Joel Rechlicz

Joel Rechlicz
Born	(1987-06-14) June 14, 1987 Brookfield, Wisconsin, U.S.
Occupation	Professional ice hockey player (retired)
Years active	2006–2017
Known for	Enforcer in the National Hockey League

Joel Rechlicz (born June 14, 1987) is a retired American professional ice hockey athlete, recognized primarily for his role as an enforcer. In May 2008, by inking a three-year entry-level deal with the New York Islanders, Rechlicz became the first individual from the revived United Hockey League—previously known as the International Hockey League—to compete in the National Hockey League. Throughout his NHL tenure, he played for both the New York Islanders and the Washington Capitals.

Playing career

Rechlicz initiated his junior hockey journey at age 16 with the St. Paul Lakers competing in the Minnesota Junior Hockey League during the 2003–04 season. He briefly joined the Santa Fe Roadrunners of the North American Hockey League, followed by a move to the Northern Michigan Black Bears in the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League. In the 2005–06 season, he had short engagements with both the Des Moines Buccaneers and Indiana Ice of the United States Hockey League, later earning a promotion to the Gatineau Olympiques in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) in 2006.

Before turning pro, Rechlicz competed in major junior hockey with the Chicoutimi Saguenéens of the QMJHL. His professional career began with the Chicago Hounds in the United Hockey League during 2006–07. The following season, he played part of his time with Kalamazoo Wings in the rebranded International Hockey League and was subsequently called up to join the AHL's Albany River Rats.

In May 2008, Rechlicz secured a three-year entry-level contract with the New York Islanders. He debuted in the NHL on March 5, 2009, contributing an assist, and participated in 17 NHL contests that year while also spending time in both the ECHL and AHL.

The 2009–10 season saw Rechlicz begin on the Islanders’ NHL roster; however, after six games, he was reassigned to their AHL affiliate, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. On July 13, 2010, he and New York mutually agreed to terminate his contract; following clearance through waivers, he entered unrestricted free agency.

On July 29, 2010, Rechlicz signed a one-year contract with the AHL's Hershey Bears, re-upping for another year in July 2011. Midway through that season, he was recalled by Hershey’s NHL parent club, the Washington Capitals, but after three appearances was placed on waivers and returned to Hershey on February 4, 2012.

Rechlicz agreed to a one-year two-way contract with the Phoenix Coyotes on July 12, 2012. During the subsequent season, he was traded back to Washington in exchange for forward Matt Clackson. The Capitals chose to extend his contract for an additional year on June 26, 2013.

As a free agent unrestricted by any team obligations, Rechlicz signed a one-year two-way contract with the Minnesota Wild on July 2, 2014. Although he did not feature in any NHL games for Minnesota, he played at their AHL affiliate club, the Iowa Wild.

In October 2015, after agreeing to a one-year AHL contract with the Grand Rapids Griffins, Rechlicz received a three-game suspension due to a charging incident occurring during a preseason match. He continued his professional journey by signing with the Bakersfield Condors on August 31, 2016.

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2004–05	Santa Fe Roadrunners	NAHL		3	0	1	1	29		—	—	—	—	—
2004–05	Northern Michigan Black Bears	NOJHL		25	3	1	4	54		14	2	2	4	16
2005–06	Northern Michigan Black Bears	NOJHL		6	0	2	2	11		—	—	—	—	—
2005–06	Des Moines Buccaneers	USHL		2	0	0	0	4		—	—	—	—	—
2005–06	Gatineau Olympiques	QMJHL		3	0	0	0	17		—	—	—	—	—
2005–06	Indiana Ice	USHL		2	0	0	0	16		—	—	—	—	—
2006–07	Chicoutimi Sagueneens	QMJHL		55	0	1	1	159		1	0	0	0	2
2006–07	Chicago Hounds	UHL		2	0	0	0	9		—	—	—	—	—
2007–08	Kalamazoo Wings	IHL		25	1	0	1	100		—	—	—	—	—
2007–08	Albany River Rats	AHL		25	0	1	1	106		—	—	—	—	—
2008–09	Utah Grizzlies	ECHL		45	0	1	1	110
2008–09	Bridgeport Sound Tigers	AHL		4	0	0	0	12
2008–09	New York Islanders	NHL		17	0	1	1	68
2009–10	New York Islanders	NHL		6	0	0	0	27
2009–10	Bridgeport Sound Tigers	AHL		21	0	0	0	128
2010–11	Hershey Bears	AHL		28	1	0	1	132
2011–12	Hershey Bears	AHL		44	1	1	2	267
2011–12	Washington Capitals	NHL		3	0	0	0	10
2012–13	Portland Pirates	AHL		36	0	0	0	149
2012–13	Hershey Bears	AHL		4	0	0	0	5
2013–14	Hershey Bears	AHL		25	1	1	2	87
2014–15 AHL season	Iowa Wild	AHL		20	1	0	1	60
2015–16 AHL season	Grand Rapids Griffins	AHL		12	0	0	0	35
2016–17 AHL season	Bakersfield Condors	AHL		15	0	—	54
Career totals in the AHL				234	4	3	7	1035		—	—	—	—	—
Career totals in the NHL				26	۰	۱	۱	۱۰۵  !		—	—	—	—	—

Transactions

• May 6, 2008 – Entered into a three-year entry-level agreement with the New York Islanders.
• July 13, 2010 – Contract with the Islanders was ended by mutual consent.
• July 29, 2010 – Joined the Hershey Bears, the reigning Calder Cup champions in the American Hockey League, affiliated with the Washington Capitals.
• January 30, 2012 – Agreed to a one-year deal with the Washington Capitals.
• July 11, 2012 – Signed a one-year two-way contract with the Phoenix Coyotes.
• April 2, 2013 – Traded back to the Washington Capitals organization.
• June 26, 2013 – Extended contract for one year with the Capitals.
• July 2, 2014 – Secured a one-year two-way contract with the Minnesota Wild.

External links

• "The 10 Least Consequential Athletes of the Decade" authored by Jon Bois for SB Nation