Justin Vaive

Justin Vaive (born July 8, 1989) is an American professional ice hockey player. He is currently playing with the Cincinnati Cyclones in the ECHL. His father is former National Hockey League All-Star right-winger Rick Vaive. Vaive was selected by the Anaheim Ducks in the 4th round (92nd overall) of the 2007 NHL entry draft.

Playing career Vaive attended Ohio's Miami University, where he played four seasons (2007–2011) of NCAA college hockey with the Miami RedHawks men's ice hockey team.

On August 24, 2011, the San Antonio Rampage of the American Hockey League signed Vaive to a contract.

On July 24, 2014, Vaive re-signed to a one-year ECHL contract with the Greenville Road Warriors. Before the 2014–15 season on September 3, he was signed to return with Road Warriors AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack, on a one-year deal.

On July 2, 2015, Vaive agreed to his first NHL contract as a free agent, signing a one-year, two-way contract with the New York Islanders. Vaive was unable to claim a roster spot with the Islanders and was reassigned to AHL affiliate, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers for the duration of the 2015–16 season.

With his rights not retained by the Islanders, Vaive went unsigned over the summer as a free agent before agreeing to return to the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL on October 14, 2016. After appearing in the season opener, he accepted a professional try-out offer to return to the AHL with the Rochester Americans the following day.

Having captained the Cyclones for the previous two seasons, Vaive agreed to a contract extension in approaching his seventh year within the ECHL with the Cyclones for the 2020–21 season. However, the Cyclones opted to commence a hiatus due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and he was immediately released as a free agent. On January 6, 2021, Vaive signed a contract to continue in the ECHL with the Fort Wayne Komets. Adding experience to the Komets forward group, Vaive added 18 points through 48 regular season games and 6 points in 13 playoff contests to help the Komets claim their first Kelly Cup in franchise history.

With the Cyclones returning to play for the 2021–22 season, Vaive returned to the club, agreeing to a one-year contract on July 14, 2021. In 2024, he continues to play, and remains as team captain.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs Regular season Playoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 2004–05 Milton Icehawks OPJHL 1 1 0 1 0 — — — — — 2005–06 U.S. National Development Team NAHL 24 4 8 12 34 — — — — — 2006–07 U.S. National Development Team NAHL 15 4 1 5 22 — — — — — 2007–08 Miami University (Ohio) CCHA 41 3 7 10 65 — — — — — 2008–09 Miami University (Ohio) CCHA 37 6 6 12 44 — — — — — 2009–10 Miami University (Ohio) CCHA 43 5 3 8 51 — — — — — 2010–11 Miami University (Ohio) CCHA 39 9 7 16 48 — — — — — 2011–12 Cincinnati Cyclones ECHL 40 6 12 18 65 — — — — — 2011–12 San Antonio Rampage AHL 15 0 0 0 10 — — — — — 2012–13 San Antonio Rampage AHL 41 2 2 4 38 — — — — — 2012–13 Cincinnati Cyclones ECHL 6 2 2 4 10 15 1 2 3 21 2013–14 Greenville Road Warriors ECHL 13 10 8 18 20 13 6 5 11 14 2013–14 Hartford Wolf Pack AHL 27 1 4 5 31 — — — — — 2014–15 Hartford Wolf Pack AHL 62 14 18 32 94 8 0 1 1 10 2015–16 Bridgeport Sound Tigers AHL 63 11 6 17 79 — — — — — 2016–17 Cincinnati Cyclones ECHL 1 0 0 0 0 — — — — — 2016–17 Rochester Americans AHL 66 3 6 9 90 — — — — — 2017–18 Cincinnati Cyclones ECHL 48 32 13 45 107 5 5 1 6 12 2017–18 Belleville Senators AHL 6 0 0 0 2 — — — — — 2018–19 Cincinnati Cyclones ECHL 65 19 15 34 120 11 3 6 9 6 2019–20 Cincinnati Cyclones ECHL 58 21 14 35 86 — — — — — 2020–21 Fort Wayne Komets ECHL 47 10 8 18 93 13 4 2 6 4 2021–22 Cincinnati Cyclones ECHL 70 22 26 48 116 7 2 3 5 6 2022–23 Cincinnati Cyclones ECHL 72 32 20 52 89 11 2 1 3 22 2023–24 Cincinnati Cyclones ECHL 45 13 15 28 48 — — — — — AHL totals 280 31 36 67 344 8 0 1 1 10

International Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM 2006 United States U17 6 0 4 4 6 2007 United States U18 7 3 3 6 2 Junior totals 13 3 7 10 8

Awards and honors Award Year ECHL Kelly Cup (Fort Wayne Komets) 2021