Free agency continues in the AHL and several players are on the move once again. Zenon Konopka and Jesse Schultz were the biggest movers last week, as well as news on Hershey’s John Walton’s new job. Here’s an update from around the AHL.

Houston Aeros Sign Jesse Schultz

The Minnesota Wild, parent club of the Houston Aeros, announced Sunday the signing of Calder Cup champion Jesse Schultz to a one-year contract for the 2008-09 season.
The 25-year-old Schultz recorded 26 goals and 40 assists in 80 regular season games for the Chicago Wolves last season. He added eight goals and six assists in 24 playoff games to help lead the Wolves to the Calder Cup. In 299 career regular season AHL games with Manitoba and Chicago, Schultz has scored 90 goals and 107 assists.

Houston Aeros Re-sign Goaltender Barry Brust

The Minnesota Wild, parent club of the Houston Aeros, announced Sunday that they have signed goaltender Barry Brust to a multi-year contract. The 24-year-old appeared in 43 games for the Aeros last season and posted a record of 24-16-3 with a 2.27 GAA, a .919 SV% and four shutouts. He ranked sixth in the AHL in goals-against-average.

Rochester Americans Sign Defenseman Rory Fitzpatrick

The Florida Panthers, parent club of the Rochester Americans, announced last week that they’ve signed 34-year-old defenseman Rory Fitzpatrick to a two-year contract.
Fitzpatrick split last season between the Philadelphia Flyers and Phantoms. In 19 AHL games with the Phantoms, Fitzpatrick recorded one goal and four assists. He added a pair of assists in 12 Calder Cup playoffs games. Fitzpatrick has recorded 35 goals and 103 assists in 384 career AHL games with Fredericton, Worcester, Hamilton, Rochester and Philadelphia.

Hamilton Bulldogs Sign Goaltender Marc Denis

The Montreal Canadiens, parent club of the Hamilton Bulldogs, announced they’ve signed goaltender Marc Denis to a one-year, two-way contract for the 2008-09 season.
Denis, 30, appeared in 32 games for the Norfolk Admirals last season posting a record of 11-17-2 with a 2.91 GAA and a .910 SV%. Denis' career AHL record is 48-73-11-2 with a 2.87 GAA and a .908 SV% in 131 career AHL games with Hershey and Norfolk.

Hershey Bears Re-sign Defenseman Dean Arsene

The Hershey Bears announced Monday that they have re-signed defense Dean Arsene to a one-year contract for the 2008-09 AHL season. The 27-year-old Arsene appeared in 14 games last season for the Bears recording two assists. Arsene missed most of last season because of injuries. Arsene has posted seven goals and 29 assists in 271 career AHL games with Hartford and Hershey. Arsene was a member of Hershey’s 2006 Calder Cup championship team.

Springfield Falcons Sign Defenseman Jake Taylor

The Springfield Falcons announced Monday that they’ve signed defensemen Jake Taylor to a two-year American Hockey League contract. Taylor, 24, spent the first four years of his professional career with the Hartford Wolf Pack. Taylor collected three goals and 10 assists in 77 games last season. Taylor has posted four goals and 25 assists in 201 career AHL games, all with Hartford.

Iowa Signs Goaltender David LeNeveu

The Anaheim Ducks, parent club of the AHL franchise in Des Moines, Iowa, announced Tuesday that they’ve signed goaltender David LeNeveu to a one-year contract. LeNeveu, 25, appeared in 34 games last season with the San Antonio Rampage and Hartford Wolf Pack, posting a 17-10-5 record with a 2.33 GAA and a .916 SV%. LeNeveu has appeared in 185 career AHL games with Springfield, Utah, San Antonio, posting a 2.79 GAA with seven shutouts.

Hamilton Bulldogs Sign Ryan Flinn

The Montreal Canadiens, parent club of the Hamilton Bulldogs, announced Tuesday that they’ve signed tough guy Ryan Flinn to a one-year, two-way contract for the 2008-09 season. The 28-year-old Flinn split last season between the Springfield Falcons and Hershey Bears and recorded three goals and one assists and 135 penalty minutes in 41 games. Flinn has 11 goals and 15 assists with 823 penalty minutes in 254 career AHL games with Manchester, San Antonio, Springfield and Hershey.

Bridgeport Sound Tigers Sign Three

The New York Islanders, parent club of the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, announced last week that they’ve signed Kurtis McLean, Chris Lee, and Mitch Fritz (all three are 27-years old) to one-year, two-way contracts for the 2008-09 season. McLean spent last season with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins recording 22 goals and 32 assists in 76 games. McLean added 19 points for the Penguins in the 2008 Calder Cup playoffs. McLean has scored 42 goals and 59 assists in 163 career AHL games, all with the Penguins.

Lee was with the Iowa Stars last season and recorded seven goals and 28 assists in 68 games. Lee scored 11 goals and 35 assists in 104 career AHL games with Iowa, Albany, Bridgeport and Omaha. Fritz spent last season with the Hartford Wolf Pack recording one goal and four assists in 11 games. Fritz has recorded 11 goals and 13 assists to go along with 703 penalty minutes in 234 career AHL games with Lowell, Hamilton, St. John’s, Milwaukee, Worcester, Springfield and Hartford.

Norfolk Admirals Sign Zenon Konopka

The Tamp Bay Lightning, parent club of the Norfolk Admirals, announced Thursday the signing of forward Zenon Konopka to a two-year contract. Konopka, also 27-years-old, split last season between the Columbus Blue Jackets of the NHL and the Syracuse Crunch. Konopka appeared in 62 games last season for the Crunch and registered a career-high 24 goals and 21 assists. For his career, Konopka has scored 86 goals and 126 assists in 280 AHL games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Utah, Cincinnati, Portland and Syracuse.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Sign Pair

The Pittsburgh Penguins, parent club of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, announced Thursday that they’ve signed defenseman Joey Mormina and re-signed forward Connor James. Mormina, 26 years-old, spent last season with the Albany River Rats while recording four goals and nine assists in 77 games. He also made his NHL debut last season with the Carolina Hurricanes. Mormina scored six goals and 31 assists in 200 AHL games with Albany and Manchester.

James, 25, spent last season with the Penguins and recorded nine goals and 28 assists in 64 games. James has scored 40 goals and 74 assists in 225 career AHL games with Manchester and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

Milwaukee Admirals Sign Josh Gratton

The Nashville Predators, parent club of the Milwaukee Admirals, announced Wednesday that they’ve signed forward Josh Gratton to a one-year, two-way contract for the 2008-09 season. Gratton was a member of Philadelphia’s 2005 Calder Cup championship team. The 25-year-old Gratton split last season between the San Antonio Rampage and Hartford Wolf Pack. Gratton recorded 11 goals and 15 assists and added 196 penalty minutes in 58 games. Gratton has scored 32 goals and 33 assists in 192 career AHL games with Cincinnati, Philadelphia, San Antonio and Hartford.

John Walton Staying as Bears Radio Broadcaster

John Walton has left his full-time position with the Hershey Bears, but he will continue to broadcast and do public relations for the club on a contract basis. He will now work as an agent for Brownstone Real Estate Company. Walton came to Hershey at the start of the 2002-03 season and has called over 500 AHL games with the Bears and Cincinnati Mighty Ducks. He’s one of the league’s longest tenured broadcasters and was awarded the James H. Ellery Award in 2004 for outstanding radio and media relations work.