The Vegas Golden Knights have signed 2024 first-round pick Trevor Connelly to a three-year, entry-level contract, general manager Kelly McCrimmon announced Tuesday.
Connelly, who was selected 19th overall in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft, inked his entry-level deal after completing his freshman year at Providence College.
Connelly signed an ATO (amateur tryout) to play in the AHL this season, according to Puck Pedia. He is expected to report to the Henderson Silver Knights and will not be eligible to play for Vegas this year. His contract, which carries an AAV of $1.225 million, will not kick in until 2025-26.
It’s somewhat of a surprise for Connelly to sign after just one year in college, but the talented forward instantly becomes Vegas’ top prospect. He is the only Golden Knights player selected the first round who has not been traded.
Previously, the Golden Knights traded Cody Glass (Nashville), Nick Suzuki (Montreal), Erik Brannstrom (Ottawa), Peyton Krebs (Buffalo), Brendan Brisson (New York Rangers), Zach Dean and David Edstrom (San Jose). Collectively, trades involving these players helped to land Max Pacioretty (Suzuki), Mark Stone (Brannstrom), Jack Eichel (Krebs), Ivan Barbashev (Dean) and Tomas Hertl (Edstrom) and also brought Reilly Smith (Brisson) back to Vegas this season.
Connelly was a controversial pick given his complicated background, but McCrimmon stated multiple times after the draft that he was confident the team would be able to get the most out of him. Having the talented winger in Henderson gives the organization more control over his development.
Connelly recorded four goals and 13 points in 23 games at Providence this season before losing to Denver in the NCAA tournament. Prior to his collegiate career, Connelly played for the Tri-City Storm of the USHL for two seasons, accruing 125 points in 109 games.