CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS – The Corpus Christi IceRays of the North American Hockey League (NAHL) are proud to announce the signing of former defenseman Phil Pietroniro (‘11-’13) to the Utah Grizzlies, the ECHL affiliate of the Anaheim Ducks (NHL), Grizzlies Head Coach/General Manager Tim Branham announced.
Pietroniro, 21, signs with the Grizzlies following three seasons in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) with Shawinigan, Val d’Or, Gatineau, and Victoriaville, recording 17 goals and 58 assists for 75 points with 180 penalty minutes and a -11 rating through 166 regular season games. In 28 playoff games over two seasons, the 6-foot-1, 175-pound defenseman recorded six goals and seven assists for 13 points with 12 penalty minutes while earning the President’s Cup with the Val d’Or Foreurs during the 2013-14 season. Last year, Pietroniro played 70 games between Gatineau and Victoriaville, earning five goals and a career-high 42 assists for a career-high 47 points with 69 penalty minutes and a -5 rating.
The St. Eustache, P.Q., native played parts of two seasons with the IceRays, recording eight goals and 13 assists for 21 points with 97 penalty minutes and a -6 rating through 61 games before joining the Shawinigan Cataractes in the QMJHL during the 2012-13 season. He earned eight points (three goals, five assists) in his first 14 games in 2012-13 before betting the call. In his IceRays career, he earned three multi-assist games and was known for his physical play along the blue line.
Pietroniro becomes the third former junior player and fourth in organization history to sign a professional contract with an affiliated team, joining former Central Hockey League (CHL) forward Ryan Garbutt (‘09-’10), NAHL goaltender Phoenix Copley (‘10-’11), and NAHL goaltender Anthony Stolarz (‘11-’12) in this illustrious group. Garbutt begins his first season with the Chicago Blackhawks and fifth in the National Hockey League, Copley will start his first year in the St. Louis Blues organization and second professional, and Stolarz returns for his second season in the Philadelphia Flyers organization.
The IceRays open the 2015-16 regular season on Friday, September 18 at 7:05 p.m. against the Topeka RoadRunners at Landon Arena. Hear the action on the IceRays flagship station, SportsRadio Corpus Christi (KSIX 1230AM). Contact the IceRays Front Office at 361-814-PUCK or go to www.goicerays.com for details on season tickets along with pricing and seating. In addition, stay connected with the IceRays on Facebook (/CorpusChristiIceRays), Twitter (@goicerays), YouTube (IceRays TV), Instagram (CorpusChristiIceRays), Vine (@goicerays), and Periscope (@goicerays).
