Center Phil DeSimone(10) was originally a Washington Capitals‘ 3rd round pick in the 2007 draft (#84 overall) but never signed a deal to play with the team.
Instead he scored himself an invite to join Montreal Canadiens‘ training camp on a tryout. It went well enough for the 6’1″ 191 lbs. forward that he offered a one-year AHL contract to join their affiliate Hamilton Bulldogs for his rookie season.
He appeared in all 76 regular season games scoring 14 goals and 19 assists, good enough for fourth overall. Playing with a club that struggled in net though, he had an eye-popping ugly team high plus/minus -30.
Heading into his second year as an unrestricted agent, New Jersey Devils‘ welcomed him to skate at their 2012 prospect camp, yet strangely wasn’t listed on their roster. Impressive enough as one of the older attendees, they hooked him up with Albany, where he took another AHL contract to continue his pro career.
At the very least, he should have a much better netminding situation and might even show more strength up front for a few more points.
