St. John’s, NL: The Newfoundland Growlers have once again made roster transactions, with multiple players being called up to the Marlies, and the reassignment of a defenseman to the Growlers. The Growlers play next on Friday, March 1st, on home ice at the Mary Brown’s Centre against the Kalamazoo Wings.
Nathan Staios was reassigned from the Florida Everblades to the Growlers by the Florida Panthers. Staios was a member of the Hamilton Bulldogs, who won the OHL Championship, while his father, Steve, who recently joined the Senators, was the general manager of the team. Nathan won the CHL Defenseman of the Year and OHL’s Most Outstanding Defenseman after winning the scoring race for all OHL defensemen. After that accomplishment, Staois was signed to an entry-level contract by the Florida Panthers and won the ECHL Kelly Cup with the Florida Everblades last season. It appears that assigning Staois to the Growlers will give him the opportunity for further ice time as the 22-year-old defenseman continues to develop.
The Toronto Marlies also made multiple recalls from the Growlers. With the Growlers not playing until Friday and the Marlies playing Wednesday, the call-ups may suit up for the Marlies in tomorrow’s game.
Tate Singleton has 40 points in 53 games with the Growlers this season. This is the 25-year-old’s first season in the ECHL after previously playing college hockey. Singleton has played one game with the Marlies this season but has yet to score his first AHL goal or point.
Isaac Johnson, like Singleton, is 25 years old and is looking to show that he can make an impact at the AHL level and not just the ECHL level. Johnson has been solid for the Growlers this season, with 53 points in just 42 games. Johnson also has size, at 6’3″, although he has a lighter frame at 183lbs.
Nolan Dillingham was also called up to the Marlies in his first season in the ECHL. Dillingham is known mainly for his physicality, in which many remember a hit he threw in development camp, but he’s played his role well with the Growlers this season. After 4 years with the Sarnia Sting, Dillingham is starting to establish himself as an ECHL player and will hope to make his AHL debut and make an impact at the AHL level too.
