Thunder Sign Veteran Forwards Harper, MacArthur and Bordson on First Day of Free Agency

GLENS FALLS, NY – The Adirondack Thunder, proud ECHL affiliate of the New Jersey Devils, announced today that they have signed forwards Shane Harper, Pete MacArthur and Rob Bordson to standard player contracts for the 2021-22 season. 

ABOUT SHANE HARPERHarper has played 639 professional hockey games, seeing time in the NHL, AHL, ECHL, KHL, and SHL. The 31-year-old spent the last three seasons playing overseas in the SHL with Örebro HK and Brynäs IF and one season in the KHL with Lada Togliatti. Harper is no stranger to playing in Glens Falls, NY as he laced up for the Adirondack Phantoms in the American Hockey League for parts of four seasons. The right-winger also played 19 games for the Albany Devils. 

On March 4, 2010, Harper was signed as a free agent out of the Western Hockey League with the Everett Silvertips by the Philadelphia Flyers to a National Hockey League contract. The Valencia, CA native played in the Flyers organization until June 13, 2013 when he was traded, along with a fourth-round draft pick, to the New York Islanders in exchange for defenseman Mark Streit. In September of that year, Harper signed with AHL's Chicago Wolves.

After less than two years on an AHL contract with the Portland Pirates, Harper found himself signing his name on an NHL contract as he and the Florida Panthers agreed to a one-year deal in July of 2015. On October 22, 2016, Harper scored his first NHL goal against the Colorado Avalanche. Later in the game, the 5-foot-11, 194-pound right-winger scored his second goal of the contest, which went on to be the game winner. Harper played in 14 games with the Panthers that season before a deal at the trade deadline sent him to the New Jersey Devils.

Throughout an eight-year AHL career, Harper played in 398 regular-season games and recorded 183 points (85 goals, 98 assists). In 63 games in the ECHL (48 games with Greenville in 2010-11 and 15 games with Trenton in 2012-13), Harper averaged more than a point a game with 72 points (36 goals, 36 assists).

ABOUT PETE MacARTHURMacArthur re-joins the Thunder following playing 2019-20 overseas in Italy. Adirondack acquired the 35-year-old's rights from the Orlando Solar Bears in November of 2020. MacArthur has previously played in 164 games in a Thunder sweater and is second all-time in franchise history in points (144), assists (99), and fourth all-time in goals (45).

A native of Clifton Park, NY, MacArthur has appeared in 417 regular-season games in North American professional hockey (190 AHL games/227 ECHL games) with an additional 165 games played across the pond in the DEL, EBEL and AlpsHL. MacArthur broke into professional hockey following a stellar career at Boston University (159 GP, 64 G, 83 A, 147 P) when he joined the Bridgeport Sound Tigers of the American Hockey League.

MacArthur went on to lace up for the Rockford IceHogs, San Antonio Rampage, Lake Erie Monsters, and Peoria Rivermen in the AHL. The 5-foot-10, 185-pound center made his ECHL debut for the Fresno Falcons during the 2008-09 season and went on to play in later seasons for the Las Vegas Wranglers, Allen Americans, and the Adirondack Thunder.

MacArthur spent one season playing junior hockey in the United States Hockey League for the Waterloo Black Hawks and helped lead the team to a Clark Cup Championship during the 2003-04 campaign.

ABOUT ROB BORDSONBordson comes to Adirondack for the third time in his professional career; he played with the AHL's Adirondack Phantoms from 2011-2014 and was the captain for the Adirondack Thunder in the beginning of the 2015-16 season. The Duluth, MN native spent the 2020-21 season with the ECHL's Kansas City Mavericks, notching 50 points (17 goals, 33 assists) in 58 games. 

Before returning to North America last year, Bordson spent two seasons in the DEL (Germany), playing with the Fischtown Pinguins and Dusseldorfer EG and one season split between HockeyAllsvenskan's Vasterviks IK (Sweden) and Lliga's HPK (Finland). 

After three seasons at the University of Minnesota-Duluth, Bordson found himself in the American Hockey League, suiting up for the Syracuse Crunch, Adirondack Phantoms, Rochester Americans, Chicago Wolves, Providence Bruins and the Iowa Wild. In total, the 33-year-old has skated in 380 AHL games (50 goals, 77 assists, 127 points) and 106 ECHL games (43 goals, 75 assists, 119 points).

Season tickets for the 2021-22 season are on sale now! For more information on ticket packages, call 518-480-3355 or visit ECHLThunder.com/tickets. For all the latest Adirondack Thunder news, follow the team on all social media @ECHLThunder.

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