Northern Michigan University’s Matthew Argentina, left, brings the puck across the blueline during a CCHA game played against Augustana at the Berry Events Center in Marquette on Jan. 9. (Photo courtesy Cara Kamps)

MARQUETTE — Matthew Argentina is the fourth hockey player from Northern Michigan University to sign a professional contract since the Wildcats season ended at the start of March.

Argentina, who was a senior last season, played two seasons at NMU after spending two years at Boston College.

In four seasons, he played 103 games and scored 10 goals and tallied 14 assists for 24 points on 124 shots.

He had his most productive year this past season at Northern, playing in 34 games while scoring four goals and six assists for 10 points, including two power-play goals and one game-winning goal. He also blocked 12 shots and was called for eight minor penalties for 16 penalty minutes.

Like the other three Wildcats signing contracts in the last month and a half, Argentina signed with a team from the ECHL, formerly known as the East Coast Hockey League. The league is a second-tier minor league feeder into the National Hockey League, with the American Hockey League the main top-tier minor league.

Argentina, a 5-foot-11, 193-pound forward who is a native of Philadelphia, joined the Iowa Heartlanders, an affiliate of the NHL’s Minnesota Wild and AHL’s Iowa Wild.

Like Argentina, ex-Northern players Caiden Gault and Kyle Bettens were also seniors, meaning they have exhausted their college eligibility, and were also forwards.

The fourth ECHL signee, Tynan Ewart, is a defenseman and was a junior eligibility-wise.

Gault signed with the Greenville Swamp Rabbits, Bettens with the Indy Fuel and Ewart with the Maine Mariners.

NMU Sports Information reports that Gault, far and away the Wildcats’ top scorer last season with 16 goals and 18 points, had two goals and three assists for five points in 11 games through Thursday for Greenville.

Ewart didn’t have a point but has played in 12 games as a blueliner for Maine through Thursday.

Story contents based on Northern Michigan University Sports Information press release reviewing the news. Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee’s email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.