Chatham Maroons Make Deadlines Deals

Former Chatham Maroons goalie Conner MacKinnon

The Chatham Maroons will welcome a new netminder and forward to their roster this week after a pair of transactions at the league deadline.

Veteran goalie Conner MacKinnon was released by the Chatham Maroons after losing his starting role to rookie Hunter Johnson earlier this season.

Joining Johnson in the crease will be Gianluca Palmieri who was picked up from the North Bay Trappers of the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League.

In 17 games with the Chatham Maroons this season, MacKinnon had a 5-9-0-1 record, with a 4.69 GAA, and .869 save percentage.

Palmieri comes to the Maroons with a 7-5-0-1 record in the NOJHL, 3.99 GAA, and .884 save percentage.

The other Maroons pick up was forward Brendan Coughlin, an 11th-round draft pick of the Windsor Spitfires in 2010. Coughlin has not seen the ice yet this year after recovering from a shoulder injury.

Coughlin played 26 games last season for the Windsor Spitfires Major Midget AAA team scoring 11 goals and adding 10 assists. His pionts per game average of 0.81 trailed only Eric Palazzolo on his Windsor team. Palazzolo also plays for the Chatham Maroons this season.

Coughlin will be welcomed by many familiar faces including Head Coach Bill Bowler, who coached the Major Midget Windsor team last season, as well as Palazzolo, Steven Szekesy, Thomas Eady, and Connor Doran, who all played in Windsor last season and are current Maroons.

Chatham faces the London Nationals tonight in London, before welcoming the Lambton Shores Predators to Memorial Arena Sunday night.