New York Rangers General Manager Jeff Gorton announced Tuesday that the team has agreed to terms with restricted free agent forward Emerson Etem.
The 6-1, 212-pounder has skated in 112 career NHL games over parts of three seasons, all with Anaheim, registering 15 goals and 16 assists for 31 points, along with a plus-four rating and 17 penalty minutes. Etem has reached the playoffs in each of his three NHL seasons, registering eight points (six goals, two assists) and a plus-five rating in 23 career playoff games.
In addition, Etem skated in 22 games with the Norfolk Admirals in 2014-15, recording 13 goals and eight assists for 21 points, along with two penalty minutes. He posted seven multi-point games during the season. Etem registered a three-game goal streak from Jan. 24 vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton to Jan. 31 at Binghamton, and tallied a hat trick on Jan. 30 at Binghamton.
Prior to beginning his professional career, Etem played three seasons of junior hockey with the Medicine Hat Tigers of the Western Hockey League (WHL). In 202 career WHL games, Etem registered 143 goals and 109 assists for 252 points, along with a plus-78 rating and 84 penalty minutes. In his final season of junior hockey in 2011-12, Etem led all players in the three Canadian Major Junior Leagues (OHL, QMJHL, and WHL) in goals with 61, and he was named to the WHL Eastern Conference First All-Star Team.
Internationally, the Long Beach, California native has represented the United States in several tournaments. Most recently, Etem tallied four assists in six games at the 2012 IIHF World Junior Championship. He also helped Team USA capture a bronze medal at the 2011 IIHF World Junior Championship.