Reign re-sign Walker, Rheault, add Pearce.
Forwards Geoff Walker, Jon Rheault and Robert Pearce have signed contracts with the Reign, the team announced today.
Walker and Rheault were integral pieces to the team's inaugural roster. A 6-3, 225-pound wing, Walker was the team's leader in goals (21) and co-leader in points (48) in 68 games. Rheault's speed made him a valuable two-way player. He split the season between Manchester of the AHL and Ontario, where he had 19 goals and 41 points in 51 games.
Pearce, a 6-1, 195-pound left wing, joins the Reign from the University of New Brunswick, where he was a four-year teammate of Denny Johnston.
Karl Taylor called Pearce a "Chris Curran type of player" for his solid two-way game. He was nearly a point-per-game player the past two seasons for UNB, both of which were limited to 16 games by injuries. After recovering from a high ankle sprain in 2007-08 and a shoulder injury last season, Pearce saved his best work for the playoffs.
In 2007, he scored in overtime to lift UNB to its second-ever University Cup. The Reds made it two titles in three years in March, and Pearce averaged more than a point per game for the third straight postseason.
"I'm a two-way guy that can shut down top-end guys but also produce," Pearce said. "A little like Jamie Langenbrunner, two-way guy, puts some numbers up."
In the small-world department, Pearce was once coached as a 10-year old by Taylor in an off-season hockey camp.
"I don't remember too much from it, but I remember he was around and coaching," Pearce said. "He was just getting into coaching, had just finished getting his degree."