Notre Dame hockey: Tynan, Rust sign contracts

A pair of Notre Dame hockey players signed their first professional contracts Tuesday.

T.J. Tynan inked a two-year, entry-level deal with the Columbus Blue Jackets, not long after Bryan Rust signed a similar deal with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Tynan, a third-round selection of the Blue Jackets in the 2011 draft, will join their American Hockey League affiliate, the Springfield Falcons, on Sunday.

For the third time in his four years at Notre Dame, Tynan led the team in scoring, this year scoring eight goals with 30 assists for 38 points.

The 5-foot-9, 165-pound center finished tied for ninth all-time in assists with 107 and tied for 12th on the all-time points list at ND.

Rust, who was selected by the Penguins in the third round of the 2010 draft, will start his pro career with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the AHL.

Rust finished second in scoring this year with a career-high 17 goals to go with 16 assists for 33 points. He led the team with 132 shots on goal.

He finished his career with 43 goals and 54 assists for 97 points.

Notre Dame’s season came to an end Saturday with an overtime loss to St. Cloud State in the regional semifinals of the NCAA Tournament.