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Ontario Reign

Tate Singleton joins Ontario Reign on AHL contract for 2024-25 season

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The Ontario Reign announced the ninth AHL player signing for the upcoming 2024-25 season Wednesday morning, inking forward Tate Singleton to a one-year deal.

Singleton split time between AHL-Toronto and ECHL-Newfoundland as a rookie last season and showed well for both clubs. He produced six points in just 12 games at the AHL level while accumulating a plus-5 rating, with most of those contests coming down the stretch with Toronto in a race for a spot in the postseason. Singleton scored his first career AHL goal on Mar. 27 in Manitoba which was the beginning of a three-game point streak. The Marlies eventually fell to Belleville in a competitive opening-round playoff series.

In the ECHL, Singleton finished fourth in scoring on the Growlers with 48 points in 59 games. His goal total of 25 was second-best on the team, while his penalty minute number (102) led the club. While smaller in stature at just 5-foot-9, Singleton certainly finds ways to stand out and was a leader on the ice for Newfoundland.

From the team’s release on Singleton –

Singleton, 25, will begin his second professional campaign with Ontario after spending his rookie year on an AHL contract with the Toronto Marlies. The West Lebanon, N.H. native posted six points in 12 appearances along with a plus-5 rating for the Marlies, with 11 of the contests coming in the final month of the regular season.

In addition, Singleton starred with the ECHL’s Newfoundland Growlers, scoring 48 points on 25 goals and 23 assists (25-23=48) in 59 games. The 5-foot-9, 176-pound attacker was hot out of the gate once assigned to the Growlers, scoring 13 points in his first 12 ECHL games on six goals and seven assists. He also had five different streaks of three goals during the season, registered his first pro hat trick on Jan. 24 and netted two shorthanded goals in a single game on Feb. 3.

Before his professional career Singleton played four seasons at Ohio State in the NCAA’s Big-10, capping off his time in school with 27 points in 40 games as a senior during 2022-23 when he helped lead the team to an NCAA Tournament appearance. Overall, Singleton skated in 140 games for the Buckeyes from 2019-23 and recorded 70 points on 33 goals and 37 assists.

Singleton also appeared in 53 games for the Central Illinois Flying Aces (USHL) in 2018-19 and collected 47 points (20 goals, 27 assists).

What’s notable about Singleton is his aggressiveness and ability to get under an opponent’s skin. After a win for Newfoundland over the Indy Fuel on Feb. 3 which saw him score two shorthanded goals in a span of just over 10 minutes during the second period, the attacker said he models his game after Brad Marchand.

“He does it all,” Singleton said of Marchand, explaining what he tries to emulate in his game. “He’s a pest, he scores, and he makes plays. It’s just fun to chirp and get under skins, make them take penalties and then score.”

His Growlers teammates described him as a pest as well, someone who can impact the game by being a scoring threat while also driving his opponents crazy and taking them away from their game plan.

While he won’t be expected to come in and be a difference maker right away for the Reign, Singleton seems to possess the type of high-end skillset and determination that could set him apart from others striving for a spot in Ontario’s lineup.

He’ll be coming into training camp as part of a competition for a limited number of spots available for AHL-contracted players, including forwards Shawn Element and Quinn Olson.

Another nice depth add for the Reign, who continue to bolster their roster with signings that can also potentially help out the team’s ECHL affiliate, the Greenville Swamp Rabbits.

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