Bridgeport signs Trevor Gillies

Former River Rats' enforcer Trevor Gillies has been signed by the Bridgeport Sound Tigers on a one-way AHL contract. Gillies was recently released from training camp with the Rochester Americans. He must pass a physical to complete the deal. The Sound Tigers' website has the story. 

Update: Gillies passed his physical and is now officially a member of the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. The Dansbury News-Times has the story. 

Gillies chose to sign with Bridgeport instead of Rochester because the Amerks have too many veterans. The AHL, being a development league, allows each team to dress only six veteran skaters per game. A veteran is any player with more than 260 games of experience in the AHL, NHL, IHL and Europe. Each team is allowed a seventh vet, as long as that skater has played in 320 games or less. 

Gillies has 327 contests under his belt and Rochester already has six vets. He didn't want to sit because of a technicality. 

For those wondering, the River Rats have only two veterans on the current roster, Pat Dwyer and Steven Goertzen. Jay Harrison and Michael Ryan, who are currently in Carolina, are also considered vets.

News & Notes

• Forward Michael Ryan, who reportedly suffered a concussion in an NHL preseason game last Monday, is still not skating. Ryan, who was a leader for Albany last season, is one of the only remaining two-way players on the Carolina Hurricanes roster. The other is defenseman Jay Harrison.

• Carolina D-man Joni Pitkanen, who underwent knee surgery on September 10, is back at practice and playing alongside Aaron Ward. As a result, Jay Harrison has been bumped back to the seventh defensive slot. Pitkanen remains questionable for full competition, so Harrison could still play in the Canes' home opener Friday.

• Trevor Gillies is impressing folks at training camp in Rochester. The former Albany fan-favorite could soon be an enemy with the Amerks. 

• Ryan McGinnis and Aaron Clarke, who both played for the River Rats towards the end of last season, have been released from training camp with the Adirondack Phantoms. They have ECHL teams waiting on them. McGinnis will report to the Kalamazoo Wings. Clarke will go to the Wheeling Nailers.

• Former River Rat Ryan Bayda earned a two-way deal with the Pittsburgh Penguins and is on course to make the NHL roster...or not (update)...Bayda was sent down to Wilkes-Barre on September 30.
  

Gillies Planning On Camp with Rochester

Rumor has it Trevor Gillies is talking with a few NHL clubs, including the Buffalo Sabres, in search of a two-way deal. With time running out, he accepted an invite to training camp with the Rochester Americans. The news comes from Kevin Oklobzija at the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. "Nothing has been done to this point because Gillies was holding out hope for a two-way contract," Oklobzija writes. "That didn’t happen, so he accepted the invitation to camp from the Amerks."

Rumor: Trevor Gillies Talking with Buffalo

There is a rumor floating around that former River Rats' enforcer and free agent Trevor Gillies is in discussions with the Buffalo Sabres. The Maine Hockey Journal has the story.