Laval added a quality piece up front on Friday, announcing the signing of centre Kevin Roy to a one-year, one-way AHL contract.
The 28-year-old was originally a fourth-round pick of the Ducks (97th overall) back in 2012 and played out all four years of his college eligibility before turning pro late in the 2015-16 season. Roy spent three more years in Anaheim’s organization, seeing action in 28 games along the way.
He has spent the past two seasons exclusively in the minors, spending 2019-20 with Florida’s farm team and 2020-21 on an AHL deal with Arizona’s affiliate in Tucson. Last season, he led the Roadrunners in scoring, notching 11 goals and 19 assists in just 35 games. For context, Ryan Poehling and Jordan Weal were Laval’s top scorers last season, notching 25 and 24 points, respectively.
Roy is likely to play a prominent role with the Rocket as a result. He has spent time both at centre and the wing and should slot in somewhere in their top six up front. Worth noting, since Roy started later in the pros, he just comes under the threshold for being classified as an AHL veteran which means he won’t count against Laval’s veteran limit for the upcoming season.
Roy’s Stats: