SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The Tampa Bay Lightning have signed defenseman Mat Bodie to a one-year, two-way contract, vice president and general manager Steve Yzerman announced today.
Bodie, 27, skated in 62 American Hockey League games last season, splitting time between the Rochester Americans and Hartford Wolf Pack, recording 10 goals and 39 points with 55 penalty minutes. The Wolf Pack captain posted eight goals and 22 assists in 45 games while with Hartford before being traded to Rochester. The 6-foot, 175-pound defenseman scored twice and added seven assists in 17 games with the Americans. Last season he set career highs for goals, points, power-play goals (six) and penalty minutes.
The East St. Paul, Manitoba native has appeared in 213 career AHL games over three seasons, collecting 22 goals and 107 points to go along with 135 penalty minutes. Bodie has also appeared in 15 career Calder Cup Playoff games, all during 2015 while with Hartford, posting three goals and seven points.
Bodie played four seasons at Union College, winning the 2014 Frozen Four Championship while with the Dutchmen. He skated in 154 career games at Union College, collecting 28 goals and 124 points to go along with 139 penalty minutes. During the 2011-12 season, he was named to the ECAC Hockey First Team.
Bodie went undrafted and was originally signed by the New York Rangers as a free agent on April 15, 2014.
(Syracuse Crunch photo)
