It was an impressive rookie campaign with the Manitoba Moose for undrafted forward Jeff Malott, and he’s going to get rewarded for it. The Winnipeg Jets have agreed to terms with Malott on a one-year entry-level contract for the 2021-22 season. The two-way deal will carry an NHL salary of $780K.
Malott, 24, played four seasons at Cornell University period to this year but never experienced anything quite like the offensive success he had for the Moose. In 34 games playing on an AHL contract, he recorded 14 goals and 20 points while also bringing a level of physicality every night. The 6’3″ forward had one fighting major and 35 penalty minutes in his debut season.
A teammate of Cale Makar with the Brooks Bandits of the AJHL, Malott went undrafted despite dominating the league in 2015-16. He scored 25 goals in 46 games that season but failed to record more than six goals in any of his four years at Cornell. It seems that scoring touch has returned to Malott and it brings the promise of an NHL deal.