San Diego Gulls Sign Forward Eddie Matsushima and Defenseman Anthony Costantini to a One-Year Contracts
Jul 31, 2023The San Diego Gulls today announced the American Hockey League (AHL) club has signed forward Eddie Matsushima and defenseman Anthony Costantini to a one-year standard player contracts (SPCs) through the 2023-24 AHL season.
Matsushima, 29 (1/4/94), posted 46-48=94 points with 97 penalty minutes (PIM) in 151 career ECHL games with the Tulsa Oilers, Orlando Solar Bears, Maine Mariners and Worcester Railers. He spent the 2022-23 campaign with Tulsa, posting 28-19=47 points in a career-best 65 games. He set career-highs in goals (28), points (47) and PIM (44), led all Oilers in goals and points and was named a 2022-23 ECHL All Star. Matsushima also skated in six Kelly Cup Playoff games, scoring 3-1=4 points with four PIM and a +5 rating.
The 5-11, 185-pound forward appeared in 67 career Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL) games with the Pensacola Ice Flyers, collecting 24-39=63 points with 53 PIM and a +22 rating from 2019-21. In 2020-21, Matsushima posted a career-best 10-19=29 points with 27 PIM and a +7 rating in 34 regular-season games. He chipped in 3-2=5 points in four postseason contests, helping the Ice Flyers clinch the organization’s fourth President’s Cup Championship. He also earned SPHL Second All-Star Team honors.
The Verona, Wis. native spent three seasons with the NCAA Division III’s University of Wisconsin – River Falls, scoring 38-46=79 points with 127 PIM in 109 games from 2015-19. In his junior season, Matsushima earned NCAA III (WIAC) All-Conference Team honors after posting 14-14=28 points in 26 games. During the 2018-19 campaign, he earned NCAA III (AHCA) Second Team All-American (West) honors and finished as a NCAA III (WIAC) All-Conference Team member and NCAA III (WIAC) Scholar-Athlete.
Costantini, 20 (8/4/02), posted 11-58=69 points with 50 penalty minutes (PIM) and a +33 rating in 193 career Ontario Hockey League (OHL) games with the Ottawa 67’s. He set career highs in 2022-23, posting 7-29=36 points with 12 PIM and a +26 rating in 67 games. In addition, he led team defensemen in games played and ranked second in assists and tied for third in goals. He added two assists in nine 2023 OHL Playoff games as Ottawa advanced to the Second Round before falling to the Peterborough Petes. In 13 career postseason contests, Costantini collected three points – all assists – and two PIM. The defenseman was teammates with current Anaheim Ducks prospect Pavol Mintyukov.
The 6-1, 185-pound defenseman made his OHL debut in 2019-20, posting 0-7=7 points with 22 PIM and a +21 rating in 59 games. He ranked first among the team’s first year blueliners in games played and finished second in points and tied for second in assists.
The Hamilton, Ont. native has a brother, Marco, a goaltender who spent four seasons in the OHL with the Hamilton Bulldogs and Kitchener Rangers.