JANICKE RECEIVES ATO CONTRACT FROM AHL’S COACHELLA VALLEY FIREBIRDS
SOUTH BEND – Notre Dame hockey captain Justin Janicke has agreed to an amateur tryout contract with the Coachella Valley Firebirds of the American Hockey League. The Firebirds, based in Thousand Palms, Calif., are an affiliate of the National Hockey League’s Seattle Kraken, who chose Janicke in the seventh round of the 2021 draft.
The 6-foot, 184-pound Janicke, a native of Maple Grove, Minn., concluded his final season with the Fighting Irish by scoring a team-high 15 goals to go along with 19 assists for 34 points, second on the team to sophomore center Cole Knuble, as Notre Dame concluded the season with a 12-25-1 record. The 21-year-old Janicke led the team with eight power-play goals and two shorthanded tallies and scored his 15 goals with just 71 shots on goal for a team-high .211 shooting percentage. The highlight of Janicke’s season came on Jan. 11 when he scored a career-high five points with his first career hat trick in a 7-4 victory over then No. 9 Michigan. His performance earned him Big Ten Second Star of the Week honors.
Janicke, who spent his first three seasons playing with brother Trevor on coach Jeff Jackson’s Irish, finished his Notre Dame career with 28 goals, 46 assists and 74 points in 142 games. Justin and Trevor are the sons of former Notre Dame center Curtis Janicke, who scored 46 goals and 144 points from 1989-93.
An amateur tryout contract allows a player to maintain his amateur status while giving NHL teams the opportunity to evaluate the player’s potential before signing him to a longer-term contract. ATOs can be renewed. Coachella Valley is currently tied for third place with the Abbotsford Canucks seven points behind the Pacific Division-leading Colorado Eagles with eight games in the regular season remaining. The Firebirds’ next game is against the Eagles Wednesday night at the Acrisure Arena north of Palm Desert.
Janicke is the third Notre Dame player to sign with a professional team since the season ended with a 1-0 loss at Michigan State in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals March 15. Graduate right wing Blake Biondi signed an ATO contract with the Chicago Wolves of the AHL, an affiliate of the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes. Junior goaltender Owen Say signed a one-year, two-way contract worth $872,500 with the NHL’s Calgary Flames that begins with the 2025-26 season.