4th year center Joel Broda(6) is playing his first season as an unrestricted free agent after his 3-year entry level contract with Minnesota Wild was not qualified.
He signed a one-year minor league deal with Bakersfield Condors for 2013/2014, returning to the team he skated with on reassignment from Houston Aeros during his rookie season.
He played 124 AHL games through three seasons with the Aeros scoring 21 goals and 17 assists.
The 6′ 203 lbs. forward was an Oklahoma City Barons‘ training camp invite and impressed enough to score a call-up for 8 games near the start of the season, potting a goal and an assist quickly but then cooled off before being returned a month later.
He would get right to it in the ECHL, where he struck for 19 goals and 16 assists in 35 games.
His explosion on the score sheet gained him notice from Bridgeport Sound Tigers, who signed him to a pto and out of the gate he’s fitting right in with team chemistry.
Again, he scored early in his recall netting a pair of tallies and a helper in his first three contests.
Originally a Washington Capitals‘ 5th round pick in the 2008 draft (#144 overall), he had a notable junior hockey career scoring a league leading 53 goals in 2008/2009 and winning the WHL Championship with Calgary Hitmen in the following campaign.
The 24-year plays a speedy skating style, knows how to get himself into the open spaces on the ice for scoring chances and generally unloads a ton of shots on net.
Original story: 2/26-14
His time with Bridgeport Sound Tigers would finish with the 2 goals and 4 assists in 17 games.
Released from his pto near the end of the regular season, he rejoined Bakersfield Condors as team captain for their playoff run, which last 16 games through the Kelly Cup Western Conference Finals.
Once again, he exploded on the score sheet potting 8 goals and 4 assists with a +5 rating in 16 playoff games.
His 2013/2014 performance was enough to put him on the radar of Hershey Bears, who signed him to an AHL contract roughly a month before training camps started.
Through 53 contests, he would have a somewhat rough campaign in Chocolatetown falling out of favor as he was mostly a healthy scratch down the stretch and throughout the Calder Cup Playoffs.
It was obvious his 7 goals and 3 assists fell far short of the mark.
For his 6th pro season he’s decided to take his game elsewhere, signing a one-year deal with HC Bolzano Foxes of Erte Banke Eishockey Liga.
The now 25-year old that will turn 26 a month into the new season should easily be able to duplicate the kind of numbers he put in the ECHL overseas.
