Brian Pinho (1 year 2-way contract $775k AAV)
The 28-year-old Pinho spent the 2022-23 season with the Utica Comets, the AHL affiliate of the New Jersey Devils, recording 10 goals and 28 points in 53 career games. Drafted in the sixth round of the 2013 NHL Draft (174th overall), Pinho went on to be a four-year player at Providence College, was named Most Outstanding Freshman, and steadily improved his point production each of his first three NCAA seasons.
As a senior, he was named the top defensive forward in Hockey East and in all of New England. After his senior year, he signed a two-year entry level contract with the Washington Capitals and made his professional debut with Hershey (AHL) in the 2018-19 season.
In his first AHL season, he tallied 12 points (4G, 8A) in 73 games, with his most memorable moment coming against Bridgeport in the Calder Cup Playoffs, scoring a series-clinching OT goal in Game 5. His best professional year came the next season in 2019-20 when he scored 20 goals in 62 games. He made his NHL debut during the 2021 season, appearing in two games for the Capitals without registering a point. Pinho spent the 2022-23 season with the Utica Comets, an AHL affiliate of the New Jersey Devils, scoring 10 goals and 18 assists in 53 games.