Vancouver Giants defenceman Mason Geertsen could be on his way to the Colorado Avalanche’s AHL farm team, the Lake Erie Monsters, in the coming days.
The hold-up? He wants his entry-level contract finalized.
“It matters if I sign or not,” Geertsen, the big, burly defenceman who was the Giants’ MVP this WHL season, said when asked on Sunday if he was going to play for Lake Erie sometime soon.
The Giants’ season ended Saturday with their final regular season game in Kelowna. They didn’t make the playoffs. Geertsen, a 19, a fourth-round pick of the Avalanche in 2013, could go to Lake Erie and play under a contract with the AHL club, otherwise known as a professional try out or PTO.
Geertsen and his agent, Craig Oster of Newport Sports, aren’t keen on such a move without his future contract locked in stone.
Lake Erie’s regular season has 13 more games and runs until April 18.
The Avalanche and the Geertsen camp are talking.
“I feel like it’s close,” Geertsen said.
He has until June 1 to re-sign or he goes back into the NHL draft.
“We’ve still got lots of time,” said Geertsen.
The 6-foot-4, 212-pound Geertsen is eligible to return to Giants next season, but could also play in the minors as a 20-year-old. He put up 13 goals and 25 assists in 69 regular season games, up from four goals and 19 assists in 66 games a season ago.
He was the lone full-time Giant with a positive plus-minus rating, coming in a plus-three. The Giants allowed 62 more goals than they scored.
“My goal is to have a strong summer and be good going into (Avalanche) camp and make a good impression,” said Geertsen. “I have to get stronger and faster.”
