The Springfield Falcons announced today that they have signed forward Derek Bekar to a standard American Hockey League contract.
Bekar is entering his 11th professional season after spending the 2007-08 campaign with Acroni Jesenice in the Austrian Hockey League where he collected nine goals and 21 assists for 30 points in 36 games played.
The 6-foot-2, 200-pound native of Burnaby, B.C., has spent his last three seasons playing professionally in Europe. This will be Bekar’s second stint with the Falcons as he spent the majority of the 2004-05 season with Springfield, collecting eight goals and 14 assists for 22 points in 51 games.
Bekar has played in 450 career AHL games for the Worcester IceCats, Manchester Monarchs, Bridgeport Sound Tigers, and Springfield, collecting 139 goals and 121 assists for 260 points and 261 penalty minutes. He has also totaled 12 points (3-9-12) in 25 career Calder Cup Playoff contests.
He has reached the 20-goal plateau four times in his pro career (three times in the AHL), including a career high 27 markers with the Manchester during the 2001-02 campaign.
Bekar was originally drafted by the St. Louis Blues in 1995, and he has played in 11 career NHL games – one with the Blues, six with the Los Angeles Kings and four with the New York Islanders.
Prior to turning pro, Bekar played his college hockey with the University of New Hampshire from 1995-1998. In 108 career games with the Wildcats, he registered 65 goals and 67 assists for 132 points.
