The St. Louis Blues, parent club of the AHL’s Peoria Rivermen, have signed defensemen Nathan Oystrick and Brennan Evans to two-way contracts.
Oystrick, 27, spent the majority of the 2009-10 season with the Atlanta Thrashers’ American Hockey League affiliate Chicago Wolves, collecting 23 points (seven goals, 16 assists) to go along with 96 penalty minutes. He also appeared in three games for the Anaheim Ducks after being traded from Atlanta, along with a conditional pick, on March 1 for Evgeny Artyukhin.
He has spent his entire AHL career with the Wolves and was named to the 2006-07 AHL All-Star Team as well as the AHL All-Rookie Team. He has played in 205 AHL games and registered 114 points (37 goals, 77 assists) over three full seasons in Chicago. He was part of the Wolves’ 2007-08 Calder Cup championship team and racked up 11 points in 24 playoff games that season.
In his NHL career, the 6-foot, 210-pound defenseman has played in 56 games with the Thrashers and Ducks earning 12 points (four goals, eight assists) and 52 penalty minutes. The Regina, Sask., native was originally drafted by Atlanta in the seventh round, 198th overall in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft.
Evans, 28, spent the 2009-10 season with the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League while under contract with the Anaheim Ducks. He racked up 199 penalty minutes in 79 games last season and contributed a goal and seven assists from the blue line.
A veteran of seven AHL seasons, the 6-foot-3, 220-pound Evans has totaled nine goals, 70 assists and 1,111 penalty minutes in 494 AHL games with the Marlies, Iowa Chops (08-09), Worcester Sharks (06-08), Binghamton Senators (05-06) and Lowell Lock Monsters (03-05). A durable defenseman, Evans has appeared in at least 70 games in each of the last five seasons.
Undrafted, Evans was originally signed by Calgary as a free agent on Sept. 30, 2003; Evans appeared in two games during the Flames’ 2004 Western Conference Semifinal series against the Detroit Red Wings.
