Around Rouyn-Noranda, former Laval Rocket center Peter Abbandonato's name carries weight.
He was part of two QMJHL championship winning Huskies teams, the latter of which he led in points on the journey to win the Memorial Cup.
He's a one time Jean Beliveau trophy winner, for the most points in a QMJHL season with 111, and potted 264 career points (82+185) with the Huskies in 264 games.
Now, 26, he'll look to spread the word to Finland after signing with Jukurit in Liiga.
Once undrafted by the NHL, he would sign a deal with the Syracuse Crunch, the farm team of the Tampa Bay Lightning. There, he would bounce around the AHL and ECHL as he was able to show glimpses of what he did in junior, but not enough to maintain a roster spot.
He would sign a deal with the affiliate of the Montreal Canadiens, the Laval Rocket, after two years with Syracuse and would start to find his game at a more consistent level.
In 2022-23, he would play his first full season in the AHL, scoring 46 points (11+35) in 66 games for second on the team in points.
Unfortunately, they wouldn't bring him back.
After struggling with finding a permanent role on an affiliated team, he would sign with the AHL's sole independent franchise, the Chicago Wolves.
Although, the team recycled through its depth as the team struggled, and Abbandonato was dealt to the Wilkes-Barre Penguins after recording three points (1+2) in 12 games. With the Baby Pens, his production would improve to 23 points (7+16) in 33 games, but with the AHL's roster rules limiting the amount of veteran players on a roster, he was once again on the outside looking in.
It'd be no surprise to see Abbandonato become one of the Liiga's top import players given his strong track record at all levels.
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