ST. JOHN’S, NL – The Newfoundland Growlers, ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs, are proud to announce that Nepean, Ontario native and 2019 Kelly Cup champion Derian Plouffe has signed a Standard Player Contract (SPC) for the upcoming 2022-23 ECHL season.
Plouffe, 27, has appeared in 93 regular season contests as a member of the Growlers during the 2018-19 and 2021-22 seasons, collecting a total of 19 goals and 24 assists for 43 points.
A defensive specialist and face off wizard, Plouffe has also appeared in 36 postseason games as a Growler, scoring six goals and adding eight assists for 14 postseason points.
Plouffe returns to the Growlers coming off one of the most productive seasons of his professional career. His 20 points (6G, 14A) in just 37 games resulted in his best points-per-game average as a Growler.
In the 2022 Kelly Cup Playoffs, the 5’10 left-handed centre ranked fourth on the club in goals (5) and led all ECHL skaters in postseason shorthanded goals with two.
A Kelly Cup champion with the 2019 Growlers, Plouffe made his professional debut with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies in the 2017-18 season and spent the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons playing with the Indy Fuel before returning to the Growlers last season.
The Growlers return to the Mary Brown’s Centre for the 2022-23 ECHL season on Friday, October 21 as they host their North Division rivals, the Reading Royals. Full/Partial season ticket packages as well as single game tickets for all 36 regular season home games are available NOW.