The Evansville IceMen, proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s Ottawa Senators and AHL’s Binghamton Senators, and Head Coach Al Sims announced four roster moves Monday. The IceMen have been assigned defenseman Mathieu Brisebois, a Chicago Blackhawks prospect who last played for the Norfolk Admirals. Evansville also placed veteran forward Matt Hussey on waivers and called up goaltender Francois Brassard from the SPHL, after goalie Scott Greenham was recalled by Binghamton on an emergency basis.
The move for Brisebois essentially completes a trade that sent defenseman Samuel Noreau to Norfolk last week. With both Noreau (New York Rangers) and Brisebois (Chicago Blackhawks) under contract with NHL teams, those organizations had to approve the trade by officially recalling each player and reassigning them to their new ECHL team. Noreau joined the Admirals late last week.
Brisebois, 23, played in nine games for Norfolk this season and recorded two points (one goal, one assist). The defenseman from Mont-St-Hilaire, QC started the 2014-15 season with Chicago’s AHL affiliate in Rockford, before he was assigned to the Indy Fuel. Brisebois skated in 31 games for the Fuel, where he scored two goals and added 12 assists. At the midway point of the season, he was reassigned to the Rapid City Rush, where he totaled 30 points (9-21—30) in 36 games.
The IceMen waived the 36-year-old Hussey, who played in eight games after signing with Evansville as a free agent during training camp. The Plymouth, MN with 21 games of NHL experience and 381 games of AHL experience will become a free agent if he goes unclaimed by another ECHL team by the waiver deadline later in the week.
With an injury to goaltender Andrew Hammond in Ottawa, the parent club recalled Binghamton goaltender Matthew O’Connor, leaving only former IceMen goalie Chris Driedger with the AHL club. On an emergency basis, Binghamton recalled Greenham, who had been placed on injured reserve Friday by Evansville, back-dated to November 2.
With Christoffer Bengtsberg injured and the timetable for his return uncertain, Evansville is left with one healthy goaltender, Keegan Asmundson. On an emergency basis, the IceMen recalled Brassard from the Peoria Rivermen of the SPHL. Brassard, 21, was a 2012 sixth round draft pick of the Ottawa Senators who finished his junior career in 2014-15 split between the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles and Gatineau Olympiques of the QMJHL. Brassard had 100 career wins in four QMJHL seasons, including three seasons with the Quebec Remparts. He won his only start of the season in Peoria.
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