PITTSBURGH -- The Toronto Maple Leafs announced Wednesday that former Robert Morris University men's hockey standout Brady Ferguson was among the 73 players invited to their preseason training camp.

Ferguson, who scored a program-record 167 points during his four-year tenure at RMU, signed a contract with the Maple Leafs' American Hockey League affiliate last spring, recording four assists in his first five professional games. He is under AHL contract this season, but will be given an opportunity to impress Toronto's NHL decision-makers in the coming days.

Ferguson, a 24-year-old native of Lewisville, Texas, joins a growing list of former Colonials who have made NHL training camps. Ferguson's former RMU teammates Zac Lynch (Florida Panthers), Tyson Wilson (Winnipeg Jets) and Brandon Denham (Winnipeg Jets) also enjoyed camp opportunities in recent years, although none made opening night rosters for those teams.

A 6-foot forward, Ferguson supplanted Lynch as the Colonials' all-time top gun during his senior season, scoring 49 points in 2017-18 to rank seventh in the nation. Previous to his tenure at RMU, Ferguson excelled for the Dallas Stars U18 team and the Amarillo Bulls of the junior-level North American Hockey League.

While Ferguson will be aiming to become the first former Colonial to play in an NHL game, he won't be the first to have his skates touch the ice in the world's best league. RMU alumnus and Sewickley native Furman South ('12) made his NHL officiating debut during the 2017-18 season.

The Colonials' 15th season of NCAA Division I hockey begins at RMU Island Sports Center on Sunday, Oct. 7 with an exhibition game against Brock University. The regular season starts Friday, Oct. 12 with a non-conference home matchup against Bowling Green. 

Read about Ferguson's NHL camp experience firsthand here in the new Press Box View blog!