Florida Panthers Sign C Jeff Taffe
by Staff Writer / Florida Panthers| Jeff Taffe (right) joins the Panthers organization after two seasons in the Penguins organization. (AP Photo/Gregory Smith) |
“Jeff is a focused, driven and hard working player who we are very pleased to have join our organization,” said Sexton. “He posted career best numbers last season while playing for Wilkes-Barre, but has also shown that he can play in the National Hockey League. We expect him to compete for a position on our team in training camp. ”
Taffe, 28, split last season playing for both the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins (AHL). He appeared in eight games for Pittsburgh registering two assists, as well as 74 games for Wilkes-Barre posting career highs in goals (25), assists (50) and points (75). For his career in the NHL, he has played in 153 contests for Phoenix (2002-06, 2006-07), NY Rangers (2005-06) and Pittsburgh (2007-09) registering 20 goals with 22 assists and 36 PIM.
The Hastings, Minnesota native played three years at the University of Minnesota (1999-2002). He won the NCAA Championship while playing with current Panthers D Jordan Leopold and D Keith Ballard during the 2001-02 season. He was originally drafted by St. Louis with their first choice (30th overall) in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft.
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--- Regular Season --- ---- Playoffs ----
Season Team Lge GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
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2001-02 U. of Minnesota NCAA 43 34 24 58 86
2002-03 Springfield Falcons AHL 57 23 26 49 44 5 0 3 3 8
2002-03 Phoenix Coyotes NHL 20 3 1 4 4 -- -- -- -- --
2003-04 Springfield Falcons AHL 15 10 6 16 19 -- -- -- -- --
2003-04 Phoenix Coyotes NHL 59 8 10 18 20 -- -- -- -- --
2004-05 Utah Grizzlies AHL 27 9 10 19 35 -- -- -- -- --
2005-06 Phoenix Coyotes NHL 2 0 0 0 0 -- -- -- -- --
2005-06 New York Rangers NHL 2 0 0 0 0 -- -- -- -- --
2005-06 Hartford Wolf Pack AHL 36 6 16 22 34 -- -- -- -- --
2005-06 San Antonio Rampage AHL 33 5 6 11 29 -- -- -- -- --
2006-07 San Antonio Rampage AHL 59 20 20 40 22 -- -- -- -- --
2006-07 Phoenix Coyotes NHL 17 4 2 6 2 -- -- -- -- --
2007-08 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pen AHL 27 11 10 21 22 -- -- -- -- --
2007-08 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 45 5 7 12 8 -- -- -- -- --
2008-09 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 8 0 2 2 2 -- -- -- -- --
2008-09 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pen AHL 74 25 50 75 65 12 5 6 11 22
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NHL Totals 153 20 22 42 36
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