Report: Former Bulldog Meyers Gets Deal With Flames

Via RWD comes this news on a former Bulldog defenseman.

Fiona Quick of Minnesota Hockey Journal says Josh Meyers has signed a two-year, two-way deal with the Calgary Flames. He has ten points in 32 games so far for the Abbotsford (B.C.) Heat of the American Hockey League. That franchise took over this year as Calgary's primary AHL affiliate.

Meyers played four years with the Bulldogs, rarely missing a game after a freak practice accident left him sidelined with a broken wrist during his freshman season. He finished his UMD career with 30 goals and 73 points, including ten goals and 28 points as a senior, when he served as a tri-captain with Andrew Carroll and Matt Greer.

If the report ends up true, this deal makes good sense. It provides Meyers with the security of a multi-year deal, something graduated college players-turned-NHL free agents don't often get. It's a small investment for the Flames so they can see what Meyers can do. It also would signal that Meyers might not be that far away from getting a shot in the NHL.

It's good to see such a growing number of former UMD players playing hockey professionally, both in North America and overseas. Kevin Pates' solid tracking of these athletes shows four former Bulldogs have seen time in the NHL this season. Matt Niskanen and Mason Raymond lead the way in experience at that level, with Raymond staring down the barrel of a multi-million dollar contract very soon, thanks to already having set career highs in goals, assists, and points.