Per the Grand Rapids Griffins:
GRIFFINS SIGN LEFT WING DENNIS YAN
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Grand Rapids Griffins on Friday signed left wing Dennis Yan to a one-year contract.
Yan, 24, spent the 2020-21 season in Austria with the Black Wings 1992 of the ICEHL, the country’s top professional hockey league. He logged five points (4-1—5) in 13 games for the club while adding eight penalty minutes.
The 6-foot-2, 197-pound forward has competed in three full AHL seasons with Syracuse. During his last campaign with the Crunch in 2019-20, Yan totaled 18 points (10-8—18) and 31 penalty minutes in 50 outings. He set a career-best goal streak from Nov. 16-23, 2019 when he lit the lamp in three consecutive contests.
In 2018-19, Yan registered career-highs in games (53), assists (11), penalty minutes (46), shots (91) and plus-minus ratings (+12). He also added 11 goals, two shy of his professional best, and reached the Calder Cup Playoffs for the first time, appearing in three games. Yan posted a career-high 23 points (13-10—23) and 13 goals in 43 games during his rookie year with Syracuse in 2017-18. Four of his 13 tallies came in game-winning fashion, which tied for second on the roster.
Yan made his professional debut for the Crunch on April 8, 2017 against Albany following the conclusion of his junior hockey season with Shawinigan in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The Portland, Ore., native spent three years with the Cataractes at the junior level and logged 218 games, 236 points (131-105—236) and 255 penalty minutes between the regular season and playoffs. Yan also represented Team USA at the U17 World Hockey Challenge in 2013-14 and brought home a gold medal after contributing three points (1-2—3) in six outings. The left wing was the third pick (64th overall) of the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft.
