3rd year 6’5″ 237 lbs. left wing tower Justin Vaive(23) earned his first call-up from Hartford Wolf Pack to hopefully help the team turn the corner on a woeful season.
Not exactly a prolific goal scorer, he got his first on the 2013/2014 campaign recently, which has him at or surpassing modest career highs in all point categories with a current +6 rating on a team that’s near the Eastern Conference cellar.
He’s off to a fast start in the ECHL this year with Greenville Road Warriors posting a new goals scored mark at 10 and tied for overall points, done in one-third as many games from his rookie season with Cincinnati Cyclones.
In 4 years of college hockey at Miami University he was never really much of a point production guy but was fairly accountable on ice with a healthy +16 plus/minus and won a NCAA (CCHA) Championship in 2010 before turning pro.
He signed his first deal, an AHL contract with San Antonio Rampage and inked an extension for another year despite the absence of any points.
The still young 24-year old was originally an Anaheim Ducks‘ 4th round pick in the 2007 draft (#94 overall).
His father Rick Vaive played 876 NHL games at almost a point-per-game pace.
Original story: 2/27-14
After finishing the 2013/2014 establishing new AHL career highs for assists (4) and points (5) he was sent back to Greenville Road Warriors to help them with their postseason push.
In 13 ECHL Kelly Cup Playoff games he lit up the score sheet with 6 goals and 5 assists for 11 points before bowing out in the Eastern Conference Finals.
To start 2014/2015 he was given a contract to continue with Hartford Wolf Pack.
The huge power forward found his scoring touch as he connected for a best 14 goals, 18 assists and 32 points in 62 games and added another helper in 8 playoff contests.
The now 26-year old has been rewarded for his career campaign by scoring an NHL contract, a 1-year, two-way deal with New York Islanders.
He’ll almost assuredly will start with their affiliate Bridgeport Sound Tigers but could get a recall if he can keep up the scoring pace and use that huge frame to make a difference out there.
