LOWELL, Mass. – Five River Hawks have signed contracts to continue their hockey careers since the end of the UMass Lowell season.
Seniors
John Edwardh (Calgary, Alb.),
Chris Forney (Thief River Falls, Minn.),
Jake Kamrass (Atlanta, Ga.),
Tyler Mueller (Regina, Sask.) and
Tommy Panico (Wall, N.J.) all have signed professional contracts in the two week period since the River hawks were knocked out of the Hockey East post-season.
"This group of seniors left an undeniable footprint on the program," according to UMass Lowell Head Coach
Norm Bazin. "They finished as one of the top five most successful senior classes in program history. We are very proud to add they are all graduating this May. They made the most of their time in the classroom. Three of these young men will also graduate with their graduate degrees from UMass Lowell after completing their Bachelor's degrees earlier this year. They are great examples of what can be accomplished in four years. They will now pursue professional hockey and we wish them well with this next challenge."
Edwardh, Forney and Mueller signed amateur tryout contracts (ATO) with American Hockey League clubs. Kamrass and Panico signed standard East Coast Hockey League contracts. All five were members of the UMass Lowell team that finished in a three-way first place regular season tie in 2016-17 and went on to win the Hockey East Tournament Championship.
Edwardh, a forward, signed the ATO with the Binghamton Devils, the AHL affiliate of the NHL New Jersey Devils. During his four year college career Edwardh scored 38-goals and 87-points, tops among the senior class. He finished off his River Hawk career with nine-goals and 20-points during his senior season.
In signing with Binghamton, Edwardh joins former River Hawk teammate defenseman
Michael Kapla who graduated in 2017.
Forney signed with the AHL's San Diego Gulls, an affiliate of the NHL's Anaheim Ducks. The defenseman finished his collegiate career with 14-goals and 49 points. Forney's senior season topped off a UMass Lowell that showed offensive growth in each of his four seasons. He had seven-goals and 13 assists for 20-points as a senior, all were career bests. He, too, will find a former teammate among his new teammates. 2016 graduate
Kevin Boyle tends nets for San Diego.
Mueller, the captain of the 2017-18 River Hawks, signed with Bridgeport Sound Tigers, the AHL affiliate of the NHL's New York Islanders. Mueller recorded a career-high 17 points (four-goals, 13-assists) in 36 games during his senior campaign. The Regina, Sask. native collected 48 points (11 goals, 37 assists) in 154 career games over four years at UMass-Lowell. Mueller is tied for fourth all-time in school history in games played. Two other former UMass Lowell players are on the Bridgeport roster. Brothers Ben and
Josh Holmstrom skate for the Sound Tigers. Both finished their college careers before Mueller arrived as UMass Lowell.
Kamrass signed a standard professional contract with the South Carolina Stingrays. The Stingrays are the ECHL affiliate of the Washington capitals. A left-hand shot, Kamrass suited up for 36 games this year with the River Hawks, scoring 12 points on five goals and seven assists. The 23-year-old played in 111 NCAA contests with UMass-Lowell from 2014-18 and piled up 46 points on 24 goals and 22 assists. Kamrass' older brother Zack, also a former River Hawk, also plays in the ECHL, suiting up with the Florida Everblades.
Panico joins the Worcester Railers after signing a standard ECHL contract. During his senior season Panico skated in 31 games, collecting a career high 20 points including eight goals and 12 assists. His 20 points tied him at eighth among defensemen in the Hockey East, and second in goals for defensemen. In his four seasons with UMass Lowell, Panico played in 115 games and amassed 11 goals and 31 assists for 42 points.
The senior group had a combined record of 90-52-13 and played in three Hockey East Tournament Championship Games winning once. Their teams also made two visits to the NCAA tournament.
