Today, Canadiens General Manager Bob Gainey made a move to add to the Habs goaltending depth, signing undrafted free agent Yann Danis to a 3 year contract, that runs through the 2005-06 season. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Danis has spent the last 4 seasons at Brown University, compiling a 43-43-12 record with 12 shutouts over that span. He also had a 2.20 GAA and .930 SV%, both all-time records at Brown.
Over his 4 years spent at Brown, Danis has won many awards. In 2001, he was the co-recipient of the Kevin R. Pope Memorial Trophy, which is given to the freshman who does the most to contribute to the success of the team. The following year, he was the recipient of the “Class of 1936 Hockey Trophy” as the team’s Most Valuable Player, and became Brown’s first All-American since 1992, earning Second-Team honors. He was also named to the New England Hockey Writers Association All-Star Team, while earning Second Team All-ECAC and First Team All-Ivy recognition. Last season, Danis repeated as the team’s MVP and once again earned Second Team All-ECAC honours. He also gained Second Team All-Ivy recognition, and was also named to the ECAC All-Tournament team. This season, many of the awards have yet to be named, but Danis finds himself a top-10 finalist for the Hobey Baker Award, given yearly to the top player in U.S. Colleges.
The 6-0, 195 pound Danis is expected to be assigned to the Hamilton Bulldogs of the AHL, where he is eligible to at least play out the regular season, like Ron Hainsey did a couple of seasons ago. His playoff eligibility for the Bulldogs is unknown at this time, but if he is deemed ineligible for the postseason, he would likely be assigned to the Columbus Cottonmouths of the ECHL, a joint affiliation of the Canadiens and the Edmonton Oilers.