Northern Michigan University’s Andre Ghantous celebrates his game-tying goal in the third period that gave him his 150th point of his collegiate career against Bemidji State on Feb. 10 at the Berry Events Center in Marquette. (Photo courtesy Cara Kamps)

MARQUETTE — One of the most prolific scorers in recent memory of the Northern Michigan University hockey program is getting an immediate chance to make his name in professional hockey.

Forward Andre Ghantous, 25, has signed with the Adirondack Thunder of the ECHL, previously the East Coast Hockey League, according to an Adirondack press release on Wednesday. Adirondack is an affiliate of the NHL’s New Jersey Devils.

The Glendale, California, native just finished his fifth year at NMU — athletes were granted an extra year of eligibility during the COVID-19 pandemic in the 2020-21 season — after scoring nine goals and 23 assists for 32 points.

Not only did he lead the Wildcats in assists and points and was second in goals, but he led the CCHA in assists and was fifth in the league in points.

This marked the second straight year he led Northern in scoring after he had 38 points in the 2022-23 season. Over five years and 170 games at NMU, he totaled 53 goals and 103 assists for 156 points along with a plus-12 plus-minus rating.

The Wildcats’ captain this past season at 5-feet-9 and 180 pounds, Ghantous was nominated for the second time for the Hobey Baker Award, college’s hockey MVP honor.

Interestingly, at NMU he played alongside a 2020 New Jersey Devils draft pick, Artem Shlaine, and on his new team, Adirondack, he will be playing with fellow forward Tristan Ashbrook, a Manistique native and former Marquette Electricians and Michigan Tech player.

Ghantous will wear No. 20 while Ashbrook wears No. 9 as the ECHL club reported that Ghantous signed a “standard player contract.”

Ashbrook in fourth in scoring on the Thunder with 20 goals and 16 assists for 36 points in 54 games this season. He has five power play goals and a plus-minus of plus-9.

Adirondack is 35-14-8, good for 78 points and first place in the North Division of the ECHL, second overall in the 14-team Eastern Conference and fourth in the entire 28-team ECHL.

The Thunder haven’t played since last Saturday but were scheduled for a pair of road games this weekend, playing at Maine on Friday night and at Worcester tonight. They return to upstate New York for six straight home games, starting with Worcester on Wednesday evening and going through the end of this month.

Information compiled by Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee. His email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.