The Avalanche started the rebuild of the San Antonio Rampage roster with a defenseman and a forward in Ryan Stanton and Turner Elson, respectively.
Stanton, 26, went undrafted but signed with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2010. He played three seasons with the team’s AHL affiliate Rockford Icehogs (with a one-game NHL appearance) before being claimed off waivers by the Vancouver Canucks in 2013. The St. Albert native spent 64 games with the Canucks in 2013-14 and 54 in 2014-2015, scoring four goals and 23 assists. He signed with the Washington Capitals last season, making one appearance with the team. He played 60 games with the Hershey Bears, scoring four goals and 12 assists. He’s a defense-first defenseman who plays with an edge. However, he does have a scoring touch as well.
Turner Elson, 23, also went undrafted, signing with the Calgary Flames as a free agent in 2011. He played for the Red Deer Rebels of the WHL before logging time with the Abbotsford Heat (AHL), Alaska Aces (ECHL), Adirondack Flames (AHL) and Stockton Heat (AHL), all affiliated with the Flames. He put up 30 points in each of the last two seasons with the Adirondack Flames (17g, 13a) and Stockton Heat (14g, 16a). In his NHL debut with the Flames on April 9, 2016, he tallied an assist. He’s considered to be an intelligent, but physical, player who isn’t afraid to be aggressive or drop the gloves.
Both contracts are one-year deals.
Winger Trent Vogelhuber was drafted in the 7th round by the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2007. The 27-year-old hails from Dublin, OH, and developed in the NCAA system, attending Miami University in Ohio for four years. He’s spent most of his time in the AHL since then, playing for the Springfield Falcons. In 2015, he joined the Lake Erie Monsters where he put up 11 goals and 16 assists in 70 games in their championship run. The Calder Cup last season was not Vogelhuber’s first taste of hardware. He was part of two NCAA championships in 2010 and 2011.
The deal is two way and for two years. Monetary considerations have not been disclosed yet.
More signings came later in the day and include the following players.
Jim O’Brien: The 27-year-old was selected in the first round (29th overall) by the Ottawa Senators back in 2007. O’Brien, a center, stands at 6’3″ and weighs 195 pounds. Between the Senators and the New Jersey Devils, he has recorded 8 goals and 4 assists in 67 games. During his time with Ottawa’s AHL team, the Binghamton Senators, O’Brien won the Calder Cup (2011). He spent most of this past season with the Devils’s AHL affiliate, the Albany Devils, where he notched 19 goals and 19 assists in 56 games. O’Brien hails from Minnesota and was part of the United States National Team Development Program and, as such, represented the United States in multiple championship tournaments, including winning gold in the IIHF World Under-18 Championships in 2006 and 2007. One-year contract.
Reid Petryk: Petryk has been with the Avalanche for the past two seasons, splitting his time with the AHL (San Antonio Rampage and Lake Erie Monsters) and ECHL (Fort Wayne Komets) teams. Last season, the 23 year old scored 37 points (15g, 22a) in 72 games in San Antonio and is one of the few players the Avalanche have brought back for next season. Coming in at 6’1″ and 200 pounds, the center plays a strong game and will be expected to play even more important minutes in 2016-17. Two-year contract.
Mike Sislo: Sislo came into professional hockey after a four-year campaign at the University of New Hampshire. The 28-year-old forward also comes to the Avalanche from the New Jersey Devils organization. He spent 18 games with New Jersey last season, putting up 3 goals and 1 assist. Two of those goals came in the same game and happened to be his first NHL goals ever. With the Albany Devils, Sislo led the team in goals at 27 (14 of which were on the power play) and came in second in points with 53. He appeared in 57 games. One-year contract.
Jeremy Smith: Smith, a goaltender, was picked up by Nashville in the 2007 Entry Draft (54th overall). During his first professional season, he helped the Cincinnati Cyclones win the ECHL’s Kelly Cup and was named co-MVP. He also manned the net during the USA’s fourth-place bid in the 2008 IIHF World Junior Championship. During his time in the AHL, he’s posted a .917 save percentage and 2.42 goals against average. In 2014-15 and 2015-16, he backstopped the Providence Bruins into the playoffs with an average of a .934 save percentage and 2.04 goals against average, marking his two best seasons during his eight-year professional career. One-year contract.
Joe Whitney: Another former Devil, Whitney played in the New York Islanders organization last season. The 5’6″ 170-pound forward comes out of the Boston College ranks, winning two NCAA Championships along the way in 2008 and 2010. Undrafted, he signed his first professional contract with the Albany Devils in 2011. He recorded 44 points (15g, 29a) in 72 games. He would go on to become the franchise’s all-time leading scorer during his four years in Albany. In 2013, he signed with Albany’s parent club in New Jersey and has played in five NHL games. His one and only goal came against the Detroit Red Wings in 2014. The 28-year-old has been named to the AHL All-Star Game roster three years in a row. One-year contract.
