Two more bargain basement free agents joined the Anaheim Ducks yesterday. Carter Rowney and Brian Gibbons were signed to add depth up front.
The Anaheim Ducks made two more free agent signings yesterday. Right wing Brian Gibbons, most recently a member of the New Jersey Devils, was signed to a one year, $1M contract while former Penguin Carter Rowney received a three year, $3.4M deal. They are good depth players, but not the type General Manager Bob Murray said he wanted on the roster.
Carter Rowney
29-year-old Carter Rowney is what he is, a fourth line gritty player. He played 71 games over parts of the last two seasons with Pittsburgh and put up 12 points (5g, 7a). The numbers don’t tell his whole story. It’s a pretty good story.
Rowney made his NHL debut at age 27, with the Pens, as a replacement for injured Evgeny Malkin. As the saying goes “it took him a long time to become an overnight success.” He was undrafted out of the University of North Dakota where he played for current Flyers coach Dave Hakstol. Going to play NCAA hockey after the Juniors isn’t the typical route kids from his part of the world (Northwest Alberta) take to begin with.
Rowney could have become an accountant after he graduated from UND, but a conversation with Hakstol changed his mind. Instead, Rowney went to the minor leagues. He paid his dues in the ECHL with Wheeling and the AHL with Abbotsford and Scranton/Wilkes Barre.
The Sporting news has him pegged just right in their scouting report of him:
“A versatile player, he owns good size for the NHL game and the ability to play both wing and center (especially at lower levels). Can produce solid numbers at lower levels and is somewhat gritty, too. Is not a natural scorer, so he is clearly not a viable top-six forward option in the National Hockey League. Overall, he lacks high-end skill. Therefore, he must always find a role to play at the highest level.”
Last season he averaged a little over seven faceoffs per game before he was injured. At this point, he looks to be Derek Grant‘s replacement as the fourth line pivot.