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AHL Cleveland Monsters

Columbus Blue Jackets Sign Veteran Forward Zac Rinaldo to One-Year, Two-Way NHL/AHL Contract for 2021-22 Season

August 13, 2021 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Cleveland Monsters News Release


COLUMBUS, OHIO - The Columbus Blue Jackets have signed veteran forward Zac Rinaldo to a one-year, two-way National Hockey League/American Hockey League contract for the 2021-22 season, club General Manager and Alternate Governor Jarmo Kekalainen announced today.

Rinaldo, 31, has registered 18 goals and 24 assists for 42 points with 758 penalty minutes in 374 games over a 10-year NHL career with the Calgary Flames, Nashville Predators, Arizona Coyotes, Boston Bruins and Philadelphia Flyers. Off the ice, he serves as a spokesperson for the Hockey Talks campaign, which promotes awareness of mental health challenges such as anxiety and depression.

The Hamilton, Ontario native was originally drafted by the Flyers in the sixth round, 178th overall, at the 2008 NHL Draft. He posted 100-plus penalty minutes in three of his first four NHL campaigns, ranking third in the NHL in penalty minutes (572) over that span from 2011-15. He set career highs in assists, points and penalty minutes and finished second in the NHL in PIM with 2-7-9 and 232 PIM in his rookie campaign with the Flyers in 2011-12. In 2013-14, he finished fifth in the NHL in PIM after posting 2-2-4 and 153 PIM in 67 appearances with Philadelphia. The forward set a career high in goals and shots on goal in 2017-18 with 5-2-7, 44 PIM and 56 shots in 53 games with the Coyotes. He spent the past two seasons with the Flames, collecting 3-2-4 and 34 penalty minutes in 19 outings in 2019-20 and skating in four contests with the club in 2020-21.

The 5-10, 192-pound center has added 11-20-31 and 492 penalty minutes in 143 career AHL games with the Stockton Heat, Milwaukee Admirals, Providence Bruins and Adirondack Phantoms from 2010-20. He collected 0-7-7 with 20 penalty minutes and an "even" plus/minus rating in 14 games with Stockton in his most recent AHL campaign in 2019-20. He led the Phantoms and finished second in the AHL with 331 PIM in 2010-11.

Rinaldo racked up 27-42-69 and 644 penalty minutes in 185 career games with the Barrie Colts, London Knights and Toronto/Mississauga St. Michael's Majors of the Ontario Hockey League from 2006-10. He led the OHL in penalty minutes in back-to-back campaigns, posting 201 PIM in 56 games split between the Majors and Knights in 2008-09 and 255 PIM in 60 appearances with the Knights and Colts in 2009-10.

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