The Nashville Predators, parent club of the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals, announced today that they have re-signed restricted free-agent forward Jordin Tootoo to a two-year contract and restricted free-agent defenseman Sheldon Brookbank to a one-year contract.
The Predators also signed unrestricted free-agent forward Ramzi Abid to a one-year contract.
Abid, 26, led the Chicago Wolves in goals (34), assists (42) and points (76) and ranked third on the club with 165 penalty minutes during the 2005-06 season. The 6-foot-2, 215-pound left wing also recorded two assists in six NHL games with Atlanta.
Originally a second-round pick (28th overall) by the Colorado Avalanche in 1998, the Montreal native has totaled 99 goals and 110 assists for 209 points in 263 career AHL games with Chicago, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and Springfield. Abid has also appeared in 55 NHL games with Phoenix, Pittsburgh and Atlanta, posting 25 points (13g, 12a).
Nashville’s fourth-round choice in the 2001 Entry Draft, the 23-year-old Tootoo played 41 games this past season with Milwaukee, notching 13 goals, 14 assists and 133 PIM. He added nine goals and two assists for 11 points in 15 games as the Admirals captured the Western Conference championship.
Tootoo also appeared in 34 regular-season games with the Predators in 2005-06, registering four goals and six assists. Raised in Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, the 5-foot-9, 194-pound right wing also skated in three Stanley Cup Playoff contests for Nashville.
Tootoo has recorded 23 goals and 26 assists for 49 points, along with 399 PIM, in 100 games with Milwaukee over the last two seasons.
Brookbank, 25, easily surpassed his previous career highs in goals (nine), assists (26) and points (35) playing in 73 games for Milwaukee last year, his fourth full AHL season. Brookbank added a team-high 232 penalty minutes in the regular season, and chipped in one goal, eight assists and 49 PIM in the Calder Cup Playoffs.
A native of Lanigan, Sask., Brookbank’s totals show 14 goals, 58 assists and 789 PIM in 282 career AHL games with Milwaukee, Cincinnati and Grand Rapids.
