Golden Knights sign Nicolas Roy to extension

Nicolas Roy finally got rewarded for all his traveling to and from the American Hockey League.

The Golden Knights rookie forward, who was recalled or sent down 31 times since the first day of the regular season, signed a two-year extension with an average annual value of $750,000 on Wednesday.

Roy is the second restricted free agent the team has locked up since play stopped, along with rookie defenseman Zach Whitecloud.

“That was my goal, to prove that I belonged in the NHL,” Roy said by phone from Las Vegas, where he is working out on an exercise bike, doing puzzles with his girlfriend and playing Xbox to pass the time. “This contract shows that I was able to do that.”

Roy had much to prove after joining the Knights in June through the trade that sent center Erik Haula to the Carolina Hurricanes. The big-bodied forward slowly earned the respect of his teammates and coaches through his work ethic and attitude.

He never complained about his constant shuffling between the NHL and AHL. Instead, he worked hard to show where he belonged. Chicago Wolves coach Rocky Thompson often caught Roy and Whitecloud working out in a hotel gym after plane rides.

That work paid off for Roy later in the season, as he started to use his 6-foot-4-inch frame to establish himself as a physical defender and aggressive forechecker. He made a good enough impression on coach Peter DeBoer that he was moved to second-line right wing in the Knights’ last four games in place of injured Mark Stone.

It was quite a rise for a rookie who was part of another organization last summer. But Roy wants to continue to grow through his new contract as well.

“I want to keep my defensive game intact,” Roy said. “Be physical, be good on faceoffs, those kind of things. But I think the more games I play, the better I’ll feel. I want to show what I’m capable of doing offensively as well.”

With Roy signed, the Knights have two pending restricted free agents on their roster in forwards Chandler Stephenson and Nick Cousins. The team also has five pending unrestricted free agents in forwards Ryan Reaves and Tomas Nosek, defensemen Jon Merrill and Deryk Engelland, and goaltender Robin Lehner.

The Knights are projected to have $8.125 million of salary cap space remaining if the upper limit stays flat at $81.5 million.

Contact Ben Gotz at bgotz@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BenSGotz on Twitter.