Simplify the following text for a Grade 11 native English-speaking person.
Original: An alumnus of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League , he signed with the Rangers as a free agent in 1972 and began play in the American Hockey League with the Rochester Americans .
Simplified: As a junior player he played in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League , he signed with the Rangers as a free agent in 1972 and began play in the American Hockey League with the Rochester Americans .