Bridgeport Sound Tigers‘ 3rd year center Connor Jones(48) was enjoying some of his best work with the club reaching new career highs in virtually all categories including 56 AHL games played, 13 assists, 18 points, 82 shots on net, 87 penalty minutes, 3 fighting majors and a tidy +8 rating.
It’s almost ironic that heading into last season he signed a minor league deal with Missouri Mavericks of the ECHL but probably quite happily failed to play a game with the team.
There’s little doubt the small forward plays a feisty style out there but it would have been tough to guess parent club New York Islanders was watching and see something they like to offer him a first big league contract for the remainder of 2016/2017, and then just over a month later he would be recalled to skate his first NHL match-up as the squad is clawing for a playoff spot.
In his debut, a 4-2 win, he was out there for 18 shifts equaling 11:13 ice time with 2 shots, 3 hits, 1 take away, 1 giveaway, went 50% on the face off dot and left the game with a +1 rating.
Those are the stats of a player getting himself involved in every aspect of the match-up.
The 26-year old becomes an unlikely restricted free agent at the end of the current campaign but seems to be a good bet for him to be re-upped for a full term.
Connor Jones (83)
Bridgeport Sound Tigers‘ undrafted 2nd year center Connor Jones(83) is gushing blood from we believe his nose but didn’t see what occurred to cause the tidal wave of red to pour out of his face during a recent Friday night match up against Connecticut rivals Hartford Wolf Pack at the XL Center.
The small 5’9″ 176 lbs. former Quinnipiac University scorer is having a very similar season to last year’s rookie campaign with Oklahoma City Barons, where he had 4 goals and 6 assists in 41 AHL games.
He was originally signed by Missouri Mavericks, but loaned to the Sound Tigers for training camp and never came back.
He’d ultimately signed an spc couple months in.
Though 42 games he has 4 goals and 4 assists so far skating an energy line role and no one will ever accuse him of taking time off when he’s out of the ice.
The 24-year old has a twin brother Kellen Jones, who has been up with Utica Comets since the beginning of the month.