Red Wings add winger Matt Lorito with two-way contract

July 1, 2016 MiHockey Staff

By @MichaelCaples –

The Red Wings have signed an AHL forward who could become a hidden gem in today’s free agent frenzy.

Detroit has singed Matt Lorito to a two-year, two-way contract, per TSN’s Bob McKenzie.

The hockey analyst suggests he could be the Wings’ version of Connor Sheary, a free-agent pick-up who ended up playing a crucial role in the Pittsburgh Penguins’ march to the Stanley Cup.

DET is hoping Matt Lorito is their Connor Sheary. $575K/$300K in Year 1; $650K/$275K in Year 2.

— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) July 1, 2016

Lorito, 25, had an impressive first showing in the professional ranks this past season, racking up 18 goals and 36 assists for 54 total points in 71 games with the AHL’s Albany Devils.

Undrafted out of college, the 5-foot-9, 170-pound forward spent four seasons with Brown University, then impressed in his first taste of pro hockey when he jumped from the NCAA to the AHL and posted 12 points in 11 games with the AHL’s Devils in 2014-15.