Ducks Sign De Leo, Welinski, Poturalski, Lettieri to Contracts
Oct 10, 2020The Anaheim Ducks announced today club signed center Chase De Leo to a one-year, two-way contract extension, defenseman Andy Welinski to a one-year, one-way contract, and right wing Andrew Poturalski and center Vinni Lettieri to one-year, two-way contracts.
De Leo, 24 (10/25/95), has appeared in four career NHL games with Anaheim and Winnipeg, collecting a +2 rating. A native of La Mirada, CA, De Leo played in one game with Anaheim in 2019-20, Jan. 16 at Nashville. He made his Ducks debut on Mar. 30, 2019 at Edmonton as the fourth Southern California native to play for the Ducks.
Acquired from Winnipeg in exchange for Nic Kerdiles on June 30, 2018, De Leo has earned 75-112=187 points in 328 career American Hockey League (AHL) games with San Diego and Manitoba. The 5-9, 186-pound center recorded 10-15=25 points with a +4 rating and 16 penalty minutes (PIM) in 51 games with San Diego last season.
Selected by Winnipeg in the fourth round (99th overall) of the 2014 NHL Draft, De Leo represented Team USA at the 2015 World Junior Championship, and helped the Portland Winter Hawks to a Western Hockey League championship and an appearance in the 2013 Memorial Cup final.
Welinski, 27 (4/27/93), appeared in 33 career games with Anaheim, earning 1-5=6 points. He also appeared in three Stanley Cup Playoff games with the Ducks in 2018. The 6-1, 201-pound defenseman spent the 2019-20 campaign with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms (AHL), collecting 8-13=21 points with a +2 rating and 10 PIM.
Selected by Anaheim in the third round (83rd overall) of the 2011 NHL Draft, Welinski made his NHL debut with the Ducks on Dec. 11, 2017 vs. Carolina and became the first Ducks rookie defenseman to record a point in his first two career games since Alex Grant in 2013.
The Duluth, MN native recorded 32-72=104 points and 66 PIM in 188 career AHL games with San Diego and Lehigh Valley. Welinski ranks second in points (24-59=83), goals, assists and is third in games played (146) among all-time Gulls defenseman. A 2017-18 AHL All-Star with the Gulls, Welinski also earned 3-12=15 points in 34 Calder Cup Playoff contests. In four seasons with the Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) from 2012-16, Welinski had 24-53=77 points in 154 career games for his hometown team.
Poturalski, 26 (1/14/94), helped lead the Charlotte Checkers (AHL) to the 2019 Calder Cup Championship after collecting 12-11=23 points with a +15 rating in 18 AHL playoff games. Poturalski was named the MVP of the 2019 Calder Cup Playoffs after leading all skaters in points and goals, co-leading in game-winning goals (3) and plus/minus, and ranking tied for fourth in assists.
Signed by Anaheim as a free agent July 2, 2019, Poturalski appeared in two NHL games with the Hurricanes in 2016-17, including his NHL debut Apr. 4, 2017 at Minnesota. The 5-11, 190-pound center has earned 68-1115=183 points with a +4 rating in 255 career AHL games. He has also played 31 career Calder Cup Playoff games, collecting 13-15=28 points and a +16 rating.
The Williamsville, NY native appeared in 15 games with San Diego in 2019-20, earning 2-5=7 points in 17 games. Poturalski scored 36-45=81 points with 40 PIM in 77 career NCAA games at the University of New Hampshire (Hockey East). He led Hockey East in scoring in 2015-16 (31 points) and was named a Hobey Baker Award finalist, in addition to the First All-American Team and Hockey East First All-Star Team.
Lettieri, 25 (2/6/95), appeared in 46 career NHL games with the New York Rangers, recording 2-6=8 points and 14 penalty minutes (PIM). He scored his first career goal and point in his NHL debut with the Ranges, Dec. 29, 2017 at Detroit. The 5-11, 194-pound center scored 71-61=132 points with 103 PIM in 173 career AHL games with Hartford, one of four AHL players to score 20 goals in each of the last three seasons, doing so in his first three seasons.
A native of Excelsior, MN, Lettieri scored 25-22=47 points with 46 PIM in 61 AHL games with the Wolf Pack last season, setting a career high in goals and leading the club in scoring, goals and PPG (9). Lettieri paced Hartford in goals and PPG in each of his three seasons, while leading in points-per game in 2019-20 (.77) and 2018-19 (1.0).
Lettieri had 37-46=83 points with a +17 rating in four seasons at the University of Minnesota (2013-17), helping the Golden Gophers to a 2015 Big Ten championship. His grandfather, Lou Nanne, is a former Minnesota North Stars player, head coach and general manager. Nanne played in 635 NHL games for Minnesota (1967-78) and spent 11 years as general manager of the North Stars from 1977-1988. Nanne was inducted to the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2004.