McGill hockey grad Gallant invited to NHL's Penguins training camp

MONTREAL – Former McGill University forward Zach Gallant has been named to the training camp roster of the Pittsburgh Penguins, the NHL club announced Wednesday.

McGill, which has produced more than 220 players who graduated to the professional ranks, has seen 18 of its alumni play in the NHL.

Gallant, a 26-year-old management grad from Oakville, Ont., skated for McGill during the past three seasons after spending parts of three campaigns in the American Hockey League and ECHL. The six-foot-2, 200-pound centre played 50 regular season games for the Redbirds, collecting 59 points, including 20 goals to help McGill reach the OUA playoffs in each of the past two years. He initially enrolled at McGill during the COVID-cancelled 2021-22 season and attended his courses online while playing for the AHL's San Jose Barracuda. 

Before joining McGill, Gallant appeared in 37 AHL contests with Grand Rapids, San Jose and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, in addition to 76 games in the ECHL with Toledo, Allen and Orlando. A third-round draft choice of the Detroit Red Wings in 2017, he became the 17th McGill hockey graduate to skate in the AHL when he made was assigned to Pittsburgh's farm team in Wilkes-Barr/Scranton last March.

Pittsburgh's 69-man roster features 37 forwards, 24 defencemen and eight goaltenders as the Penguins open camp Thursday. Among the forwards are stars Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Rickard Rakell, along with newcomers such as Rafael Harvey-Pinard and Kevin Hayes. Gallant is listed among the group that also includes veterans Robby Fabbri, Danton Heinen and Bryan Rust.

The Penguins' camp roster also includes three-time Stanley Cup champion Kris Letang, a native of Montreal, and veteran goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, who is returning to the organization where he spent his first 13 NHL seasons.