helping Canada to the Silver Medal. Ingram was selected by Tampa Bay in the third round, 88th overall, of the 2016 NHL Draft.
Riopel, 28, appeared in nine games with Adirondack this season earning a 3.91 goals-against average and .871 save percentage. In 32 games with the Kalamazoo Wings of the ECHL last season, he posted a 18-12-1 record along with a 3.13 goals-against average and a .899 save percentage.
The 6-foot, 185-pound netminder has appeared in 138 career ECHL contests with Adirondack, Kalamazoo, Norfolk, Rapid City and Greenville, compiling a 73-57-6 record. Riopel also earned a 7-13-0 record in a 21 career AHL games all with the Adirondack Phantoms. Prior to his professional career, the Beloiel, Quebec native spent five seasons with the Moncton Wildcats of the QMJHL from 2005 to 2010, recording a 94-47-14 record in 168 appearances. Riopel was selected in the fifth round, 142nd overall, by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.
