The Adirondack Thunder have announced that they have signed forward Mitch Walinski for the remainder of the 2024-25 season. He originally re-signed with the Gladiators back in August but didn’t appear in any regular season games with the team this season. This is the fourth player the Thunder have signed in the last week.
Walinski,26, is entering his third season in the league after spending the last two seasons with the Atlanta Gladiators, where he put up 10 goals and five assists for 15 points in 59 games. Prior to going pro, the Lincoln, Rhode Island native spent three years at the NCAA level with Salve Regina University, where he had 37 goals and 28 assists for 65 points in 61 games. He would be named First Team All-Conference in his Junior year, where he put up 17 goals and 13 assists for 30 points in 26 games with the Seahawks. The 6’1,180lb forward also spent three seasons in the NAHL, where he put up 43 goals and 27 assists for 70 points in 114 games with the Minnesota Wilderness, Bismark Bobcats, and Corpus Christi Icerays.
This is a solid signing for the Thunder, who have been hit with the injury bug lately, losing Taylor Ford, Shaw Boomhower, and T.J. Friedmann all in the last week. This signing also gives Adirondack another young body up front with prior ECHL experience and should fit in as a solid middle-six winger for the Thunder. Walinski was placed on reserve after being signed by Adirondack.