The Toledo Walleye have signed former University of Michigan captain Nolan Moyle.
Moyle, a center and right winger, had been playing overseas in the Kontinental Hockey League, an elite Russian league.
The 6-2, 198-pound forward scored 46 points (24 goals and 22 assists) in five seasons at Michigan. He served as the Wolverines' captain during the 2022-23 season when he had seven points (3 G, 4 A) in 40 games.
Walleye coach Pat Mikesch coached Moyle when they were both with the Green Bay Gamblers of the United States Hockey League. Moyle had 60 points (24 G, 36 A) in 116 games for Green Bay before going to Michigan.
“Knowing him so well from our time together in Green Bay, he's a great skater and a great penalty killer,” Mikesch said. “He plays both center and right wing, which is valuable. He's very versatile. He does a lot of things well. He's long and gives a little different element than what a lot of our makeup is.”
Moyle played last season for the Kunlun Red Star in the KHL and had 11 points (4 G, 7 A) in 55 games. He started this season with Kunlun and had two points (1 G, 1 A) in 12 games.
Moyle joined the team on Sunday and will be in the lineup on Monday for the Walleye, who play at Cincinnati.
Also on Sunday, the Walleye traded forward Casey Dornbach to Greenville in exchange for defenseman Bobby Russell.
Dornbach ranked seventh on the team in scoring with 20 points (3 G, 17 A) in 37 games. Russell had 10 points (2 G, 8 A) in 28 games for Greenville.
Mikesch said the departure of Dornbach did not come down to one single thing. But Dornbach had been on the top line with the Iowa Heartlanders last year and finished second on the team in scoring with 42 points (13 G, 29 A) in 55 games.
“We were trying to find opportunities for him and trying to find the right chemistry with players,” Mikesch said. “But ultimately we felt we had players that may be a bit ahead of him in the lineup. He just didn't get the same opportunity that he got in Iowa last year.”
Mikesch said the need for a defenseman as well as the arrival of Moyle factored into the move.
Russell (6-0, 187) is in his fourth season in the ECHL. He has 58 points (14 G, 44 A) in 170 games for Greenville.
“He's a good skating defenseman with a lot of experience in the league already, even though he's not old,” Mikesch said of the 24-year-old. “We love his skating. He's been in the playoffs every year that he's been in the league. So he has valuable experience that way as well.”
Russell, a left-shot defenseman, will fill a void left on the back end with defenseman Chaz Reddekopp on the injured reserve. Fellow defensemen Grant Gabriele and Matt Anderson also are currently not with the team and are on call-ups to the American Hockey League.
Reddekopp — who is having his upper-body injury re-evaluated this week — has not yet returned to the ice, but may be available next weekend. Russell will join the team this week.
The Walleye have lost three in a row and are 6-2-2 in their last 10 games. Mikesch said the team's current losing streak had little to do with the moves.
“The timing of it really doesn't have to do anything with our last couple results,” he said. “Adding Nolan gave us the ability to look at helping with our d-corps.”
Toledo dropped back-to-back games on the road this weekend. Toledo lost 4-2 at rival Fort Wayne on Friday. The Walleye then rallied to earn a point in a 4-3 overtime loss to Kalamazoo on Saturday.
Despite the recent slide, the Walleye (24-9-5) still lead the Central Division with 53 points. They play at Cincinnati on Monday at 1:30 p.m.
The Walleye then have a three-game homestand next weekend. They host Kalamazoo on Friday at the Huntington Center before playing Iowa on Saturday and Sunday.
First Published January 19, 2025, 10:18 p.m.
