STEPHEN JOHNS SIGNS PTO WITH ROCKFORD

Rockford, Ill.- The American Hockey League’s Rockford IceHogs announced today that defensemen Stephen Johns has been signed to a professional tryout contract. Additionally, defensemen Joe Gleason has been reassigned from Rockford to the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye by the Chicago Blackhawks.

Johns, 21, skated in 40 games for the Fighting Irish totaling 20 points (8g-12a) as the team qualified for the NCAA tournament but got knocked out by St. Cloud State in a 4-3 overtime loss on Sun., Mar. 30.

The Wampum, Penn. native played four years for Notre Dame where he played in 164 games, only missing one game due to playing for the U.S. National team. During his time with the Fighting Irish he totaled 57 points (15g-42a) in four years.

Johns was drafted by the Blackhawks in the second round (#60 overall) in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.

Gleason, 23, began the season with the IceHogs, appearing in seven games, marking an assist. The rookie defenseman has skated in 48 contests with Toledo, totaling 3g-15a-18pts.

The Edina, Minn. native played four seasons at the University of North Dakota where he appeared in 143 games, racking up 6g-40a-46pts.

Next Home Game: Friday, April 11 against the Milwaukee Admirals. The puck will drop at 7 p.m. as these two Midwest Division rivals meet got the last time at the BMO and last time on the regular season.