FRESNO FALCONS SIGN FORMER FPHL MVP GARRETT MILAN

Proven playmaker adds elite production, championship experience and veteran leadership to Fresno’s already-loaded inaugural roster

FRESNO, Calif. — The Fresno Falcons have officially signed forward Garrett Milan for the 2026–27 season, adding a former Federal Prospects Hockey League Most Valuable Player and one of the most accomplished offensive players in the league to an already formidable roster.

Milan was selected by Fresno with the first overall pick in the 2026 FPHL Dispersal Draft after the Falcons completed a trade with the Stockton Thunder to move into the top position. By officially signing Milan, Fresno has now secured another cornerstone piece as the organization prepares for the return of professional hockey to Selland Arena.

The North Vancouver, British Columbia native joins the Falcons following another dominant campaign with the Athens Rock Lobsters. Milan appeared in 51 regular-season games during the 2025–26 season, recording 31 goals and 56 assists for 87 points. His 1.71 points-per-game average demonstrated that his historic MVP season one year earlier was not an isolated performance.

Milan now enters Fresno as much more than an experienced depth addition. He gives the Falcons another legitimate offensive centerpiece capable of driving possession, creating opportunities for his linemates and producing in critical situations.

AN MVP JOINS THE FLOCK

Milan produced one of the greatest individual seasons in recent FPHL history during the 2024–25 campaign.

In Athens’ inaugural season, Milan appeared in all 56 regular-season games and accumulated 37 goals and 64 assists for 101 points. He was the only player in the FPHL to reach the 100-point mark that season and was subsequently voted the league’s Most Valuable Player.

He can finish scoring opportunities himself, but his greatest impact often comes from his vision, patience and ability to create offense for the players around him. Milan consistently draws defenders toward the puck before finding open teammates, allowing him to control the pace of a shift and turn limited space into dangerous scoring chances.

Across his two seasons in Athens, Milan recorded a combined 68 goals and 120 assists for 188 points in 107 regular-season appearances. He averaged more than 1.75 points per game during that stretch, establishing himself as one of the FPHL’s most consistent and dangerous offensive players.

His arrival gives Fresno a forward with a proven ability to produce over an entire season while remaining effective even when opposing teams structure their defensive game plans around stopping him.

ADDING TO AN ALREADY DANGEROUS OFFENSE

Fresno has already assembled a forward group featuring high-end scoring, championship experience, physicality and lineup versatility. Milan now adds another elite playmaker to a roster that was already shaping up to be one of the deepest and most difficult to defend in the FPHL.

Austin Albrecht provides Fresno with another proven offensive centerpiece after recording 27 goals and 45 assists for 72 points in only 36 games with the Monroe Moccasins last season. Albrecht averaged exactly two points per game and brings extensive experience from the ECHL, SPHL and NCAA Division I levels.

The addition of Milan gives Fresno multiple forwards capable of taking over a game. From opening puck drop, Milan and Albrecht will be a force to be reckoned with. Both players can score, distribute the puck and force opposing defenses to make difficult decisions. Teams attempting to focus their coverage on one offensive threat could leave additional space for the other, giving the Falcons the ability to attack through multiple lines and combinations.

The Falcons have also signed veteran forward Aaron Huffnagle, who arrives in Fresno following an SPHL President’s Cup championship with the Evansville Thunderbolts. Huffnagle adds size, playmaking ability and postseason experience to the group.

Skate Skalde gives the Falcons a hard-nosed and versatile forward who can play center or wing while bringing an aggressive physical presence. Catlin Big Snake adds legitimate heavyweight size and another player capable of protecting Fresno’s skilled forwards when games become increasingly physical.

Together, the group gives Fresno multiple layers.

The Falcons can attack with speed and skill, create offense through possession, compete physically around the net and respond when opponents attempt to change the game through intimidation. Milan complements each of those elements because of his ability to elevate the players around him.

He does not need to be the only source of offense in Fresno. Instead, he joins a roster where his playmaking can unlock an already impressive collection of weapons.

A PROVEN WINNER AND FRANCHISE LEADER

Before joining Athens, Milan built an extensive professional résumé with the Pensacola Ice Flyers of the Southern Professional Hockey League.

Across six regular seasons with Pensacola, Milan accumulated 89 goals and 187 assists for 276 points in 260 games. He became the Ice Flyers’ franchise points leader and established himself as one of the most important offensive players in team history.

Milan also served as captain in Pensacola and helped the Ice Flyers capture the 2021 SPHL President’s Cup championship.

His time with the organization demonstrated more than his scoring ability. Milan became a trusted leader who understood the expectations placed on a top player, both on the ice and inside the locker room.

That experience will be valuable for a Fresno organization entering its first FPHL season.

While the Falcons have assembled a roster with significant individual talent, building a successful team requires players who understand how to manage adversity, maintain consistency and perform when expectations increase. Milan has experienced lengthy professional seasons, playoff races, championship runs and the responsibility that comes with being one of his team’s most important players.

He now brings those lessons to the Central Valley.

Milan’s professional journey has also included appearances in the ECHL and a season overseas with Halmstad Hammers HC in Sweden’s HockeyEttan. With Halmstad, he continued displaying his offensive ability by producing 11 goals and 18 assists for 29 points in 23 regular-season games.

A CAREER BUILT AROUND OFFENSE

Milan developed his game in British Columbia, competing for the Burnaby Express and Penticton Vees of the British Columbia Hockey League.

During his junior career, Milan recorded 80 goals and 104 assists. His final season with Penticton included 15 goals and 28 assists before he advanced to NCAA Division I hockey at St. Cloud State University.

Playing at St. Cloud State gave Milan experience against high-level collegiate competition and helped prepare him for a professional career that has now extended across multiple leagues and countries.

Throughout every stage of that career, Milan has remained an offensive creator.

His success has not depended solely on size or physical strength. Instead, he has built his game around hockey intelligence, edge work, puck control, anticipation and an understanding of how plays develop.

Those qualities have allowed him to remain productive throughout his career and should translate naturally to a Fresno lineup filled with capable finishers and mobile defensemen.

With puck-moving blue liners such as Carson Vance and Brandon Walker capable of initiating the attack from the defensive zone, Milan should have opportunities to receive the puck in transition and create offense before opposing defenses can establish their structure.

His ability to operate with possession should also provide Fresno with another dangerous option on the power play.

RAISING THE EXPECTATIONS IN FRESNO

Signing Garrett Milan to the Falcons, adding his skillset to an already deadly Falcons forward core will raise the stakes for the Falcons coming out the gate. With Milan, Albrecht, Huffnagel, Walker, Skalde, and much more, this team on the ice is more than formidable. Sailing at the helm, head coach Iain Duncan will have his pick of the crop to form an All-Star calibre lineup. Under his experienced leadership, and players both on the ice and in-between the pipes, these Falcons are primed and ready for hunting season, and their goal will be to bring Fresno its first pro hockey title since 2002. 

If you want to be part of this exciting time in Fresno, and see the players take the ice from day one, be sure to order your Season Tickets by emailing tickets@fresnofalconshockey.com, or by calling (559) 321-5055. You won’t want to miss these Falcons take flight.

Talons Up.