Hartford Wolf Pack general manager Jim Schoenfeld announced today that the team has signed defenseman Tomas Kaberle to a professional tryout (PTO) agreement.
Kaberle, 36, has 16 years of North American pro hockey experience, and has played 984 career NHL games with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins, Carolina Hurricanes and Montreal Canadiens. The 6-foot-1, 212-pound native of Rakovnik, Czech Republic, has amassed 563 career NHL points, with 87 goals and 476 assists, and won a Stanley Cup championship in 2010-11 with Boston.
Last season Kaberle played 48 games in the Czech Extraliga with Kladno, notching four goals and 20 assists for 24 points, along with 26 penalty minutes. His point total was good for tops on the Kladno club among defensemen, and second overall on the team. Kaberle’s last North American pro experience was 10 games with Montreal in 2012-13, during which time he contributed three assists.
In addition to his NHL resume, Kaberle, who was an eighth-round pick by Toronto in the 1996 NHL Draft, has played in 239 Czech Extraliga games in his career with Kladno, registering 19 goals and 88 assists for 107 points, plus 110 PIM. He won Czech Extraliga Player of the Year and Best Defenseman honors in 2004-05, when he struck for 8-31-39 in 49 games with Kladno.
Kaberle previously played in the AHL in 1997-98, making his North American debut in two games with the St. John’s Maple Leafs.
The Wolf Pack are back in action tonight, when they host the Bridgeport Sound Tigers at the XL Center in a 7:00 (ET) game.
