The Indy Fuel have signed defenseman Jackson Desouza to a standard player contract for the 2026-27 season, the team announced Tuesday.

Desouza, a 23-year-old right-handed shot from Erie, Colorado, joins the Fuel after spending the 2025-26 season with the Dundee Stars of the Elite Ice Hockey League. He appeared in 52 games for the Scottish club.

The defenseman previously played for Lillehammer in Norway during the 2024-25 season.

Before beginning his professional career, Desouza played parts of six seasons in the Western Hockey League. He appeared in 153 games with the Kelowna Rockets before concluding his WHL career with the Brandon Wheat Kings in 2024.

The signing adds another young player to Indy’s defensive group as the Fuel prepare for their 13th season.

The Fuel are the ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks and the American Hockey League’s Rockford IceHogs. The team will return to Fishers Event Center in October 2026.