The Detroit Red Wings, parent club of the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins, on Tuesday signed defenseman Andy Delmore.
Delmore was the 2005-06 winner of the AHL’s Eddie Shore Award as the league’s best defenseman while playing for Syracuse, whose NHL affiliate Columbus had claimed him on waivers from the Red Wings on Oct. 4, 2005. That season, Delmore was also a member of the Canadian All-Star Team at the 2006 AHL All-Star Classic in Winnipeg, and he earned a spot on the AHL’s First All-Star Team at the conclusion of the campaign.
Delmore last played in the AHL in 2006-07, when he registered 17 goals and 23 assists for 40 points in 75 games between Springfield and Chicago.
A native of LaSalle, Ont., Delmore helped the Philadelphia Phantoms capture the Calder Cup championship during his rookie season in 1997-98. In 335 career AHL games with Fredericton, Philadelphia, Rochester, Syracuse, Springfield and Chicago, he has accumulated 203 points (60 goals, 143 assists) and 208 penalty minutes.
Prior to playing the last two seasons in Germany with Hamburg, Delmore racked up 101 points (43g, 58a) and 105 PIM in 283 NHL contests between Philadelphia, Nashville, Buffalo and Columbus from 1998-2006. In 2002-03, he led all NHL defensemen with 14 power-play tallies and tied for the league lead among blueliners with 18 goals while skating for the Predators.
