The Utica Comets kicked off a day of minor league signings by re-signing forwards Xavier Parent and Jace Isley to one-year, two-way, minor-league contracts. The duo will have a chance to earn an increased salary at the AHL level next season, after both spending a season in the ECHL’s Adirondack Thunder.
Parent graduated from the Thunder partway through the 2022-23 season, after scoring 23 goals and 51 points in 50 games. He’s continued producing through his rookie AHL season this year, ranking third on the Comets in scoring with 45 points in 71 games. Isley has followed Parent’s path this year, graduating to Utica after 55 games in the ECHL, though he only scored 23 points of his own. He’ll aim to earn his first full AHL season next year, while Parent will be fighting to earn his first NHL contract.
Other notes from around the minors:
- The Hartford Wolf Pack have announced the signing of forward Nate Sucese to a one-year contract. He’ll move east after spending the last two seasons with the Chicago Wolves. Sucesse found his stride in Chicago, posting a career-high 23 goals and 37 points in 72 games this season – topping his previous high of 23 points, set last season. The pair of years was a big improvement from the 21 points in 49 games that Sucese totaled in his first two AHL seasons. The Penn State alum seems to have the wind behind his sails, and will now look to carve out a strong role in Hartford’s middle-six.
- Sticking in the realm of Big Ten alumni – the Abbotsford Canucks have signed former Ohio State defender Layton Ahac to a one-year deal. It will be the first move of Ahac’s career, after spending his first four pro years with the Henderson Silver Knights. He failed to find much space on the scoresheet, recording just one goal and 17 points across 148 games. But Ahac has nonetheless fought his way into a routine role, on the back of smart defending and passing. He’ll look to form a more robust resume with a move to Canada, joining a Canucks organization with a wide open defense depth chart.
- The Chicago Wolves have joined teams making additions today, signing forward Nikita Pavlychev to a one-year contract. Pavlychev will move to Chicago after spending the last three seasons signed with the Ontario Reign, though he spent the majority of those seasons with the ECHL’s Greenville Swamp Rabbits. Pavlychev managed 108 points across 106 games in Greenville, ultimately working his way into a career-high 29 AHL games this season. He vindicated those performances with a stout 10 points, and will now look to firmly cement his feet as an AHL talent with the Wolves.