Jul. 1—GRAND FORKS — Troy Stecher is headed back to the desert.
The former UND alternate captain and defenseman has signed a one-year deal with the Arizona Coyotes worth $1.1 million, according to CapFriendly.
Last summer, Stecher also signed a free-agent deal with Arizona, but the Coyotes sent him to the Calgary Flames at the trading deadline as the Flames tried to push to make the playoffs. They missed by two points.
Stecher will head back to Arizona, where he’ll play alongside former UND teammate Nick Schmaltz.
“We are very pleased to have Troy back with the Coyotes this season,” Arizona general manager Bill Armstrong said. “He is a veteran defenseman who skates well, competes hard and can move the puck effectively. He will be a solid addition to our blue line.”
Since helping UND to the 2016 NCAA national championships, Stecher has played seven seasons in the NHL.
He spent his first four seasons with his hometown team, the Vancouver Canucks. He’s played for four teams — Detroit, Los Angeles, Arizona and Calgary — in the last three seasons.
In all, Stecher has played 440 NHL games, tallying 18 goals and 103 points.
Stecher was left undrafted after helping the Penticton Vees to the Fred Page Cup in the British Columbia Hockey League. After spending three seasons at UND, he became an sought-after free agent.
The 5-foot-10, right-handed shooting defenseman has signed five pro contracts worth more than $12 million.
Stecher has represented Canada at the international level, winning one gold (2021) and one silver (2019) at the IIHF Men’s World Championship.
As of July 1, there are 20 former UND players under NHL contracts for 2022-23.
They are Jacob Bernard-Docker (Ottawa), Brock Boeser (Vancouver), Drake Caggiula (Edmonton), Judd Caulfield (Anaheim), Derek Forbort (Boston), Rhett Gardner (Philadelphia), Tyson Jost (Buffalo), Matt Kiersted (Florida), Tyler Kleven (Ottawa), Paul LaDue (N.Y. Islanders), Brad Malone (Edmonton), Zane McIntyre (Minnesota), Brock Nelson (Islanders), T.J. Oshie (Washington), Tucker Poolman (Vancouver), Jake Sanderson (Ottawa), Nick Schmaltz (Arizona), Cole Smith (Nashville), Stecher and Christian Wolanin (Vancouver).
There are nine former Fighting Hawks who are unrestricted free agents after being on NHL contracts last season: forward Collin Adams, goalie Aaron Dell, forward Grant Mismash, forward Zach Parise, forward Austin Poganski, defenseman Colton Poolman, goalie Adam Scheel, forward Jonathan Toews and forward Jasper Weatherby.
