Portland, Maine – When the Portland Pirates next step on the ice they will have a new tough guy to protect them as the Anaheim Ducks have signed forward Mike Hoffman to a two-way deal.

For those who aren’t aware of who Mike Hoffman is, he was the gentleman playing for the Manchester Monarchs, who sufficiently handled himself against former Pirates enforcer Trevor Gillies, now playing in Augusta.

Hoffman, 26, played 35 games for the Manchester Monarchs, scoring six goals, seven assists for 13 points and 96 penalty minutes.

The 6-5, 248-pound forward from Weymouth, MA signed a PTO with the Manchester Monarchs back on Oct 25th, however, despite the fact he impressed the Monarchs staff, they never signed him beyond that PTO allowing any team to do exactly what the Ducks did – pluck him right off the roster. Something without a doubt the Kings aren’t happy about.

Hoffman brings a gritty toughness to the ice and willingness to drop the gloves, but he also possesses a nice pair of hands and he skate in a demanding system such as what the Ducks and Pirates preach.

Hoffman cleared waivers late today and will be in the Pirates line up by this weekend.