The Checkers are bringing back a familiar face to fortify their blue line, signing Bobby Sanguinetti to an AHL contract.

Presented by First National Bank
Sanguinetti skated for Charlotte from 2010-13 and logged 86 points (19g, 67a) in 127 games, ranking him third all time in scoring among Checkers blueliners. The New Jersey native is also responsible for the best single-season performance by a defenseman in franchise history, posting 50 points (10g, 40a) during the 2011-12 campaign.

The 30-year-old Sanguinetti, who represented the United States at the 2018 Winter Olympics, spent each of the last two seasons in Switzerland’s top league, winning a championship in 2016-17 and leading all league defensemen with 11 goals last season. Sanguinetti is a three-time AHL All Star who amassed 225 points (57g, 168a) in 378 AHL games over seven full seasons with Hartford, Charlotte, Utica and Rochester, the latter of which was his most recent AHL stop in 2015-16. Sanguinetti, who has also played 45 NHL games over his career with Carolina and the New York Rangers, recently competed in the Spengler Cup with HC Davos.

The addition of Sanguinetti comes after Michal Cajkovsky departed from the team to return to Europe. The Checkers currently have eight healthy options at defense, while Josiah Didier continues to work his way back from injury.