Former Penguins Prospect Signs With Rival Team

Providence Bruins General Manager Evan Gold announced earlier today that the team has signed defenseman Chris Ortiz, a former Pittsburgh Penguins prospect, to a professional tryout.

Ortiz, age 24, has played in 45 games this season with the Wheeling Nailers of the ECHL, scoring just five goals but with a team-high 34 assists while boasting a plus-19 rating.

The 5-foot-10, 180-pound defenseman has appeared in 24 career AHL games with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, where he scored only one goal and four assists.

Ortiz is a Boisbriand, Quebec native, and played five seasons in the QMJHL with the Baie-Comeau Drakkar and the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada before turning pro during the 2021-22 season.

The ECHL Wheeling Nailers appear to have lost another one of their players today on top of Ortiz moving to the AHL.

The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins announced today that they have recalled forward Mathieu De St. Phalle from the Nailers.

A first-year pro out of the University of Wisconsin, De St. Phalle currently leads the Nailers with 44 points in 47 games played. His 17 goals and 27 assists are also good for second on the team in both those categories.

Additionally, the 24-year-old ranks second overall among all ECHL rookies in assists and fourth among all rookies in total points.
In four seasons of college hockey at Wisconsin, De St. Phalle scored 36 goals and 51 assists for a total of 87 points in 141 games.