3rd year, former Detroit Red Wings‘ 7th round pick in the 2005 draft (#214 overall) Bretton Stamler(48) chose to once again sign with an ECHL team, Gwinnett Gladiators, which happens to the direct rival of his former club Greenville Road Warriors.
He spent most of his time up in the AHL last season with affiliate Hartford Wolf Pack and on a team that was cellar dwelling for a while he came in and started to help.
Utilized sparingly through 39 games, he netted a pair of goals and added 6 assists with a reliable +6 rating but more importantly was part of a team that worked hard together to right the ship.
The 6’1″ 203 lbs. blue liner plays a fairly hard-nosed style and although he may not light up the score sheet much; he actually did better points-wise in the higher league.
He’s accountable though at another +6 plus/minus in the lower league.
The 27-year old took a rather long route (9 years) to turning pro, playing 5 campaigns in the WHL, then four at college with University Of New Brunswick.
He could find himself up once again on a pto for another extended run in 2014/2015.