The Minnesota Wild have re-signed depth AHL forward Kurtis Gabriel to a one-year, two-way contract.
Minnesota Wild Re-Sign Grinder Kurtis Gabriel
Gabriel has only played 16 games in the NHL and in doing so only put up one assist. However, down in the AHL where he spends most of his time, Gabriel has played 190 career games so far putting up 23 goals and 17 assists for 40 points along with a staggering 345 penalty minutes.
Kurtis Gabriel signs a one year contract with the Wild at $715 000 (2 way) #tvasports
— Renaud Lavoie (@renlavoietva) July 8, 2017
Now that’s what Kurtis is known for, he’s more of a depth role player who will drop the gloves and spend the majority of his time in the box. But when given the chance he will help contribute. For instance, before he turned pro he spent four seasons with the Owen Sound Attack of the OHL. During his time there, Kurtis racked up 34 goals and 66 assists for 100 points in 232 games with 291 penalty minutes. He also won the OHL Championship in 2010-11.
The former third-round pick, 81st overall in 2013, will likely spend most of his time next season once again down in Iowa. If needed, Minnesota could easily slot him into a fourth line position due to the beauty of a two-way contract. With such a small salary he doesn’t cause any stress on the cap either, which makes it a great re-signing by the organization. The fact that he’s 6’4” and 215 pounds probably helps as well.
Besides being re-signed by the Wild, one of Kurtis’ biggest stories was when he got into a fight with Chicago Wolves defenseman Vince Dunn on the ice and in front of the locker room which got himself suspended by the league.
Gabriel was suspended by the AHL pending a review of a fight he got into with a Chicago Wolves defenseman in front of their locker room
via CBSSports.com
But that’s what Kurtis does, he’s a grinder and brings a lot of energy to his team whether it gets him suspended or not.
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