The Toledo Walleye have signed forward Nolan LaPorte, a veteran of three ECHL seasons.
LaPorte, a 28-year-old native of Chicago, played last season overseas in Great Britain.
A Western Michigan University graduate, LaPorte has played three seasons in the ECHL for Atlanta, Quad City, and Florida. In 139 ECHL games, LaPorte has tallied 93 points with 37 goals and 56 assists.
In 47 games for the Glasgow Clan in the Elite Hockey League last season, LaPorte posted 39 points (16 G, 23 A).
Walleye coach Dan Watson said Laporte will bring a wealth of experience to his team.
“He is very versatile and can play in all situations for us,” Watson said. “I think the fans will enjoy his style of play, as he brings a relentless work ethic and high compete level each and every game.”
LaPorte was a captain at Western Michigan University where he skated in 133 games. He produced 70 points (33 G, 37 A) to go along with 176 penalty minutes. The 6-foot, 192-pound forward also played two seasons at Western Michigan with Walleye veteran Shane Berschbach.
In his first pro season with Quad City in 2016-17, LaPorte had 44 points (14 G, 30 A) in 65 games. He then played for the Florida Everblades in 2017-18 and had 11 points (4 G, 7 A) in 22 games. LaPorte then played in 52 games for Atlanta in a 2018-19 season where he set career-highs in goals (19) and penalty minutes (107). He finished with 38 points in 52 games for the Gladiators.
The Walleye, who are scheduled to start the 2020-21 season on Jan. 15, have now signed 20 players this offseason.
The forward grouping is led by veterans T.J. Hensick, Shane Berschbach, and Kyle Bonis. The other forwards signed so far are LaPorte, Brett Boeing, Conlan Keenan, Marcus Vela, Luke Sandler, Brandon Hawkins, Hunter Garlent, and Keeghan Howdeshell.
The defensemen that the team has signed this offseason are Butrus Ghafari, Ryker Killins, Ryan Lowney, Chris McKay, Gordi Myer, Kevin Spinozzi, Randy Gazzola, and Connor Walters.
The lone goalie signed is second-year pro Trevor Gorsuch.
The season ahead
On Oct. 9, the ECHL announced it would implement a staggered start to the season where 13 teams will begin a 72-game season on Dec. 11. The remaining 12 teams, including Toledo, will begin a 62-game season starting in mid-January.
The move led to the cancellation of the Walleye's Winterfest event.
The ECHL, which was forced to cancel the remainder of the 2019-20 season in mid-March due to coronavirus implications, had already delayed the start of this season from mid-October until Dec. 4 in the hopes of still playing a 72-game schedule.
ECHL commissioner Ryan Crelin told ESPN.com this week that ECHL officials are working with the NHL and the American Hockey League to come up with specific plans to safely begin play.
“If there was a reasonable and responsible way to return to play in 2020-21, our ownership wanted to do it, the players certainly want to get back to playing, and the fans have shown their desire to have ECHL hockey in their market,” Crelin said. “Is COVID gone? Absolutely not. Is it something we're going to have to deal with for the foreseeable future? Absolutely. But the more you work through it, the more you learn. I think you can reasonably and responsibly return to play.”
The status of the ECHL season continues to be contingent upon the evolving impact of the coronavirus. Attendance restrictions at indoor facilities are based upon local jurisdictional approval.
Two ECHL franchises, Atlanta and Norfolk, have already suspended operations.
Walleye officials have said there is no current plan to suspend the Toledo franchise's operations.
General manager and executive vice president Neil Neukam said the organization will be filing a variance plan that includes a justification for increased capacity at the Huntington Center.
“Re-opening plans have been submitted for Walleye hockey, and we’ll be submitting the variance request for additional capacity levels that have been successfully accomplished by other teams in professional sports,” Neukam said. “We feel confident that we can re-open under the protocols and guidelines established by local, state, and national health officials.”
First Published October 28, 2020, 6:31 p.m.
