Walleye sign Vigier

The Toledo Walleye team is taking steps toward defending its North Division Championship from last season including the recent signing of Stephan Vigier, a 25-year-old 5’9,” center for the upcoming season.

Vigier, from Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes, MB signed with the Walleye, following a solid rookie season with the Cincinnati Cyclones that saw him contribute 28 points (14g, 14a) in 66 games while also fitting in a six-game leap to the AHL with the San Antonio Rampage.

After playing Junior in the Manitoba Junior League with Swan Valley, Vigier moved on to the USHL, playing two more seasons with Sioux City. He moved on to four full seasons at Northern Michigan, wearing the ‘A’ on his jersey for the final two. He got an early look at the pro leagues, playing eight games at South Carolina of the ECHL after graduating in the spring of 2014.

The Walleye signed Vigier just in past week: Here is some of the other news out of Toledo from this summer.

Individual and Team honors in off season

The Walleye came within a goal in triple overtime of advancing to the Kelly Cup this past season. While the team may not have hoisted the most valuable prize in the league, it didn’t stop the league from realizing this is a class organization.

On July 1, the league named Walleye President/CEO, Joe Napoli as the 2014-15 winner of the ECHL Executive of the Year award. A previous winner in the 2012-13 season as well, Napoli is one of only three two-time winners of this honor.

Advances in attendance numbers played a big part in Napoli capturing the honor.

Toledo set a new club record in attendance during the 2014-15 season drawing 231,847 fans during the regular season and adding 64,899 during the Kelly Cup Playoffs, including a team record 8,300 fans for Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals against South Carolina, according to a Walleye team press release.

Not only did the team pack them into the rink. Winterfest, a 10-day outdoor hockey festival is estimated to have helped create an economic impact of some $10 million in the Greater Toledo area last season.

Meanwhile, on the ice, Napoli signed Derek Lalonde as head coach and his team responded with a 58-point improvement over the previous season and as a result, Lalonde also an obvious choice as the league’s ‘Coach of the Year,’ earlier in the spring.

A week later, the team itself shared another big honor, receiving the ECHL Award of Exellence.

The award recognizes the ECHL organization that executes a well-rounded business plan including, but not limited to, sales, marketing, media relations and merchandising while also distinguishing themselves in their community, on and off the ice.

The boost in attendance and the Winterfest activities which helped the team provide $240,000 in charitable donations over the course of the season spread out among 25 local organizations.

Trio of young prospects sign with Walleye

The Walleye ‘Fish Tales Blog’ announced this week the team signed three young prospects for the upcoming season.

Jean-Paul Lafontaine:This 23-year-old native of Fairbault, MN will make his pro debut with the Walleye in the fall after completing his fourth and final season at Minnesota State-Mankato this spring.

The 5’10,” 172 lbs. center contributed 127 points (48g, 79a) in 156 NCAA Division 1 games while adding 90 penalty minutes.

Lafontaine, a nephew to former NHL star Pat Lafontaine played his junior hockey in the USHL with the Gamblers in Green Bay and attended Shattuck St. Mary’s Prep School right in Fairbault as well.

Kurt Etchegary: Another player signing on for his rookie pro season, Etchegary is a 20-year-old, 5’11,” 190 lbs. center from St. John’s NL.

The rugged forward comes to the Walleye straight from a four-year junior stint in the QMJHL — all with the Quebec Remparts, including the past two seasons as team captain.

Etchegary nearly doubled his point production this past season, scoring 60 points (25g, 35a) in 65 games while collecting 90 penalty minutes and finishing with a +26 rating. In the post season, the captain added another 26 points (8g, 18a) in 22 games.

Andrew Prochno: A 23-year-old, 5’11,” 190 lbs. defenseman from Minnetonka, MN, Prochno will also be a rookie with the Walleye, having wrapped up a solid four-year run at St. Cloud State University.

Prochno was an assistant captain this past season and put up 15 points (3g, 12a) in 36 games while sitting out 12 minutes in penalties.

Before moving on to St. Cloud, Prochno played a season in the USHL, splitting time between Waterloo and Sioux Falls.

Bushee landed by Walleye

Also signed earlier this month by the Walleye is veteran defenseman Kyle Bushee, a 30-year-old, 6’1,” 190 lbs. native of Otsego, MI.

Since the 2007-08 season, Bushee has played on a number of ECHL and AHL teams and this past season took his game overseas, playing a season of pro in Denmark.

Bushee played a season in he USHL at Des Moines before moving on to play two seasons at Western Michigan. He returned to play another season with Des Moines and North Iowa of the NAHL before returning for his final two seasons of University, at Canisius College in NY.

Bushee wore the ‘A’ on his jersey in his final season at Canisius and made his pro debut playing 14 ECHL games with Cincinnati a the end of the 2007-08 season. The defenseman played at different times with Elmira, Johnstown and Wheeling in the ECHL with numerous AHL call ups to Portland, Manitoba, Norfolk, Binghamton, Utica and Adirondack.

Last season in Denmark, Bushee collected 13 points (5g, 8a) in 36 games along with 38 penalty minutes.