Arnsby signs AHL contract

The Charlotte Checkers of the American Hockey League have signed centre Liam Arnsby of the North Bay Battalion to a two-year contract, it was announced Tuesday.

Arnsby, who turned 20 last Nov. 20, was a seventh-round pick by the Florida Panthers, with whom Charlotte is affiliated, in the 2022 National Hockey League Draft.

A resident of Ajax, Ont., Battalion captain Arnsby played 60 games in his Ontario Hockey League overage season in 2023-24, scoring 11 goals and earning 23 assists for 34 points with 93 penalty minutes. In 215 games over four seasons since being a first-round pick in the 2019 OHL Priority Selection, he scored 36 goals and added 74 assists for 110 points with 304 PiM.

Arnsby had two goals and one assist for three points in 10 playoff games this year with 22 penalty minutes. He served a six-game suspension as the Battalion went to the Eastern Conference final for a third consecutive season. In those three years, he had nine goals, 11 assists, 20 points and 70 PiM in 43 playoff games.

“Liam has been a foundational player to our program, and we’re thrilled to see him rewarded with a professional contract,” said Adam Dennis, the Battalion’s director of hockey operations, who was in final preparations for the Canadian Hockey League Import Draft, scheduled to start at 11 a.m. Wednesday.

“We have no doubt his leadership and grit will contribute well to his pro career. We wish him all the best in his next step. He’ll have a lot of longtime fans here in North Bay.”

In addition to Arnsby, Charlotte signed six others, including goaltenders Evan Cormier and Ken Appleby to one-year contracts.

Cormier, a Bowmanville, Ont., product, played 11 games with the Troops in two seasons before being traded to the Saginaw Spirit during the 2014-15 campaign. Appleby, a North Bay native, played against the Battalion as a member of the Oshawa Generals, including in the 2015 conference final.