Canucks sign college free agent defenceman Christian Felton
The Vancouver Canucks have signed undrafted defenceman Christian Felton as a college free agent.
The team announced today that they have come to terms with the 24-year-old on a one-year, entry-level contract. He just finished his final year of NCAA hockey at Merrimack College.
Vancouver Canucks General Manager Patrik Allvin announced today that the club has agreed to terms with defenceman Christian Felton on a one-year, entry-level contract.
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“We are happy to have Christian join our organization,” said GM Patrik Allvin in a press release. “We brought him into our development camp last summer and have kept a close eye on his progress. We look forward to working with him and helping Christian adjust to things as he starts his pro hockey career.”
The 6-foot-1 Felton had seven points in 26 games this past season for Merrimack College. He played a total of three seasons at the school, finishing with 17 points in 85 games.
Felton is a right-handed defenceman meaning that he’s a valuable commodity inside the Canucks organization, and the NHL as a whole.
He’s viewed as a defence-first player who is reliable in his own zone and not afraid to sacrifice his body to make a play for his team.
He has some previous connections to the province of British Columbia as he played a season for the Vernon Vipers of the BCHL. He finished that year with 15 points in 50 games.
The contract will begin next season.
The Canucks have had some success signing NCAA free agents under the Patrik Allvin regime. They acquired Cole McWard, Akito Hirose, and Max Sasson last year. Hirose and McWard have already played NHL games and Sasson has been a solid contributor for Abbotsford this season.