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AHL San Diego Gulls

San Diego Gulls Trade Rocco Grimaldi and Logan Nijhoff to Rockford for Future Considerations

March 2, 2023 - American Hockey League (AHL)
San Diego Gulls News Release


SAN DIEGO - The San Diego Gulls announced today the American Hockey League (AHL) club has traded right wing Rocco Grimaldi and forward Logan Nijhoff to the Rockford IceHogs in exchange for future considerations.

Grimaldi, 30 (2/8/93), has 27-29=56 points in 54 games with San Diego this season, leading the team in goals, assists and points at the time of the trade. Since February 14, the right wing leads the AHL in goals (8) and is tied for first with 8-4=12 points. Grimaldi notched 10 goals in the month of February, tying former Gulls captain Sam Carrick for the most goals earned over a single month (Nov. 2019) in the team's AHL history and setting a career best for goals earned in month (previous: 9, Dec. 2017).

The right wing has appeared in 345 career AHL games with San Diego, Milwaukee, San Antonio and Portland, recording 133-147(0 points and 166 penalty minutes (PIM). The Rossmoor, CA native has appeared in 203 career National Hockey League (NHL) games with the Nashville Predators, Colorado Avalanche and Florida Panthers, recording 30-37=67 points and 34 penalty minutes (PIM) from 2014-22. In the 2022 preseason with Anaheim on a professional tryout (PTO), the 5-6, 178-pound forward scored 1-4=5 points with a +2 rating in four exhibition contests, co-leading Anaheim in preseason assists. He set NHL career-highs in points (10-21=31), goals, assists, plus/minus (+10) and appearances (66) in 2019-20 with Nashville. He has also appeared in 11 Stanley Cup playoff games, recording 3-1=4 points while leading the Predators in postseason goals (3) in 2019.

Originally selected by Florida in the second round (33rd overall) of the 2011 NHL Draft, Grimaldi spent three seasons at the University of North Dakota of the WCHA from 2011-14, scoring 31-46=77 points with a +19 rating in 86 career NCAA games. He helped North Dakota to a WCHA championship in 2011-12 and was named to the WCHA All-Rookie Team and All-Academic Team in 2012-13.

Grimaldi helped Team USA win gold medals at the 2013 World Junior Championship (WJC) and back-to-back U-18 World Championships in 2010 and 2011. In the 2013 WJC tournament, he scored the game-winning goal in the gold medal game. Grimaldi spent two seasons at the United States National Team Development Program from 2009-11, leading the U-18 club in points (39-34=73) and goals in 2010-11.

Nijhoff, 22 (2/23/01), went scoreless in 16 games with San Diego and recorded 6-4=10 points with eight PIM in 25 games with the Tulsa Oilers of the ECHL this season. He split the 2021-22 campaign between San Diego and the Regina Pats of the Western Hockey League (WHL), appearing in three AHL contests. The 6-0, 189-pound forward recorded 25-24=49 points and 85 penalty minutes (PIM) in 57 games with Regina last season, setting career highs in assists, faceoff percentage (58.3%), goals, PIM and points. He also won a team leading 818-of-1404 faceoffs (58.3%), ranking third among WHL skaters in faceoff win percentage and fifth in faceoff wins.

A native of Comox, British Columbia, Nijhoff earned 61-62=123 points and 253 PIM in 231 career WHL games with the Regina Pats from 2017-2022, serving as the team's captain for the last two seasons. He won the 2022 Hockey Gives Blood Dayna Brons Honorary Award for his outstanding dedication towards patients who rely on blood and stem cell products in Canada, raising $8,180 for Canadian Blood Services during the 2021-22 season.

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