San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) General Manager Mike Grier announced today that the club has signed forward Justin Bailey to a one-year, two-way contract.
Bailey, 28, recorded 14 points (five goals, nine assists) in 59 NHL games last season. He also spent time with the San Jose Barracuda in the American Hockey League (AHL), initially joining the organization on a PTO, and registered 11 points (six goals, five assists) in 16 AHL games before earning his NHL contract with the Sharks on Nov. 27, 2023. He was named the Sharks’ Masterton Trophy nominee by the San Jose chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers Association, an award given annually to the NHL player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.
While with the Barracuda, Bailey registered five points in his first three games, including a four-point effort (one goal, three assists) against Rockford on Oct. 14.
In his first NHL game with the Sharks, he tallied an assist against the Washington Capitals, and followed shortly after with a career-long, three-game point streak from Dec. 7-12 that culminated in his first goal in teal on Dec. 12 against Winnipeg. Bailey appeared in his 100th NHL game on Jan. 4 vs. the Winnipeg Jets, and by the end of the season set NHL career highs in nearly all categories, including games played, goals, assists, points, and shots.
Over the course of his professional career, Bailey has appeared in 141 NHL games, scoring 23 points (10 goals, 13 assists) with the Buffalo Sabres, Philadelphia Flyers, Vancouver Canucks, and Sharks, and has accumulated 370 AHL games, scoring 241 points (136 goals, 105 assists) in 370 games with the Rochester Americans, Lehigh Valley Phantoms, Utica Comets, Abbotsford Canucks, Bakersfield Condors, and the Barracuda.
Before joining the Sabres organization, Bailey appeared across three seasons in the Ontario Hockey League with the Kitchener Rangers and Soo Greyhounds, scoring 148 points (75 goals, 73 assists) in 168 games. He also appeared in 14 postseason contests with Soo in 2015, helping the Club reach the Third Round, and registered 14 points (seven goals, seven assists).
The six-foot-four, 215-pound Buffalo, New York native was originally selected by Buffalo in the 2013 NHL Draft (second round, 52nd overall).
