BY: Mark Shelley, Greenville Swamp Rabbits
GREENVILLE, SC – The Greenville Swamp Rabbits, ECHL affiliate of the Florida Panthers, announced today that the club has completed multiple roster transactions. The Swamp Rabbits have signed rookie Alex Ierullo to an ECHL contract, while the Ontario Reign have returned defenseman Christian Kåsastul and assigned forward Nikita Pavlychev to Greenville.
Ierullo, 24, joins the Rabbits after appearing in three games with the Ontario Reign in the American Hockey League to begin his professional career.
The Woodbridge, ON native, begins his ECHL career after a four-year stint at Bemidji State University, where he was teammates with his former captain and now fellow Swamp Rabbit, Ethan Somoza. Over his four seasons with the Beavers, Ierullo posted 96 points (36g, 60a) in 126 games. His final season proved the best of his NCAA career, as the 5’9″, 172-pound winger tallied 42 points (16g 26a) in 39 games.
Kåsastul, 24, returns to Greenville for the first time since December 5, 2021. The Skien, Norway native spent the remainder of 2021 and the beginning of 2022 with the Ontario Reign. In the AHL, Kåsastul appeared in 25 games, posting eight points (1g, 7a) over that span. In seven games with the Swamp Rabbits, the defenseman posted an assist and a +2 rating.
Pavlychev 25, rejoins the Swamp Rabbits after his second call-up to the AHL this season. With the Reign, the former seventh-rounder pick in 2017 by the Pittsburgh Penguins has posted three points (2g 1a) in 13 games. During his 33 games in Greenville, the 6’7″ Russian native has tallied 28 points (13g, 15a) in 33 games.
The trio joins the Swamp Rabbits as they welcome the Rapid City Rush to Bon Secours Wellness Arena tonight at 7:05 p.m. for Thirsty Thursday.
Tickets for all Swamp Rabbits home games can be purchased at SwampRabbits.com or by calling 864.674.7825.
ABOUT US
Acquired by Spire Sports + Entertainment (SS+E) in 2020, the Greenville Swamp Rabbits hockey team has been providing family-friendly, live entertainment at Bon Secours Wellness Arena since 2010. Formerly the Greenville Road Warriors, the Swamp Rabbits are the highest-level professional minor league franchise in South Carolina. The Swamp Rabbits are proud affiliates of the NHL’s Florida Panthers and AHL’s Charlotte Checkers. Greenville is a member of the ECHL, Premier ‘AA’ Hockey.
