Schmelzer Inks Deal with Adirondack Thunder
Former Canisius forward Ryan Schmelzer has agreed to terms with the Adirondack Thunder of the East Coast Hockey League, the team announced Thursday.
The Thunder are the ECHL affiliate of the New Jersey Devils and the American Hockey League’s Binghamton Devils.
The signing also reunites Schmelzer with former Canisius linemate Shane Conacher, who leads the Thunder in scoring this season with 55 points (15 G, 40 A) in 49 games played.
Schmelzer appeared in 143 games during his four seasons with the Golden Griffins. He finished his career ranked among the top-10 players in the Division I era of the program in career goals (40/T-10th), assists (66/10th) and points (106/T-10th). Schmelzer also finished his career tied with former standout Cory Conacher ’11 for first place on the program’s career game-winning goals chart with 12.
Serving as team captain for the 2017-18 season, Schmelzer was an All-Atlantic Hockey Third Team selection after finishing third on the team in scoring with 30 points (13 G, 17 A). A Senior CLASS Award Finalist, Schmelzer ranked second on the squad in both plus/minus (+11) and game-winning goals (4) during his senior campaign.
Stander Signs with Atlanta Gladiators
Former Canisius defenseman Jack Stander has signed with the Atlanta Gladiators of the East Coast Hockey League, the team announced Wednesday.
The Gladiators are the ECHL affiliate of the Boston Bruins and the American Hockey League’s Providence Bruins.
A native of Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich., Stander appeared in 137 games during his four seasons with the Golden Griffins, compiling six goals and 23 assists for 29 points.
Stander served as an assistant captain for Canisius during the 2017-18 season. He was in the lineup for all 37 games this season, tallying a career-high three goals to go along with seven assists for 10 points. Stander also paced the team with a career-high 63 blocked shots.
In 2016-17, Stander was a key part of a Canisius defense that ranked in the top-10 nationally in penalty kill percentage (87.2/3rd), scoring defense (2.18/5th) and goals against (85/6th).
