The Toledo Walleye have acquired the rights to defenseman Matt Anderson from South Carolina in exchange for the rights to defenseman Cole Fraser.
Anderson, 24, played in 57 games for the Stingrays last season and produced 28 points. Anderson scored six goals to go along with 22 assists and was South Carolina's third-leading scorer among defensemen.
Fraser, a physical defenseman, played in 98 games for the Walleye over the past two seasons. Fraser left the team on Jan. 18 to go play overseas in Scotland.
Anderson played five seasons at the University of Minnesota-Duluth. He had 28 points (3 G, 25 A) in 181 college games.
A native of Shakopee, Minn., Anderson helped lead Minnesota-Duluth to back-to-back NCAA championships in 2018 and 2019.
The 6-foot and 194-pound defenseman also played in 17 games over two seasons for first-year Walleye coach Pat Mikesch when they were both with the Green Bay Gamblers of the USHL.
“He's an extremely versatile and strong skating d-man,” Mikesch said. “He plays both right and left d sides.”
Anderson turned pro at the end of the 2021-22 season and appeared in five games for the Stingrays. As a rookie last season, Anderson played in five playoff games for South Carolina under former Walleye player Brenden Kotyk.
Fraser, a 6-foot-2, 201-pound defenseman, is known to play with an edge. The 23-year-old Ontario native signed with the Walleye before the 2021-22 season.
The defenseman appeared in all 36 games for the Walleye last season and posted nine points before he left the team. He had two goals and seven assists and had the second-most penalty minutes on the team (68).
Fraser, who was suspended by the Walleye, played the remainder of last season for the Dundee Stars in the Elite Ice Hockey League. The league is based in the United Kingdom.
Fraser played in 62 games for the Walleye in 2021-22 and had 19 points (5 G, 14 A). He also led the team in penalty minutes with 132.
Before playing in Toledo, Fraser played for Allen, South Carolina, and Utah in the ECHL. In 189 ECHL games, Fraser has 43 points (15 G, 28 A) and 447 penalty minutes.
Training camp for the Walleye opens on Oct. 8. The Walleye will then have their first preseason game against Kalamazoo at home on Oct. 13. Toledo then plays at Kalamazoo on Oct. 14.
The two ECHL Central Division opponents then meet in the season opener for both teams on Oct. 21. Toledo's home opener is on Nov. 3 against Reading.
First Published September 25, 2023, 9:29 p.m.
