With the AHL Clear Day roster deadline approaching, the Portland Pirates made their first move by signing forward Igor Gongalsky to a standard player’s contract.

Gongalsky, 24, has played 33 games for the Pirates this season while scoring three goals, five assists for eight points with 62 penalty minutes.

The 6-0, 210-pound native from Kiev, Ukraine joined the Pirates for his second stint after a long-term shoulder injury to Travis Turnbull.

Turnbull has resumed skating, but his return date is still an unknown and Gongalsky’s play this season more than likely earned him his first-career AHL contract for the rest of the season.

The other reason for the contract is a result of the clear day roster which must be submitted to the AHL office by 3:00pm on Monday.

Each of the league’s 30 teams must submit a list of players who will be eligible to compete for the remainder of the regular season and playoffs, however, that list can’t includes players on professional try-out contracts.

A player on a PTO can only be placed on the roster in the case of the emergency conditions such as an injury, recall or suspension to a roster player.