#ryanhaggerty

2018 U.S. Olympian Bobby Butler, & Rookies Drew Melanson & Jason Salvaggio, Ink AHL Deals with Hartford BY: Bob Crawford, Hartford Wolf Pack HARTFORD, July 2, 2018:  Hartford Wolf Pack general manager Chris Drury announced today that the Wolf Pack has signed forwards Bobby Butler, Drew Melanson and Jason Salvaggio to American Hockey League contracts. Butler, a veteran of eight pro seasons, was a member of the 2018 U.S. Olympic Team, skating in five games for Team USA at the Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea.  The 31-year-old Marlborough, MA native also played in 67 AHL games in 2017-18 with the Milwaukee Admirals.  Butler led the Admirals club in goals and finished second in points, with 24-21-45 in 36 games. The 6-0, 188-pound Butler has seen action in 130 NHL games in his career, with the Ottawa Senators, New Jersey Devils, Nashville Predators and Florida Panthers, amassing totals of 20 goals and 29 assists for 49 points.  He has logged 288 career games of AHL action, with the Admirals, Binghamton Senators, Albany Devils and San Antonio Rampage, registering 111 goals and 100 assists for 211 points.  He won the Calder Cup as a rookie with Binghamton in 2010-11, has four 20-goal AHL seasons to his credit, and has been selected for three AHL All-Star Classics (2010-11, 2012-13 and 2014-15). Prior to signing with Ottawa as an undrafted free agent March 29, 2010, Butler played four seasons at the University of New Hampshire.  In 153 career games as a Wildcat, he struck for 61 goals and 60 assists for 121 points and earned Hockey East Player of the Year honors as a Senior in 2009-10.  In 39 games that year, Butler had 29 goals and 24 assists for 53 points. Melanson, 23, a 5-11, 182-pound native of Paramus, NJ, played five games with the Wolf Pack in 2017-18, contributing one assist, after finishing his NCAA eligibility at Boston University (Hockey East).  He skated in 40 games with the Terriers, notching six goals and adding 13 assists for 19 points, while serving 28 minutes in penalties. Prior to this this past year, Melanson played three seasons at R.P.I. (ECAC), totaling 17 goals and 26 assists for 43 points, along with 44 penalty minutes, in 100 games.  He earned ECAC All-Rookie honors in 2014-15, leading the Engineers in points and goals with 9-11-20 in 36 games. Salvaggio, a 24-year-old 6-0, 180-pounder, joined the Wolf Pack last season after completing a four-year career at the University of New Hampshire.  He was scoreless in four AHL games, after tallying eight goals and eight assists for 16 points, and serving 42 minutes in penalties, in 36 U.N.H. outings.  Those totals were good for third on the Wildcat team in goals and third in PIM. A native of Hanson, MA, Salvaggio suited up for a total of 116 games in his U.N.H. career, scoring 34 goals and adding 26 assists for 60 points, with 116 penalty minutes.