ECHL: Wheeling Nailers Trade Chris Ortiz to Bloomington

Connor Lockhart Joins Wheeling

Lockhart, 22, joins the Nailers after putting up 12 goals and 18 assists for 30 points in 68 games in his rookie season with Bloomington. Prior to going pro, the former sixth-round pick of the Vancouver Canucks in 2021, spent five seasons in the OHL. During his time in the OHL, the Ottawa, Ontario, native played for the Erie Otters, Peterborough Petes, and Oshawa Generals. In 239 OHL games, Lockhart put up 88 goals and 125 assists for 213 points. He would add 16 goals and 18 assists for 32 points in 44 playoff games and won an OHL Championship with the Petes in 2023. Lockhart will fit in nicely in the middle six for Wheeling and has the ability to play either on the wing or up the middle.

Chris Ortiz Joins the Bison

This doesn’t come as a surprise after Ortiz signed an AHL deal with the Hartford Wolf Pack earlier this summer. Ortiz, 24, had five goals and 34 assists for 39 points in 45 games last season with the Nailers. He also saw 24 games at the AHL level, including 23 with the Providence Bruins, where he put up seven assists and added one assist in eight games during the Calder Cup Playoffs. His only other AHL game was with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Ortiz should be a top-pairing defenseman during his time in Bloomington. This is a big addition to the Bloomington Blueline.

The Boisbriand, Quebec, native is entering his fifth season in the ECHL, as he’s spent time with the Wheeling Nailers and Trois-Rivières Lions. In 212 ECHL games, he’s put up 25 goals and 121 assists for 146 points. He’s added 11 assists in 17 career Kelly Cup Playoff games. Ortiz has also played in 47 career AHL games with the Providence Bruins and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. During his time in the AHL, he has a goal and 11 assists for 12 points. He also has one assist in eight Calder Cup Playoff games.