Sharks sign Akim Aliu to AHL tryout deal for remainder of 2023-24
As first reported by Daily Faceoff insider Frank Seravalli, the San Jose Sharks will sign Akim Aliu to an AHL tryout deal for the remainder of the 2023-24 regular season, where he’ll report to the San Jose Barracuda.
Hearing Akim Aliu is returning to the ice.#sjsharks GM Mike Grier confirmed today he is signing Aliu to an AHL tryout deal for remainder of the season with @sjbarracuda. Aliu last played pro in 2020 in Czechia and has battled through years of surgeries and rehab, but his dream…
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) March 20, 2024“We wanted to give him an opportunity to see what he can do,” Grier said.
Aliu last played professionally in Czechia with HC Litvinov. Before that, he bounced around with pro leagues in Sweden, Slovakia and Russia, with brief stints in the AHL and ECHL.
He played seven games in the NHL with the Calgary Flames between 2011-12 and 2012-13, scoring two goals and an assist for three points, including 25 penalty minutes.
In nine AHL seasons played with the Rockford IceHogs, Peoria Rivermen, Chicago Wolves, Abbotsford Heat, Hartford Wolf Pack, Hamilton Bulldogs, Oklahoma City Barons, Rochester Americans and Cleveland Monsters, Aliu has 46 goals and 30 assists for 76 points and 423 penalty minutes in 245 career games.
Drafted in the second round by the Flames in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, the six-foot-four forward had his best season in junior with the London Knights, where he scored 28 goals and 33 assists for 61 points and 133 penalty minutes in 60 games.
In the years since playing in Czechia, Aliu co-founded the Hockey Diversity Alliance (HDA) with Evander Kane, aiming to fight racism in hockey.