The Stockton Heat, the Calgary Flames’ top farm club, has announced a quartet of signings. Three of them involve the Heat bringing back old faces, while one is a new addition!

Returning for 2020-21 are defensemen Rob Hamilton and Zac Leslie and forward Alex Gallant. Joining the fold is forward Mark Simpson.

Hamilton, 26, is a Calgary kid coming back for his third season with Stockton. He’s a left shot defender. He came up with the AJHL’s Okotoks Oilers and played college hockey at Vermont. He’s since played minor pro in Manchester, Springfield, Laval and Stockton.

Leslie, 26, is from Ottawa. He’s a left shot defender. A 2013 sixth round pick by the Los Angeles Kings, he played his junior with the OHL’s Guelph Storm and since going pro has played with Ontario, Manchester, Chicago (Wolves) and Stockton.

Gallant, 27, is from PEI. He’s a left shot forward who plays centre and the wing. A veteran one one season in the QMJHL with the PEI Rocket – he spent more of his time in junior A – he’s played minor pro with Columbus, Orlando, San Jose (Barracuda), Syracuse, Chicago (Wolves) and Stockton.

Simpson, 25, is a New Brunswick product and a 6’5″, 192 pound left shot centre who also plays the wing. He comes to the Heat from the University of New Brunswick, but he also spent parts of four seasons in the QMJHL with Moncton and Acadie-Bathurst. He won two USports national championships with UNB, notably beating the University of Alberta (and now-teammate Luke Philp) in 2019.

These signings join defensemen Greg Moro, Noah King and Koletrane Wilson as players on AHL contracts for the 2020-21 season. This gives the Heat two forwards and five defensemen on AHL deals.