Belleville hockey fans are welcoming back a goaltender from the past who used to be a star in that town.
The Belleville Senators have signed 30-year-old veteran Malcolm Subban to a one-year, one-way American Hockey League contract for the 2024-25 season.
Belleville is hoping Subban can rekindle the magic he once had there. He spent four years with the old Belleville Bulls in the OHL and was so good, the Boston Bruins drafted him in the first round of the 2012 NHL Draft. Subban was the second goalie taken that year after Andrei Vasilevskiy.
Subban has played 87 NHL games in his career, including 63 over three seasons as a backup with the Vegas Golden Knights. He was released two days ago from a professional tryout with Detroit’s top farm club in Grand Rapids.
Last season, Subban played in 35 AHL games combined in Springfield and Cleveland, going 11-17-4 with a 3.12 goals-against average and a .901 save percentage. Subban’s career AHL record is 89-78-29, with a 2.65 GAA and a .911 save percentage.
In a corresponding move, former London Knights goalie Michael Simpson was returned by the B-Sens to the Orlando Solar Bears of the ECHL.
The signing strongly suggests that Mads Sogaard’s injury last week is probably going to be longer term. Sogaard was hurt last Sunday while stretching to try and make a save against Syracuse. He had to be helped off the ice. Sogaard is seen as the number three goalie in the organization and has a one-way contract with the club next season.
This is now a great opportunity for Leevi Merilainen. While it was shaping up to be a platoon situation in Belleville, Merilainen figures to get the bulk of the work in front of Subban for the foreseeable future.
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