The Manitoba Moose announced today the signing of two forwards, Ryan Chyzowski and Kevin Conley to one-year contracts. Both players will join the Moose for the 2024-25 season and have their contracts expire at the end of the 2024-25 season.
Chyzowski joins the Moose with a few years of professional hockey experience under his belt. He’s played for the now-defunct Newfoundland Growlers of the ECHL and most recently the Reading Royals. The 24-year-old forward has also appeared in the American Hockey League (AHL) for the Toronto Marlies.
Chyzowski had a successful 2023-24 season for the Reading Royals, posting 30 points (17G, 13A) in 44 games. He also racked up 77 PIMs and posted a plus-minus of minus-17. At the ECHL level, Chyzowski has posted 67 total points (35G, 32A) in 78 games across three seasons. He hasn’t had the same success at the AHL level, he’s been limited to just eight points (7G, 1A) in 59 games across three seasons.
Chyzowski hasn’t worn a letter at the professional level, but his leadership is present on the ice. Before turning pro, he spent five full seasons with the Medicine Hat Tigers and parts of a sixth in the Western Hockey League (WHL). Chyzowski started with Medicine Hat in 2015-16 where he played six games but posted no points. The following year, he found his footing and became part of the Tigers’ leadership group for the next four years. He wouldn’t dawn a letter until the 2018-19 season when he was named an alternate captain until 2020-21, but his final season with the Tigers saw him dawn the captaincy.
Across six seasons for Medicine Hat, Chyzowski posted 217 points (98G, 119A) in 280 games, 109 PIMs and a plus-minus of plus-20. He capped off his junior career earning team MVP honours in 2020-21.
Conley also joins the Moose with a similar amount of professional hockey experience. You can easily draw parallels to each player as they’ve been successful prior to turning pro and took a season or two to find their footing at the professional level. The 27-year-old forward played for the Reading Royals and Iowa Heartlanders of the ECHL and most recently the Iowa Wild of the AHL.
In Conley’s 2023-24 campaign, he spent the entirety of the year with the Iowa Wild in the AHL. He posted 16 points (6G, 10A) in 59 games along with 41 PIMs and a plus-minus of minus-six. He’s posted 21 points (10G, 11A) in 95 career AHL games, all with the Iowa Wild. He’s only suited up for 11 ECHL games where he’s posted eight points (5G, 3A) across two seasons.
Before Conley’s professional hockey career, he spent four seasons with the University of Nebraska-Omaha and one season with the University of Denver. Conley captured the 2017 NCAA National Championship with Denver in his first collegiate season. Although Conley had early successes in his first college hockey season, he would move to the United States Hockey League (USHL) where he played for the Sioux Falls Stampede in 2017-18 and served as an alternate captain. Before his run with Sioux Falls and the University of Denver, Conley also played three seasons for the Youngstown Phantoms of the USHL.
Conley later committed to the University of Nebraska-Omaha where he spent four seasons. He wore the alternate captaincy crest in 2019-20 and was named team captain for his final two seasons before turning pro. In 161 NCAA games, Conley posted 87 points (40G, 47A), 179 PIMs and a plus-minus of minus-24.
Both additions of Kevin Conley and Ryan Chyzowski provide the Manitoba Moose with extra versatility, toughness and roster flexibility ahead of the 2024-25 season. The Moose will be extra competitive heading into next season with veteran additions and newer faces looking to earn roster spots. Moose head coach Mark Morrison will certainly welcome the new roster competitiveness as the team as a whole looks to make significant strides in the upcoming season.
