Barracuda Sign Forward Connor Lockhart to AHL Deal

The San Jose Barracuda signed forward Connor Lockhart to an AHL contract for the 2026-27 season, general manager Joe Will announced Aug. 6.

Lockhart, 23, is a 5-foot-9, 185-pound forward from Kanata, Ont., coming off the most productive season of his pro career. He played 70 games for the ECHL's Wheeling Nailers in 2025-26, leading the club with 21 goals and sharing the team lead with 55 points while adding 82 penalty minutes and a plus-14 rating. In 138 career ECHL games between the Bloomington Bison and Wheeling, he has 33 goals and 52 assists for 85 points. He spent four OHL seasons with Erie, Peterborough and Oshawa, winning the 2023 OHL championship with Peterborough, and the Vancouver Canucks drafted him in the sixth round, 178th overall, in 2021.

Lockhart has never appeared in an AHL game, and he may not spend the full season at that level. Wichita, San Jose's ECHL affiliate, acquired his ECHL rights the same week in a three-team trade with Greenville and Wheeling, putting him in line to split 2026-27 between the Barracuda and Wichita.

The Barracuda open their 12th franchise season with a 72-game schedule that begins Oct. 3 at home against the San Diego Gulls. The AHL's 91st season starts a day earlier, on Oct. 2, a week ahead of recent years to line up with the NHL calendar.