Swamp Rabbits bring back Masonius

GREENVILLE, S.C. — The Greenville Swamp Rabbits have signed defensemanJoe Masoniusto a contract for the 2020–21 season.Out of Spring Lake, New Jersey, Masonius has suited up for 50 pro games in two pro seasons. Masonius was acquired in a trade with the Norfolk Admirals on March 2, 2020, and appeared in three games with Greenville prior to the cancellation of the 2019–20 season due to the Coronavirus pandemic. He posted a goal and an assist in those three games, and nine points overall for the season in 37 games.Masonius, a sixth-round pick in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft by the Pittsburgh Penguins, finished his second professional season out of UConn, where he spent three years. Masonius led all Huskies defensemen in scoring in his first two seasons, and ranked second among defensemen in his junior year. All told, he scored 50 points in 96 collegiate games.Masonius comes from a strong pedigree, as a member of the U.S. National Team Development Program. He was a participant in the 2015 USHL/NHL Top Prospects Game in Dubuque, Iowa, the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, the World Under-18 Championship for Team USA, and twice took part in the Five Nations and Four Nations Tournaments. The Americans captured gold in the 2015 iteration of the tournament, of which Masonius was a part of.