The Buffalo Sabres, parent club of the AHL’s Portland Pirates, have announced the signings of unrestricted free agent forwards Colton Fretter and Colin Murphy.
Fretter (3/12/1982, 5’10”, 187 lbs.) split last season between Bridgeport and Chicago in the AHL, scoring 15 points (10+5) in 26 games. In 2006-07, Fretter had 68 points (36+32) in 51 games with Gwinnett (ECHL).
Fretter played his college hockey at Michigan State, picking up 112 points (43+69) in 159 games during a four-year collegiate career from 2002-06. A native of Harrow, Ont., Fretter was originally drafted by Atlanta in 2002.
Murphy (4/11/1980), 6’0”, 195 lbs.) spent the last three seasons with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies after signing with the team as an undrafted free agent in 2005. Last season he finished with 38 points (11+27) and 152 PIMs in 68 regular-season games and added five points (2+3) in 11 Calder Cup Playoff contests.
The native of Fort McMurray, Alta., posted career highs in goals (20), assists (36) and points (56) during the 2006-07 season with the Marlies. Overall, Murphy shows 136 points (48+88) in 206 career AHL games with Toronto and St. John’s.
Murphy averaged more than a point per game during four years at Michigan Tech, collecting 152 points (54+98) in 145 games from 2001-05.
