The San Jose Sharks, parent club of the AHL’s Worcester Sharks, announced today that the club has signed free agent defensemen Matt Kinch and Brett Westgarth to one-year contracts.
Kinch (right), 28, spent the 2007-08 season with the AHL’s Binghamton Senators. In 73 games played, he tied for second among team defensemen with 25 points (9-16-25) and accumulated 73 penalty minutes.
The 5-foot-11, 185-pound defenseman has spent parts of four seasons in the AHL. He has appeared in 246 AHL regular season games with Hartford and Binghamton, posting 82 points (18-64-82) and 143 penalty minutes.
Kinch played in Europe for three seasons from 2004-07, including time in Austria, Switzerland and Germany. Prior to his professional career, he spent five seasons with Calgary (WHL) appearing in 320 regular season games and registering 240 points (63-177=240).
The Red Deer, Alberta, native was originally selected by the Buffalo Sabres in 1999.
Westgarth, 26, posted five points (2-3-5) and 89 penalty minutes in 37 games last season as a rookie for the Iowa Stars.
The 6-foot-2, 215-pound native of Amherstburg, Ont., played college hockey at Princeton. In his four years there, he registered 24 points (4-20-24) in 114 games.
