Steelheads Receive Aksiantsiuk, Marino, Merchant from AHL

BOISE, Idaho – The Idaho Steelheads have received forward Yauheni Aksiantsiuk on assignment by the Dallas Stars from the Texas Stars, forward Kyle Marino on assignment from the Chicago Wolves, and forward Will Merchant following the release of his PTO Contract with AHL Texas, Steelheads Head Coach & Director of Hockey Operations Everett Sheen announced on Friday.Aksiantsiuk, 21, played five games in his most recent stint with AHL Texas, posting two goals and two assists for four points with one power play goal. The Brest, Belarus native earned his first AHL goal on February 24 in Iowa as part of back-to-back multi-point games. He returns to the Steelheads sitting second on the team in goals and fourth in scoring with 29 points (16-13—29) through 29 games along with four power play goals and a 1.03 point-per-game ratio. Aksiantsiuk earned his first-career hat-trick on Nov. 26, 2021 against Allen, was named ECHL Rookie of the Month in October, and is third in the ECHL in conversion rate (21.9 percent). He was selected 162nd overall (6th Round) by the Dallas Stars in the 2020 NHL Draft.Marino, 25, played three games since his recall by AHL Chicago on February 12 and now has 51 penalty minutes in 12 AHL games this year. The native of Niagara Falls, Ont. returns to the Steelheads where he owns four goals and five assists for nine points with two power play goals through 17 games. His three game-winning goals is tied for second-most on the team, and he already owns career-bests in all major scoring categories with over 10 fewer games. In 44 ECHL contests, Marino holds 15 points (6-9—15) with two power play goals and 107 penalty minutes.Merchant, 27, returns to the Steelheads after his second PTO with AHL Texas, earning his first two AHL assists over seven games. The Eagan, Minn. product has three points in 13 games with AHL Texas after netting his first AHL goal on January 16. He joins the Steelheads sixth on the team in scoring and tied for the team lead in shorthanded goals, tallying 23 points (12-11—23) with two shorthanded goals and two power play goals through 32 games. Merchant sits in the top-10 on the Steelheads ECHL All-Time list in four categories: fifth in games played (246), fifth in goals (71), seventh in assists (88), and seventh in points (159).The Steelheads open a three-in-three weekend against the Toledo Walleye tonight at 5:15 p.m. MT from Huntington Center and return to Idaho Central Arena on Friday, Mar. 18 at 7:10 p.m. against the Utah Grizzlies. Single-game tickets are available for all home games during the 2021-22 regular season by going to idahosteelheads.com or calling 331-TIXS! Make sure to secure your FloSports subscription for the 2021-22 season to lock in all Steelheads games and action from around the ECHL.