BOISE, Idaho – The Idaho Steelheads, proud partner of the ECHL, has announced the submission of the team’s protected list for the upcoming 2021-22 season.
The protected list includes 20 players, consisting of 12 forwards, six defensemen and two goaltenders, all of whom originally signed contracts with the team before the Steelheads opted out of the 2020-21 season.
The ECHL noted that all players who originally signed with one of the 12 member teams not participating in the 2020-21 season due to the global pandemic would have their rights revert back to their original team.
Listed below is the team’s protected list, in alphabetical order by position:
Forward (12): Zack Andrusiak, Calder Brooks, Max Coatta, Sam Coatta, Cody Fowlie, Kenton Helgesen, Kyle Marino, Colby McAuley, Will Merchant, Brett Supinski, Zach Walker, A.J. White
Defense (6): Darren Brady, Jeff King, Chase Stewart, Matt Stief, Mitch Versteeg, Evan Wardley
Goaltender (2): Matt Jurusik, Jake Kupsky
As per ECHL rules, any players issued a qualifying offer that elected the pandemic voluntary suspension but never signed said qualifying offer will be a free agent. Additionally, any player signed as an amateur prior to the 2020-21 season who did not play last season and whose team elected to take the pandemic voluntary suspension may be voluntary omitted from the team’s protected list without penalty.
Teams may protect as many players as they wish provided the players meet the guidelines as defined in the Collective Bargaining Agreement between the ECHL and the Professional Hockey Players’ Association (PHPA), but all Season-Ending Rosters submitted by July 8 can contain up to 20 players and cannot include players who did not sign an ECHL contract in the 2020-21 season.
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