The Adirondack Thunder announced on Thursday that they have signed defenseman Charlie Curti, who returns for the 2021-22 season. “He’s a dynamic player, he brought a lot to the offensive side of things and defends well,” said Alex Loh, Head Coach of the Thunder. “He’s the defenseman we need, you need to have those kinds of guys to help drive the play on the offensive side of things. He makes a good pass and can drive the puck up well on his own. He’s a guy who really fits in well to what we are doing here.”
Best Signing So Far For Adirondack
Charlie Curti returns to Glens Falls after spending last season with the Rapid City Rush. Playing there In 55 games, Curti amassed 16 points, racking up five goals, while adding 11 assists. That’s about half of what his production was with the Thunder during his rookie year. The signing is a help to both parties, as Adirondack will be seeking a defenseman who can play top minutes and be a force on the power play. That’s exactly what he’ll bring to the Thunder, especially seeing that the team has lost some key names on the blue-line. For Curti, he will surely see an increase in minutes and playing time after seeing action in 55 of 71 games last season. He will also be back on a top pairing.
A graduate of Yale University, he became the second defenseman to sign with the Thunder after they locked up Blake Thompson just one week prior. I don’t expect both guys to play on the same pairing, but I think it sets up a guy for the first two defensive pairings for Adirondack. As I mentioned earlier, I was concerned about the Thunder’s blue line, however, I believe that over the past two weeks, Alex Loh has done enough to start solidifying his defensive core heading into next season.
This is one of the better signings for Adirondack thus far into the off-season. It may not look like it on paper, but once the season starts, it will show.