The Dallas Stars have signed left wing Michael Mersch to a two-year, two-way contract, and defenseman Joel Hanley to a one-year, two-way contract.
Mersch, 25, set career highs with 28 assists and 49 points in 65 regular-season games with the AHL’s Ontario Reign in 2017-18, his fourth pro campaign. He added one goal and two assists in four Calder Cup Playoff games.
In 248 games over his AHL career, Mersch has tallied 85 goals and 88 assists for 173 points along with a plus-48 rating skating for the Los Angeles Kings’ affiliates in Ontario and Manchester. He also notched 16 goals and 19 assists in 44 postseason contests, helping Manchester win the Calder Cup in 2015.
A product of the University of Wisconsin, Mersch was originally drafted by Los Angeles in the fourth round in 2011. He has one goal and two assists in 17 career NHL games with the Kings.
Hanley, 27, skated in 52 regular-season games with the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners last season, recording two goals and 18 assists for 20 points while tying for fifth in the league with a plus-30 rating. Hanley also registered four assists in nine playoff games, and skated in five NHL games with the Arizona Coyotes.
Entering his fifth pro season in 2018-19, Hanley has totaled 11 goals and 66 assists for 77 points in 259 AHL games with Tucson, St. John’s and Portland.
Undrafted out of the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, Hanley has six assists in 22 career NHL games with Arizona and Montreal.
