Forward Charlie O’Connor and Defenseman Parker Reno have agreed to terms with the Toledo Walleye for the 2017-18 season.
O’Connor appeared in five games with the Walleye (2G, 1A) after finishing his college career with Bemidji State and helping the Beavers to the WCHA regular season championship. He scored a goal in each of his first two professional games and appeared in three playoff contests with no points. Working as captain for the Beavers last year, he posted a career-best with 13 assists and 19 points over 41 games played. The native of Elk Grove Village, Illinois appeared in 148 games while accruing 26 goals, 27 assists, 53 points and 83 penalty minutes.
In the 2014-15 season, O’Connor posted a career best 11 goals while playing as a plus 11. He was on the WCHA All-Academic team in each of the last three years. Prior to his time in college, the 24-year-old played a pair of seasons with the Chicago Steel of the USHL. In 111 games for the Steel, O’Connor scored 23 goals, 40 assists with 94 penalty minutes.
“We saw in a short stint late last year how solid both of these players can be,” said Head Coach Dan Watson. “They will make big strides in their first professional seasons.”
Reno skated in 10 contests with a pair of assists and a plus three for Toledo following his senior season at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institution where he appeared in 100 games. An Assistant Captain last year for the Engineers, the 22-year-old posted three goals and 16 assists with 30 penalty minutes in his career. In the 2016-17 season, the 6’2”, 195-pound defenseman appeared in all 37 games with a goal and six assists. The native of Edina, Minnesota was named to the ECAC All-Academic team in 2016.
Prior to joining R.P.I., Reno played Edina High School of the Minnesota State High School league where he was a captain for two seasons and was a member of two state championship teams in 2010 and 2013.