The South Carolina Stingrays have announced that they have sent forwards Jonny Evans and Jackson Leppard to the Bloomington Bison in exchange for future considerations. In a separate trade, they sent the rights to defenseman Bryce Montgomery to Bloomington also for future considerations. This is a massive trade for the Bison, as all three of these players can easily be key pieces for them next season.
Evans, 27, will be entering his fourth season in the league, all with the Stingrays. He’s scored 34 goals and 54 assists for 88 points in 105 career ECHL games. There’s a lot to like about Evans, as he put up 18 goals last season in just 53 games and should be a top-six forward for the Bison. Evans has signed an AHL Try-Out Contract with the Hartford Wolf Pack. He had one assist during in five games during the 2023 Kelly Cup Playoffs. The Delta, BC, native spent his collegiate career at UConn, where he scored 37 goals and added 42 assists for 79 points in 106 games at the NCAA level. He would be named to the Hockey East First All-Star Team and was the Hockey East Scoring Champion in 2021.
Leppard, 24, will be entering his third season in the league after spending time with the Allen Americans and South Carolina Stingrays. He has 41 goals and 51 assists for 92 points in 194 ECHL games. He’s added three assists in six career Kelly Cup Playoff Games. Heading into next season, I expect Leppard to be a middle-six forward for the Bison. Prior to going pro, he spent parts of six seasons in the WHL with the Prince George Cougars and Winnipeg Ice, as he had 49 goals and 66 assists for 115 points in 252 career games.
Montgomery, 21, is coming off his rookie year in the ECHL, where he put up four goals and eight assists for 12 points in 42 games. Prior to going pro, the Washington DC native spent four years in the OHL with the London Knights, where he put two goals and six assists for eight points in 84 games, before spending 48 games in the USHL with the Cedar Rapids Rough Riders, where he put up six goals and 11 assists for 17 points. He would be drafted by the Carolina Hurricanes in the sixth round of the 2021 NHL Draft. Montgomery has signed an AHL deal with the Chicago Wolves for the upcoming season.
