The New York Islanders, parent club of the AHL’s Bridgeport Sound Tigers, added to their list of top prospects late Sunday evening with the signing of free-agent left wing Sean Bentivoglio to a three-year contract.
Bentivoglio was the CHA Player of the Year at Niagara University in 2006-07 and then signed an amateur tryout contract with the Providence Bruins. He recorded three goals and 11 assists for 14 points in 15 regular-season games with the Bruins, and added nine points (3g, 6a) in 13 Calder Cup Playoff games.
Bentivoglio will attend his first training camp with the Islanders this September and is expected to contend for a spot on the team.
"This is an important signing for us," said Islanders general manager Garth Snow. "There was a lot of interest in Sean and our scouts are thrilled he chose to be an Islander. Sean was a dominant player in college and proved with the Providence Bruins that he’s close to reaching the next level. He has NHL speed and playmaking ability and plays the game with a ton of determination."
The 21-year-old Bentivoglio played four years at Niagara and had 43 goals and 89 assists for 132 points in 145 games. He was captain his senior year and tallied 16 goals and 30 assists for 46 points in 36 games on his way to being named the CHA conference’s player of the year.
