(Rochester, NY) – The Rochester Americans announced that the team has signed forward Remi Elie and defenseman Nicholas Welsh to one-year American Hockey League contracts for the 2020-21 season.
Elie, 25, returns to the Amerks for his third season after posting 27 points on 16 goals and 11 assists in 59 games over the last two years. The 6-foot-1, 216-pound forward also appeared in 16 games with the Buffalo Sabres after being claimed off waivers from the Dallas Stars during the 2018-19 campaign, adding an assist.
Over his five-year AHL career, Elie has notched 73 points (32+41) in 180 career AHL games between Rochester and Texas, while also tallying nine points (2+7) in 26 playoff games. The Cornwall, Ontario, native helped the Stars advance to the Calder Cup Championship in the spring of 2018.
Prior to turning pro, Elie amassed 161 points (66+95) in 195 games over a four-year span in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) between the London Knights, Erie Otters and Belleville Bulls.
He was drafted by the Dallas Stars in the second-round (40th overall) of the 2013 NHL Draft.
Welsh, 23, comes to Rochester having skated in six games with Banska Bystrica HC (Slovak) to begin the 2020-21 campaign, recording six penalty minutes. Prior to joining Banska, the 5-foot 9, 174-pound blueliner spent the previous two seasons at St. Mary’s University (AUS), notching 67 points (11+56) in 58 games.
During his final season with the Huskies, Welsh led all AUS defensemen in both assists (33) and points (38) while appearing in 29 games on his way to earning a First All-Star Team selection for the second consecutive year. He was also named to the All-Canadian First Team.
Before attending St. Mary’s University, Welsh, who participated in the 2018 Prospects Challenge with the Buffalo Sabres, spent six seasons in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) with the Shawinigan Cataractes and Moncton Wildcats, posting 181 points (36+145) in 329 career games. In 50 postseason games, Welsh added 29 points on five goals and 24 assists.
(Amerks Photo)
