A Port Moody goalie is taking a bite of the Big Apple.
Callum Tung, who just finished his first season at the University of Connecticut after playing two years of junior hockey with the Alberni Valley Bulldogs of the BC Hockey League, signed a three-year entry-level contract with the New York Rangers on Tuesday, April 1.
Tung, 21, will report to the Rangers’ top minor league affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack in the American Hockey League, to play the remainder of this season on an amateur tryout.
According to Puckpedia, a website that tracks NHL contracts, Tung’s deal is worth $2.62 million including annual signing bonuses of $97,500 and performance bonuses of $102,500. But if he doesn’t make it to the Rangers, his annual salary playing for its minor league team will be $85,000.
Tung’s decision to turn pro came just two days after his UConn Huskies team was eliminated from contention for an NCAA national championship in the regional final after a 3-2 overtime loss to the Penn State Nittany Lions on March 30.
It was the Huskies' first appearance in the NCAA tournament.
Tung faced 38 shots in the decisive game, including six in the 17:56 of overtime before he was beaten by Penn State’s Matt DiMarsico.
In his freshman season at UConn, Tung allowed just 29 goals in 14 games for a goals against average of 2.01 and a save percentage of .931, which was sixth among all collegiate goaltenders and second in the Hockey East conference. He was also named to the conference’s All-Rookie team.
Tung played 43 games over his two seasons at Alberni Valley, posting a 2.87 goals against average and .914 save percentage.
Prior to heading to UConn, Tung did get a taste of the pro hockey life when he spent two weeks at the Calgary Flames development camp last summer. That led to speculation he might sign his first contract with the team; but according to hockey insider Elliotte Friedman, Calgary is already deep at the position, including Tung's counterpart at the other end of the ice in the Huskies' loss to the Nittany Lions, Arsenii Segeev, who was drafted by the Flames in 2021.
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