Russ Sinkewich

Russ Sinkewich (born September 21, 1985) is a retired American professional ice hockey defenseman who most recently played for the Idaho Steelheads in the ECHL.

Playing career Before launching his professional career, Sinkewich spent four seasons playing collegiate hockey at Bowling Green State University. As a member of the Bowling Green Falcons men's ice hockey team, he competed at the NCAA Division I level, where he developed his skills as a reliable defenseman.

In the 2011–12 season, his fourth as a pro, Sinkewich started the year with the Alaska Aces for the second straight season. He was once again loaned to the Abbotsford Heat, where his strong performance over 21 games led to him earning an AHL contract with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers on February 29, 2012, for the rest of the season.

With no AHL offers for the upcoming season, Sinkewich chose to return to the Alaska Aces, signing on for a third straight year. During the 2012–13 season, he played 23 games with the Aces before being traded to the Gwinnett Gladiators on December 13, 2012. There, he tallied 3 goals in 11 games, which helped catch the attention of the AHL's Portland Pirates. He joined the Pirates later that season and stayed with the team for the remainder of the year.

During the subsequent off-season, Sinkewich's ECHL rights were first dealt by the Gwinnett Gladiators to the San Francisco Bulls on June 10, 2013. A few months later, on August 27, 2013, the Bulls traded him to the Colorado Eagles in exchange for defenseman Collin Bowman.

Career statistics Regular season Playoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 2004–05 Lincoln Stars USHL 37 1 3 4 39 — — — — — 2005–06 Bowling Green State University CCHA 19 0 1 1 14 — — — — — 2006–07 Bowling Green State University CCHA 37 0 1 1 38 — — — — — 2007–08 Bowling Green State University CCHA 17 0 1 1 14 — — — — — 2008–09 Bowling Green State University CCHA 22 0 2 2 65 — — — — — 2008–09 Johnstown Chiefs ECHL 16 0 1 1 17 — — — — — 2008–09 Lake Erie Monsters AHL 5 0 0 0 2 — — — — — 2008–09 Milwaukee Admirals AHL 5 0 1 1 2 — — — — — 2009–10 Johnstown Chiefs ECHL 70 2 13 15 97 — — — — — 2010–11 Alaska Aces ECHL 42 2 6 8 55 9 0 2 2 2 2010–11 Abbotsford Heat AHL 2 0 0 0 0 — — — — — 2011–12 Alaska Aces ECHL 23 2 4 6 36 — — — — — 2011–12 Abbotsford Heat AHL 21 0 0 0 24 — — — — — 2011–12 Bridgeport Sound Tigers AHL 8 0 1 1 4 — — — — — 2012–13 Alaska Aces ECHL 23 0 4 4 29 — — — — — 2012–13 Gwinnett Gladiators ECHL 11 3 2 5 2 — — — — — 2012–13 Portland Pirates AHL 21 0 4 4 15 1 0 0 0 0 2013–14 Toledo Walleye ECHL 33 1 16 17 39 — — — — — 2013–14 Lake Erie Monsters AHL 1 0 1 1 0 — — — — — 2013–14 Texas Stars AHL 8 1 2 3 2 — — — — — 2013–14 Idaho Steelheads ECHL 20 1 3 4 24 11 0 0 0 10 AHL totals 71 1 9 10 49 1 0 0 0 0