Utah Grizzlies general manager Laurence Gilman announced today that the team has signed forward Aaron Gavey to an American Hockey League contract, and that the team has released forward Sam Paolini from his professional tryout.
Gavey, 30, has played all of this season in Norway. Last year, Gavey finished 11th in the AHL with 67 points and seventh with 45 assists while with the St. John’s Maple Leafs. He also had 22 goals and 100 penalty minutes.
The Sudbury, Ont., native has played in 355 career National Hockey League games scoring 41 goals with 50 assists and 270 penalty minutes. He has also played in 19 career Stanley Cup playoff games scoring a goal with two assists.
The 6-foot-2, 190-pound forward has played for five different NHL teams including Dallas, Toronto, Calgary, Tampa Bay and Minnesota. His best season came in 2000-2001 with Minnesota where he finished with 10 goals and 14 assists.
In 153 career AHL games, Gavey has scored 40 goals with 77 assists. He was originally selected in the fourth round by Tampa Bay in the 1992 NHL Draft.
Paolini played in Friday’s game versus Cleveland for Utah and did not record a point. He’ll return to the Toledo Storm in the ECHL.
