One former University of Maine hockey player has signed a deal with an ECHL team, while another will enter free agency this spring.
Brian Morgan has signed a standard-player contract with the ECHL’s Adirondack Thunder, an affiliate of the Calgary Flames, while Blaine Byron, who was drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins before attending UMaine, will not sign with Pittsburgh and instead plans to enter free agency.
The University of New England on Friday also announced that senior Trevor Fleurent of Biddeford signed a pro contract with the Fayetteville FireAntz of the Southern Professional Hockey League.
Morgan’s signing was reported in a statement released by the Thunder. News of Byron choosing free agency came from an NBC Sports report.
Byron, who served as an alternate captain for UMaine this season, led the Black Bears with 18 goals and 23 assists in 36 games.
He finished his career with 108 points (46 and 62) and is free to sign with any NHL organization. Byron was drafted 179th overall by the Penguins in 2013.
Morgan played three seasons at UMaine before transferring as a graduate student to Connecticut for his senior campaign. The 22-year old Morgan accumulated 32 points (17 and 15) in 103 games for the Black Bears.
He was UConn’s fourth leading scorer this winter with seven goals and seven assists.
Fleurent was scheduled to be in the lineup Friday when the FireAntz played the Knoxville Ice Bears.
The Biddeford High School and former winner of the Travis Roy Award, Fleurent finished his career as UNE’s leader in goals (50), assists (66) and points (116). This season, he totaled 20 goals and 25 assists as the Nor’easters advanced to the Commonwealth Coast Conference championship game.
In the most recent national statistics, the first-team all-conference selection is tied for first in power-play goals (10) and second in points per game (1.80).
“I am very excited to be starting my pro career for the Fayetteville FireAntz and helping them with their playoff run,” Fleurent said in a news release. “It was a honor to represent the University of New England for the last four years. I would like to thank my family, friends, teammates, and coaches for the endless support to get me to this point.”
“He had an outstanding career at UNE and was, without a doubt, one of the best players in the country this season,” said UNE head coach Kevin Swallow. “Trevor is an extremely talented player, but what sets him apart from others is his work ethic. He never takes off a single shift in a game or a single rep in practice.”
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