Jul. 3—GRAND FORKS — Jasper Weatherby will have a new home in 2023-24.
The former UND center has signed a one-year, two-way deal with the Nashville Predators.
The two-way deal means his compensation will depend on whether he’s with the Predators or their top minor-league affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals. If he’s in the NHL, he’ll make $775,000. Nashville did not announce Weatherby’s AHL salary.
Weatherby, a 6-foot-4, 222-pound forward, was traded last season from San Jose to Detroit but became an unrestricted free agent Saturday.
He spent all of 2022-23 in the AHL, suiting up for the San Jose Barracuda and the Grand Rapids Griffins.
In 2021-22, Weatherby mostly played in the NHL for the Sharks, tallying five goals and 11 points in 50 NHL games.
Weatherby was a fourth-round draft pick of the Sharks in 2018.
At UND, Weatherby helped the Fighting Hawks win back-to-back Penrose Cups as National Collegiate Hockey Conference champions. He had 10 goals and 18 points in 35 games as a sophomore and 14 goals and 24 points in 29 games as a junior, while serving as an alternate captain.
Weatherby will join his old UND teammate, Cole Smith, under contract with the Predators.
Twenty-two former UND players are under NHL contracts for 2023-24 as of July 3.
They are Jacob Bernard-Docker (Ottawa), Brock Boeser (Vancouver), Drake Caggiula (Edmonton), Judd Caulfield (Anaheim), Derek Forbort (Boston), Rhett Gardner (Philadelphia), Tyson Jost (Buffalo), Matt Kiersted (Florida ), Tyler Kleven (Ottawa), Paul LaDue (NY Islanders), Brad Malone (Edmonton), Zane McIntyre (Minnesota), Brock Nelson (Islanders), TJ Oshie (Washington), Colton Poolman (Calgary), Tucker Poolman (Vancouver) , Jake Sanderson (Ottawa), Nick Schmaltz (Arizona), Cole Smith (Nashville), Troy Stecher (Arizona), Weatherby and Christian Wolanin (Vancouver).
There are seven former UND players who are unrestricted free agents after being on NHL contracts last season: forward Collin Adams, goalie Aaron Dell, forward Grant Mismash, forward Zach Parise, forward Austin Poganski, goalie Adam Scheel and forward Jonathan Toews.
Shane Pinto (Ottawa) is a restricted free agent.
A total of 41 former UND players are under pro contract for 2023-24.