The New York Islanders announced Wednesday that they had signed three players to American Hockey League (AHL) contracts. Next season, the Bridgeport Islanders will feature forwards Justin Gill and Briant Pinho, as well as defenseman Wyatt Newpower.
Gill is the most intriguing name of the trio. The 21-year-old was a 2023 fifth-round pick (145th overall) for Baie-Comeau Drakkar, where he scored 40 goals and assisted 58 times in 65 QMJHL games this season. He had 11 goals and 14 assists in 17 postseason games last season. Gill, one of the QMJHL’s oldest players, used his muscular frame to score efficiently throughout his junior career. He must now demonstrate that his success can translate to the AHL, where he will need to rely on his outstanding hockey sense and playmaking abilities. QMJHL standouts William Dufour and Matthew Maggio followed a similar path before making their Bridgeport debut.
Pinho returns to Bridgeport after ranking second on the team with 34 points previous season. In 72 games, the 29-year-old scored nine goals and assisted 25 times. He has played nearly 300 AHL games for Bridgeport, the Utica Comets, and the Hershey Bears. Pinho has some NHL experience, having played four games for the Washington Capitals, including two playoff games in 2020. The Capitals selected him in the sixth round (174th overall) of the 2013 NHL Draft.
Newpower, a UCONN hockey product, was voted the Huskies’ Best Defensive Defenseman in 2020. He also served as the team’s captain in the 2019-20 season. In 34 games last season with the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins, he had one goal and six assists.
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