ECHL: Adirondack Thunder Add A Trio of Rookies, Flip Murray To Fort Wayne

The Adirondack Thunder made one trade on deadline day, sending newly acquired forward Blake Murray to the Fort Wayne Komets in exchange for future considerations. The Thunder acquired Murray on Wednesday in a trade with the Atlanta Gladiators. However, the bigger transactions were signings, with three college players signing with the Thunder.

Adirondacks Adds Two Rookie Defensemen

There’s no doubt the Thunder needed to fill some holes on defense, with Adrien Bisson being traded to the Tahoe Knight Monsters and Jackson van de Leest being loaned to the South Carolina Stingrays by the Utica Comets. They did so with two signings on the blueline today: Elliott McDermott and Luke Reid. I would expect both players to find a role in the second and third pairing for the Thunder for the rest of the 2024-25 season.

McDermott, 26, bounced around the NCAA, spending two years at Colgate University and UMass before spending his final season of eligibility at RPI. In 167 games at the NCAA level, the Kingston, Ontario native would put up eight goals and 34 assists for 42 points in 167 games. McDermott was signed to an ATO.

Reid, 23, was originally drafted by the Nashville Predators in the sixth round of the 2020 NHL Draft. He remains unsigned, and the Predators still hold his rights. The Warman, Saskatchewan native has spent the last five seasons in the NCAA with the University of New Hampshire, where he put up eight goals and 41 assists for 49 points in 162 games.

Thunder Get Some Help In Net

The Adirondack Thunder needed some help in net heading into the weekend after Tyler Brennan was placed on the 3-Day IR with an undisclosed injury, and they quickly went out and addressed that issue by signing goaltender Henry Welsch. The Lakeville, Minnesota native spent the last five seasons at UMass Lowell, where he put up a 29-36-7 record with a 2.53 GAA, .903SV%, and five shutouts in 81 career games with the Riverhawks. Welsch, 24, would win the NCAA (New England) Unsung Hero Award in 2024. I would expect Welsch to get at least one start this weekend and possibly a handful down the stretch, especially with Brennan now called up to Utica.