The Worcester Railers completed two trades on Friday Afternoon prior to the ECHL Future Considerations deadline. In each of these two trades, the Railers would end up losing a player, as they finished the day with one less forward and one less defenseman.
Worcester Railers Trade Griffin Loughran
The Idaho Steelheads have acquired Griffin Loughran in a trade that sent Pito Walton to the Worcester Railers. Loughran, 26, just finished his first full season in the ECHL as he put up nine goals and 16 assists for 25 points in 55 games. The Orchard Park, NY, native had played in nine games at the end of the 2023-24 season with the Savannah Ghost Pirates, where he had nine goals and 16 assists for 25 points. Prior to going pro, Loughran saw time in the USHL and NAHL before he took the NCAA route. Most notably, he won a Clark Cup with the Fargo Force in 2018, a year in which he had 18 goals and 24 assists for 44 points, along with 118 penalty minutes in 50 games. He would also be named the Clark Cup MVP.
Loughran would then spend five seasons at the NCAA level, including his first four years in the state of Michigan, before spending his last year of eligibility at Canisius College. He would put up 44 goals and 55 assists for 99 points in 131 games.
Pito Walton Heads To Tulsa Oilers
During the 2024-25 season, Walton spent time with three different ECHL teams, putting up three goals and eight assists for 11 points in 51 games. Friday would prove to be no different for the 25-year-old defenseman, as he would bounce between four teams before the fifth time, when the Tulsa Oilers decided to hold on to him.
Prior to the 2024-25 season, The Peapack, New Jersey native spent parts of five seasons at the NCAA level. He would play three seasons at Princeton University, where he would put up 12 goals and 26 assists for 38 points in 88 games. Walton would spend his final year of eligibility at Northeastern University, where he had five goals and 12 assists for 17 points in 36 games with the Huskies. He would begin his pro career at the end of the 2023-24 season as he played in five ECHL games with the Florida Everblades and Savannah Ghost Pirates.
ITR 46: Offseason Chaos – Inside The Rink
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