Lightning Agree to Terms with Yanni Gourde
Photo: Pierce (worcestersharks.org)
The Tampa Bay Lightning have agreed to terms with free agent forward Yanni Gourde, vice president and general manager Steve Yzerman announced on Wednesday. He will be playing with the the Lightning’s AHL affiliate Syracuse Crunch for the remainder of the 2013-14 season. In the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons he will have a two-way NHL contract.
The twenty-two year old St. Narcisse, Quebec native has skated in 25 games with the Worcester Sharks of the American Hockey League this season. He has posted four goals and 25 points, along with 26 penalty minutes. He ranks first on the Sharks for assists with 21, and ranks third on the club for points. Three of his four goals have been scored on special teams this season. He has recorded a pair of power-play tallies and one shorthanded goal. Gourde has played in 30 games this season with the Kalamazoo Wings of the ECHL where he posted 15 goals and 34 points.
The 5-foot-9, 170-pound forward has played in 83 games over his three season AHL career with Worcester. He has amounted 13 goals and 42 points. Before turning pro, he skated four seasons with the Victoriaville Tigers of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. He led the QMJHL in scoring during his fourth season with Victoriaville in 2011-12, posting 37 goals and 124 points. Gourde was nominated for the Michel-Briere trophy in 2011-12, given annually to the QMJHL’s most valuable player.
Gourde’s Career Stats
| Regular Season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | TP | +/- | PIM | GP | G | A | TP | PIM | |
| 2008-09 | Victoriaville | QMJHL | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | – | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | |
| 2009-10 | Victoriaville | QMJHL | 59 | 11 | 17 | 28 | – | 36 | 16 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 20 | |
| 2010-11 | Victoriaville | QMJHL | 68 | 26 | 42 | 68 | – | 48 | 9 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 12 | |
| 2011-12 | Victoriaville | QMJHL | 68 | 37 | 87 | 124 | – | 70 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | |
| Worcester | AHL | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | – | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| 2012-13 | Worcester | AHL | 54 | 8 | 6 | 14 | – | 41 | – | – | – | – | – | |
| San Francisco | ECHL | 8 | 4 | 6 | 10 | – | 9 | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| 2013-14 | Worcester | AHL | 25 | 4 | 21 | 25 | – | 26 | – | – | – | – | – | |
| Kalamazoo | ECHL | 30 | 15 | 19 | 34 | – | 19 | – | – | – | – | – | ||
