Mark Flood, who led Albany River Rats defensemen with 76 games played and had career highs of 25 assists and 31 points, was signed by the New York Islanders just before the 4th of July holiday.

Acquired on Nov. 29, 2006 in a trade with Columbus for defenseman Derrick Walser, Flood, 24, played parts of the last three seasons for Albany, scoring 63 points (19g, 44a) in 165 games. He developed into one of the Rats most consistent defensemen in 2008-09, and a valuable on and off-ice leader, particularly in the wake of the team's Feb. 19 bus crash.

A right-handed shot, Flood scored 11 points on the power play last season. He's expected to begin the upcoming season in Bridgeport, his third AHL team. He also played 17 games for the Syracuse Crunch before joining Albany.

Flood's addition will help fill the void for the departed Chris Lee, a graduate of SUNY Potsdam who had 30 points (6g, 24a) in 66 games for the Sound Tigers last season. Lee, who made his AHL debut for the River Rats in 2006-07, signed as a free agent with defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins.

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Former Rats forward Chris Minard, last seen on the ice celebrating the Pittsburgh Penguins Stanley Cup victory in Detroit, has been signed by the Edmonton Oilers to bolster their Springfield farm team.

Minard, who played 20 of his 35 career NHL games last season for Pittsburgh, represented Wilkes-Barre/Scranton at the 2009 AHL All-Star Game. He set the AHL Pens single-season franchise record with 34 goals in just 54 games in 2008-09.

The 27-year-old Minard got his AHL break in 2005-06 for Albany, then a New Jersey Devils affiliate, scoring 19 points (7g, 12a) in 37 games. He won a Kelly Cup with ECHL Alaska that season.