Utica Comets Add Pivot Justin Taylor On PTO

With their roster hit with injuries and call-ups, the Utica Comets announced the signing of Justin Taylor to a PTO, (professional tryout offer) today.

The 30-year-old product of Mindemoya Ontario was a 6th-round pick of the Washington Capitals back in the 2007 NHL draft. He plays the middle and has already suited up in two games for the Comets while on a tryout with the team in the 2017/18 season. He picked up his first, and only AHL goal during that stint with the Comets.

The veteran of 547 ECHL games has put up 206 goals and 183 assists to give himself 389 points at that level. His ECHL games will not count towards the AHL veteran limit, so there are no worries on that front for Utica.

Taylor has been plying his trade with the Comets ECHL affiliate Kalamazoo Wings this season where he has tallied three goals and three assists in six games to go along with his nine minutes spent in the penalty box. The veteran pivot has played parts or all of his last 10 seasons with the Kalamazoo Wings.

The Comets are currently without forwards Reid Boucher, (lower-body injury, no timeline) Carter Camper, (middle-body injury, no timeline) and Jonah Gadjovich, (upper-body strain, week-to-week) due to their injuries, while Adam Gaudette and Sven Baertschi have both been summoned to Vancouver.

Gaudette only got into a pair of games for Utica, so they won’t “miss” him as much as they will Baertschi, but when the team is so thin down the middle, Adam would be a handy player to have available.

It’s a little curious to me why the Comets didn’t just call up one of Dylan Sadowy, (seven goals, two assists, nine points in six games to lead Kalamazoo) or Tanner Sorenson, (three goals and three assists to match Taylor). Both players are under contract to Utica on AHL deals and have at least matched the points totals put up by Taylor.

Sadowy is more of a winger, so if the Comets are looking for a pivot, him not being called up might make a little sense. Sorenson, however, has experience in the middle, from my understanding. At any rate, PTO season has arrived in Utica and I’m sure that Taylor won’t be the last such signing before this campaign is over.

The Comets and Devils get underway today in Binghamton at 7:05 pm Eastern/4:05 pm Pacific. Stay tuned for the CanucksArmy post-game report following today’s action.