The Calgary Flames, parent club of the AHL’s Abbotsford Heat, announced today the signing of forward Guillaume Desbiens to a one-year, two-way contract.
"Guillaume Desbiens is a tough, strong, physical player who can also chip in offensively," said general manager Jay Feaster. "Most importantly, he can play a regular shift, and he’s a very hard guy to play against. In speaking with Troy Ward, our head coach in Abbotsford, he noted that Desbiens gave our team fits last season playing for Manitoba because he is so strong and physical and tough to knock off the puck. Guillaume is knocking on the door of being a regular in the NHL and we look forward to having him compete for a spot in Camp."
Desbiens, a native of Alma, Que., played in 53 games with the Manitoba Moose (AHL) last season netting 11 goals and 16 assists for 27 points and 104 penalty minutes. He also played in 13 postseason games where he scored once and added three assists for four points along with 31 penalty minutes. Guillaume played an additional 12 games in the NHL during the 2010-11 season with the Vancouver Canucks earning 10 penalty minutes.
In 278 career AHL games with Manitoba and Chicago, Desbiens has tallied 56 goals and 64 assists for 120 points, along with 561 PIM. He won a Calder Cup with the Wolves in 2008 and returned to the Finals with the Moose in 2009.
