Unnamed AHL Team signs Mitch McLain to two-year AHL contract

The Calgary Flames yet to be officially-named AHL affiliate has added a veteran forward to their ranks. We’ve confirmed that centre Mitch McLain has signed a two-year AHL deal with the Calgary-based AHL club. (The Brainerd Dispatch was first to report the signing.)

McLain, 28, is a left shot centre originally from the State of Hockey, Minnesota.

He’s returning to Canada after a fairly prolonged absence. He played two seasons (2012-14) with the BCHL’s Langley Rivermen, where he was captain for the second season. Then he played four seasons with Bowling Green State University in the NCAA, serving as captain in his senior year. He was named to his conference’s all-academic team as a sophomore, and his conference’s all-star teams in his junior and senior years.

Since graduating, McLain has played four seasons of minor-pro – three with the Iowa Wild and one with the Milwaukee Admirals. He had 17 goals and 23 points in 76 games last season with the Admirals, placing him fourth on the team in goals and tied for 11th in points.

McLain is essentially a replacement for Mark Simpson, who departed this off-season for KalPa in the Finnish Liiga. But if we’re being honest, McLain is probably an upgrade over Simpson (who combined for 14 points in two seasons with the Heat). If nothing else, McLain gives a young AHL forward group a teammate who’s old enough to rent a car and has become an established, productive pro.

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