The Coachella Valley Firebirds have been making some moves this week! The Firebirds gave out two contracts to strengthen their defense. One of these was a brand-new signing, while other was given out to a familiar face.
On Tuesday, the Firebirds signed rookie Charlie Wright.
Wright previously played in the WHL for the Saskatoon Blades, where he spent the past five seasons. The 20-year-old defenseman played 256 regular season games and acquired a total of 103 points, scoring 15 goals and gaining 88 assists. The Alberta, Canada native was also named the alternate captain for two seasons with the Blades.
Before joining the Blades, Wright played for the Alberta Major Bantam Hockey League (AMBHL) where he gained 35 points from 3 goals and 32 assists. He also played for the Canadian Sports School Hockey League (CSSHL) where he acquired 4 goals and 31 assists, for a total of 35 points.
Wright, however, was not the only player the Firebirds signed this week. On Thursday, Coachella Valley re-signed Ryan Jones.
Jones played five games with the Firebirds last season. The 28-year-old defenseman spent the majority of the season with the Kansas City Mavericks of the ECHL. With the Mavericks, Jones put up 25 points, four goals, and 21 assists in 53 regular season games. He also appeared in 20 post-season games and added an additional 7 points to his points total.
Prior to this, he played for the University of Nebraska – Omaha at the collegiate level. Jones was a fourth round draft pick for the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2016 during the NHL draft. During the 2020-2021 season, he played with the Rochester Americans in the AHL. Jones put up 7 points, 1 goal, 6 assists with the Americans. After this, he spent two seasons with the Syracuse Crunch, before joining the Coachella Valley Firebirds in the 2023-2024 season. During his time with the Crunch, Jones amassed a total of 27 points with seven goals and 20 assists.
Fans should be on the lookout for these two players when the Coachella Valley Firebirds take the ice on October 11th at their home opener against the Bakersfield Condors.
