MONTREAL – Zach Gallant, a McGill University student, has made a quick transition from the university ranks to pro hockey. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound centre has been called up to the American Hockey League's Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins after a short but productive stint with the ECHL's Wheeling Nailers. The club is a farm team of the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins.
 
The 26-year-old management senior is the 17th McGill product to play in the AHL and joins two others currently skating in the league, namely defencemen Scott Walford (Syracuse) and Nikolas Brouillard (Coachella Valley). Nine McGill grads have also coached in the AHL.
 
After tallying four points, including one goal, in three games with Wheeling, Gallant was called up to the AHL squad on March 22 and immediately began paying dividends after being inserted into the lineup on the fourth line. In front of nearly 8,000 fans at Mohegan Arena in Wilkes-Barre, Penn., he was challenged into dropping the gloves in the second period and also set up linemate Atley Calvert hayes for the game-winning goal in a 3-2 overtime decision of the Hershey Bears.
 
"To me, you shouldn't have to put out your fourth line and hang on. And (Saturday night), all night, I felt like they went over the boards, and they were going north," Penguins head coach Kirk MacDonald said of the Gallant-Calvert combo in a post-game media scrum. "They're playing in the offensive zone, creating momentum for us. Two big goals. They played a great game."
 
Gallant is no stranger to the AHL. After being selected by Detroit in the third round of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, he spent two seasons with the AHL's San Jose Barracuda, where he posted a 4-14-18 record in 78 games with 103 penalty minutes from 2020 to 2022.


McGILLIANS WHO PLAYED IN THE AHL (17): 

Johnny Peirson – Forward: Hershey (1946-1948)
Dan Porteous – Defenceman: Washington, Washington-Cleveland, Hershey (1947-1950)
Jim Webster – Forward: Nova Scotia (1980-81)
Pierre Gendron – Forward: Hamilton (1997-98)
Mathieu Darche – Forward: Syracuse, Milwaukee, Hershey, Worcester, Portland, Hamilton  (2000-2010)
Greg Davis – Forward: Worcester (2001-2003)
Daniel Jacob – Defenceman: San Antonio (2004-05)
Jean-Michel Daoust – Forward: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Houston (2007-2011)
David Urquhart  – Defenceman: Hartford, Hamilton (2008-2011)
Francis Verreault-Paul – Forward: Hershey (2011-12)
Maxime Langelier-Parent – Forward: Syracuse (2013-14)
Etienne Boutet – Defenceman: Laval, Stockton (2017-2019)
Nathanael Halbert – Defenceman: Laval (2019-2021)
Nikolas Brouillard – Defenceman: Toronto, San Diego, Hartford, Coachella Valley (2020-present)
Louis-Philip Guindon – Goaltender: Laval (2021-22).
Scott Walford – Defenceman: Syracuse (2023-present)
Zach Gallant – Forward: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (2025-present).
 
McGILL GRADS WHO COACHED IN THE AHL (9): 

Bryan Murray – Head Coach, Hershey (1980-81)
Doug Carpenter (New Brunswick, 1980-81; St. Catharines, 1982-1984; Halifax 1988-89 & 1991-92; New Haven, 1991-92)
George Burnett – Head Coach, Cape Breton (1992-1997)
Jamie Kompon – Asst. Coach, Baltimore (1996-97)
Mike Babcock – Head Coach, Cincinnati (2000-2002)
Martin Raymond – Asst. Coach, Hamilton and Syracuse (2009-2013)
Guy Boucher – Head Coach, Hamilton (2009-10)
Daniel Jacob – Asst. Coach, Laval (2018-2021 and 2024-present), San Diego (2021-22), Syracuse (2023-24)
David Urquhart – Asst. Coach, San Diego (2018-2021)


SOURCE:

Earl Zukerman
Sports Information Officer
Athletics & Recreation
McGill University
(514) 983-7012
earl.zukerman@mcgill.ca