The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins have signed goaltender Shane Starrett to a one-year American Hockey League (AHL) contract.
Starrett, 26, spent last season with the Bakersfield Condors, AHL affiliate of the Edmonton Oilers. Limited to 14 games due in part to a lingering groin injury, he had a 5-6-1 record along with a 3.63 goals against average and an .874 save percentage.
A native of Bellingham, Mass., Starrett (6-foot-5, 195 pounds) was named to the AHL’s All-Rookie team in 2018-19. Appearing in 42 games for Bakersfield, Starrett had a 27-12-2 record along with a 2.33 goals against average, .918 save percentage and four shutouts.
Undrafted out of the Air Force Academy, Starrett was signed to a two-year entry-level contract by the Edmonton Oilers in 2017 then re-signed on a one-year, two-way contract in 2019 before being allowed to depart as an unrestricted free agent this offseason.
Starrett is expected to compete with goaltenders Maxime Lagace and Emil Larmi, each signed to NHL contracts, for playing time with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and could open the season with the Wheeling Nailers, the Penguins’ ECHL affiliate.
Note: The Nailers signed forward Michael Pelech to a one-year contract. Pelech, 31, has been prolific ECHLer throughout his career having played the fourth-most games (705) and recorded the fifth-most assists (372) in league history. Last season, Pelech led the Greenville Swamp Rabbits in scoring with 53 points (16 goals, 37 assists) in 63 games.
