Undrafted right wing Brandon DeFazio(39) has been consistently working hard on his game to move up to playing in the show.
In his first season he signed a one-year agreement to join Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and as a youngster put in a respectable 11 goals and 5 assists.
He was rewarded for his efforts with a one-year entry level contract with New York Islanders. He skated exclusively for their affiliate Bridgeport Sound Tigers and saw his point totals rise with another 11 goal season and an assist increase to 14 on a mostly very young, struggling squad.
The feisty 6’1″ 205 lbs. forward that looks slightly smaller than his measurements indicate was noticed by Vancouver Canucks and received another 1-year, 2-way deal.
He stuck with their AHL farm club Utica Comets for the entirety of 2013/2014 but kept escalating his scoring game, hitting the net for a career high 17 goals and 17 assists, 34 points in 76 games.
He’s also been good for over 100 penalty minutes for each of his pro campaigns.
The 26-year old was extended for another season and got right to work, scoring 4 goals to lead the team and adding another pair of tallies resulting in his first NHL recall.
He skated 10 shifts for 6:04 of total ice time with no other stats but it was a team shootout win, so he may stick at least temporarily with the club.
See related: 7/17-12