A. J. Gale

A. J. Gale (born February 23, 1987) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He last played professionally with the Denver Cutthroats of the Central Hockey League (CHL).

Playing career Undrafted, Gale originally played in the British Columbia Hockey League with the Nanaimo Clippers and at a collegiate level with St. Cloud State University and St. Norbert College.

Gale made his professional debut in the Central Hockey League in the 2009–10 season with the Fort Worth Brahmas before moving to the Wichita Thunder the following season and scoring at a point-per-game pace. In his third professional season, Gale left as a free agent to experience European hockey, initially signing with Copenhagen Hockey of the Danish AL-Bank Ligaen on May 4, 2011.

As an offensively skilled forward, Gale tallied 14 points in 14 games with Copenhagen during the 2011–12 season, before transferring to Sweden on October 28, with Asplöven HC of Division 1. In the remainder of the season, Gale was amongst the club's scoring leaders, scoring 17 goals and 32 points in just 27 games.

Gale returned to North America the following the completion of his season in Sweden and signed a one-year contract with the inaugural Denver Cutthroats of the CHL. His signing on August 8, 2012, marked a reunion alongside former Wichita Thunder team and line mate Troy Schwab. During the 2012–13 season, Gale formed the top scoring line in the CHL alongside Schwab and former NHL veteran Brad Smyth, leading the CHL with 46 goals in just 64 games. On February 20, 2013, Gale was called up to play four games with the American Hockey League affiliate, the Lake Erie Monsters. In returning to the Cutthroats, he finished fourth in league scoring with 84 points and was a finalist for league MVP, before being selected to the All-CHL team.

On August 6, 2013, Gale re-signed on a one-year deal for a second season with the Cutthroats.

Career statistics Regular season Playoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 2003–04 Nanaimo Clippers BCHL 11 4 2 6 2 5 1 0 1 0 2004–05 Nanaimo Clippers BCHL 53 19 22 41 53 15 1 2 3 16 2005–06 Nanaimo Clippers BCHL 60 27 24 51 69 5 1 1 2 2 2006–07 St. Cloud State U. WCHA 18 0 1 1 8 — — — — — 2007–08 St. Cloud State U. WCHA 2 0 0 0 0 — — — — — 2007–08 Nanaimo Clippers BCHL 38 27 26 53 46 14 8 18 26 13 2008–09 St. Norbert College NCHA 19 19 11 30 12 — — — — — 2009–10 Texas Brahmas CHL 58 15 10 25 36 7 1 2 3 4 2010–11 Wichita Thunder CHL 62 26 38 64 38 5 1 4 5 2 2011–12 Copenhagen Hockey DEN 14 7 7 14 20 — — — — — 2011–12 Asplöven HC Swe.2 27 17 15 32 20 10 4 2 6 0 2012–13 Denver Cutthroats CHL 64 46 38 84 38 5 1 2 3 0 2012–13 Lake Erie Monsters AHL 4 0 0 0 2 — — — — — 2013–14 Denver Cutthroats CHL 25 15 21 36 34 13 11 11 22 15 2013–14 Manchester Monarchs AHL 27 8 3 11 14 — — — — — 2014–15 Bentley Generals ChHL — — — — — 8 8 0 8 6 AHL totals 31 8 3 11 16 — — — — —

Awards and honours Award Year CHL All-Star Team 2013 All-CHL Team 2013